Lipase And Esterase - To What Extent Can This Classification Be Applied Accurately? [lipases E Esterases: Como Definir E Classificar?]

Enzyme technology is an ever-growing field of knowledge and, in recent years, this technology has raised renewed interest, due to the search for new paradigms in several productive processes. Lipases, esterases and cutinases are enzymes used in a wide range of processes involving synthesis and hydrolysis reactions. The objective of this work was to investigate and compare the specific lipase and esterase activities of five enzymes - four already classified as lipases and one classified as cutinase - in the presence of natural and synthetic substrates. All tested enzymes presented both esterase and lipase specific activities. The highest specific esterase activity was observed for Aspergillus 1068 lipase in natural substrate and for F. oxysporum cutinase in synthetic substrate, while the highest specific lipase activity was observed for Geotrichum sp. lipase in natural substrate and for F. oxysporum cutinase in synthetic substrate. These results display some interface-independent lipolytic activity for all lipases tested. 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Tackling the cell wall of the grape berry

Abstract: The cell wall (CW) is the dynamic border of plant cells. In grape berries, the CW decisively accounts for the difference between the pulp and skin cells, with direct consequences on the grape characteristics, wine quality and wine-making methods. The softening of mature berries results from the depolymerisation and solubilisation of CW polymers. Modifications of grape pulp and skin CW provide the flexibility for cell expansion during fruit growth and to modulate the final texture. Wine making and berry processing methods are directly related with the absence, in white wines, or the presence, in red wines, of skin CW in the fermenting must. Anthocyanin extraction depends directly on skin yielding of the pigment upon CW degradation. During fruit growth and ripening, the cooperative action between different enzyme families is capital in CW metabolism. The sequencing and public availability of the Vitis genome allowed us to focus on individual pathways, to profile the expression pattern of isoforms associated with each tissue, developmental phase or stress response, anticipating the effects on berry (and wine) production and quality. Retrieving the sequences of genomic coding regions and the predicted enzymes that act on the Vitis, CW allows us for the first time to tackle the grape berry Cell Wallom

Comparación del crecimiento, propiedades del suelo y análisis químico del follaje entre masas puras y mixtas

Ecosystems with mixed species compared to the ones with pure compositions provide a broader range of options in the fields of biodiversity, conservation, protection and restoration. Industrial plantations in Portugal are mostly monocultures with the predominance of coniferous forests, so the introduction of broadleaves could be important for the biodiversity and sustainability of Portuguese forests. This study aims to present and discuss field data from pure and mixed-species plantations of European chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) and douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] with different intercropping densities in a total of 5 treatments with two replicate blocks. In respect to growth, the results showed significant difference (P < 0.05, Scheffe) between treatments for survival and basal area. Diameter breast height (DBH), total and top height of the individual Castanea tree was positively affected by the presence of Pseudotsuga. In general, soil properties results showed a higher fertility for mixed treatments compared with pure ones. Statistically differences (P < 0.05, Scheffe) were observed in pH, P, Mn and in the exchangeable acidity. Results for foliar analysis in N, P, Ca and K concentrations are higher for mixed treatments. The obtained results from this study indicate that mixed plantations have a positive effect in the productivity of the Castanea.Los ecosistemas con especies mixtas, en comparación con las masas puras, proporcionan una gama más amplia de opciones en el campo de la biodiversidad, la conservación, la protección y la restauración. Las plantaciones industriales de Portugal son en su mayoría monocultivos con predominio de bosques de coníferas, por lo que la introducción de frondosas podría ser importante para la biodiversidad y la sostenibilidad de los bosques portugueses. Este estudio tiene como objetivo presentar y discutir los datos de campo de plantaciones puras y mixtas de especies de castaño y de abeto de Douglas con diferentes densidades de cultivo intercalado en un total de 5 tratamientos con dos bloques. En lo que respecta al crecimiento, los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas (P < 0,05) entre los tratamientos para la supervivencia y el área basal. El diámetro normal (DAP), la altura total y la altura dominante del Castaño se vio afectado positivamente por la presencia de Pseudotsuga. En general, las propiedades del suelo mostraron una mayor fecundidad de los tratamientos mixtos en comparación con los puros. Se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas (P < 0,05) en el pH, P, Mn y en la acidez intercambiable. Los resultados de los análisis foliares de N, P, Ca y la concentración de K son mayores para los tratamientos mixtos. Los resultados obtenidos de este estudio indican que las plantaciones mixtas tienen un efecto positivo en la productividad del Castaño

