Genetic divergence of rubber tree estimated by multivariate techniques and microsatellite markers

Genetic diversity of 60 Hevea genotypes, consisting of Asiatic, Amazonian, African and IAC clones, and pertaining to the genetic breeding program of the Agronomic Institute (IAC), Brazil, was estimated. Analyses were based on phenotypic multivariate parameters and microsatellites. Five agronomic descriptors were employed in multivariate procedures, such as Standard Euclidian Distance, Tocher clustering and principal component analysis. Genetic variability among the genotypes was estimated with 68 selected polymorphic SSRs, by way of Modified Rogers Genetic Distance and UPGMA clustering. Structure software in a Bayesian approach was used in discriminating among groups. Genetic diversity was estimated through Nei's statistics. The genotypes were clustered into 12 groups according to the Tocher method, while the molecular analysis identified six groups. In the phenotypic and microsatellite analyses, the Amazonian and IAC genotypes were distributed in several groups, whereas the Asiatic were in only a few. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.05 to 0.96. Both high total diversity (HT' = 0.58) and high gene differentiation (G st' = 0.61) were observed, and indicated high genetic variation among the 60 genotypes, which may be useful for breeding programs. The analyzed agronomic parameters and SSRs markers were effective in assessing genetic diversity among Hevea genotypes, besides proving to be useful for characterizing genetic variability

Genetic diversity in cultivated carioca common beans based on molecular marker analysis

A wide array of molecular markers has been used to investigate the genetic diversity among common bean species. However, the best combination of markers for studying such diversity among common bean cultivars has yet to be determined. Few reports have examined the genetic diversity of the carioca bean, commercially one of the most important common beans in Brazil. In this study, we examined the usefulness of two molecular marker systems (simple sequence repeats – SSRs and amplified fragment length polymorphisms – AFLPs) for assessing the genetic diversity of carioca beans. The amount of information provided by Roger’s modified genetic distance was used to analyze SSR data and Jaccards similarity coefficient was used for AFLP data. Seventy SSRs were polymorphic and 20 AFLP primer combinations produced 635 polymorphic bands. Molecular analysis showed that carioca genotypes were quite diverse. AFLPs revealed greater genetic differentiation and variation within the carioca genotypes (Gst = 98% and Fst = 0.83, respectively) than SSRs and provided better resolution for clustering the carioca genotypes. SSRs and AFLPs were both suitable for assessing the genetic diversity of Brazilian carioca genotypes since the number of markers used in each system provided a low coefficient of variation. However, fingerprint profiles were generated faster with AFLPs, making them a better choice for assessing genetic diversity in the carioca germplasm

EVALUATION OF THE 1982 ARA LUPUS CRITERIA DATA SET IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS

Objective: Although commonly used, the 1982 revised criteria for the classification of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) have not been completely evaluated in pediatric patients. This study was aimed at evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of the 1982 revised criteria when applied to pediatric patients. Methods: One hundred and three children with SLE and 101 children with other rheumatic diseases were selected from 5 rheumatology centers in Brazil. Diagnosis of SLE by the 1982 criteria were compared with our clinical diagnosis. The diagnosis of other diseases was made according to internationally accepted classification criteria or, when these were not available, according to the physician's own experienced judgement. Results: The median number of criteria fulfilled by the patients with SLE and the controls were 6 and 1, respectively. The most common criteria observed in children with SLE were: abnormal antinuclear antibody titers (94%), arthritis (83%), immunologic disorder (83%), hematologic disorder (70%), malar rash (67%), and photosensitivity (58%). When the immunologic disorder was broken down into its constituent elements, antibodies to dsDNA and Sm were observed in 73.0% (65/89) and 31.4% (15/48), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity observed were 96% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: The 1982 classification criteria can be successfully applied to children with SLE. These criteria may serve as a basis for multi-center collaborative studies on children with SLE.FAC MED SANTA CASA SAO PAULO,SAO PAULO,SP,BRAZILUNIV FED RIO DE JANEIRO,FAC MED,RIO JANEIRO,BRAZILHOSP SERVIDOR PUBL ESTADUAL RIO DE JANEIRO,RIO JANEIRO,BRAZILUNIV CAMPINAS,FAC MED,CAMPINAS,SP,BRAZILWeb of Scienc