A set of variable plastid SSR markers for the genus Cryptanthus (Bromeliaceae)

The genus Cryptanthus (Bromeliaceae) is endemic to Brazil. Many of its currentlyrecognized 66 species are narrow endemics that are threatened by habitat destruction.Molecular markers are needed to evaluate the extent and distribution of genetic diversityin rare Cryptanthus species, which would be a prerequisite for taking appropriateconservation measures. Here we describe the development of plastid microsatellitemarkers (cpSSRs) for Cryptanthus. PCR primers specific for 34 cpSSR loci in Dyckiamarnier-lapostollei were initially tested for their functionality in Cryptanthus schwackeanus. PCR was successful for 29 loci, and 13 loci were shown to harbour extended stretches of mononucleotide repeats. Seven loci were further characterized bygenotyping Cryptanthus samples at the level of populations and species, and six lociproved to be polymorphic among 30 individuals of each of the two endangered species C. schwackeanus and C. warren-loosei, respectively. All primers cross-amplified in other genera from three subfamilies of Bromeliaceae

SymGRASS: a database of sugarcane orthologous genes involved in arbuscular mycorrhiza and root nodule symbiosis : from Seventh International Meeting on Computational Intelligence Methods for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, (CIBB 2010), Palermo, Italy, 16 - 18 September 2010

Background: The rationale for gathering information from plants procuring nitrogen through symbiotic interactions controlled by a common genetic program for a sustainable biofuel production is the high energy demanding application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. We curated sequence information publicly available for the biofuel plant sugarcane, performed an analysis of the common SYM pathway known to control symbiosis in other plants, and provide results, sequences and literature links as an online database. Methods: Sugarcane sequences and informations were downloaded from the nucEST database, cleaned and trimmed with seqclean, assembled with TGICL plus translating mapping method, and annotated. The annotation is based on BLAST searches against a local formatted plant Uniprot90 generated with CD-HIT for functional assignment, rpsBLAST to CDD database for conserved domain analysis, and BLAST search to sorghum's for Gene Ontology (GO) assignment. Gene expression was normalized according the Unigene standard, presented as ESTs/100 kb. Protein sequences known in the SYM pathway were used as queries to search the SymGRASS sequence database. Additionally, antimicrobial peptides described in the PhytAMP database served as queries to retrieve and generate expression profiles of these defense genes in the libraries compared to the libraries obtained under symbiotic interactions. Results: We describe the SymGRASS, a database of sugarcane orthologous genes involved in arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and root nodule (RN) symbiosis. The database aggregates knowledge about sequences, tissues, organ, developmental stages and experimental conditions, and provides annotation and level of gene expression for sugarcane transcripts and SYM orthologous genes in sugarcane through a web interface. Several candidate genes were found for all nodes in the pathway, and interestingly a set of symbiosis specific genes was found. Conclusions: The knowledge integrated in SymGRASS may guide studies on molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms by which sugarcane controls the establishment and efficiency of endophytic associations. We believe that the candidate sequences for the SYM pathway together with the pool of exclusively expressed tentative consensus (TC) sequences are crucial for the design of molecular studies to unravel the mechanisms controlling the establishment of symbioses in sugarcane, ultimately serving as a basis for the improvement of grass crops

Herança de resistência do feijão-caupi ao Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus

The objective of this work was to evaluate the inheritance of resistance to Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). The study was performed between parental genotypes IT85F-2687 (resistant) and 'BR-14 Mulato' (susceptible), generating F1, F2, and F7 populations and backcrosses with both parental genotypes. CABMV was inoculated on plants from all generations, which were then evaluated through visual inspection and description of characteristic symptoms. A chi-square test was performed after the phenotypic classification of all plants. A segregation proportion of 1:3 (resistant:susceptible) in population F2 and of 1:1 in population F7 was accepted, showing a recessive monogenic inheritance.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a herança de resistência ao Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) em feijão-caupi (Vigna unguiculata). O estudo foi realizado entre os genótipos parentais IT85F-2687 (resistente) e 'BR-14 Mulato' (suscetível), tendo-se obtido populações F1, F2 e F7 e retrocruzamentos com ambos os genótipos parentais. O CABMV foi inoculado nas plantas de todas as gerações, que foram, então, avaliadas por inspeção visual e pela descrição dos sintomas característicos. O teste do qui‑quadrado foi aplicado após a classificação fenotípica de todas as plantas. Uma proporção de segregação de 1:3 (resistente:suscetível) na população F2 e de 1:1 na população F7 foi aceita, tendo indicado herança monogênica recessiva

Bioactive Antimicrobial Peptides: A New Weapon to Counteract Zoonosis.

Zoonoses have recently become the center of attention of the general population and scientific community. Notably, more than 30 new human pathogens have been identified in the last 30 years, 75% of which can be classified as zoonosis. The complete eradication of such types of infections is far out of reach, considering the limited understanding of animal determinants in zoonoses and their causes of emergence. Therefore, efforts must be doubled in examining the spread, persistence, and pathogenicity of zoonosis and studying possible clinical interventions and antimicrobial drug development. The search for antimicrobial bioactive compounds has assumed great emphasis, considering the emergence of multi-drug-resistant microorganisms. Among the biomolecules of emerging scientific interest are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), potent biomolecules that can potentially act as important weapons against infectious diseases. Moreover, synthetic AMPs are easily tailored (bioinformatically) to target specific features of the pathogens to hijack, inducing no or very low resistance. Although very promising, previous studies on SAMPs' efficacy are still at their early stages. Indeed, further studies and better characterization on their mechanism of action with in vitro and in vivo assays are needed so as to proceed to their clinical application on human beings.This work was supported by the Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy, in collaboration with the Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy (RC 47/2020), by Qatar University (QUCG-CAS-22/23-499 Collaborative Grant), by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Project no. 88881.507105 /2020-01) and by CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Project no. 313581/2020-7