Nova especie do genero Coelomomyces parasito de ovos de Phlebotomus

Summary A new species of fungus of the genusCoelomomyces, C. ciferrii has been found as endoparasites ofPhlebotomus eggs at Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, State in Brazil. It is the first time that the genusCoelomomyces is found in Brasil.The morphological characters of the new species are distinct from other species described.     

Abstracts of Oral Papers not published in the Supplement

Costa, M. J. & Cabral, H. N. ( Instituto de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências de Universidade de Lisboa, R. Ernesto de Vasconcelos, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, R. Ernesto de Vasconcelos, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal ), Almeida, P. R. ( Instituto de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências de Universidade de Lisboa, R Ernesto de Vasconcelos, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Évora, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal ), Costa, J. L., Chainho, P., Chaves, M. L., Prista, N., Vasconcelos, R. & Cabral, M. ( Instituto de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciêcias de Universidade de Lisboa, R. Ernesto de Vasconcelos, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal ).     

Utilization of ammonia,generated from abiotic cyanide degradation,by Rhodotorula rubra

The viability of the yeast Rhodotorula rubra, isolated from liquid samples of gold-mine effluents, was not affected by the presence of 11.52 mM cyanide. The yeast was able to utilize ammonia, generated from abiotic cyanide degradation in the presence of reducing sugars, in aerobic culture at pH 9.0. These physiological characteristics encourage studies with mixed cultures of cyanide-degrading organisms, using this yeast as an assimilator of ammonia.The authors are with the Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences. Federal University of Minas Gerais, C. P. 486, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil     

Effects of leached alginate on metal biosorption

The Cu, Cd and Zn sorption capacity of formaldehyde-crosslinked seaweed biomass (Ascophyllum nodosum : FCAN) was studied using equilibrium methodology. The shape of sorption isotherms and biosorbent mass losses indicated that in the first uptake cycle the biosorbent leached cellular polysaccharides that formed precipitate with metal solutions influencing the sorption study and application. However, since the sorption levels of washed and non-washed biosorbents were comparable, the leached cell wall polysaccharide(s) (alginate) could not be the main component responsible for metal sorption in this case.on leave from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil     

The effect of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase genotype onin vitro specific activity andin vivo flux inMytilus edulis

Four samples of the musselMytilus edulis were taken between 1984 and 1987 from Stony Brook, New York, and used to study the glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) polymorphism in this species.In vitro specific activity andin vivo flux measured in the same animals were found to be significantly correlated. A significant effect of GPI genotype on flux was observed in one of the samples; overall, significant evidence of effect of genotype on enzyme activity was also obtained. GPI activities of common genotypes tend to deviate less from the population mean than those of rare (frequency less than 5%) genotypes. This suggests the possibility that rare GPI genotypes are rare as a consequence of having biochemical properties that deviate from an optimum level and, therefore, having a lower fitness. In support of this hypothesis, we found in one of our samples that shell length is a concave function of GPI activity with an intermediate optimum activity level. The financial support provided to P.J.N.S. by the Luso-American Educational Commission (Fulbright Program), the Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Científica (Portugal), and the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa during several stages of this research is gratefully acknowledged. Financial support from the Ministerio de Educatión y Ciencia (Spain) in the form of a postdoctoral Fulbright/MEC fellowship to M.S. is also gratefully acknowledged. Research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant BSR-8415060 to R.K.K. This is contribution No. 736 from the Program in Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook. On leave from Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande C2, Lisboa, Portugal.     

Effects of anoxia on root ultrastructure of four neotropical trees

Summary. The root ultrastructure of seedlings grown in anaerobic conditions was investigated in four neotropical species: Sesbania virgata, Erythrina speciosa, Sebastiania commersoniana (all present in waterlogged or flooded areas), and Schizolobium parahyba (that occupies mainly dry areas). Anaerobiosis induced an increase in the size of mitochondria, dilatation of cristae and of the endoplasmic reticulum, and fragmentation or concentric arrangement of reticulum saccules. The ultrastructural alterations were reversible only for S. virgata and E. speciosa. The seedlings of S. parahyba and S. commersoniana were more sensitive to oxygen deprivation and presented extensive cell disruption. The results are discussed in terms of energy supply.Correspondence and reprints (present address): Departamento de Biologia Animal e Vegetal, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, P.O. Box 6001, 86051-970, Londriná, Paraná, Brazil.     

Resistance of Biomphalaria peregrina of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil to infection with 3 strains of Schistosoma mansoni

The descendants of the planorbid snail Biomphalaria peregrina, collected in the region of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were exposed to miracidia of three strains of Schistosoma mansoni: "LE" strain from Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais; "SJ", strain from S?o José dos Campos, State of S?o Paulo and "AL" strain from State of Alagoas. Of 300 snails exposed to miracidia of the three strains, none was infected. On the other hand, 300 Biomphalaria glabrata of the control groups showed infection rates of 61.1 to 95.3% with the three strains. The mortality rates of B. peregrina and B. glabrata were 20% and 28%, respectively.     

Brief communication: Admixture analysis with forensic microsatellites in Minas Gerais,Brazil: The ongoing evolution of the capital and of an African‐derived community

We report the estimated allele frequencies for 13 and 14 microsatellite loci in two populations of Minas Gerais, Brazil as follows: Belo Horizonte (the capital) and Marinhos (an African‐derived community). Analysis of the African, Amerindian, and European genetic contributions to both populations, together with historical information, revealed distinct differences between the two populations. Estimates for Belo Horizonte revealed a higher‐European (66%) than African (32%) contribution, and a minimal Amerindian contribution. These results are consistent with the peopling of the city mainly by people from the Minas Gerais hinterland, a people highly admixed but with more European ancestry. Estimates for Marinhos confirmed the high‐African component of the population. However, a temporal analysis of two datasets—CURRENT (representing the population living in Marinhos today) and ORIGINAL (representing families, who have lived in Marinhos since the onset of the 20th century),—identified a diminishing of the population's African ancestry from 92% in the ORIGINAL group to 67% in the CURRENT group. This change is here interpreted as a consequence of the growing migration into the village of people with more European ancestry and subsequent admixture with the local population. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Modulation of endocytosis in pollen tube growth by phosphoinositides and phospholipids

Summary. In plants, tip-growing cells represent an ideal system to investigate signal transduction mechanisms, and among those, pollen tubes are one of the favourite models. Many signalling pathways have been identified during germination and tip growth, namely, Ca²⁺, calmodulin, phosphoinositides, cyclic AMP, and GTPases. Not surprisingly, the apical secretory machinery, essential for tip growth, seems to be an intersection point for all these pathways. Recently, the phospholipid phosphatidic acid was also suggested to actively participate in the control of endo- and exocytosis and to interfere with the correct positioning of the actin cytoskeleton. Phosphatidic acid seems to act concertedly with the phosphoinositides phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. Here we review previous data and discuss additional evidence that these three molecules have a combined action modulating both the actin cytoskeleton and the apical secretory machinery. We further discuss how these findings can be integrated into a working model for pollen tube apical secretion that contemplates the existence of a rapid endocytosis mechanism. Correspondence and reprints: Instituto de Ciência Aplicada e Tecnologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.     

Two new species of Drosophila (Diptera,Drosophilidae) associated with inflorescences of Goeppertia monophylla (Marantaceae) in the city of São Paulo,state of São Paulo,Brazil

Two new Brazilian species of Drosophila (subgenus Drosophila) are described and illustrated: Drosophila asymmetrica sp. nov. and Drosophila peixotoi sp. nov. Both species were collected, and emerged, from inflorescences of Goeppertia monophylla (Marantaceae) in the urban Forest Reserve of the Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo and their types will be deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da USP. The former species, which could not be assigned to any known group, has a conspicuously asymmetric aedeagus and a narrow oviscapt valve. The latter species belongs to the guarani group and is closely related to D. guaru, D. ornatifrons and D. subbadia, from which it can be distinguished by the presence of just one conspicuous large black spine at inner lower tip of cercus instead of two spines.     

