A5034417631- Fungal and yeast genetics research
- Algal biology and biofuel production
- Fermentation and Sensory Analysis
- Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Biofuel production and bioconversion
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Redox biology and oxidative stress
- Sphingolipid Metabolism and Signaling
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Plant Disease Resistance and Genetics
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Metalloenzymes and iron-sulfur proteins
- Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
- Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Fungal Biology and Applications
- Heat shock proteins research
- Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Polymer Surface Interaction Studies
- Genomics, phytochemicals, and oxidative stress
- Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
Universidade do Porto
2010-2020
i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto
2015-2020
Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular
2002-2016
Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2016
University of Florence
2008
Centro de Genética Clínica
1995
Institute of Biomedical Science
1990
Cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic prokaryotes that have diverse morphology, minimal nutritional requirements and metabolic plasticity has made them attractive organisms to use in biotechnological applications. The these as cell factories requires the knowledge their physiology metabolism at systems level. For quantification gene transcripts real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is standard technique. However, obtain reliable RT-qPCR results validation reference...
Many cyanobacteria produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) mainly of polysaccharidic nature. These EPS can remain associated to the cell surface as sheaths, capsules and/or slimes, or be liberated into surrounding environment released polysaccharides (RPS). The ability EPS-producing remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions has been widely reported in literature, focusing on biotechnological potential. However, knowledge effects cell's survival/growth is still scarce, particularly...
Many of the changes induced in yeast by sublethal yet stressful amounts ethanol are same as those resulting from heat stress. They include an inhibition fermentation, increased induction petites and stimulation plasma membrane ATPase activity. Ethanol, at concentrations (4-10%, v/v) that affect growth fermentation rates, is also a potent inducer heat-shock proteins including members Hsp70 protein family shock. This occurs above threshold level about 4% ethanol, although different gene...
Quercetin, the major flavonol found in several fruits and vegetables, is a natural antioxidant with potential anticancer antiaging activities. In this paper, effect of quercetin Sacharomyces cerevisiae cells submitted to oxidative stress was studied. Hydrogen peroxide resistance increased pretreated quercetin. Cellular protection correlated decrease markers, namely, levels reactive oxygen species, glutathione oxidation, protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation. The acquisition H2O2 not...
This work reports the role of both superoxide dismutases - CuZnSOD (encoded by SOD1 ) and MnSOD SOD2 in build-up tolerance to ethanol during growth Saccharomyces cerevisiae from exponential post-diauxic phase. Both enzyme activities increase phase diauxic shift The levels mRNA- shift; however, decrease while remain unchanged. These data indicate existence two regulatory mechanisms involved induction SOD activity growth: synthesis de novo proteins (until shift), post-transcriptional or...
In the present work, adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA) on commercially pure titanium with a oxide layer formed in H2O2 solution (TiO2 cp) and TiO2 sputtered Si sp) was analyzed. Adsorption isotherms, kinetic studies, work adhesion determinations were carried out. HSA exchangeability also evaluated. Surface characterization performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), wettability studies. The two surfaces have very distinct roughnesses, sp having...
A growing market for novel antioxidants obtained from non-expensive sources justifies educated screening of microalgae their potential antioxidant features. Characterization the profile 18 species cyanobacteria (prokaryotic microalgae) and 23 (eukaryotic) is accordingly reported in this paper. The total capacity, accounted by both water- lipid-soluble antioxidants, was evaluated (radical cation) ABTS method. For complementary characterization cell extracts, a deoxyribose assay carried out,...
Abstract This study aims at assessing the influence of competitive preadsorption human serum albumin (HSA) and plasma fibronectin (FN) from binary solutions 10% on MC3T3‐E1 osteoblast adhesion morphology two types TiO 2 substrates. One was commercially pure titanium with a oxide layer formed in an H O solution other sputtered Si (Sousa et al., Langmuir 2004; 20:9745–9754.). The strategy applied present investigation to compare surfaces preadsorbed HSA, FN, HSA/FN = 1, 200, plasma. adsorption...
The inositolphosphosphingolipid phospholipase C (Isc1p) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae belongs to the family neutral sphingomyelinases that generates bioactive sphingolipid ceramide. In this work role Isc1p in oxidative stress resistance and chronological lifespan was investigated. Loss resulted a higher sensitivity hydrogen peroxide associated with an increase markers, namely intracellular oxidation, protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation. Microarray analysis showed deficiency up-regulated...
LuxR regulators are a widely studied group of bacterial helix-turn-helix (HTH) transcription factors involved in the regulation many genes coding for important traits at an ecological and medical level. This regulatory family is particularly known by their involvement quorum-sensing (QS) mechanisms, i.e., ability to communicate through synthesis binding molecular signals. However, these studies have been mainly focused on Gram-negative organisms, presence Gram-positive Actinobacteria phylum...
Several species of the genus Candida decode standard leucine CUG codon as serine. This and other deviations from genetic code in both nuclear mitochondrial genomes invalidate notion that is frozen universal prompt questions 'why alternative codes evolved and, more importantly, how can an organism survive a change?' To address these two questions, we have attempted to reconstruct early stages albicans reassignment closely related yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These studies suggest this...
In the present work we analyze dynamics of fibronectin (FN) adsorption on two different stable titanium oxides, with varied surface roughness, and chemically similar to those used in clinical practice. The types oxide surfaces were TiO2 sputtered Si (TiO2 sp) formed commercially pure after immersion H2O2 cp). Surface characterization was previously carried out using techniques (Sousa, S. R.; Moradas-Ferreira, P.; Melo, L. V.; Saramago, B.; Barbosa, M. A. Langmuir 2004, 20 (22), 9745−9754)....
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoes a mitochondrial-dependent programmed cell death in response to different stimuli, such as acetic acid, with features similar those of mammalian apoptosis. However, the upstream signaling events this process, including leading mitochondrial membrane permeabilization, are still poorly characterized. Changes sphingolipid metabolism have been linked modulation apoptosis both and cells, ceramides detected mitochondria upon apoptotic stimuli. In study,...
Summary Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking Isc1p, an orthologue of mammalian neutral sphingomyelinase 2, display a shortened lifespan and increased sensitivity to oxidative stress. A lipidomic analysis revealed specific changes in sphingolipids that accompanied the premature ageing Isc1p‐deficient under severe calorie restriction conditions, including decrease dihydrosphingosine levels increase dihydro‐C 26 ‐ceramide phyto‐C levels, latter raising possibility activation...