Participation in biocultural diversity conservation : insights from five Amazonian examples

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MThe past three decades have seen the emergence of myriads of initiatives focused on conserving, revitalizing, and maintaining Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) as part of biocultural approaches to conservation. However, the extent to which these efforts have been participatory has been often overlooked. In this chapter, we focus on five prominent ILK conservation initiatives in the Amazon Basin to examine the participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in ILK conservation. Our review illustrates several examples of ILK conservation initiatives offering substantial opportunities for meaningful IPLC participation over the long term. Overall, our case studies suggest that the development of robust and inclusive decision-making processes is essential to optimize IPLC participation in ILK conservation, thereby increasing the legitimacy of these initiatives. Our review is not an exhaustive account of the breadth and depth of all initiatives promoting participatory biocultural conservation in this region, but it illustrates that there are many strategies that can help foster IPLC engagement and lead the participatory turn in biocultural conservation

Recombinant expression of hydroxylated human collagen in Escherichia coli

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and thereby a structural protein of considerable biotechnological interest. The complex maturation process of collagen, including essential post-translational modifications such as prolyl and lysyl hydroxylation, has precluded large-scale production of recombinant collagen featuring the biophysical properties of endogenous collagen. The characterization of new prolyl and lysyl hydroxylase genes encoded by the giant virus mimivirus reveals a method for production of hydroxylated collagen. The coexpression of a human collagen type III construct together with mimivirus prolyl and lysyl hydroxylases in Escherichia coli yielded up to 90 mg of hydroxylated collagen per liter culture. The respective levels of prolyl and lysyl hydroxylation reaching 25 % and 26 % were similar to the hydroxylation levels of native human collagen type III. The distribution of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine along recombinant collagen was also similar to that of native collagen as determined by mass spectrometric analysis of tryptic peptides. The triple helix signature of recombinant hydroxylated collagen was confirmed by circular dichroism, which also showed that hydroxylation increased the thermal stability of the recombinant collagen construct. Recombinant hydroxylated collagen produced in E. coli supported the growth of human umbilical endothelial cells, underlining the biocompatibility of the recombinant protein as extracellular matrix. The high yield of recombinant protein expression and the extensive level of prolyl and lysyl hydroxylation achieved indicate that recombinant hydroxylated collagen can be produced at large scale for biomaterials engineering in the context of biomedical applications

Monoubiquitination and Activity of the Paracaspase MALT1 Requires Glutamate 549 in the Dimerization Interface.

The mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue protein-1 (MALT1, also known as paracaspase) is a protease whose activity is essential for the activation of lymphocytes and the growth of cells derived from human diffuse large B-cell lymphomas of the activated B-cell subtype (ABC DLBCL). Crystallographic approaches have shown that MALT1 can form dimers via its protease domain, but why dimerization is relevant for the biological activity of MALT1 remains largely unknown. Using a molecular modeling approach, we predicted Glu 549 (E549) to be localized within the MALT1 dimer interface and thus potentially relevant. Experimental mutation of this residue into alanine (E549A) led to a complete impairment of MALT1 proteolytic activity. This correlated with an impaired capacity of the mutant to form dimers of the protease domain in vitro, and a reduced capacity to promote NF-κB activation and transcription of the growth-promoting cytokine interleukin-2 in antigen receptor-stimulated lymphocytes. Moreover, this mutant could not rescue the growth of ABC DLBCL cell lines upon MALT1 silencing. Interestingly, the MALT1 mutant E549A was unable to undergo monoubiquitination, which we identified previously as a critical step in MALT1 activation. Collectively, these findings suggest a model in which E549 at the dimerization interface is required for the formation of the enzymatically active, monoubiquitinated form of MALT1

Manual de etnobotânica: plantas, artefatos e conhecimentos indígenas

Book synopsis: Considering the importance of collecting, preserving and researching collections of indigenous plants and artifacts (called biocultural collections) to strengthen the cultural processes of indigenous peoples today, the manual seeks to provide practical guidelines on how to collect samples of plants and artifacts, document them , classify and preserve them. It also addresses questions about the ethics of biocultural research in accordance with current Brazilian legislation; gives guidelines on how to access data from biocultural collections available in scientific institutions and how to disseminate the new collections created. In 2019, the Baniwa and Tukano editions of the Manual were published. Considerando a importância de coletar, preservar e pesquisar acervos de plantas e artefatos indígenas (chamados acervos bioculturais) para o fortalecimento dos processos culturais dos povos indígenas na atualidade, o manual busca fornecer orientações práticas de como coletar amostras de plantas e artefatos, documentá-las, classificá-las e preservá-las. Aborda também questões sobre a ética de pesquisa biocultural de acordo com a legislação brasileira vigente; dá orientações sobre como acessar dados de acervos bioculturais disponíveis em instituições científicas e como divulgar os novos acervos criados. Em 2019, foram publicadas as edições nas línguas baniwa e tukano do Manual

A maloca entre artefatos e plantas: guia da coleção Rio Negro de Richard Spruce em Londres

Book synopsis: The publication is the result of activities carried out within the scope of the project for the digital repatriation of biocultural collections, that is, collections of objects made with raw materials from plants and animals, which were collected in the Brazilian Amazon, in the past, and which are today held in institutions in Europe. The guide brings a representative collection of these artifacts gathered 170 years ago by the English traveler botanist Richard Spruce. In addition to detailed information on the physical characteristics, uses (current and/or past) and raw materials related to each object, this guide includes a description of the artifacts, where they are produced and currently used. It presents historical and ethnographic aspects of the upper Rio Negro region in the 19th century and a brief account of European collectors. It provides an overview of scientific collections and their importance for intercultural research practices, concluding with a reflection on digital repatriation and ethical and legal procedures for dealing with these collections. A publicação é resultado das atividades desenvolvidas no âmbito do projeto de repatriação digital de coleções bioculturais, isto é, coleções de objetos feitos com matérias-primas provenientes de plantas e animais, que foram coletados na Amazônia brasileira, no passado, e que hoje se encontram guardados em instituições na Europa. O guia traz uma coleção representativa desses artefatos reunida há 170 anos por pelo botânico viajante inglês Richard Spruce. Além de informações detalhadas sobre as características físicas, os usos (atuais e/ou passados) e as matérias-primas relacionadas a cada objeto, este guia inclui a descrição dos artefatos, onde são produzidos e usados atualmente. Apresenta aspectos históricos e etnográficos da região do alto rio Negro no século XIX e um breve relato sobre os coletores europeus. Traz uma visão geral das coleções científicas e sua importância para práticas de pesquisa intercultural, concluindo com uma reflexão sobre o repatriamento digital e os procedimentos éticos e legais para lidar com essas coleções