24-Epibrassinolide Mechanisms Regulating Blossom-End Rot Development in Tomato Fruit

Blossom-end rot (BER) is a physiological disorder believed to be triggered by low Ca²⁺ content in the distal fruit tissue. However, many other factors can also determine fruit susceptibility to BER. It is possible that during fruit growth, Ca²⁺ imbalance can increase membrane leakiness, which may trigger the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, leading to cell death. Brassinosteroids are a class of plant hormones involved in stress defenses, specially increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the accumulation of antioxidant compounds, such as ascorbic acid. The objective of this study was to understand the mechanisms by which 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) reduces fruit susceptibility to BER. Tomato plants ‘BRS Montese’ were cultivated in a greenhouse and were weekly sprayed with water (control) or EBL (0.01 µM) after full bloom. Plants and fruits were evaluated at 15 days after pollination (DAP). According to the results, EBL treatment inhibited BER development, increased fruit diameter, length, and fresh weight. EBL-treated fruit showed higher concentrations of soluble Ca²⁺ and lower concentrations of cell wall-bound Ca²⁺. EBL-treated fruit also had higher concentrations of ascorbic acid and lower concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, compared to water-treated fruit. EBL treatment increased the activity of the three main antioxidant enzymes known as ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. According to the results, EBL treatment maintained higher soluble Ca²⁺ and antioxidant capacity, reducing fruit susceptibility to BER.

     

Follow-up assessment of patients with Pure Neural Leprosy in a reference center in Rio de Janeiro—Brazil

IntroductionPure Neural Leprosy (PNL) is a rare clinical form of leprosy in which patients do not present with the classical skin lesions but have a high burden of the disability associated with the disease. Clinical characteristics and follow up of patients in PNL are still poorly described in the literature.ObjectiveThis paper aims to describe the clinical, electrophysiological and histopathological characteristics of PNL patients, as well as their evolution after multidrug therapy (MDT).MethodsFifty-two PNL patients were selected. Clinical, nerve conduction studies (NCS), histopathological and anti-PGL-1serology were evaluated. Patients were also assessed monthly during the MDT. At the end of the MDT, all of the patients had a new neurological examination and 44 were submitted to another NCS.ResultsParesthesia was the complaint most frequently reported by patients, and in the neurological examination the most common pattern observed was impairment in sensory and motor examination and a mononeuropathy multiplex. Painful nerve enlargement, a classical symptom of leprosy neuropathy, was observed in a minority of patients and in the motor NCS axonal injuries, alone or in combination with demyelinating features, were the most commonly observed. 88% of the patients did not present any leprosy reaction during MDT. There was no statistically significant difference between the neurological examinations, nor the NCS pattern, performed before and after the MDT.DiscussionThe classical hallmarks of leprosy neuropathy are not always present in PNL making the diagnosis even more challenging. Nerve biopsy is an important tool for PNL diagnosis as it may guide therapeutic decisions. This paper highlights unique characteristics of PNL in the spectrum of leprosy in an attempt to facilitate the diagnosis and management of these patients.     

Short Note on a Culture Experiment on Monthly Captured Glass Eels from the Rio Minho,Portugal

A recycling system combining biofiltration and hydroponics was used for rearing glass eels. Growth rates varied between 0.1 and 1.4% of body weight per feeding day. A large range of mortalities (9.4—93 %) after two months was mainly due to ectoparasitic infections.     

DNA barcode reveals candidate species of Scinax and Ololygon (Anura: Hylidae) in Atlantic Forest

Molecular species delimitation methods are efficient tools to identify species, including the discovery of new taxa and cryptic organisms, thus being useful to biodiversity studies. In the present work, 16S mitochondrial sequences and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) were used to evaluate the richness of species in the genus Scinax and Ololygon from a biodiversity hotspot in Atlantic Forest. A total of 109 specimens formally belonging to eight species of Scinax and three species of Ololygon were collected in 13 localities along the state of Bahia (northeastern Brazil) and one site in Espírito Santo (southeastern Brazil). Of the Scinax species collected in this study, three were morphologically differentiated from other described species and identified as putative new species (Scinax sp.1, Scinax sp.2 and Scinax sp.3). The species delimitations were inferred using three different methods: ABGD, PTP and mPTP which allowed recognizing 11 Scinax species and five Ololygon species. Scinax sp. 1, Scinax sp. 2 and Scinax sp. 3, have been confirmed as new putative species and Ololygon argyreornata possibly contains cryptic species. We suggest additional studies, including morphological and bioacoustic data to validate these new putative species.     

Stability of immobilized D-hydantoinase from Vigna angularis and repeated cycles of highly enantioenriched production of N-carbamoyl-D-phenylglycines

Summary. D-hydantoinase from Vigna angularis was immobilized by covalent linkage to aminopropyl glass beads. Thermal stability, resistance to storage at different pH values and temperatures of this biocatalyst were studied. This enzyme preparation was used as a catalyst to prepare enantioenriched N-carbamoyl-D-phenylglycine, N-carbamyl-D-p-fluorophenylglycine and N-carbamoyl-D-p-trifluoromethylphenylglycine, using a stirred batch reactor. Reactions were conducted during eight repeated reaction cycles, without loss of enzymatic activity or variation of the enantiomeric excess of the respective product (>98%).     

N-t-Boc-amino acid esters of isomannide Potential inhibitors of serine proteases

Summary. Hepatitis C, Dengue and West Nile virus are some of the most important flaviviruses, that share one important serine protease enzyme. Serine proteases are the most studied class of proteolytic enzyme and, in these cases, a primary target for drug discovery. In this paper, we describe the synthesis and preliminary molecular modeling studies of a novel class of N-t-Boc amino acid esters derived of isomannide as potential serine proteases inhibitors.     

Alteration in the endogenous intestinal flora of Swiss Webster mice by experimental Angiostrongylus costaricensis infection

The association between worm infections and bacterial diseases has only recently been emphasized. This study examined the effect of experimental Angiostrongylus costaricensis infection on endogenous intestinal flora of Swiss Webster mice. Eight mice aging six weeks were selected for this experiment. Four were infected with A. costaricensis and the other four were used as controls. Twenty eight days after the worm infection, all mice in both groups were sacrificed and samples of the contents of the ileum and colon were obtained and cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. In the mice infected with A. costaricensis there was a significant increase in the number of bacteria of the endogenous intestinal flora, accompanied by a decrease in the number of Peptostreptococcus spp. This alteration in the intestinal flora of mice infected by the nematode may help to understand some bacterial infections described in humans.     

Voltage-dependent anion channels control the release of the superoxide anion from mitochondria to cytosol

Several reactions in biological systems contribute to maintain the steady-state concentrations of superoxide anion (O(2)*-) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). The electron transfer chain of mitochondria is a well documented source of H(2)O(2); however, the release of O(2)*- from mitochondria into cytosol has not been unequivocally established. This study was aimed at validating mitochondria as sources of cytosolic O(2)*-, elucidating the mechanisms underlying the release of O(2)*- from mitochondria into cytosol, and assessing the role of outer membrane voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) in this process. Isolated rat heart mitochondria supplemented with complex I or II substrates generate an EPR signal ascribed to O(2)*-. Inhibition of the signal in a concentration-dependent manner by both manganese-superoxide dismutase and cytochrome c proteins that cannot cross the mitochondrial membrane supports the extramitochondrial location of the spin adduct. Basal rates of O(2)*- release from mitochondria were estimated at approximately 0.04 nmol/min/mg protein, a value increased approximately 8-fold by the complex III inhibitor, antimycin A. These estimates, obtained by quantitative spin-trapping EPR, were confirmed by fluorescence techniques, mainly hydroethidine oxidation and horseradish peroxidase-based p-hydroxyphylacetate dimerization. Inhibitors of VDAC, 4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-disulfonic acid stilbene (DIDS), and dextran sulfate (in a voltage-dependent manner) inhibited O(2)*- production from mitochondria by approximately 55%, thus suggesting that a large portion of O(2)*- exited mitochondria via these channels. These findings are discussed in terms of competitive decay pathways for O(2)*- in the intermembrane space and cytosol as well as the implications of these processes for modulating cell signaling pathways in these compartments.     

Evidence that behavioral depression does not influence airway cell influx in allergic rats

This study was designated to evaluate the influence of behavioral depression on the airway leukocyte recruitment in allergic animals. To achieve this, total and differential cell counts in bronchoalveolar (BAL) fluid of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and depressed rats was evaluated. Inescapable electric footshock, applied on day 0, 7 and 13 after OVA sensitization, was used as a model to induce depression. In both nondepressed and depressed groups, the number of total and differential cells (eosinophils and mononuclear cells) in BAL fluid was significantly larger in sensitized compared with non-sensitized animals. However, no statistical differences were found between these groups with respect to the number of total and differential leukocytes, irrespective of the day inescapable shock was applied. Thus, behavioral depression does not influence the pattern of cell infiltration into the airways of allergen-induced airway inflammation.