Although underexpression of miR-9 in cancer cells is reported in many cancer types, it is currently difficult to classify miR-9 as a tumor suppressor or an oncomir. We demonstrate that miR-9 ...expression is down-regulated in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells compared with MCF-10-2A normal breast cell line. Increasing miR-9 expression levels in breast cancer cells induced anti-proliferative, anti-invasive, and pro-apoptotic activity. In addition, microarray profiling of the transcriptome of MCF-7 cells overexpressing miR-9 identified six novel direct miR-9 targets (AP3B1, CCNG1, LARP1, MTHFD1L, MTHFD2, and SRPK1). Among these, MTHFD2 was identified as a miR-9 target gene that affects cell proliferation. Knockdown of MTHFD2 mimicked the effect observed when miR-9 was overexpressed by decreasing cell viability and increasing apoptotic activity. Despite variable effects on different cell lines, proliferative and anti-apoptotic activity of MTHFD2 was demonstrated whereby it could escape from miR-9-directed suppression (by overexpression of MTHFD2 with mutated miR-9 binding sites). Furthermore, endogenous expression levels of miR-9 and MTHFD2 displayed inverse expression profiles in primary breast tumor samples compared with normal breast samples; miR-9 was down-regulated, and MTHFD2 was up-regulated. These results indicate anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of miR-9 and that direct targeting of MTHFD2 can contribute to tumor suppressor-like activity of miR-9 in breast cancer cells.
Background: Dysregulation of miRNAs is associated with breast cancer.
Results: MiR-9 overexpression and transcriptome analysis reveals novel miR-9 targets, including MTHFD2, which can recapitulate anti-proliferative effects of miR-9 overexpression.
Conclusion: MiR-9 displays tumor suppressor-like activity in breast cancer cells; MTHFD2 contributes to this activity.
Significance: Understanding miR-9-directed regulation of the breast cancer transcriptome is important for diagnosis and therapeutics.
Coffee fermentation process: A review Janne Carvalho Ferreira, Ludmilla; de Souza Gomes, Matheus; Maciel de Oliveira, Liliane ...
Food research international,
July 2023, 2023-Jul, 2023-07-00, 20230701, Volume:
169
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Coffee fermentation process to specialty coffee production.
Display omitted
•Coffee fermentation is a multifactorial and rudimentary process.•Fermentation must be considered a separate step in coffee ...processing.•The fermentation protocols can help variables control and reproducibility of results.•Oxygen availability should be a controlled variable during coffee processing.•Starter cultures can promote changes in epiphytic microbiota during fermentation.
In recent years, the importance of controlling coffee fermentation in the final quality of the beverage has been recognized. The literature review was conducted in the Science Direct and Springer databases, considering studies published in the last ten years, 74 references were selected. Several studies have been developed to evaluate and propose fermentation conditions that result in sensory improvements in coffee. So, this review aims to describe detailed the different protocols for conducting the coffee fermentation step and how they could influence the sensory quality of coffee based on the Specialty Coffee Association protocol. We propose a new way to identify coffee post-harvest processing not based on the already known wet, dry and semi-dry processing. The new identification is focused on considering fermentation as a step influenced by the coffee fruit treatment, availability of oxygen, water addition, and starter culture utilization. The findings of this survey showed that each type of coffee fermentation protocol can influence the microbiota development and consequently the coffee beverage. There is a migration from the use of processes in open environments to closed environments with controlled anaerobic conditions. However, it is not possible yet to define a single process capable of increasing coffee quality or developing a specific sensory pattern in any environmental condition. The use of starter cultures plays an important role in the sensory differentiation of coffee and can be influenced by the fermentation protocol applied. The application of fermentation protocols well defined is essential in order to have a good product also in terms of food safety. More research is needed to develop and implement environmental control conditions, such as temperature and aeration, to guarantee the reproducibility of the results.
Lettuce (
L.) is one of the commercially important leafy vegetables worldwide. However, lettuce cultivars vary widely in their carotenoid concentrations at the time of harvest. While the carotenoid ...content of lettuce can depend on transcript levels of key biosynthetic enzymes, genes that can act as biomarkers for carotenoid accumulation at early stages of plant growth have not been identified. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis was performed on the inner and outer leaves of the six cultivars at different developmental stages to identify gene-to-metabolite networks affecting the accumulation of two key carotenoids, β-carotene and lutein. Statistical analysis, including principal component analysis, was used to better understand variations in carotenoid concentration between leaf age and cultivars. Our results demonstrate that key enzymes of carotenoid biosynthesis pathway can alter lutein and β-carotene biosynthesis across commercial cultivars. To ensure high carotenoids content in leaves, the metabolites sink from β-carotene and lutein to zeaxanthin, and subsequently, abscisic acid needs to be regulated. Based on 2-3-fold carotenoids increase at 40 days after sowing (DAS) as compared to the seedling stage, and 1.5-2-fold decline at commercial stage (60 DAS) compared to the 40 DAS stage, we conclude that the value of lettuce for human nutrition would be improved by use of less mature plants, as the widely-used commercial stage is already at plant senescence stage where carotenoids and other essential metabolites are undergoing degradation.
