9 documents found, page 1 of 1
The physiological effect of polystyrene nanoplastic particles on fish and human...
Peng, Maoxiao; Félix, Rute C.; Canario, Adelino; Power, DeborahNumerous studies have identified the detrimental effects for the biosphere of large plastic debris, the effect of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) is less clear. The skin is the first point of contact with NPs, and skin fibroblasts have a vital role in maintaining skin structure and function. Here, a comparative approach is taken using three fibroblast cell lines from the zebrafish (SJD.1), human male...
Ultra-low noise PEDOT:PSS electrodes on bacterial cellulose: a sensor to access...
Inácio, Pedro M.C.; Medeiros, Maria C.R.; Carvalho, Tiago; Félix, Rute C.; Mestre, Ana; Hubbard, Peter C.; Ferreira, Quirina; Morgado, JorgeThis study is focused on the particular advantages of organic-based devices to measure cells that do not generate action potentials, also known as non-electrogenic cells. While there is a vast literature about the application of organic conductors to measure neurons, cardiomyocytes and brain tissues, electrical measurements of non-electrogenic cells are rare. This is because non-electrogenic cells generate weak...
A blood-free diet to rear anopheline mosquitoes
Marques, Joana; Cardoso, João CR; Félix, Rute C.; Power, Deborah; Silveira, HenriqueMalaria research requires large-scale breeding and production conditions for mosquitoes (Anopheles spp.) in captivity. The sustainable and reliable production of mosquitoes is currently inhibited by the supply of fresh vertebrate blood. Alternatives to blood are required to promote efficient control strategies for malaria and other vector borne diseases that are transmitted by blood feeding insects. With this i...
The calcitonin-like system is an ancient regulatory system of biomineralization
Cardoso, João CR; Félix, Rute C.; Ferreira, Vinícius; Peng, Maoxiao; Zhang, Xushuai; Power, DeborahBiomineralization is the process by which living organisms acquired the capacity to accumulate minerals in tissues. Shells are the biomineralized exoskeleton of marine molluscs produced by the mantle but factors that regulate mantle shell building are still enigmatic. This study sought to identify candidate regulatory factors of molluscan shell mineralization and targeted family B G-protein coupled receptors (G...
Evolution of the glucagon-like system across fish
Cardoso, João CR; Félix, Rute C.; Costa, Carina; PFS, Palma; Canario, Adelino; Power, DeborahIn fishes, including the jawless lampreys, the most ancient lineage of extant vertebrates, plasma glucose levels are highly variable and regulation is more relaxed than in mammals. The regulation of glucose and lipid in fishes in common with mammals involves members of the glucagon (GCG)-like family of gastrointestinal peptides. In mammals, four peptides GCG, glucagon-like peptide 1 and 2 (GLP1 and GLP2) and gl...
Allatostatin-type A, kisspeptin and galanin GPCRs and putative ligands as candi...
Cardoso, João CR; Félix, Rute C.; Bjarnmark, Nadege; Power, DeborahAllatostatin-type A (AST-A), kisspeptin (KISS) and galanin (GAL) G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) systems share a common ancestral origin in arthropods and the vertebrates where they regulate metabolism and reproduction. The molluscs are the second most diverse phylum in the animal kingdom, they occupy an important phylogenetic position, and their genome is more similar to deuterostomes than the arthropods and...
Corticotropin-releasing hormone family evolution: five ancestral genes remain i...
Cardoso, João CR; Bergqvist, Christina A.; Félix, Rute C.; Larhammar, DanThe evolution of the peptide family consisting of corticotropin-releasing hormone ( CRH) and the three urocortins ( UCN1-3) has been puzzling due to uneven evolutionary rates. Distinct gene duplication scenarios have been proposed in relation to the two basal rounds of vertebrate genome doubling ( 2R) and the teleost fish-specific genome doubling ( 3R). By analyses of sequences and chromosomal regions, includin...
Nematode and Arthropod Genomes Provide New Insights into the Evolution of Class...
Cardoso, João CR; Félix, Rute C.; Power, DeborahNematodes and arthropods are the most speciose animal groups and possess Class 2 B1 G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Existing models of invertebrate Class 2 B1 GPCR evolution are mainly centered on Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster and a few other nematode and arthropod representatives. The present study reevaluates the evolution of metazoan Class 2 B1 GPCRs and orthologues by exploring the...
Feeding and the rhodopsin family g-protein coupled receptors in nematodes and a...
Cardoso, João CR; Félix, Rute C.; Fonseca, V. G.; Power, DeborahIn vertebrates, receptors of the rhodopsin G-protein coupled superfamily (GPCRs) play an important role in the regulation of feeding and energy homeostasis and are activated by peptide hormones produced in the brain-gut axis.These peptides regulate appetite and energy expenditure by promoting or inhibiting food intake. Sequence and function homologs of human GPCRs involved in feeding exist in the nematode round...