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Biomedical science is rapidly developing in terms of more transparency, openness and reproducibility of scientific publications. This is even more important for all studies that are based on results from basic semen examination. Recently two concordant documents have been published: the 6th edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, and the International Standard ISO 23162:2021. With these tools, we propose that authors should be instructed to follow these laboratory methods in order to publish studies in peer-reviewed journals, preferable by using a checklist as suggested in an Appendix to this article.

The Group 3 Medulloblastoma (Grp3-MB) is an aggressive molecular subtype with a high incidence of metastasis and deaths. In this study, were used an RNA sequencing data (RNA-Seq) from a Brazilian cohort of MBs to identify hub genes associated with the metastatic risk. Data validation were performed by using multiple large datasets from MBs (GSE85217, GSE37418, and EGAS00001001953). DESeq2 package in R software was used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in our RNA-Seq data. The DEGs data were accessed to construct the modules/graphs of co-expression and to identify hub genes through Cytoscape platform. The coregulated genes were enriched by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was visualized by Cytoscape. The Kaplan-Meier plotter and ROC curves were used to validate the diagnostic and prognostic values of specific biomarkers identified through this model. We identified that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1 (ITPR1) as a downregulated hub gene, with a high diagnostic accuracy to Grp3-MBs and associated with tumor metastasis. In addition, we identified genes significantly correlated with ITPR1 that were associated with metastasis in Grp3-MB (ATP1A2, MTTL7A, and RGL1) and worst overall survival in MBs (ANTXR1 and RGL1). Our findings suggest that the ITPR1 hub gene is potentially involved in the metastatic process for Grp3-MB. Our data also provide evidence of targets that may serve as prognostic predictors and/or regulators for the metastatic process that maybe explored for further research of individualized therapy to Grp3-MBs.

Leaf spot diseases caused by fungi pose a serious threat to forage crops due to the reduced photosynthetic area, which dramatically affects yields. Aiming to expand knowledge of fungi causing leaf spot diseases in ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) from southern Brazil, a comprehensive survey was undertaken. Seven species of plant pathogenic fungi were encountered. All species were identified by using a polyphasic approach combining morphological, ecological, and molecular sequences of seven genomic loci (actin, calmodulin, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, histone, ITS, LSU, and partial translation elongation factor 1-α). The pathogenicity of representative strains of each species was also tested after artificial inoculations. Cercospora sp. G, Colletotrichum plurivorum, and Exserohilum rostratum represent new-host associations, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Pyrenophora nobleae, and Pyricularia oryzae are newly reported for Brazil, and Curvularia lolii is newly described. These results form the basis to identify these diseases in the field, which in the future can help agronomists and farmers to design strategies for integrated control and management in crop-livestock production systems.

Three new species of Lirata Cameron are described, Lirata basistriata sp. nov. (Brazil and French Guiana), Lirata maranhensis sp. nov. (Brazil) and Lirata spinaelevis sp. nov. (French Guiana). A diagnosis for the genus Lirata is provided, as well as descriptions, images and discussions for new species. In addition, we provide an identification key for the eight species of Lirata. Peculiar phenotypic features are discussed based on proposed relationships of the species as well related genera within the Kapala clade, using both morphological and molecular data.

O cumaru (Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) é uma leguminosa da família Fabaceae, suas sementes são muito utilizadas na extração do óleo, o qual é bastante utilizado pela medicina popular como antiespasmódico, tônico, anti-inflamatório, reumatismos e antimicrobiano. A cumarina está presente na semente e também em toda a extensão da planta. O objetivo deste trabalho foi obter o óleo da semente e o extrato de folhas, realizar ensaios biológicos com o extrato e elaboração de um produto biotecnológico. O estudo foi realizado no laboratório de Química Orgânica da Universidade Federal do Amazonas, no qual as sementes foram coletadas, maceradas, para extração do óleo, em seguida, se realizou análise por cromatografia de camada delgada (CCD) do óleo da semente. As folhas foram maceradas, e preparadas as exsicatas, utilizou-se o óleo na produção do produto e para os ensaios biológicos frente às bactérias: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae. Os resultados obtidos da extração das sementes foram o óleo e os cristais brancos em forma de agulha. Após análises cromatográficas (CCD) do extrato das folhas foi possível observar a presença de cumarina. O ensaio biológico com os cristais frente às bactérias S. aureus, E. coli, K. Pneumoniae apresentou halo de inibição. Assim, o óleo e a cumarina presentes na semente podem atuar como antibacteriano natural para o tratamento de várias doenças infecciosas causadas pela bactéria S. aureus. Foi possível formular um creme hidratante incorporando o óleo obtido da semente. Palavras-chave: Extração do Óleo. Cumarina. Produto Biotecnológico. Abstract Coumaru (Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) is a legume of the Fabaceae family, its seeds are widely used in oil extraction, which is widely used by folk medicine as an antispasmodic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, rheumatism and antimicrobial. Coumarin is present in the seed and also in the entire length of the plant. The objective of this work was to obtain the seed oil or the leaf extract, to perform biological tests with the extract and to elaborate a biotechnological product. The study was carried out in the Organic Chemistry laboratory, where the seeds were collected, macerated, for oil extraction, then a CCD analysis of the seed oil was carried out, the leaves were macerated, and the exsiccates were prepared, the oil was used in the product production and for biological tests against bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results obtained from the seeds extraction were oil and white crystals. After a chromatographic analysis (CCD) of the leaf extract, it was possible to observe the presence of coumarin. The biological assay with the crystals against the bacteria S. aureus, E. coli, K. Pneumoniae showed an inhibition halo. Thus, the oil and coumarin present in the seed can act as a natural antibacterial for the treatment of various infectious diseases caused by the bacteria S. aureus. It was possible to formulate a moisturizing cream incorporating the oil obtained from the seed. Keywords: Cumaru Oil Extraction. Coumarin. Biotechnological Product.

ObjectiveTo analyze the effects of pregnancy on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) according to patients' serostatus and immunosuppressive therapy (IST).MethodsWe performed a retrospective multicenter international study on patients with NMOSD. Patients were tested for aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies (Ab). Informative pregnancies were reported when NMOSD onset occurred before or during pregnancy or up to 12 months postpartum. The mean annualized relapse rate (ARR) was calculated for the 12 months before conception, for each trimester of pregnancy, and postpartum. Events such as miscarriage, abortion, and preeclampsia were reported. IST was considered if taken in the 3 months before or during pregnancy.ResultsWe included 89 pregnancies (46 with AQP4-Ab, 30 with MOG-Ab, and 13 without either Ab) in 58 patients with NMOSD. Compared to the prepregnancy period, the ARR was lower during pregnancy in each serostatus group and higher during the postpartum period in patients with AQP4-Ab (p < 0.01). Forty-eight percent (n = 31) of pregnancies occurred during IST and these patients presented fewer relapses during pregnancy and the 12 months postpartum than untreated patients (26% vs 53%, p = 0.04). Miscarriages occurred in 10 (11%) pregnancies, and were mainly in patients with AQP4-Ab (with or without IST) and a previous history of miscarriage. Preeclampsia was reported in 2 (2%) patients who were AQP4-Ab-positive.ConclusionWe found a rebound in the ARR during the first postpartum trimester that was higher than the prepregnancy period only in AQP4-Ab-positive patients. Taking IST just before or during pregnancy reduces the risk of relapses in these conditions.

The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions (using the preferred attribute elicitation [PAE] methodology) and acceptance of frozen dessert processed with water-soluble extract of rice byproduct and added with prebiotic components (long-chain inulin, medium-chain inulin, oligofructose, or polydextrose, 5 g/100 g) by vegan or nonvegan consumers. Most of the elicited attributes (9 out of 13 attributes, yellow color, brightness, creamy appearance, passion fruit aroma, sweet taste, passion fruit flavor, acid taste, sour taste, and creamy texture) were considered important for the characterization and/or acceptance of the frozen dessert formulations by both groups (vegan and nonvegan), but the order of importance was different between the groups. The sensory profile (Rv = 0.48, P = 0.03 in MFA) of the frozen dessert formulations was similar between vegan and nonvegan groups, and polydextrose contributed to increase firmness/consistency of the frozen dessert, while long-chain inulin contributed to the increase in the creaminess of the products. Finally, oligofructose and polydextrose could reduce the sour taste of the products. The consumers gave scores from 6 to 8 in a 9-point hedonic scale for the products, suggesting suitable acceptance. However, vegan consumers gave lower scores for the same products. In conclusion, PAE methodology can be used to compare the perception of different consumer groups, and vegan and nonvegan consumers have a similar perception about prebiotic frozen dessert processed with water-soluble extract of rice byproduct. Furthermore, the frozen dessert developed had suitable consumer acceptance, although vegan gave lower scores than nonvegan consumers. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This is the first study involving the development of prebiotic frozen dessert from water-soluble extract of rice byproduct and application of PAE to assess the sensory perception of vegan and nonvegan consumers. The results are important for the industry as they indicate that the PAE methodology can be used to characterize food products, compare the perception of different consumer groups, and elicit attributes that are important for the products, suggesting that universal marketing strategies could be used and that the developed frozen dessert could serve both vegan consumers and those on conventional diets.

