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Triggering secondary metabolite biosynthesis: exploring the effects of ionic liquids in fungal metabolism
Publication . Alves, Paula Cristina; Pereira, Cristina Silva; Becker, Jörg
Filamentous fungi are able to synthesise an array of small molecules (secondary
metabolites), which are usually not essential for fungal growth but confer
competitiveness. As a consequence, numerous secondary metabolites remain cryptic
at the artificial conditions of cultivation in a research laboratory. Even in
Aspergillus nidulans, one of the most well studied fungi, numerous metabolites
remain unseen. Several strategies have been used to solve this knowledge gap, some
of which require prior knowledge of genomic sequences, relying on manipulation of
targeted genes encoding components of either secondary metabolism or regulatory
pathways. Other approaches may be applied also in less well characterised strains,
such as cultivation with other species/organisms or modification of the growth
media composition. (...)
Toward the Mechanistic Understanding of Enzymatic CO2 Reduction
Publication . Oliveira, Ana Rita; Mota, Cristiano; Mourato, Cláudia; Domingos, Renato M.; Santos, Marino F. A.; Gesto, Diana; Guigliarelli, Bruno; Santos-Silva, Teresa; Romão, Maria João; Cardoso Pereira, Inês A.; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB); UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit; DQ - Departamento de Química; DCV - Departamento de Ciências da Vida; ACS - American Chemical Society
Reducing CO2 is a challenging chemical transformation that biology solves easily, with high efficiency and specificity. In particular, formate dehydrogenases are of great interest since they reduce CO2 to formate, a valuable chemical fuel and hydrogen storage compound. The metal-dependent formate dehydrogenases of prokaryotes can show high activity for CO2 reduction. Here, we report an expression system to produce recombinant W/Sec-FdhAB from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough fully loaded with cofactors, its catalytic characterization and crystal structures in oxidized and reduced states. The enzyme has very high activity for CO2 reduction and displays remarkable oxygen stability. The crystal structure of the formate-reduced enzyme shows Sec still coordinating the tungsten, supporting a mechanism of stable metal coordination during catalysis. Comparison of the oxidized and reduced structures shows significant changes close to the active site. The DvFdhAB is an excellent model for studying catalytic CO2 reduction and probing the mechanism of this conversion.
Revealing specialisation events induced by pollutants in belowground fungal communities
Publication . Martins, Celso Filipe Ferreira; Pereira, Cristina Silva
"Chemical pollution has been in the centre of scientific discussion for decades, mainly due to toxicological motives. Pollution and climate change is leading to associated geological/geochemical and atmospheric alterations that negatively impact all ecosystems, including humans. To date our understanding of the environmental impact of pollution and climate change is still very limited. Among the ecological groups that are affected by pollution the “unseen “majority” are the microbial communities especially fungi, that dominate most habitats on Earth. Several studies exist focusing on the effects of organic pollutants towards microbes, especially considering their overall toxicity and degradation with emphasis on fungi due to their impressive catabolic capacities. However, how exposure to toxicants impacts the dynamics of microbial communities remains poorly understood.(...)"
Belowground fungi are key sentinels in forest soils vulnerable to pentachlorophenol pollution: a mechanistic study in Quercus suber forests
Publication . Varela, Adélia; Pereira, Cristina Silva
"Atmospheric release of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) constitutes a silent threat through chronic contamination of soils at global scale; yet fundamental understanding of their occurrence, sources and fate is still largely lacking. The above statement has inspired the working hypothesis of this doctoral thesis – active sources of pentachlorophenol (PCP) pollution are reaching the soils of emblematic cork oak forests (Chapter II and III), hence altering the functioning of the belowground mycobiota (Chapter III and IV) that act as buffer against the disturbance caused by the biocide (Chapter III and IV).(...)"
Opportunities and Limitations of Crop Phenotyping in Southern European Countries
Publication . Costa, Joaquim Miguel; Marques da Silva, Jorge; Pinheiro, Carla; Barón, Matilde; Mylona, Photini; Centritto, Mauro; Haworth, Matthew; Loreto, Francesco; Uzilday, Baris; Turkan, Ismail; Oliveira, Maria Margarida; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB); DCV - Departamento de Ciências da Vida; Frontiers Media
The Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot dry summers and frequent droughts. Mediterranean crops are frequently subjected to high evapotranspiration demands, soil water deficits, high temperatures, and photo-oxidative stress. These conditions will become more severe due to global warming which poses major challenges to the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Mediterranean countries. Selection of crop varieties adapted to future climatic conditions and more tolerant to extreme climatic events is urgently required. Plant phenotyping is a crucial approach to address these challenges. High-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) helps to monitor the performance of improved genotypes and is one of the most effective strategies to improve the sustainability of agricultural production. In spite of the remarkable progress in basic knowledge and technology of plant phenotyping, there are still several practical, financial, and political constraints to implement HTPP approaches in field and controlled conditions across the Mediterranean. The European panorama of phenotyping is heterogeneous and integration of phenotyping data across different scales and translation of “phytotron research” to the field, and from model species to crops, remain major challenges. Moreover, solutions specifically tailored to Mediterranean agriculture (e.g., crops and environmental stresses) are in high demand, as the region is vulnerable to climate change and to desertification processes. The specific phenotyping requirements of Mediterranean crops have not yet been fully identified. The high cost of HTPP infrastructures is a major limiting factor, though the limited availability of skilled personnel may also impair its implementation in Mediterranean countries. We propose that the lack of suitable phenotyping infrastructures is hindering the development of new Mediterranean agricultural varieties and will negatively affect future competitiveness of the agricultural sector. We provide an overview of the heterogeneous panorama of phenotyping within Mediterranean countries, describing the state of the art of agricultural production, breeding initiatives, and phenotyping capabilities in five countries: Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. We characterize some of the main impediments for development of plant phenotyping in those countries and identify strategies to overcome barriers and maximize the benefits of phenotyping and modeling approaches to Mediterranean agriculture and related sustainability.
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Entidade financiadora
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Programa de financiamento
5876
Número da atribuição
UID/Multi/04551/2013