The alternative oxidase family of Vitis vinifera reveals an attractive model to study the importance of genomic design

'Genomic design' refers to the structural organization of gene sequences. Recently, the role of intron sequences for gene regulation is being better understood. Further, introns possess high rates of polymorphism that are considered as the major source for speciation. In molecular breeding, the length of gene-specific introns is recognized as a tool to discriminate genotypes with diverse traits of agronomic interest. 'Economy selection' and 'time-economy selection' have been proposed as models for explaining why highly expressed genes typically contain small introns. However, in contrast to these theories, plant-specific selection reveals that highly expressed genes contain introns that are large. In the presented research, 'wet'Aox gene identification from grapevine is advanced by a bioinformatics approach to study the species-specific organization of Aox gene structures in relation to available expressed sequence tag (EST) data. Two Aox1 and one Aox2 gene sequences have been identified in Vitis vinifera using grapevine cultivars from Portugal and Germany. Searching the complete genome sequence data of two grapevine cultivars confirmed that V. vinifera alternative oxidase (Aox) is encoded by a small multigene family composed of Aox1a, Aox1b and Aox2. An analysis of EST distribution revealed high expression of the VvAox2 gene. A relationship between the atypical long primary transcript of VvAox2 (in comparison to other plant Aox genes) and its expression level is suggested. V. vinifera Aox genes contain four exons interrupted by three introns except for Aox1a which contains an additional intron in the 3'-UTR. The lengths of primary Aox transcripts were estimated for each gene in two V. vinifera varieties: PN40024 and Pinot Noir. In both varieties, Aox1a and Aox1b contained small introns that corresponded to primary transcript lengths ranging from 1501 to 1810 bp. The Aox2 of PN40024 (12 329 bp) was longer than that from Pinot Noir (7279 bp) because of selection against a transposable-element insertion that is 5028 bp in size. An EST database basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) search of GenBank revealed the following ESTs percentages for each gene: Aox1a (26.2%), Aox1b (11.9%) and Aox2 (61.9%). Aox1a was expressed in fruits and roots, Aox1b expression was confined to flowers and Aox2 was ubiquitously expressed. These data for V. vinifera show that atypically long Aox intron lengths are related to high levels of gene expression. Furthermore, it is shown for the first time that two grapevine cultivars can be distinguished by Aox intron length polymorphism

Estimativa da intensidade da infecção por helmintos em bovinos usando equações de regressão

The data used in the experiment were based upon helminth counts found in postmortem examination of 150 calves of mixed breeding, naturally infected with helminth parasites. Using the mean counts of helminths, found in sections of the gastrointestinal tract of calves, regression analyses were made from which equations were determined for estimating the total worm burden for groups of calves. Equations of regression are presented to calculate the intensity of the infection of Haemoncus spp., Trichostrongylus axei, Cooperia spp., Bunostomum phlebotomum, Strongyloides popillosus, Trichuris discolor and Oesophagostomum radiatum.Com base em contagens de helmintos parasitos gastrintestinais obtidos em várias seções do tubo digestivo de 150 bezerros mestiços holandês X zebu, naturalmente parasitados, calcularam-se equações de regressão que, aplicadas aos dados médios de contagens de helmintos de determinadas seções do tubo digestivo, revelam a intensidade da infecção parasitária em lotes de bezerros. A utilização desta rotina de trabalho apresenta a vantagem de simplificar á necropsia e a colheita, separação, contagem e identificação dos helmintos. São apresentadas equações de regressão para cálculo das intensidades de infecção por Haemoncus spp., Trichostrongylus axei, Cooperia spp., Bunostomum phlebotomum, Strongyloides papillosus, Trichuris discolor e Oesophagostomum radiatum

Influence of the number of fertilizer applications on the fruit quality of “pérola” pineapple

