Bruno Perlatti

• Ph. D.
• Hexagon Bio

A novel analytical method using HPLC-MS/MS operating in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) for evaluation of fungi efficacy to decolorize Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) dye solution was developed, validated and applied. The method shows high sensibility allowing the detection of 4.6pM of RBBR. Four fungal strains were tested in liquid medium, thre...

There is a pressing need for renewable and optimal use of resources towards sustainable primary production and processing systems worldwide. Current technologies for food and feedstock production are held accountable for several environmental problems, such as for instance soil and water contamination due to the use of hazardous substances, generat...

The main goal of this chapter is to introduce and discuss exclusively electrophoretic techniques for enrichment and preconcentration of analytes at trace levels. Apart from off-column chromatography-based concentration techniques such as solid-phase extraction (SPE), or other modern microextraction techniques, such as solid-phase microextraction (S...

Natural products have been used throughout human history for many applications. The matrices of natural products show a myriad of biological activities that can result from a specific compound or from the synergistic effect of several or even hundreds of different components. Moreover, because natural products are derived from living organisms and...

We uncovered the biosynthetic pathway of the C‐glycosylated depside arenicolin B from Phialomyces arenicola through genome mining, heterologous reconstitution and biochemical characterization. The biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of arenicolin B is comprised of a HRPKS, a NRPKS, and a C‐glycosyltransferase. Through biochemical dissection and evaluat...

With the significant increase in the availability of microbial genome sequences in recent years, resistance gene–guided genome mining has emerged as a powerful approach for identifying natural products with specific bioactivities. Here, we present the use of this approach to reveal the roseopurpurins as potent inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases...

The complete biosynthetic pathways of the potent antifungals AS2077715 (1) and funiculosin (2) are reconstituted and characterized. A five-enzyme cascade, including a multifunctional flavin-dependent monooxygenease and a repurposed O-methyltransferase, is involved to perform the dearomatization, stereoselective ring contraction, and redox transform...

Genome mining of biosynthetic pathways with no identifiable core enzymes can lead to discovery of the so-called unknown (biosynthetic route)–unknown (molecular structure) natural products. Here we focused on a conserved fungal biosynthetic pathway that lacks a canonical core enzyme and used heterologous expression to identify the associated natural...

Genome mining of biosynthetic pathways with no identifiable core enzymes can lead to discovery of the so-called unknown (biosynthetic route)-unknown (molecular structure) natural products. In this work, we focused on a conserved fungal biosynthetic pathway (ank) that lacks a canonical core enzyme, and used heterologous expression to identify the as...

Diabrotica speciosa is an important pest of several crops in South America, including soybeans. Adults cause severe defoliation in soybean plants, and damage is significant when cotyledons are attacked. This study evaluated feeding non-preference to D. speciosa adults using 10 soybean genotypes, testing (i) 15-day-old whole plants and (ii) leaf dis...

Numerous species of herbivorous insects are associated with soybeans, including the specialist velvetbean caterpillar (VBC), Anticarsia gemmatalis, and the generalist fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda. Expression of plant resistance is influenced by factors intrinsic to host plants, such as leaf age and plant stage, which can differentiall...

Introductory statement: To overcome enzyme-mediated resistance mechanisms associated with the DNA alkylating agent, temozolomide (TMZ), we seek to develop a peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) for selective drug delivery in cells that express the somatostatin receptor subtype-2 (SSTR2). Material and methods: The clinically used somatostatin analog, 68Ga-D...

Forced degradation tests are studies used to assess the stability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their formulations. These tests are performed submitting the API under extreme conditions in order to know the main degradation products in a short period of time. The results of these studies are used to assess the degradation suscepti...

The genus Sphaerostilbella comprises fungi that colonize basidiomata of wood-inhabiting fungi, including important forest pathogens. Studies of fermentation cultures of an isolate (TFC201724) collected on the foothills of Himalayas, and closely related to S. broomeana isolates from Europe, led to the identification of a new cyclic octapeptide along...

Lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) is an important target in the development of antifungal drugs. The fungal-derived restricticin 1 and related molecules are the only examples of natural products that inhibit CYP51. Here, using colocalizations of genes encoding self-resistant CYP51 as the query, we identified and validated the biosynthetic gene clu...

