Lígia O. Martins received her B.Sc. in Biology at the Universidade de Coimbra in 1987, and her M.Sc. in Biological Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, in 1990. She obtained her Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology from IST in 1994. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Cell Physiology and NMR Lab (1994-2000) at ITQB, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (with H. Santos) and then a Senior Researcher at the Microbial Genetics Lab (2000-2003) at the same Institute (with A. O. Henriques). She was an Assistant Professor at Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologia, Lisboa, between 1998-2005. In 2004 she became group leader (Microbial and Enzyme Technology group) and in 2006 Invited Assistant Professor at ITQB. Her present research topic focuses on the study of the structure-function determinants of prokaryotic laccases and on the nanoengineering of these enzymes towards biotechnological applications.

 

Publications

 

Lígia O. Martins, Amália S. Jurado and Vítor M.C. Madeira. 1990. Comparision of polar lipids acyl-chains of Bacillus stearotermophilus as affected by temperature and calcium. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1045: 17-20

 

Lígia O. Martins, Luísa C. Brito and Isabel Sá-Correia. 1990. Roles of Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ on alginate biosynthesis by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Enz. Microbial Technol, 12: 794-799

 

Lígia O. Martins and Isabel Sá-Correia. 1991. Alginate biosynthesis in mucoid recombinants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa overproducing GDP-mannose dehydrogenase. Enz. Microbial Technol., 13: 385-389

 

Maria João Alves, Lígia O. Martins and Isabel Sá-Correia. 1991. Temperature profiles and alginate biosynthesis in mucoid and nonmucoid variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Lett. Appl. Microbiol., 12: 244-248

 

Lígia O. Martins and Isabel Sá-Correia. 1991. Gellan-gum biosynthetic enzymes in producing and non-producing variants of Pseudomonas elodea. Biotechnol. Appl. Biochem, 14: 357-364

 

Lígia O. Martins and Isabel Sá-Correia. 1994. Temperature profiles on gellan synthesis and activities of biosynthetic enzymes. Biotechnol. Appl. Biochem., 12: 244-248.

 

Lígia O. Martins and Helena Santos. 1995. Accumulation of mannosylglycerate and di-myo-inositol-phosphate by Pyrococcus furiosus in response to salinity and temperature. Appl. Environ. Microbiol, 61: 3299-3303. (PDF)

 

Lígia O. Martins, Arsénio M. Fialho, Paula L. Rodrigues and Isabel Sá-Correia. 1996. Gellan gum production and activity of biosynthetic enzymes in Sphingomonas paucimobilis mucoid and non-mucoid variants. Biotechnol. Appl. Biochem, 24: 47-54

 

Karina B. Xavier, Lígia O. Martins, Ralf Peist, Marina Kossman, Winfried Boos and Helena Santos. 1996. High affinity maltose/trehalose transport systems in the hyperthermophilic archaea Thermococcus litoralis. J. Bacteriol., 178: 4773-4777. (PDF)

 

Lígia O. Martins, Laura S. Carreto, Milton S. Da Costa and Helena Santos. 1996. New compatible solutes related to di-myo-inositol-phosphate in the Thermotogales. J. Bacteriol., 178: 5644-5651. (PDF)

 

Lígia O. Martins, Robert Huber, Harald Huber, Karl O. Stetter, Milton S. da Costa and Helena Santos. 1997. Organic solutes in hyperthermophilic Archaea. Appl. Environ. Microbiol, 63:896-902. (PDF)

 

Pedro Lamosa, Lígia O. Martins, Helena Santos and Milton S. da Costa. 1998. Effect of temperature, salinity, and the medium composition on compatible solute accumulation by Thermococcus spp. Appl. Environ. Microbiol, 64: 3291-3295. (PDF)

 

Zélia Silva, Nuno Borges, Lígia O. Martins, Robin Wait, Milton S. da Costa and Helena Santos. 1999. Combined effect of the growth temperature and salinity of the medium on the accumulation of compatible solutes by Rhodothermus marinus and Rhodothermus obamensis. Extremophiles, 3 163-172. (PDF)

 

Arsénio M. Fialho, Lígia O. Martins, Marie-Lucie Donval, Jorge H. Leitão, Michael J. Ridout, Andrew J. Jay, Victor J. Morris and Isabel Sá-Correia. 1999. Structures and properties of gellan polymers produced by Sphingomonas paucimobilis ATCC 31461 from lactose compared with those produced from glucose and cheese whey. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 65: 2485-2491. (PDF)

