Twists and turns in the salicylate catabolism of aspergillus terreus, revealing new roles of the 3-hydroxyanthranilate pathway

This work was financially supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), project MOSTMICRO ITQB with reference no. UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020, and by project "PinusResina" no. PDR2020-101-031905, funded by PDR2020 through Portugal2020. This research was carried out through a partnership with the RESOLUTION LAB, an infrastructure at NOVA School of Science and Technology. The authors acknowledge and thank the support given by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to CENSE through the strategic project UIDB/04085/2020. T.M. and C.M. are grateful to FCT for the working contract financed by national funds under Norma Transitoria D.L. no. 57/2016 and the fellowship SFRH/BD/118377/2016, respectively.In fungi, salicylate catabolism was believed to proceed only through the catechol branch of the 3-oxoadipate pathway, as shown, e.g., in Aspergillus nidulans. However, the observation of a transient accumulation of gentisate upon the cultivation of Aspergillus terreus in salicylate medium questions this concept. To address this, we have run a comparative analysis of the transcriptome of these two species after growth in salicylate using acetate as a control condition. The results revealed the high complexity of the salicylate metabolism in A. terreus with the concomitant positive regulation of several pathways for the catabolism of aromatic compounds. This included the unexpected joint action of two pathways—3-hydroxyanthranilate and nicotinate—possibly crucial for the catabolism of aromatics in this fungus. Importantly, the 3-hydroxyanthranilate catabolic pathway in fungi is described here for the first time, whereas new genes participating in the nicotinate metabolism are also proposed. The transcriptome analysis showed also for the two species an intimate relationship between salicylate catabolism and secondary metabolism. This study emphasizes that the central pathways for the catabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons in fungi hold many mysteries yet to be discovered. IMPORTANCE Aspergilli are versatile cell factories used in industry for the production of organic acids, enzymes, and pharmaceutical drugs. To date, bio-based production of organic acids relies on food substrates. These processes are currently being challenged to switch to renewable nonfood raw materials—a reality that should inspire the use of lignin-derived aromatic monomers. In this context, aspergilli emerge at the forefront of future bio-based approaches due to their industrial relevance and recognized prolific catabolism of aromatic compounds. Notwithstanding considerable advances in the field, there are still important knowledge gaps in the central catabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons in fungi. Here, we disclose a novel central pathway, 3-hydroxyanthranilate, defying previously established ideas on the central metabolism of the aromatic amino acid tryptophan in Ascomycota. We also observe that the catabolism of the aromatic salicylate greatly activated the secondary metabolism, furthering the significance of using lignin-derived aromatic hydrocarbons as a distinctive biomass source.publishersversionpublishe

Erratum: Martins, M.S., et al. Wideband and wIde beam polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) acoustic transducer for broadband underwater. Sensors 2019, 19, 3991

The authors wish to make the following erratum to this paper [...].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The activity and inhibition of the food vacuole plasmepsin from the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi

Funding Information: This work received financial support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (DW), the British Council Treaty of Windsor Anglo-Portuguese Joint Research Programme (CB & AD) and by FCT/POCTI/FEDER, Project PROTINIB, POCTI/43637/99 (TM & AD).The rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi encodes one food vacuole plasmepsin - the aspartic proteinases important in haemoglobin degradation. A recombinant form of this enzyme was found to cleave a variety of peptide substrates and was susceptible to a selection of naturally occurring and synthetic inhibitors, displaying an inhibition profile distinct from that of aspartic proteinases from other malaria parasites. In addition, inhibitors of HIV proteinase that kill P. chabaudi in vivo were also inhibitors of this new plasmepsin. P. chabaudi is a widely used model for human malaria species and, therefore, the characterisation of this plasmepsin is an important contribution towards understanding its biology.publishersversionpublishe

Composite coatings of chitosan and alginate emulsions with olive oil to enhance postharvest quality and shelf life of fresh figs (Ficus carica L. cv. Pingo De Mel)

