The African hind's (Cephalopholis taeniops, serranidae) use of artificial reefs off Sal Island (Cape Verde): a preliminary study based on acoustic telemetry

The African hind Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828) is one of the most important commercial demersal species caught in the Cape Verde archipelago. The species is closely associated with hard substrate and is one of the main attractions for SCUBA divers. In January 2006 a former Soviet fishing vessel - the Kwarcit - was sunk off Santa Maria Bay (Sal Island). Young C. taeniops are commonly observed in this artificial reef (AR). In order to investigate the species' use of the AR, 4 specimens were captured and surgically implanted underwater with Vemco brand acoustic transmitters. The fish were monitored daily with an active telemetry receiver for one week after release. Simultaneously, an array of 3 passive VR2 / VR2W receivers was set for 63 days, registering data that allowed an analysis of spatial, daily and short term temporal activity patterns. The results showed site fidelity to the AR, with no migrations to the nearby natural reef. The method used allowed to register a consistent higher activity during daytime and a preference for the area opposite the dominant current

Variability of olive oil cultivar on stability during storage

The fatty acid composition and stability of three Portuguese monovarietal olive oils, Cobrancosa, Macanilha and Verdeal, was studied, maintaining the olive oils at 60 degrees C for 75 and 102 days, respectively. Oleic acid was the main fatty acid (64-69%) in three olive oils cultivars, followed by palmitic acid (15-18%). The highest percentages of palmitic acid were observed in Macanilha olive oil (17-18%). Linolenic acid content was 3%, on average. Storing the oils at 60 degrees C over 75 days did not affect the levels of fatty acids. Cobrancosa and Macanilha olive oils were more resistant to hydroperoxide formation than Verdeal olive oil, whereas this oil and that of Macanilha were more resistant to the degradation of those peroxides. Cobrancosa olive oil possessed higher levels of phenols and higher ability for scavenging free radicals than the remaining oils. a-Tocopherol content was higher in Cobrancosa and Macanilha oils than in Verdeal, but a similar high degradation of this vitamin was observed in all oils, disappearing after 5 to 8 days of storage at 60 degrees C

Novel peptides derived from dengue virus capsid protein translocate reversibly the blood−brain barrier through a receptor-free mechanism

© 2017 American Chemical SocietyThe delivery of therapeutic molecules to the central nervous system is hampered by poor delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Several strategies have been proposed to enhance transport into the brain, including invasive techniques and receptor-mediated transport (RMT). Both approaches have several drawbacks, such as BBB disruption, receptor saturation, and off-target effects, raising safety issues. Herein, we show that specific domains of Dengue virus type 2 capsid protein (DEN2C) can be used as trans-BBB peptide vectors. Their mechanism of translocation is receptor-independent and consistent with adsorptive-mediated transport (AMT). One peptide in particular, named PepH3, reaches equilibrium distribution concentrations across the BBB in less than 24 h in a cellular in vitro assay. Importantly, in vivo biodistribution data with radiolabeled peptide derivatives show high brain penetration. In addition, there is fast clearance from the brain and high levels of excretion, showing that PepH3 is a very good candidate to be used as a peptide shuttle taking cargo in and out of the brain.The authors thank the Portuguese Funding Agency, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT IP, for financial support (grants SFRH/BPD/94466/2013; SFRH/BPD/109010/2015; IF/01010/2013; PTDC/BBBNAN/1578/2014; HIVERA/ 0002/2013) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (MSCA-RISE), call 20-MSCARISE-2014 (grant agreement H20 644167 − INPACT). M.M., L.G., C.F., and J.D.G.C. gratefully acknowledge FCT support through the UID/Multi/04349/2013 project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Interplay of ribosomal DNA Loci in nucleolar dominance: dominant NORs are up-regulated by chromatin dynamics in the wheat-rye system

