Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Peroxiredoxin Q beta from Xylella fastidiosa CATALYTIC MECHANISM and HIGH REACTIVITY

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

Experimental and theoretical studies on the enhanced photoluminescence activity of zinc sulfide with a capping agent

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

Solid-state compounds of 2-methoxybenzylidenepyruvate and 2-methoxycinnamyllidenepyruvate with thorium (IV) Preparation and thermal studies

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Structural Phase Transition Studies on PMN-0.35PT using Infrared Spectroscopy

The purpose of the present work is to report studies on structural phase transition for PMN-xPT ferroelectric, with melt PbTiO3 composition around the MPB (x = 0.35 mol %), using infrared spectroscopy technique. The study was centered on monitoring the behavior of the 1-(NbO), 1-(TiO) and 1-(MgO) stretching modes as a function of temperature. The increasing as a function of temperature for 1-(TiO) and 1-(MgO) modes, observed between 230 and 300 K, can be related to the monoclinic (MC) + tetragonal (T) phase coexistence in the PMN-PT.

Structural and functional changes in the alveolar bone osteoclasts of estrogen-treated rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Structural and Ultrastructural Aspects of Folliculogenesis in Didelphis albiventris, the South-American Opossum

The ovarian histology, the structural and the ultrastructural characteristics of the folliculogenesis in Didelphis albiventris were described in detail. Recent studies suggest that methatherian mammals have unusual reproductive cycle but there are few informations regarding the marsupials reproductive life. Despite of the opossum folliculogenesis pattern resembles methatherian and eutherian pattern in many aspects, the analysis shows some peculiar features of the oocyte structure and ultrastructure that make available new data on the reproductive biology of marsupials.

Structural and ultrastructural aspects of ontogenesis and differentiation of resin secretory cavities in Hymenaea stigonocarpa (Fabaceae-Caesalpinioideae) leaves

Cell lysis in the formation of secretory cavities in plants has been questioned by some authors and considered as result of technical artifacts. To describe the formation of secretory resin cavities in Hymenaea stigonocarpa leaves, leaflet samples at different stages of differentiation were collected, fixed, and processed for light and electron microscopy as per usual methods. The initial cells of secretory resin cavities are protodermal and grow towards the mesophyll ground meristem; these cells then divide producing cell groups that are distinguished by the shape and arrangement of cytoplasm, and density. At the initial stages of differentiation of the secretory cavities, some central cells in these groups show dark cytoplasm and condensed nuclear chromatin. Later, there is cell wall loosening, tonoplast and plasmalemma rupture resulting in cell death. These cells, however, maintain organelle integrity until lysis, when the cell wall degrades and the plasmalemma ruptures, releasing protoplast residues, marked characteristics of programmed cell death. The secretory epithelium remains active until complete leaf expansion when the cavity is filled with resin and the secretory activity ceases. There are no wall residues between central cells in adult cavities. Our results demonstrate lysigeny and the importance of ontogenetic studies in determining the origin of secretory cavities.

The floral nectary of Hymenaea stigonocarpa (Fabaceae, caesalpinioideae): Structural aspects during floral development

Background and Aims Considering that few studies on nectary anatomy and ultrastructure are available for chiropterophilous flowers and the importance of Hymenaea stigonocarpa in natural 'cerrado' communities, the present study sought to analyse the structure and cellular modifications that take place within its nectaries during the different stages of floral development, with special emphasis on plastid dynamics.Methods For the structural and ultrastructural studies the nectary was processed as per usual techniques and studied under light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Histochemical tests were employed to identify the main metabolites on nectary tissue and secretion samples.Key Results The floral nectary consists of the inner epidermis of the hypanthium and vascularized parenchyma. Some evidence indicates that the nectar release occurs via the stomata. The high populations of mitochondria, and their juxtaposition with amyloplasts, seem to be related to energy needs for starch hydrolysis. Among the alterations observed during the secretory phase, the reduction in the plastid stromatic density and starch grain size are highlighted. When the secretory stage begins, the plastid envelope disappears and a new membrane is formed, enclosing this region and giving rise to new vacuoles. After the secretory stage, cellular structures named 'extrastomatic bodies' were observed and seem to be related to the nectar resorption.Conclusions Starch hydrolysis contributes to nectar formation, in addition to the photosynthates derived directly from the phloem. In these nectaries, the secretion is an energy-requiring process. During the secretion stage, some plastids show starch grain hydrolysis and membrane rupture, and it was observed that the region previously occupied by this organelle continued to be reasonably well defined, and gave rise to new vacuoles. The extrastomatic bodies appear to be related to the resorption of uncollected nectar.

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.

