Diversidade metagen?mica e potencial biotecnol?gico de cavernas de canga do Quadril?tero Ferr?fero.

Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Biotecnologia. N?cleo de Pesquisas em Ci?ncias Biol?gicas, Pr?-Reitoria de Pesquisa de P?s Gradua??o, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto.O Quadril?tero Ferr?fero (QF) possui alta concentra??o de min?rios em seu solo, o que tem propiciado um elevado extrativismo que se contrap?e ? sua import?ncia biol?gica. Nesta ?rea, cavernas de cangas apresentam-se como ambientes com caracter?sticas geomorfol?gicas ?nicas. Poucas destas cavernas foram catalogadas e um n?mero ainda mais reduzido foi incorporado em estudos biol?gicos, o que torna esse geossistema ferruginoso um ambiente altamente prop?cio para novas descobertas de cunho microbiol?gico e biotecnol?gico. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a diversidade bacteriana e o potencial biotecnol?gico em cavernas de canga associadas a aflorame ntos ferruginosos por metagen?mica DNAr 16S. Para isso, foram coletadas amostras do piso e do teto de 7 cavernas de canga e 1 caverna de quartzito (controle) na regi?o do QF, em condi??es est?reis. O DNA total foi extra?do e a regi?o V4-V5 da subunidade ribossomal 16S foi sequenciada usando plataforma PGM?. Um total de 6 milh?es de leituras foram identificadas. An?lise de ?-diversidade revelou que as cavernas de canga apresentam maior riqueza em rela??o ? caverna controle. An?lise de ?-diversidade demonstrou que as cavernas de canga e a de quartzito apresentam classifica??es filogen?ticas distantes, ainda mais quando os estratos piso e teto foram avaliados independentemente. Esta diversidade ficou evidenciada em n?vel de g?nero, muitos dos quais j? descritos na literatura como sendo potenciais organismos de interesse biotecnol?gico, por exemplo Actinoallomurus, Cystobacter e outros. Uma an?lise mais aprofundada de tr?s das cavernas selecionadas, todas inseridas na regi?o da Chapada de canga no munic?pio de Mariana, mostrou que apesar de geograficamente estarem muito pr?ximas, apresenta m riqueza e diversidade significativamente diferentes entre si. Estes resultados colocam em destaque pela primeira vez um patrim?nio gen?tico mineiro ainda desconhecido em estudos biol?gicos e evidenciam a necessidade de incorpora??o desta ?rea em programa s de conserva??o, ainda mais por estar sobre iminente press?o pela a??o antr?pica.The Iron Quadrangle (IQ) has a high concentration of ores in its soil, which has led to high extractivism activity that contrasts with its biological importance. In this area, canga caves present themselves as environments with unique geomorphological characterist ics. Few of these caves have been cataloged and an even smaller number have been incorporated into biological studies, which makes this ferruginous geosystem a highly conducive environment for new microbiological and biotechnological discoveries. The objective of this work was to investigate the bacterial diversity and biotechnologica l potential of canga caves associated to ferruginous outcrops by metagenomic 16S rDNA. For this, samples of floor and ceiling of 7 canga caves and 1 quartzite cave (control) were collected in the QF region under sterile conditions. Total DNA was extracted and the V4- V5 region of the 16S ribosomal subunit was sequenced using PGM ? platform. A total of 6 million reads were identified. Analysis of ?-diversity revealed that the caves of canga present greater wealth in relation to the control cave. ?-diversity analysis showed that canga and quartzite caves present distant phylogenetic classifications, especially when the floor and ceiling strata were independently evaluated. This diversity was evidenced at the genus level, many of which have already been described in the literature as potential organisms of biotechnological interest, for example Actinoallomurus, Cystobacter and others. A more in-depth analysis of three of the selected caves, all inserted in the Chapada of Canga region in the municipality of Mariana, showed that although geographically they are very close, they present significantly different richness and diversity among them. These results highlight for the first time a genetic patrimony of Minas Gerais that is still unknown in biological studies and evidences the need to incorporate this area into conservation programs, even more because it is about imminent pressure by anthropic action

Alcaligenes faecalis associated with Mimosa calodendron rizhosphere assist plant survival in arsenic rich soils.

The ferruginous rupestrian grasslands (FRG) in the Iron Quadrangle (IQ) are ecosystems characterized by rocky soils with reduced availability of water and nutrients, but high levels of metals. In order to comprehend the interference of microorganisms on the adaptive process of endemic plant Mimosa calodendrum (Fabaceae), bacteria associated with its roots and rhizosphere were isolated. Fourteen isolates were obtained and subsequently grown in the presence of different concentrations of arsenic (As) species. The isolate Mc250, an Alcaligenes faecalis strain, resisted to 10 mM of As (III) and 800 mM of As (V). In the presence of this strain, atomic spectrometer detected a reduction of 55% for As (III) and 72% for As (V) respectively in 10 mM and 500 mM solution. Scanning electron microscopy of this isolate demonstrated morphological modification and EDX spectroscopy revealed the presence of both As species adsorbed on the membrane, justifying the removal observed in the in vitro assays. To validate this potential removal of As in vivo, tomato plants were used as grown model in the presence and absence of A. faecalis in soil previously contaminated with 5 mM of As (III). After 14 days, plants from contaminated soil had their growth improved when compared to untreated control plants. All these results suggest for the first time that plant-associated bacteria from FRG-IQ present potential for soil rhizoremediation and may benefit the adaptive processes of plants in extreme environments including application in recovering degraded areas

