La génomique comparative est l'étude des relations structurales et fonctionnelles entre des génomes appartenant à différentes souches ou espèces. Cette discipline offre ainsi la possibilité d'étudier et de comprendre les processus qui façonnent les génomes au cours de l'évolution. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à la génomique comparative des bactéries et plus particulièrement aux méthodes relatives à la comparaison des séquences complètes d'ADN des génomes bactériens. Ces dix dernières années, le développement d'outils informatiques permettant de comparer des génomes entiers à l'échelle de l'ADN est devenu une thématique de recherche à part entière. Actuellement, il existe de nombreux outils dédiés à cette tâche. Cependant, jusqu'à présent, la plupart des efforts ont été dirigés vers la réduction du temps de calcul et l'optimisation de la mémoire au détriment de l'évaluation de la qualité des résultats obtenus. Pour combler ce vide, nous avons travaillé sur différents problèmes statistiques soulevés par la comparaison de génomes complets bactériens. Notre travail se divise en deux axes de recherche. Dans un premier temps, nous nous sommes employés à évaluer la robustesse des alignements de génomes complets bactériens. Nous avons proposé une méthode originale fondée sur l'application de perturbations aléatoires sur les génomes comparés. Trois scores différents sont alors calculés pour estimer la robustesse des alignements de génomes à différentes échelles, allant des nucléotides aux séquences entières des génomes. Notre méthode a été expérimentée sur des données génomiques bactériennes réelles. Nos scores permettent d'identifier à la fois les alignements robustes et non robustes. Ils peuvent être employés pour corriger un alignement ou encore pour comparer plusieurs alignements obtenus à partir de différents outils. Dans un second temps, nous avons étudié le problème de la paramétrisation des outils de comparaisons de génomes entiers. En effet, la plupart des outils existants manquent à la fois de documentation et de valeurs par défaut fiables pour initialiser leurs paramètres. Conséquemment, il y a un besoin crucial de méthodes spécifiques pour aider les utilisateurs à définir des valeurs appropriées pour les paramètres de ces outils. Une grande partie des outils de comparaisons de génomes complets est fondée sur la détection des matches (mots communs exacts). Le paramètre essentiel pour ces méthodes est la longueur des matches à considérer. Au cours de cette thèse, nous avons développé deux méthodes statistiques pour estimer une valeur optimale pour la taille des matches. Notre première approche utilise un modèle de mélange de lois géométriques pour caractériser la distribution de la taille des matches obtenus lorsque l'on compare deux séquences génomiques. La deuxième approche est fondée sur une approximation de Poisson de la loi du comptage des matches entre deux chaînes de Markov. Ces méthodes statistiques nous permettent d'identifier facilement une taille optimale de matches à la fois pour des séquences simulées et pour des données génomiques réelles. Nous avons également montré que cette taille optimale dépend des caractéristiques des génomes comparés telles que leur taille, leur composition en base ou leur divergence relative. Cette thèse représente une des toutes premières études dont l'objectif est d'évaluer et d'améliorer la qualité des comparaisons des génomes complets. L'intérêt et les limites de nos différentes approches sont discutés et plusieurs perspectives d'évolution sont proposées. / Comparative genomics is the study of the structural and functional relationships between genomes belonging to different strains or species. This discipline offers great opportunities to investigate and to understand the processes that shape genomes across the evolution. In this thesis, we focused on the comparative genomics of bacteria and more precisely, on methods dedicated to the comparison of the complete DNA sequences of bacterial genomes. This last decade, the design of specific computerized methods to compare complete genomes at the DNA scale has become a subject of first concern. Now, there exist many tools and methods dedicated to this task. However, until now, most of the efforts were directed to reduce execution time and memory usage at the expense of the evaluation