Background: Chromatin organizational and topological plasticity, and its functions in gene expression regulation, have been strongly revealed by the analysis of nucleolar dominance in hybrids and polyploids where one parental set of ribosomal RNA (rDNA) genes that are clustered in nucleolar organizing regions (NORs), is rendered silent by epigenetic pathways and heterochromatization. However, information on the behaviour of dominant NORs is very sparse and needed for an integrative knowledge of differential gene transcription levels and chromatin specific domain interactions. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using molecular and cytological approaches in a wheat-rye addition line (wheat genome plus the rye nucleolar chromosome pair 1R), we investigated transcriptional activity and chromatin topology of the wheat dominant NORs in a nucleolar dominance situation. Herein we report dominant NORs up-regulation in the addition line through quantitative real-time PCR and silver-staining technique. Accompanying this modification in wheat rDNA trascription level, we also disclose that perinucleolar knobs of ribosomal chromatin are almost transcriptionally silent due to the residual detection of BrUTP incorporation in these domains, contrary to the marked labelling of intranucleolar condensed rDNA. Further, by comparative confocal analysis of nuclei probed to wheat and rye NORs, we found that in the wheat-rye addition line there is a significant decrease in the number of wheat-origin perinucleolar rDNA knobs, corresponding to a diminution of the rDNA heterochromatic fraction of the dominant (wheat) NORs. Conclusions/Significance: We demonstrate that inter-specific interactions leading to wheat-origin NOR dominance results not only on the silencing of rye origin NOR loci, but dominant NORs are alsomodified in their transcriptional activity and interphase organization. The results show a cross-talk between wheat and rye NORs, mediated by ribosomal chromatin dynamics, revealing a conceptual shift from differential amphiplasty to ‘mutual amphiplasty’ in the nucleolar dominance process.This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (projects POCI/BIA-BDE/57575/2004 to M.S. and POCI/BIA-BCM/59389/2004 to N.N.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nanostructured cellulose membranes loaded with phenolic-based ionic liquids for cutaneous application

The utilization of natural compounds, such as phenolic acids and biopolymers, in the healthcare domain is gaining increasing attention. In this study, bacterial nanocellulose (BC) membranes were loaded with ionic liquids (ILs) based on phenolic acids. These ionic compounds, with improved solubility and bioavailability, were prepared by combining the cholinium cation with anions derived from caffeic, ellagic and gallic acids. The obtained BC-ILs membranes were homogeneous, conformable and their swelling ability agreed with the solubility of each IL. These membranes revealed a controlled ILs dissolution rate in the wet state and high antioxidant activity. In vitro assays performed with Raw 264.7 macrophages and HaCaT keratinocytes revealed that these novel BC-ILs membranes are non-cytotoxic and present relevant anti-inflammatory properties. Diffusion studies with Hanson vertical diffusion cells showed a prolonged release profile of the ILs from the BC membranes. Thus, this work, successfully demonstrates the potential of BC-ILs membranes for skin treatment.publishe

Isolated ileal interposition in enteroendocrine L cells differentiation

INTRODUCTION: 
Due to the progressive nature of type 2 diabetes, its complexity and drug treatment perpetuity, there is currently a search for surgical procedures that can promote euglycemia also in non-obese patients. Diabetic patients glycemic control can be achieved by increasing the blood concentration of GLP-1, a hormone produced by L cells that are more densely concentrated in the terminal ileum. Early and extended improvement of diabetes in patients submitted to bariatric surgeries awakened the necessity of investigating the isolated ileal interposition as a surgical alternative for the treatment of diabetes. The interposition of this ileal segment to a more anterior region (proximal jejunum) can promote a greater stimulation of the L cells by poorly digested food, increasing the production of GLP-1 and reflecting on glycemic control. However, in order to consolidate the ileal interposition as a surgical treatment of diabetes it is necessary that the interposed ileum keep the same differentiation rate into L cells for a long period to justify the intervention.

AIMS: 
To investigate the isolated ileal interposition influence on the differentiation of intestinal precursor cells into enteroendocrine L cells over time.

