Biology subjects

Rodrigues, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Rodrigues, D..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Mapping research on Indigenous peoples, traditional knowledge, and biodiversity conservation in the Amazon: gaps and Indigenous knowledge co-production

O_LIIndigenous peoples play a central role in biodiversity knowledge and conservation, yet their participation in scientific research remains underrepresented. Understanding how Indigenous peoples, traditional knowledge, and Indigenous territories are portrayed in the scientific literature is essential for developing more equitable and culturally grounded conservation strategies. C_LIO_LIWe conducted a bibliometric analysis of 94 articles on biodiversity conservation in the Amazon, published between 1997 and 2025, indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. We examined temporal trends, geographic distribution, institutional leadership, Indigenous co-authorship, focal ecosystems and taxa, and the main contributions attributed to Indigenous peoples. Indigenous perspectives were integrated into this analysis through a participatory approach. C_LIO_LIScientific production increased after 2010. Research leadership remains concentrated in institutions from the Global North, even though Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru were the most frequently studied countries. Indigenous co-authorship was identified in only 6.4 % of the studies. Most studies focused on plants, mammals, and birds, whereas aquatic environments and groups such as insects, amphibians, and reptiles received comparatively less attention. The main contributions attributed to Indigenous peoples were related to community-based monitoring and management (41.48%) and cultural practices and traditional ecological knowledge (38.19%). C_LIO_LIThese findings show that Indigenous peoples are widely recognized as knowledge holders and conservation actors, but are still rarely included as authors or research partners. Our study highlights persistent geographic, epistemic, and collaborative asymmetries in Amazonian biodiversity research. Conservation science and policy will be stronger, fairer, and more effective when they move beyond documenting Indigenous knowledge towards supporting Indigenous leadership, equitable partnerships, and inclusive co-production of knowledge. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Targeting DNA-PK is a highly conserved poxvirus innate immune evasion mechanism

The sensing of viral nucleic acid by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) is essential for initiation of a type-I interferon response against infection. Intracellular DNA sensing PRRs are responsible for initiating innate immune responses to poxviruses and other double-stranded DNA viruses. Poxviruses, in turn, encode an armoury of immunomodulators that inhibit this host defence mechanism. DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is an essential component of the cGAS/STING-dependent viral DNA sensing machinery that leads to the initiation of a type-I interferon response during poxvirus infection. Poxviruses counter this host sensing mechanism using the C4/C10 family of proteins that target DNA-PK, interfering with its ability to bind viral DNA. Although the DNA-PK complex, known also for its role in double strand break repair, is conserved across multiple taxa, its function in innate immunity outside mammals is unexplored. Here we analysed the contribution of DNA-PK to poxvirus DNA sensing in chickens, a species that is evolutionarily distant from mammals, but that is also infected by poxviruses. We found that DNA-PK functions as a DNA sensor in chickens, and this process is countered by C4/C10 family members found in fowlpox virus. This host/pathogen interaction is conserved across a broader range of species than other mechanisms of poxvirus antagonism of innate immune sensing, which may reflect the difficulty of the host in evolving escape mechanisms that interfere with a protein that is essential for maintenance of genomic stability.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Resource-efficiency of cyanobacterium production on Mars: Assessment and paths forward

Space agencies and private companies strive for a permanent human presence on the Moon and ultimately on Mars. Bioprocesses have been advocated as key enablers due to their ability to transform locally available resources into added-value materials. However, the resource-efficiency and scaling of space biosystems remain poorly understood, hindering quantitative estimates of their potential performance. We leveraged extensive cultivation experiments, where a cyanobacterium (Anabaena sp. PCC 7938) was subject to conditions attainable on Mars, to develop a model that can estimate bioprocess productivity and resource-efficiency as a function of water, light, temperature, regolith minerals and perchlorates, and atmospheric carbon and nitrogen. We show that a breakeven can be reached within a few years. We discuss research lines to improve both resource efficiency and the accuracy of the model, thereby reducing the need for costly tests in space and eventually leading to a biotechnology-supported, sustained human presence on Mars. TEASERBioprocess modeling shows that cyanobacterium-based biotechnologies can be a sustainable basis for resource production on Mars.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Nfib regulates progenitor competence in maturation of GABAergic neurons

