The metabolic domestication syndrome of budding yeast.

Cellular metabolism evolves through changes in the structure and quantitative states of metabolic networks. Here, we explore the evolutionary dynamics of metabolic states by focusing on the collection of metabolite levels, the metabolome, which captures key aspects of cellular physiology. Using a phylogenetic framework, we profiled metabolites in 27 populations of nine budding yeast species, providing a graduated view of metabolic variation across multiple evolutionary time scales. Metabolite levels evolve more rapidly and independently of changes in the metabolic network's structure, providing complementary information to enzyme repertoire. Although metabolome variation accumulates mainly gradually over time, it is profoundly affected by domestication. We found pervasive signatures of convergent evolution in the metabolomes of independently domesticated clades of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Such recurring metabolite differences between wild and domesticated populations affect a substantial part of the metabolome, including rewiring of the TCA cycle and several amino acids that influence aroma production, likely reflecting adaptation to human niches. Overall, our work reveals previously unrecognized diversity in central metabolism and the pervasive influence of human-driven selection on metabolite levels in yeasts.

Photoacoustic spectroscopy applied to the direct detection of bioactive compounds in Agaricus brasiliensis mycelium.

This paper describes the application of the photoacoustic spectroscopic (PAS) for detection of bioactive compounds in Agaricus brasiliensis mycelium. The mycelium was cultivated by solid-state fermentation and by submerged fermentation. Vegetal residues from food industry were used as substrates for fermentation: apple pomace (Malus domestica), wheat (Triticum aestivum), peel and pomace of pineapple (Ananas comosus), malt (Hordeum vulgare) and grape pomace (Vitis vinifera). Dry and ground samples of biomass were directly put into the PA cell. The optical absorption spectra indicated the existence of three main absorption bands: one around 280 nm related to phytosterols (ergosterol), phenolic acids, flavonoids and aromatic amino acids, another at 340 nm, due to phenolic and flavonoid compounds, and the third one at around 550 nm associated with anthocyanins and anthocyanidins. A correlation between the PA signal and the total phenolic content was satisfactory, as well as for the analyzed spectrum region (270 nm up to 1000 nm), using multivariate methods. Our results indicated that PA technique may be considered as an analytical tool to quickly detect bioactive compounds in mushrooms without the need of sample pretreatment.

Metabolic responses of Eucalyptus species to different temperature regimes.

Species and hybrids of Eucalyptus are the world's most widely planted hardwood trees. They are cultivated across a wide range of latitudes and therefore environmental conditions. In this context, comprehensive metabolomics approaches have been used to assess how different temperature regimes may affect the metabolism of three species of Eucalyptus, E. dunnii, E. grandis and E. pellita. Young plants were grown for 53 d in the greenhouse and then transferred to growth chambers at 10°C, 20°C or 30°C for another 7 d. In all three species the leaf chlorophyll content was positively correlated to temperature, and in E. pellita the highest temperature also resulted in a significant increase in stem biomass. Comprehensive metabolomics was performed using untargeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography (LC)-MS. This approach enabled the comparison of the relative abundance of 88 polar primary metabolites from GC-MS and 625 semi-polar secondary metabolites from LC-MS. Using principal components analysis, a major effect of temperature was observed in each species which was larger than that resulting from the genetic background. Compounds mostly affected by temperature treatment were subsequently selected using partial least squares discriminant analysis and were further identified. These putative annotations indicated that soluble sugars and several polyphenols, including tannins, triterpenes and alkaloids were mostly influenced.

Comparative Study of Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Yellow, Green, Brown, and Red Brazilian Propolis.

The chemical composition and biological activity of a sample of yellow propolis from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (EEP-Y MS), were investigated for the first time and compared with green, brown, and red types of Brazilian propolis and with a sample of yellow propolis from Cuba. Overall, EEP-Y MS had different qualitative chemical profiles, as well as different cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities when compared to the other types of propolis assessed in this study and it is a different chemotype of Brazilian propolis. Absence of phenolic compounds and the presence of mixtures of aliphatic compounds in yellow propolis were determined by analysing (1)H-NMR spectra and fifteen terpenes were identified by GC-MS. EEP-Y MS showed cytotoxic activity against human tumour strain OVCAR-8 but was not active against Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria. Our results confirm the difficulty of establishing a uniform quality standard for propolis from diverse geographical origins. The most appropriate pharmacological applications of yellow types of propolis must be further investigated.

A simple protocol to determine lignin S/G ratio in plants by UHPLC-MS.

A simple extraction protocol and an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) method for the determination of the syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio in lignin is reported herein. The method was entirely developed using stems of three Eucalyptus species, which were hydrolyzed with NaOH and partitioned with ethyl ether; vanillin (from the G monomer) and syringaldehyde (from S monomer) were quantified. The S/G ratios obtained were comparable to those usually reported for eucalyptus. The data for one of the eucalyptus species were compared with those obtained with a widely accepted method using thioacidolysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method was also applied to sugarcane and showed to be reliable. The yield of the NaOH hydrolysis of the monolignols ranged from 89.94 to 95.69%, with more than 77.12% of recuperation in the liquid-liquid extraction. The whole analytical procedure was validated, achieving results with less than 4.38% of variation. The lowest LOD and LOQ were 0.01 and 0.05 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, the method combines reliability and a fast and direct quantification.