International audience; Background: Ofatumumab, a subcutaneous anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, selectively depletes B cells. Teriflunomide, an oral inhibitor of pyrimidine synthesis, reduces T-cell and B-cell activation. The relative effects of these two drugs in patients with multiple sclerosis are not known.Methods: In two double-blind, double-dummy, phase 3 trials, we randomly assigned patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis to receive subcutaneous ofatumumab (20 mg every 4 weeks after 20-mg loading doses at days 1, 7, and 14) or oral teriflunomide (14 mg daily) for up to 30 months. The primary end point was the annualized relapse rate. Secondary end points included disability worsening confirmed at 3 months or 6 months, disability improvement confirmed at 6 months, the number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions per T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, the annualized rate of new or enlarging lesions on T2-weighted MRI, serum neurofilament light chain levels at month 3, and change in brain volume.Results: Overall, 946 patients were assigned to receive ofatumumab and 936 to receive teriflunomide; the median follow-up was 1.6 years. The annualized relapse rates in the ofatumumab and teriflunomide groups were 0.11 and 0.22, respectively, in trial 1 (difference, -0.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.16 to -0.06; P

The objective of this study was to evaluate soil macrofauna as a bioindicator of soil quality in successional agroforestry systems and secondary forests. The study was conducted in the southern lower region of Bahia in Brazil, in two areas: a successional agroforestry system (AFS18) and native forest (NF). AFS18 consists of two species: mahogany (Khaya ivorensis and Khaya grandifoliola), açaí (Euterpe oleracea), cacao (Theobroma cacau) and banana (Musa spp.). Sampling was carried out in the dry (June) and rainy (October) seasons of 2019, and eight soil monoliths were collected in both areas. A total of 889 individuals from the soil macrofauna were sampled. The highest frequency (RF) of taxons occurred in NF in the rainy season, and the groups that stood out were: Oligochaeta with 42% FR in ASF18, Formicide with 33.9% in NF and Isoptera with 58% in AFS18. The macrofauna structure of the soil varied according to the time of collection. The density of macrofauna individuals differed between areas only in the dry season. The highest number of ind.m² was observed in the area NF (378) when compared to ASF18 (196). TOC, Mg2+, Al3+ and CTC were related to AF on both occasions of collection and AFS18 in the rainy season, K+, P and pH were associated with AFS18 in the dry season. The diversity, equitability and richness of the soil macrofauna was greater in AF area. HFA18 in the rainy season was similar to NF, favoring colonization of the area by soil macrofauna organisms. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la macrofauna del suelo como bioindicador de la calidad del suelo en sistemas agroforestales sucesionales y bosques secundarios. El estudio se llevó a cabo en la región sur baja de Bahía en Brasil, en dos áreas: un sistema agroforestal sucesional (AFS18) y un bosque nativo (NF). El AFS18 está formado por dos especies: caoba (Khaya ivorensis y Khaya grandifoliola), açaí (Euterpe oleracea), cacao (Theobroma cacau) y plátano (Musa spp.). El muestreo se realizó en las estaciones seca (junio) y lluviosa (octubre) de 2019, y se recogieron ocho monolitos de suelo en ambas zonas. Se muestrearon un total de 889 individuos de la macrofauna del suelo. La mayor frecuencia (FR) de taxones se dio en NF en la época de lluvias, y los grupos que destacaron fueron: Oligochaeta con un 42% de FR en ASF18, Formicida con un 33,9% en NF e Isoptera con un 58% en AFS18. La estructura de la macrofauna del suelo varió en función de la época de recogida. La densidad de los individuos de la macrofauna difirió entre las zonas sólo en la estación seca. El mayor número de ind.m² se observó en la zona NF (378) en comparación con la zona ASF18 (196). El COT, el Mg2+, el Al3+ y el CTC se relacionaron con la AF en ambas ocasiones de recolección y con la AFS18 en la estación lluviosa, el K+, el P y el pH se asociaron con la AFS18 en la estación seca. La diversidad, equitatividad y riqueza de la macrofauna del suelo fue mayor en la zona de AF. El AFS18 en la estación lluviosa fue similar al NF, favoreciendo la colonización de la zona por los organismos de la macrofauna del suelo. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a macrofauna do solo como um bioindicador da qualidade do solo em sistemas agroflorestais sucessionais e florestas secundárias. O estudo foi realizado na região do baixo sul da Bahia no Brasil, em duas áreas: um sistema agroflorestal sucessório (AFS18) e floresta nativa (NF). O AFS18 consiste em duas espécies: mogno (Khaya ivorensis e Khaya grandifoliola), açaí (Euterpe oleracea), cacau (Theobroma cacau) e banana (Musa spp.). A amostragem foi realizada nas estações seca (junho) e chuvosa (outubro) de 2019, e oito monólitos de solo foram coletados em ambas as áreas. Um total de 889 indivíduos da macrofauna do solo foram amostrados. A maior freqüência (RF) de táxons ocorreu na NF na estação chuvosa, e os grupos que se destacaram foram: Oligochaeta com 42% RF na ASF18, Formicida com 33,9% na NF e Isoptera com 58% na AFS18. A estrutura macrofaunística do solo variou de acordo com o tempo de coleta. A densidade dos indivíduos da macrofauna diferiu entre as áreas somente na estação seca. O maior número de ind.m² foi observado na área NF (378) quando comparado com a ASF18 (196). TOC, Mg2+, Al3+ e CTC foram relacionados com AF em ambas as ocasiões de coleta e AFS18 na estação chuvosa, K+, P e pH foram associados com AFS18 na estação seca. A diversidade, equitabilidade e riqueza da macrofauna do solo foi maior na área AF. O HFA18 na estação chuvosa foi semelhante ao NF, favorecendo a colonização da área por organismos da macrofauna do solo.

This review aims to elucidate the new functions of metabolic enzymes and how they impact and modulate the activation and differentiation of immune cells. Macrophages and T cells are components of the innate and adaptive immune systems and play an important role in several diseases. To perform their function, these cells undergo activation and differentiation. It is appreciated that immune cells concurrently reprogram their metabolism of glucose, amino acid, and fatty acid to generate energy and substances essential to perform their function. It was recently described that some metabolism-involved enzymes have unconventional functions upon immune cells. For instance, hexokinase can act as a sensor for bacterial antigens and, in some cases, activate inflammasome assembly. On the other hand, GAPDH and PKM2 regulate the expression of some cytokines, whereas LDH-A blocks the inflammatory response and stearoyl-CoA desaturase promotes the survival of the immune cells. Here, we summarize the recent findings of the non-canonical role of metabolism-related enzymes, mainly in glycolysis, since the influence of these little-known functions in immune cells and immune-mediated diseases is still a focus of recent works. Understanding and appreciating these enzymes and their mechanisms of action may assist in the development of new therapeutic strategies for autoimmunity, cancer, and transplantation.

The objective of this work was to study voluntary consumption by goats in the Caatinga biome, identifying the main species of plants consumed in two research areas and analyzing their bromatology. The consumption observation work was carried out in two different areas of the semi-arid region of Alagoas, municipalities of São José da Tapera and Santana do Ipanema. The plants were identified through visual analysis of the samples. For bromatological analysis, the samples were defoliated, weighed and frozen during the follow-up period. The samples were packed in styrofoam boxes with ice and sent to the Animal Nutrition Laboratory - LANA, CENA / USP. In the area of ​​São José da Tapera, it was seen that the consumption of goats occurred from 7 am to 5 pm, while in the area of ​​Santana do Ipanema the same occurred between 7 am and 4:16 pm. The most consumed plants were: Jurema Preta (Mimosa hostilis Benth), Malva Branca (Malva sylvestris), Catingueira (Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tul.), Juazeiro (Zizyphus joazeiro Mart.), Canopy (Croton heliotropiifolius Kunt.), Capim milishã (Digitaria sanguinalisinal ) and quince (Croton sonderianus Mull. Arg.). For the results of bromatology, the plants that stood out in the production of protein were bush grass, black jurema, angico and canopy. The highest yields of organic matter were obtained from catingueira, jurema-preta, mauve-branco and angico. It was concluded that the method used proved to be efficient in the study of the most consumed forages, the frequent selectivity of the animals and the need for a large quantity of species per area to supply the voluntary selective consumption of goats in native pasture. On the other hand, the method does not change the animals' routine, nor does it harm their health and allows for greater interaction between the researcher and the research environment. KEYWORDS: Bromatology;Goat breeding;Animal nutrition;Semi-arid. RESUMO: Objetivou-se com este trabalho estudar o consumo voluntário por caprinos no bioma Caatinga, identificando as principais espécies de plantas consumidas em duas áreas de pesquisa e analisando sua bromatologia. O trabalho de observação do consumo foi desenvolvido em duas áreas distintas do semiárido alagoano, municípios de São José da Tapera e Santana do Ipanema. A identificação das plantas se deu através de análise visual das amostras. Para análise bromatológica, as amostras foram desfolhadas, pesadas e congeladas durante o período de acompanhamento. As amostras foram acondicionadas em caixas de isopor com gelo e enviadas para o Laboratório de Nutrição Animal – LANA, CENA/USP. Na área de São José da Tapera, foi visto que o consumo dos caprinos se deu das 7h às 17h, enquanto que na área de Santana do Ipanema o mesmo se deu entre as 7h ás 16h16min. As plantas mais consumidas foram: Jurema Preta (Mimosa hostilisBenth), Malva Branca (Malva sylvestris), Catingueira (Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tul.), Juazeiro (Zizyphus joazeiro Mart.), Velame (Croton heliotropiifolius Kunt.), Capim milhã (Digitaria sanguinalis) e Marmeleiro (Croton sonderianus Mull. Arg.). Para os resultados de bromatologia as plantas que se destacara em produção de proteína foram mata-pasto, jurema-preta, angico e velame. As maiores produções de matéria orgânica foram obtidas na catingueira, jurema-preta, malva-branca e angico. Concluiu-se que o método utilizado mostrou-se eficiente no estudo das forrageiras mais consumidas, da seletividade frequente dos animais e da necessidade de grande quantidade de espécie por área para suprir o consumo seletivo voluntário dos caprinos em pastagem nativa. Por outro lado, o método não muda a rotina dos animais, nem prejudica sua saúde e possibilita uma maior interação entre pesquisador e ambiente de pesquisa. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Bromatologia; Caprinocultura; Nutrição animal; Semiárido.

