Estudo de associação genômica e perfil de expressão gênica de folículos antrais em novilhas das raças nelore e angus, associadas ao fenótipo de alta e baixa população folicular

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

Análise da ocorrência de metástase intraocular e pulmonar em cadelas portadoras de carcinoma mamário e correlação com mutação e expressão de E-caderina

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

Transitando entre as políticas de assistência social e igualdade racial: produção e (re)produção da trama social dos negros

Pós-graduação em Serviço Social - FCHS

Estrutura populacional e análise de variabilidade genética em rebanhos ovinos brasileiros

Pós-graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia Animal - FEIS

Artroplastia total híbrida nacional em cães Portadores de displasia coxofemoral

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

AÇÃO REGULATÓRIA DO GnRH NO DESENVOLVIMENTO EMBRIONÁRIO PRECOCE E VITRIFICAÇÃO DE EMBRIÕES SUÍNOS PELO MÉTODO DE MICROGOTA (ROLE OF GnRH DURING EARLY EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF SWINE EMBRYOS FOLLOWING VITRIFICATION BY MICRODROPLET METHOD)

The objective of this study was to investigate the role of GnRH on the preimplantation development of mouse embryos in vitro. GnRH-I, GnRH-II, and GnRH agonists: Des-Gly, Des-Trp and histrelin did not improve embryo development. However, treatment with the specific GnRH antagonist SB-75 blocked embryo development at morula stage. The inhibition of embryo development by SB-75 could be rescued by the addition of histrelin. To determine which intracellular signaling cascade is involved following binding of GnRH to the GnRHR, embryos were cultured in the presence of specific PKC (GFX) or PKA (SQ22536) inhibitors. The PKC inhibitor blocked embryo development at a similar stage as SB-75, whereas SQ22536 had an inhibitory effect, diminishing blastocyst formation and hatched rates. There are evidences that GnRH has an essential autocrine effect on mouse embryonic development via GnRHR, probably by activating PKC signaling cascade while the inhibition of the GnRH signaling does not activate apoptotic mechanisms involving caspase-3. In another experiment, development in vitro of embryos from Chinese Meishan (M) and occidental white crossbred (WC) females were investigated after improving the vitrification protocol for pig embryos. Efficient cryopreservation of zona pellucida-intact porcine embryos and studies of the difference among breeds could greatly impact the swine industry. The percentage of embryos surviving 24 h after cryopreservation without lysis or degeneration was higher for M (72%) than WC (44%). However, in vitro development of embryos that survived cryopreservation was not different between M and WC at the expanded (64%) or hatched (22%) blastocyst stages. Developmental rates were significantly higher for control embryos than frozen embryos from both breeds at expanded blastocyst stage, but not at hatched blastocyst stage. Rates of expanded blastocyst formation did not differ between M and WC control embryos (98 and 95%, respectively). With a new procedure to warm vitrified pig embryos, the survival rates may be improved. The optimal stages to vitrify pig embryos using the microdroplet method ranges from late compact morula to early expanded blastocyst. The results suggest that M embryos have a higher capacity to survive the vitrification process than WC embryos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a importância do GnRH no desenvolvimento embrionário precoce em camundongos. GnRH-I, GnRH-II e os GnRH agonistas: Des-Gly, Des-Trp e histrelina não incrementaram o desenvolvimento embrionário. Entretanto, o tratamento com SB-75, um antagonista específico do GnRH, bloqueou o desenvolvimento embrionário no estádio de mórula. A inibição do desenvolvimento embrionário pelo SB-75 pôde ser revertida com a adição de histrelina. Para determinar a cascata do sinal intracelular desencadeada pela ligação do GnRH com o seu receptor, embriões foram cultivados na presença de inibidores específicos da PKC (GFX) e da PKA (SQ22536). O inibidor da PKC bloqueou o desenvolvimento embrionário em estádio similar ao bloqueio mediado pelo SB- 75, enquanto o SQ22536 teve efeito inibitório diminuindo a formação de blastocisto e taxas de eclosão. Os resultados sugerem que o GnRH tem um efeito autócrino essencial no desenvolvimento embrionário através do GnRHR, provavelmente, ativando a cascata da PKC. Por outro lado, a inibição do sinal do GnRH não ativa mecanismos apoptóticos que involvam caspase-3. Em outro experimento, foi investigado o desenvolvimento in vitro de embriões da raça Meishan (M) e branco cruzado (WC) após vitrificação pelo método microgota. O desenvolvimento de protocolos eficientes para criopreservação de embriões suínos com a zona pelúcida intacta e a avaliação das diferenças entre raças pode ter um significativo impacto na suinocultura. A percentagem de embriões que sobreviveram à criopreservação depois de 24 h foi maior na M (72%) do que na WC (44%). No entanto, o desenvolvimento in vitro dos embriões que sobreviveram à criopreservação não foi diferente entre M e WC nos estádios de blastocisto expandido (64%) ou eclodido (22%). Os índices de desenvolvimento foram significativamente mais altos para os embriões controle do que para os embriões vitrificados nas duas raças no estádio de blastocisto expandido, porém não foram diferentes para o estádio de blastocisto eclodido. A formação de blastocisto expandido não diferiu entre os embriões controle M e WC (98 e 95%, respectivamente). Com o novo procedimento (“hot warm”) para descongelar embriões vitrificados pelo método de microgota, pode-se aumentar dos índices de sobrevivência. Os melhores estádios embrionários para a vitrificação de embriões suínos variam de mórula compacta tardia até blastocisto expandido inicial. Os resultados sugerem que embriões M têm mais capacidade de sobreviver ao processo de vitrificação do que embriões WC.

