Proteomic profile of necrotrophic mycelium of Moniliophthora perniciosa

The fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, the etiologic agent of witches' broom disease of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), has a hemibiotrophic life cycle, with a biotrophic phase and a necrotrophic phase. The biotrophic phase, initiating the disease, is characterized by a monokaryotic mycelium, while the necrotrophic phase is characterized by a dikaryotic mycelium leading to plant death. During the culture of Mp on cookies, six different developmental phases were observed according to the mycelium color or the organ produced: white (? 35 days), yellow (? 37 days), pink (? 40 days ), dark pink (? 45 days), primordium (? 60 days) and basidiocarp (? 75 days). In this study, we identify proteins involved in each stage of the fungus development focusing on basidiocarp formation. Proteins were extracted using the ADP method, followed by a simple cleaning using SDS-dense and phenol. The quantification was made using the 2-D quantification kit. The proteins were extracted in triplicate and separated using a 12% bi-dimensional SDS-PAGE gel. The 2-D maps showed approximately 300 spots per gel, and present differential protein expression patterns. Spots were cut from gels and analyzed by mass spectrometry. At the basidiocarp stage, we identified several proteins potentially involved in its formation, which may be good candidates for further analysis required to understand the mode of spread of the fungus. To our knowledge this is the first work analyzing Mp development by proteomics. (Texte intégral

Evaluation of the fungitoxic activity and isolation of alloaromadendrene - 4α, 10 β - diol in Hypericum cordatum

The Hypericum cordatum is a species of the Brazilian Cerrado that was selected in a screening of plants with fungitoxic activities. The aim of this work was to isolate and identify the compounds with antifungal activity in leaf extracts in dichloromethane. For this end, the powder made from the leaves of the plants was submitted to exhaustive extraction with petroleum ether and dichloromethane. The extract in dichloromethane and the active fractions were submitted to bioassay-guided fractionation in Sephadex LH - 20 column, respectively, with the following eluents chloroform:methanol (1:1) and a gradient of hexane:dichlorometane (1:4); dichloromethane:acetone (3:3 and 1:4), methanol and water. Afterward, the fractions that showed some activity were submitted to preparative thin layer chromatography of silica gel GF254 and the material with the greatest mass was submitted to semi-preparative HPLC. The active fraction obtained was analyzed by ¹H NMR, and the main component identified was alloaromadendrene-4α-10β - diol. We may then conclude that this is one of the compounds responsible for the fungitoxic activity of Hypericum cordatum.Hypericum cordatum é uma espécie do cerrado que foi selecionada em triagem de plantas com atividade fungitóxica. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi isolar e identificar compostos com atividade antifúngica em extratos de folhas em diclorometano. O pó das folhas das plantas foi submetido à extração exaustiva com éter de petróleo e diclorometano. O extrato em diclorometano, e as frações ativas, foram submetidos à fracionamentos biomonitorados em coluna de Sephadex LH-20, respectivamente, com os eluentes clorofórmio:metanol (1:1) e com um gradiente de hexano:diclorometano (1:4); diclorometano:acetona (3:2 e 1:4), metanol, e água. As frações que mostraram atividade foram submetidas à cromatografia em camada delgada preparativa de sílica gel GF254, sendo que o material de maior massa foi analisado em CLAE semipreparativa. A fração ativa foi analisada por RMN de ¹H, tendo sido identificado o aloaromadendrano - 4α -10β - diol como componente principal da fração. Conclui-se, portanto, que este é um dos compostos responsáveis pela atividade fungitóxica de Hypericum cordatum.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Instituto de Botânica Núcleo de Pesquisa em Fisiologia e BioquímicaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da TerraUNIFESP, Depto. de Ciências Exatas e da TerraSciEL

FGFR1 and PROKR2 rare variants found in patients with combined pituitary hormone deficiencies.