Main conclusion
The hop phenological cycle was described in subtropical condition of Brazil showing that flowering can happen at any time of year and this was related to developmental molecular ...pathways.
Hops are traditionally produced in temperate regions, as it was believed that vernalization was necessary for flowering. Nevertheless, recent studies have revealed the potential for hops to flower in tropical and subtropical climates. In this work, we observed that hops in the subtropical climate of Minas Gerais, Brazil grow and flower multiple times throughout the year, independently of the season, contrasting with what happens in temperate regions. This could be due to the photoperiod consistently being inductive, with daylight hours below the described threshold (16.5 h critical). We observed that when the plants reached 7–9 nodes, the leaves began to transition from heart-shaped to trilobed-shaped, which could be indicative of the juvenile to adult transition. This could be related to the fact that the 5th node (in plants with 10 nodes) had the highest expression of miR156, while two miR172s increased in the 20th node (in plants with 25 nodes). Hop flowers appeared later, in the 25th or 28th nodes, and the expression of
HlFT3
and
HlFT5
was upregulated in plants between 15 and 20 nodes, while the expression of
HlTFL3
was upregulated in plants with 20 nodes. These results indicate the role of axillary meristem age in regulating this process and suggest that the florigenic signal should be maintained until the hop plants bloom. In addition, it is possible that the expression of
TFL
is not sufficient to inhibit flowering in these conditions and promote branching. These findings suggest that the reproductive transition in hop under inductive photoperiodic conditions could occur in plants between 15 and 20 nodes. Our study sheds light on the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying hop floral development, paving the way for potential advancements in hop production on a global scale.
SUMMARY
Noncoding and coding RNAs are key regulators of plant growth, development, and stress responses. To investigate the types of transcripts accumulated during the vegetative to reproductive ...transition and floral development in the Coffea arabica L., we sequenced small RNA libraries from eight developmental stages, up to anthesis. We combined these data with messenger RNA and PARE sequencing of two important development stages that marks the transition of an apparent latent to a rapid growth stage. In addition, we took advantage of multiple in silico tools to characterize genomic loci producing small RNAs such as phasiRNAs, miRNAs, and tRFs. Our differential and co‐expression analysis showed that some types of small RNAs such as tRNAs, snoRNAs, snRNAs, and phasiRNAs preferentially accumulate in a stage‐specific manner. Members of the miR482/miR2118 superfamily and their 21‐nucleotide phasiRNAs originating from resistance genes show a robust co‐expression pattern that is maintained across all the evaluated developmental stages. Finally, the majority of miRNAs accumulate in a family stage‐specific manner, related to modulated hormonal responses and transcription factor expression.
Significance Statement
Small RNAs in coffee floral development: unveiling stage‐specific accumulation patterns and regulatory networks.
Amongst green leafy vegetables, new varieties of lettuce enriched in lutein and β-carotene are being developed to provide increased supply of dietary carotenoids. We investigated the effect of ...lettuce genotypes (varieties) and thermal treatments on lutein and β-carotene bioaccessibility to the micellar fraction (and also carotenoid bioavailability) using a human Caco-2 cell model system. Carotenoid absorption by mammalian cells is not correlated with initial carotenoid concentration in fresh lettuce leaves. While thermal treatment of lettuce leaves increases carotenoid availability, resulting in higher lutein and β-carotene absorption, disruption of the food matrix by prior cooking results in reduced carotenoid levels and transfer to the micellar fraction. Unless the food matrix is disrupted through breeding or post-harvest treatments, absorption of carotenoids from biofortified lettuce remains similar to lettuce cultivars with low carotenoid levels. Genetic improvement programs for biofortified lettuce varieties need to focus on increasing the carotenoid bioavailability from the food matrix.
