Effect of obesity on rat reproduction and on the development of their adult offspring

The aim of the present study was to assess the reproductive parameters of obese Wistar rats and to determine the frequency of their obese adult offspring. Neonatal rats were divided into two groups: F-1 generation, induced to obesity by monosodium glutamate (MSG; F(1)MSG, N = 30), and rats given saline (F1CON, N = 13). At 90 days of age all animals were mated, producing the F-2 offspring (F2CON, N = 28; F(2)MSG, N = 15). Reproductive parameters (fertility, pregnancy, and delivery indexes) were evaluated in F-1 rats. F-2 newborns were weighed, and the obesity parameter for F-1 and F-2 generations was determined from months 5 to 7 of life. At month 7, periovarian fat was weighed and no differences were found. Mean newborn weight also did not differ. The F-1 and F(2)MSG groups presented approximately 90% of obese rats since month 5 of life, whereas F-1 and F2CON groups presented only 33%. There was no difference in periovarian weight among groups. Although obesity did not affect reproductive parameters, obese dams (F(1)MSG) were responsible for the appearance of obesity in the subsequent generation. Thus, obesity induced by neonatal MSG administration did not interfere with reproduction, but did provide a viable model for obesity in second-generation adult Wistar rats. This model might contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in transgenerational obesity.

Embryology and seed development of Blastocaulon scirpeum and Paepalanthus scleranthus (Eriocaulaceae)

The embryology and seed structure of Blastocaulon scirpeum (Mart.) Giul. and Paepalanthus scleranthus Ruhland were studied in order to contribute to the embryology of Eriocaulaceae and supply data for future taxonomic studies. Both species present: anther with 4-layered wall; conspicuous endothecium with fibrous thickenings; secretory tapetum with uninucleate cells; successive microsporogenesis forming isobilateral microspore tetrads; bicellular pollen grains; orthotropous, bitegmic and tenuinucellate ovule; micropyle formed by the inner integument alone; megagametophyte of the Polygonum type, with a conspicuous antipodal cyst; nuclear and starchy endosperm; reduced, undifferentiated, and bell-shaped embryo; operculate and endotestal seed; seed coat derived from the two ovule integuments; and tanniniferous endotegmen. In addition, Blastocaulon scirpeum shows a bisporangiate anther and a 3-layered ovary wall, while P. scleranthus presents a tetrasporangiate anther that becomes bisporangiate at maturity, and a 2-layered ovary wall. This investigation shows that the bisporangiate condition does not suffice to separate Blastocaulon from Paepalanthus, since it is common to both. It also indicates, based on several embryological aspects, the proximity of Eriocaulaceae and Xyridaceae, which comply mainly with the features presented by the other commelinid families. These results may be used in future cladistic analysis of the family, and contribute to a better understanding of its phylogeny.

Development of environmental and natural vulnerability maps for Brazilian coastal at Sao Sebastiao in São Paulo State

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

DEVELOPMENT of MICROSATELLITE MARKERS FOR PIMENTA PSEUDOCARYOPHYLLUS (MYRTACEAE), A WILD SOUTH AMERICAN SPECIES

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The Development of a Universal In Silico Predictor of Protein-Protein Interactions

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are essential for understanding the function of biological systems and have been characterized using a vast array of experimental techniques. These techniques detect only a small proportion of all PPIs and are labor intensive and time consuming. Therefore, the development of computational methods capable of predicting PPIs accelerates the pace of discovery of new interactions. This paper reports a machine learning-based prediction model, the Universal In Silico Predictor of Protein-Protein Interactions (UNISPPI), which is a decision tree model that can reliably predict PPIs for all species (including proteins from parasite-host associations) using only 20 combinations of amino acids frequencies from interacting and non-interacting proteins as learning features. UNISPPI was able to correctly classify 79.4% and 72.6% of experimentally supported interactions and non-interacting protein pairs, respectively, from an independent test set. Moreover, UNISPPI suggests that the frequencies of the amino acids asparagine, cysteine and isoleucine are important features for distinguishing between interacting and non-interacting protein pairs. We envisage that UNISPPI can be a useful tool for prioritizing interactions for experimental validation. © 2013 Valente et al.

Larval development of indigenous South American freshwater fish species, with particular reference to pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus): A review

In recent years, a number of South American freshwater fish have gained increasing attention for their potential in aquaculture, not only because of their excellent performance in farming systems but also to meet the high consumer demand for these species due to declining fishery resources. Many South American freshwater species are migratory and produce altricial larvae, with a small amount of yolk reserves. Unlike precocial freshwater species and altricial coldwater marine fish, these freshwater fish investigated have rapid yolk depletion and metamorphosis. Specific studies on the initial development of South American fish are scarce and fragmented. One of the most widely studied species is the pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), farmed in warm continental waters. In the present review we compile new and published data on the initial development of pacu, including morphogenesis of the skeletal, muscle, digestive and sensory systems; compare it to other Neotropical species; and discuss the importance of this information to develop larviculture protocols. When pacu larvae exhaust yolk reserves, they initiate a new form of interaction with the environment, becoming exclusively exotrophic. This type of interaction is made possible by the rapid development of sensory, skeletal, locomotor and digestive structures. In addition to understanding fish ontogeny, studies on larval development are necessary to improve farming systems and larviculture techniques aimed at producing high-quality juveniles in aquaculture. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biology Teachers'Conceptions of the Diversity of Life and the Historical Development of Evolutionary Concepts

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Development of numerical cognition among Brazilian school-aged children

The Numerical Cognition is influenced by biological, cognitive, educational, and cultural factors and entails the following systems: Number Sense (NS) represents the innate ability to recognize, compare, add, and subtract small quantities, without the need of counting; Number Production (NP) which includes reading, writing and counting numbers or objects; Number Comprehension (NC), i.e., the understanding the nature of the numerical symbols and their number, and the calculation (CA). The aims of the present study were to: i) assess theoretical constructs (NS, NC, NP and CA) in children from public schools from 1 st -to 6 th - grades; and ii) investigate their relationship with schooling and working memory. The sample included 162 children, both genders, of 7-to 12-years-old that studied in public school from 1 st -to 6 th -grades, which participated in the normative study of Zareki-R (Battery of neuropsychological tests for number processing and calculation in children, Revised; von Aster & Dellatolas, 2006). Children of 1 st and 2 nd grades demonstrated an inferior global score in NC, NP and CA. There were no genderrelated differences. The results indicated that the contribution of NS domain in Zareki-R performance is low in comparison to the other three domains, which are dependent on school-related arithmetic skills.