We herein present a Brazilian guideline for the management of feline sporotrichosis, a mycosis caused by Sporothrix brasiliensis. This guideline is an effort of a national technical group organized by the Working Group on Sporothrix and Sporotrichosis of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM). This publication intends to provide information on clinical-epidemiological aspects of this zoonosis, as well as a literature revision. Moreover, it gives some practical information on diagnosis and treatment of feline sporotrichosis. It also contains information that can be helpful for the prevention and control of S. brasiliensis transmission.

Integrins are cell adhesion receptors that transmit bidirectional signals across the plasma membrane. They are noncovalently linked heterodimeric molecules consisting of two subunits and act as biomarkers in several pathologies. Thus, according to the increase of therapeutic antibody production, some efforts have been applied to produce anti-integrin antibodies. Here, we purposed to evaluate methods of generation and identification of the binding pose of integrin-antibody complexes, through protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulations, and propose a strategy to assure the confidence of the final model and avoid false-positive poses. The results show that ClusPro and GRAMM-X were the best programs to generate the native pose of integrin-antibody complexes. Furthermore, we were able to recover and to ensure that the selected pose is the native one by using a simple rule. All complexes from ClusPro in which the first model had the lowest energy, at least 5% more negative than the second one, were correctly predicted. Therefore, our methodology seems to be efficient to avoid misranking of wrong poses for integrin-antibody complexes. In cases where the rule is inconclusive, we proposed the use of heated molecular dynamics to identify the native pose characterized by RMSDi

Flower and pod abortions in large quantities are commonly observed in soybean plants. In normal conditions of crop cultivation, flower abortion is commonly above 60%. Among the strategies that may promote great flower and pod set in soybean, there is the use of plant growth regulators and foliar applications of calcium. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of different doses of plant growth regulator and the calcium sprayed on the agronomic performance of soybean plants. Five doses of systemic bioregulator (cytokinin) and five doses of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) were applied in a 5 x 5 factorial arrangement with four replications field implemented in randomized block design. Soybean plant biometrics, the calcium content in different plant parts and crop yield were recorded. None of the treatments had a significant effect on the characteristics observed. The result was probably due to adequate conditions that prevailed during the soybean cropping cycle. In fact, flower and pod abortions happen when plants experience water stress during the flowering period. This lack of any treatment effect indicated the importance of regular and trustful monitoring of crop important variables to prevent routine applications of growth regulator and calcium. Key words: Glycine max, cytokinin, calcium carbonate, plant biometrics, crop yield.

Introdução: Na última década foram produzidos vários trabalhos que identificaram a população microbiana intestinal humana como um dos braços do projeto Microbioma e posteriormente mais estudos que associaram populações específicas de microorganismos a determinadas funções e processos metabólicos no organismo, entre as diversas vertentes de estudo ressalta-se aqui a influência da microbiota no processo de obesidade e emagrecimento. Objetivo: Realizar revisão sistemática da literatura sobre as implicações da microbiota intestinal humana na gênese da obesidade e no processo de emagrecimento. Materiais e métodos: Revisão sistemática realizada entre agosto e setembro de 2020, de acordo os critérios PRISMA. Utilizou-se das bases de dados PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) e Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) para a pesquisa. Adotou-se exclusivamente o idioma inglês e apenas produções dos últimos 10 anos, com os seguintes termos e operadores: (Human Gut microbiota and obesity OR dysbiosis and obesity OR human microbiota and weight loss). Resultados: Dos 16.917,000 artigos encontrados, selecionou-se um total de 53 artigos de melhor qualidade que respondessem as perguntas de pesquisa. Conclusão: Modificações da microbiota intestinal humana é capaz de contribuir para a gênese da obesidade, onde filos específicos de microorganismos são associados à maior absorção de energia, processos fermentativos, alterações no metabolismo da glicose e do colesterol, entre outras vias. Assim como os trabalhos que utilizaram da modulação da microbiota intestinal, seja através de modificações dietéticas ou uso de probióticos isoladamente e em conjunto demonstram efetividade no processo de emagrecimento e maior perda de peso sustentada em longo prazo.

The root knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne luci, recently added to the European Plant Protection Organization Alert List, represents a potential threat to the production of important solanaceous crops. RKN resistance in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is conferred by a single dominant gene. The objectives were to screen the RKN resistance Mi-1.2 gene in 27 tomato hybrids and cultivars and assess the ability of M. luci and M. ethiopica to reproduce on these accessions. Thirteen Mimi tomato genotypes, two MiMi and twelve lacking the Mi-1.2 gene (mimi) were identified. Tomato accessions Reconquista (MiMi) and Vimeiro F1, Paipai, Sahel, Agora F1, Amaral, Valoasis RZ F1 and SV1917 (Mimi) displayed a resistant reaction to both RKN species with a reproduction factor (Rf) ranging from 0.00 to 0.14. Significant differences in M. luci and M. ethiopica reproduction were detected among and within the Mi-1.2 allelic conditions, which may reflect a dosage effect of the gene as well as an influence of the plant’s genetic background, respectively. Results revealed that resistant tomato accessions carrying the resistant Mi gene have potential to be employed as an alternative to the use of nematicides aiming to control M. luci, and M. ethiopica and the most common RKN species.

A prevalent cause of sperm dysfunction in male infertility patients is the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, an attendant increase in lipid peroxidation and the production of cytotoxic reactive carbonyl species such as 4-hydroxynonenal. Our previous studies have implicated arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15) in the production of 4-hydroxynonenal in developing germ cells. Here, we have aimed to develop a further mechanistic understanding of the lipoxygenase-lipid peroxidation pathway in human spermatozoa. Through pharmacological inhibition studies, we identified a protective role for phospholipase enzymes in the liberation of peroxidised polyunsaturated fatty acids from the human sperm membrane. Our results also revealed that arachidonic acid, linoleic acid and docosahexanoic acid are key polyunsaturated fatty acid substrates for ALOX15. Upon examination of ALOX15 in the spermatozoa of infertile patients compared to their normozoospermic counterparts, we observed significantly elevated levels of ALOX15 protein abundance in the infertile population and an increase in 4-hydroxynonenal adducts. Collectively, these data confirm the involvement of ALOX15 in the oxidative stress cascade of human spermatozoa and support the notion that increased ALOX15 abundance in sperm cells may accentuate membrane lipid peroxidation and cellular dysfunction, ultimately contributing to male infertility.

Studies on the influence of dietary components and their effects are fundamental for nutrigenomics, or the study of how nutrients can be cellular sensors, how they affect biological processes and gene expression in different tissues. Lipids are an important source of fatty acids (FA) and energy and are fundamental to biological processes and influence the regulation of transcription. Pigs are excellent model to study nutrigenomics, particularly lipid metabolism because the deposition and composition of FA in their tissues reflect the composition of FA in their diet. Recent studies show that FA supplementation is important in production systems, such as growing and finishing pigs, as it can improve the energy value of the feed, help reduce costs, improve animal welfare, and influence the nutritional value of the meat. Studies show that oleic (OA), linoleic (LA), docosahexaenoic (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids are associated with the regulation of transcription in tissues such as muscle, liver, adipose tissue, and brain. Other studies indicate that EPA and DHA are associated with changes in specific signaling pathways, altering gene expression and biophysical properties of membranes. This review, therefore, focuses on the current knowledge of the effects of dietary FA on production traits and gene expression.

Cellular metabolism, with catabolic and anabolic pathways, is responsible to supply energy and essential molecules involved in cell growth and maintenance. In the last decade, evidence reported that cellular metabolism is an important regulator of immune cell differentiation and function. Immune cells, such as macrophages, B, and T cells are components of the innate and adaptive immune systems that play an important role in several diseases and homeostasis. To perform their function, these cells go through an activation and differentiation process intimately linked to a reprogram of their metabolism of glucose, amino acid, and fatty acid at the expense to generate energy and substances essential to support their function and survival. This chapter reviews the progress of research and the rapid growth of the immunometabolism field that has improved our understanding of the impact of metabolic pathways on immune cells’ commitment and fate. The role of metabolites and metabolic reprogramming involving B and T cells, macrophages, and DC activation and differentiation are discussed. Understanding how all these metabolic adaptations impact the activities of the immune cells in specific conditions, such as homeostasis, inflammation, immune diseases, and even in cancer becomes paramount to design strategies to envisage modulate the immune response in these contexts.

