Methodologies and Perspectives of Proteomics Applied to Filamentous Fungi: From Sample Preparation to Secretome Analysis

Filamentous fungi possess the extraordinary ability to digest complex biomasses and mineralize numerous xenobiotics, as consequence of their aptitude to sensing the environment and regulating their intra and extra cellular proteins, producing drastic changes in proteome and secretome composition. Recent advancement in proteomic technologies offers an exciting opportunity to reveal the fluctuations of fungal proteins and enzymes, responsible for their metabolic adaptation to a large variety of environmental conditions. Here, an overview of the most commonly used proteomic strategies will be provided; this paper will range from sample preparation to gel-free and gel-based proteomics, discussing pros and cons of each mentioned state-of-the-art technique. The main focus will be kept on filamentous fungi. Due to the biotechnological relevance of lignocellulose degrading fungi, special attention will be finally given to their extracellular proteome, or secretome. Secreted proteins and enzymes will be discussed in relation to their involvement in bio-based processes, such as biomass deconstruction and mycoremediation.     

PGC-1s in the Spotlight with Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders worldwide, characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons mainly localized in the substantia nigra pars compacta. In recent years, the detailed analyses of both genetic and idiopathic forms of the disease have led to a better understanding of the molecular and cellular pathways involved in PD, pointing to the centrality of mitochondrial dysfunctions in the pathogenic process. Failure of mitochondrial quality control is now considered a hallmark of the disease. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 (PGC-1) family acts as a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. Therefore, keeping PGC-1 level in a proper range is fundamental to guarantee functional neurons. Here we review the major findings that tightly bond PD and PGC-1s, raising important points that might lead to future investigations.     

Beyond Haemostasis and Thrombosis: Platelets in Depression and Its Co-Morbidities

Alongside their function in primary haemostasis and thrombo-inflammation, platelets are increasingly considered a bridge between mental, immunological and coagulation-related disorders. This review focuses on the link between platelets and the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) and its most frequent comorbidities. Platelet- and neuron-shared proteins involved in MDD are functionally described. Platelet-related studies performed in the context of MDD, cardiovascular disease, and major neurodegenerative, neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders are transversally presented from an epidemiological, genetic and functional point of view. To provide a complete scenario, we report the analysis of original data on the epidemiological link between platelets and depression symptoms suggesting moderating and interactive effects of sex on this association. Epidemiological and genetic studies discussed suggest that blood platelets might also be relevant biomarkers of MDD prediction and occurrence in the context of MDD comorbidities. Finally, this review has the ambition to formulate some directives and perspectives for future research on this topic.     

Reduced complexity rotation invariant texture classification using a blind deconvolution approach

In this paper, we present a texture classification procedure that makes use of a blind deconvolution approach. Specifically, the texture is modeled as the output of a linear system driven by a binary excitation. We show that features computed from one-dimensional slices extracted from the two-dimensional autocorrelation function (ACF) of the binary excitation allows representing the texture for rotation-invariant classification purposes. The two-dimensional classification problem is thus reconduced to a more simple one-dimensional one, which leads to a significant reduction of the classification procedure computational complexity.     

Regeneration of nanoporous crystalline syndiotactic polystyrene by supercritical CO2

Guest desorption procedures for s‐PS clathrate samples, leading to formation and regeneration of the nanoporous δ phase, are compared. An extraction procedure, based on supercritical carbon dioxide, allows an easy and fast recovery of the guest molecules operating under relatively mild conditions (90–200 bar, 40°C) and generates a completely empty δ form, also starting from the most stable s‐PS clathrate forms. In agreement with a previously proposed crystal structure of the nanoporous δ form, X‐ray diffraction patterns of δ form powders obtained by this procedure do not show the peak, which is reduced but still apparent in samples extracted with previous procedures based on boiling solvents. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 2077–2082, 1999     

Design,Synthesis, and Anticancer Activity of a Selenium-Containing Galectin-3 and Galectin-9N Inhibitor

Galectins are soluble β-D-galactoside-binding proteins whose implication in cancer progression and disease outcome makes them prominent targets for therapeutic intervention. In this frame, the development of small inhibitors that block selectively the activity of galectins represents an important strategy for cancer therapy which is, however, still relatively underdeveloped. To this end, we designed here a rationally and efficiently novel diglycosylated compound, characterized by a selenoglycoside bond and the presence of a lipophilic benzyl group at both saccharide residues. The relatively high binding affinity of the new compound to the carbohydrate recognition domain of two galectins, galectin 3 and galectin 9, its good antiproliferative and anti-migration activity towards melanoma cells, as well as its anti-angiogenesis properties, pave the way for its further development as an anticancer agent.     

Potential of structural pozzolanic matrix–hemp fiber grid composites

Currently, sustainability represents a primary issue for construction industry. New material and technological solutions are widely proposed and investigated to meet sustainability requirements and natural fibers represent one of the most studied materials. The work presented here investigated the mechanical behavior of a sustainable composite system made by pozzolanic mortar reinforced with hemp fiber grids. To improve the durability of the system and in particular of the fibers in the pozzolanic mortar environment a latex coating was used. The objective of the study was to investigate the mechanical behavior of the proposed composite system and assess the feasibility of using the system for structural retrofit applications on existing structures. A mechanical characterization of the fibers was conducted and the effectiveness of the latex coating in improving the durability of the fibers was investigated. The mechanical behavior of the composite system was studied, through a three-point bending test program.     

Optimized design of parallel carry-select adders

In this paper, a novel gate-level strategy for designing Carry-Select adders is proposed. The strategy is more general than the previously proposed techniques, and accounts for the dependence of multiplexer delay on its fan-out. Moreover the strategy is simple and systematic, and is helpful for designing Carry-Select adders with a pencil-and-paper approach. An approximate expression of the minimum delay achievable is derived to estimate performance before carrying out the design.The proposed strategy is validated in more than 1000 adders. Analysis confirms that the strategy leads to a delay which is minimal in most cases, and always within 5.7%.     

Orientation and Crystallinity Measurements in Injection Moulded Products

Summary Orientation and crystallinity of isotactic polypropylene moulded products have been investigated by means of infrared microscopy. The experimental techniques are described elsewhere [ 1-31]. The previous application to film casting products and the application in this work to injection-moulded products confirms their usefulness in polymer science. Orientation and crystallinity distributions obtained for different samples are reported and briefly discussed.