Shigella in Brazilian children with acute diarrhoea: prevalence,antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes

Diarrhoeal disease is still considered a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children. Among diarrhoeagenic agents, Shigella should be highlighted due to its prevalence and the severity of the associated disease. Here, we assessed Shigella prevalence, drug susceptibility and virulence factors. Faeces from 157 children with diarrhoea who sought treatment at the Children''s Hospital João Paulo II, a reference children´s hospital in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were cultured and drug susceptibility of the Shigella isolates was determined by the disk diffusion technique. Shigella virulence markers were identified by polymerase chain reaction. The bacterium was recovered from 10.8% of the children (88.2% Shigella sonnei). The ipaH, iuc, sen and ial genes were detected in strains isolated from all shigellosis patients; set1A was only detected in Shigella flexneri. Additionally, patients were infected by Shigella strains of different ial, sat, sen and set1A genotypes. Compared to previous studies, we observed a marked shift in the distribution of species from S. flexneri to S. sonnei and high rates of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance.     

Oxypetalum banksii subsp. banksii: a taxon of Asclepiadaceae with an extragynoecial compitum

 The floral morphology of seven Oxypetalum species and, in particular, the spatial relationship between the five stigmatic chambers and two separate ovaries of their flowers with respect to transmission of the pollen tube are studied. In all species, except O. banksii subsp. banksii, floral morphology is similar to that in other Asclepiadeae, and the flowers pollinated with one pollinium develop only one follicle, which means compitum absence. In O. banksii subsp. banksii flowers, the secretory interstaminal tissue lines the inner walls of the stigmatic chambers as in the other species studied, but it also reaches the upper part of the inner surface of the filament tube, where it surrounds the styles, an unprecedented feature for Asclepiadaceae. This tissue secretes nectar and mucilage; the latter acts as transmitting medium for the growth of pollen tubes from pollinia inserted and hydrated in stigmatic chambers (“hyperstigmas”). Mucilage also functions as an extragynoecial compitum: in flowers pollinated with one pollinium both carpels develop into a follicle. Received August 28, 2001; accepted April 9, 2002 Published online: October 14, 2002 Addresses of the authors: Milene Faria Vieira (e-mail: mfvieira@mail.ufv.br), Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Vi?osa, 36571-000, Vi?osa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. George John Shepherd, Departamento de Botanica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, C.P. 6109, 13083-970, Campinas, S?o Paulo, Brazil.     

Ectoparasites of rodents of the urban region of Belo Horizonte, MG. I. Interaction between ectoparasites and hosts

A rodent ectoparasite survey was made in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, from June 1980 to September 1982. The species of ectoparasites captured from 950 Rattus norvegicus norvegicus were: Xenopsylla cheopis, Ctenocephalides felis felis, Polyplax spinulosa, Laelaps nuttalli, Echinolaelaps echidninus and Atricholaelaps glasgowi, the last species only represented by three specimens interchanged with wild rodent. P. spinulosa and L. nuttalli, although cosmopolitan, are recorded for the first time in State of Minas Gerais. The sex ratio of the ectoparasites, as well as the prevalence of fleas, mites and lice on the separate sexes of rodents are presented. 66.9% of the rats were infested by mites, almost twice more than infestations by fleas and louse jointly (39%). L. nuttalli was found in great numbers and presented the highest index of infestation: 55.1%. Single infestations are as common as associated ones. P. spinulosa, contrary to L. nuttalli, rarely occurs in single infestation. Data on the distribution of the ectoparasites on the rodents are also reported. The infestation observed in Belo Horizonte is confronted with those obtained by other authors in different places.     

Croton campanulatus (Euphorbiaceae s.s.), a new species from the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest

Croton campanulatus, a new species from southeastern Brazil in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, is here described and illustrated. Morphological data indicate that this species belongs to Croton section Cleodora based on its arborescent habit, pistillate flowers with imbricate sepals, reduced petals, and multifid styles that are fused at the base.     