of the quality of the results. To fill this gap, we worked on different statistical issues related to the comparison of complete bacterial genomes. Our work was conducted into two directions. In the first one, we investigated the assessment of the robustness of complete bacterial genome alignments. We proposed an original method based on random perturbations of the compared genomes. Three different scores were derived to estimate the robustness of genome alignments at different scales, from nucleotides to the complete genome sequences. Our method was trained on bacterial genomic data. Our scores allow us to identify robust and non robust genome alignments. They can be used to correct an alignment or to compare alignments performed with different tools. Secondly, we studied the problem of the parametrization of comparison tools. Briefly, most of the existing tools suffer from a lack of information and of reliable default values to set their parameters. Consequently, there is a crucial need of methods to help users to define reliable parameter values for these tools. Most of the comparison tools are rooted on the detection of word matches. The key parameter for all these tools is the length of the matches to be considered. During this thesis, we developed two statistical methods to estimate an optimal length for these matches. Our first approach consisted in using a mixture model of geometric distributions to characterize the distribution of the length of matches retrieved from the comparison of two genomic sequences. The second approach is rooted on a Poisson approximation of the number of matches between two Markov chains. These statistical methods allow us to easily identify an optimal length for the matches from both simulated and real genomic data. We also showed that this optimal length depends on the characteristics of the compared genomes such as their length, their nucleotide composition, and their relative divergence. This thesis represents one of the earliest attempts to statistically evaluate and to improve the quality of complete genome comparisons. The interest and limitations of our different methods are discussed and some perspectives are proposed.

Johnsongrass mosaic virus (JGMV) é uma espécie do gênero Potyvirus. A sua distribuição geográfica, até o início da década de 1990, estava limitada à Austrália e aos Estados Unidos, onde causa doença em sorgo, milho e várias gramíneas. Em 2001, o JGMV foi detectado pela primeira vez no Brasil em amostras de híbridos e variedades de milho provenientes da região de Ribeirão Preto, SP mediante análise sorológica (DAS-ELISA), e em 2013 foi detectado mediante RT-PCR em amostras de Pennisetum purpureum provenientes do Estado da Bahia. Em Fevereiro de 2012 a Clínica Fitopatológica da ESALQ/USP recebeu amostras de Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, com sintomas de mosaico, de São Luiz do Paraitinga, SP. Exames preliminares de contrastação negativa em microscópio eletrônico de transmissão indicaram a presença de partículas virais características de potyvirus. Diante disso, o principal objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar o agente etiológico associado às plantas doentes de capim Mombaça mediante testes biológicos, sorológicos e moleculares. Extratos foliares de plantas sintomáticas de capim Mombaça foram inoculados mecanicamente em 69 genótipos da família Poaceae. As avaliações foram feitas com base nos sintomas e por PTA-ELISA usando antissoro policlonal contra a proteína capsidial do potyvirus produzido nesse trabalho, após purificação do isolado viral. As espécies susceptíveis foram Brachiaria brizantha, B. decumbens, B. plantaginea, Cenchrus echinatus, Echinochloa colona, E. crus-galli, E. cruspavonis, Melinis minutiflora, Panicum maximum cv. Colonião, Pennisetum setosum, Rhynchelytrum repens, Rottboellia exaltata, Sorghum bicolor BRS 332, S. bicolor BRS 509, S. bicolor x S. sudanense BRS 802 e S. verticilliflorum. Espécies cultivadas como arroz, aveia, cana-de-açúcar, centeio, milho e trigo não foram infectadas com esse isolado. O peso molecular da proteína capsidial deste potyvirus foi estimado em cerca de 33 kDa por meio de Western blot. Sequência de nucleotídeos do genoma completo (9.885 nt) obtida neste estudo revelou identidade de 82,03% com a única sequência completa do genoma de um isolado do JGMV