Background: Besides the well-accepted role in lipid metabolism, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) also seems to participate in host immune response against infectious diseases. Objective: We used a quantitative proteome approach to test the hypothesis that alterations in HDL proteome associate with severity of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Based on clinical criteria, subjects (n=41) diagnosed with COVID-19 were divided into two groups: a group of subjects presenting mild symptoms and a second group displaying severe symptoms and requiring hospitalization. Using a proteomic approach, we quantified the levels of 29 proteins in HDL particles derived from these subjects. Results: We showed that the levels of serum amyloid A 1 and 2 (SAA1 and SAA2, respectively), pulmonary surfactant-associated protein B (SFTPB), apolipoprotein F (APOF), and inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 (ITIH4) were increased by more than 50% in hospitalized patients, independently of sex, HDL-C or triglycerides when comparing with subjects presenting only mild symptoms. Altered HDL proteins were able to classify COVID-19 subjects according to the severity of the disease (error rate 4.9%). Moreover, apolipoprotein M (APOM) in HDL was inversely associated with odds of death due to COVID-19 complications (odds ratio [OR] per 1-SD increase in APOM was 0.27, with 95% confidence interval [CI] of 0.07 to 0.72, P=0.007). Conclusion: Our results point to a profound inflammatory remodeling of HDL proteome tracking with severity of COVID-19 infection. They also raise the possibility that HDL particles could play an important role in infectious diseases.

Hemoparasitosis are diseases of great importance in the practice of a small animal’s veterinarian, due to their high number of cases in the clinical routine of these species, and the wide occurrence of their vectors. Related to hemoparasitosis in dogs, the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus has the greatest importance due to parasitizing dogs, perpetuating hemoparasitosis in this host group. The present work describes a literature review about the three main hemoparasitosis in the routine of a veterinarian in Brazil, ehrlichiosis, caused by Ehrlichia canis, babesiosis caused by the protozoa Babesia canis and Babesia gibsoni, and anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma platys, comparing them regarding the differences between clinical signs and laboratory alterations, such as the different types of anemia caused by these conditions that culminate in clinical signs related to them. It also aims to describe the similarity in the diagnostic techniques used and infection treatments, which in all cases is used tetracycline, the most commonly used is doxycycline, and highlight the need for further studies about this topic. Las hemoparasitosis son enfermedades de gran importancia en el papel del veterinario de pequeños animales, debido a su elevado número de casos en la rutina clínica de estas especies, y la amplia ocurrencia de sus vectores. Relacionada con la hemoparasitosis en perros, la garrapata Rhipicephalus sanguineus tiene la mayor importancia para parasitar a los perros, perpetuando la hemoparasitosis en este grupo de hospedadores. El presente trabajo describe una revisión de la literatura sobre las tres principales hemoparasitosis en la rutina del veterinario en Brasil, la ehrlichiosis, causada por Ehrlichia canis, la babesiosis causada por los protozoos Babesia canis y Babesia gibsoni, y la anaplasmosis causada por Anaplasma platys, comparándolas, tales como las diferencias entre signos clínicos y alteraciones de laboratorio, como los diferentes tipos de anemia provocada por estas condiciones que culminan en signos clínicos relacionados con ellos. También se pretende describir la similitud en las técnicas diagnósticas empleadas y en el tratamiento de las infecciones, que en todos los casos es con el uso de tetraciclina, la más utilizada es la doxiciclina, y resaltar la necesidad de realizar más estudios sobre este tema. As hemoparasitoses são doenças de grande importância na atuação do médico veterinário de pequenos animais, devido a sua elevada casuística na rotina clínica dessas espécies, e da ampla ocorrência de seus vetores. Relacionado às hemoparasitoses de cães, o carrapato Rhipicephalus sanguineus tem a maior importância por parasitar cães, perpetuando hemoparasitoses nesse grupo de hospedeiro. O presente trabalho descreve uma revisão de literatura acerca das três principais hemoparasitoses na rotina do médico veterinário do Brasil, a erliquiose, causada pela Ehrlichia canis, a babesiose causada pelos protozoários Babesia canis e Babesia gibsoni e a anaplasmose causada pela Anaplasma platys, comparando-as, como as diferenças entre os sinais clínicos e alterações laboratoriais, a exemplo dos diferentes tipos de anemias causados por essas afecções que culminam em sinais clínicos relacionados a elas. Visa também descrever a semelhança nas técnicas de diagnóstico empregadas e no tratamento das infecções, que em todos os casos é com a utilização de tetraciclina, mais comumente empregada a doxicicilina e salientar a necessidade de mais estudos sobre esse tema.

Purpose\ud Much of the heredity of melanoma remains unexplained. We sought predisposing germline copy-number variants using a rare disease approach.\ud \ud Methods\ud Whole-genome copy-number findings in patients with melanoma predisposition syndrome congenital melanocytic nevus were extrapolated to a sporadic melanoma cohort. Functional effects of duplications in PPP2R3B were investigated using immunohistochemistry, transcriptomics, and stable inducible cellular models, themselves characterized using RNAseq, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), reverse phase protein arrays, immunoblotting, RNA interference, immunocytochemistry, proliferation, and migration assays.\ud \ud Results\ud We identify here a previously unreported genetic susceptibility to melanoma and melanocytic nevi, familial duplications of gene PPP2R3B. This encodes PR70, a regulatory unit of critical phosphatase PP2A. Duplications increase expression of PR70 in human nevus, and increased expression in melanoma tissue correlates with survival via a nonimmunological mechanism. PPP2R3B overexpression induces pigment cell switching toward proliferation and away from migration. Importantly, this is independent of the known microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF)-controlled switch, instead driven by C21orf91. Finally, C21orf91 is demonstrated to be downstream of MITF as well as PR70.\ud \ud Conclusion\ud This work confirms the power of a rare disease approach, identifying a previously unreported copy-number change predisposing to melanocytic neoplasia, and discovers C21orf91 as a potentially targetable hub in the control of phenotype switching.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:01:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-01-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris, Gray 1828) are widely distributed in tropical waters around the world. Although they occur in large, pelagic groups in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, elsewhere in the Pacific they are found in small and genetically isolated populations associated with islands. This species is considered to be “Least Concern” (LC) by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). To assess genetic diversity and population structure of an island-associated population in the South Atlantic Ocean we surveyed 162 spinner dolphins throughout the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago of the northeast coast of Brazil using ten microsatellite loci and sequencing a 413-bp section of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region. Eleven mtDNA haplotypes were identified and haplotype diversity (h) and nucleotide diversity (π) were 0.3747 and 0.0060, respectively. Median-Joining Network revealed the presence of two very divergent haplotypes and F-statistics indicated some heterogeneity between two sampling years. All microsatellite loci were polymorphic (Ho: 0.767; He: 0,764) but, revealed no detectable substructure. We also compared the mtDNA haplotypes from Noronha to 159 haplotypes representing 893 individuals from 14 locations worldwide. We found that the two common haplotypes from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago were absent in all other populations. These comparisons showed that Noronha spinner dolphins are likely more differentiated than other island populations, suggesting that they form societies with strong site fidelity mediated by females. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Genética Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Campus do Litoral Paulista Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Marine Mammal Institute Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Genética Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Campus do Litoral Paulista Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP)

Metabolomic approaches can assess the actual state of an organism’s energy metabolism during a specific morphological event, providing a more accurate insight into the correlations between physiology and metabolic regulation. The study of the metabolomic profile aim to identify the largest possible number of biomolecules in a certain organism or specific structures. For this purpose, mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography have been used in the present study. In this context, the aim of the present work is to evaluate the glucose metabolomic profile during embryogenesis in Rhipicephalus microplus tick, investigating the dynamics of nutrient utilization during tick embryo formation, as well as the control of glucose metabolism. We show that glycogen reserves are preferentially mobilized to sustain the energy-intensive process of embryogenesis. Subsequently, the increase in concentration of specific amino acids indicates that protein degradation would provide carbons to fuel gluconeogenesis, supplying the embryo with sufficient glucose and glycogen during development. Altogether, these results demonstrated the presence of a very refined catabolic and anabolic control during embryogenesis in R. microplus tick, suggesting the pronounced gluconeogenesis as a strategy to secure embryo development. Moreover, this research contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms that control glucose metabolism during tick embryogenesis and may aid the identification of putative targets for novel chemical or immunological control methods, which are essential to improve the prevention of tick infestations.

