Analysis of Bothrops jararacussu venomous gland transcriptome focusing on structural and functional aspects: I - gene expression profile of highly expressed phospholipases A(2)

Snake venom glands are a rich source of bioactive molecules such as peptides, proteins and enzymes that show important pharmacological activity leading to in local and systemic effects as pain, edema, bleeding and muscle necrosis. Most studies on pharmacologically active peptides and proteins from snake venoms have been concerned with isolation and structure elucidation through methods of classical biochemistry. As an attempt to examine the transcripts expressed in the venom gland of Bothrops jararacussu and to unveil the toxicological and pharmacological potential of its products at the molecular level, we generated 549 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a directional cDNA library. Sequences obtained from single-pass sequencing of randomly selected cDNA clones could be identified by similarities searches on existing databases, resulting in 197 sequences with significant similarity to phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)), of which 83.2% were Lys49-PLA(2) homologs (BOJU-1), 0.1% were basic Asp49-PLA(2)s (BOJU-II) and 0.6% were acidic Asp49-PLA(2)s (BOJU-III). Adjoining this very abundant class of proteins we found 88 transcripts codifying for putative sequences of metalloproteases, which after clustering and assembling resulted in three full-length sequences: BOJUMET-I, BOJUMET-II and BOJUMET-III; as well as 25 transcripts related to C-type lectin like protein including a full-length cDNA of a putative galactose binding C-type lectin and a cluster of eight serine-proteases transcripts including a full-length cDNA of a putative serine protease. Among the full-length sequenced clones we identified a nerve growth factor (Bj-NGF) with 92% identity with a human NGF (NGHUBM) and an acidic phospholipase A2 (BthA-I-PLA(2)) displaying 85-93% identity with other snake venom toxins. Genetic distance among PLA(2)s from Bothrops species were evaluated by phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, analysis of full-length putative Lys49-PLA(2) through molecular modeling showed conserved structural domains, allowing the characterization of those proteins as group II PLA(2)s. The constructed cDNA library provides molecular clones harboring sequences that can be used to probe directly the genetic material from gland venom of other snake species. Expression of complete cDNAs or their modified derivatives will be useful for elucidation of the structure-function relationships of these toxins and peptides of biotechnological interest. (C) 2004 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Fishes of the Atlantic Rainforest of Boraceia: testimonies of the Quaternary fault reactivation within a Neoproterozoic tectonic province in Southeastern Brazil

The upper portion of the Rio Guaratuba, located in the Serra do Mar coastal range of Southeastern Brazil, shows biological and geological evidences of being captured and diverted away from its original course in the direction of the Parana River Basin to become a coastal river due to the Quaternary activity of NW-trending faults. Despite draining directly to the Atlantic Ocean, the upper portion of the Guaratuba still maintains an ichthyofauna that is typical of the adjoining Parana River Basin rather than the characteristic fish fauna of the Brazilian coastal drainages. The fish fauna of the upper Guaratuba is an evident testimony of the tectonic process that allowed the faunal interchange between the upland basins and the coastal drainages that probably has been taking place in Southeastern Brazil throughout the long geological history of the passive Brazilian continental margin.

Florística de uma Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, localizada em ecótono savânico-florestal, no município de Bauru, SP, Brasil

Informações florísticas escassas, referentes ao município de Bauru, e a elaboração de hipóteses sobre mecanismos de ocupação de fitocenoses florestais por espécies savânicas, representaram as principais questões motivadoras do presente estudo, desenvolvido em dois fragmentos de floresta estacional semidecidual (5 ha e 7 ha) mantidos pelo Jardim Botânico de Bauru, que abriga também savana florestada. O material botânico foi coletado a partir de caminhadas ao acaso e em parcelas implantadas durante estudo fitossociológico. Foram encontradas 264 espécies arbustivo-arbóreas, pertencentes a 58 famílias. Dessas espécies 126 foram coletadas apenas na fitocenose florestal, e 66 espécies foram coletadas em ambas as fitocenoses. As duas famílias com o maior número de espécies foram Rubiaceae (25 espécies) e Myrtaceae (21 espécies). Foi realizada análise de similaridade florística, a partir do índice de Jaccard (SJ), entre a floresta do JBMB e outros 11 remanescentes florestais, alguns dos quais, sob influência florística savânica. A riqueza florística dos fragmentos florestais do JBMB sofreu incremento, pela ocupação de espécies savânicas, oriundas da savana florestada contígua. Incêndios pretéritos, além da ocorrência de microambientes distintos, representaram prováveis fatores de facilitação para a invasão dessas espécies savânicas.

