Sustainable use of mangroves as sources of valuable medicinal compounds: Species identification, propagation and secondary metabolite composition

Mangroves are able to withstand a number of stress factors, such as high salt concentrations, tidal flooding, strong wind, solar radiation and heat. Their ability to grow under these circumstances is based on morphological and physiological adaptations, among them the high abundance of plant secondary metabolites. We are interested to investigate and exploit their medicinal and biotechnological potential for new bioactive compounds, without collecting material in the countries of origin and in a sustainable way. Therefore, a simple identification system based on molecular marker analysis, and a sustainable greenhouse propagation protocol for the continuous supply of fresh plant material, were established. DNA barcoding of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) including ITS1, the 5.8S rRNA region and ITS2 as a molecular marker was applied for several mangrove species. The obtained data and GenBank sequences were used for species identification. Three mangrove species are cultivated in our greenhouse and propagated in different ways: Avicennia species produced many propagules in the greenhouse, however, further propagation by cuttings was not successful. Laguncularia racemosa was propagated by cuttings in a fog house whereas Bruguiera cylindrica was difficult to cultivate and propagation was not successful. Finally, the concentration of secondary phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, and the content of major elements were compared among naturally and greenhouse-grown mangroves indicating comparable amounts and composition

Lichtgesteuerte Konstruktion und Zerstörung: Schaltung zwischen zwei unterschiedlich zusammengesetzten käfigartigen Komplexen

Wir berichten über zwei regioisomere Diazocinliganden1 und 2, die beide mit violettem und grünem Lichtzwischenden E- undZ Konfigurationen geschaltet werden können. Die Selbstorganisationder vier Spezies(1-Z,1-E,2-Z,2-E) mit CoII-Ionen wurde nach Änderung der Koordinationsvektoren in Abhängigkeit von der Ligandenkonfiguration (Evs.Z) und dem Regioisomer (1vs.2) untersucht. Mit1-Zbildetsich Co2(1-Z)3, während mit 2-Z ein undefiniertes Gemisch verschiedener Spezies(Oligomere) beobachtet wurde. Bei Belichtung der E-Konfigurationen mit 385 nm wurde die gegenteilige Situation beobachtet, wobei 1-E Oligomere und 2-Eden KomplexCo2(2-E) 3 bildete.Der lichtgesteuerte Abbau/Aufbau wurdein einem Ligandenverdrängungsexperiment mit substöchiometrischen Mengen von CoII-Ionen demonstriert. Die abwechselnde Bestrahlung mit violettem undg rünem Licht führte zu einer reversiblen Umwandlung zwischenCo2(1-Z) 3 und Co2(2-E) 3 übermehrere Zyklen hinweg ohne signifikante Ermüdung

Comparison of ecosystem processes in a woodland and prairie pond with different hydroperiods

Shallow lakes and ponds constitute a significant number of water bodies worldwide. Many are heterotrophic, indicating that they are likely net contributors to global carbon cycling. Climate change is likely to have important impacts on these waterbodies. In this study, we examined two small Minnesota ponds; a permanent woodland pond and a temporary prairie pond. The woodland pond had lower levels of phosphorus and phytoplankton than the prairie pond. Using the open water oxygen method, we found the prairie pond typically had a higher level of gross primary production (GPP) and respiration (R) than the woodland pond, although the differences between the ponds varied with season. Despite the differences in GPP and R between the ponds the net ecosystem production was similar with both being heterotrophic. Since abundant small ponds may play an important role in carbon cycling and are likely to undergo changes in temperature and hydroperiod associated with climate change, understanding pond metabolism is critical in predicting impacts and designing management schemes to mitigate changes

Characterization of diversity and genetic structure in natural populations of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville by means of allozyme markers

