Rafael Locatelli Salgado

Potential Antileukemia Effect and Structural Analyses of SRPK Inhibition by N-(2-(Piperidin-1-yl)-5-(Trifluoromethyl)Phenyl)Isonicotinamide (SRPIN340).

Dysregulation of pre-mRNA splicing machinery activity has been related to the biogenesis of several diseases. The serine/arginine-rich protein kinase family (SRPKs) plays a critical role in regulating pre-mRNA splicing events through the extensive phosphorylation of splicing factors from the family of serine/arginine-rich proteins (SR proteins). Previous investigations have described the overexpression of SRPK1 and SRPK2 in leukemia and other cancer types, suggesting that they would be useful targets for developing novel antitumor strategies. Herein, we evaluated the effect of selective pharmacological SRPK inhibition by N-(2-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)isonicotinamide (SRPIN340) on the viability of lymphoid and myeloid leukemia cell lines. Along with significant cytotoxic activity, the effect of treatments in regulating the phosphorylation of the SR protein family and in altering the expression of MAP2K1, MAP2K2, VEGF and FAS genes were also assessed. Furthermore, we found that pharmacological inhibition of SRPKs can trigger early and late events of apoptosis. Finally, intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence emission, molecular docking and molecular dynamics were analyzed to gain structural information on the SRPK/SRPIN340 complex. These data suggest that SRPK pharmacological inhibition should be considered as an alternative therapeutic strategy for fighting leukemias. Moreover, the obtained SRPK-ligand interaction data provide useful structural information to guide further medicinal chemistry efforts towards the development of novel drug candidates.

Identification of an Emergent Porcine Circovirus-2 in Vaccinated Pigs from a Brazilian Farm during a Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome Outbreak

ABSTRACT Three porcine circovirus-2 strains were isolated from pigs on a Brazilian farm during an outbreak, indicating a vaccine failure. They present identical genomic sequences, with high identities to other isolates that were also related to vaccination failures, supporting the recent theory about an antigen drift being associated with vaccine failures throughout the world.

UFV-P2 as a member of the Luz24likevirus genus: a new overview on comparative functional genome analyses of the LUZ24-like phages.

BackgroundPhages infecting spoilage microorganisms have been considered as alternative biocontrol agents, and the study of their genomes is essential to their safe use in foods. UFV-P2 is a new Pseudomonas fluorescens-specific phage that has been tested for its ability to inhibit milk proteolysis.ResultsThe genome of the phage UFV-P2 is composed of bidirectional modules and presented 75 functionally predict ORFs, forming clusters of early and late transcription. Further genomic comparisons of Pseudomonas-specific phages showed that these viruses could be classified according to conserved segments that appear be free from genome rearrangements, called locally collinear blocks (LCBs). In addition, the genome organization of the phage UFV-P2 was shown to be similar to that of phages PaP3 and LUZ24 which have recently been classified as a Luz24likevirus.ConclusionsWe have presented the functional annotation of UFV-P2, a new Pseudomonas fluorescens phage. Based on structural genomic comparison and phylogenetic clustering, we suggest the classification of UFV-P2 in the Luz24likevirus genus, and present a set of shared locally collinear blocks as the genomic signature for this genus.

Characterization of a heat-resistant extracellular protease from Pseudomonas fluorescens 07A shows that low temperature treatments are more effective in deactivating its proteolytic activity

This work discusses the biological and biochemical characterization of an extracellular protease produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 49.486 kDa and hydrolyzes gelatin, casein, and azocasein, but not BSA. Its maximum activity is found at 37°C and pH 7.5, but it retained almost 70% activity at pH 10.0. It was shown to be a metalloprotease inhibited by Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Hg(2+), Fe(2+), and Mg(2+), but induced by Mn(2+). After incubation at 100°C for 5min, the enzyme presented over 40% activity, but only 14 to 30% when submitted to milder heat treatments. This behavior may cause significant problems under conditions commonly used for the processing and storage of milk and dairy products, particularly UHT milk. A specific peptide sequenced by mass spectrometer analysis allowed the identification of gene that encodes this extracellular protease in the genome of Pseudomonas fluorescens 07A strain. The enzyme has 477 AA and highly conserved Ca(2+)- and Zn(2+)-binding domains, indicating that Ca(2+), the main ion in milk, is also a cofactor. This work contributes to the understanding of the biochemical aspects of enzyme activity and associates them with its sequence and structure. These findings are essential for the full understanding and control of these enzymes and the technological problems they cause in the dairy industry.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Pseudomonas fluorescens Bacteriophage UFV-P2

ABSTRACT Milk proteolysis caused by Pseudomonas fluorescens is a serious problem in the dairy industries as a result of its ability to grow under refrigeration. The use of phages to control contaminants in food has been considered an alternative to traditional methods; therefore, a thorough understanding of such organisms is vital for their use. In this study, we show the complete genome sequence and analysis of a P. fluorescens phage isolated from wastewater of a dairy industry in Brazil.

