Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies

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Assessing the genomic composition, putative ecological relevance and biotechnological potential of plasmids from sponge bacterial symbionts

Publication . Oliveira, Vanessa; Polónia, Ana R. M.; Cleary, Daniel F. R.; Huang, Yusheng M.; de Voogd, Nicole J.; Keller-Costa, Tina; Costa, Rodrigo; Gomes, Newton C. M.

Plasmid-mediated transfer of genes can have direct consequences in several biological processes within sponge microbial communities. However, very few studies have attempted genomic and functional characterization of plasmids from marine host-associated microbial communities in general and those of sponges in particular. In the present study, we used an endogenous plasmid isolation method to obtain plasmids from bacterial symbionts of the marine sponges Stylissa carteri and Paratetilla sp. and investigated the genomic composition, putative ecological relevance and biotechnological potential of these plasmids. In total, we isolated and characterized three complete plasmids, three plasmid prophages and one incomplete plasmid. Our results highlight the importance of plasmids to transfer relevant genetic traits putatively involved in microbial symbiont adaptation and host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions. For example, putative genes involved in bacterial response to chemical stress, competition, metabolic versatility and mediation of bacterial colonization and pathogenicity were detected. Genes coding for enzymes and toxins of biotechnological potential were also detected. Most plasmid prophage coding sequences were, however, hypothetical proteins with unknown functions. Overall, this study highlights the ecological relevance of plasmids in the marine sponge microbiome and provides evidence that plasmids of sponge bacterial symbionts may represent an untapped resource of genes of biotechnological interest.

2022-12Journal article

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Towards global traceability for sustainable cephalopod seafood

Publication . Gleadall, Ian G.; Moustahfid, Hassan; Sauer, Warwick H. H.; Ababouch, Lahsen; Arkhipkin, Alexander I.; Bensbai, Jilali; Elegbede, Isa; Faraj, Abdelmalek; Ferreiro-Velasco, Pedro; González-Gómez, Roberto; González-Vallés, Carmen; Markaida, Unai; Morillo-Velarde, Piedad S.; Pierce, Graham J.; Pirro, Stacy; Pita, Cristina; Roumbedakis, Katina; Sakurai, Yasunori; Scheel, David; Shaw, Paul W.; Veiga, Pedro; Willette, Demian A.; Winter, Andreas; Yamaguchi, Tadanori

Cephalopods are harvested in increasingly large quantities but understanding how to control and manage their stocks, and tracking the routes of the consumption that exploits them, lag behind what has been developed for exploiting finfish. This review attempts to redress the imbalance by considering the status of the major cephalopod stock species and the traceability of cephalopod seafood along the trade value chain. It begins with a general overview of the most important exploited cephalopods, their stock status and their market. Four major cephalopod resources are identified: the three squid species Todarodes pacificus, Dosidicus gigas and Illex argentinus; and one species of octopus, Octopus vulgaris. The techniques and problems of stock assessment (to assess sustainability) are reviewed briefly and the problems and possible solutions for assessing benthic stock such as those of octopuses are considered. An example of a stock well managed in the long term is presented to illustrate the value of careful monitoring and management: the squid Doryteuthis gahi available in Falkland Islands waters. Issues surrounding identification, mislabelling and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are then reviewed, followed by a discussion of approaches and techniques of traceability as applied to cephalopods. Finally, some of the mobile apps currently available and in development for tracking seafood are compared. This review concludes with observations on the necessity for the strengthening and international coordination of legislation, and more rigorous standards for seafood labelling and for taxonomic curation of DNA sequences available in public databases for use in seafood identification.

2023Journal article

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Further evidence of possible therapeutic uses of Sambucus nigra L. extracts by the assessment of the In Vitro and In Vivo anti-inflammatory properties of Its PLGA and PCL-Based Nanoformulations

Publication . Mota, Ana Henriques; Duarte, Noélia; Serra, Ana Teresa; Ferreira, António; Bronze, Maria Rosário; Custódio, Luísa; Gaspar, Maria Manuela; Simões, Sandra; Rijo, Patrícia; Ascensão, Lia; Faísca, Pedro; Viana, Ana Silveira; Pinto, Rui; Kumar, Pradeep; Almeida, António José; Reis, Catarina Pinto