Diverse types of GABAergic projection neurons and interneurons of the telencephalon derive from progenitors in a ventral germinal zone, called the ganglionic eminence. Using single-cell transcriptomics, chromatin accessibility profiling, lineage tracing, birthdating, heterochronic transplantation, and perturbation sequencing in mouse embryos, we investigated how progenitor competence influences the maturation and differentiation of these neurons. We found that the progression of neurogenesis over developmental time shapes maturation competence in ganglionic eminence progenitors, influencing how they progress into mature states. In contrast, differentiation competence, which defines the ability to produce diverse transcriptomic identities, remains largely unaffected by the stages of neurogenesis. Chromatin remodeling alongside a NFIB-driven regulatory gene module influences maturation competence in late-born neurons. These findings provide key insights into how transcriptional programs and chromatin accessibility govern neuronal maturation and the diversification of GABAergic neuron subtypes during neurodevelopment.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Single-B cell analysis correlates high-lactate secretion with stress and increased apoptosis

While cellular metabolism was proposed to be a driving factor of the activation and differentiation of B cells and the function of the resulting antibody-secreting cells (ASCs), the study of correlations between cellular metabolism and functionalities has been difficult due to the absence of technologies enabling the parallel measurement. Herein, we performed single-cell transcriptomics and introduced a direct concurrent functional and metabolic flux quantitation of individual murine B cells. Our transcriptomic data identified lactate metabolism as dynamic in ASCs, but antibody secretion did not correlate with lactate secretion rates (LSRs). Instead, our study of all splenic B cells during an immune response linked increased lactate metabolism with acidic intracellular pH and the upregulation of apoptosis. T cell-dependent responses increased LSRs, and added TLR4 agonists affected the magnitude and boosted LSRhigh B cells in vivo, while resulting in only a few immunoglobulin-G secreting cells (IgG-SCs). Therefore, our observations indicated that LSRhigh cells were not differentiating into IgG-SCs, and were rather removed due to apoptosis.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

Ultrasensitive Dopamine Detection with Graphene Aptasensor Multitransistor Arrays

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter with critical roles in the human brain and body, and abnormal dopamine levels underlie brain disorders such as Parkinsons Disease, Alzheimers Disease, and substance addiction. Herein, we present a novel high-throughput biosensor based on graphene multitransistor arrays (gMTAs) functionalized with a selective aptamer for robust ultrasensitive dopamine detection. The miniaturized biosensor integrates multiple electrolyte-gated graphene field-effect transistors (EG-gFETs) in an array configuration, fabricated by high-yield reproducible and scalable methodologies optimized at the wafer level. With these gMTA aptasensors, we reliably detected ultra-low dopamine concentrations in physiological buffers, including undiluted phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF), and high ionic strength complex biological samples. We report a record limit-of-detection (LOD) of 1 aM (10-18) for dopamine in both PBS, and dopamine-depleted brain homogenate samples spiked with dopamine. The gMTAs also display wide sensing ranges across all media, up to 100 M (10-8), with a 22 mV/decade peak sensitivity in aCSF. Furthermore, we show that the gMTAs can detect minimal changes in dopamine concentrations in small working volume biological CSF samples obtained from a mouse model of Parkinsons Disease.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2020

Differential activation of JAK-STAT signaling in blood cell progenitors reveals functional compartmentalization of the Drosophila lymph gland.

Blood cells arise from diverse pools of stem and progenitor cells. Understanding progenitor heterogeneity is a major challenge. The Drosophila larval lymph gland is a well-studied model to understand blood progenitor maintenance and recapitulates several aspects of vertebrate hematopoiesis. However in-depth analysis has focused on progenitors located in lymph gland anterior lobes (AP), ignoring the progenitors from the posterior lobes (PP). Using in situ expression mapping and transcriptome analysis we reveal PP heterogeneity and identify molecular-genetic tools to study this abundant progenitor population. Functional analysis shows that PP resist differentiation upon immune challenge, in a JAK-STAT-dependent manner. Upon wasp parasitism, AP downregulate JAK-STAT signaling and form lamellocytes. In contrast, we show that PP activate STAT92E and remain undifferentiated. Stat92E knockdown in PP or genetically reducing JAK-STAT signaling permits PP lamellocyte differentiation. We discuss how heterogeneity and compartmentalization allow functional segregation in response to systemic cues and could be widely applicable. HighlightsWe provide an in situ and transcriptome map of larval blood progenitors Posterior lymph gland progenitors are refractory to immune challenge STAT activation after wasp parasitism maintains posterior progenitors

developmental biology↗