METHODS: 
Twelve 12-week-old male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus) of the WAB strain (heterogeneous) will be used. All animals will receive a high-calorie, high-fat diet for 16 weeks or more until they develop glucose dysmetabolism confirmed by glycemic test. They will be divided into two groups of 10 animals each: the isolated ileal interposition group (GI) and the control group (GC), comprising animals that will not be submitted to any surgical intervention. Blood samples will be collected under anesthesia at the weeks 12, 26, 36 and 44 for the determination of serum levels of glucose, insulin, GLP-1, glucagon, C-peptide and glycosilated hemoglobin. The insulin tolerance test will be performed and insulin resistance will be calculated. For the comparative analysis of the ileal precursor cells differentiation into enteroendocrine cells among the two groups, the following intestinal fragments will be collected after euthanasia: interposed ileum and remaining ileum from GI, jejunum and ileum from GC. These fragments will be analyzed by imunofluorescence and also by Real Time PCR using PCR Arrays for target genes including the main ones related to stem cell, stem cell signaling, diabetes, Wnt and Notch signaling pathways and other genes and pathways involved in the differentiation of intestinal precursor cells into enteroendocrine cells, especially GLP-1-producing L cells that play important role in euglycemia

Rabbit derived VL single-domains as promising scaffolds to generate antibody–drug conjugates

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are among the fastest-growing classes of therapeutics in oncology. Although ADCs are in the spotlight, they still present significant engineering challenges. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop more stable and effective ADCs. Most rabbit light chains have an extra disulfide bridge, that links the variable and constant domains, between Cys80 and Cys171, which is not found in the human or mouse. Thus, to develop a new generation of ADCs, we explored the potential of rabbit-derived VL-single-domain antibody scaffolds (sdAbs) to selectively conjugate a payload to Cys80. Hence, a rabbit sdAb library directed towards canine non-Hodgkin lymphoma (cNHL) was subjected to in vitro and in vivo phage display. This allowed the identification of several highly specific VL-sdAbs, including C5, which specifically target cNHL cells in vitro and present promising in vivo tumor uptake. C5 was selected for SN-38 site-selective payload conjugation through its exposed free Cys80 to generate a stable and homogenous C5-DAB-SN-38. C5-DAB-SN-38 exhibited potent cytotoxicity activity against cNHL cells while inhibiting DNA-TopoI activity. Overall, our strategy validates a platform to develop a novel class of ADCs that combines the benefits of rabbit VL-sdAb scaffolds and the canine lymphoma model as a powerful framework for clinically translation of novel therapeutics for cancer.This work was supported by the Portuguese Funding Agency, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT IP (SAICT/2017/32085, PTDC/QUI-OUT/3989/2021 and Ph.D. fellowship SFRH/BD/131468/2017 to ASA and SFRH/BD/90514/2012 to JD). CIISA has provided support through Project UIDB/00276/2020, funded by FCT and LA/P/0059/2020-AL4AnimalS. Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa) acknowledges the financial support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Projects: PTDC/QUI-OUT/3989/2021; UIDB/04138/2020 and UIDP/04138/2020). The NMR spectrometers are part of the National NMR Network (PTNMR) and are partially supported by Infrastructure Project Nº 022161 (co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI and PORL and FCT through PIDDAC).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Local indicators for global species: Pelagic sharks in the tropical northeast Atlantic, Cabo Verde islands region.

Pelagic sharks are an important bycatch in pelagic fisheries, especially for drifting longlines targeting swordfish. In the Cabo Verde Archipelago (tropical NE Atlantic), pelagic shark catches can reach a significant proportion of the total catches. Due to the increased concern on the status of pelagic shark species, this study was developed to enhance the current knowledge of those sharks in the Cabo Verde region in comparison to the adjacent areas, especially associated with European Union (EU) pelagic longline fishing activity. Stock status indicators for the two main species, blue shark (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), were developed, based on fisheries data from logbooks and onboard scientific observers, including analysis of size frequency distributions and standardized catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) indexes over time. The standardized CPUEs have been stable or increasing for both species in the past 10 years, indicating no signs of local depletion. In terms of sizes, the blue shark catch is composed mainly of adults, which can be a sign of a stable population. On the contrary, the catch of shortfin mako is composed mainly of juveniles, which in conjunction of a decrease of mean size might be a cause of concern, highlighting possible overfishing on the species in the region. Thirty satellite tags, 25 archival miniPATs and 5 SPOT GPS, were deployed in the Cabo Verde Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), showing that those species are highly mobile. The biomass and size distributions were modeled with spatial and seasonal models (GAMs) identifying locations where juveniles are predominantly concentrated and that should be prioritized for conservation. This work presents new information on the status of pelagic sharks in the Cabo Verde region in the context of those highly migratory species, and can now be used to promote more sustainable fisheries in the region