•Biofortified lettuce varieties are being developed with higher levels of carotenoids.•Carotenoid absorption by human cells is not correlated with carotenoid levels in leaves.•Thermal treatment of lettuce leaves increases carotenoid availability.•Disruption of food matrix by cooking results in reduced carotenoid levels.•Lettuce biofortification must increase carotenoid bioavailability from food matrix.
In the present study, we benchmark computational protocols for predicting Co-59 NMR chemical shift. Quantum mechanical calculations based on density functional theory were used, in conjunction with ...our NMR-DKH basis sets for all atoms, including Co, which were developed in the present study. The best protocol included the geometry optimization at BLYP/def2-SVP/def2-SVP/IEF-PCM(UFF) and shielding constant calculation at GIAO-LC-ωPBE/NMR-DKH/IEF-PCM(UFF). This computational scheme was applied to a set of 34 Co(III) complexes, in which, Co-59 NMR chemical shift ranges from +1162 ppm to +15,100 ppm, and these were obtained in distinct solvents (water and organic solvents). The resulting mean absolute deviation (MAD), mean relative deviation (MRD), and coefficient of determination (R2) were 158 ppm, 3.0%, and 0.9966, respectively, suggesting an excellent alternative for studying Co-59 NMR.
Multilayered Armor Systems are low density plates used in personal protection against high-impact energy ammunition. Such system promotes effective protection, by dissipating the projectile energy ...and preventing the penetration of fragments. Kevlar™ is commonly used as one of the layers. However, recently, cost-effectives composites reinforced with natural fibers have been considered as an alternative. This work aimed to evaluate the performance of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with stiffer natural piassava fibers as a standing alone target against high energy ammunition. Composites with up to 50vol% of piassava fibers were produced by press molding. The influence of the volume fraction in the main failure mode observed and the limit velocity ballistic parameter were determined. Macro and microscopically analyses were performed to determinate the failure mechanism. Statistical analyses were used to evaluate the results obtained. It was verified that the 50vol% reinforced composites were those that presented the best performance, which was found comparable to the results obtained for Kevlar™.
Recently, the siRNAs pathways, and especially reproductive phasiRNAs, have attracted attention in eudicots since their biological roles are still unknown and their biogenesis took different ...evolutionary pathways compared to monocots. In this work, we used Coffea arabica L., a recent allotetraploid formed from the hybridization of Coffea canephora and C. eugenioides unreduced gametes, to explore microsporogenesis and small RNAs‐related pathways in a eudicot crop. First, we identified the microsporogenesis stages during anther development revealing that pre‐meiosis occurs in anthers of 1.5 mm inside floral buds (FBs), whereas meiosis between 1.5 and 4.2 mm FBs, and post‐meiosis in FBs larger than 4.2 mm. These stages coincide with the Brazilian winter, a period of FBs reduced growth which suggests temperature sensitivity. Next, we identified and quantified the expression of reproductive 21‐ and 24‐nt phasiRNAs during coffee anther development together with their canonical and novel miRNA triggers, and characterized the DCL and AGO families. Our results showed that the pattern of reproductive phasiRNA abundance in C. arabica is unique among described eudicots and the canonical trigger car‐miR2275 is involved in the processing of both 21‐ and 24‐nt phasiRNAs. Fourteen DCL genes were identified, but DCL5, related to phasiRNA biosynthesis in monocots, was not, according to its specificity for monocots. Thus, our work explored the knowledge gap about microsporogenesis and related siRNAs pathways in coffee, contributing to the control of reproductive development and the improvement of fertility in eudicots.
The correct and early identification of humans and dogs infected with Leishmania are key steps in the control of leishmaniasis. Additionally, a method with high sensitivity and specificity at low ...cost that allows the screening of a large number of samples would be extremely valuable. In this study, we analyzed the potential of mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 (MAPK4) proteins from Leishmania braziliensis to serve as antigen candidates for the serodiagnosis of human visceral and tegumentary leishmaniasis, as well as canine visceral disease. Moreover, we mapped linear B-cell epitopes in these proteins and selected those epitopes with sequences that were divergent in the corresponding orthologs in Homo sapiens, in Canis familiaris, and in Trypanosoma cruzi. We compared the performance of these peptides with the recombinant protein using ELISA. Both MAPK3 and MAPK4 recombinant proteins showed better specificity in the immunodiagnosis of human and canine leishmaniasis than soluble parasite antigens and the EIE-leishmaniose-visceral-canina-bio-manguinhos (EIE-LVC) kit. Furthermore, the performance of this serodiagnosis assay was improved using synthetic peptides corresponding to B-cell epitopes derived from both proteins.
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