Publications by authors named "Antonio E R Oliveira"

The parasite Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis is widely distributed in Brazil and is one of the main species associated with human cases of different forms of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) such as cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucosal leishmaniasis (ML). The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of TL are still not fully understood, but it is known that factors related to the host and the parasite act in a synergistic and relevant way to direct the response to the infection. In the host, macrophages have a central connection with the parasite and play a fundamental role in the defense of the organism due to their ability to destroy intracellular parasites and present antigens.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The COVID-19 disease, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in late 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide, becoming a pandemic that infected millions of people and caused significant deaths. COVID-19 continues to be a major threat, and there is a need to deepen our understanding of the virus and its mechanisms of infection. To study the cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, we performed an RNA sequencing of infected vs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To evaluate how telomere length behaves in adamantinomtous craniopharyngioma (aCP) and if it contributes to the pathogenesis of aCPs with and without CTNNB1 mutations.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study enrolling 42 aCP patients from 2 tertiary institutions.

Methods: Clinicopathological features were retrieved from the patient's charts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a vector-borne infectious disease that can be potentially fatal if left untreated. In Brazil, it is caused by parasites. Blood transcriptomics allows us to assess the molecular mechanisms involved in the immunopathological processes of several clinical conditions, namely, parasitic diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We found 34 and 71 key genes potentially involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and cell wall disassembly, respectively, which could be associated with specific peel coloration and softening of each genotype. Cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale) has a great economic importance worldwide due to its high nutritional value, peculiar flavor and aroma. During ripening, the peduncle develops different peel color and becomes quickly fragile due to its oversoftening, impacting its consumers' acceptance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Astrocytes play a crucial role in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology, prompting a study to analyze these cells from patients rather than relying solely on mouse models.
  • Researchers used induced pluripotent stem cell-derived astrocytes from patients with MS and healthy controls to evaluate mitochondrial function and metabolism through various techniques.
  • The study found significant differences in MS astrocytes, including alterations in gene expression linked to neurodegeneration, increased oxidative stress markers, and distinct metabolic changes, providing new insights for future MS therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Trans-sialidases (TS) are enzymes on the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, important for its virulence in Chagas disease, and only a few have catalytic activity.
  • Researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to create knockout cell lines lacking active trans-sialidases, finding that these mutants had no TS activity and exhibited impaired development and egress from host cells.
  • In experiments with mice, aTS mutants did not cause infection and could even provide immunity against virulent strains, suggesting they could be developed into a vaccine for Chagas disease, which currently has no effective treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: Metabolic and vascular dysfunction are common features of obesity. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) regulates lipid metabolism and vascular homeostasis, but whether vascular AhR are activated in obesity or have a protective and/or harmful effects on vascular function in obesity are unknown. Our study addresses whether AhR activation contributes to obesity-associated vascular dysfunction and the mechanisms involved in these AhR effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cruzipains are the main papain-like cysteine proteases of Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. Encoded by a multigenic family, previous studies have estimated the presence of dozens of copies spread over multiple chromosomes in different parasite strains. Here, we describe the complete gene repertoire of cruzipain in three parasite strains, their genomic organization, and expression pattern throughout the parasite life cycle.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2 uses the ACE2 receptor to infect various human tissues, with higher levels of ACE2 observed in patients with comorbidities linked to severe COVID-19.
  • Patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) exhibit increased ACE2 expression in BE tissues, potentially due to the lower pH associated with this condition.
  • The study indicates that lower pH increases ACE2 expression and viral load in human monocytes and that prior use of proton pump inhibitors may significantly elevate the risk of death from COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sepsis results in elevated adenosine in circulation. Extracellular adenosine triggers immunosuppressive signaling via the A2a receptor (A2aR). Sepsis survivors develop persistent immunosuppression with increased risk of recurrent infections.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multiple organ dysfunction is the most severe outcome of sepsis progression and is highly correlated with a worse prognosis. Excessive neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are critical players in the development of organ failure during sepsis. Therefore, interventions targeting NET release would likely effectively prevent NET-based organ injury associated with this disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trypanosoma cruzi has three biochemically and morphologically distinct developmental stages that are programmed to rapidly respond to environmental changes the parasite faces during its life cycle. Unlike other eukaryotes, Trypanosomatid genomes contain protein coding genes that are transcribed into polycistronic pre-mRNAs and have their expression controlled by post-transcriptional mechanisms. Transcriptome analyses comparing three stages of the T.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that has a heterogeneous population composed of a pool of strains with distinct characteristics, including variable levels of virulence. In previous work, transcriptome analyses of parasite genes after infection of human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) with virulent (CL Brener) and non-virulent (CL-14) clones derived from the CL strain, revealed a reduced expression of genes encoding parasite surface proteins in CL-14 compared to CL Brener during the final steps of the intracellular differentiation from amastigotes to trypomastigotes. Here we analyzed changes in the expression of host genes during in vitro infection of HFF cells with the CL Brener and CL-14 strains by analyzing total RNA extracted from cells at 60 and 96 hours post-infection (hpi) with each strain, as well as from uninfected cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Patients who died from COVID-19 often had underlying health issues like hypertension, diabetes, and lung disease, suggesting these conditions may increase severity.
  • Research analyzed over 700 lung samples and found that ACE2, which allows the virus to enter cells, was more highly expressed in patients with these comorbidities compared to healthy controls.
  • The study identified potential regulators of ACE2 expression in the lungs, highlighting a biological mechanism that might explain why individuals with certain comorbidities face more severe COVID-19 outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in several thousand deaths worldwide in just a few months. Patients who died from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) often had comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructive lung disease. The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was identified as a crucial factor that facilitates SARS-CoV2 to bind and enter host cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, a life-threatening disease that affects different tissues. Within its mammalian host, T. cruzi develops molecular strategies for successful invasion of different cell types and adaptation to the intracellular environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan that causes Chagas disease, has a complex life cycle involving several morphologically and biochemically distinct stages that establish intricate interactions with various insect and mammalian hosts. It has also a heterogeneous population structure comprising strains with distinct properties such as virulence, sensitivity to drugs, antigenic profile and tissue tropism. We present a comparative transcriptome analysis of two cloned T.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The EF1α is a multifunctional protein with additional unrelated activities to its primary function in translation. This protein is encoded by a multigene family and few studies are still available in plants. Expression of six EF1α genes in Glycine max was performed using RT-qPCR and RNA-seq data to advance in the function of each gene during plant development, stress conditions and phytohormone treatments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF