Chemotaxonomic study on Thymus villosus from Portugal

The composition of the essential oils of four populations of Thymus villosus subsp. lusitanicus (Boiss.) Coutinho from Portugal was investigated by GC and GC-MS. To study the chemical polymorphism the results obtained from GC analyses of the volatile oils from individual plants from four populations were submited to Principal Component and Cluster analyses. A comparision with the essential oil of T. villosus subsp. villosus, previously studied by us was done. Important differences with regard to the major constituents in these two taxa were found. Linalool, geranyl acetate, geraniol and terpinen-4-ol were the main components of the essential oils of T. villosus subsp. lusitanicus, whereas in the oil of T. villosus subsp. villosus p-cymene, myrcene and alpha-terpineol were the major ones. Although, both taxa showed chemical polymorphism, different types of essential oils were characterized in each one: linalool; linalool/ terpinen-4-ol/trans-sabinene hydrate; linalool/1,8-cineole; geranyl acetate/geraniol; geranyl acetate/geraniol/1,8-cineole in T. villosus subsp. lusitanicus and p-cymene/camphor/linalool; p-cymene/borneol; linalool/geraniol/geranyl acetate; alpha-terpineol/camphor/myrcene in T. villosus subsp. villosus. Thus, the two subspecies of T. villosus can be easely differenciated by the composition of their essential oils.     

DNA damage in the kidney tissue cells of the fish Rhamdia quelen after trophic contamination with aluminum sulfate

Even though aluminum is the third most common element present in the earth''s crust, information regarding its toxicity remains scarce. It is known that in certain cases, aluminum is neurotoxic, but its effect in other tissues is unknown. The aim of this work was to analyze the genotoxic potential of aluminum sulfate in kidney tissue of the fish Rhamdia quelen after trophic contamination for 60 days. Sixty four fish were subdivided into the following groups: negative control, 5 mg, 50 mg and 500 mg of aluminum sulfate per kg of fish. Samples of the posterior kidney were taken and prepared to obtain mitotic metaphase, as well as the comet assay. The three types of chromosomal abnormalities (CA) found were categorized as chromatid breaks, decondensation of telomeric region, and early separation of sister chromatids. The tests for CA showed that the 5 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg doses of aluminum sulfate had genotoxic potential. Under these treatments, early separation of the sister chromatids was observed more frequently and decondensation of the telomeric region tended to increase in frequency. We suggest that structural changes in the proteins involved in DNA compaction may have led to the decondensation of the telomeric region, making the DNA susceptible to breaks. Moreover, early separation of the sister chromatids may have occurred due to changes in the mobility of chromosomes or proteins that keep the sister chromatids together. The comet assay confirmed the genotoxicity of aluminum sulfate in the kidney tissue of Rhamdia quelen at the three doses of exposure.     

Streptomyces brasiliscabiei,a new species causing potato scab in south Brazil

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - This study aimed to characterize six Streptomyces strains associated with potato scab in south Brazil through polyphasic taxonomy involving morphology, pathogenicity and...     

Efficient induction of microspore embryogenesis using abscisic acid,jasmonic acid and salicylic acid in Brassica napus L

The stress hormones abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) play an important role in the regulation of physiological processes and are often used in tissue culture to promote somatic embryogenesis and to enhance the quality of somatic embryos. Despite many studies on Brassica napus microspore culture, the effects of stress hormones (ABA, JA and SA) on microspore embryogenesis are not well explored. In this study, the effects of three incubation periods (6, 12 and 24 h) at different levels of ABA, JA and SA (0, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 mg l^?1) on microspore embryogenesis of rapeseed (B. napus L.) cv. ‘Regent’ were investigated. ABA (0.5 mg l^?1 for 12 h) enhanced microspore embryogenesis by about threefold compared with untreated cultures and increased normal plantlet regeneration by 68 %. ABA treatment also effectively reduced secondary embryo formation at all concentrations tested but enhanced callusing at high levels, for example 67 % at 1.0 mg l^?1 for 24 h. Highest embryo yield (286.0 embryos Petri dish^?1) was achieved using 1.0 mg l^?1 JA for 24 h and highest normal plantlet regeneration (54 %) was observed in cultures exposed to 0.5 mg l^?1 JA for 12 h. JA (5.0 mg l^?1 for 24 h) also reduced the germination of microspore-derived embryos on regeneration medium by 21 %. SA at 0.2 and 0.5 mg l^?1 for 6 h increased microspore embryogenesis (184.0 and 193.4 embryos Petri dish^?1) relative to the control (136.2 embryos Petri dish^?1). However, SA did not improve normal regeneration, secondary embryo formation or callusing. Microspore embryogenesis and plant regeneration could be improved by ABA, JA as well as SA when the appropriate level and duration of incubation were selected.     