River avulsions on the Taquari megafan, Pantanal wetland, Brazil

The Pantanal wetland is located in a tectonically active interior sedimentary basin in west-central Brazil. The south-flowing Paraguay River is the trunk-river of an alluvial constructional landform comprising several large alluvial fans, the largest one of which is the Taquari megafan. The Taquari River flows in two distinct geomorphologic zones within the megafan. Entrenched on sediments of Pleistocene fan lobes, the Taquari River flows in a 3 to 5 km wide meander belt in the upper fan, where avulsion is hindered by entrenchment. Downstream of the intersection point, stream discharge progressively decreases and the Taquari River becomes narrow and shallow toward the Paraguay River plain. Within the distributary fan lobe, the channel-levee sandy complex is topographically higher than the adjacent floodplains and avulsion is a natural consequence of crevasses in the natural levees. Many channel avulsions have occurred during the last decades and documented cases show that significant channel changes may take place in a few years. Beginning with crevassing in 1988 and ending with the abandonment of the former channel in 1998, the river completely changed course in the lower fan. Presently, a major avulsion is occurring in the upper portion of the growing fan lobe, where many crevasses have appeared in the natural levees with associated splays onto the floodbasin. New anastomosed channels have formed north of the Taquari River, but downstream of them the flow is unconfined and the water spreads into natural floodbasins. This avulsion is still in process and allows observation of channel evolution, the geomorphic features produced, the sedimentary processes involved, and resulting effects. If the new channels do not rejoin the main channel, the river mouth may abandon its present master channel and shift to a position a hundred kilometers north from its present position. A large volume of sediment has been transferred to the floodbasin, with progradation of crevasse splay deposits over fine overbank sediments. Many geomorphic features, recognizable in satellite and radar images, clearly show that avulsion has occurred many limes before in the Taquari River. Avulsion belt deposits and former diverted channels testify to ancient avulsion events within the fan lobe and show that progradation of splays onto the floodbasin is the most important infilling process within the Taquari distributary fan lobe. The avulsion process in the lower Taquari River has accelerated in the last 30 years, along with the magnitude of flooding. Pasture and intensive agriculture in the catchment area has increased the sediment supply to the wetland, but larger floods are also a consequence of higher rainfall since 1973. Avulsion and floods have been a cause of great concern among the local population and landowners. Before human intervention in attempting to control floods, however, a better understanding of the avulsive river system is needed, especially because a major navigation project including the channelization of the Paraguay River was recently proposed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Memórias sobre um conflito de terra em relatos de história de vida

Este artigo se propõe a analisar as memórias de pequenos produtores rurais do assentamento Camucim (litoral sul da Paraíba) sobre um conflito de terra ocorrido no final dos anos 70 e início dos anos 80, do século XX. Essas memórias foram obtidas através de entrevistas de história de vida, que foram submetidas à Análise de Discurso. A partir da história oral, pretende-se analisar o sentido subjetivo construído pelos narradores, através de suas memórias. Nesse sentido, o conflito é relembrado como uma luta legítima, abençoada por Deus, o que nos remete para o papel fundamental da Igreja nesse processo, através da Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT). Além disso, os narradores constroem uma imagem de lutadores corajosos e vitoriosos.

A indústria de calçados de Nova Serrana (MG)

Utilizando resultados de trabalho estatístico com base nos dados da Relação Anual de Informações Sociais (RAIS), que permitem caracterizar a indústria de calçados de Nova Serrana (MG) como um sistema local de produção, e nos resultados de pesquisa de campo efetuada em abril de 2002, quando foram realizadas entrevistas e visitas em empresas e instituições locais, o artigo estuda o sistema local de produção de Nova Serrana tanto em termos do sistema como um todo quanto das empresas e instituições que o compõem. O objetivo é produzir, nesses dois níveis de análise, evidências que possam orientar ações públicas e privadas, visando ao aprimoramento do sistema e das empresas locais em duas esferas: (1) produtiva e tecnológica, em seus vários desdobramentos, e (2) institucional e organizacional. Para isso, caracteriza e dimensiona primeiramente o sistema local em termos de sua localização e região de influência, sua logística, população e empregos gerados, história e evolução, estrutura de produção, instituições de apoio, contexto social, cultural e político. em seguida, caracteriza as empresas em termos de tamanho e quanto a: desenvolvimento de produto, sistemas de comercialização, relações cooperativas, interações com fornecedores, fontes de informação para desenvolvimento de produtos e sobre mercados e processos de fabricação, práticas e políticas quanto à qualidade, ao financiamento e a outros aspectos pertinentes ao caso em estudo. Por fim, ressalta os problemas mais relevantes que podem ser objeto de políticas públicas e/ou de ações conjuntas das empresas e instituições locais.

