Diversidad y variación de estructuras en la coraza dorsal del armadillo gigante Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792) y su potencial uso para la identificación de individuos

Dorsal carapace and osteoderm morphological features have traditionally been widely used inboth extinct and extant armadillo systematics. However, the intraspecific variability at the carapace level represents a little studied aspect. In this contribution, we analyzed several dorsal carapaces of Priodontes maximus with the purpose of recording such variability. As a result, we describe a total of seven structures concerning the dorsal carapace osteoderm configuration, including distinct terminations of the osteoderm rows, and the most frequent aberrant shapes of the osteoderms. Though the same type of structure can be usually found in several specimens, its frequency and precise location within the carapace are unique to each individual. In this sense, besides improving anatomical descriptions, the identification of these structures can be potentially implemented as a complementary method to help recognize specific individuals being tracked. Moreover, it can represent a very effective recognition method even a long time after death. Given the general decreasing trend of P. maximus populations, it is important to develop as many monitoring tools as possible, in order to support conservation programs for this species.Las características morfológicas de la coraza dorsal y de los osteodermos han sido tradicionalmente muy utilizadas en la sistemática de armadillos, tanto extintos como actuales. Sin embargo, la variabilidad intraespecífica a nivel de coraza ha sido muy poco tratada en la literatura. En este trabajo se analiza una serie de corazas dorsales pertenecientes a Priodontes maximus con el objetivo de registrar dicha variabilidad. Como resultado, se describen un total de siete estructuras presentes en la configuración de osteodermos que conforman la coraza dorsal, incluyendo distintas terminaciones de las hileras de osteodermos, y las formas de osteodermos aberrantes más frecuentes. A pesar de que el mismo tipo de estructura puede estar presente en distintos ejemplares, su frecuencia y localización en la coraza son únicas de cada individuo. De esta manera, además de mejorar las descripciones anatómicas, la identificación de estas estructuras puede ser potencialmente implementada como un método complementario para reconocer individuos a los que se esté realizando un seguimiento. Además, también puede suponer un método de reconocimiento efectivo incluso pasado un largo tiempo tras la muerte del individuo. Dada la tendencia general a la disminución de las poblaciones de P. maximus, resulta importante desarrollar el mayor número posible de herramientas de monitoreo que puedan ayudar a los programas de conservación de esta especie.Fil: Barasoain Goñi, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Biología. Cátedra de Paleontología; ArgentinaFil: Cuaranta, Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Mauriño, Romina Adela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

Family-specific degenerate primer design: a tool to design consensus degenerated oligonucleotides

Designing degenerate PCR primers for templates of unknown nucleotide sequence may be a very difficult task. In this paper, we present a new method to design degenerate primers, implemented in family-specific degenerate primer design (FAS-DPD) computer software, for which the starting point is a multiple alignment of related amino acids or nucleotide sequences. To assess their efficiency, four different genome collections were used, covering a wide range of genomic lengths: Arenavirus ( nucleotides), Baculovirus ( to  bp), Lactobacillus sp. ( to  bp), and Pseudomonas sp. ( to  bp). In each case, FAS-DPD designed primers were tested computationally to measure specificity. Designed primers for Arenavirus and Baculovirus were tested experimentally. The method presented here is useful for designing degenerate primers on collections of related protein sequences, allowing detection of new family members.Fil: Iserte, Javier Alonso. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Stephan, Betina Inés. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Goñi, Sandra Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Borio, Cristina Silvia. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ghiringhelli, Pablo Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área Virus de Insectos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lozano, Mario Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; Argentin

Efecto de las condiciones de operación en el hidrocraqueo conjunto de gasóleo de vacío (VGO) y polímeros oxigenados no olefínicos

[ES] En este trabajo se ha estudiado el hidrocraqueo conjunto de plásticos no poliolefínicos oxigenados mezclados con gasóleo de vacío (VGO). Se han utilizado dos alimentaciones distintas, una mezcla de PMMA y VGO y otra mezcla de PET y VGO y el mismo catalizador para ambas, PtPd/HY

Produtos da excreção-secreção e proteases da fase leveduriforme do Sporothrix schenckii: detecção imunológica e clivagem de IgG humana

