I am currently conducting my postdoctoral research at the Laboratory of Biochemistry of Hematophagous Arthropods at the Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis (IBqM/UFRJ) since 2024, with a project focused on studying metabolic adaptations during arthropod development.
I obtained my degree in Pharmacy from UFRJ in 2014, followed by a Master’s degree in Biological Chemistry in 2017, and a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry in 2022, both from UFRJ. I also completed a postdoctoral fellowship abroad in 2023 at Hokkaido University, Japan.
My research is primarily focused on the fields of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology, using models such as embryonic arthropod cell cultures and medically and veterinary important arthropod vectors, including the insect Rhodnius prolixus, the mosquito Aedes aegypti, and the tick Rhipicephalus microplus.
I have been applying a translational perspective between arthropods and cancer cell models, investigating the conservation and evo
EDUCATION
Pharmacy - UFRJ in 2014, Master’s degree in Biological Chemistry in 2017, and a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry in 2022, both from UFRJ
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry
Unraveling the Roles of Epigenetic Regulators During the Embryonic Development of Rhipicephalus microplus Anderson Mendonça Amarante, Daniel Martins de Oliveira, Marcos Paulo Nicolich Camargo de Souza, Manoel Fonseca-Oliveira, Antonio Galina, Serena Rosignoli, Angélica Fernandes Arcanjo, Bruno Moraes, Alessandro Paiardini, Dante Rotili, Juan Diego de Paula Li Yasumura, Sarah Henaut-Jacobs, Thiago Motta Venancio, Marcelle Uhl, Rodrigo Nunes-da-Fonseca, Luis Fernando Parizi, Itabajara da Silva Vaz Junior, Claudia dos Santos Mermelstein, Thamara Rios, Lucas Tirloni, Carlos Logullo, Marcelo Rosado Fantappié International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025 Epigenetic modifications are long-lasting changes to the genome that influence a cell’s transcriptional potential, thereby altering its function. These modifications can trigger adaptive responses that impact protein expression and various cellular processes, including differentiation and growth. The primary epigenetic mechanisms identified to date include DNA and RNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA-mediated regulation of gene expression. The intricate crosstalk among these mechanisms makes epigenetics a compelling field for the development of novel control strategies, particularly through the use of epigenetic drugs targeting arthropod vectors such as ticks. In this study, we identified the Rhipicephalus microplus orthologs of canonical histone-modifying enzymes, along with components of the machinery responsible for m5C and 6mA-DNA, and m6A-RNA methylations. We further characterized their transcriptional profiles and enzymatic activities during embryonic development. To explore the functional consequences of epigenetic regulation in R. microplus, we evaluated the effects of various epigenetic inhibitors on the BME26 tick embryonic cell line. Molecular docking simulations were performed to predict the binding modes of these inhibitors to tick enzymes, followed by in vitro assessment of their effects on cell viability and morphology. Tick cells exposed to these inhibitors presented phenotypic and molecular alterations. Notably, we observed high levels of DNA methylation in the nuclear genome. Importantly, inhibition of DNA methylation using 5′-azacytidine (5′-AZA) was associated with increased activity of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and ATP synthesis but reduced cellular proliferation. Our findings highlight the importance of epigenetic regulation during tick embryogenesis and suggest that targeting these pathways may constitute a novel and promising strategy for tick control.
Starvation Metabolism Adaptations in Tick Embryonic Cells BME26 Cintia Lopes Nogueira, Angélica F. Arcanjo, Maria Elisa Lima, Bruno Moraes, Renato Martins da Silva, Katia C. Gondim, Satoru Konnai, Isabela Ramos, Samara Santos, Alessandra D’Almeida Filardy, Kamila Guimarães Pinto, Itabajara da Silva Vaz Junior, Carlos Logullo International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025 Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit pathogens and inflict significant economic losses on the cattle industry. Remarkably, they can survive extended periods of starvation in the absence of a host. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the metabolic adaptations that enable the tick Rhipicephalus microplus to endure starvation using the BME26 cell line as a model system. To simulate nutrient deprivation, cells were subjected to starvation conditions by replacing the L-15 culture medium with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Our findings show that these tick cells can endure experimental starvation for up to 48 h. The assessment of glycogen levels in starved cells shows a significant decrease, at both the 24 h and 48 h marks. Additionally, upregulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene expression, along with downregulation of hexokinase (HK) and pyruvate kinase (PK) gene expression, indicated that BME26 cells would prioritize the gluconeogenic pathway over the glycolytic pathway under starvation conditions. Moreover, the transcriptional levels of autophagy-related genes (ATG) were upregulated in response to starvation. Taken together, our findings suggest a potential role for autophagy in supplying substrates for the gluconeogenic pathway in nutrient-deprived tick cells. This work contributes to the understanding of metabolic regulation in R. microplus ticks and offers valuable insights for tick control strategies.