Epstein-Barr virus infection and gastric carcinoma in São Paulo State, Brazil

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus, and most people have serological evidence of previous viral infection at adult age. EBV is associated with infectious mononucleosis and human cancers, including some lymphomas and gastric carcinomas. Although EBV was first reported in lymphoepithelioma-like gastric carcinoma, the virus was also found in conventional adenocarcinomas. In the present study, 53 gastric carcinomas diagnosed in São Paulo State, Brazil, were evaluated for EBV infection by non-isotopic in situ hybridization with a biotinylated probe (Biotin-AGACACCGTCCTCACCACCC GGGACTTGTA) directed to the viral transcript EBER-I, which is actively expressed in EBV latently infected cells. EBV infection was found in 6 of 53 (11.32%) gastric carcinomas, mostly from male patients (66.7%), with a mean age of 59 years old. Most EBV-positive tumors were in gastric antrum. Two EBV-positive tumors (33.3%) were conventional adenocarcinomas, whereas four (66.7%) were classified as lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas. EBV infection in gastric carcinomas was reported elsewhere in frequencies that range from 5.6% (Korea) up to 18% (Germany). In Brazil, a previous work found EBV infection in 4 of 80 (5%) gastric carcinomas, whereas another study found 4.7 and 11.2% of EBV-positive gastric carcinomas of Brazilians of Japanese origin or not, respectively. In the present study, the frequency of EBV-positive gastric carcinomas is similar to that reported in other series, and the clinicopathologic characteristics of these EBV-positive tumors are in agreement with the data in the literature.1707171

Epstein-barr Virus Infection And Gastric Carcinoma In São Paulo, Brazil

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus, and most people have serological evidence of previous viral infection at adult age. EBV is associated with infectious mononucleosis and human cancers, including some lymphomas and gastric carcinomas. Although EBV was first reported in lymphoepithelioma-like gastric carcinoma, the virus was also found in conventional adenocarcinomas. In the present study, 53 gastric carcinomas diagnosed in São Paulo State, Brazil, were evaluated for EBV infection by non-isotopic in situ hybridization with a biotinylated probe (Biotin-AGACACCGTCCTCACCACCC GGGACTTGTA) directed to the viral transcript EBER-I, which is actively expressed in EBV latently infected cells. EBV infection was found in 6 of 53 (11.32%) gastric carcinomas, mostly from male patients (66.7%), with a mean age of 59 years old. Most EBV-positive tumors were in gastric antrum. Two EBV-positive tumors (33.3%) were conventional adenocarcinomas, whereas four (66.7%) were classified as lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas. EBV infection in gastric carcinomas was reported elsewhere in frequencies that range from 5.6% (Korea) up to 18% (Germany). In Brazil, a previous work found EBV infection in 4 of 80 (5%) gastric carcinomas, whereas another study found 4.7 and 11.2% of EBV-positive gastric carcinomas of Brazilians of Japanese origin or not, respectively. 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Continuous Monitoring of Dynamical Systems and Master Equations

We illustrate the equivalence between the non-unitary evolution of an open quantum system governed by a Markovian master equation and a process of continuous measurements involving this system. We investigate a system of two coupled modes, only one of them interacting with external degrees of freedom, represented, in the first case, by a finite number of harmonic oscillators, and, in the second, by a sequence of atoms where each one interacts with a single mode during a limited time. Two distinct regimes appear, one of them corresponding to a Zeno-like behavior in the limit of large dissipation

Influence of medium composition on the characteristics of a denitrifying biofilm formed by alcaligenes denitrificans in a fluidised bed reactor