Polyploidization as a Retraction Force in Plant Genome Evolution: Sequence Rearrangements in Triticale

BACKGROUND: Polyploidization is a major evolutionary process in plants where hybridization and chromosome doubling induce enormous genomic stress and can generate genetic and epigenetic modifications. However, proper evaluation of DNA sequence restructuring events and the precise characterization of sequences involved are still sparse. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Inter Retrotransposons Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP), Retrotransposons Microsatellite Amplified Polymorphism (REMAP) and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) largely confirmed the absence of any intraspecific variation in wheat, rye and triticale. The comparative analysis of banding profiles between wheat and rye inbred lines revealed 34% of monomorphic (common to both parental species) bands for the ten different primer combinations used. The analysis of triticale plants uncovered nearly 51% of rearranged bands in the polyploid, being the majority of these modifications, due to the loss of rye bands (83%). Sequence analysis of rye fragments absent in triticale revealed for instance homology with hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGP), a protein that belongs to a major family of inducible defence response proteins. Conversely, a wheat-specific band absent in triticale comprises a nested structure of copia-like retrotransposons elements, namely Claudia and Barbara. Sequencing of a polyploid-specific band (absent in both parents) revealed a microsatellite related sequence. Cytological studies using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) with REMAP products revealed a widespread distribution of retrotransposon and/or microsatellite flanking sequences on rye chromosomes, with a preferential accumulation in heterochromatic sub-telomeric domains. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Here, we used PCR-based molecular marker techniques involving retrotransposons and microsatellites to uncover polyploidization induced genetic restructuring in triticale. Sequence analysis of rearranged genomic fragments either from rye or wheat origin showed these to be retrotransposon-related as well as coding sequences. Further FISH analysis revealed possible chromosome hotspots for sequence rearrangements. The role of chromatin condensation on the origin of genomic rearrangements mediated by polyploidization in triticale is also discussed

Toxoplasma gondii infection and liver disease: a case-control study in a Northern Mexican population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infection with the protozoan parasite <it>Toxoplasma gondii </it>may cause liver disease. However, the impact of the infection in patients suffering from liver disease is unknown. Therefore, through a case-control study design, 75 adult liver disease patients attending a public hospital in Durango City, Mexico, and 150 controls from the general population of the same region matched by gender, age, and residence were examined with enzyme-linked immunoassays for the presence of anti-<it>Toxoplasma </it>IgG and anti-<it>Toxoplasma </it>IgM antibodies. Socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics from the study subjects were obtained.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seroprevalence of anti-<it>Toxoplasma </it>IgG antibodies and IgG titers did not differ significantly in patients (10/75; 13.3%) and controls (16/150; 10.7%). Two (2.7%) patients and 5 (3.3%) controls had anti-<it>Toxoplasma </it>IgM antibodies (<it>P </it>= 0.57). Seropositivity to <it>Toxoplasma </it>did not show any association with the diagnosis of liver disease. In contrast, seropositivity to <it>Toxoplasma </it>in patients was associated with consumption of venison and quail meat. <it>Toxoplasma </it>seropositivity was more frequent in patients with reflex impairment (27.8%) than in patients without this impairment (8.8%) (<it>P </it>= 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that <it>Toxoplasma </it>seropositivity in patients was associated with consumption of sheep meat (OR = 8.69; 95% CI: 1.02-73.71; <it>P </it>= 0.04) and rabbit meat (OR = 4.61; 95% CI: 1.06-19.98; <it>P </it>= 0.04).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Seropositivity to <it>Toxoplasma </it>was comparable among liver disease patients and controls. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to elucidate the association of <it>Toxoplasma </it>with liver disease. Consumption of venison, and rabbit, sheep, and quail meats may warrant further investigation.</p