Bioluminescence of Fungi, Millipede and Marine Organisms: Chemical and Biological Aspects

• Grant number: 19/12605-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Cassius Vinicius Stevani
• Grantee: Douglas Moraes Mendel Soares
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/22501-2 - Electronic chemiexcitation in biological systems: bioluminescence and photochemistry in the dark, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/14964-0 - Molecular taxonomy of Brazilian bioluminescent fungi and bioluminescence of the millipede Motyxia sequoia, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The present postdoctoral research project is based on the project submitted and approved by FAPESP 2017/22501-2. As mentioned in the proposal and thanks to Dr. Douglas's profile, he will be able to participate on the goals 5 and 6 of the proposal. More specifically in Goal 5 the postdoc can participate: (i) in the isolation and quantification of the biosynthetic intermediates of the various luciferin production routes, which will allow us to confirm the route of bioluminescent degradation and possible enzymatic recycling of luciferins, strongly suggested in the case of fungi; (ii) in the cloning of the enzymes Luz, HispS, H3H and CPH of diverse fungi and also to determine their activity and other enzymatic parameters; and (iii) in the study of the circadian regulation of the clock genes and the genes luz, hisps, h3h and cph; as well as about the evolution and phylogeny of these genes. In Goal 6, the researcher will assist: in field observation, collection, maintenance and laboratory breeding/cultivation of target bioluminescent organisms of this project: fungi, millipedes and polychaetes; in the purification and identification of luciferins and luciferins derivatives of the studied organisms, those already known and those that will be discovered; in the detailed mechanistic study of bioluminescence of fungi; in the investigation of mechanisms of light emission in millipedes and polychaetes; and in the determination of quantum yields, enzymatic parameters and free energy correlations. Goals 5 and 6 also involve extracting RNA and DNA to obtain transcriptomes and genomes, preparing cDNA libraries, conducting cloning experiments and purification of proteins of the organisms under study.

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NOBREGA, BIANCA B.; SOARES, DOUGLAS M. M.; ZAMUNER, CAIO K.; STEVANI, V, CASSIUS. Optimized methodology for obtention of high-yield and-quality RNA from the mycelium of the bioluminescent fungus Neonothopanus gardneri. Journal of Microbiological Methods, v. 191, DEC 2021. (20/16000-3, 19/12605-0, 19/21782-3, 17/22501-2)

SOARES, DOUGLAS M. M.; GONCALVES, LETICIA C. P.; MACHADO, CAROLINE O.; ESTEVES, LARISSA C.; STEVANI, CASSIUS, V; OLIVEIRA, CARLA C.; DORR, FELIPE A.; PINTO, ERNANI; ADACHI, FLAVIA M. M.; HOTTA, CARLOS T.; et al. Reannotation of Fly Amanita L-DOPA Dioxygenase Gene Enables Its Cloning and Heterologous Expression. ACS OMEGA, v. 7, n. 18, p. 10-pg., 2022-05-10. (19/12605-0, 19/15412-9, 17/22501-2, 18/25842-8, 15/24760-0, 13/07914-8, 19/06391-8)

SOARES, DOUGLAS M. M.; PROCOPIO, DIELLE P.; ZAMUNER, CAIO K.; NOBREGA, BIANCA B.; BETTIM, MONALISA R.; DE REZENDE, GUSTAVO; LOPES, PEDRO M.; PEREIRA, ARTHUR B. D.; BECHARA, ETELVINO J. H.; OLIVEIRA, ANDERSON G.; et al. Fungal bioassays for environmental monitoring. FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, v. 10, p. 6-pg., 2022-08-25. (19/12605-0, 17/22501-2)

MORAES, V, GABRIELA; HANNON, MARY COLLEEN; SOARES, DOUGLAS M. M.; STEVANI, V, CASSIUS; SCHULZE, ANJA; OLIVEIRA, ANDERSON G.. Bioluminescence in Polynoid Scale Worms (Annelida: Polynoidae). FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE, v. 8, FEB 18 2021. (17/22501-2, 20/07600-7, 19/25086-1, 18/22304-5, 19/12605-0)

CALDAS, LHAIS A.; SANTOS, PATRICIA D.; CARBONERO, ELAINE R.; IONTA, MARISA; MIYAZAWA, MARTA; CAIXETA, ESTER S.; FREGNAN, ANTONIO M.; NOBREGA, BIANCA BARROS; DI MEDEIROS, MARIA CAROLINA B.; MENOLLI JR, NELSON; et al. Immunomodulatory Effect of Polysaccharides from the Mushroom-Forming Basidiomycete Gymnopilus imperialis (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota). PHARMACEUTICALS, v. 15, n. 10, p. 13-pg., 2022-10-01. (22/09202-4, 18/15677-0, 16/24985-4, 19/12605-0, 17/22501-2, 18/25646-4)

CALDAS, LHAIS A.; SOARES, DOUGLAS M. M.; MENOLLI, NELSON JR JR; STEVANI, V, CASSIUS; SARTORELLI, PATRICIA. etabolomics of the wild mushroom Gymnopilus imperialis (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) by UHPLC-HRMS/MS analysis and molecular networ. FUNGAL BIOLOGY, v. 126, n. 2, p. 132-138, FEB 2022. (18/15677-0, 17/22501-2, 16/24985-4, 19/12605-0, 18/25646-4)

SOARES, DOUGLAS M. M.; ATUM, SAMIR V. F.; BECHARA, ETELVINO J. H.; SETUBAL, JOAO C.; STEVANI, CASSIUS V.; FREIRE, RENATO S.. Exploring the Microbiota of the Guarapiranga Water Reservoir With Long-Read Sequencing Technology. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE, v. 8, DEC 3 2021. (19/12605-0, 17/22501-2)

VIEIRA JUNIOR, WAGNER GONCALVES; CENTEIO CARDOSO, ROSSANA VEVIANA; FERNANDES, ANGELA; FERNANDES RODRIGUES FERREIRA, ISABEL CRISTINA; BARROS, LILLIAN; PARDO-GIMENEZ, ARTURO; MENDEL SOARES, DOUGLAS MORAES; STEVANI, CASSIUS VINICIUS; ZIED, DIEGO CUNHA. nfluence of strains and environmental cultivation conditions on the bioconversion of ergosterol and vitamin D-2 in the sun mushroo. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, v. 102, n. 4, SEP 2021. (18/21492-2, 17/22501-2, 19/00419-8, 19/12605-0)