The increasing availability of high-quality genomic, annotation and phenotypic data for different species contrasts with the lack of general software for comparative genomics that integrates these data types in a statistically sound framework in order to produce biologically meaningful knowledge. In this work, we present CALANGO (Comparative AnaLysis with ANnotation-based Genomic cOmponentes), a first-principles comparative genomics tool to search for annotation terms, such as GO terms or Pfam domain IDs, associated with a quantitative variable used to rank species data, after correcting for phylogenetic relatedness. This information can be used to annotate genomes at any level, including protein domains, genes, or promoters, allowing comparative analyses of genomes at several resolutions and from distinct functional and evolutionary angles. CALANGO outputs a set of HTML5 files that can be opened in any conventional web browser, featuring interactive heatmaps, scatter plots, and tables, stimulating scientific reproducibility, data sharing, and exploratory analysis. Detailed results and a reproducibility-focused data structure are also returned after each run of the tool. CALANGO provides classic association statistics used in comparative genomics, including correlation coefficients, probabilities, and phylogeny-aware linear models. To illustrate how CALANGO can be used to produce biologically meaningful, statistically sound knowledge, we present a case study of the co-evolution of Escherichia coli and their integrated bacteriophages (prophages). Through controlled in silico experiments, we demonstrate that terms from a functional annotation are both more prevalent across genomes and more abundant than the homology-based annotation terms commonly used in traditional comparative genomics studies. This result demonstrates how GO-based annotation captures information of non-homologous sequences fulfilling the same biological roles. Most homologous regions positively associated with prophage occurrence are found in genes of viral origin (e.g. capsids, lysozymes, and integrases), as expected, while the second most abundant category is virulence factors. The removal of viral genes demonstrated that most of the virulence factors associated with prophage density are located outside viral genes, suggesting a more complex biological process than the archetypal bacteriophage-mediated horizontal gene transfer of virulence factors. The functional annotation performed by CALANGO revealed several GO terms describing general and specific aspects of viral biology (e.g. "viral life cycle", "DNA integration"). We also found an association of the GO term "pathogenicity", used to annotate several non-homologous virulence factors, as well as terms describing several known virulence mechanisms in pathogenic E. coli (e.g. "Type III secretion system"). Moreover, CALANGO also detected previously unknown associations that unveil a richer scenario of the bacteriophage-host biological interaction. An interesting example is the association of GO term "response to stress", used to annotate several classes of non-homologous genes components of distinct stress response mechanisms (e.g. peroxidases, DNA repair enzymes, heat shock proteins), indicating that the horizontal transfer of such genes may be adaptive for host cells and, consequently, advantageous for the integrated prophages as well. CALANGO is provided as a fully operational, out-of-the-box R package that can be freely installed directly from CRAN. Usage examples and longer-format documentation are also available at https://fcampelo.github.io/CALANGO/.

CAN is a common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) strongly related to cardiovascular (CV) disease, contributing to high morbidity and mortality. HDL is inversely related to CV disease due to its ability in removing excess cholesterol from cells and antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasodilation actions. Apart from plasma HDL cholesterol (HDLc) and apoA-I levels that are not invariably changed in T1D, HDL proteomics may contribute to understand HDL functionality and its association with CAN. A total of 50 individuals with T1D with or without CAN were selected to assess the proteome of HDL subfractions (HDL2 and HDL3). CAN evaluation was performed by Ewing test using the Poly-Spectrum software. HDL subfractions were isolated by ultracentrifugation and proteomics analyzed by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Subjects with T1D with (n = 15) and without CAN (n = 35) did not differ in age, sex, body mass index, age at DM diagnosis, duration of DM, and fructosamine, HbA1c, total cholesterol, HDLc and triglycerides values. A total of 45 proteins were found in association with HDL2 and HDL3; three proteins were highlighted because they were more abundant in HDL2 from T1D with CAN: α1-microglobulin/bikunin precursor (AMBP), α1-acid glycoprotein (Orm1) and transthyretin (TTR) (Mann-Whitney test; P values In conclusion, three proteins with potential for involvement in the pathophysiology of CAN were more abundant in HDL2 in T1D presenting this chronic complication. Disclosure M. T. Toyoshima: None. A. Silva: None. M. M. Santana: None. G. E. Ronsein: None. M. Correa-giannella: None. M. Passarelli: None. Funding FAPESPCNPq

Introduction Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen, which has aroused considerable medical interest for being involved in cases of urinary tract infection. Aim Characterize the E. coli isolated both in the hospital and in the community. Methodology A total of 200 E. coli isolated in urine samples from hospital and community were evaluated in biofilm formation assay and hydrophobicity MATS method. Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed through agar-diffusion technique. Virulence and ESBL production genes were observed through the polymerase chain reaction amplification of papC, fimH, fliC, kpsMTII, blaTEM, blaCTX-M, blaSHV , and blaOXA. The phylogenetic classification was based on the pattern chuA and yjaA and the region TspE4.C2 by PCR Multiplex. Results A higher frequency of non-adherent or poorly adherent isolates was observed in the community group. Approximately 85% of the community isolates were distributed in the highest hydrophilicity group (p 0.05). About 14% of the hospital isolates were positive in the ESBL phenotypic detection test (p>0.05). Among the samples, 95% presented ESBL-encoding genes. The predominant phylogenetic group was B2 (78%). Community isolates showed a higher prevalence of virulence genes fimH, papC, and kpsMTII when compared to hospital samples. Conclusion These data confirm the worldwide trend that isolates in the community present sometimes higher levels of virulence and antimicrobial resistance.

BACKGROUNDIntensive research on sperm ion channels has identified members of several ion channel families in both mouse and human sperm. Gene knock-out studies have unequivocally demonstrated the importance of the calcium and potassium conductances in sperm for fertility. In both species, the calcium current is carried by the highly complex cation channel of sperm (CatSper). In mouse sperm, the potassium current has been conclusively shown to be carried by a channel consisting of the pore forming subunit SLO3 and auxiliary subunit leucine-rich repeat-containing 52 (LRRC52). However, in human sperm it is controversial whether the pore forming subunit of the channel is composed of SLO3 and/or SLO1. Deciphering the role of the proton-specific Hv1 channel is more challenging as it is only expressed in human sperm. However, definitive evidence for a role in, and importance for, human fertility can only be determined through studies using clinical samples.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALEThis review aims to provide insight into the role of sperm ion channels in human fertilization as evidenced from recent studies of sperm from infertile men. We also summarize the key discoveries from mouse ion channel knock-out models and contrast the properties of mouse and human CatSper and potassium currents. We detail the evidence for, and consequences of, defective ion channels in human sperm and discuss hypotheses to explain how defects arise and why affected sperm have impaired fertilization potential.SEARCH METHODSRelevant studies were identified using PubMed and were limited to ion channels that have been characterized in mouse and human sperm. Additional notable examples from other species are included as appropriate.OUTCOMESThere are now well-documented fundamental differences between the properties of CatSper and potassium channel currents in mouse and human sperm. However, in both species, sperm lacking either channel cannot fertilize in vivo and CatSper-null sperm also fail to fertilize at IVF. Sperm-lacking potassium currents are capable of fertilizing at IVF, albeit at a much lower rate. However, additional complex and heterogeneous ion channel dysfunction has been reported in sperm from infertile men, the causes of which are unknown. Similarly, the nature of the functional impairment of affected patient sperm remains elusive. There are no reports of studies of Hv1 in human sperm from infertile men.WIDER IMPLICATIONSRecent studies using sperm from infertile men have given new insight and critical evidence supporting the supposition that calcium and potassium conductances are essential for human fertility. However, it should be highlighted that many fundamental questions remain regarding the nature of molecular and functional defects in sperm with dysfunctional ion channels. The development and application of advanced technologies remains a necessity to progress basic and clinical research in this area, with the aim of providing effective screening methodologies to identify and develop treatments for affected men in order to help prevent failed ART cycles. Conversely, development of drugs that block calcium and/or potassium conductances in sperm is a plausible strategy for producing sperm-specific contraceptives.

Plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) is a chloroplast enzyme that catalyzes oxidation of plastoquinol (PQH2) and reduction of molecular oxygen to water. Its function has been associated with carotenoid biosynthesis, chlororespiration and environmental stress responses in plants. In the majority of plant species, a single gene encodes the protein and little is known about events of PTOX gene duplication and their implication to plant metabolism. Previously, two putative PTOX (PTOX1 and 2) genes were identified in Glycine max, but the evolutionary origin and the specific function of each gene was not explored. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that this gene duplication occurred apparently during speciation involving the Glycine genus ancestor, an event absent in all other available plant leguminous genomes. Gene expression evaluated by RT-qPCR and RNA-seq data revealed that both PTOX genes are ubiquitously expressed in G. max tissues, but their mRNA levels varied during development and stress conditions. In development, PTOX1 was predominant in young tissues, while PTOX2 was more expressed in aged tissues. Under stress conditions, the PTOX transcripts varied according to stress severity, i.e., PTOX1 mRNA was prevalent under mild or moderate stresses while PTOX2 was predominant in drastic stresses. Despite the high identity between proteins (97%), molecular docking revealed that PTOX1 has higher affinity to substrate plastoquinol than PTOX2. Overall, our results indicate a functional relevance of this gene duplication in G. max metabolism, whereas PTOX1 could be associated with chloroplast effectiveness and PTOX2 to senescence and/or apoptosis.

