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    Yeast expression of the Tuber borchii fruiting body specific protein, TBF-1: identification of a noncanonical signal peptide

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    The TBF-1 is an 11.9-kDa fruiting body specific protein of the Ascomycetes hypogeous fungus Tuber borchii Vittad. found in aqueous extract and the hyphal cell wall. The tbf-1 gene codes a 12-amino acid N-terminal stretch not present in mature protein. This sequence does not match with any homologous signal sequences stored in data banks. To investigate the role of the N-terminus in TBF-1 localization, cDNA was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of the 3-phosphoglycerate kinase promoter. Like Tuber, yeast also produces and secretes TBF-1 and the foreign protein binds with the cell wall. A signalless mutant protein was constructed; this ∆TBF-1 was expressed but not exported by yeast. The secretion of TBF-1 was also suppressed using the sec18ts yeast mutant strain grown at nonpermissive temperature as host. Thus we demonstrated that the N-terminal 12-amino acid stretch is a noncanonical signal peptide that leads the TBF-1 toward the classical secretory pathway in yeast

    The Tuber borchii fruiting body-specific protein TBF-1, is a novel lectin which interacts with associated Rhizobium species

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    Lectins, proteins that are able to bind carbohydrate structures, are typically involved in cell recognition mechanisms. We demonstrate here that TBF-1, the main soluble protein in the Tuber borchii Vittad. fruiting body, is a phase-specific lectin that is able selectively to bind the exopolysaccharides produced by ascoma associated Rhizobium spp. Characterization of TBF-1 was performed using both the protein purified from the truffles and the recombinant protein overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The two proteins exhibit the same hemagglutination activity toward rabbit red blood cells and the same sugar binding specificity. The discovery of lectin activity for TBF-1 led us to propose revising the protein name to ‘T. borchii fruiting body lectin 1’ with the acronym TBFL-1

    Expression and purification of a Tuber borchii fruitbody-specific protein, TBF-1, from Escherichia coli: generation of polyclonal antibodies

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    TBF-1 is a fruitbody-specific protein present in the white truffle species Tuber borchii Vittad. A similar protein has been found only in the closely related species Tuber dryophilum (TDF-1), but not in other truffles. The protein from T. borchii was overexpressed as fusion protein in E. coli and was purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography. Recombinant protein was used for generating polyclonal antibodies. The antiserum strongly reacted with TBF-1, weakly recognized TDF-1, and did not detect correlate band in the other white truffle species. The high level of expression of this protein in the fruitbody and the specificity of the antibody anti-TBF-1 make it possible to set up a diagnostic tool for detecting these species in natural samples and foodstuffs

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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