Interaction between oceanographic factors and the proteases production in marine organisms

• Grant number: 18/00772-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: July 01, 2018
• End date: October 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Ronaldo Adriano Christofoletti
• Grantee: Gustavo Gesini Britto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Much of the biodiversity is found in seas and oceans, which also provide diverse biotechnological resources and carry out processes of extreme importance for the planet. It is known that organisms that inhabit marine environments interact with the environment and with each other, so that species that play the role of environmental controller, the so-called key species, can be highlighted. Among the several marine ecosystems are the rocky intertids, which have gradients of distribution of organisms according to the amount of resources and environmental quality, being a key environment for the understanding of the dynamics of coastal processes. The organisms that inhabit the rocky shores undergo natural stresses of the environment, which influence their ecological processes and are capable of affecting the expression and enzymatic activity. Among the proteins that can be affected, a particular group may be associated with environmental stress, these are the proteases. In this project, we will evaluate the activity of proteases in marine organisms that inhabit the rocky shores of the Brazilian southeast coast. To do so, it will be collected in rocky shores from the south coast of São Paulo to the north coast of Rio de Janeiro, a species of gastropod considered a key species, Stramonita haemastoma. The collected organisms will be evaluated the activity of proteases and compared with stressful oceanographic factors, such as exposure to the waves and amount of nutrients in the pelagic environment (AU)