 

Lígia O. Martins, Nuno Empadinhas, Joey Marugg, Carla Miguel, Célia Ferreira, Milton S. Da Costa and Helena Santos. 1999. Biosynthesis of mannosylglycerate in the thermophilic bacterium Rhodothermus marinus. Biochemical and genetic characterization of a mannosylglycerate synthase. J. Biol. Chem., 247: 35407-35414. (PDF)

 

Eduardo P. Melo, Tiago Q. Faria, Lígia O. Martins, Ana M. Gonçalves and Joaquim M.S. Cabral. 2001. Cutinase unfolding and stabilization by trehalose and mannosylglycerate. Proteins, 42: 542-552. (PDF)

 

Lígia O. Martins, Cláudio M. Soares, Manuela M. Pereira, Miguel Teixeira, Teresa Costa, George H. Jones and Adriano Henriques. 2002. Molecular and biochemical characterization of a highly stable bacterial laccase that occurs as a structural component of the Bacillus subtilis endospore coat. J. Biol. Chem., 277: 18849-18859. (PDF)

 

Francisco J. Enguita, Pedro M. Matias, Lígia O. Martins, Diana Plácido, Adriano O. Henriques and Maria Arménia Carrondo. 2002. Spore-coat laccase CotA from Bacillus subtilis: crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization by the MAD method. Acta Crystallographica, 58, 1490-1493. (PDF)

 

Francisco J. Enguita, Lígia O. Martins, Adriano O. Henriques and Maria Arménia Carrondo. 2003. Crystal structure of a bacterial endospore coat component: a laccase with enhanced thermostability properties. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 19416-25. (PDF)

 

Teresa Costa, Leif Steil, Lígia O. Martins, Uwe Völker and Adriano O. Henriques. 2004. Assembly of an Oxalate Decarboxylase Produced Under σ^K Control Into the Bacillus subtilis Spore Coat. J. Bacteriol. 186: 1462-1474. (PDF)

 

Francisco J. Enguita, David Marçal, Lígia O. Martins, Rosa Grenha, Adriano O. Henriques, Peter F. Lindley and Maria Arménia Carrondo^. 2004. Substrate and dioxygen binding to the endospore coat laccase from Bacillus subtilis. J. Biol. Chem. 279:23472-23476. (PDF)

 

Isabel Bento, Lígia O. Martins, Gonçalo G. Lopes, Maria Arménia Carrondo and Peter F. Lindley. 2005. Dioxygen reduction by the multicopper oxidases: a structural perspective. Dalton Transactions. 3507-3513. (PDF)

 

Rita Zilhão, Rachele Isticato, Lígia O. Martins, Leif Steil, Uwe Völker, Ezio Ricca, Charles P. Moran Jr. and Adriano O. Henriques. 2005. Assembly and Function of a Spore Coat-Associated Transglutaminase of Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 187: 7753-7764. (PDF)

 

Maria Helena Lameiro, Antonio Lopes, Paula M. Alves, Lígia O. Martins, Eurico Melo. 2006. Incorporation of a Model Protein into Chitosan-Bile salt Microparticle. Int. J. Pharmaceutics 312: 119-130.

 

Paulo Durão, Isabel Bento, André T. Fernandes, Eduardo P. Melo, Peter F. Lindley, Lígia O. Martins. 2006. Perturbations of the T1 copper site in the CotA-laccase from Bacillus subtilis: Structural, Biochemical, Enzymatic and Stability Studies. J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 11: 514-526. (PDF)

 

Pedro Lamosa, Luís G. Gonçalves, Marta V. Rodrigues, Lígia O. Martins, Neil D. H. Raven and Helena Santos. 2006. Occurence of 1-Glycerol-1-myo-Inosityl Phosphate in Hyperthermophiles. Appl Envir. Microbiol. 72: 6169-6173 (PDF)

 

André T. Fernandes, Claudio M. Soares, Manuela M. Pereira, Robert Huber, Gregor Grass, Lígia O. Martins. 2007. A robust metallo-oxidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Aquifex aeolicus. The FEBS Journal. 274: 2683-2694 (PDF)

