Universidade Estadual do Vale do Acaraú

About: Universidade Estadual do Vale do Acaraú is a education organization based out in Sobral, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Chalcone & Health promotion. The organization has 205 authors who have published 234 publications receiving 1901 citations.

Buck (Capra hircus) genes encode new members of the spermadhesin family.

Abstract: Spermadhesins are the major proteins of boar seminal plasma and form a group of polypeptides probably involved in reproduction. In previous work, a member of the spermadhesin family from buck seminal plasma, called BSFP, was characterized by mass spectrometry and N-terminal sequencing. The present study aimed to clone and characterize the BSFP gene and investigate its expression along the genital tract using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The cDNAs of the seminal vesicle, testis, epididymis, bulbourethral gland, and ductus deferens were prepared from a buck. Following 3'- and 5'-end amplifications using seminal vesicle cDNA, we cloned and sequenced four highly similar (97-98%) nucleotide sequences encoding spermadhesins, which were named Bodhesin-1(Bdh-1), Bdh-2, Bdh-3, and Bdh-4. All deduced amino acid sequences contained the CUB domain signature and were 49-52% similar to boar AWN. Among the four Bdh amino acid sequences, Bdh-2 was the most similar to the BSFP N-terminal fragment. By using real-time PCR, it was verified specific amplifications for all Bdh in the seminal vesicle, testis, epididymis, and bulbourethral gland, with the exception of Bdh-2 in epididymis. The amplicons had a melting temperature and size of approximately 78 degrees C and 130 bp, respectively. Bdh expression was higher in the seminal vesicle when compared to the other tissues. The present work confirms that goat is the fifth mammalian species, after pig, cattle, horse, and sheep, in which spermadhesin molecules are found. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on buck spermadhesin genes using molecular cloning and expression profile.

Scientific collaboration in biotechnology: the case of the northeast region in Brazil

Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate scientific collaboration in biotechnology in the northeast region of Brazil. The data presented refer to the 1980---2010 period and were collected from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development platform database known as Lattes (a compilation of curricula vitae of researchers in Brazil, including a record of their scientific production) and from the Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science database. Our analysis involved the use of bibliometric indicators, specifically co-authorship between or among institutions, as well as the evaluation of social networks and multivariate statistics. Overall, we verified that collaboration takes place mostly at the intra-institutional level. At intra-regional scale, we could observe the development of four clusters in relation to the collaboration dynamics, in which geographic proximity stands out as grouping factor. At the interregional level, the partnerships revolve around institutions that count with laboratory infrastructure and research tradition in the field of biotechnology. Regarding international collaboration, it remains connected to national scientific cooperation programs.