A ESCOLA INCLUSIVA ESTÁ POSTA, E AGORA?

O ambiente escolar é muito rico de histórias, de momentos, de aprendizados e de experiências. Todo professor sempre tem muito a contar. A diversidade de pessoas nesse universo faz com que tenhamos um cotidiano escolar sem rotinas, sem limites para a criatividade. Quando se depara com algo novo ou inesperado, o professor parece se transformar num agente inovador; conquistar o espaço, a situa��ão de maneira a dominá-la e, nas mais variadas oportunidades, surpreender com estratégias enriquecedoras. Nesta pesquisa temos a oportunidade de compartilhar vivências únicas e singulares que possibilitaram contribuir para as já existentes no campo do fazer pedagógico com alunos com necessidade educacionais especiais. Experiências frustrantes também ocorrem no espaço escolar, porém na busca por dar a voz ao professor que desempenha o atendimento educacional especializado, relatamos aqui as experiências de sucesso. Com isso registramos a contribuição de um colégio da rede particular de ensino que tem como uma de suas metas a educa��ão para todos.

Molecular and functional characterization of a novel low-affinity cation transporter (LCT1) in higher plants

The transport of cations across membranes in higher plants plays an essential role in many physiological processes including mineral nutrition, cell expansion, and the transduction of environmental signals. In higher plants the coordinated expression of transport mechanisms is essential for specialized cellular processes and for adaptation to variable environmental conditions. To understand the molecular basis of cation transport in plant roots, a Triticum aestivum cDNA library was used to complement a yeast mutant deficient in potassium (K+) uptake. Two genes were cloned that complemented the mutant: HKT1 and a novel cDNA described in this report encoding a cation transporter, LCT1 (low-affinity cation transporter). Analysis of the secondary structure of LCT1 suggests that the protein contains 8–10 transmembrane helices and a hydrophilic amino terminus containing sequences enriched in Pro, Ser, Thr, and Glu (PEST). The transporter activity was assayed using radioactive isotopes in yeast cells expressing the cDNA. LCT1 mediated low-affinity uptake of the cations Rb+ and Na+, and possibly allowed Ca2+ but not Zn2+ uptake. LCT1 is expressed in low abundance in wheat roots and leaves. The precise functional role of this cation transporter is not known, although the competitive inhibition of cation uptake by Ca2+ has parallels to whole plant and molecular studies that have shown the important role of Ca2+ in reducing Na+ uptake and ameliorating Na+ toxicity. The structure of this higher plant ion transport protein is unique and contains PEST sequences.

Two Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Membrane Proteins That Facilitate ER-to-Golgi Transport of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored Proteins

Many eukaryotic cell surface proteins are anchored in the lipid bilayer through glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). GPI anchors are covalently attached in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The modified proteins are then transported through the secretory pathway to the cell surface. We have identified two genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, LAG1 and a novel gene termed DGT1 (for “delayed GPI-anchored protein transport”), encoding structurally related proteins with multiple membrane-spanning domains. Both proteins are localized to the ER, as demonstrated by immunofluorescence microscopy. Deletion of either gene caused no detectable phenotype, whereas lag1Δ dgt1Δ cells displayed growth defects and a significant delay in ER-to-Golgi transport of GPI-anchored proteins, suggesting that LAG1 and DGT1 encode functionally redundant or overlapping proteins. The rate of GPI anchor attachment was not affected, nor was the transport rate of several non–GPI-anchored proteins. Consistent with a role of Lag1p and Dgt1p in GPI-anchored protein transport, lag1Δ dgt1Δ cells deposit abnormal, multilayered cell walls. Both proteins have significant sequence similarity to TRAM, a mammalian membrane protein thought to be involved in protein translocation across the ER membrane. In vivo translocation studies, however, did not detect any defects in protein translocation in lag1Δ dgt1Δ cells, suggesting that neither yeast gene plays a role in this process. Instead, we propose that Lag1p and Dgt1p facilitate efficient ER-to-Golgi transport of GPI-anchored proteins.

Plo1 Kinase Recruitment to the Spindle Pole Body and Its Role in Cell Division in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Polo kinases execute multiple roles during cell division. The fission yeast polo related kinase Plo1 is required to assemble the mitotic spindle, the prophase actin ring that predicts the site for cytokinesis and for septation after the completion of mitosis (Ohkura et al., 1995; Bahler et al., 1998). We show that Plo1 associates with the mitotic but not interphase spindle pole body (SPB). SPB association of Plo1 is the earliest fission yeast mitotic event recorded to date. SPB association is strong from mitotic commitment to early anaphase B, after which the Plo1 signal becomes very weak and finally disappears upon spindle breakdown. SPB association of Plo1 requires mitosis-promoting factor (MPF) activity, whereas its disassociation requires the activity of the anaphase-promoting complex. The stf1.1 mutation bypasses the usual requirement for the MPF activator Cdc25 (Hudson et al., 1990). Significantly, Plo1 associates inappropriately with the interphase SPB of stf1.1 cells. These data are consistent with the emerging theme from many systems that polo kinases participate in the regulation of MPF to determine the timing of commitment to mitosis and may indicate that pole association is a key aspect of Plo1 function. Plo1 does not associate with the SPB when septation is inappropriately driven by deregulation of the Spg1 pathway and remains SPB associated if septation occurs in the presence of a spindle. Thus, neither Plo1 recruitment to nor its departure from the SPB are required for septation; however, overexpression of plo1+ activates the Spg1 pathway and causes transient Cdc7 recruitment to the SPB and multiple rounds of septation.

The middle way

Mesoscopic organization in soft, hard, and biological matter is examined in the context of our present understanding of the principles responsible for emergent organized behavior (crystallinity, ferromagnetism, superconductivity, etc.) at long wavelengths in very large aggregations of particles. Particular attention is paid to the possibility that as-yet-undiscovered organizing principles might be at work at the mesoscopic scale, intermediate between atomic and macroscopic dimensions, and the implications of their discovery for biology and the physical sciences. The search for the existence and universality of such rules, the proof or disproof of organizing principles appropriate to the mesoscopic domain, is called the middle way.

Infusion of α-galactosidase A reduces tissue globotriaosylceramide storage in patients with Fabry disease

Fabry disease is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase A (α-gal A). This enzymatic defect results in the accumulation of the glycosphingolipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3; also referred to as ceramidetrihexoside) throughout the body. To investigate the effects of purified α-gal A, 10 patients with Fabry disease received a single i.v. infusion of one of five escalating dose levels of the enzyme. The objectives of this study were: (i) to evaluate the safety of administered α-gal A, (ii) to assess the pharmacokinetics of i.v.-administered α-gal A in plasma and liver, and (iii) to determine the effect of this replacement enzyme on hepatic, urine sediment and plasma concentrations of Gb3. α-Gal A infusions were well tolerated in all patients. Immunohistochemical staining of liver tissue approximately 2 days after enzyme infusion identified α-gal A in several cell types, including sinusoidal endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and hepatocytes, suggesting diffuse uptake via the mannose 6-phosphate receptor. The tissue half-life in the liver was greater than 24 hr. After the single dose of α-gal A, nine of the 10 patients had significantly reduced Gb3 levels both in the liver and shed renal tubular epithelial cells in the urine sediment. These data demonstrate that single infusions of α-gal A prepared from transfected human fibroblasts are both safe and biochemically active in patients with Fabry disease. The degree of substrate reduction seen in the study is potentially clinically significant in view of the fact that Gb3 burden in Fabry patients increases gradually over decades. Taken together, these results suggest that enzyme replacement is likely to be an effective therapy for patients with this metabolic disorder.

Dynamics and elasticity of the fibronectin matrix in living cell culture visualized by fibronectin–green fluorescent protein

Fibronectin (FN) forms the primitive fibrillar matrix in both embryos and healing wounds. To study the matrix in living cell cultures, we have constructed a cell line that secretes FN molecules chimeric with green fluorescent protein. These FN–green fluorescent protein molecules were assembled into a typical matrix that was easily visualized by fluorescence over periods of several hours. FN fibrils remained mostly straight, and they were seen to extend and contract to accommodate movements of the cells, indicating that they are elastic. When fibrils were broken or detached from cells, they contracted to less than one-fourth of their extended length, demonstrating that they are highly stretched in the living culture. Previous work from other laboratories has suggested that cryptic sites for FN assembly may be exposed by tension on FN. Our results show directly that FN matrix fibrils are not only under tension but are also highly stretched. This stretched state of FN is an obvious candidate for exposing the cryptic assembly sites.

Long RNA hairpins that contain inosine are present in Caenorhabditis elegans poly(A)+ RNA

Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs) are RNA-editing enzymes that convert adenosine to inosine within double-stranded RNA. In the 12 years since the discovery of ADARs only a few natural substrates have been identified. These substrates were found by chance, when genomically encoded adenosines were identified as guanosines in cDNAs. To advance our understanding of the biological roles of ADARs, we developed a method for systematically identifying ADAR substrates. In our first application of the method, we identified five additional substrates in Caenorhabditis elegans. Four of those substrates are mRNAs edited in untranslated regions, and one is a noncoding RNA edited throughout its length. The edited regions are predicted to form long hairpin structures, and one of the RNAs encodes POP-1, a protein involved in cell fate decisions.