The study aimed to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) genotypes on energy production in the combustion form. A randomized block design with 3 repetitions was used. The treatments were arranged in subdivided plots scheme, considering as a plot the genotypes and as subplots, the harvest season. The agronomic characteristics plant height (H), leaf length (LL), leaf blade width (LBW), stem diameter (SD), tillers number (TN), stem percentage (SP), dry matter yield (DMY) were evaluated. The rainy season provided greater H to elephant grass genotypes with height above 3.5 m. The average SP obtained by the genotypes was 68.21% and 67.21% to the first and second year of cultivation, respectively, which gives the biomass good quality of burning. The rainy season provided greater DMY comparing to the dry season. In the first year of cultivation there were genotypes with annual dry matter yield (ADMY) above 50 ton ha-1 year-1, however, the non-maintenance of soil fertility promoted the reduction of 39.17% and 39.05% in the DMY and ADMY, respectively. Analyzing the agronomic characteristics, we conclude that the promising genotypes of elephant grass to produce energy in the form of direct combustion are CNPGL 91-25-1, Cubano Pinda, BRS Canará, Porto Rico and Mercker.

In response to climate change it is expected an increase in temperature and precipitation in subtropical regions of South America. Precipitation increases surface runoff, which leads to an increased input of nutrients and suspended solids in freshwater ecosystems, resulting in changes in turbidity and water color. We analyzed the effects of increased temperature and surface runoff (simulated by soil addition) on freshwater periphytic diatom communities through a bi-factorial (temperature: ambient and increased in 2.5°C; runoff: present and absent) experiment, simulating lentic waters in mesocosms of polyethylene. Diatom species richness was reduced by increased temperature. Further, runoff reduced species richness of high-profile and motile diatoms, while the interaction between temperature and runoff explained differences in relative abundances of the high-profile and planktonic (occurring occasionally entangled in the periphyton matrix) functional groups. The low-profile group was positively affected by soil addition. Temperature and runoff also affected the composition of all functional groups (low-profile, high-profile, motile, and planktonic diatoms). These results indicated different responses of diatom functional groups to temperature increase and surface runoff, showing the importance of considering ecological differences among functional groups to evaluate the possible consequences of climate change.

Although widely known for their involvement in the control of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism of vertebrates, the participation of catecholamines (CAs) in the metabolism of invertebrates is less understood. This study was designed to identify the physiological role of Epinephrine (E) in the intermediary metabolism of the burrowing crab Neohelice granulata and how E regulates the metabolism in crabs fed with a high-carbohydrate (HC) or a high-protein (HP) diet. To answer these questions, we evaluated in vivo the effects of E injections on glucose and triglycerides in the hemolymph and tissue glycogen levels of crabs fed with HC or HP diet. An in vitro investigation was carried out to assess the direct effects of E on glycogenolysis, lipolysis and glycolysis pathways in the hepatopancreas, mandibular muscle and anterior and posterior gills of this crab. E injections increased glucose and did not affect triglycerides levels in the hemolymph of either group of crabs, and E decreased glycogen in the hepatopancreas and mandibular muscle only in HP crabs, suggesting that these effects may be mediated by the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH). When the tissues were incubated with different concentrations of E, the concentration of glucose released to the medium decreased in the hepatopancreas and posterior gills, while glucose oxidation increased in the posterior gills of HP crabs. Incubation with E did not alter any parameter in tissues of HC crabs. These effects suggest that E may be involved in the metabolic response to osmotic stress.

Large and giant congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN) are rare melanocytic lesions mostly caused by postzygotic NRAS alteration. Molecular characterization is usually focused on NRAS and BRAF genes in a unique biopsy sample of the CMN. However, large/giant CMN may exhibit phenotypic differences among distinct areas, and patients differ in features such as presence of multiple CMN or spilus-like lesions. Herein, we have characterized a series of 21 large/giant CMN including patients with spilus-type nevi (9/21 patients, 42.8%). Overall, 53 fresh frozen biopsy samples corresponding to 40 phenotypically characterized areas of large/giant CMNs and 13 satellite lesions were analyzed with a multigene panel and RNA sequencing. Mutational screening showed mutations in 76.2% (16/21) of large/giant CMNs. A NRAS mutation was found in 57.1% (12/21) of patients, and mutations in other genes such as BRAF, KRAS, APC, and MET were detected in 14.3% (3/21) of patients. RNA sequencing showed the fusion transcript ZEB2-ALK and SOX5-RAF1 in large/giant CMN from two patients without missense mutations. Both alterations were not detected in unaffected skin and were detected in different areas of affected skin. These findings suggest that large/giant CMN may result from distinct molecular events in addition to NRAS mutations, including point mutations and fusion transcripts.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphogenetic and structural characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cv. marandu subjected to grazing management strategies. The treatments correspon...

Plant plastoquinol oxidase (PTOX) is a chloroplast oxidoreductase involved in carotenoid biosynthesis, chlororespiration, and response to environmental stresses. The present study aimed to gain insight of the potential role of nucleotide/amino acid changes linked to environmental adaptation in PTOX gene/protein from Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. SNPs in the single-copy PTOX gene were identified in 1190 accessions of Arabidopsis using the Columbia-0 PTOX as a reference. The identified SNPs were correlated with geographical distribution of the accessions according to altitude, climate, and rainfall. Among the 32 identified SNPs in the coding region of the PTOX gene, 16 of these were characterized as non-synonymous SNPs (in which an AA is altered). A higher incidence of AA changes occurred in the mature protein at positions 78 (31%), 81 (31.4%), and 323 (49.9%). Three-dimensional structure prediction indicated that the AA change at position 323 (D323N) leads to a PTOX structure with the most favorable interaction with the substrate plastoquinol, when compared with the reference PTOX structure (Columbia-0). Molecular docking analysis suggested that the most favorable D323N PTOX-plastoquinol interaction is due to a better enzyme-substrate binding affinity. The molecular dynamics revealed that plastoquinol should be more stable in complex with D323N PTOX, likely due a restraint mechanism in this structure that stabilize plastoquinol inside of the reaction center. The integrated analysis made from accession geographical distribution and PTOX SNPs indicated that AA changes in PTOX are related to altitude and rainfall, potentially due to an adaptive positive environmental selection.

In early 2017, an outbreak caused by an unknown and supposedly viral agent in the Marilena region of southern Brazil was investigated. Since the etiological agent causing the outbreak was not identified from human samples, mosquitoes from this region were collected. Three out of 121 mosquito pools collected from the region tested positive for alphavirus in molecular tests. Next generation sequencing results revealed the presence of a novel alphavirus, tentatively named here as Caainguá virus (CAAV). DNA barcoding analyses indicated that different species of Culex are hosts for CAAV. This new virus was basal to the New World encephalitic alphaviruses in a comprehensive and robust phylogenetic approach using complete genomes. Viral particles were observed in the cytosol and inside of intracellular compartments of cells in mosquito-derived cell cultures. Despite being noninfectious in vertebrate derived cell cultures, primary culturing of CAAV in human mononuclear cells suggests monocytes and lymphocytes as CAAV targets. However, the epidemiological link of CAAV on the human outbreak should be further explored.

Brazil has many mineral resources, one of them being phosphate rocks. Established in 1978, the current main mineral-processing route for the Brazilian phosphate rock igneous deposits consists in a direct flotation using alkaline-saponified fatty acids as collector. Looking for new sources of reactants to be used in mineral processing, commercial baker's yeast cells (BYC) from Fleishmann were tested. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was chosen because it is relatively easy to grow industrially, has no biological risk, and can be found worldwide. Microflotation experiments were conducted in a modified Hallimond's tube with high-purity apatite samples in order to investigate the influence of the pH and the biocollector dosage on the apatite recovery. High saponification levels for the BYC occurred many hours after its saponification and an optimal 96 h aging was established. The industrially adopted collector (Flotigam 5806 from Clariant) was used as collector benchmark. Apatite recoveries with the 96 h-aged saponified BYC were higher than with Flotigam 5806 (above 95% in all tested pH for dosages of saponified BYC ≥200 mg/L). Good results were found also at pH 7, which could lead to a reduction in the phosphate rock flotation pH in the future. No major differences were visually found between the 96h-aged saponified BYC and the Flotigam 5806 regarding the froth aspect and stability, suggesting that the biocollector possibly acted as a frother. Keywords: Bioflotation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Apatite, Hallimond tube

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is vector of several viruses including yellow fever virus, dengue virus chikungunya virus and Zika virus. One of the major problems involving these diseases transmission is that A. aegypti embryos are resistant to desiccation at the end of embryogenesis, surviving and remaining viable for several months inside the egg. Therefore, a fine metabolism control is essential to support these organisms throughout this period of resistance. The carbohydrate metabolism has been shown to be of great importance during arthropod embryogenesis, changing dramatically in order to promote growth and differentiation and in periods of resistance. This study investigated fundamental aspects of glucose metabolism in three stages of A. aegypti egg development: pre-desiccated, desiccated, and rehydrated. The activities of regulatory enzymes in carbohydrate metabolism such as pyruvate kinase, hexokinase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase were evaluated. We show that these activities were reduced in A. aegypti desiccated eggs, suggesting a decreased activity of glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway. In contrast, gluconeogenesis increased in desiccated eggs, which uses protein as substrate to synthesize glucose. Accordingly, protein amount decreased during this stage, while glucose levels increased. Glycogen content, a major carbohydrate reserve in mosquitoes, was evaluated and shown to be lower in desiccated and rehydrated eggs, indicating it was used to supply energy metabolism. We observed a reactivation of carbohydrate catabolism and an increased gluconeogenesis after rehydration, suggesting that controlling glucose metabolism was essential not only to survive the period of desiccation, but also for subsequent larvae hatch. Taken together, these results contribute to a better understanding of metabolism regulation in A. aegypti eggs during desiccation periods. Such regulatory mechanisms enable higher survival rate and consequently promote virus transmission by these important disease vectors, making them interesting subjects in the search for novel control methods.