Biochemical Characterization of an Extracellular Heat‐Stable Protease from Serratia liquefaciens Isolated from Raw Milk

The protease Ser2 secreted by the psychrotrophic strain Serratia liquefaciens L53, a highly proteolytic strain isolated from Brazilian raw milk was purified and characterized. Using azocasein as substrate, Ser2 exhibited activity in a wide range of pH (5 to 10) and temperature (4 to 60 °C). The optimal activity was detected at pH 8.0 and at a temperature of 37 °C. This protease, still active at 4, 7, and 10 °C, was strongly inhibited by chelating agents and by dithiothreitol, a reducing agent. These results confirmed that Ser2 belongs to the peptidase family M10 and requires Ca2+ , Zn2+ , and disulfide bridges for stability. This protease is able to hydrolyze three kinds of casein in the preferential order of κ→ β→ α-casein. Highly heat-stable in skimmed, semi-skimmed, and whole milk at 140°C with D-values of 2.8, 3.9, and 4.5 min, respectively, Ser2 showed a residual activity between 87 and 100 percent after heat-treatment of 65 °C for 30 min, 72 °C for 20 s, and 140 °C for 4 s that are commonly used in dairy industries. As the protease AprX that is mainly secreted by Pseudomonas genus, Ser2 could be one of the main causes of UHT milk destabilization during storage.

Ser2 from Serratia liquefaciens L53: A new heat stable protease able to destabilize UHT milk during its storage

The heat-stable protease Ser2 is secreted by the species Serratia liquefaciens, a psychrotrophic bacteria frequently found in raw milk. To understand the physicochemical modifications of casein micelles induced by Ser2 and to confirm its implication in UHT milk destabilization, the enzyme was purified and added to microfiltered raw milk before UHT treatment. UHT milk destabilization was investigated during 90days of storage. A visual destabilization appeared after 8days of storage with the presence of sediment. Zeta potential increase and formation of aggregates were observed during the storage. Using tandem mass spectrometry, numerous released peptides from the four caseins were identified at the end of storage. Caseins were hydrolyzed in the preferential order β->αs1->κ->αs2. No specific peptidic hydrolysed bond was detected. The present study confirmed that the presence of the protease Ser2 in raw milk can be one of the main causes of UHT milk destabilization.

Temperature modulates the production and activity of a metalloprotease from Pseudomonas fluorescens 07A in milk

This work evaluated the expression and activity of a metalloprotease released by Pseudomonas fluorescens 07A in milk. Low relative expression of the protease by the strain was observed after incubation for 12 h at 25°C while the strain was in the logarithmic growth phase. After 24 h, protease production significantly increased and remained constant for up to 48 h, a time range during which the strain remained in the stationary phase. Conversely, at refrigeration temperatures, at 12 h the strain was still in the lag phase and expressed the protease at higher levels than when the logarithmic phase was reached. Casein fractions were highly degraded by P. fluorescens 07A, the purified protease, and the bacterial pellet on d 7 of incubation at 25°C and to a lesser extent at 10°C for the sample incubated with the bacterium. Heat treatment at 90°C for 5 min completely inactivated the proteolytic activity of the purified protease and the bacterial pellet. This work contributes to the knowledge about the conditions of milk storage that influence the production and activity of this extracellular metalloprotease. The results demonstrate the need to find alternative strategies to control the synthesis and activity of proteolytic enzymes in the dairy industry to ensure the quality of processed products.

Utilization of phage display to identify antigenic regions in the PCV2 capsid protein for the evaluation of serological responses in mice and pigs

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is associated with a series of swine diseases. There is a great interest in improving our understanding of the immunology of PCV2, especially the properties of the viral capsid protein Cap-PCV2 and how they relate to the immunogenicity of the virus and the subsequent development of vaccines. Phage display screening has been widely used to study binding affinities for target proteins. The aim of this study was to use phage display screening to identify antigenic peptides in the PCV2 capsid protein. After the selection of peptides, five of them presented similarity to sequences found in cap-PCV2, and four peptides were synthesized and used for immunization in mice: 51–CTFGYTIKRTVT-62 (PS14), 127-CDNFVTKATALTY-138 (PS34), 164-CKPVLDSTIDY-173 (PC12), and 79-CFLPPGGGSNT-88 (PF1). Inoculation with the PC12 peptide led to the highest production of antibodies. Furthermore, we used the PC12 peptide as an antigen to examine the humoral response of swine serum by ELISA. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay was 88.9% and 92.85%, respectively. Altogether, characterization of immunogenic epitopes in the capsid protein of PCV2 may contribute to the improvement of vaccines and diagnostics.