Aurora kinase as a putative target to tick control Bruno Moraes, Helga Gomes, Luiz Saramago, Valdir Braz, Luís Fernando Parizi, Gloria Braz, Itabajara da Silva Vaz, Carlos Logullo, Jorge Moraes Parasitology, 2024 Aurora kinases (AURK) play a central role in controlling cell cycle in a wide range of organisms. They belong to the family of serine-threonine kinase proteins. Their role in the cell cycle includes, among others, the entry into mitosis, maturation of the centrosome and formation of the mitotic spindle. In mammals, 3 isoforms have been described: A, B and C, which are distinguished mainly by their function throughout the cell cycle. Two aurora kinase coding sequences have been identified in the transcriptome of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus (Rm-AURKA and Rm-AURKB) containing the aurora kinase-specific domain. For both isoforms, the highest number of AURK coding transcripts is found in ovaries. Based on deduced amino acid sequences, it was possible to identify non-conserved threonine residues which are essential to AURK functions in vertebrates and which are not present in R. microplus sequences. A pan AURK inhibitor (CCT137690) caused cell viability decline in the BME26 tick embryonic cell line. In silico docking assay showed an interaction between Aurora kinase and CCT137690 with exclusive interaction sites in Rm-AURKA. The characterization of exclusive regions of the enzyme will enable new studies aimed at promoting species-specific enzymatic inhibition in ectoparasites.
G6PDH as a key immunometabolic and redox trigger in arthropods Bruno Moraes, Renato Martins, Cintia Lopes, Ronald Martins, Angélica Arcanjo, Jhenifer Nascimento, Satoru Konnai, Itabajara da Silva Vaz, Carlos Logullo Frontiers in Physiology, 2023 The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) plays crucial roles in glucose homeostasis and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), being also involved in redox metabolism. The PPP is an important metabolic pathway that produces ribose and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), which are essential for several physiologic and biochemical processes, such as the synthesis of fatty acids and nucleic acids. As a rate-limiting step in PPP, G6PDH is a highly conserved enzyme and its deficiency can lead to severe consequences for the organism, in particular for cell growth. Insufficient G6PDH activity can lead to cell growth arrest, impaired embryonic development, as well as a reduction in insulin sensitivity, inflammation, diabetes, and hypertension. While research on G6PDH and PPP has historically focused on mammalian models, particularly human disorders, recent studies have shed light on the regulation of this enzyme in arthropods, where new functions were discovered. This review will discuss the role of arthropod G6PDH in regulating redox homeostasis and immunometabolism and explore potential avenues for further research on this enzyme in various metabolic adaptations.
Deficiency of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Impairs Digestion, Lipid Synthesis, and Reproduction in the Kissing Bug Rhodnius prolixus Bruno Moraes, Valdir Braz, Samara Santos-Araujo, Isadora A. Oliveira, Larissa Bomfim, Isabela Ramos, Katia C. Gondim Frontiers in Physiology, 2022 Rhodnius prolixus is a hematophagous insect, vector of Chagas disease. After feeding, as blood is slowly digested, amino acids are used as substrates to fuel lipid synthesis, and adult females accumulate lipids in the fat body and produce eggs. In order to evaluate the importance of de novo fatty acid synthesis for this insect metabolism, we generated acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) deficient insects. The knockdown (AccKD) females had delayed blood digestion and a shorter lifespan. Their fat bodies showed reduced de novo lipogenesis activity, did not accumulate triacylglycerol during the days after blood meal, and had smaller lipid droplets. At 10 days after feeding, there was a general decrease in the amounts of neutral lipids and phospholipids in the fat body. In the hemolymph, no difference was observed in lipid composition at 5 days after blood meal, but at day ten, there was an increase in hydrocarbon content and a decrease in phospholipids. Total protein concentration and amino acid composition were not affected. The AccKD females laid 60% fewer eggs than the control ones, and only 7% hatched (89% for control), although their total protein and triacylglycerol contents were not different. Scanning electron microscopy of the egg surface showed that chorion (eggshell) from the eggs laid by the AccKD insects had an altered ultrastructural pattern when compared to control ones. These results show that ACC has a central role in R. prolixus nutrient homeostasis, and its appropriate activity is important to digestion, lipid synthesis and storage, and reproductive success.
Aedes fluviatilis cell lines as new tools to study metabolic and immune interactions in mosquito-Wolbachia symbiosis Christiano Calixto Conceição, Jhenifer Nascimento da Silva, Angélica Arcanjo, Cíntia Lopes Nogueira, Leonardo Araujo de Abreu, Pedro Lagerblad de Oliveira, Katia C. Gondim, Bruno Moraes, Stephanie Serafim de Carvalho, Renato Martins da Silva, Itabajara da Silva Vaz, Luciano Andrade Moreira, Carlos Logullo Scientific Reports, 2021 In the present work, we established two novel embryonic cell lines from the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis containing or not the naturally occurring symbiont bacteria Wolbachia, which were called wAflu1 and Aflu2, respectively. We also obtained wAflu1 without Wolbachia after tetracycline treatment, named wAflu1.tet. Morphofunctional characterization was performed to help elucidate the symbiont-host interaction in the context of energy metabolism regulation and molecular mechanisms of the immune responses involved. The presence of Wolbachia pipientis improves energy performance in A. fluviatilis cells; it affects the regulation of key energy sources such as lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, making the distribution of actin more peripheral and with extensions that come into contact with neighboring cells. Additionally, innate immunity mechanisms were activated, showing that the wAflu1 and wAflu1.tet cells are responsive after the stimulus using Gram negative bacteria. Therefore, this work confirms the natural, mutually co-regulating symbiotic relationship between W. pipientis and A. fluviatilis, modulating the host metabolism and immune pathway activation. The results presented here add important resources to the current knowledge of Wolbachia-arthropod interactions.
