28 documents found, page 1 of 3
Neuronal control of microglia through the mitochondria
Pereira-Santos, A. R.; Candeias, Emanuel; Magalhães, J. D.; Empadinhas, Nuno; Esteves, A. Raquel; Cardoso, Sandra MoraisThe microbial toxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), which is derived from cyanobacteria, targets neuronal mitochondria, leading to the activation of neuronal innate immunity and, consequently, neurodegeneration. Although known to modulate brain inflammation, the precise role of aberrant microglial function in the neurodegenerative process remains elusive. To determine if neurons signal microglial cells, we tr...
The Role of Bacteria-Mitochondria Communication in the Activation of Neuronal I...
Magalhães, João Duarte; Esteves, A. Raquel; Candeias, Emanuel; Silva, Diana F. F.; Empadinhas, Nuno; Cardoso, Sandra MoraisMitochondria play a key role in regulating host metabolism, immunity and cellular homeostasis. Remarkably, these organelles are proposed to have evolved from an endosymbiotic association between an alphaproteobacterium and a primitive eukaryotic host cell or an archaeon. This crucial event determined that human cell mitochondria share some features with bacteria, namely cardiolipin, N-formyl peptides, mtDNA and...
Footprints of a microbial toxin from the gut microbiome to mesencephalic mitoch...
Esteves, A. Raquel; Munoz-Pinto, Mário F; Nunes-Costa, Daniela; Candeias, Emanuel; Silva, Diana F. F.; Magalhães, João Duarte; Santos, A. Raquel PereiraObjective Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterised by alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregation and death of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Recent evidence posits that PD may initiate in the gut by microbes or their toxins that promote chronic gut inflammation that will ultimately impact the brain. In this work, we sought to demonstrate that the effects of the microbial toxin β-N- methylamino- L- al...
Self-recycling and partially conservative replication of mycobacterial methylma...
Maranha, Ana; Costa, Mafalda; Ripoll-Rozada, Jorge; Manso, José A.; Miranda, Vanessa; Mendes, Vera M.; Manadas, Bruno; Macedo-Ribeiro, SandraThe steep increase in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections makes understanding their unique physiology an urgent health priority. NTM synthesize two polysaccharides proposed to modulate fatty acid metabolism: the ubiquitous 6-O-methylglucose lipopolysaccharide, and the 3-O-methylmannose polysaccharide (MMP) so far detected in rapidly growing mycobacteria. The recent identification of a unique MMP methyl...
Sustainable starch-based edible films with agrifood residues as potential carri...
Coimbra, Patrícia; Alarico, Susana; Empadinhas, Nuno; Braga, Mara E.M.; Gaspar, Marisa C.Edible films are promising carriers for probiotics and can be composed by agrifood residues, which are usually rich in polymers and bioactive compounds. In this work, starch-based films were enriched with three types of agrifood residues (quince, potato and orange peels) and the incorporation of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus was studied, as well as the addition of inulin as a protective prebiotic. The r...
Enzyme Promiscuity in Serotonin Biosynthesis, From Bacteria to Plants and Humans
Gonçalves, Sara; Nunes-Costa, Daniela; Cardoso, Sandra Morais; Empadinhas, Nuno; Marugg, John DavidSerotonin is a phylogenetically ancient compound found in animals, plants, and some bacteria. In eukaryotes, serotonin is synthesized from the aromatic amino acid tryptophan via the key enzymes aromatic amino acid hydroxylase (AAAH) and aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD). Serotonin is also an intermediate in the melatonin biosynthetic pathway and is involved in several vital functions. In humans, serotoni...
Footprints of a microbial toxin from the gut microbiome to mesencephalic mitoch...
Esteves, A. Raquel; Munoz-Pinto, Mário F.; Nunes-Costa, Daniela; Candeias, Emanuel; Silva, Diana F.; Magalhães, João D.; Pereira-Santos, A. RaquelIdiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregation and death of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Recent evidence posits that PD may initiate in the gut by microbes or their toxins that promote chronic gut inflammation that will ultimately impact the brain. In this work, we sought to demonstrate that the effects of the microbial toxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) ...
Improved diabetic wound healing by LFcinB is associated with relevant changes i...
Mouritzen, Michelle V.; Petkovic, Marija; Qvist, Katrine; Poulsen, Steen S.; Alarico, Susana; Leal, Ermelindo C.; Dalgaard, Louise T.; Empadinhas, NunoBovine lactoferricin (LFcinB) has antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties; however, the effects on diabetic wound healing remain poorly understood. The wound healing potential of LFcinB was investigated with in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models. Cell migration and proliferation were tested on keratinocytes and on porcine ears. A type 1 diabetic mouse model was also used to evaluate wound healing kinetics...
Editorial: Interplay Between Nutrition, the Intestinal Microbiota and the Immun...
Oriá, Reinaldo B; Empadinhas, Nuno; Malva, João O.Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa—Mantero Belard Neurosciences Prize 2016 (MB-40-2016), FEDER-CENTRO 2020—CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012 (HealthyAging 2020) and COMPETE and FCT (POCI-01-0145-FEDER- 029221 and UIDB/04539/2020), Pest-C/SAU/UI3282/2013-2014 and CNC.IBILI UID/NEU/04539/2013 with national funds PT2020/COMPETE 2020 and FCT/FUNCAP (POCTI-FEDER- 02/SAICT/2017/31699), Brazilian CAPES-PROCAD (071/2013 # ...
Microbial BMAA and the Pathway for Parkinson's Disease Neurodegeneration
Nunes-Costa, Daniela; Magalhães, João Duarte; G-Fernandes, Maria; Cardoso, Sandra Morais; Empadinhas, NunoThe neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a natural non-proteinogenic diamino acid produced by several species of both prokaryotic (cyanobacteria) and eukaryotic (diatoms and dinoflagellates) microorganisms. BMAA has been shown to biomagnify through the food chain in some ecosystems, accumulating for example in seafood such as shellfish and fish, common dietary sources of BMAA whose ingestion may have ...