The detritivore woodlouse Porcellio dilatatus was selected to test the effects of home-field advantage and land management on the isopod feeding preferences and ingestion rates. Woodlice specimens and plant litter from two neighbouring farms were used in “cafeteria” experiments. The farms are cork-oak agro-forests with a similar litter matrix but different land-use history and current management (organic vs. conventional farms). The plant litter species selected were Quercus suber L. and Agrostis pouretti L. Leaf litter lignin, N and C concentrations, total phenolics, and fungal biomass were measured on both litter species for the assessment of litter quality. A higher preference for cork-oak litter from the conventional site was observed, both in isopods collected from the organic farm and from the conventional farm. This can be explained by the significant differences in litter quality that were found between Quercus litter types collected in the two farms. The differences in the nutritional content (lower C:N ratio for Quercus of the conventional farm) of litter from the same plant species support the assumption of a management effect on decomposition by changing plant litter quality. Yet, this pattern was not found for the other plant litter tested in this study – the grass species Agrostis pouretti. Also, despite the remarkable differences in litter traits between Quercus and Agrostis, no significant differences were found between the ingestion rates of the litter from the two plant species. Although, depending on the plant species, litter quality resulting from different management influenced P. dilatatus feeding preferences and ingestion rates.

In the present study, we investigated the genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax metacaspase 1 (PvMCA1) catalytic domain in two municipalities of the main malaria hotspot in Brazil, i.e., the Juruá Valley, and observed complete sequence identity among all P. vivax field isolates and the Sal-1 reference strain. Analysis of PvMCA1 catalytic domain in different P. vivax genomic sequences publicly available also revealed a high degree of conservation worldwide, with very few amino acid substitutions that were not related to putative histidine and cysteine catalytic residues, whose involvement with the active site of protease was herein predicted by molecular modeling. The genetic conservation presented by PvMCA1 may contribute to its eligibility as a druggable target candidate in vivax malaria.

O padrao alimentar e o fator mais determinante na definicao da composicao e diversidade da microbiota intestinal, e seu desequilibrio contribui para o aumento do risco de doencas inflamatorias cronicas, como a depressao. A depressao afeta mais de 322 milhoes de pessoas no mundo, sendo mais comum nas mulheres do que nos homens. Realizou-se revisao das evidencias recentes sobre a influencia da alimentacao e da microbiota intestinal sobre a depressao em mulheres. Foi realizada uma revisao nas bases de dados da SciELO, PubMed, BVS/BIREME e LILACS, com data de publicacao nos ultimos 10 anos. Verificou-se que o desequilibrio da microbiota intestinal e a deficiencia de nutrientes, principalmente vitaminas, minerais e a diminuicao dos antioxidantes circulantes estao associados a depressao. Portanto, uma alimentacao adequada tem efeito positivo na prevencao ou reducao dos sintomas depressivos em diferentes ciclos da vida e condicoes entre as mulheres, assim como uso de alimentos e/ou suplementos a base de prebioticos, probioticos e simbioticos mostram-se beneficos.

Pesquisa sem auxílio de agências de fomento O Reino Plantae é um grupo monofilético composto por de organismos eucariontes e fotossintetizantes. Em termos evolutivos, as algas verdes são consideradas ancestrais das plantas terrestres, pois este grupo compartilha características importantes, como a capacidade de realizar fotossíntese e os mesmos tipos de clorofilas. Ao longo da evolução, ao se adaptarem ao ambiente terrestre, as plantas também desenvolveram importantes mecanismos fisiológicos de defesa ao ataque de predadores. Neste sentido, as quitinases vegetais são importantes proteínas que produzem resposta de defesa ao ataque de patógenos e artrópodes que contém quitina, atuando também no desenvolvimento das plantas. As quitinases pertencem à família GH18 e GH19 das glicosil hidrolases e até o momento foram amplamente descritas em gimnospermas e angiospermas, porém pouco descritas em espécies vegetais mais primitivas. Assim, este trabalho tem por objetivo, através de um conjunto de ferramentas de bioinformática, identificar e realizar anotação das quitinases da família GH18 em algas, briófitas e pteridófitas. Inicialmente foi realizada uma busca por sequências referências de quitinases vegetais no site CAZy e a criação de um banco de dados de proteínas traduzidas a partir dos transcriptomas de 388 espécies de algas, briófitas e pteridófitas, fornecidas pela plataforma OneKP. A busca por sequências de possíveis quitinases da família GH18 neste banco de dados foi feita por meio de alinhamentos no programa BLASTp. Então, foi realizada uma análise de domínios conservados no programa Blast2GO das possíveis quitinases encontradas. Foram realizados alinhamentos múltiplos no programa MUSCLE para selecionar apenas as sequências com o domínio catalítico conservado. Para classificar as quitinases identificadas, foi realizada a construção de árvores filogenéticas utilizando o método Neighbor-Joining. No total foram encontradas 648 prováveis quitinases da família GH18, sendo 162 em algas verdes e 23 em outros filos de algas, 238 em briófitas e 225 em pteridófitas. Para comparar as relações estruturais, foi realizada a modelagem de estruturas tridimensionais no servidor Swiss-Model. Os resultados desta pesquisa são importantes para uma melhor compreensão das origens das quitinases em grupos vegetais primitivos, mostrando que estas enzimas podem ser encontradas desde as algas mais antigas e possibilitar a comparação com quitinases de plantas vasculares superiores. Kingdom Plantae is a monophyletic group composed of eukaryotic and photosynthetic organisms. Green algae are considered ancestors of terrestrial plants, as these groups share important characteristics, such as the ability to perform photosynthesis and the same chlorophylls types. Throughout evolution, when adapting to the terrestrial environment, plants have also developed important physiological mechanisms to defend against predators. In this sense, plant chitinases are important proteins that produce a defense response against pathogens and arthropods that contain chitin, also acting on plant development. Chitinases belong to the GH18 and GH19 family of glycosyl hydrolases and have so far been widely described in gymnosperms and angiosperms, but little described in more primitive plant species. Thus, this work aims, through a set of bioinformatics tools, to identify and annotate chitinases of the GH18 family in algae, bryophytes, and pteridophytes. Initially, a search for plant chitinases reference sequences was carried out on the CAZy website, and the creation of protein database translated from transcriptomes of 388 algae, bryophytes, and pteridophytes species, provided by the OneKP platform. Search for sequences of putative chitinases of the GH18 family in this database was done through alignments in the BLASTp program. Then, was performed a conserved domains analysis, using Blast2GO, of the putative chitinases found. Multiple alignments were performed with MUSCLE method to select only the sequences with the conserved catalytic domain. To classify identified chitinases, phylogenetic trees were constructed using Neighbor-Joining method. In total, 648 putative chitinases from the GH18 family were found, 162 in green algae and 23 in other algae phyla, 238 in bryophytes, and 225 in pteridophytes. To compare structural relationships, three-dimensional structures were modeled on the Swiss-Model server. The results of this research are important for a better understanding of chitinases origins in primitive plant groups, showing that these enzymes can be found from the oldest algae and enable the comparison with chitinases of superior vascular plants. Dissertação (Mestrado)

