Reduced expression of the murine HLA-G homolog Qa-2 is associated with malignancy, epithelialmesenchymal transition and stemness in breast cancer cells.

Qa-2 is believed to mediate a protective immune response against cancer; however, little is known about the role of Qa-2 in tumorigenesis. Here, we used 4T1 breast cancer cells to study the involvement of Qa-2 in tumor progression in a syngeneic host. Qa-2 expression was reduced during in vivo tumor growth and in cell lines derived from 4T1-induced tumors. Tumor-derived cells elicited an epithelialmesenchymal transition associated with upregulation of Zeb1 and Twist1/2 and enhanced tumor initiating and invasive capacities. Furthermore, these cells showed increased stem characteristics, as demonstrated by upregulation of Hes1, Sox2 and Oct3/4, and enrichment of CD44high/CD24median/low cells. Remarkably, Qa-2 cell-surface expression was excluded from the CD44high/CD24median/low subpopulation. Tumor-derived cells showed increased Src activity, and treatment of these cells with the Src kinase inhibitor PP2 enhanced Qa-2 but reduced Sox2 and CD44high/CD24median/low expression levels, suggesting that Src signaling, while positively associated with stemness, negatively regulates Qa-2 expression in breast cancer. Finally, overexpression of the Qa-2 family member Q7 on the cell surface slowed down in vivo tumor growth and reduced the metastatic potential of 4T1 cells. These results suggest an anti-malignant role for Qa-2 in breast cancer development, which appears to be absent from cancer stem cells.post-print2122 K

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

A História da Alimentação: balizas historiográficas

Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da História da Alimentação, não como um novo ramo epistemológico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de práticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicações, associações, encontros acadêmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condições em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biológica, a econômica, a social, a cultural e a filosófica!, assim como da identificação das contribuições mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histórica, foi ela organizada segundo critérios morfológicos. A seguir, alguns tópicos importantes mereceram tratamento à parte: a fome, o alimento e o domínio religioso, as descobertas européias e a difusão mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rápido balanço crítico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema

Herbicide and Cytogenotoxic Activity of Inclusion Complexes of Psidium gaudichaudianum Leaf Essential Oil and β-Caryophyllene on 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin

Funding Information: We would like to thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo (FAPES) for financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.The present investigation aimed to develop inclusion complexes (ICs) from Psidium gaudichaudianum (GAU) essential oil (EO) and its major compound β-caryophyllene (β-CAR), and to evaluate their herbicidal (against Lolium multiflorum and Bidens pilosa) and cytogenotoxic (on Lactuca sativa) activities. The ICs were obtained using 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) and they were prepared to avoid or reduce the volatility and degradation of GAU EO and β-CAR. The ICs obtained showed a complexation efficiency of 91.5 and 83.9% for GAU EO and β-CAR, respectively. The IC of GAU EO at a concentration of 3000 µg mL−1 displayed a significant effect against weed species B. pilosa and L. multiflorum. However, the β-CAR IC at a concentration of 3000 µg mL−1 was effective only on L. multiflorum. In addition, the cytogenotoxic activity evaluation revealed that there was a reduction in the mitotic index and an increase in chromosomal abnormalities. The produced ICs were able to protect the EO and β-CAR from volatility and degradation, with a high thermal stability, and they also enabled the solubilization of the EO and β-CAR in water without the addition of an organic solvent. Therefore, it is possible to indicate the obtained products as potential candidates for commercial exploration since the ICs allow the complexed EO to exhibit a more stable chemical constitution than pure EO under storage conditions.publishersversionpublishe

Anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii e fatores de risco em mamíferos do Zoológico de Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brasil

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonosis with worldwide distribution and different wild species either are involved in maintenance of the pathogen in the environment as definitive or intermediate hosts serving as font of feeding or prey to definitive hosts. The present study aimed to investigate Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and the risk factors relating to infection in mammals at Sorocaba Zoo, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Serum samples collected from 153 animals were analyzed using the modified agglutination test (MAT; cutoff ? 25). Seropositivity was found in 62 animals (40.5%; 95% CI: 33.1-48.5%), with different titers. Significant differences were observed in relation to the ages of the animals, origin, presence of free-ranging animals in the enclosure and feeding habits, through univariate analysis (p ? 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only age (p = 0.03) had significance for the study. Adult animals were 3.5 more likely to become infected than were young ones. In relation to feeding habits, herbivores (80%) and carnivores (46.5%) were the animals most affected. These results highlight the presence of T. gondii in animals at Brazilian zoos, and suggest that continuous transmission is occurring at zoos.Toxoplasmose é uma zoonose parasitária com distribuição mundial e diversas espécies silvestres estão envolvidas na manutenção do patógeno no ambiente, seja como hospedeiro definitivo ou intermediário. O objetivo do estudo foi pesquisar anticorpos de Toxoplasma gondii e os fatores de risco relacionados com a infecção de mamíferos do Zoológico de Sorocaba, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Foram coletadas 153 amostras de soro dos animais e realizado teste de aglutinação modificada (MAD, ponto de corte 16). Sessenta e dois (40,5%; IC95% 33,1-48,5%) animais foram soropositivos, com diferentes títulos. Diferenças significativas foram observadas com relação a idade dos animais, origem, presença de animais de vida livre dentro dos recintos e hábitos alimentares, utilizando análise univariada (p ? 0,05). A análise pela regressão logística multivariada mostrou que apenas idade (p = 0.03) foi significativo no estudo. Animais adultos apresentaram 3,5 vezes mais chance de se tornarem infectados que os jovens. Com relação aos hábitos alimentares, animais herbívoros (80%) e carnívoros (46,5%) foram os mais afetados. Esses resultados ressaltam a presença do T. gondii nos animais dos zoológicos brasileiros e sugerem contínua transmissão no zoológico