Fresh figs are very appreciated and have been associated with health benefits. However, these fruits are highly perishable. In this study, edible coatings were studied envisaging their positive effect in enhancing figs’ shelf-life. Fig fruits cv. ‘Pingo de mel’ were harvested at commercial ripening stage and single emulsion-based coatings, composed of chitosan + olive oil and alginate + olive oil, were applied. After coatings application by dipping each fruit in the emulsion-based solutions at 4 C and drying, the coated fruits were sprayed with crosslinking solutions (6% tripolyphosphate and 1% calcium chloride for chitosan and alginate-based coatings, respectively). Then, were maintained at 4 C and analyzed after 1, 7, 14 and 19 days of storage. After each time interval, fruits were further maintained at 25 C for 2 days. The results have shown that coatings were effective on delaying fungal decay and postharvest ripening indicators (respiration rate, mass loss, softening and total soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio). The results foresee a fruits’ shelf life between 14 and 19 days under refrigeration at 4 C that may be followed up to 2 days at ambient temperature, higher than that estimated for uncoated fruits (less than 14 days at 4 C plus to 2 days at ambient temperature)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Projecto da cidade Lacustre em Vilamoura - na perspectiva do arquitecto paisagista

O presente trabalho consiste na realização de um projecto de Arquitectura Paisagista, tendo como base uma análise e reflexão crítica ao Projecto da Cidade Lacustre, em Vilamoura. Com vista à compreensão e enquadramento do referido projecto, bem como do espaço em que este se insere, considerou-se fundamental efectuar uma análise e caracterização a nível regional e posteriormente, de forma mais aprofundada, uma análise adaptada à escala local, ao nível dos sistemas e componentes mais significativos, que terão influência para o desenvolvimento do projecto. É ainda fundamental efectuar uma análise e síntese do Projecto da Cidade Lacustre, cuja interpretação representou a principal motivação para a realização deste trabalho. Por fim, define-se a estratégia conceptual e os principais objectivos a atingir com a realização deste projecto, com base nos quais se desenvolve e estrutura uma proposta de intervenção, devidamente adequada ao espaço em que se insere, na perspectiva do Arquitecto Paisagista; ABSTRACT: The present work consists in the realization of a Landscape Design project, based on an analysis and critical reflection of the Lakeside City project, in Vilamoura. With a view to understand and enframe that project, as well as the space in which it falls, it was considered essential make an analysis and characterization at regional level and later, in more depth, an analysis adapted to the local scale, at the level of the most significant components and systems, which will influence the development of the project. It is also crucial to make an analysis and synthesis of the Lakeside City Project, whose interpretation was the main motivation for the realization of this work. Finally, is defined the conceptual strategy and the principal objectives to achieve with this project, based on which is developed and structured an intervention proposal well suited to the space in which it inserts, in the Landscape Design perspective

Design of chitosan and alginate emulsion-based formulations for the production of monolayer crosslinked edible films and coatings

This study aimed to develop edible monolayer emulsion-based barriers with polysaccharides as film-forming components (chitosan and sodium alginate), soy lecithin as a surfactant and olive oil as a hydrophobic barrier. Monolayer barriers in the form of films were prepared by casting filmogenic emulsions composed of 2% w/v chitosan (dissolved in lactic acid 1% v/v) or 1% w/v sodium alginate, with different lipid contents (25, 50 and 100% w/w biopolymer basis) and different surfactant concentrations (5, 10 and 25% w/w, lipid basis). Glycerol was used as a plasticizer (25 % w/w, biopolymer basis). After the emulsion drying process, the obtained stand-alone films were sprayed with a crosslinking solution, achieving an optimized crosslinker content of 3.2 mgCa2+/cm2 alginate film and 4 mg tripolyphosphate/cm2 chitosan film. The effect of oil and lecithin contents, as well the presence of crosslinking agents, on the film’s water vapour permeability (WVP), water vapour sorption capacity, mechanical properties and colour parameters, was evaluated. The results have shown that the lowest WVP values were obtained with formulations containing 25% lipid and 25% surfactant for chitosan films, and 100% lipid and 25% surfactant for alginate films. The application of the crosslinking agents decreased even further the WVP, especially for chitosan films (by 30%). Crosslinking also increased films’ resistance to deformation under tensile tests. Overall, the films developed present a good potential as polysaccharide-based barriers with increased resistance to water, which envisages the use of the designed formulations to produce either edible/biodegradable films or edible coatingsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Towards the automation of book typesetting