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Unraveling the Roles of Epigenetic Regulators During the Embryonic Development of Rhipicephalus microplus AM Amarante, DM de Oliveira, MPNC de Souza, M Fonseca-Oliveira, ... International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26 (18), 9171 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
Rhipicephalus microplus triosephosphate isomerase dimer interface is stabilized by a key cysteine residue L Saramago, N Cabrera, B Aguirre, H Gomes, B Moraes, V Braz, ... Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General Subjects, 130857 , 2025 2025
Unravelling the role of epigenetic regulators during embryonic development of Rhipicephalus micropolus A AdM, DM de Oliveira, M de Souza, MF Oliveira, A Galina, S Rosignoli, ... 2025
Functional characterization of vitellogenin unveils novel roles in RHBP uptake and lifespan regulation in the insect vector Rhodnius prolixus J Pereira, T Rios, J Amorim, A Faria-Reis, E de Almeida, M Neves, ... Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 180, 104301 , 2025 2025 Citations: 7
Starvation metabolism adaptations in tick embryonic cells BME26 CL Nogueira, AF Arcanjo, ME Lima, B Moraes, RM da Silva, KC Gondim, ... International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26 (1), 87 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Aurora kinase as a putative target to tick control B Moraes, H Gomes, L Saramago, V Braz, LF Parizi, G Braz, ... Parasitology 151 (9), 983-991 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
G6PDH as a key immunometabolic and redox trigger in arthropods B Moraes, R Martins, C Lopes, R Martins, A Arcanjo, J Nascimento, ... Frontiers in Physiology 14, 1287090 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Deficiency of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Impairs Digestion, Lipid Synthesis, and Reproduction in the Kissing Bug Rhodnius prolixus B Moraes, V Braz, S Santos-Araujo, IA Oliveira, L Bomfim, I Ramos, ... Frontiers in Physiology 13, 934667 , 2022 2022 Citations: 21
Aedes fluviatilis cell lines as new tools to study metabolic and immune interactions in mosquito-Wolbachia symbiosis CC Conceição, JN da Silva, A Arcanjo, CL Nogueira, LA de Abreu, ... Scientific Reports 11 (1), 19202 , 2021 2021 Citations: 13
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Deficiency of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Impairs Digestion, Lipid Synthesis, and Reproduction in the Kissing Bug Rhodnius prolixus B Moraes, V Braz, S Santos-Araujo, IA Oliveira, L Bomfim, I Ramos, ... Frontiers in Physiology 13, 934667 , 2022 2022 Citations: 21
Aedes fluviatilis cell lines as new tools to study metabolic and immune interactions in mosquito-Wolbachia symbiosis CC Conceição, JN da Silva, A Arcanjo, CL Nogueira, LA de Abreu, ... Scientific Reports 11 (1), 19202 , 2021 2021 Citations: 13
G6PDH as a key immunometabolic and redox trigger in arthropods B Moraes, R Martins, C Lopes, R Martins, A Arcanjo, J Nascimento, ... Frontiers in Physiology 14, 1287090 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Functional characterization of vitellogenin unveils novel roles in RHBP uptake and lifespan regulation in the insect vector Rhodnius prolixus J Pereira, T Rios, J Amorim, A Faria-Reis, E de Almeida, M Neves, ... Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 180, 104301 , 2025 2025 Citations: 7
Unraveling the Roles of Epigenetic Regulators During the Embryonic Development of Rhipicephalus microplus AM Amarante, DM de Oliveira, MPNC de Souza, M Fonseca-Oliveira, ... International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26 (18), 9171 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
Starvation metabolism adaptations in tick embryonic cells BME26 CL Nogueira, AF Arcanjo, ME Lima, B Moraes, RM da Silva, KC Gondim, ... International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26 (1), 87 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Aurora kinase as a putative target to tick control B Moraes, H Gomes, L Saramago, V Braz, LF Parizi, G Braz, ... Parasitology 151 (9), 983-991 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Rhipicephalus microplus triosephosphate isomerase dimer interface is stabilized by a key cysteine residue L Saramago, N Cabrera, B Aguirre, H Gomes, B Moraes, V Braz, ... Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General Subjects, 130857 , 2025 2025
Unravelling the role of epigenetic regulators during embryonic development of Rhipicephalus micropolus A AdM, DM de Oliveira, M de Souza, MF Oliveira, A Galina, S Rosignoli, ... 2025
