Amplification profiles of the SSR markers in cultivars of hexaploid wheat and their relatives

Dissertação de Mestrado em Psicologia das Organizações e do Trabalho, apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de CoimbraEsta investigação insere-se na linha de investigação ligada à abordagem dos stakeholders e teve como principal objectivo estudar as relações existentes entre os padrões discursivos adoptados pela gestão (o discurso financeiro e económico, o discurso da responsabilidade social da empresa e o discurso dos stakeholders) e a saliência atribuída aos quatro tipos de stakeholders considerados neste estudo (sócios/accionistas, clientes, colaboradores e comunidade). Procurámos, ainda, analisar se determinadas características organizacionais e dos gestores influenciavam os seus discursos, e investigámos a possibilidade de haver um efeito moderador do Ciclo de Vida das Organizações (CVO) na relação entre os discursos adoptados pelos gestores e a saliência atribuída aos diferentes stakeholders organizacionais. Neste sentido, foi utilizada uma amostra de 111 gestores, provenientes de 50 empresas de várias dimensões e sectores, maioritariamente da zona centro do país, que responderam a três questionários: Questionário da Gestão de Stakeholders (GS) de Carvalho (2007); Questionário das Preocupações e Prioridades da Gestão de Carvalho (2007); e, Questionário do Ciclo de Vida Organizacional (CVO) de Carvalho (2001). Os resultados encontrados sugerem que, apesar de se verificarem algumas relações significativas entre estas três variáveis em estudo, não se verificou, tal como previsto, que a variável CVO moderasse a relação entre os discursos dos gestores e a saliência dos stakeholders. As implicações teóricas e práticas destes resultados serão alvo de análise e de discussão.This research falls in the line of research related to the stakeholder approach and had a main objective to study the relationship between the predominant speech patterns adopted by management (the financial and economic discourse, the discourse of corporate social responsibility and the discourse of stakeholders) and the salience attributed to four types of stakeholders considered in this study (partners / shareholders, clients, employees and community). We also tried to test whether certain organizational and managerial characteristics influenced their speeches, and investigated the possibility of a moderating effect of the CVO in the relationship between the organizational discourses adopted by managers and the salience attributed to the different stakeholders. In this sense, we used a sample of 111 managers, from 50 companies of various sizes and sectors, mostly in the center of the country who responded to three questionnaires: Questionnaire Stakeholder Management (GS) (Carvalho, 2007); Questionnaire Concerns and Priorities of Management (Carvalho, 2007); and Questionnaire Organizational Life Cycle (CVO) (Carvalho, 2001). The results suggest that, despite showing some significant relationships between these three variables studied, the variable CVO did not moderate the relationship between discourses of managers and stakeholders’ salience, as expected. The theoretical and practical implications of these results will be subject to analysis and discussion

DArTseq-based analysis of genomic relationships among species of tribe Triticeae

Precise utilization of wild genetic resources to improve the resistance of their cultivated relatives to environmental growth limiting factors, such as salinity stress and diseases, requires a clear understanding of their genomic relationships. Although seriously criticized, analyzing these relationships in tribe Triticeae has largely been based on meiotic chromosome pairing in hybrids of wide crosses, a specialized and labourious strategy. In this study, DArTseq, an efficient genotyping-by-sequencing platform, was applied to analyze the genomes of 34 Triticeae species. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships among diploid and polyploid Aegilops and Triticum species, including hexaploid wheat. Tentatively, we have identified the diploid genomes that are likely to have been involved in the evolution of five polyploid species of Aegilops, which have remained unresolved for decades. Explanations which cast light on the progenitor of the A genomes and the complex genomic status of the B/G genomes of polyploid Triticum species in the Emmer and Timopheevi lineages of wheat have also been provided. This study has, therefore, demonstrated that DArTseq genotyping can be effectively applied to analyze the genomes of plants, especially where their genome sequence information are not available

PCR-based Landmark Unique Gene (PLUG) markers are a useful tool for comparative genomic analysis and BAC clone screening in wheat

