Caracterização in silico de genes de expansina presentes em cafeeiro (Coffea arabica L.).

As expansinas (EXPs) são proteínas que promovem o relaxamento e extensão da parede celular em plantas, sendo codificadas por uma multifamília gênica e classificadas em: ?-expansinas, ?-expansinas, expansin-like A (EXLA) e expansin-like B (EXLB). Estas proteínas atuam no alongamento celular, maciez dos frutos, abscisão, germinação e polinização. As ?-expansinas representam a maior família e relacionam-se diretamente com o controle da extensão da parede celular em processos de desenvolvimento. Visto que a maturação uniforme dos frutos de café contribui para a qualidade da bebida, este trabalho teve por objetivo identificar e caracterizar in silico genes de expansinas envolvidas neste processo. Através da mineração dos dados do Genoma Café foram encontrados 28 contigs referentes às EXPs, sendo dois contigs de EXLB, um de EXLA e os demais pertencentes à família das ?-expansinas. Dentro desta ultima família foram identificados quatro contigs relacionados com o desenvolvimento dos frutos do cafeeiro. Comparação dos contigs obtidos nos bancos do Projeto Genoma Café e de contigs no banco de dados HarvEST Coffea permitiu a caracterização in silico da expressão dos contigs nos diferentes estádios de maturação dos frutos

Characterization and expression of two cDNA encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase isoforms in coffee (Coffea arabica L.).

In higher plants there are two independent pathways for isoprenoid biosynthesis, located in the cytosol (mevalonic acid or MVA pathway) or in the plastids (methylerythritol phosphate ? MEP pathway). The 3-hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) is the first committed step in the MVA pathway. Using the information available from the Brazilian Coffee Genome Project, we found 13 ESTs that originated two isoforms, CaHMGR1 and CaHMGR2, for the enzyme HMGR of Coffea arabica. A complementary DNA encoding the isoform CaHMGR1 was cloned, and its complete nucleotide sequence determined. The full-length cDNA of CaHMGR1 was 2242 bp containing a 1812-bp ORF encoding 604 amino acids. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that the deduced CaHMGR1 had extensive homology with other plant HMGRs and contained two transmembrane domains and two putative HMGR binding sites and two NADP(H)-binding sites. Under normal growth conditions, transcripts of isoform CaHMRG1 were detected in fruit tissues (pulp, perisperm and endosperm) only at the initial stages of development, flower buds and leaves. CaHMRG2 was expressed in all tissues and during all fruit development stages examined. These results suggest a constitutive expression of isoform CaHMGR2, while the isoform CaHMGR1 shows temporal and tissue-specific transcriptional activation

Micotoxinas: importância na alimentação e na saúde humana e animal.

Principais micotoxinas. Regulamentação de micotoxinas no Brasil e no mundo. Considerações finais.bitstream/CNPAT-2010/10830/1/Dc-110.pd

Chaos in black holes surrounded by gravitational waves

The occurrence of chaos for test particles moving around Schwarzschild black holes perturbed by a special class of gravitational waves is studied in the context of the Melnikov method. The explicit integration of the equations of motion for the homoclinic orbit is used to reduce the application of this method to the study of simple graphics.Comment: 15 pages, LaTex

Late-time Cosmic Dynamics from M-theory

We consider the behaviour of the cosmological acceleration for time-dependent hyperbolic and flux compactifications of M-theory, with an exponential potential. For flat and closed cosmologies it is seen that a positive acceleration is always transient for both compactifications. For open cosmologies, both compactifications can give at late times periods of positive acceleration. As a function of proper time this acceleration has a power law decay and can be either positive, negative or oscillatory.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 2 figure

Discovery of CH and OH in the -513 km s-1 Ejecta of Eta Carinae

The very massive star, Eta Carinae, is enshrouded in an unusual complex of stellar ejecta, which is highly depleted in C and O, and enriched in He and N. This circumstellar gas gives rise to distinct absorption components corresponding to at least 20 different velocities along the line-of-sight. The velocity component at -513 kms-1 exhibits very low ionization with predominantly neutral species of iron-peak elements. Our statistical equilibrium/photoionization modeling indicates that the low temperature (T = 760 K) and high density (n_H=10^7 cm^-3) of the -513 kms-1 component is conducive to molecule formation including those with the elements C and O. Examination of echelle spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) aboard the confirms the model's predictions. The molecules, H_2, CH, and most likely OH, have been identified in the -513 kms-1 absorption spectrum. This paper presents the analysis of the HST/STIS spectra with the deduced column densities for CH, OH and C I, and upper limit for CO. It is quite extraordinary to see molecular species in a cool environment at such a high velocity. The sharp molecular and ionic absorptions in this extensively CNO- processed material offers us a unique environment for studying the chemistry, dust formation processes, and nucleosynthesis in the ejected layers of a highly evolved massive star.Comment: tentatively scheduled for the ApJ 1 September 2005, v630, 1 issu