da Austrália, depositada no GenBank. A partir dessa sequência foram obtidos oligonucleotídeos iniciadores específicos para a detecção do isolado de SP do JGMV mediante RT-PCR. / Johnsongrass mosaic virus (JGMV) is a species of the genus Potyvirus. The geographical distribution, until the early 1990s, was limited to Australia and the United States, where it causes disease in sorghum, corn and various grasses. In 2001, JGMV was first detected in Brazil in samples of hybrids and varieties of corn from the region of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State by serological analysis (DASELISA), and in 2013 it was detected by RT-PCR in samples of Pennisetum purpureum from the State of Bahia. In February 2012, the Disease Diagnostic Clinic ESALQ/USP received samples of Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, exhibiting mosaic symptoms, from the region of São Luiz do Paraitinga, SP. Preliminary examination of negatively stained sap in a transmission electron microscope indicated the presence of potyvirus-like particles. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize the etiologic agent associated with P. maximum cv. Mombaça diseased plants by biological, serological and molecular tests. Leaf extract from Mombaça infected plants was mechanically inoculated in 69 genotypes of the Poaceae family. Evaluations were done based on symptoms expression and PTAELISA using polyclonal antiserum against the capsid protein of the potyvirus produced in the preset work virus purification. Susceptible species were Brachiaria brizantha, B. decumbens, B. plantaginea, Cenchrus echinatus, Echinochloa colona, E. crus-galli, E. crus-pavonis, Melinis minutiflora, Panicum maximum cv. Colonião, Pennisetum setosum, Rhynchelytrum repens, Rottboellia exaltata, Sorghum bicolor BRS 332, S. bicolor BRS 509, S. bicolor x S. sudanense BRS 802 and S. verticilliflorum. Cultivated species such as rice, oats, sugarcane, rye, corn and wheat were not infected with this isolate. The molecular weight of the coat protein of this potyvirus was estimated at about 33 kDa by Western blot. The nucleotide sequence of the complete genome (9885 nt) obtained in this study showed 82.03% identity with an unique sequence for the complete genome of an isolate of JGMV from Australia, deposited in GenBank. From this nucleotide sequence, specific pair of primers was designed for the detection of the São Paulo isolate of JGMV by RT-PCR.

Os rotavírus do grupo A (RVA) são importantes causadores de diarreias virais em crianças e animais jovens de diferentes espécies, com impactos na saúde pública e animal. Visando contribuir para o entendimento e prevenção das rotaviroses assim como suas possíveis relações zoonóticas, caracterizou-se os 11 segmentos de dsRNA de rotavírus codificadores das proteínas estruturais e não estruturais presentes em amostras fecais positivas de suínos coletadas nos anos de 2012-2013, em 2 estados brasileiros. Mediante o emprego de RT-PCR, sequenciamento nucleotídico e análises filogenéticas, todos os segmentos genéticos oriundos de 12 amostras de RVA detectados em suínos foram analisados e comparados com os de outras amostras descritas previamente. As sequências obtidas para os genes codificadores das proteínas NSP2, NSP3 e VP6 contemplaram a open reading frame (ORF) completa do gene, enquanto que a ORF parcial foi determinada para os genes codificadores das proteínas VP1, VP2, VP3, VP4, VP7, NSP1, NSP4, NSP5 e NSP6. Os genotipos de rotavírus suíno provenientes das regiões amostradas concordam com os mais frequentemente descritos nesta espécie animal, apresentando, assim, uma matriz genética suína com a maioria dos segmentos pertencentes à constelação genotípica 1, com exceção dos genes codificadores das proteínas VP6 e NSP1, os quais foram os genotipos I5 e A8, respectivamente. Apesar de predominar o genotipo 1 (Wa-like) nas sequências deste estudo, a análise genômica sugere a existência de uma variação intragenotípica no genoma do rotavírus do grupo A atualmente circulante nas populações suína amostradas dos estados de São Paulo e Mato Grosso. Adicionalmente, buscou-se identificar os aminoácidos relacionados com a adaptação dos rotavírus no hospedeiro e assinaturas genéticas que distinguissem RVA suíno e humano. Para isso, as sequências obtidas neste estudo foram comparadas com outras cepas de RVA