Biometric traits as a tool for the identification and breeding of coffea canephora genotypes

grants n. 84320893 grants n. 420789/2016-2 n. 304687/2017-0 E-26/202.323/2017 UID/04129/2020 UIDP/04035/2020Cross-pollination and gametophytic self-incompatibility reduce the stability of Coffea canephora genotypes. This is an important crop for Brazil, the largest producer of this type of coffee and also a major exporter. The study of biometric characteristics is essential to assist in the selection of promising plant materials. We examined the diversity of morpho-agronomic traits of genotypes of C. canephora cv. Conilon through the evaluation of branch and leaf parameters. Assessments included plagiotropic branch length, number of nodes in plagiotropic branches, distance between nodes in plagiotropic branches, orthotropic branch length, number of nodes in orthotropic branch, distance between nodes in orthotropic branch, plant height, canopy diameter, leaf length, leaf width, and leaf area in two periods. The data from the 43 coffee genotypes were tested by multivariate and cluster analyses. Six groups were formed by the Tocher optimization method, and five groups by the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) hierarchical method, suggesting an important genetic variability among plant materials. Both Tocher optimization and UPGMA hierarchical methods were consistent for clustering the genotypes, ordering them in six and five dissimilar groups, respectively, with genotypes 25 and 37 standing out with the greatest dissimilarity, constituting isolated groups by both methods. Pearson’s correlation ranged from very weak to very strong, positive and negative, among the characteristics, as also shown by principal component analyses. These analyses indicated the morpho-agronomic traits with a greater degree of correlation, assisting in the choice of promising plant materials. The genetic parameters estimates demonstrate genetic variability and thus breeding potential within the Conilon coffee genotypes studied. These results emphasize the usefulness of biometric evaluations as a tool for the identification and breeding of genotypes to compose new Conilon coffee cultivars.publishersversionpublishe

Validation of commercial Mas receptor antibodies for utilization in Western Blotting, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry studies

Mas receptor (MasR) is a G protein-coupled receptor proposed as a candidate for mediating the angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme 2-Ang (1-7) protective axis of renin-angiotensin system. Because the role of this receptor is not definitively clarified, determination of MasR tissue distribution and expression levels constitutes a critical knowledge to fully understanding its function. Commercially available antibodies have been widely employed for MasR protein localization and quantification, but they have not been adequately validated. In this study, we carried on an exhaustive evaluation of four commercial MasR antibodies, following previously established criteria. Western Blotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry studies starting from hearts and kidneys from wild type (WT) mice revealed that antibodies raised against different MasR domains yielded different patterns of reactivity. Furthermore, staining patterns appeared identical in samples from MasR knockout (MasR-KO) mice. We verified by polymerase chain reaction analysis that the MasR-KO mice used were truly deficient in this receptor as MAS transcripts were undetectable in either heart or kidney from this animal model. In addition, we evaluated the ability of the antibodies to detect the human c-myc-tagged MasR overexpressed in human embryonic kidney cells. Three antibodies were capable of detecting the MasR either by WB or by immunofluorescence, reproducing the patterns obtained with an anti c-myc antibody. In conclusion, although three of the selected antibodies were able to detect MasR protein at high expression levels observed in a transfected cell line, they failed to detect this receptor in mice tissues at physiological expression levels. As a consequence, validated antibodies that can recognize and detect the MasR at physiological levels are still lacking

Major effect qtl on chromosome 3 conferring maize resistance to Sugarcane mosaic virus.

The Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), a maize pathogen epidemic worldwide, is the causal agent of common mosaic, one of the most important viral diseases in Brazil. In this study, we mapped and characterized quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring resistance to SCMV in a maize population consisting of 127 F2:3 families from the cross between two Brazilian maize inbred lines, L18 (resistant) × L19 (susceptible). Field trials were carried out in two years to evaluate the F2:3 families according to a resistance score after artificial inoculation. QTLs were detected via composite interval mapping, using a linkage map based on 82 SSRs, 3 CAPS and 296 SNPs. The heritability ranged from 73.68 to 95.16% and SCMV resistance QTLs were consistently identified on chromosomes 1 and 3, showing minor and major effects, respectively. The major QTL on chromosome 3 explained a large proportion of the genetic variance, being 50 and 70% in year 1 and 2, respectively, while the minor QTL on chromosome 1 explained 11 and 8% in year 1 and 2, respectively. The SNP marker co-localized with the major QTL peak on chromosome 3 and its right flanking marker are positioned inside the predicted gene GRMZM2G122443 encoding a glucosidase II, and the left flanking marker inside the GRMZM2G140537 that encodes a protein tyrosine kinase. Moreover, within this QTL region there are also the GRMZM2G160902 and GRMZM2G122481 predicted genes, encoding a bZIP transcription factor and a cytochrome C oxidase, respectively. The colocalization with this major effect QTL suggests a putative involvement of these candidate genes with maize responses to SCMV resistance, but further functional studies are required for such validation. Our results provide resistance source and genomic target for marker-assisted breeding aiming the development of maize resistant cultivars to SCMV

Identifying A Risk Profile For Thyroid Cancer.

The large use of simple and effective diagnostic tools has significantly contributed to the increase in diagnosis of thyroid cancer over the past years. However, there is compelling evidence that most micropapillary carcinomas have an indolent behavior and may never evolve into clinical cancers. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new tools able to predict which thyroid cancers will remain silent, and which thyroid cancers will present an aggressive behavior. There are a number of well-established clinical predictors of malignancy and recent studies have suggested that some of the patients laboratory data and image methods may be useful. Molecular markers have also been increasingly tested and some of them appear to be very promising, such as BRAF, a few GST genes and p53 polymorphisms. In addition, modern tools, such as immunocytochemical markers, and the measure of the fractal nature of chromatin organization may increase the specificity of the pathological diagnosis of malignancy and help ascertain the prognosis. Guidelines designed to select nodules for further evaluation, as well as new methods aimed at distinguishing carcinomas of higher aggressiveness among the usually indolent thyroid tumors are an utmost necessity.51713-2

Arquitetura do sistema radicular e diversidade genética microbiana de genótipos de milho e sorgo sob diferentes condições de fertilização fosfatada.

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Common Cell Shape Evolution of Two Nasopharyngeal Pathogens

Respiratory infectious diseases are the third cause of worldwide death. The nasopharynx is the portal of entry and the ecological niche of many microorganisms, of which some are pathogenic to humans, such as Neisseria meningitidis and Moraxella catarrhalis. These microbes possess several surface structures that interact with the actors of the innate immune system. In our attempt to understand the past evolution of these bacteria and their adaption to the nasopharynx, we first studied differences in cell wall structure, one of the strongest immune-modulators. We were able to show that a modification of peptidoglycan (PG) composition (increased proportion of pentapeptides) and a cell shape change from rod to cocci had been selected for along the past evolution of N. meningitidis. Using genomic comparison across species, we correlated the emergence of the new cell shape (cocci) with the deletion, from the genome of N. meningitidis ancestor, of only one gene: yacF. Moreover, the reconstruction of this genetic deletion in a bacterium harboring the ancestral version of the locus together with the analysis of the PG structure, suggest that this gene is coordinating the transition from cell elongation to cell division. Accompanying the loss of yacF, the elongation machinery was also lost by several of the descendants leading to the change in the PG structure observed in N. meningitidis. Finally, the same evolution was observed for the ancestor of M. catarrhalis. This suggests a strong selection of these genetic events during the colonization of the nasopharynx. This selection may have been forced by the requirement of evolving permissive interaction with the immune system, the need to reduce the cellular surface exposed to immune attacks without reducing the intracellular storage capacity, or the necessity to better compete for adhesion to target cells