Structural Basis of RICs Iron Donation for Iron-Sulfur Cluster Biogenesis

Funding Information: We thank L?gia S. Nobre and Joana M. Baptista for contribution at the initial stage of the work, and Cl?udia S. Freitas for technical support. We also thank Professor Miguel Teixeira of ITQB-NOVA for critical reading of the manuscript. We thank the XALOC staff and floor coordinators at the synchrotron ALBA for the YtfEM data collection. We acknowledge the ESRF for provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and we would like to thank Gianluca Santoni for assistance using the beamline ID30A-3 for the YtfEM-E159L data collection. We also thank Diamond Light Source for beamtime and the staff of beamline I04 for assistance with crystal testing and data collection of YtfEM-E125L. Funding. This work was financially supported by Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e Tecnologia (Portugal) through fellowship SFRH/BD/118545/2016 (LOS) and R&D unit LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER007660 (MostMicro) co-funded by FCT/MCTES and FEDER funds under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. This work was partially supported by PPBI ? Portuguese Platform of BioImaging (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122) co-funded by national funds from OE ? ?Or?amento de Estado? and by European funds from FEDER ? ?Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional.? We also acknowledge funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement no. 810856. Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Silva, Matias, Romão and Saraiva. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Escherichia coli YtfE is a di-iron protein of the widespread Repair of Iron Centers proteins (RIC) family that has the capacity to donate iron, which is a crucial component of the biogenesis of the ubiquitous family of iron-sulfur proteins. In this work we identify in E. coli a previously unrecognized link between the YtfE protein and the major bacterial system for iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) assembly. We show that YtfE establishes protein-protein interactions with the scaffold IscU, where the transient cluster is formed, and the cysteine desulfurase IscS. Moreover, we found that promotion by YtfE of the formation of an Fe-S cluster in IscU requires two glutamates, E125 and E159 in YtfE. Both glutamates form part of the entrance of a protein channel in YtfE that links the di-iron center to the surface. In particular, E125 is crucial for the exit of iron, as a single mutation to leucine closes the channel rendering YtfE inactive for the build-up of Fe-S clusters. Hence, we provide evidence for the key role of RICs as bacterial iron donor proteins involved in the biogenesis of Fe-S clusters.publishersversionpublishe

Nematodes Affecting Potato and Sustainable Practices for Their Management

Plant-parasitic nematodes are a significant factor limiting potato production and tuber quality in several regions where potato is produced. Overall, parasitic nematodes alone cause an estimated annual crop loss of $ 78 billion worldwide and an average crop yield loss of 10–15%. As a result, sustainable food production and food security are directly impacted by pests and diseases. Degrading land use with monocultures and unsustainable cropping practices have intensified problems associated with plant pathogens. Proper identification of nematode species and isolates is crucial to choose effective and sustainable management strategies for nematode infection. Several nematode species have been reported associated with potato. Among those, the potato cyst nematodes Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida, the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne spp., the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus spp., the potato rot nematode Ditylenchus destructor and the false root-knot nematode Nacobbus aberrans are major species limiting potato yield and leading to poor tuber quality. Here, we report a literature review on the biology, symptoms, damage and control methods used for these nematode species

Strain sensitivity enhancement in suspended core fiber tapers

Suspended core fiber tapers with different cross sections (with diameters from 70 μm to 120 μm) are produced by filament heating. Before obtaining the taper, the spectral behavior of the suspended core fiber is a multimode interference structure. When the taper is made, an intermodal interference between a few modes is observed. This effect is clearly visible for low taper core dimensions. Since the core and cladding do not collapse, two taper regions exist, one in the core and the other in the cladding. The cladding taper does not affect the light transmission, only the core is reduced to a microtaper. The spectral response of the microtaper based-suspended core fiber is similar to a beat of two interferometers. The strain is applied to the microtaper, and with the reduction in the transverse area, an increase in sensitivity is observed. When the taper is immersed in a liquid with a different index of refraction or subjected to temperature variations, no spectral change occurs

Propiedades texturales y reológicas de organogeles de aceite de soja estructurados con ésteres de poliglicerol y propilenglicol durante el almacenamiento

Organogels have emerged as an alternative to the intake of saturated fats. Organogels of soybean oil (SBO) structured with polyglycerol esters (PGE) or propylene glycol esters (PPGE) at different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0%) were formulated. Both emulsifiers at 4% (w/w) concentrations were able to form solid-like organogels and showed thixotropy and low mechanical resistance when compression forces were applied. However, the SBO/PGE (4%) organogels presented lower values for flow curves and micrographs showed a more organized network compared to the SBO/PPGE at 4%. However, higher flow curve values, larger crystals, and mechanical resistance on compression were observed after a two-month storage period of SBO/PPGE compared to SBO/PGE organogels. Both organogels have the potential to be used for diverse food applications although the SBO/PGE was more stable throughout storage.Los organogeles surgieron como una alternativa a la ingesta de grasas saturadas. Se formularon organogeles de aceite de soja (SBO) estructurados con ésteres de poliglicerol (PGE) o ésteres de propilenglicol (PPGE) a diferentes concentraciones (0,5, 1,0, 2,0, 3,0 y 4,0%). Ambos emulsificantes fueron capaces de formar organogeles sólidos con un 4% (p/p) y mostraron tixotropía y baja resistencia mecánica cuando se aplicaron fuerzas de compresión. Sin embargo, los organogeles SBO/PGE (4%) presentaron valores más bajos de curvas de flujo y las microfotografías mostraron una red más organizada en comparación con el SBO/PPGE al 4%. Sin embargo, se observaron valores de curva de flujo más altos, cristales más grandes y resistencia mecánica a la compresión después de dos meses de almacenamiento en el SBO/PPGE en comparación con los organogeles de SBO/PGE. Ambos organogeles tienen potencial para ser usados en la industria alimentaria aunque el organogel SBO/PGE fue más estable durante almacenamiento