RECEPÇÃO “CALOUROSA”: CONHECIMENTOS, EXPECTATIVAS E OPINIÕES DE INGRESSANTES DO CURSO DE LICENCIATURA EM CIÊNCIAS BIOLÓGICAS

Este estudo objetivou relatar de forma crítica e reflexiva a atividade de recepção dos ingressantes do curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas e avaliar seus conhecimentos, expectativas e opiniões. A recepção foi realizada no primeiro semestre letivo de 2012, por alunos do Programa de Educação Tutorial (PET), envolvendo alunos do curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas do IF Goiano – Câmpus Urutaí e ofereceu atividades diversas de caráter informativo, integrativo e de estímulo à permanência no curso. Após a atividade de recepção foi aplicado um questionário para um feedback e planejamento de ações futuras. A atividade foi avaliada por 46% dos calouros como “excelente” e 46%, como “boa”. Para 71% dos ingressantes, a atividade contribuiu para a interação com outros discentes, 76,9% disseram que foi uma motivação para ingressar no PET. De modo geral, conclui-se que a recepção foi importante para a adaptação dos ingressantes à vida acadêmica e para minimizar as possíveis dificuldades encontradas pelos calouros

RECEPÇÃO “CALOUROSA”: CONHECIMENTOS, EXPECTATIVAS E OPINIÕES DE INGRESSANTES DO CURSO DE LICENCIATURA EM CIÊNCIAS BIOLÓGICAS

Este estudo objetivou relatar de forma crítica e reflexiva a atividade de recepção dos ingressantes do curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas e avaliar seus conhecimentos, expectativas e opiniões. A recepção foi realizada no primeiro semestre letivo de 2012, por alunos do Programa de Educação Tutorial (PET), envolvendo alunos do curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas do IF Goiano – Câmpus Urutaí e ofereceu atividades diversas de caráter informativo, integrativo e de estímulo à permanência no curso. Após a atividade de recepção foi aplicado um questionário para um feedback e planejamento de ações futuras. A atividade foi avaliada por 46% dos calouros como “excelente” e 46%, como “boa”. Para 71% dos ingressantes, a atividade contribuiu para a interação com outros discentes, 76,9% disseram que foi uma motivação para ingressar no PET. De modo geral, conclui-se que a recepção foi importante para a adaptação dos ingressantes à vida acadêmica e para minimizar as possíveis dificuldades encontradas pelos calouros

Data_Sheet_1_Hatchery tanks induce intense reduction in microbiota diversity associated with gills and guts of two endemic species of the São Francisco River.doc

The São Francisco River (SFR), one of the main Brazilian rivers, has suffered cumulative anthropogenic impacts, leading to ever-decreasing fish stocks and environmental, economic, and social consequences. Rhinelepis aspera and Prochilodus argenteus are medium-sized, bottom-feeding, and rheophilic fishes from the SFR that suffer from these actions. Both species are targeted for spawning and restocking operations due to their relevance in artisanal fisheries, commercial activities, and conservation concerns. Using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we characterized the microbiome present in the gills and guts of these species recruited from an impacted SFR region and hatchery tanks (HT). Our results showed that bacterial diversity from the gill and gut at the genera level in both fish species from HT is 87% smaller than in species from the SFR. Furthermore, only 15 and 29% of bacterial genera are shared between gills and guts in R. aspera and P. argenteus from SFR, respectively, showing an intimate relationship between functional differences in organs. In both species from SFR, pathogenic, xenobiont-degrading, and cyanotoxin-producer bacterial genera were found, indicating the critical pollution scenario in which the river finds itself. This study allowed us to conclude that the conditions imposed on fish in the HT act as important modulators of microbial diversity in the analyzed tissues. It also raises questions regarding the effects of these conditions on hatchery spawn fish and their suitability for restocking activities, aggravated by the narrow genetic diversity associated with such freshwater systems.</p

Complete genome sequence and analysis of Alcaligenes faecalis strain Mc250, a new potential plant bioinoculant.

Here we present and analyze the complete genome of Alcaligenes faecalis strain Mc250 (Mc250), a bacterium isolated from the roots of Mimosa calodendron, an endemic plant growing in ferruginous rupestrian grasslands in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The genome has 4,159,911 bp and 3,719 predicted protein-coding genes, in a single chromosome. Comparison of the Mc250 genome with 36 other Alcaligenes faecalis genomes revealed that there is considerable gene content variation among these strains, with the core genome representing only 39% of the protein-coding gene repertoire of Mc250. Mc250 encodes a complete denitrification pathway, a network of pathways associated with phenolic compounds degradation, and genes associated with HCN and siderophores synthesis; we also found a repertoire of genes associated with metal internalization and metabolism, sulfate/sulfonate and cysteine metabolism, oxidative stress and DNA repair. These findings reveal the genomic basis for the adaptation of this bacterium to the harsh environmental conditions from where it was isolated. Gene clusters associated with ectoine, terpene, resorcinol, and emulsan biosynthesis that can confer some competitive advantage were also found. Experimental results showed that Mc250 was able to reduce (~60%) the virulence phenotype of the plant pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri when co-inoculated in Citrus sinensis, and was able to eradicate 98% of juveniles and stabilize the hatching rate of eggs to 4% in two species of agricultural nematodes. These results reveal biotechnological potential for the Mc250 strain and warrant its further investigation as a biocontrol and plant growth-promoting bacterium