Procurou-se estudar a influência do número de aplicações de adubo químico na qualidade do fruto do abacaxi (Ananas comosus (L) Merr.) cultivar Pérola. O trabalho foi instalado em solo Vermelho-Amarelo Podzólico, consistindo dos seguintes tratamentos: A - aplicação total da fórmula NPK (5 g N, 3 g P2O5 e 3 g K2O), por planta, um mês após o plantio; B - metade da fórmula aplicada por planta, no 1° e 9° mês após o plantio; C - um terço da fórmula aplicada por planta no 1.°, 6.°e 9.° mês após o plantio; D - um quarto da fórmula aplicada,por planta no 1.°,6.°, 9.° e 10.° mês após o plantio. Os resultados alcançados indicaram não ter ocorrido significância estatística entre tratamentos para: peso do fruto, diâmetro do fruto, tamanho do fruto, sólidos solúveis totais, número de dias do plantio à floração e peso da coroa. Entretanto, verificou-se significância estatística para número de dias, do plantio à colheita, tamanho da coroa, e percentagem de suco no fruto, com os tratamentos A, B e C, em primeiro lugar, tendo sempre o tratamento A a melhor média. Os tratamentos D e C foram os que induziram maior precocidade para a formação completa do fruto; além disso, o tratamento C foi o que proporcionou a medula do fruto mais delgada.The work was carried out with "Pérola" (Ananas comosus L. Merr.) pineapple in a Red-Yellow Podzolic soil, studying the number of fertilizer applications. It showed some influence on the fruit quality. There were statistically significant differences among the fertilizer applications in relation to pith diameter of fruit, crown weight and percentage of juice. One application one month after planting time had the same effect of two or three split applications

Supplementation with nutraceuticals produces changes in working horse’s blood parameters but not in their body composition

Background:  :  :  : There is little scientific data about the effects of continuous supplementation with nutraceuticals over horse’s health and performance. Horse owners and veterinarians are still using supplements for horses without any kind of evaluations. At the Brazilian market is possible to buy hundreds of different products, but there is not private or state regulation over production and quality of these products. The absence of information about quality and efficacy of these products may contribute to mistakes in horse’s nutrition program. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of supplementation with a combination of nutraceuticals over some blood parameters (red cell count, total plasma proteins, free plasma glutamine and glutamate) and components of body composition in working horses. Materials, Methods & Results: There were 19 gelding horses, divided in two groups: nutraceutical (NUTR; n=10) and placebo (PLAC; n=9). Both groups received equivalent feeding regimens in regard to concentrate and grass, and did similar exercise program. NUTR group received their pellets with nutraceuticals, and PLAC group received a placebo during the morning meal. There is no visual difference between nutraceutical and placebo pellets. Body composition determination and blood collection were taken in three periods: pre-test, after 4 and 12 weeks of supplementation. Body composition was determined after evaluation of horse’s body mass by electronic scale associated with measurement of rump fat by ultrasound. Results showed that there were no significant changes in body composition during 12 weeks of supplementation in both groups, which had percentage of body fat around 13%. However, supplementation with nutraceutical produced significant changes (P7%) and free plasma glutamine (>20%) observed in NUTR group will contribute to horse’s performance since it is positive action on red blood indexes and plasma amino acid concentration, contributing to the well-being of this horse group. Increase in blood glutamine concentration observed in NUTR group without improvement of body composition was not expected because this amino acid is produced mainly by skeletal muscle. Increase in fat-free mass frequently is associated with improvement of blood glutamine concentration. Finally, initial elevation in few parameters in PLAC group at 4 weeks of supplementation probably was associated with improvement of general management practices. In conclusion, Supplementation with a nutraceutical combination, for 12 weeks, produces changes in the concentration of some blood parameters, but it didn’t modify the corporal composition. The elevation of those components can favor the transport of oxygen and nutrients in tissues leading to improvement in the horse performance

Falhas reprodutivas associadas com a presença de do vírus da artrite-encefalite caprina, Toxoplasma gondii e Neospora caninum em caprinos no estado de São Paulo, Brasil