The influence of the ratio carbon/nitrogen and phosphorus concentration on the performance of a biofilm fluidised bed reactor used for denitrification and on the properties of the biofilm was studied. Although the removal efficiencies of C and N reached steady-state values, the thickness of the biofilm steadily increased. The dry density of the biofilm did not seem to be dependent on the loading conditions, although a denser biofilm was obtained when there was no nutrient limitation that corresponded to the complete removal of nitrate and carbon. The composition of the biofilm in terms of proteins and polysaccharides changed with the C/N ratio and P concentrations. Higher denitrifying activities, which were obtained with increasing P concentrations, were related with higher protein content, since metabolism was shifted from polysaccharide production towards cell production. The thickness and the density of the biofilms were related mainly with the shear stress in the reactor and the composition of biofilms was dependent on the composition of the medium and related with higher activities of the microorganisms.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PRAXIS XXI . Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (IBQF)

Experimental bladder carcinogenesis – rodent models

Several rodent models of bladder cancer development have been established. The aim of this review article is to provide a critical assessment of different animal models available for the study of bladder carcinogenesis, its chemoprevention and therapy. All, except for transgenic and knockout animals, require 8–12 months experimental periods in order to generate a high yield of neoplasias. Spontaneous bladder tumor models are extremely rare. The significance of the results from animal experiments is dependent upon the selection of a suitable animal model. There are no rules regarding the choice of a model, it is however very useful to have knowledge of relevant comparative medical aspects concerning this subject. We describe chemical carcinogens most commonly used to induce bladder cancer, pellet implantation and urinary calculi, agents that promote bladder cancer, and irradiation. We also evaluated other tools such as cell cultures, tumor implantation and transgenic models for bladder cancer, that have been developed to study the process. The review considers how several imaging techniques can be applied to study rodent bladder carcinogenesis.Для изучения механизмов развития рака мочевого пузыря было создано несколько экспериментальных моделей на гры- зунах. Целью обзора была сравнительная оценка различных экспериментальных моделей для изучения канцерогенеза мочевого пузыря, профилактики и терапии. За исключением трансгенных и нокаутных животных, для получения высокого выхода опухолей в любой экспериментальной модели требуется 8–12 мес. Модели спонтанного канцерогенеза мочевого пузыря крайне редки. Выбор экспериментальной модели с определенными параметрами определяет значимость получен- ных результатов. В статье описаны различные методики, используемые для индукции рака мочевого пузыря in vivo, ряд методических подходов, таких как культура клеток, имплантация опухоли и трансгенные модели рака мочевого пузыря и современные методы мониторинга опухолевой прогрессии

Critical analysis of autoregressive and fast Fourier transform markers of cardiovascular variability in rats and humans

The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in physiological and pathological conditions, and has been extensively evaluated by parametric and non-parametric spectral analysis. To compare the results obtained with fast Fourier transform (FFT) and the autoregressive (AR) method, we performed a comprehensive comparative study using data from humans and rats during pharmacological blockade (in rats), a postural test (in humans), and in the hypertensive state (in both humans and rats). Although postural hypotension in humans induced an increase in normalized low-frequency (LFnu) of systolic blood pressure, the increase in the ratio was detected only by AR. In rats, AR and FFT analysis did not agree for LFnu and high frequency (HFnu) under basal conditions and after vagal blockade. The increase in the LF/HF ratio of the pulse interval, induced by methylatropine, was detected only by FFT. In hypertensive patients, changes in LF and HF for systolic blood pressure were observed only by AR; FFT was able to detect the reduction in both blood pressure variance and total power. In hypertensive rats, AR presented different values of variance and total power for systolic blood pressure. Moreover, AR and FFT presented discordant results for LF, LFnu, HF, LF/HF ratio, and total power for pulse interval. We provide evidence for disagreement in 23% of the indices of blood pressure and heart rate variability in humans and 67% discordance in rats when these variables are evaluated by AR and FFT under physiological and pathological conditions. The overall disagreement between AR and FFT in this study was 43%.FINEPFAPESPZerbini Foundatio

First Microsatellite Markers Developed From Cupuassu Ests: Application In Diversity Analysis And Cross-species Transferability To Cacao

The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit's pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta-And trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches' broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively. The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit's pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta-And trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches' broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively. © 2016 Ferraz dos Santos et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.11