Plant regeneration from protoplasts isolated from seedling cotyledons of Stylosanthes guianensis,S. macrocephala and S. scabra

Plant regeneration from protoplasts is a prerequisite to the production of modified plants using somatic hybridization and transformation. Whole plant regeneration was achieved from protoplasts isolated from seedling cotyledons of Stylosanthes guianensis, S. macrocephala and S. scabra, three economically important species of this tropical forage legume genus. The effects of both protoplast density and protoplast culture method on cell division and plating efficiency are presented.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - MES 2-(N-Morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium - NAA 1-naphthalenacetic acid On leave from: Departamento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil     

Frustrated Appetitive Foraging Behavior,Stereotypic Pacing,and Fecal Glucocorticoid Levels in Snow Leopards (Uncia uncia) in the Zurich Zoo

One common visitor complaint in zoos is that the nonhuman animals are not visible. This problem needs to be resolved without compromising the animals' welfare; environmental enrichment could solve the problem. This study investigated whether enrichment would increase public exposure time of lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) in the Belo Horizonte Zoo in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Observations were made before (62 hr) and during (62 hr) the introduction of enrichment using focal animal sampling with instantaneous recording of behavior. The 5 enrichment items were a bamboo fence covered in vines, logs, a sandbox, dry leaves, and bamboo bushes. Before the enrichments were applied, the tapir was not visible to the public for more than 85% of the time. In addition, during the analysis of the enrichment treatment, other variables were considered—such as weekday, time of day, and weather conditions—which could influence the animals' interaction with the enrichments. The enrichments increased and decreased the expression of some behaviors; however, public viewing time of the animals did not increase. Thus, the enrichment applied was not strong enough to overcome the animals' crepuscular behavior.     

Signalling pathways in pollen germination and tube growth

Summary. Signalling is an integral component in the establishment and maintenance of cellular identity. In plants, tip-growing cells represent an ideal system to investigate signal transduction mechanisms, and among these, pollen tubes (PTs) are one of the favourite models. Many signalling pathways have been identified during germination and tip growth, namely, Ca²⁺, calmodulin, phosphoinositides, protein kinases, cyclic AMP, and GTPases. These constitute a large and complex web of signalling networks that intersect at various levels such as the control of vesicle targeting and fusion and the physical state of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we discuss some of the most recent advances made in PT signal transduction cascades and their implications for our future research. For reasons of space, emphasis was given to signalling mechanisms that control PT reorientation, so naturally many other relevant works have not been cited. Correspondence and reprints: Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.     

Effect of carbon source on the β-glucosidase system of the thermophilic fungus Humicola grisea

H. grisea produced an extracellular -glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) at high activity in media supplemented with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or cellobiose. Cellobiose-induced -glucosidase was insensitive to glucose repression whereas that of CMC-supplemented cultures was partially repressed. Molecular sieving revealed three main active components (M_r 50, 128 and 240 kDa). Glucose competitively inhibited -glucosidase activities with K_i values of 0.9mM and 3.3mM (extracellular) and 10.2mM and 22.6mM (cytosolic), induced in the presence of CMC or cellobiose respectively.The authors are with the Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia. Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil;     

Quantification of trehalose in biological samples with a conidial trehalase from the thermophilic fungus Humicola grisea var. thermoidea

The partially-purified, thermally-stable trehalase from conidia of Humicola grisea was highly specific for trehalose and was free of potentially interfering activities. The enzyme was fully stable when stored in solution at -15°C for at least 6 months. This preparation could be used to quantify trehalose from 0.05 to 1.25 mol/ml either in carbohydrate mixtures or in complex biological materials.M.J. Neves, H.F. Terenzi and J.A. Jorge are with Departmento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901-Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; F.A. Leone is with Departamento de Quimica, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901-Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.     

Malacological assessment and natural infestation of Biomphalaria straminea (Dunker, 1848) by Schistosoma mansoni (Sambon, 1907) And Chaetogaster limnaei (K. Von Baer, 1827) in an urban eutrophic watershed.

The objective of this study was to perform a malacological assessment at the Ibirité reservoir watershed in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) and to evaluate the natural infestation rate of Biomphalaria straminea (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) by Schistosoma mansoni (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) and Chaetogaster limnaei (Oligochaeta: Naididae). The samples were collected from July to August 2002. The B. straminea individuals collected were kept in the laboratory; the natural infestation rate by S. mansoni and C. limnaei was assessed weekly. The malacological assessment identified five mollusk species present in the Ibirité reservoir watershed: B. straminea, Physa marmorata, Lymnea sp., Melanoides tuberculatus, and Pomacea austrum. Laboratory observations showed that the B. straminea individuals were infected by C. limnaei rather than S. mansoni. Although there was no infection of B. straminea by S. mansoni, presence of B. straminea in itself merits close attention due to possible risk of human schistosomiasis by the local population.