Antigenic preparations from Sporothrix schenckii usually involve materials from mixed cultures of yeast and mycelia presenting cross-reactions with other deep mycoses. We have standardized pure yeast phase with high viability of the cells suitable to obtain specific excretion-secretion products without somatic contaminations. These excretion-secretion products were highly immunogenic and did not produce noticeable cross-reactions in either double immunodiffusion or Western blot. The antigenic preparation consists mainly of proteins with molecular weights between 40 and 70 kDa, some of them with proteolytic activity in mild acidic conditions. We also observed cathepsin-like activity at two days of culture and chymotrypsin-like activity at four days of culture consistent with the change in concentration of different secreted proteins. The proteases were able to cleave different subclasses of human IgG suggesting a sequential production of antigens and molecules that could interact and interfere with the immune response of the host.As preparações antigênicas de Sporothrix schenckii provêm geralmente de cultivos mistos de leveduras e micélios e apresentam reações cruzadas com outras micoses profundas. Foi padronizada a obtenção da fase leveduriforme pura, com alto índice de células viáveis, o que permite, por sua vez, obter produtos específicos da excreção-secreção sem contaminantes somáticos. Estes produtos da excreção-secreção são altamente imunogênicos, e não apresentam reações cruzadas visíveis em dupla difusão e sem Western blot. O preparado antigênico consiste principalmente em proteínas com peso molecular entre 40 e 70 kDa, sendo que algumas apresentam atividade proteolítica em meios levemente ácidos. Foi observada atividade do tipo catepsina em produtos da excreção-secreção obtidos a partir de leveduras de dois dias de cultivo, e atividade do tipo quimiotripsina aos quatro dias de cultivo, consistente com a mudança de concentração de proteínas secretadas. As proteases puderam clivar diferentes subclasses de IgG humanas, o que sugere uma produção seqüencial de antígenos e moléculas que podem interagir com a resposta imune do hospedeiro

A new Pigmy Armadillo from the late Miocene (Chasicoan Stage/Age) of San Juan Province (Argentina)

Zaedyus pichiy Desmarest, 1804, referred as pygmy or dwarf armadillo, is a Euphractinae (Xenarthra Cingulata) widely distributed in central-southern Argentina. The fossil record of this genus is well known since the Early-Middle Pleistocene. Prozaedyus Ameghino, 1891 was recognized remarking the evident morphological resemblance of the dorsal carapace respect to Zaedyus. From a phylogenetic point of view, Prozaedyus has been interpreted as an early diverging Euphractinae, restricted to the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene levels (Deseadan to Friasian SALMAs). We report here a new and particular specimen (MSJ-317) coming from the Late Miocene (Loma de Las Tapias Formation, Chasicoan Stage/Age) of the Province of San Juan, which represents a new species of Prozaedyus. The specimen includes an almost complete skull with complete dental series, some articulated fragments of the dorsal carapace and several isolated fixed and mobile osteoderms. Dental formula, ornamentation pattern of fixed osteoderms and presence of small foramina in the posterior and lateral margins of osteoderms are some of the characters that allow its inclusion within the genus Prozaedyus. Differences with known species include size (ca. 40% smaller), cranial characters (e.g., position of theinfraorbital foramen, skull bones sutures, morphology of the occipital condyles), and ornamentation pattern of mobile osteoderms. This record extends considerably the biochron of the genus up to Late Miocene. The phylogenetic analysis carried out supportits relationas a sister group of the other Prozaedyus species, and also reveals an ancient divergence of the analyzed lineage that occurs before that of the Late Oligocene-Early middle Miocene forms.Fil: Barasoain Goñi, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; ArgentinaFil: Contreras, Victor Hugo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Geología "Dr. Emiliano Aparicio"; ArgentinaFil: Tomassini, Rodrigo Leandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Zurita, Alfredo Eduardo. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; ArgentinaReunión de Comunicaciones de la Asociación Paleontológica ArgentinaLa PlataArgentinaUniversidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoAsociación Paleontológica ArgentinaFundación Museo de La Plata “Francisco Pascasio Moreno

A new fairy armadillo (Cingulata, Chlamyphoridae) from the late Miocene of Argentine Pampas: first fossil record of the most enigmatic Xenarthra

Recent reassessments of the systematic schemes of Cingulata, mainly based on molecular analyses, point out that its evolutionary history could be more complex than previously believed. An ancient divergence, ca. 45 Ma, was proposed for armadillos, recognizing two large monophyletic groups, Dasypodidae (including Dasypodinae) and Chlamyphoridae (including Euphractinae, Tolypeutinae, and Chlamyphorinae). Extant species included within Chlamyphorinae (fairy armadillos), Chlamyphorus truncatus Harlan, 1825, and Calyptophractus retusus Burmeister, 1863, are among the most bizarre, elusive and unknown mammals of the world, probably due to their strict fossorial behavior. Molecular data suggested the divergence of both species at ca. 17 Ma, coinciding with a marine ingression that could have stimulated cladogenesis. Here we report the first accurate fossil record of this enigmatic subfamily, coming from the Late Miocene (Arroyo Chasicó Formation; ~9 Ma) of the Argentine Pampas (southern Buenos Aires province), which represents a new genus and species. Materials (MMH-CH-87-7-100) include fixed and mobile osteoderms of the dorsal carapace, part of the rump plate, left hemimandible with complete dental series and other postcranial remains. The presence of a rump plate, ornamentation pattern and dental features allow including the fossil specimen within Chlamyphorinae. The size (~40% bigger than the extant species), larger thickness of the osteoderms and morphology of the rump plate, point towards a new taxon. The phylogenetic analysis carried out reflects the monophyly of the three known chlamyphorines, well supported by several unambiguous synapomorphies, and, in addition, includes the new fossil taxon as a sister group of the two extant species.Fil: Barasoain Goñi, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Biología. Cátedra de Paleontología; ArgentinaFil: Tomassini, Rodrigo Leandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Zurita, Alfredo Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Biología. Cátedra de Paleontología; ArgentinaFil: Montalvo, Claudia Inés. Universidad Nacional de la Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Superina, Mariella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; Argentina33as Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de VertebradosCórdobaArgentinaUniversidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Museo de PaleontologíaAgencia Córdoba Cultura. Museo de Ciencias Naturales Dr. Arturo Umberto IlliaConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierr

Molecular analysis of the virulence attenuation process in Junín virus vaccine genealogy

The Junín virus strain Candid#1 was developed as a live attenuated vaccine for Argentine hemorrhagic fever. In this article, we report sequence information of the L and S RNAs of Junín virus Candid#1 and XJ#44 strains, and show the comparisons with the XJ13 wild-type strain and with other Junín virus strains, like Romero, IV4454 and MC2 strains, and other closely and distantly related arenaviruses. Comparisons of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of all genes of three strains from the same vaccine genealogy, revealed different point mutations that could be associated with the attenuated phenotype. A 91% of the mutations found are consistent with a hypothesis of progressive attenuation of virulence from XJ13 to XJ#44 and to Candid#1; 39% of mutations were observed in XJ#44 and conserved in Candid#1, while another 52% of the mutations appeared only in Candid#1 strain. The remaining 9% corresponded to reverse mutations in the L gene. In summary, the present work shows a set of mutations that could be related to the virulence attenuation phenomenon. This information will serve as a starting point to study this biological phenomenon, provided that a reverse genetics system for Junín virus is developed to allow the generation of infectious virions with specific mutations.Fil: Goñi, Sandra Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; ArgentinaFil: Iserte, Javier Alonso. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; ArgentinaFil: Stephan, Betina Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; ArgentinaFil: Borio, Cristina Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; ArgentinaFil: Ghiringhelli, Pablo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área Virus de Insectos; ArgentinaFil: Lozano, Mario Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular y Celular. Área de Virosis Emergentes y Zoonótica; Argentin

14C and 13C characteristics of higher plant biomarkers in Washington margin surface sediments

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2012. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 105 (2013): 14-30, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2012.11.034.Plant wax lipids and lignin phenols are the two most common classes of molecular markers that are used to trace vascular plant-derived OM in the marine environment. However, their 13C and 14C compositions have not been directly compared, which can be used to constrain the flux and attenuation of terrestrial carbon in marine environment. In this study, we describe a revised method of isolating individual lignin phenols from complex sedimentary matrices for 14C analysis using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and compare this approach to a method utilizing preparative capillary gas chromatography (PCGC). We then examine in detail the 13C and 14C compositions of plant wax lipids and lignin phenols in sediments from the inner and mid shelf of the Washington margin that are influenced by discharge of the Columbia River. Plant wax lipids (including n-alkanes, n-alkanoic (fatty) acids, n-alkanols, and n-aldehydes) displayed significant variability in both δ13C (-28.3 to -37.5 ‰) and ∆14C values (-204 to +2 ‰), suggesting varied inputs and/or continental storage and transport histories. In contrast, lignin phenols exhibited similar δ13C values (between -30 to -34 ‰) and a relatively narrow range of ∆14C values (-45 to -150 ‰; HPLC-based mesurement) that were similar to, or younger than, bulk OM (-195 to -137 ‰). Moreover, lignin phenol 14C age correlated with the degradation characteristics of this terrestrial biopolymer in that vanillyl phenols were on average ~500 years older than syringyl and cinnamyl phenols that degrade faster in soils and sediments. The isotopic characteristics, abundance, and distribution of lignin phenols in sediments suggest that they serve as promising tracers of recently biosynthesized terrestrial OM during supply to, and dispersal within the marine environment. Lignin phenol 14C measurements may also provide useful constraints on the vascular plant end member in isotopic mixing models for carbon source apportionment, and for interpretation of sedimentary records of past vegetation dynamics. Key words: 14C and 13C composition, radiocarbon age, plant wax lipids, lignin phenols, Washington margin, marine carbon cycling, terrestrial organic matterGrants OCE-9907129, OCE-0137005, and OCE-0526268 (to TIE) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported this research