This study aimed at assessing the occurrence of antibodies against the caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV), Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum, as well as the associations between the presence of antibodies and the occurrence of reproductive failures in goats. Serum samples were collected from 923 goats of both sexes, over 3 months of age, from 17 dairy farms located in different municipalities of São Paulo State, Brazil. Infections by T. gondii, N. caninum and CAEV were evaluated by indirect methods of diagnosis based on indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT), Neospora agglutination test (NAT), and agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID), respectively. A survey was conducted on the farms to obtain information about reproduction dates (abortions, stillbirths and births of weak and premature kids) and zoosanitary management. Antibodies against CAEV, T. gondii and N. caninum was found in 37.81%, 23.62% and 17.23% respectively. There was no significant association between the presence of anti-CAEV antibodies and CAEV/T. gondii or CAEV/N. caninum co-infection, suggesting that CAEV does not predispose goats to infection by these agents. However, when CAEV/T. gondii (p<0.01) or CAEV/N. caninum (p<0.001) co-infection was present, the occurrence of reproductive failures was significantly higher what could indicate that CAEV-induced immunosuppression may predispose goats to develop the clinical symptoms of toxoplasmosis and neosporosis increasing the risks of the reproductive failures.O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a ocorrência de anticorpos para o vírus da atrite-encefalite caprina (CAEV), Toxoplasma gondii e Neospora caninum e de possíveis associações entre a presença de anticorpos e a ocorrência de problemas reprodutivos em caprinos. Para tanto, foram colhidas amostras sangüíneas de 923 caprinos de ambos os sexos, acima de três meses de idade e oriundos de 17 propriedades leiteiras, de diferentes municípios do estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Os diagnósticos para T. gondii, N. caninum e CAEV foram baseados, respectivamente, na reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI), teste de aglutinação para Neospora (NAT) e a imunodifusão em gel de ágar (IDGA). Um inquérito epidemiológico foi aplicado nas propriedades para obtenção de informações sobre dados reprodutivos (abortamentos, natimortalidade e nascimentos de filhotes fracos e prematuros) e de manejo zoossanitário. As ocorrências de anticorpos foram de 37,81% para CAEV, de 23,62% para T. gondii e de 17,23% para N. caninum. Não houve associação significativa entre a presença de anticorpos anti-CAEV e co-infecção com T. gondii ou N. caninum, sugerindo que o CAEV não predispõe os caprinos à infecção por estes agentes. Entretanto, quando havia, nas fazendas, animais com co-infecção pelo CAEV e T. gondii (p<0,01) ou CAEV e N. caninum (p<0,001) as ocorrências de falhas reprodutivas foram significativamente maiores, sugerindo que a imunossupressão causada pelo CAEV pode predispor os caprinos ao desenvolvimento de sintomas clínicos da toxoplasmose e neosporose, potencializando os riscos da ocorrência de problemas reprodutivos causados por estas enfermidades

Antimicrobial activity and flow rate of newer and established root canal sealers

Endodontic sealers that possess both optimum flow ability and antimicrobial properties may theoretically assist in the elimination of microorganisms located in confined areas of the root canal system. The antimicrobial effects and the flow rate of the following sealers were investigated and compared: Kerr Pulp Canal Sealer EWT, Grossman's Sealer, ThermaSeal, Sealer 26, AH Plus, and Sealer Plus. The agar diffusion test was used to assess the antimicrobial activity of the sealers. In the flow assay, the sealers were placed between two glass slabs and a weight of 500 g was placed on the top of the glass. The diameters of the formed discs were recorded. All root canal sealers tested showed some antimicrobial activity against most of the microorganisms. There were no significant differences between the materials tested (p > 0.05). All root canal sealers also flowed under the conditions of this study. Statistical analysis of the results revealed that AH Plus and Kerr Pulp Canal Sealer EWT had flow values significantly superior to the other sealers tested (p > 0.05). Taken together, these findings suggest that these sealers have the potential to help in the microbial control in the root canal system

Differential expression and co-regulation of carrot AOX genes (Daucus carota)