Numerous species of herbivorous insects are associated with soybeans, including the specialist velvetbean caterpillar (VBC), Anticarsia gemmatalis , and the generalist fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda . Expression of plant resistance is influenced by factors intrinsic to host plants, such as leaf age and plant stage, which can differentia...

Cryptococcus neoformans is a serious human pathogen with limited options for treatment. We have interrogated extracts from fungal fermentations to find Cryptococcus-inhibiting natural products using assays for growth inhibition and differential thermosensitivity. Extracts from fermentations of four fungal strains from wild and domestic animal dung...

Sphaerostilbella toxica is a mycoparasitic fungus that can be found parasitizing wood-decay basidiomycetes in the southern USA. Organic solvent extracts of fermented strains of S. toxica exhibited potent antimicrobial activity, including potent growth inhibition of human pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, the respirator...

Campafungin A is a polyketide that was recognized in the Candida albicans fitness test due to its antiproliferative and antihyphal activity. Its mode of action was hypothesized to involve inhibition of a cAMP-dependent PKA pathway. The originally proposed structure appeared to require a polyketide assembled in a somewhat unusual fashion. However, s...

Cryptococcus neoformans is an important human pathogen with limited options for treatments. We have interrogated extracts from fungal fermentations to find Cryptococcus-inhibiting natural products using assays for growth inhibition, differential thermosensitivity, and synergy with existing antifungal drugs. Extracts from fermentations of strains of...

The antifungal echinocandin lipopeptide, acrophiarin, was circumscribed in a patent in 1979. We confirmed that the producing strain NRRL 8095 is Penicillium arenicola and other strains of P. arenicola produced acrophiarin and acrophiarin analogues. Genome‐sequencing of NRRL 8095 identified the acrophiarin gene cluster. Penicillium arenicola and ech...

Aspergillus pachycristatus is an industrially important fungus for the production of the antifungal echinocandin B and is closely related to model organism A. nidulans. Its secondary metabolism is largely unknown except for the production of echinocandin B and sterigmatocystin. We constructed mutants for three genes that regulate secondary metaboli...

Metals capped with organochalcogenides have attracted considerable interest due to their practical applications, which include catalysis, sensing, and biosensing, due to their optical, magnetic, electrochemical, adhesive, lubrication, and antibacterial properties. There are numerous reports of metals capped with organothiol molecules; however, ther...

During investigation of the secondary metabolism of four strains of Penicillium arenicola, two new depsides, arenicolins A (1) and B (2), were isolated and characterized. Their structures were established mainly by analysis of NMR and HRMS data and by comparison with known compounds. These depsides incorporate intriguing structural features, includ...

Maleic anhydride grafting onto poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was conducted by reactive processing in a torque rheometer according to a 2⁴ factorial design, in which the maleic anhydride and peroxide concentrations, peroxide type and dispersion medium were varied. Physical and chemical properties of modified PLA were investigated by assessing the effects...

Botanical extracts are a plentiful resource of molecules with different biological activities, such as insecticides and antimicrobial pesticides. In this context, the aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of botanical extracts from the Brazilian savannah against Diabrotica speciosa and bacterial strains isolated from the gut of this insect...

Resistance development in pest insects has guided the advance of cleaner and more effective strategies for pest control. An interesting and promising strategy is the manipulation of insects via their gut microbiota. To evaluate the feasibility of this strategy, D iabrotica speciosa , a highly polyphagous pest insect from S outh A merica that causes...

Indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides can be hazardous to both humans and the environment, but the use of natural products as a source of bio-based products, such as Melia azedarach extracts, is an interesting approach to overcome these hazards. Unfortunately, the limonoids found in M. azedarach with desired insecticidal properties (e.g. azadi...

Expression of the antibiosis-resistance category to weevils has been evaluated in several bean genotypes with very promising results. Among the several causes responsible for this resistance category the arcelin protein and trypsin inhibitors stand out. Other mechanisms may be associated with plant resistance to the attack of weevils; however, few...

Microcapsules of sugarcane bagasse lignin loaded with organic extracts of neem (Azadirachta indica) were prepared and evaluated as potential bioinsecticides. Lignins were extracted and modified by oxidation and acetylation reactions providing different biopolymers. Afterwards, they were characterized through several analytical techniques. The formu...

Plant flavonoids have been increasingly studied for its importance in plant metabolism, inter-species interactions and human health-promoting effects. Each botanical species has a distinct flavonoid profile, and as such, this work aimed to develop and apply a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spec...