Sambucus nigra L. is widely used in traditional medicine with different applications. However, confirmative studies are strongly required. This study aimed to assess the biological activities of the S. nigra flower’s extract encapsulated into two different types of nanoparticles for optimizing its properties and producing further evidence of its potential therapeutic uses. Different nanoparticles (poly(lactide-co-glycolide, PLGA) and poly-Ɛ-caprolactone (PCL), both with oleic acid, were prepared by emulsification/solvent diffusion and solvent-displacement methods, respectively. Oleic acid was used as a capping agent. After the nanoparticles’ preparation, they were characterized and the biological activities were studied in terms of collagenase, in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory, and in vitro cell viability. Rutin and naringenin were found to be the major phenolic compounds in the studied extract. The encapsulation efficiency was higher than 76% and revealed to have an impact on the release of the extract, mainly for the PLGA. Moreover, biochemical and histopathological analyses confirmed that the extract-loaded PLGA-based nanoparticles displayed the highest anti-inflammatory activity. In addition to supporting the previously reported evidence of potential therapeutic uses of S. nigra, these results could draw the pharmaceutical industry’s interest to the novelty of the nanoproducts.

2020-12-04Journal article

Open Access

Ecophysiological effects of mercury bioaccumulation and biochemical stress in the deep-water mesopredator Etmopterus spinax (Elasmobranchii; Etmopteridae)

Publication . Rodrigues, Andreia C.M.; Gravato, Carlos; Galvão, Daniela; Silva, Virgília S.; Soares, Amadeu M.V.M.; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Ellis, Jim R.; Vieira, Rui P.

Mercury (Hg) is a non-essential metal that can have toxic effects on the fitness of organisms and tends to bioaccumulate with age and to biomagnify in higher trophic levels. Few studies have assessed oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in deep-water sharks. This study evaluated early ontogenetic changes and physiological effects (antioxidant defences, oxidative damage, aerobic metabolism and neurotransmission functions) of Hg accumulation in the white muscle and brain tissues of the velvet belly lantern shark Etmopterus spinax from the southern Iberian coast (NE Atlantic). Results suggested that the low mercury concentrations observed may induce acute effects in E. spinax before they reach sexual maturity. We found different Hg concentrations in E. spinax: [Hg] males > [Hg] females; [Hg] muscle > [Hg] brain. Females appeared to have higher redox capability translated into higher activities and levels of antioxidant defences than males. However, higher levels of oxidative damage were also observed in females. Whilst the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown, these results suggest differences in mercury accumulation between tissues and sex, and potentially deleterious effects on oxidative stress status and neurophysiology of E. spinax, potentially impairing swimming performance and reproduction, which could subsequently impact on the health of both individuals and population.

2022Journal article

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Volatile profile of Portuguese monofloral honeys: significance in botanical origin determination

Publication . Machado, Alexandra M.; Antunes, Marília; Miguel, Maria Graça; Vilas-Boas, Miguel; Figueiredo, Ana Cristina

The volatile profiles of 51 samples from 12 monofloral-labelled Portuguese honey types were assessed. Honeys of bell heather, carob tree, chestnut, eucalyptus, incense, lavender, orange, rape, raspberry, rosemary, sunflower and strawberry tree were collected from several regions from mainland Portugal and from the Azores Islands. When available, the corresponding flower volatiles were comparatively evaluated. Honey volatiles were isolated using two different extraction methods, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and hydrodistillation (HD), with HD proving to be more effective in the number of volatiles extracted. Agglomerative cluster analysis of honey HD volatiles evidenced two main clusters, one of which had nine sub-clusters. Components grouped by biosynthetic pathway defined alkanes and fatty acids as dominant, namely n-nonadecane, n-heneicosane, n-tricosane and n-pentacosane and palmitic, linoleic and oleic acids. Oxygen-containing monoterpenes, such as cis- and trans-linalool oxide (furanoid), hotrienol and the apocarotenoid α-isophorone, were also present in lower amounts. Aromatic amino acid derivatives were also identified, namely benzene acetaldehyde and 3,4,5-trimethylphenol. Fully grown classification tree analysis allowed the identification of the most relevant volatiles for discriminating the different honey types. Twelve volatile compounds were enough to fully discriminate eleven honey types (92%) according to the botanical origin.

2021-08-17Journal article

Open Access