Estudo peptídico e determinação do perfil de metabólitos de venenos de escorpiões da família buthidae: Tityus serrulatus, Tityus bahiensis e Tityus obscurus

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Investigação dos compostos biativos em tomates (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) após o processamento térmico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Investigação dos compostos biativos em tomates (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) após o processamento térmico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Fisiología de las algas marinas a través de técnicas moleculares

[ES]Desde 1985, el Grupo de Investigación de Fisiología y Biotecnología Vegetal Marina de la ULPGC ha estudiado el papel de las fuentes de carbono y reguladores de crecimiento, centrándose en los últimos 20 años, en las poliaminas y los compuestos volátiles en el ámbito reproductivo de las macroalgas rojas. En este devenir, han acompañado Licenciados y Doctores en Ciencias del Mar, y entre todos han conocido el papel que desempeñan las fuentes de carbono y la luz, así como, las modificaciones a nivel estructural y ultraestructural durante el crecimiento y el desarrollo de las macroalgas. Emocionante ha sido descubrir el efecto de las poliaminas, o más recientemente el etileno, en la inducción de la carpoesporogénesis, y comprobar como las actividades enzimáticas de síntesis y degradación de estas sustancias estaban íntimamente ligadas a este evento reproductivo. Un reto apasionante ha sido la implementación de técnicas moleculares para el seguimiento de la expresión del gen más importante en la síntesis de las poliaminas: desde cuánto se expresa, con técnicas de PCR cuantitativa, hasta dónde se expresa con la hibridación in situ de RNA mensajeros. En la actualidad están expectantes con el primer transcriptoma obtenido con los sistemas de secuenciación masiva de nueva generación.

Identification of DNA motifs within the 5’UTR of the ornithine decarboxylase gene (GiODC) in the red seaweed Grateloupia imbricata

[ES]El desarrollo de las estructuras reproductoras (cistocarpos) en macroalgas rojas se ve afectado por factores abióticos (fotoperiodo, salinidad…) y endógenos (reguladores del desarrollo como el etileno o las poliaminas (PAs)); siendo estas últimas las principales responsables de la inducción del cistocarpo. Las PAs son moléculas ubícuas sintetizadas a través de una reacción enzimática mediada por la enzima ODC; por lo que conocer los mecanismos reguladores a nivel transcripcional del gen ODC es clave para el conocimiento del proceso reproductivo. Así, en el presente estudio se han identificado in silico diversos motivos conservados en la región 5 'UTR del gen ODC en la macroalga roja Grateloupia imbricata (GiODC) y se discute brevemente su presencia y posible implicación en diversos procesos metabólicos.

Bebidas espirituosas do Algarve

Tese de Doutoramento, Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Structural and functional interaction between polyamine related molecules and biological membranes

Changes induced by PA on nucleic acid (NA) conformation and synthesis is proven to be a major reason for PA essentiality (1-3). However, PA interactions with other polyanions, for instance polyanionic membrane lipid bilayers and glyosaminoglycans have received less attention (3-4). The functional importance of these interactions still is an obscure but interesting area of cell and molecular biology, especially in mammalian cells for which specific PA transport systems are not fully characterized (5). In mammals, activity and turnover of the polyamine (PA) synthesis key enzyme is controlled by a set of proteins: Antizymes (OAZ1-3) and antizyme inhibitors (AZIN1 and 2). It is demonstrated that AOZ modulate polyamine uptake (6), and that PA transport to mitochondria is linked to the respiratory chain state and modulates mitochondrial permeability transition (7). Antizyme expression variants have been located in mitochondria, being proposed as a proapoptotic factor (7-8). AZIN 2 is only expressed in a reduced set of tissues that includes mast cells, where it is associated to mast cell granules membrane (9). This fact, together to the abnormalities observed in bone marrow derived mast cell granules when they are differentiated under restricted PA synthesis conditions (10 and unpublished results), point out to important roles of PA and their related proteins in structure and function of mast cell granules. We will also present novel biophysical results on tripartite interactions of PA that remark the interest of the characterization of PA interactions with lipid bilayers for biomedicine and biotechnology. Thus, the information reported in this paper integrates previously reported information with our still unpublished results, all indicating that PA and their related proteins also are important factors for structure and dynamics of biological membranes and their associated functions essential in human physiology; for instance, solute interchange with the environment (uptake and secretion), oxidative metabolism and apoptosis. The importance of these involved processes for human homeostasis claim for further research efforts. 1. Ruiz-Chica J, Medina MA, Sánchez-Jiménez F and Ramírez FJ (2001) Fourier Transform Raman study of the structural specificities on the interaction between DNA and biogenic polyamines. Biophysical J. 80:443-454. 2. Lightfoot HL, Hall J (2014) Endogenous polyamine function--the RNA perspective. Nucleic Acids Res. 42:11275-11290. 3. Igarashi K, Kashiwagi K (2010) Modulation of cellular function by polyamines. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 42:39-51. 4. Finger S, Schwieger C, Arouri A, Kerth A, Blume A (2014) Interaction of linear polyamines with negatively charged phospholipids: the effect of polyamine charge distance. Biol Chem. 395:769-778. 5. Poulin R, Casero RA, Soulet D. (2012) Recent advances in the molecular biology of metazoan polyamine transport. Amino Acids. 42:711-723. 6. Kahana C (2009) Regulation of cellular polyamine levels and cellular proliferation by antizyme and antizyme inhibitor. Essays Biochem. 4:47-61. 7. Agostinelli E, Marques MP, Calheiros R, Gil FP, Tempera G, Viceconte N, Battaglia V, Grancara S, Toninello A (2010) Polyamines: fundamental characters in chemistry and biology. Amino Acids 38:393-403. 8. Liu GY, Liao YF, Hsu PC, Chang WH, Hsieh MC, Lin CY, Hour TC, Kao MC, Tsay GJ, Hung HC (2006) Antizyme, a natural ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, induces apoptosis of haematopoietic cells through mitochondrial membrane depolarization and caspases' cascade. Apoptosis 11:1773-1788. 9. Kanerva K, Lappalainen J, Mäkitie LT, Virolainen S, Kovanen PT, Andersson LC (2009). Expression of antizyme inhibitor 2 in mast cells and role of polyamines as selective regulators of serotonin secretion. PLoS One 31:e6858. 10. García-Faroldi G, Rodríguez CE, Urdiales JL, Pérez-Pomares JM, Dávila JC, Pejler G, Sánchez-Jiménez F, Fajardo I (2010) Polyamines are present in mast cell secretory granules and are important for granule homeostasis. PLoS One 30:e15071.