LAHUPO Brasil

The Brazilian Center for Protein Research (BCPR)
located at the University of Brasilia, Brasilia

The Brazilian Center for Protein Research (BCPR) is located at the University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil. BCPR is composed by a group of proteomic scientists with expertise in proteome separations, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics, who were one of the pioneers of proteomics in Latin America.

Curent proteomic projetcs at BCPR include analysis of spider, scorpion, frog and snake venoms, cell differentiation of the human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi, activation of human neutrophils and regulation of industrial enzyme production in fungi. Studies on protein-protein interactions and structures of complexes are also being carried out in BCPR.

We have a number of collaborators in Brazil. International cooperation is also going on between BCPR and some important institutions. We can cite as our closest collaborators Prof. Peter Roepstorff (Univ. of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark), Prof. Barry Karger (Barnett Institute, Boston, USA), Prof. Bernard Maigret (CNRS, Univ. of Nancy, France) and Dr. Andrej Shevchenko (Max Planck Institute, Dresden, Germany).

Examples of recent papers from our group are given below:

1. PABA, J., SANTANA, J. M., TEIXEIRA, A. R. L., SOUSA, M. V., RICART, C. A. O. Proteomic analysis of the human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi. Proteomics, in press, 2003.

2. BITTENCOURT, S. E. T., SILVA, L. P., CUNHA, R. B., AZEVEDO, R. B., LIMA, C. M. R. L., RICART, C. A. O., SOUSA, M. V. The plant cytolytic protein enterolobin assumes a dimeric structure in solution. Febs Lett. 549, 47-51, 2003.

3. CUNHA, R. B., BARBARO, K. C., MURAMATSU, D., PORTARO, F.C.V., FONTES, W., SOUSA, M. V. Purification and characterization of loxnecrogin, a dermonecrotic toxin from Loxosceles gaucho brown spider venom. Journal of Protein Chemistry 22, 135-146, 2003.

4. LARGURA, S. W. R., CASTRO, M. S., BARBOSA, J. A. R. G., W. Fontes, SCHWARTZ, E. N. F., SEBBEN, A., PIRES JUNIOR, O. R., SOUSA, M. V., SCHWARTZ, C. A. Purification and primary structure determination of Tf4, the first bioactive peptide isolated from the venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus fasciolatus. Toxicon 41, 737-745, 2003.

5. MACIEL, N., SCHWARTZ, C. A., PIRES JUNIOR, O. R., SEBBEN, A., CASTRO, M. S., SOUSA, M. V., W. FONTES, SCHWARTZ, E. N. F. Composition of indolealkylamines of Bufo rubescens cutaneous secretions compared to six other Brazilian bufonids with phylogenetic implications. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B, 134, 641-649, 2003.

6. TREPTOW, W., SOUSA, M. V., CARVALHO, K. M., MAIGRET, B. The structure of a new sea anemone toxin: a molecular modeling study of cangitoxin. Journal of Molecular Structure: THEOCHEM 624, 87-95, 2003.

7. FIRMINO, A. A. P., ULHOA, C. J., SOUSA, M. V., F FILHO, E. X., C. A. O. Ricart Involvement of G proteins and cAMP in the production of chitinolytic enzymes by Trichoderma harzianum. Brazilian Journal of Microbiology 33, 1-5, 2002.

8. LOPEZ-LOZANO, J. L., SOUSA, M. V., RICART, C. A. O., CHAVEZ-OLORTEGUI, C., SANCHEZ, E. F., BUHRNHEIM, P. F., MORHY, L. Ontogenetic variation of metalloproteinases and plasma coagulant activity in venoms of wild Bothrops atrox specimes from Amazonian rain forest. Toxicon 40, 997-1006, 2002.

Universidade de Brasília

Campus Universitario
Darcy Ribeiro

Contact Information:

Prof Dr. Marcelo Vale Souza
Depto.Biologia Celular - Lab.Bioquimica e Quimica de Proteinas
Cep: 70.849-900 - Brasília - DF - Asa Sul
e-mail: mvsouza@unb.br
Tel: (61) 307-2142 Ramal: 26
Fax: (61) 272-4548