Mast cells in the developing avian eye

Mast cells are present in the eye of Gallus domesticus, appearing in the anterior uvea in embryos at stage 39 HH (13th day). In hatching and adult birds, they are present in the sclera, uvea, pectinate Ligament, and conjunctiva. Mast cells are absent in the cornea, retina, and pecten oculi.Maturing mast cells in the anterior eye segment appear as round cells having eccentric nuclei and a few cytoplasmic metachromatic granules, whose fluorescence increases during development. Mature cells are more numerous in late development, and their cytoplasm is rich in metachromatic and intensely fluorescent granules. Ultrastructurally, maturing mast cells display progranules and a few electron dense and homogeneous granules on one side of the cell. Mast cells of adult birds possess homogeneous cytoplasmic granules, some of which display protuberances that penetrate hollows of adjoining granules. Heterogeneous granules exhibiting latticed and mottled patterns are also present. The existence of mast cells in the anterior eye segment indicates that these cells might perform a physiological role during development and in aqueous humor outflow. They might modulate exchanges between blood and aqueous humor through chemical mediators present in their granules. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Neoproterozoic tectonic and magmatic episodes in the NW sector of Borborema Province, NE Brazil, during assembly of Western Gondwana

The Medio Coreau domain of NE Brazil is located along the northwest margin of Borborema Province, the western branch of a Brasiliano/Pan-African collisional belt that formed during the assembly of Western Gondwana. The early Paleoproterozoic basement of the Medio Coreau domain is composed of migmatitic gneisses and juvenile granulites, overlain by late Paleoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic rocks intruded by syn- to post-tectonic Brasiliano granitoids. According to integrated structural and geochronological data (U-Pb zircon and monazite ages), the Neoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the Medio Coreau is characterized by low-angle thrusting and transcurrent deformation. U-Pb geochronological data from plutons intruded during this compressional regime indicate the collisional evolution began at approximately 622 Ma and continued until about 591 Ma. The continuation of convergence until approximately 560 Ma resulted in the formation of NE-SW and E-W shear zones within the Borborema Province and adjoining West African provinces. The final stage of the ductile tectonism was characterized by uplift and high-angle fault generation between approximately 560 and 545 Ma. The last tectonic event was an extensional phase, resulting in the formation of the Jaibaras graben and intrusion of post-orogenic granites at around 532 Ma. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diques clásticos na formação corumbataí (p) no nordeste da bacia do paraná, SP: Análise sistemática e significações estratigráficas, sedimentológicas e tectônicas

This paper aims to present the results of systematic survey on clastic dykes in the Corumbataí Formation (Permian), in the northeast region of the State of São Paulo. Besides this, the paper analyses genetic aspects of those features as well as their stratigraphic and sedimentologic implications in terms of geologic evolution of the northeastern Paraná Sedimentary Basin during Permian times. The field works had been developed in 3 main Corumbataí Formation outcrops (2 road cuts and a quarry) supposed to show the most important clastic dikes occurrences in the studied area. Basically, the sedimentary intrusions are formed by fine sand or silt size particles and had penetrated host rocks as near-vertical, centimeter thick, dykes (most common form) or as horizontal sheets, forming clastic sills (subsidiary form), both with variable geometric forms and dimensions. A lot of dyke walls show undulations suggesting pre-diagenetic clastic intrusions, probably near the ancient depositional surface. Almost all intrusions occur in the superior third portion of the Corumbataí Formation and some similar features seem to appear in the adjoining superposed Pirambóia Formation base. In this article the authors defend a seismic origin hypothesis for the clastic intrusions. It is important to mention that clastic intrusions tend to occur linked to expressive seismic events, with magnitude upper to 5. The analysis of isopach maps of the Permian and Mesozoic units of the Paraná Sedimentary Basin in the study area suggests a depositional system changing, from epicontinental sea conditions to shallow platform and, finally, to coastal deserts. Probably, this environmental change was driven by regional uplift accompanied by seismic events. It is possible that ancient seismicity triggered liquefaction processes and the resulting clastic intrusions. In this sense, those clastic features might be properly namedseismites.

As trímeras de Riobaldo: a constituição de uma personagem como narrador

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Diagnóstico de situação das práticas de manejo sanitário em sistemas de produção de bovinos de corte

Pós-graduação em Ciência Animal - FMVA

De pobres da terra ao movimento sem terra: práticas e representações camponesas no Pontal do Paranapanema - SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Variabilidade espacial e temporal de fatores edafoclimáticos na Bacia do Rio Pontal, Pernambuco

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Agricultura familiar como sustentabilidade: estudo de caso do planaldo rural de Montes Claros - MG

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Reordenamento territorial e produtivo do agronegócio canavieiro no Brasil e os desdobramentos para o trabalho

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)