The genetic aetiology of congenital hypopituitarism (CH) is not entirely elucidated. FGFR1 and PROKR2 loss-of-function mutations are classically involved in hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HH), however, due to the clinical and genetic overlap of HH and CH; these genes may also be involved in the pathogenesis of CH. Using a candidate gene approach, we screened 156 Brazilian patients with combined pituitary hormone deficiencies (CPHD) for loss-of-function mutations in FGFR1 and PROKR2. We identified three FGFR1 variants (p.Arg448Trp, p.Ser107Leu and p.Pro772Ser) in four unrelated patients (two males) and two PROKR2 variants (p.Arg85Cys and p.Arg248Glu) in two unrelated female patients. Five of the six patients harbouring the variants had a first-degree relative that was an unaffected carrier of it. Results of functional studies indicated that the new FGFR1 variant p.Arg448Trp is a loss-of-function variant, while p.Ser107Leu and p.Pro772Ser present signalling activity similar to the wild-type form. Regarding PROKR2 variants, results from previous functional studies indicated that p.Arg85Cys moderately compromises receptor signalling through both MAPK and Ca(2) (+) pathways while p.Arg248Glu decreases calcium mobilization but has normal MAPK activity. The presence of loss-of-function variants of FGFR1 and PROKR2 in our patients with CPHD is indicative of an adjuvant and/or modifier effect of these rare variants on the phenotype. The presence of the same variants in unaffected relatives implies that they cannot solely cause the phenotype. Other associated genetic and/or environmental modifiers may play a role in the aetiology of this condition

Contribuição ao estudo proteômico do ciclo de vida de Moniliophthora perniciosa

Moniliophthora perniciosa é o fungo causador da vassoura de bruxa no cacaueiro (Theobroma cacao L.). Ele apresenta um ciclo de vida hemibiotrófico, com uma fase biotrófica e uma fase necrotrófica. A fase biotrófica, iniciando a doença, é caracterizada por um micélio monocariótico, enquanto a fase necrotrófica é caracterizada por um micélio dicariótico levando a morte dos tecidos vegetais. O estudo da fase necrotrófica é efetuado em bolacha, o único meio sólido permitindo a obtenção de basidiomas e, por conseqüência, das únicas estruturas infecciosas do fungo, os basidiósporos. Durante o cultivo de M. perniciosa em bolachas, 6 diferentes fases de desenvolvimento foram observadas: i) a fase branca, fase inicial do cultivo do fungo (? 35 dias); ii) a fase amarela (? 37 dias) ; iii) a fase rosa (? 40 dias) ; iv) a fase rosa escuro, ou pre-estresse hídrico (? 45 dias); v) o primórdio (? 60 dias) ; e vi) o basidioma (? 75 dias). O objetivo deste trabalho foi de identificar proteínas específicas envolvidas em cada uma destas fases, em particular na fase de formação do basidioma e na fase de estresse hídrico necessaria e preliminar à formação do corpo de frutificação. Foi estabelecido um método de extração de proteínas a partir das bolachas, e em seguida, foram utilizadas técnicas de eletroforese (SDS-PAGE e eletroforese bidimensional/2-D) a fim de identificar perfis protéicos específicos de cada fase. Bandas (SDS-PAGE) ou spots (2-D) visualizados por eletroforese foram em seguida cortados dos geis e analisados por espectrometria de massas. Foram identificadas varias proteínas potencialmente envolvidas na formação do basidioma, e podendo constituir bons candidatos para futuras análises necessárias à compreensão do modo de propagação do fungo. (Résumé d'auteur

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper reports a measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is based on a data sample recorded with the ATLAS detector with an integrated luminosity of 0.30 pb^-1 for jets with transverse momentum between 25 and 70 GeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta| < 2.5. D*+/- mesons found in jets are fully reconstructed in the decay chain: D*+ -> D0pi+, D0 -> K-pi+, and its charge conjugate. The production rate is found to be N(D*+/-)/N(jet) = 0.025 +/- 0.001(stat.) +/- 0.004(syst.) for D*+/- mesons that carry a fraction z of the jet momentum in the range 0.3 < z < 1. Monte Carlo predictions fail to describe the data at small values of z, and this is most marked at low jet transverse momentum.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (22 pages total), 5 figures, 1 table, matches published version in Physical Review