Dissertação de mestrado em Psicologia Clínica e Saúde (Psicopatologia e Psicoterapia Dinâmica), apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade de CoimbraOs pacientes infetados pelo VIH têm sido objeto de interesse por parte dos profissionais de saúde mental pela dimensão do impacto psicológico do diagnóstico, evolução da infeção e a vulnerabilidade destes sujeitos. Seja como for, em traço de evolução da terapêutica, a infeção pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana (VIH) é, atualmente, uma doença tendencialmente crónica. Entre as perturbações mentais, a depressão é descrita como uma das comorbidades mais frequentes nos indivíduos com VIH e que muitas vezes passa despercebida. Acompanha-se de elevada morbilidade e apresenta um impacto sócio-económico, sendo uma das causas mais frequentes de suicídio. Para além da incapacidade que se vai instalando progressivamente, os indivíduos são confrontados com o estigma social, carência de apoio social e isolamento. Neste sentido, este estudo foi realizado com o intuito de chamar a atenção para a necessidade de intervenção psicoterapêutica com esta população, através da exploração dos sintomas psicopatológicos mais prevalentes (com especial destaque para a depressão e para a ideação suicida), tendo em consideração a progressão da doença e a as caraterísticas socio-demográficas.Patients infected with HIV have been the object of interest on the part of mental health professionals due to the dimension of the psychological impact of the diagnosis, the course of infection and the vulnerability of these subjects. Anyway, in trait evolution of therapy, infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is currently a chronic disease. Among mental disorders, depression is described as one of the most frequent comorbidities in individuals infected with HIV and which often goes unnoticed. It is accompanied by high morbidity and presents a socialeconomic impact, being one of the most frequent causes of suicide. Beyond the progressively established disability, individuals face social stigma, lack of social support and isolation. Thus, this study was conducted in order to draw attention to the need for psychotherapeutic intervention among this population, through the exploitation of the most prevalent psychopathological symptoms (with special emphasis on depression and suicidal ideation), taking into account the progression of this disease and the social-demographic characteristics

Comparative mapping and targeted-capture sequencing of the gametocidal loci in Aegilops sharonensis

Gametocidal (Gc) chromosomes or elements in species such as Aegilops sharonensis are preferentially transmitted to the next generation through both the male and female gametes when introduced into wheat. Furthermore, any genes, e.g. genes that control agronomically important traits, showing complete linkage with gametocidal elements, are also transmitted preferentially to the next generation without the need for selection. The mechanism for the preferential transmission of the gametocidal elements appears to occur by the induction of extensive chromosome damage in any gametes that lack the gametocidal chromosome in question. Previous studies on the mechanism of the gametocidal action in Ae. sharonensis indicates that at least two-linked elements are involved. The first, the ‘breaker’ element, induces chromosome breakage in gametes, which have lost the gametocidal elements while the second, the ‘inhibitor’ element, prevents the chromosome breakage action of the ‘breaker’ element in gametes, which carry the Gc elements. In this study, we have used comparative genomic studies to map 54 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in an Ae. sharonensis 4SshL introgression segment in wheat and have also identified 18 candidate genes in Ae. sharonensis for the ‘breaker’ element through targeted sequencing of this 4SshL introgression segment. This valuable genomic resource will aide in further mapping the Gc locus that could be exploited in wheat breeding to produce new, superior varieties of wheat

Wheat-barley hybridization – the last forty years

Abstract Several useful alien gene transfers have been reported from related species into wheat (Triticum aestivum), but very few publications have dealt with the development of wheat/barley (Hordeum vulgare) introgression lines. An overview is given here of wheat 9 barley hybridization over the last forty years, including the development of wheat 9 barley hybrids, and of addition and translocation lines with various barley cultivars. A short summary is also given of the wheat 9 barley hybrids produced with other Hordeum species. The meiotic pairing behaviour of wheat 9 barley hybrids is presented, with special regard to the detection of wheat– barley homoeologous pairing using the molecular cytogenetic technique GISH. The effect of in vitro multiplication on the genome composition of intergeneric hybrids is discussed, and the production and characterization of the latest wheat/barley translocation lines are presented. An overview of the agronomical traits (b-glucan content, earliness, salt tolerance, sprouting resistance, etc.) of the newly developed introgression lines is given. The exploitation and possible use of wheat/barley introgression lines for the most up-to-date molecular genetic studies (transcriptome analysis, sequencing of flow-sorted chromosomes) are also discussed

454 sequencing of pooled BAC clones on chromosome 3H of barley

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genome sequencing of barley has been delayed due to its large genome size (ca. 5,000Mbp). Among the fast sequencing systems, 454 liquid phase pyrosequencing provides the longest reads and is the most promising method for BAC clones. Here we report the results of pooled sequencing of BAC clones selected with ESTs genetically mapped to chromosome 3H.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We sequenced pooled barley BAC clones using a 454 parallel genome sequencer. A PCR screening system based on primer sets derived from genetically mapped ESTs on chromosome 3H was used for clone selection in a BAC library developed from cultivar "Haruna Nijo". The DNA samples of 10 or 20 BAC clones were pooled and used for shotgun library development. The homology between contig sequences generated in each pooled library and mapped EST sequences was studied. The number of contigs assigned on chromosome 3H was 372. Their lengths ranged from 1,230 bp to 58,322 bp with an average 14,891 bp. Of these contigs, 240 showed homology and colinearity with the genome sequence of rice chromosome 1. A contig annotation browser supplemented with query search by unique sequence or genetic map position was developed. The identified contigs can be annotated with barley cDNAs and reference sequences on the browser. Homology analysis of these contigs with rice genes indicated that 1,239 rice genes can be assigned to barley contigs by the simple comparison of sequence lengths in both species. Of these genes, 492 are assigned to rice chromosome 1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We demonstrate the efficiency of sequencing gene rich regions from barley chromosome 3H, with special reference to syntenic relationships with rice chromosome 1.</p