Supercurrent induced domain wall motion

We study the dynamics of a magnetic domain wall, inserted in, or juxtaposed to, a conventional superconductor, via the passage of a spin polarized current through a FSF junction. Solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation of motion for the magnetic moments we calculate the velocity of the domain wall and compare it with the case of a FNF junction. We find that in several regimes the domain wall velocity is larger when it is driven by a supercurrent.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of layers of superconducting 2H-TaSe2_\textbf{2}: Evidence for a zero bias anomaly in single layers

We report a characterization of surfaces of the dichalcogenide TaSe$_2$ using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S) at 150 mK. When the top layer has the 2H structure and the layer immediately below the 1T structure, we find a singular spatial dependence of the tunneling conductance below 1 K, changing from a zero bias peak on top of Se atoms to a gap in between Se atoms. The zero bias peak is additionally modulated by the commensurate $3a_0 \times 3a_0$ charge density wave of 2H-TaSe$_2$. Multilayers of 2H-TaSe$_2$ show a spatially homogeneous superconducting gap with a critical temperature also of 1 K. We discuss possible origins for the peculiar tunneling conductance in single layers.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

Análise in silico e in vivo da via de isoprenóides em café.

Os diterpenos cafestol e caveol, presentes na fração lipídica em grãos de café, originam-se da via de síntese de isoprenóides. Estes compostos são sintetizados em todos os organismos, sendo abundantes em plantas com cerca de 10 mil componentes relatados. Apesar da diversidade de funções e estruturas todos os isoprenóides derivam de cinco comuns átomos de carbono, o isopentenil difosfato (IPP) e do isômero dimetilalil difosfato (DMAPP). Em vegetais superiores, duas vias localizadas em compartimentos intracelulares separados estão envolvidas na biossíntese de IPP e DMAPP. No citosol, IPP é derivado da via do ácido mevalônico (MVA) e no plastídeo, IPP é formado pela via do metileritritol fosfato (MEP ou não mevalonato). Com a disponibilidade das seqüências dos genes expressos (ESTs) pelo Projeto Genoma Café tornou-se possível a identificação in silico e o estudo funcional dos genes que codificam para as enzimas 3-hidroxi-3metilglutaril-CoA reductoisomerase (HMGR) e mevalonato difosfato decarboxilase (MPDC) para a via MVA e 1-deoxi-D-xilulose 5-fosfato reductoisomerase (DXR) e isopentenil difosfato sintase (IDS) para a via MEP. Foram obtidas 13 ESTs de HMGR, que originaram três contigs incompletos, resultando em duas isoformas. Para o gene MPDC foram encontradas 7 ESTs que clusterizaram em somente uma isoforma, diferentemente de A. thaliana onde duas isoformas são encontradas. Para os genes da via MEP foram encontrados 22 ESTs para DXR e 47 ESTs para IDS que formaram apenas um contig para cada um destes genes. Southern blots dos genes HMGR e DXR também demonstraram a presença de duas isoformas para HMGR e uma para DXR em C. arabica. Análise da expressão por Northern blots detectou transcritos do gene DXR no começo de desenvolvimento do perisperma e nas fases finais de desenvolvimento de endosperma e polpa. Transcritos da isoforma HMGR2 foram detectados em polpa, perisperma e endosperma, em todas as fases de desenvolvimento do fruto. Entretanto, HMGR1 apresentou transcritos apenas em polpa e fase inicial do desenvolvimento de perisperma e endosperma

Chaos around a H\'enon-Heiles-inspired exact perturbation of a black hole

A solution of the Einstein's equations that represents the superposition of a Schwarszchild black hole with both quadrupolar and octopolar terms describing a halo is exhibited. We show that this solution, in the Newtonian limit, is an analog to the well known H\'enon-Heiles potential. The integrability of orbits of test particles moving around a black hole representing the galactic center is studied and bounded zones of chaotic behavior are found.Comment: 7 pages Revte