Background : Trichuris vulpis, a species that belongs to Trichuris and shows a cosmopolitan distribution, parasitizes the gastrointestinal system of dogs causing trichuriasis. The infection occurs owing to ingestion of larval eggs and subsequent fixation of their adult form in the large intestine of the host. The objective of this paper is to report the case of a Border Collie dog that arrived at the Veterinary Pathology Laboratory (LPV) of the Federal University of Jatai (UFJ) after exhibiting signs of intense dehydration and sudden death caused by severe T. vulpis infection, and to elucidate the macroscopic and microscopic histopathological correlations observed during necropsy. Case : A 7-year-old male Border Collie dog was referred for routine necroscopic examination on suspicion of death from intoxication. In the history, there were reports of bone ingestion, restlessness, and polydipsia for three days, followed by sudden death. Although the animal presented an adequate body state during the necroscopic procedure, enophthalmia and pale oral and ocular mucosa were observed, which are characteristic signs of severe dehydration and anemia. On opening the abdominal cavity, the visceral serosa were found to be stained and severely dry. Greenish mucous content was observed throughout the intestine, and in the large intestine, a moderate amount of mucus associated with high parasitic infestation by elongated parasites attached to the mucosa was identified. The parasites were harvested, stored in airtight vials containing 70% alcohol, processed, and subsequently identified as T. vulpis . Discussion : The necroscopic findings associated with the histopathology were compatible with T. vulpis infestation at high parasite intensity, with severe destruction of the intestinal mucosa and inability of water absorption, resulting in severe dehydration. In cases of parasitism, villous atrophy with crypt hypertrophy occurs, a fact observed in the present case. Possibly crypt hypertrophy occurs prior to villous atrophy, and occurs independently of previous lesions of the absorptive compartment. This results in poor absorption. Advanced loss of gastrointestinal tract fluids can usually be extensive and lead to progressive dehydration with loss of isotonic and hypertonic fluids, which can also be observed in the observation of blood components, severely accelerating changes such as hypovolemia and posterior hemoconcentration. Hypovolemia from severe dehydration also decreases renal perfusion and reduces the rate of glomerular filtration. Hypovolemia also leads to decreased blood pumping capacity, which may lead to heart failure and pulmonary circulatory disorders with notable effects on gas exchange, which may cause hypoxemia and possibly lethal metabolic acidosis. The necropsy performed on the animal found a severe dehydration that could be sustained mainly owing to signs of hypovolemia, associated with a series of pathophysiological events with the massive presence of parasites identified as T. vulpis . The damage caused to the intestinal mucosa by the oral stylet, the movement, and toxins of the parasites led to a severe condition of villosities destruction and tissue necrosis, leading to a large loss of the absorption function of nutrients in the intestines and especially of water, resulting in a condition of severe dehydration. This imbalance of system functioning also alters cardiac function because of increased blood viscosity generating possible lardaceous clots, which in turn are indicative of anemia. This cycle of deleterious changes can result in hypovolemic shock and consequent sudden death.

In the present work, we established two novel embryonic cell lines from the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis containing or not the naturally occurring symbiont bacteria Wolbachia, which were called wAflu1 and Aflu2, respectively. We also obtained wAflu1 without Wolbachia after tetracycline treatment, named wAflu1.tet. Morphofunctional characterization was performed to help elucidate the symbiont-host interaction in the context of energy metabolism regulation and molecular mechanisms of the immune responses involved. The presence of Wolbachia pipientis improves energy performance in A. fluviatilis cells; it affects the regulation of key energy sources such as lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, increasing the speed of cell proliferation, making the distribution of actin more peripheral and with more extensions that come into contact with neighboring cells. Additionally, innate immunity mechanisms were activated, showing that the wAflu1 and wAflu1.tet cells are responsive after the stimulus using Gran negative bacteria. Therefore, this work confirms the natural, mutually co-regulating symbiotic relationship between W. pipientis and A. fluviatilis, modulating the host metabolism and immune pathway activation. The results presented here add important resources to the current knowledge of Wolbachia-arthropod interactions.

Background: CatSper is a multi-subunit sperm-specific calcium channel that mediates the progesterone-induced increase in intracellular calcium. Evidence from CatSper subunit knock-out mouse models implicates it as essential for sperm fertilisation competence. Similarly, impaired or absent P4 response in patient sperm is associated with poor or loss of fertilisation at IVF. However, genetic evidence in a limited number of cases reported genomic deletions spanning a number of loci. We reported a unique case (Williams et al., 2014) of a man (patient 1) with sperm that lacked functional CatSper expression but he had no genetic errors in CatSper subunit coding regions. Subsequently, two new proteins have been proposed to be part of the mature complex (CatSper-epsilon and CatSper-zeta).

A total of 96 genetically lean immunocastrated male pigs were used in a 98-day study to evaluate the effects of including 3% soybean oil (SO), canola oil (CO), or fish oil (FO) in the diets vs. feeding a standard commercial diet with 1.5% SO (control) on growth performance, carcass and meat quality traits, consumer acceptability, and intramuscular fatty acid composition of the longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle. Pigs were blocked by initial body weight (BW; 28.44 ± 2.95 kg) and assigned to one of four treatments, with six replicate pens per treatment and four pigs per pen. Pig BW and pen feed disappearance were recorded weekly. At the conclusion of the study, pigs were slaughtered, carcass characteristics were measured, and a sample of the LL was removed for meat quality assessment, fatty acid composition analysis, and overall liking evaluation. Dietary treatments had no effect on overall growth performance and pig carcasses. Although loins from pigs fed diets containing either 3% SO or CO had decreased (P = 0.05) Warner-Bratzler shear force, only the addition of 3% SO to pig diets resulted in loin chops that were rated higher (P

The effects of smoking processes on the sensory and proximate components of two species of shrimp were evaluated. Sixty specimens of each species were distributed in a completely randomized design, with two treatments (T1 = hot smoking and T2 = liquid smoking), and fresh shrimps samples were used as control (T3). The sensory characteristics were evaluated using the 9 point hedonic scale and the acceptance index. The centesimal composition was evaluated based on 100 g from each treatment and the fresh samples. The data were submitted to one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. The results of sensory analysis showed significant variations (p 0,05). The acceptance rate was above 70% for amazonian prawn and 80% for white shrimp, regardless of the smoking method. The proximate analysis showed significant differences between the two smoking processes, hot and liquid, with moderet values of lipids, between 0.27% and 1.51%, and high protein values, of 24.61% 24.13%, for white shrimp and amazonian prawn, respectively. The smoking processes altered the sensory and chemical profile of the prawns, causing good acceptance and adequate nutritional constitution for smoked fish. Se evaluaron los efectos de los procesos de ahumado sobre los componentes sensoriales y próximos de dos especies de camarón. Se distribuyeron sesenta ejemplares de cada especie en un diseño completamente al azar, con dos tratamientos (T1 = ahumado en caliente y T2 = ahumado líquido), y se utilizaron muestras de camarones frescos como control (T3). Las características sensoriales se evaluaron mediante la escala hedónica de 9 puntos y el índice de aceptación. La composición centesimal se evaluó en base a 100 g de cada tratamiento y las muestras frescas. Los datos se sometieron a ANOVA de una vía y prueba de Tukey. Los resultados del análisis sensorial mostraron variaciones significativas (p 0.05). La tasa de aceptación fue superior al 70% para el camarón amazónico y al 80% para el camarón blanco, independientemente del método de ahumado. El análisis próximo mostró diferencias significativas entre los dos procesos de ahumado, caliente y líquido, con valores moderados de lípidos, entre 0.27% y 1.51%, y altos valores de proteína, de 24.61% 24.13%, para camarón blanco y langostino amazónico, respectivamente. Los procesos de ahumado alteraron el perfil sensorial y químico de las gambas, provocando una buena aceptación y una adecuada constitución nutricional de los ahumados. Foram avaliados os efeitos dos processos de defumação sobre os componentes sensoriais e proximais de duas espécies de camarão. Sessenta espécimes de cada espécie foram distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com dois tratamentos (T1 = fumagem a quente e T2 = fumagem líquida), e amostras frescas de camarão foram utilizadas como controle (T3). As características sensoriais foram avaliadas por meio da escala hedônica de 9 pontos e do índice de aceitação. A composição centesimal foi avaliada com base em 100 g de cada tratamento e nas amostras frescas. Os dados foram submetidos à ANOVA one-way e teste de Tukey. Os resultados da análise sensorial mostraram variações significativas (p 0,05). A taxa de aceitação ficou acima de 70% para o camarão amazônico e 80% para o camarão branco, independentemente do método de defumação. A análise proximal mostrou diferenças significativas entre os dois processos de defumação, quente e líquido, com valores moderados de lipídios, entre 0,27% e 1,51%, e altos valores de proteína, de 24,61% 24,13%, para camarão branco e camarão amazônico, respectivamente. Os processos de defumação alteraram o perfil sensorial e químico dos camarões, proporcionando boa aceitação e constituição nutricional adequada para pescados defumados.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of forage sorghum when intercropped with piatã grass and cultivated in eucalyptus sub-forest. The experiment was carried out at the Embrapa Gado de Corte, in Campo Grande - MS. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main treatments were: monoculture (single sorghum); intercropping (simultaneous sowing of sorghum + piatã grass). The secondary treatments were composed by the sampling sites, with five sites equidistant between the rows of eucalyptus trees (CLFI), with full sun as a control (CLI). The percentage of shading was always higher than 30% in the sub-forest, and the overall average of the system with 63% shade, even after 50% thinning of eucalyptus trees. The intercropping with the grass, an interesting fact, did not affect sorghum grain yield, since it validates the potential of forage sorghum for use in intercropping with perennial grasses, with average grain yield of 2,404.63 kg ha-1. Regarding the sampling sites, it was observed a higher yield in the full sun with 3,283 kg ha-1. The weight of 100 grains was higher for sorghum in monoculture. On the other hand, the upper W1000 was observed at sites A and C. The weight of 1000 grains is considered stable, being affected only under conditions of stress during grain formation. The sorghum intercropped with the piatã grass did not influence the harvest index (HI), while in the shaded environment there was an increase in the harvest index in relation to the full sun. Made available in DSpace on 2020-01-11T00:41:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SorghumIntercroppedwithPiataGrass.pdf: 226154 bytes, checksum: ed642bb6781e275accc485298dc1ff14 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019