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Applied Sciences
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Mass Spectrometry and Analytical Techniques in the Environment
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Mass Spectrometry and Analytical Techniques in the Environment

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2022) | Viewed by 4294

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maria Helena Florêncio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: mass spectrometry – fundamental (reaction mechanisms and structures of gas phase ions); MS applied (study of biological and environmental problems; development and optimization of analytical techniques based on mass spectrometry, for separation, identification and characterization of unknowns in complex mixtures even at trace level

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mass spectrometry is one of the most technologically driven research areas that has been successfully applied to the identification of almost all types of compounds. It is versatile, efficient, and sensitive, and has essential characteristics for the identification of unknown compounds, even at trace level. These can be found in a wide range of areas, such as the environment, where the nature and identity of contaminants in water, air, and soils are a priority due to the strong implications they may have on human health, as well as their risk to aquatic organisms.

Dioxin-like compounds, atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, emerging contaminants, are just a few examples of priority pollutants that can be found in air, water, and soils. Their detection, identification, and quantification, as well as the development of degradation procedures for these compounds, together with the identification of the resulting degradation products are of major importance. For this, mass spectrometry and hyphenated techniques mass spectrometry-based, such as GC-MS, LC-MS, and MS-MS, are of the utmost importance.

This Special Issue will publish contributions from researchers in the field of mass spectrometry applied to the environment, which review and discuss the most current methodologies used for the identification of contaminants and their transformation products. Particular emphasis should be focused on new methodologies that involve pollutant transformation and identification/characterization procedures involving mass spectrometry.

I would like to invite you to submit original research papers to the Special issue “Mass Spectrometry and Analytical Techniques in the Environment”.

Prof. Dr. Maria Helena Florêncio
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mass spectrometry
  • hyphenated techniques mass spectrometry-based
  • pollutants
  • transformation products

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3363 KiB  
Article
Shear Stress Induces α-Synuclein Aggregation Due to a Less Strained Protein Backbone and Protein Tyrosyl Groups Do Not Intervene in the Aggregation
by Marco A. Saraiva and Maria Helena Florêncio
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3546; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073546 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1373
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an increasingly prevalent and currently incurable neurodegenerative disorder. The aggregation of the amyloid disordered protein α-synuclein (Syn) has been implicated in the development of PD. In the literature, it has been suggested that tyrosine residues of Syn play an [...] Read more.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an increasingly prevalent and currently incurable neurodegenerative disorder. The aggregation of the amyloid disordered protein α-synuclein (Syn) has been implicated in the development of PD. In the literature, it has been suggested that tyrosine residues of Syn play an important role in the interactions established during the fibrillation process. Herein, the prevalence of the referred interactions under shear stress conditions of Nα-acetyl-L-tyrosinamide (NAYA) and of Syn solutions by using membrane centrifugal filters with different cut-off of 200 nm, 100 kDa, 50 kDa and 30 kDa, under centrifugation conditions, were investigated. In order to determine the nature of the interactions involving the protein tyrosine residues the NAYA compound, which mimics the peptide bonds in protein and also possesses a tyrosyl group similar to the tyrosyl groups found in the Syn protein molecular structure, was used. It is expected that for a small molecule, such as NAYA, no molecular association occurs, contrary to what exists in the Syn protein solutions, which can more adequately retrieve the type of interactions formed, involving the tyrosyl group. Therefore, sensing the tyrosyl group absorption, spectroscopic techniques, in particular, were used. For NAYA, an intramolecular interaction between the tyrosyl group and the peptide bond was evidenced. For NAYA and Syn, it was observed that decreasing the membrane centrifugal filters pore size, under centrifugation conditions, was concomitant with the minimization of the intramolecular interactions between the tyrosyl group and the peptide bond. With this, it is likely to assume that shear stress conditions in the Syn solutions propel protein aggregation by a less strained protein backbone. Contrary to the centrifugation of NAYA solutions, centrifuging Syn solutions revealed molecular association and a progressive exposure of protein tyrosyl groups to water. Thus, we can also infer that shear stress conditions in the Syn solutions cause the protein tyrosyl groups to not intervene in the protein aggregation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Spectrometry and Analytical Techniques in the Environment)
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13 pages, 1494 KiB  
Article
Aluminium, Iron and Silicon Subcellular Redistribution in Wheat Induced by Manganese Toxicity
by Jorge M. S. Faria, Dora Martins Teixeira, Ana Paula Pinto, Isabel Brito, Pedro Barrulas and Mário Carvalho
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8745; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188745 - 19 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2411
Abstract
Acidic soils can promote the bioavailability of Al, Mn, and Fe to toxic levels, reducing crop growth and productivity. Symptoms of metal excess/deficit are dependent on the chemical composition of the soil solution and of plant tissues. In the present study, the concentration [...] Read more.
Acidic soils can promote the bioavailability of Al, Mn, and Fe to toxic levels, reducing crop growth and productivity. Symptoms of metal excess/deficit are dependent on the chemical composition of the soil solution and of plant tissues. In the present study, the concentration and subcellular distribution of Al, Mn, Fe, and Si (known to alleviate metal stress) were quantified through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in roots and shoots of wheat grown in acidic soils with rising levels of Mn. In control acidic soil, wheat showed high concentrations of Al, Mn, and Fe. After Mn supplementation, bioavailable Al, Fe, and Si levels increased in the soil solution, but plant uptake ratio decreased. Root Mn levels increased, while those of Al, Fe, and Si decreased. Although elements were increasingly translocated to the shoot, root Al and Fe concentrations were 10-fold higher than those in the shoot. At the highest Mn concentration supplied, Al, Fe, and Si proportions increased in the organelles, while Mn proportion increased in the vacuole. High bioavailable Mn levels disrupt metal homeostasis in wheat grown in acidic soils, influencing element subcellular distribution. Symptoms of metal toxicity result from interactions between several elements, and therefore a comprehensive chemical analysis of soil solution and plant tissues contributes to a more accurate understanding of their uptake dynamics and their agronomic implications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Spectrometry and Analytical Techniques in the Environment)
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