Alternative oxidase (AOX) is a mitochondrial protein encoded by the nuclear genome. In higher plants AOX genes form a small multigene family mostly consisting of the two subfamilies AOX1 and AOX2. Daucus carota L. is characterized by a unique extension pattern of AOX genes. Different from other plant species studied so far it contains two genes in both subfamilies. Therefore, carrot was recently highlighted as an important model in AOX stress research to understand the evolutionary importance of both AOX subfamilies. Here we report on the expression patterns of DcAOX1a, DcAOX1b and DcAOX2a and DcAOX2b. Our results demonstrate that all of the four carrot AOX genes are expressed. Differential expression was observed in organs, tissues and during de novo induction of secondary root phloem explants to growth and development. DcAOX1a and DcAOX2a indicated a differential transcript accumulation but a similar co-expression pattern. The genes of each carrot AOX sub-family revealed a differential regulation and responsiveness. DcAOX2a indicated high inducibility in contrast to DcAOX2b, which generally revealed low transcript abundance and rather weak responses. In search for withingene sequence differences between both genes as a potential reason for the differential expression patterns, the structural organization of the two genes was compared. DcAOX2a and DcAOX2b showed high sequence similarity in their open reading frames (ORFs). However, length variability was observed in the N-terminal exon1 region. The predicted cleavage site of the mitochondrial targeting sequence in this locus is untypical small for both genes and consists of 35 amino acids for DcAOX2a and of 21 amino acids for DcAOX2b. The importance of structural gene organization and the relevancy of within-gene sequence variations are discussed. Our results strengthen the value of carrot as a model plant for future studies on the importance of AOX sub family evolution

Posição da muda tipo "Rebentão" no plantio do abacaxi cv. Pérola

In this work the effects of two pineapple (Ananas comosus (L) Merr.) cv. Pérola planting systems were studied, as following: shoots in the vertical (conventional) position of planting and shoots in the inclined planting position. No statistical difference was found for fruit weight, diameter and height of the fruit and crown size. The number of slips produced by plants from the vertical planting system was significantly higher (at the 1 % level) than that from the inclined system.Estudos conduzidos visando avaliar os efeitos da posição de plantio da muda do abacaxi (Ananas comosus (L) Merr.) "Tipo Rebentão" em posição inclinada ou na vertical (convencional), permitiram verificar que não houve diferença estatística significativa para peso, altura e diâmetro do fruto, como também tamanho da coroa. Verificou-se significância para peso da coroa no tratamento com a muda plantada na vertical com a média de 104 g e também para o mesmo tratamento no número de filhotes, com a média de 4,1. Ocorreram queimaduras de sol em 100 % dos frutos do tratamento com a muda inclinada, devido à impossibilidade de tutoramento dos mesmos. Pelos dados obtidos no presente trabalho, verificou-se não haver vantagens em plantar mudas de abacaxi tipo Rebentão em posição inclinada no solo, em comparação com o sistema convencional de plantio

Spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence of lutzomyia sand fly species in an endemic area for cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Atlantic forest region of northeast Brazil

Sand fly populations of different ecological niches in the Amaraji endemic American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL) focus of the Pernambuco Atlantic Forest region of northeastern Brazil were monitored spatiotemporally. Lutzomyia whitmani was dominant in all niches but occurred in smaller numbers in forested locations. L. whitmani was significantly less seasonal than the other species, being present throughout the year while other species were more abundant between February and April. These results suggest that L. whitmani may potentially be the principal vector of ACL in the region, even though the sand fly fauna was diverse: 88% were L.whitmani and 12% belonged to 11 other species. Two other species, L. complexa (1.3%) and L. migonei (0.8%), considered to be ACL vectors in other regions, were also present. This detailed picture of the sand fly population's abundance and spatiotemporal distribution provides a basis for future modeling studies of forecasting sand fly activity patterns and ACL occurence361Sand fly research and controlS71S76CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQ410481/2006-