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Recent Submissions

Bioprospecting bioactive peptides in Halobatrachus didactylus Body Mucus: From in silico insights to essential in vitro validation

Publication . Cunha, Marta Fernandez; Coscueta, Ezequiel R.; Brassesco, María Emilia; Almada, Frederico; Gonçalves, David; Pintado, Maria Manuela

Fish body mucus plays a protective role, especially in Halobatrachus didactylus, which inhabits intertidal zones vulnerable to anthropogenic contaminants. In silico predicted bioactive peptides were identified in its body mucus, namely, EDNSELGQETPTLR (HdKTLR), DPPNPKNL (HdKNL), PAPPPPPP (HdPPP), VYPFPGPLPN (HdVLPN), and PFPGPLPN (HdLPN). These peptides were studied in vitro for bioactivities and aggregation behavior under different ionic strengths and pH values. Size exclusion chromatography revealed significant peptide aggregation at 344 mM and 700 mM ionic strengths at pH 7.0, decreasing at pH 3.0 and pH 5.0. Although none exhibited antimicrobial properties, they inhibited Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation. Notably, HdVLPN demonstrated potential antioxidant activity (ORAC: 1.560 μmol TE/μmol of peptide; ABTS: 1.755 μmol TE/μmol of peptide) as well as HdLPN (ORAC: 0.195 μmol TE/μmol of peptide; ABTS: 0.128 μmol TE/μmol of peptide). Antioxidant activity decreased at pH 5.0 and pH 3.0. Interactions between the peptides and mucus synergistically enhanced antioxidant effects. HdVLPN and HdLPN were non-toxic to Caco-2 and HaCaT cells at 100 μg of peptide/mL. HdPPP showed potential antihypertensive and antidiabetic effects, with IC50 values of 557 μg of peptide/mL for ACE inhibition and 1700 μg of peptide/mL for α-glucosidase inhibition. This study highlights the importance of validating peptide bioactivities in vitro, considering their native environment (mucus), and bioprospecting novel bioactive molecules while promoting species conservation.

2025-02-13Journal article

Open access

Não te deixes enganar! Projeto de literacia no combate à desinformação no ensino superior

Publication . Lopes, Carlos; Antunes, Maria Luz; Sanches, Tatiana

O projeto “Be careful!” assenta numa relação de confiança e parceria entre as bibliotecas, os seus profissionais, estudantes e investigadores. O objetivo é combater a dimensão académica e científica do fenómeno da desinformação e garantir a integridade académica, desenvolvendo melhores e mais apuradas competências para o estudo, investigação, publicação e divulgação do conhecimento científico. Para tal, serão traduzidos e adaptados instrumentos e ferramentas que melhorem a qualidade do trabalho académico através do reforço de critérios baseados na literacia da informação, quer na seleção da credibilidade das fontes, quer na aferição de critérios de qualidade das publicações científicas, quer na prevenção do plágio e de outras práticas académicas ilícitas.

2025-06-27Conference object

Open access

Southernmost record of Liparis montagui (Donovan, 1804) (Perciformes, Liparidae) in European waters (central Portugal), with genetic validation

Publication . Duarte-Coelho, Pedro; Miranda, Carolina; Pereira, Ana; Vasco-Rodrigues, Nuno; Almada, Frederico

In January 2022, the presence of adult Liparis montagui (Donovan, 1804) was documented at its southernmost point along the west coast of Portugal. The species was identified through both morphological and genetic barcoding analyses. This observation, part of an ongoing long-term coastal survey, suggests that L. montagui may be a transient species, influenced by complex climate and oceanic interactions along the western Iberian coast. This finding stresses the importance of long-term ecological studies and regular field surveys in understanding species distribution and the effects of climate change on marine biodiversity.

2025-04-01Journal article

Open access

Optimistic and pessimistic cognitive judgement bias modulates the stress response and cancer progression in zebrafish

Publication . Espigares, Felipe; Alvarado, M. Victoria; Abad-Tortosa, Diana; Varela, Susana A. M.; Sobral, Daniel; Faísca, Pedro; Paixão, Tiago; Oliveira, Rui

Cognitive judgement bias in decision-making under ambiguity occurs both in animals and humans, with some individuals interpreting ambiguous stimulus as positive (optimism) and others as negative (pessimism). We hypothesize that judgement bias is a personality trait and that individuals with a pessimistic bias would be more reactive to stressors and therefore more susceptible to stress-related diseases than optimistic ones. Here, we show that zebrafish judgment bias is a consistent behavioral trait over time, and that pessimistic and optimistic fish express phenotype-specific neurogenomic responses to stress. Furthermore, both phenotypes show differential activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis in response to chronic stress, suggesting that optimists have a lower stress reactivity. Accordingly, optimists seem to be more resilient to disease than pessimists, as shown by a lower tumorigenesis in a zebrafish melanoma line [Tg(mtifa:HRAS-GFP)]. Together these results indicate that judgement bias is paralleled by differences in the stress response with implications for disease resilience.

2025-03-30Journal article

Open access

What makes fathers involved? Fathers’ time, education, and cooperative coparenting

Publication . Diniz, Eva; Pais Brandão, Tânia Raquel; Verissimo, Manuela

Father involvement is considered multidetermined, being influenced by personal and family characteristics. These variables, however, are rarely examined together, leaving unclear what makes fathers involved. A multilevel dyadic approach was used to examine the relationship between fathers’ and mothers’ demographics, parenting stress, coparenting, and father involvement among dual-earner couples (n=311 dyads). Fathers (Mage = 39.33; SD=6.04) and mothers (Mage = 36.81; SD=5.96) of a young child (M=4.36; SD=1.69; 52.4% boys) reported on education, parental stress, and time committed to childcare (level 1 variables), work–family conflict, their child’s age, and coparenting (level 2). The findings revealed that, regarding individual variables (level 1), only father’s education and father’s time committed to child activities were related to a greater proportion of father involvement. At the family level (level 2), older children, more children in the family, and cooperative coparenting were related to a greater proportion of father involvement. The results highlight the importance of fathers’ perspectives and characteristics to their involvement. The findings may be used to promote father involvement and inform public policies on the topic.

2024-12-30Journal article

Open access