Transitando entre as políticas de assistência social e igualdade racial: produção e (re)produção da trama social dos negros

Pós-graduação em Serviço Social - FCHS

Estrutura populacional e análise de variabilidade genética em rebanhos ovinos brasileiros

Pós-graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia Animal - FEIS

Artroplastia total híbrida nacional em cães Portadores de displasia coxofemoral

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

Reproductive migration and population dynamics of the blue crab Callinectes danae in an estuary in southeastern Brazil

Portunid crabs are an important resource in estuaries, and require appropriate management to guarantee their long-term availability. We investigated the population dynamics and reproduction of Callinectes danae in the Estuarine-Bay Complex of Sao Vicente, Sao Paulo, Brazil, to provide basic biological information for public policies for the management of this fishery. Monthly samples were obtained from March 2007 to February 2008 on eight transects, four in the estuary and four in the bay. A total of 2261 specimens (403 males, 1288 females, of which 570 were ovigerous) were collected. Males were significantly larger than females, and the size-frequency distribution was unimodal for males, females and ovigerous females. The sex ratio was nearly always skewed toward females (M:F - 1:4.6). C. danae showed seasonal-continuous reproduction, with high reproductive activity in the warmer season. C. danae breeds in the estuarine-bay complex, with males and juvenile females concentrated in the estuary. After copulation, fertilized females migrate to the estuary entrance and the bay, where ovigerous females are commonly found spawning in high-salinity areas. Therefore, to manage this important economic resource, both the estuary and the bay should be considered for protection, but special attention should be given to the estuary entrance during the summer months, when ovigerous females concentrate.

Female fertility in a Guzerat dairy subpopulation: Heterogeneity of variance components for calving intervals

The objectives of the present study were to determine if variance components of calving intervals varied with age at calving and if considering calving intervals as a longitudinal trait would be a useful approach for fertility analysis of Zebu dairy herds. With these purposes, calving records from females born from 1940 to 2006 in a Guzerat dairy subpopulation in Brazil were analyzed. The fixed effects of contemporary groups, formed by year and farm at birth or at calving, and the regressions of age at calving, equivalent inbreeding coefficient and day of the year on the studied traits were considered in the statistical models. In one approach, calving intervals (Cl) were analyzed as a single trait, by fitting a statistical model on which both animal and permanent environment effects were adjusted for the effect of age at calving by random regression. In a second approach, a four-trait analysis was conducted, including age at first calving (AFC) and three different female categories for the calving intervals: first calving females; young females (less than 80 months old, but not first calving); or mature females (80 months old or more). Finally, a two-trait analysis was performed, also including AFC and Cl, but calving intervals were regarded as a single trait in a repeatability model. Additionally, the ranking of sires was compared among approaches. Calving intervals decreased with age until females were about 80 months old, remaining nearly constant after that age. A quasi-linear increase of 11.5 days on the calving intervals was observed for each 10% increase in the female's equivalent inbreeding coefficient. The heritability of AFC was 0.37. For Cl. the genetic-phenotypic variance ratios ranged from 0.064 to 0.141, depending on the approach and on ages at calving. Differences among genetic variance components for calving intervals were observed along the animal's lifetime. Those differences confirmed the longitudinal aspect of that trait, indicating the importance of such consideration when accessing fertility of Zebu dairy females, especially in situations where the available information relies on their calving intervals. Spearman rank correlations among approaches ranged from 0.90 to 0.95, and changes observed in the ranking of sires suggested that the genetic progress of the population could be affected by the approach chosen for the analysis of calving intervals. (C) 2012 Elsevier ay. All rights reserved.

Genetic diversity of the Brazilian Creole cattle Pe-duro assessed by microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA

The objective of this study was to describe the genetic diversity and structure of the largest Pe-duro population by assessing variation at ten autosomal microsatellite (STR) loci and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. The mean expected heterozygosity was 0.755, the mean observed heterozygosity was 0.600 and significant inbreeding coefficient (Fis) and deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in most of analyzed loci demonstrate the impact of inbreeding and homozygosis on this population. A more in-depth genetic analysis could be achieved by expanding the STR list. The analysis of mtDNA provided evidence of ancestral African taurine haplotypes in Pe-duro and excluded maternal Zebuine introgression. In this report, the main Pe-duro population is genetically portrayed by sampling approximately 40% of it. As this herd represents the core of the Pe-duro conservation program, these findings are of outstanding value for the management and preservation of this Brazilian 'native' cattle breed.

Biotic versus abiotic pollination in Oeceoclades maculata (Lindl.) Lindl. (Orchidaceae)

Geographical variation in the reproductive biology of widespread species often occurs at their distributional boundaries. We sought to determine whether such variation has occurred in an invasive orchid, Oeceoclades maculata, across its naturalized range. We compared its reproductive biology in a Brazilian population with that published for a population on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. In the state of Sao Paulo, O. maculata flowers between December and February, at the height of the rainy season. Similar fruit sets were observed in manual self (76%) and cross (70.4%) pollination treatments. The fruit set of plants protected from both pollinators and rainfall was 6.1%, whereas plants exposed only to rainfall had a fruit set of 41.4%, slightly less than the controls (48.3%). Like the Puerto Rico population, reproduction is primarily through rain-assisted autogamy, but unlike observations made on the island, outcrossing can eventually occur. We observed two butterfly species (Heliconius ethilla narcaea and Heliconius erato phyllis) pollinating O. maculata. Secretory epidermal cells and trichomes of the spur lumen produced 0.7 mu L of 25% (sucrose equivalents) nectar per flower each morning, which was stored in a dilated basal portion of the spur and reabsorbed by the afternoon. Thus, geographical variation in reproductive biology exists across the broad invasive range of O. maculata.

Genotyping of polymorphisms in the prnp gene in Santa Ines sheep in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Santos C.R., Mori E., Leao D.A. & Maiorka P.C. 2012. [Genotyping of polymorphisms in the prnp gene in Santa Ines sheep in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.] Genotipagem de polimorfismos no gene prnp em ovinos Santa Ines no Estado de Sao Paulo. Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira 32(3):221-226. Laboratorio de Neuropatologia Experimental e Comparada, Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitaria, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-270, Brazil. E-mail: caio-patologia@usp.br Enzootic paraplexia or scrapie is a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting mainly sheep and rarely goats. The disease is influenced by polymorphisms at codons 136, 154 and 171 of prnp gene that encodes the prion protein. The animals may be susceptible or resistant to the development of the disease according to the allelic sequences observed in these codons. In Brazil there were only cases of scrapie in imported animals, therefore the country is considered free of the disease. This study performed the genotyping of different polymorphisms associated to the development of scrapie. Then, based on these findings the animals were categorized in resistant and susceptible. A total of 118 samples were sequenced from the Santa Ines sheep raised on properties located in the State of Sao Paulo. From these samples, 6 alleles and 11 genotypes were identified (ARQ / ARQ, ARR / ARQ, ARQ / AHQ, ARQ / VRQ, AHQ / AHQ, ARR / ARR, ARR / AHQ, VRQ / VRQ, ARQ / TRQ, TRR / TRR, TRQ / TRQ), the genotype ARQ / ARQ presented a frequency of 56.7%. It was also detected the presence of tyrosine at codon 136, which may be considered a rare observation, since there is no report regarding Santa Ines breeding presenting this polymorphism. These results showed the great genetic variability in Santa Ines in Sao Paulo and only 1,69% of the genotypes observed are extremely resistant to scrapie. These data demonstrate that the Santa Ines sheep can be considered potentially susceptible to scrapie.

Parasitism by Oestrus ovis: Influence of sheep breed and nematode infections

Previous studies showed that Santa Ines (SI) hair sheep were more resistant to gastrointestinal nematode infections (GIN) than Ile de France (IF) sheep. The present experiment aimed to evaluate if that reported resistance difference against GIN also occurred against Oestrus ovis infestation and also to evaluate the influence of O. ovis infestation on the gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) infections. SI (n = 12) and IF (n = 12) young male lambs were weaned at 2 months of age and moved to a paddock (0.3 ha) with Brachiaria decumbens grass, where they also received concentrate ration. The animals were kept together during the experimental period (September to early December 2009). Fecal and blood samples were taken from all animals every 2 weeks and body weight and nasal discharge score (oestrosis clinic signs) were recorded on the same occasion. In early December 2009, all lambs were sacrificed and O. ovis larvae and GIN were recovered, counted and identified according to the larval stage. All animals were infested by different larval instars of O. ovis without any statistical difference between breeds (P > 0.05). The SI lambs had an average of 24.8 larvae, and the intensity of infection ranged between 14 and 39 larvae, while the IF lambs showed an average of 23.5 larvae with the minimum and maximum from 11 to 36 larvae, respectively. SI lambs presented the lowest nematode fecal egg counts (FECs) and the lowest mean numbers of Haemonchus contort us, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Strongyloides papillosus, however, there was no significant differences between group means (P > 0.05). Inverse relationship between numbers of O. ovis larvae and gastrointestinal nematodes was observed in both breeds. SI sheep showed a significant increase in blood eosinophils and total IgE serum levels and these variables were negatively correlated with nematode FEC. A negative correlation was observed between total IgE serum level and H. contortus burden in both breeds. In conclusion, there was no breed difference regarding O. ovis infestation and in each breed, animals with more nasal bot fly larvae tended to display smaller worm burden. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.