Multimode Interference In Tapered Single Mode-multimode-single Mode Fiber Structures For Strain Sensing Applications

Tapering single mode-multimode-single mode structures to enhance sensitivity is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. 50 mm-long coreless MMF sections are spliced between SMFs and tapered. They are characterized in strain and an increase in strain sensitivity is obtained with taper diameter reduction. Sensitivities as high as -23.69 pm/με for the 15 μm taper are attained. A combination of an untapered and tapered SMS is proposed as a sensing system for the simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature. © 2012 SPIE.8421Soldano, L., Pennings, E., Optical multi-mode interference devices based on self-imaging: Principles and applications (1995) Lightwave Technology, Journal of, 13, pp. 615-627. , AprilKumar, A., Varshney, R.K., Sharma, P., Transmission characteristics of sms fiber optic sensor structures (2003) Optics Communications, 219, pp. 215-219Wang, Q., Farrell, G., Yan, W., Investigation on single-mode-multimode-single-mode fiber structure (2008) J. Lightwave Technol., 26, pp. 512-519. , MarMehta, A., Mohammed, W., Johnson, E., Multimode interference-based fiber-optic displacement sensor (2003) Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE, 15, pp. 1129-1131. , augMohammed, W., Mehta, A., Johnson, E., Wavelength tunable fiber lens based on multimode interference (2004) Lightwave Technology, Journal of, 22, pp. 469-477. , febFrazão, O., Silva, S.O., Viegas, J., Ferreira, L.A., Araújo, F.M., Santos, J.L., Optical fiber refractometry based on multimode interference (2011) Appl. Opt., 50, pp. E184-E188. , SepMohammed, W.S., Smith, P.W.E., Gu, X., All-fiber multimode interference bandpass filter (2006) Opt. Lett., 31, pp. 2547-2549. , SepWang, Q., Farrell, G., Multimode-fiber-based edge filter for optical wavelength measurement application and its design (2006) Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, 48 (5), pp. 900-902Wang, P., Brambilla, G., Ding, M., Semenova, Y., Wu, Q., Farrell, G., High-sensitivity, evanescent field refractometric sensor based on a tapered, multimode fiber interference (2011) Opt. Lett., 36, pp. 2233-2235. , JunFrazão, O., Silva, S.F.O., Guerreiro, A., Santos, J.L., Ferreira, L.A., Araújo, F.M., Strain sensitivity control of fiber bragg grating structures with fused tapers (2007) Appl. Opt., 46 (36), pp. 8578-8582Biazoli, C.R., André, R.M., Frazão, O., Cordeiro, C.M.B., Tapering down optical fiber to ultra-high strain sensitivity (2012) Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE, , Submitte

Levantamento fitossociológico de plantas daninhas em cafezal orgânico.

A adequação de um cafezal para o sistema orgânico causa grande mudança no sistema de manejo de plantas daninhas, mas as informações sobre o comportamento da comunidade infestante em áreas de cultivo de café orgânico são escassas no Brasil. Objetivou-se com este trabalho realizar um levantamento fitossociológico da comunidade infestante em três cafezais (variedades Mundo Novo, Bourbon Vermelho e Obatã) desenvolvidos em sistema orgânico, no município de Garça (SP). Nas três áreas estudadas foram arremessados ao acaso cem quadrados metálicos com área vazada de 0,25 m2, nas entrelinhas da cultura. As espécies contidas no interior dos quadros foram identificadas segundo a espécie botânica, nome popular e família. A partir dos resultados, determinaram-se os parâmetros fitossociológicos: frequência, densidade, abundância, frequência relativa, densidade relativa, abundância relativa, índice de valor de importância e similaridade florísticas pelos métodos de Simple Matching de Sneath & Sokal e similaridade de Sorensen. As famílias que mais se destacaram, com maior número de espécies nas três áreas foram Poaceae e Asteraceae. Houve alta similaridade em todos os contrastes testados, já que pelo menos metade das espécies identificadas foi comum às duas áreas contrastadas

Proteomic characterization and biological activities of the mucus produced by the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860)

Abstract Mucus, produced by Palythoa caribaeorum has been popularly reported due to healing, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. However, biochemical and pharmacological properties of this mucus remains unexplored. Therefore, the present study aimed to study its proteome profile by 2DE electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF. Furthermore, it was evaluated the cytotoxic, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities of the mucus and from its protein extract (PE). Proteomics study identified14 proteins including proteins involved in the process of tissue regeneration and death of tumor cells. The PE exhibited cell viability below 50% in the MCF-7 and S-180 strains. It showed IC50 of 6.9 μg/mL for the J774 lineage, and also, favored the cellular growth of fibroblasts. Furthermore, PE revealed activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis (MIC of 250 μg/mL). These findings revealed the mucus produced by Palythoa caribaeorum with biological activities, offering alternative therapies for the treatment of cancer and as a potential antibacterial agent