Recebido para publicação em 21/08/2012 Aceito para publicação em 08/10/2013 RESUMO: O S. adstringens, árvore típica do Cerrado, tem sido explorada visando suas propriedades medicinais e tanantes. Em razão do ainda incipiente conhecimento genético da espécie, este trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar a diversidade e a estrutura genética de S. adstringens por meio de marcadores aloenzimáticos. Foram coletadas sementes em cinco mesorregiões brasileiras, sendo amostrados 627 indivíduos divididos em 16 populações localizadas nos Estados de Minas Gerais e Goiás. Foram testados 14 sistemas isoenzimáticos; destes, sete foram polimórficos com o total de 10 locos e 28 alelos. O valor de diversidade genética média (H) foi 0,226, a proporção média de locos polimórficos (P) foi 68,75, o número médio de alelos por loco polimórfico (AP) foi 2,65 e o número efetivo de alelos (A e ) foi igual a 1,29. Resultados do índice de fixação total (F= 0,003), do índice de fixação dentro de populações (f = -0,114) e, da medida de diferenciação genética (θ =0,105) foram não significativos, indicando a inexistência de estruturação genética. Na análise de agrupamento (UPGMA) foram observados dois grupos principais, o primeiro formado pela população do Parque Estadual (PE) do Rio Preto (MG), e outro, formado pelas demais populações. Se excluída a população do PE do Rio Preto das análises, G ST é drasticamente reduzido de 0,077 para 0,026. Assim, aproximadamente 2/3 do valor total de G ST verificado em S. adstringens foi devido à variação entre a população do PE do Rio Preto e as demais populações. De modo geral, os valores H e P observados em S. adstringens são compatíveis aos constatados em árvores tropicais comumente distribuídas. Por outro lado, excluindo a população do PE do Rio Preto, o valor da medida de diferenciação genética G ST foi menor que o verificado em árvores tropicais nativas e pinheiros de zonas temperadas. A semelhança entre populações avaliadas indica que o fluxo gênico ainda é alto o suficiente para prevenir a diferenciação genética, pelo menos em nível local. Palavras-chave: locos aloenzimáticos, diversidade genética, barbatimão, plantas medicinais. ABSTRACT: Characterization of the diversity and genetic structure in natural populations of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville by means of allozyme markers. The S. adstringens, a typical Cerrado (Brazilian savannah) tree, is used because of its medicinal and tanning properties. Because of the still incipient genetic knowledge of the species, the objective of this work was to characterize the diversity and genetic structure of S. adstringens by using allozyme markers. Seeds were collected in five Brazilian mesoregions, in which 627 individuals in 16 populations in the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás were sampled. Fourteen isoenzyme systems were assessed, out of which seven were polymorphic with a total of 10 loci and 28 alleles. Average genetic diversity (H) was 0.226, average proportion of polymorphic loci (P) was 68.75, average number of alleles per polymorphic locus (AP) was 2.65 and effective number of alleles (A e ) was equal to 1.29. The results of total fixation index (F= 0.003), within population fixation index (f =-0.114) and genetic differentiation measure (θ =0.105) were not significant, which shows the inexistence of genetic structure. Two principal groups were found in the cluster analysis (UPGMA), where the first one was formed by the population of State Park (PE) of Rio Preto (MG) and the other, by the other populations. If the population of PE of 12_102 217 Rev

Soybean Breeding Aiming at increasing Productivity and Root-Knot Nematode Resistance

In Brazil, the root-knot nematode (Pratylenchus brachyurus) has gained importance, whatever because of the damage caused to soybean crops or because of its broad dispersion and incidences in producing areas. Therefore, this invention aimed at developing a new cultivar resistant to the major soybean diseases as well as to the root-knot nematode. As a result, we developed a soybean cultivar designated UFUS 8301. Generations were advanced by the single seed descent method. Value for Cultivation and Use assays were carried out during a 3-year period (2010/13). Distinctness, uniformity, and stability experiments were carried out during a 2-year period (2011/13). We used the reproduction factor (RF) statistics to assess damage and reproductive potentials of P. Brachyurus; analysis of variance tested differences between means. We accepted the null hypothesis there was no difference between UFUS 8301 and the parameter of resistance Crotalaria spectabilis. UFUS 8301 was found distinct from any other cultivar, homogeneous to the descriptors that had identified it and stable through generations. UFUS 8301 presented 19% oil and 39% protein on the seeds, and yield (3687.5 kg ha-1) above Brazilian national average

Induction of Plasmodium falciparum-Specific CD4+ T Cells and Memory B Cells in Gabonese Children Vaccinated with RTS,S/AS01E and RTS,S/AS02D

The recombinant circumsporozoite protein (CS) based vaccine, RTS,S, confers protection against Plasmodium falciparum infection in controlled challenge trials and in field studies. The RTS,S recombinant antigen has been formulated with two adjuvant systems, AS01 and AS02, which have both been shown to induce strong specific antibody responses and CD4 T cell responses in adults. As infants and young children are particularly susceptible to malaria infection and constitute the main target population for a malaria vaccine, we have evaluated the induction of adaptive immune responses in young children living in malaria endemic regions following vaccination with RTS,S/AS01(E) and RTS,S/AS02(D). Our data show that a CS-specific memory B cell response is induced one month after the second and third vaccine dose and that CS-specific antibodies and memory B cells persist up to 12 months after the last vaccine injection. Both formulations also induced low but significant amounts of CS-specific IL-2(+) CD4(+) T cells one month after the second and third vaccine dose, upon short-term in vitro stimulation of whole blood cells with peptides covering the entire CS derived sequence in RTS,S. These results provide evidence that both RTS,S/AS01(E) and RTS,S/AS02(D) induced adaptive immune responses including antibodies, circulating memory B cells and CD4(+) T cells directed against P. falciparum CS protein.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00307021