Hydrothermal synthesis to water-stable luminescent carbon dots from acerola fruit for photoluminescent composites preparation and its application as sensors

Carbon dots (C-dots) possess the attractive properties of high stability, low toxicity, good water solubility, simple synthetic routes as well as size and excitation-dependent photoluminescence (PL).The aim of this work was to synthesize photoluminescent C-dots by hydrothermal method using acerola fruit (Malpighiaemarginata) as a row material, since this fruit contains large number of organic molecules. Studies about the optimal synthesis conditions were performed, where these organic molecules were converted into C-dots by hydrothermal carbonization at 180 ºC for 18 h. The C-dots exhibited a green emission light at 459 nm when excited under UV-light (λ ex= 370 nm). These nanomaterials were also successfully used to prepare C-dots/poly (vinyl alcohol) luminescent composites (C-dots/PVA). Both C-dots and C-dots/PVA composite films were investigated by using colorimetric visual sensor for Fe3+ metal ions detection. The results show that the prepared C-dots and C-dots/poly presented strong green emission light. The emission spectra of above materials were quenched in the presence of Fe3+ ions. Thus, highly specific “turn off” fluorescence sensing of Fe3+ was achieved using fluorescent C-dots. Regarding, this work describe that the polymeric films as sensors of metallic ions in aqueous solution appears as a new perspectives to design new composite materials22

Search for supersymmetry in final states with jets, missing transverse momentum and one isolated lepton in sqrt{s} = 7 TeV pp collisions using 1 fb-1 of ATLAS data

We present an update of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing jets, missing transverse momentum, and one isolated electron or muon, using 1.04 fb^-1 of proton-proton collision data at sqrt{s} = 7 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in the first half of 2011. The analysis is carried out in four distinct signal regions with either three or four jets and variations on the (missing) transverse momentum cuts, resulting in optimized limits for various supersymmetry models. No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed. Limits are set on the visible cross-section of new physics within the kinematic requirements of the search. The results are interpreted as limits on the parameters of the minimal supergravity framework, limits on cross-sections of simplified models with specific squark and gluino decay modes, and limits on parameters of a model with bilinear R-parity violation.Comment: 18 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 9 figures, 4 tables, final version to appear in Physical Review

Reducing heterotic M-theory to five dimensional supergravity on a manifold with boundary

This paper constructs the reduction of heterotic $M$-theory in eleven dimensions to a supergravity model on a manifold with boundary in five dimensions using a Calabi-Yau three-fold. New results are presented for the boundary terms in the action and for the boundary conditions on the bulk fields. Some general features of dualisation on a manifold with boundary are used to explain the origin of some topological terms in the action. The effect of gaugino condensation on the fermion boundary conditions leads to a `twist' in the chirality of the gravitino which can provide an uplifting mechanism in the vacuum energy to cancel the cosmological constant after moduli stabilisation.Comment: 16 pages, RevTe

Measurement of tau polarization in W->taunu decays with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

In this paper, a measurement of tau polarization in W->taunu decays is presented. It is measured from the energies of the decay products in hadronic tau decays with a single final state charged particle. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 24 pb^-1, were collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2010. The measured value of the tau polarization is Ptau = -1.06 +/- 0.04 (stat) + 0.05 (syst) - 0.07 (syst), in agreement with the Standard Model prediction, and is consistent with a physically allowed 95% CL interval [-1,-0.91]. Measurements of tau polarization have not previously been made at hadron colliders.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (25 pages total), 4 figures, 4 tables, revised author list, matches published EPJC versio