Survey of Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an Environmentally Protected Area in Brazil

Brazil is one of the most important endemic areas for leishmaniasis worldwide. Protected areas that are tourist attractions likely present an important risk of transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Furthermore, with the geographical expansion of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), several studies have recorded the occurrence of its vector, Lutzomyia longipalpis, and cases of human and canine VL in such tourist areas. The Parque Estadual do Sumidouro is an environmentally protected area located in the Brazilian Cerrado biome and in an important area endemic for leishmaniasis in the state of Minas Gerais. The purpose of this study was to monitor the sand fly fauna in areas of tourist activity in the park. Sampling was performed every month, from September 2011 to August 2013, using CDC light traps at six sites of differing environmental characteristics. Sampled specimens were identified following Galati (2003), and females were submitted to molecular techniques for the detection and identification of Leishmania DNA. A total of 4,675 sand fly specimens of 25 species belonging to nine genera were collected. The most abundant species were Micropygomyia quinquefer, Lutzomyia renei and Pintomyia pessoai, although only Pi. pessoai is implicated in the transmission of Leishmania braziliensis. The species accumulation curve reached saturation on the 16th sampling event. Species richness, diversity and evenness differed among the sampled areas. The seasonal curve was not determined by a single unique species, and no single species was the most abundant in all environments sampled. The main vector of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum, Lutzomyia longipalpis, accounted for only 5.35% of the specimens collected. Proven or suspected vectors of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis were recorded, and one female of the cortellezzii complex tested positive for Le. braziliensis DNA. Even with a low infection rate (0.62%), these data indicate the circulation of the parasite and reinforce the need for entomological and epidemiological surveillance in the park and its surroundings.     

Full-length infectious clone of a low passage dengue virus serotype 2 from Brazil

Full-length dengue virus (DENV) cDNA clones are an invaluable tool for many studies, including those on the development of attenuated or chimeric vaccines and on host-virus interactions. Furthermore, the importance of low passage DENV infectious clones should be highlighted, as these may harbour critical and unique strain-specific viral components from field-circulating isolates. The successful construction of a functional Brazilian low passage DENV serotype 2 full-length clone through homologous recombination reported here supports the use of a strategy that has been shown to be highly useful by our group for the development of flavivirus infectious clones and replicons.     

Sympathetic glial cells and macrophages develop different responses to Trypanosoma cruzi infection or lipopolysaccharide stimulation

Nitric oxide (NO) participates in neuronal lesions in the digestive form of Chagasdisease and the proximity of parasitised glial cells and neurons in damaged myentericganglia is a frequent finding. Glial cells have crucial roles in manyneuropathological situations and are potential sources of NO. Here, we investigateperipheral glial cell response to Trypanosoma cruzi infection toclarify the role of these cells in the neuronal lesion pathogenesis of Chagasdisease. We used primary glial cell cultures from superior cervical ganglion toinvestigate cell activation and NO production after T. cruziinfection or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure in comparison to peritonealmacrophages. T. cruzi infection was greater in glial cells, despitesimilar levels of NO production in both cell types. Glial cells responded similarlyto T. cruzi and LPS, but were less responsive to LPS thanmacrophages were. Our observations contribute to the understanding of Chagas diseasepathogenesis, as based on the high susceptibility of autonomic glial cells toT. cruzi infection with subsequent NO production. Moreover, our findingswill facilitate future research into the immune responses and activation mechanismsof peripheral glial cells, which are important for understanding the paradoxicalresponses of this cell type in neuronal lesions and neuroprotection.