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Projeto de investigação
Neuropeptide Y NPY system as a new target to delay aging
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Epidemiology of skin ulceration disease in wild sea cucumber Holothuria arguinensis, a new aquaculture target species
Publication . Cánovas, F.; DOMINGUEZ GODINO, JORGE ANTONIO; Gonzalez-Wanguemert, Mercedes
Interest in wildlife epidemiology has increased in recent years. The control of diseases is critical for the survival of natural populations of economically valuable species. The present study is the first investigation of the etiology and epidemiology of skin ulceration disease in the sea cucumber Holothuria arguinensis, a new target species for fisheries and aquaculture in Europe. Bacterial cultures and molecular techniques were used to characterize this disease in animals collected during a survey across Ria Formosa Natural Park coastal lagoon in southern Portugal. Vibrio gigantis and V. crassostreae, which were both originally identified as disease agents in cultured oysters, were the most commonly isolated species of bacteria. Given that both sampling areas from which symptomatic H. arguinensis were collected were close to open oyster aquaculture facilities, this raises the possibility of an opportunistic infection, perhaps secondary to a decreased immune response caused by biotic or abiotic factors. An increase in prevalence of skin ulceration disease during the warmer season suggests that solar radiation and desiccation due to air exposure during low tide could be a cause of abiotic stress in the lagoon. Distributions of abundance and sizes of H. arguinensis in affected areas showed highest morbidity rates in adults. High fishery pressures throughout the study period could also cause elevations in prevalence and incidence rate of this disease. Skin ulcerative disease is endemic in this coastal lagoon. Disease monitoring is thus essential for the development of a conservation program to ensure the sustainability of fisheries and protection of natural resources.
Long-term multitracking reveals contrasting yet highly resident movement ecologies of two sympatric and endangered deep-sea sharks
Publication . Gandra, Miguel; Fontes, Jorge; Macena, Bruno C.L.; Meyer, Carl G.; Afonso, Pedro
Studying shark movement ecology is vital for understanding their ecological roles and supporting sustainable management and conservation strategies. However, such information remains scarce for deep-sea sharks. We used biotelemetry to investigate the spatial behaviour and movements of two endangered deep-sea predators, the kitefin (Dalatias licha) and bluntnose sixgill (Hexanchus griseus) sharks, in the Azores, northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. We tagged a total of 21 kitefin sharks with acoustic transmitters (some including depth sensors) and seven sixgill sharks with different tag configurations: three were fitted exclusively with acoustic transmitters, two were double-tagged with both acoustic transmitters and pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs), and two were tagged exclusively with PSATs deployed via a speargun-equipped submersible. Both species exhibited diel vertical migrations and unexpected high site fidelity (up to 4 years), using habitats that inter-connect seamounts, slopes, and island shelves. Sixgill sharks exhibited more extensive and diverse individual home ranges and vertical diel activity patterns than kitefin sharks. Sexual segregation was evident in kitefin sharks, with males and females displaying distinct differences in depth distribution and habitat use, supporting earlier hypotheses based on fisheries data. These behavioural patterns suggest that sixgill sharks function as wide-ranging, deep-sea opportunistic foragers and predators, traversing interconnected habitats in search of prey – including kitefin sharks, which occupy a more slope-associated mesopredator niche. Our novel findings support ecological theory suggesting that deep-sea sharks exhibit far more contrasting spatial ecologies than previously thought, driven by their life histories. These differences may have implications for their high vulnerability to fisheries and climate change-induced habitat degradation.
Restoring neuropetide Y levels in the hypothalamus ameliorates premature aging phenotype in mice
Publication . Ferreira-Marques, Marisa; Carmo-Silva, Sara; Pereira, Joana; Botelho, Mariana; Nóbrega, Clévio; López‐Otín, Carlos; Almeida, Luís Pereira de; Aveleira, Célia A.; Cavadas, Cláudia
The hypothalamus has been recognized as a regulator of whole-body aging. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), highly abundant in the central nervous system and produced by the hypothalamus, enhances autophagy in this brain region and mediates autophagy triggered by caloric restriction, suggesting a potential role as a caloric restriction mimetic and an aging regulator. Considering that hypothalamic NPY levels decline during aging, we investigated if reestablishment of NPY levels mitigate aging phenotype, using a mouse model of premature aging – Zmpste24−/− mouse. The results show that reestablishing hypothalamic NPY levels delayed aging-associated features, including lipodystrophy, alopecia, and memory. Moreover, these results suggest that strategies that promote maintenance of hypothalamic NPY levels might be relevant to counteract aging progression and age-related deteriorations.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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POR_CENTRO
Número da atribuição
SFRH/BD/120023/2016