Structural and functional characterization of an acidic platelet aggregation inhibitor and hypotensive phospholipase A(2) from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom

An acidic (pI similar to 4.5) phospholipase A(2) (BthA-I-PLA(2)) was isolated from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom by ion-exchange chromatography on a CM-Sepharose column followed by reverse phase chromatography on an RP-HPLC C-18 column. It is an similar to13.7 kDa single chain Asp49 PLA(2) with approximately 122 amino acid residues, 7 disulfide bridges, and the following N-terminal sequence: 'SLWQFGKMINYVMJGESGVLQYLSYGCYCGLGGQGQPTDATDRCCFVHDCC(51). Crystals of this acidic protein diffracted beyond 2.0 Angstrom resolution. These crystals are monoclinic and have unit cell dimensions of a = 33.9, b = 63.8, c = 49.1 Angstrom, and beta = 104.0degrees. Although not myotoxic, cytotoxic, or lethal, the protein was catalytically 3-4 tithes more active than BthTX-II, a basic D49 myotoxic PLA(2) from the same venom and other Bothrops venoms. Although it showed no toxic activity, it was able to induce time-independent edema, this activity being inhibited by EDTA. In addition, BthA-I-PLA(2) caused a hypotensive response in the rat and inhibited platelet aggregation, Catalytic, antiplatelet and other activities were abolished by chemical modification with 4-bromophenacyl bromide, which is known to covalently bind to His48 of the catalytic site. Antibodies raised against crude B. jararacussu venom recognized this acidic PLA(2), while anti-Asp49-BthTX-II recognized it weakly and anti-Lys49-BthTX-I showed the least cross-reaction. These data confirm that myotoxicity does not necessarily correlate with catalytic activity in native PLA(2) homologues and that either of these two activities may exist alone. BthA-I-PLA(2), in addition to representing a relevant molecular model of catalytic activity, is also a promising hypotensive agent and platelet aggregation inhibitor for further studies. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proventriculus of Cephalotes ants: A structural and comparative analysis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Structural and magnetic transformation of monodispersed iron oxide particles in a reducing atmosphere

Uniform metal iron ellipsoidal particles of around 200 nm in length were obtained by reduction and passivation of alumina-coated alpha-Fe2O3 (hematite) particles under different conditions of temperature and hydrogen flow rate. The monodispersed hematite particles were prepared by the controlled hydrolysis of ferric sulfate and further coated with a homogeneous thin layer of Al2O3 by careful selection of the experimental conditions, mainly pH and aluminum salt concentration. The reduction mechanism of alpha-Fe2O3 into alpha-Fe was followed by x-ray and electron diffraction, and also by the measurements of the irreversible magnetic susceptibility. The transformation was found to be topotactic with the [001] direction of hematite particles, which lies along the long axis of the particles, becoming the [111] direction of magnetite and finally the [111] direction of metal iron. Temperature and hydrogen flow rate during the reduction have been found to be important parameters, which determine not only the degree of reduction but also the crystallite size of the final particles. Magnetic characterization of the samples shows that the only parameters affected by the crystallite size are the saturation magnetization and magnetic time-dependence effect, i.e., activation volume. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

The Role of the Eu3+ Concentration on the SrMoO4:Eu Phosphor Properties: Synthesis, Characterization and Photophysical Studies

SrMoO4 doped with rare earth are still scarce nowadays and have attracted great attention due to their applications as scintillating materials in electro-optical like solid-state lasers and optical fibers, for instance. In this work Sr1-xEuxMoO4 powders, where x = 0.01; 0.03 and 0.05, were synthesized by Complex Polymerization (CP) Method. The structural and optical properties of the SrMoO4:Eu3+ were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction patterns, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, and through Photoluminescent Measurements (PL). Only a crystalline scheelite-type phase was obtained when the powders were heat-treated at 800 A degrees C for 2 h, 2 theta = 27.8A degrees (100% peak). The excitation spectra of the SrMoO4:Eu3+ (lambda(Em.) = 614 nm) presented the characteristic band of the Eu3 + 5L6 transition at 394 nm and a broad band at around 288 nm ascribed to the charge-transfer from the O (2p) state to the Mo (4d) one in the SrMoO4 matrix. The emission spectra of the SrMoO4:Eu3+ powders (lambda(Exc.) = 394 and 288 nm) show the group of sharp emission bands among 523-554 nm and 578-699 nm, assigned to the D-5(1)-> F-7(0,1and 2) and D-5(0)-> F-7(0,1,2,3 and 4), respectively. The band related to the D-5(0)-> F-7(0) transition indicates the presence of Eu3+ site without inversion center. This hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that the band referent to the D-5(0)-> F-7(2) transition is the most intense in the emission spectra.

Structural and morphological characterization of Pb1-xBaxTiO3 thin films prepared by chemical route: An investigation of phase transition

Detailed room temperature micro-Raman scattering, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and specular reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy studies were carried out on soft chemical by processed Pb1-xBaxTiO3 thin films. The micro-Raman spectra pointed the existence of a stable tetragonal ferroelectric phase in the entire composition range (0 < x <= 1). The infrared reflectance spectra showed that the frequency of several peaks decreases as the Ba2+ concentration increases. These features are correlated to a decrease in the tetragonal distortion of the TiO6 octahedra as the Ba2+ concentration increases. Furthermore, as x increases from 0.70 to 1.0, the Raman spectrum shows an evolution towards the well-known Raman spectrum of the tetragonal BaTiO3. Therefore, we demonstrated that the combination of solid solution PbTiO3-BaTiO3 with a grain size in the order of 30-40 nm supports the tetragonal ferroelectric phase at room temperature. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural and properties of nanocrystalline WO3/TiO2-based humidity sensors elements prepared by high energy activation

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