 

Maria C. Sanchez-Sutil, Nuria Gomez-Santos, Aurélio Moraleda-Munoz, Lígia O. Martins, Juana Perez, José Munoz-Dorado, J. 2007. Differential expression of the three multicopper oxidases from Myxococcus xanthus. J. Bacteriol. 189: 4887-4898 (PDF)

 

Eduardo P. Melo, André T. Fernandes, Paulo Durão, Lígia O. Martins. 2007. Insight into stability of CotA laccase from the     spore coat of Bacillus subtilis. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 35: 1579-1582 (PDF)

 

 

Paulo Durão, Zhenjia Chen, André T. Fernandes, Peter Hildebrandt, Daniel H. Murgida, Smilja Todorovic, Manuela M. Pereira, Eduardo P. Melo, Lígia O. Martins. 2007. Copper Incorporaion Into Recombinant CotA-laccase from Bacillus subtilis - Characterization of Fully Cu-Loaded Enzymes. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 13:183-93 (PDF)

 

 

Paulo Durão, Zhenjia Chen, Catarina S. Silva, Cláudio M. Soares, Manuela M. Pereira, Smilja Todorovic, Peter Hildebrandt, Isabel Bento, Peter F. Lindley, Lígia O. Martins. 2008. Proximal mutations at the type 1 copper site of CotA-laccase; spectroscopic, redox, kinetic and structural characterization of I494A and L386A mutants. Biochem. J. 412: 339-346 . (PDF)

 

André T Fernandes, Lígia O. Martins, Eduardo P. Melo. 2009. The hyperthermophilic nature of the metallo-oxidase from Aquifex aeolicus. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 1794: 75-83 (PDF)

 

Luciana Pereira, Ana V. Coelho, Cristina A. Viegas, Margarida M. Correia dos Santos, Maria Paula Robalo, Lígia O. Martins. 2009. Enzymatic biotransformation of the azo dye sudan orange G with bacterial CotA-laccase. J Biotechnology. 139: 68-77. (PDF)

 

Vânia Brissos, Luciana Pereira, Florentina-Daniela Munteanu, Artur Cavaco-Paulo, Lígia O. Martins. 2009. Expression system of CotA-laccase for directed evolution and high-throughput screenings for the oxidation of high-redox potential dyes. Biotechnol. J. 4: 558-563. (PDF)

 

Luciana Pereira, Ana V. Coelho, Cristina A. Viegas, Christelle Ganachaud, Gilles Iacazio, Thierry Tron, M. Paula Robalo, Lígia O. Martins. 2009. On the mechanism of biotransformation of the anthraquinonic dye acid blue 62 by laccases. Adv. Synth. Catal. 351: 1857-1865

 

 

 

Other Publications

 

Isabel Sá-Correia, Lígia O. Martins, J.H. Leitão, A.M. Fialho, G.A. Monteiro, P.C. Lemos, P.L. Rodrigues. 1992. Manipulation of exopolysaccaride synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas elodea. in "Profiles on Biotechnology" (ed. T.G. Villa and J.Abade) pp. 115-126, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. (Conference Proceeding)

 

Adriano O. Henriques, Lígia O. Martins, Cláudio M. Soares, Teresa Costa, Manuela Pereira, Miguel Teixeira. Studies on CotA, a laccase associated with the surface of Bacillus subtilis endospores. 10th International Conference on Bioinorganic Chemistry. Florence, Italy, August 26-31, 2001. Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. 86: 259. (Conference Proceeding).

 

Adriano O. Henriques, Teresa Costa, Lígia. O. Martins, and Rita Zilhão. 2004. Functional architecture and assembly of the spore coat. In "Bacterial Spores: Probiotics and Emerging Applications". (Ezio Ricca, Adriano O. Henriques, and Simon M. Cutting, eds.). Horizon Scientific Press, London, UK.

 

Patents

 

“Use of di-manosil-di-myo-inositol-phosphate and 1,3'-di-myo-inositol-phosphate on the thermostabilization, osmoprotection and protection against dehidratation of cellular components and cells”.

Helena Santos, Lígia O. Martins, Laura S. Carreto, Milton S. Da Costa. 1996. Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial. Patente de InvençãoVWS006/854A.

German company “BITOP” since March, 2002.

 

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