This paper proposes a generative approach for the automatic typesetting of books in desktop publishing. The presented system consists in a computer script that operates inside a widely used design software tool and implements a generative process based on several typographic rules, styles and principles which have been identified in the literature. The performance of the proposed system is tested through an experiment which included the evaluation of its outputs with people. The results reveal the ability of the system to consistently create varied book designs from the same input content as well as visually coherent book designs with different contents while complying with fundamental typographic principles.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures. Revised version published at Visual Informatics, 7(2), pp. 1\textendash{}1

Application of an Eco-Friendly Antifungal Active Package to Extend the Shelf Life of Fresh Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus L. cv. ‘Kweli’)

The main objective of this study was to extend the shelf life of fresh red raspberry (Rubus idaeus. L. cv. ‘Kweli’) by using active film-pads inside commercial compostable packages. The pads were produced with chitosan (Ch) with the incorporation of green tea (GTE) and rosemary (RSME) ethanolic extracts as natural antifungal agents. Pads were placed on the bottom of commercial fruit trays underneath the fruits, and the trays were heat-sealed with a polyacid lactic (PLA) film. Preservation studies were carried out over 14 days of storage at refrigeration temperature (4 C). Raspberry samples were periodically analyzed throughout storage, in terms of quality attributes (fungal decay, weight loss, firmness, surface color, pH, total soluble solids), total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Gas composition inside the packages was also analyzed over time. From the packaging systems tested, the ones with active film-pads Ch + GTE and Ch + RSME were highly effective in reducing fungal growth and decay of raspberry during storage, showing only around 13% and 5% of spoiled fruits after 14 days, respectively, in contrast with the packages without pads (around 80% of spoiled fruits detected). In addition, fruits preserved using packages with Ch + RSME active film-pads showed lower mass loss (5.6%), decreased firmness (3.7%) and reduced antioxidant activity (around 9% and 15% for DPPH and FRAP methods, respectively). This sustainable packaging presents a potential strategy for the preservation of raspberries and other highly perishable small fruitsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Using Computational Approaches in Visual Identity Design: A Visual Identity for the Design and Multimedia Courses of Faculty of Sciences and Technology of University of Coimbra

Computational approaches are beginning to be used to design dynamic visual identities fuelled by data and generative processes. In this work, we explore these computational approaches in order to generate a visual identity that creates bespoke letterings and images. We achieve this developing a generative design system that automatically assembles black and white visual modules. This system generates designs performing two main methods: (i) Assisted generation; and (ii) Automatic generation. Assisted generation method produces outputs wherein the placement of modules is determined by a configuration file previous defined. On the other hand, the Automatic generation method produces outputs wherein the modules are assembled to depict an input image. This system speeds up the process of design and deployment of one visual identity design as well as it generates outputs visual coherent among them. In this paper, we compressively describe this system and its achievements.Comment: Paper presented in 10th Typography Meeting "Borders", 22--23 Oct. 2019, Matosinhos, Portuga

Interactional response during infants’ aquatic sessions

The aim of study was to assess infants’ behaviour during routine swimming sessions using a naturalistic observation method. The study sample included 14 infants (13.7 ± 7.5 months old) with previous aquatic experience. The frequency of occurrences per unit of time (session) in the different dimensions – infant’s motor behaviour and social-affective interaction – was registered over the course of two sessions by two independent experts. The behaviours most frequently observed were accompanied displacement (61.1 %) and interaction with others (41.6 %). Submersions or jumps represented only 8.4 % of the session. Implementing a child-centred methodology leads to positive behaviours during this type of sessions, contributing to the child’s healthy development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio