Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto

About: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Genus. The organization has 2143 authors who have published 3674 publications receiving 71071 citations. The organization is also known as: FFCLRP & FFCLRP-USP.

Molecular signatures of plastic phenotypes in two eusocial insect species with simple societies

Abstract: Phenotypic plasticity is important in adaptation and shapes the evolution of organisms. However, we understand little about what aspects of the genome are important in facilitating plasticity. Eusocial insect societies produce plastic phenotypes from the same genome, as reproductives (queens) and nonreproductives (workers). The greatest plasticity is found in the simple eusocial insect societies in which individuals retain the ability to switch between reproductive and nonreproductive phenotypes as adults. We lack comprehensive data on the molecular basis of plastic phenotypes. Here, we sequenced genomes, microRNAs (miRNAs), and multiple transcriptomes and methylomes from individual brains in a wasp (Polistes canadensis) and an ant (Dinoponera quadriceps) that live in simple eusocial societies. In both species, we found few differences between phenotypes at the transcriptional level, with little functional specialization, and no evidence that phenotype-specific gene expression is driven by DNA methylation or miRNAs. Instead, phenotypic differentiation was defined more subtly by nonrandom transcriptional network organization, with roles in these networks for both conserved and taxon-restricted genes. The general lack of highly methylated regions or methylome patterning in both species may be an important mechanism for achieving plasticity among phenotypes during adulthood. These findings define previously unidentified hypotheses on the genomic processes that facilitate plasticity and suggest that the molecular hallmarks of social behavior are likely to differ with the level of social complexity.

Model–data synthesis for the next generation of forest free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments

Abstract: The first generation of forest free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments has successfully provided deeper understanding about how forests respond to an increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Located in aggrading stands in the temperate zone, they have provided a strong foundation for testing critical assumptions in terrestrial biosphere models that are being used to project future interactions between forest productivity and the atmosphere, despite the limited inference space of these experiments with regards to the range of global ecosystems. Now, a new generation of FACE experiments in mature forests in different biomes and over a wide range of climate space and biodiversity will significantly expand the inference space. These new experiments are: EucFACE in a mature Eucalyptus stand on highly weathered soil in subtropical Australia; AmazonFACE in a highly diverse, primary rainforest in Brazil; BIFoR-FACE in a 150-yr-old deciduous woodland stand in central England; and SwedFACE proposed in a hemiboreal, Pinus sylvestris stand in Sweden. We now have a unique opportunity to initiate a model-data interaction as an integral part of experimental design and to address a set of cross-site science questions on topics including responses of mature forests; interactions with temperature, water stress, and phosphorus limitation; and the influence of biodiversity.

Antimicrobial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis against oral pathogens: relevance of carnosic acid and carnosol.

Abstract: The in vitro inhibitory activity of crude EtOH/H2O extracts from the leaves and stems of Rosmarinus officinalis L. was evaluated against the following microorganisms responsible for initiating dental caries: Streptococcus mutans, S. salivarius, S. sobrinus, S. mitis, S. sanguinis, and Enterococcus faecalis. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined with the broth microdilution method. The bioassay-guided fractionation of the leaf extract, which displayed the higher antibacterial activity than the stem extract, led to the identification of carnosic acid (2) and carnosol (3) as the major compounds in the fraction displaying the highest activity, as identified by HPLC analysis. Rosmarinic acid (1), detected in another fraction, did not display any activity against the selected microorganisms. HPLC Analysis revealed the presence of low amounts of ursolic acid (4) and oleanolic acid (5) in the obtained fractions. The results suggest that the antimicrobial activity of the extract from the leaves of R. officinalis may be ascribed mainly to the action of 2 and 3.

Photophysical studies of zinc phthalocyanine and chloroaluminum phthalocyanine incorporated into liposomes in the presence of additives

Abstract: The photophysical properties of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPC) andchloroaluminum phthalocyanine (AlPHCl) incorporated into lipo-somes of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine in the presence and absenceof additives such as cholesterol or cardiolipin were studied by time-resolved fluorescence, laser flash photolysis and steady-state tech-niques. The absorbance of the drugs changed linearly with drugconcentration, at least up to 5.0 µM in homogeneous and heteroge-neous media, indicating that aggregation did not occur in these mediawithin this concentration range. The incorporation of the drugs intoliposomes increases the dimerization constant by one order of magni-tude (for ZnPC, 3.6 x 10 4 to 1.0 x 10 5 M -1 and for AlPHCl, 3.7 x 10 4 to 1.5 x 10 5 M -1 ), but this feature dose does not rule out the use of thiscarrier, since the incorporation of these hydrophobic drugs into lipo-somes permits their systemic administration. Probe location in bio-logical membranes and predominant positions of the phthalocyaninesin liposomes were inferred on the basis of their fluorescence andtriplet state properties. Both phthalocyanines are preferentially dis-tributed in the internal regions of the liposome bilayer. The additivesaffect the distribution of these drugs within the liposomes, a fact thatcontrols their delivery when both are used in a biological medium,retarding their release. The addition of the additives to the liposomesincreases the internalization of phthalocyanines. The interaction of thedrugs with a plasma protein, bovine serum albumin, was examinedquantitatively by the fluorescence technique. The results show thatwhen the drugs were incorporated into small unilamellar liposomes,the association with albumin was enhanced when compared withorganic media, a fact that should increase the selectivity of tumortargeting by these phthalocyanines (for ZnPC, 0.71 x 10