detectadas nestas duas espécies e pertencentes ao genotipo 1 (Wa-like) disponíveis no Genbank. Como resultados foram encontrados mais de 75 sítios de mudanças deaminoácidos que diferenciam RVA suíno e humano além de sítios de substituiçãopresentes em algumas proteínas virais que frequentemente covariaram entre elas. Estes resultados proporcionam um maior entendimento da diversidade viral circulante em unidades de produção suína e uma melhor compreensão dos animaiscomo reservatórios genéticos de cepas de rotavírus emergentes em humanos. / Group A rotaviruses (RVA) are leading causes of viral diarrhea in children and in the young of many animals species with impacts on public and animal health. To contribute to the understanding and prevention of rotaviruses as well as its possible zoonotic relationships, it was characterized the 11 segments of dsRNA rotavirus encoding the structural and nonstructural proteins present in positive fecal samples from pigs collected in the years 2012-2013 in 2 Brazilian states. Using RT-PCR, nucleotide sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses, all gene segments from 12 RVA samples detected in pigs were analyzed and compared with the other samples as described previously. The sequences obtained for the NSP2, NSP3, and VP6 coding genes covered the complete open reading frame (ORF), while the partial ORF was determined for the VP1, VP2, VP3, VP4, VP7, NSP1, NSP4, NSP5 and NSP6 coding genes. The genotypes of porcine rotavirus from the sampled regions agree with the most frequently reported in this species, presenting thus a porcine-RVA-like backbone with most segments being designated as constellation genotype 1, with the exception of the VP6 and NSP1 coding genes, which were genotypes I5 and A8, respectively. Although genotype 1 (Wa-like) sequences were predominant in this study, the genomic analysis suggests the existence of a intragenotypic variation in group A rotavirus genome currently circulating in swine populations sampled in the states of São Paulo and Mato Grosso. In addition, we sought to identify the amino acids related to the adaptation of rotavirus in the host and genetic signatures that distinguish RVA pig and human. For this, the sequences obtained in this study were compared with other strains of RVA detected in these two species, belonging to genotype 1 (Wa-like) available in Genbank. The following results were found more than 75 sites of amino acid changes that differentiate RVA pig and human as well as substitution sites present in some viral proteins that often covaried between them. These results provide a greater understanding of the current viral diversity in swine production units and a better understanding of animals as genetic reservoirs emerging rotavirus strains in humans.

Dengue é uma doença infecciosa não contagiosa causada pelo vírus da dengue (gênero Flavivirus, família Flaviviridae), transmitida pela picada de artrópodes do gênero Aedes, principalmente Aedes aegypti, e sendo atualmente um importante problema de saúde pública em todo o mundo. Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde, cerca de 50 a 100 milhões de pessoas se infectam anualmente em mais de 100 países de todos os continentes. A dengue apresenta-se em três formas clínicas principais; doença febril indiferenciada, febre clássica do dengue (DF) e dengue hemorrágico com ou sem choque (DHF/DSS). Recentemente, viu-se um dramático aumento do número de casos de DHF/DSS nas Américas, e este aumento coincidiu com a introdução do dengue tipo 3, genótipo III. Neste trabalho, caracterizamos completamente o genoma de um vírus brasileiro de dengue tipo 3 (D3BR/RP1/2003) isolado de um paciente com dengue clássica. O genoma viral possui um tamanho de 10707 nucleotídeos e contém uma única região codificadora (posição 95 a 10264) flanqueada por duas regiões não codificadoras (RNC5, 1 a 94; RNC3, 10268 a 10707). A comparação do genoma viral com outros vírus isolados de pacientes com DF e DHF não mostrou diferenças significativas que sugerissem a presença de um fator genético associado à virulência. A analise filogenética baseada no genoma completo, mostra que a cepa D3BR/RP1/2003 pertence ao genótipo III e encontra-se proximamente relacionada a outro vírus isolado no Rio de Janeiro em 2002. Entretanto, quando essa análise filogenética é realizada com as regiões codificadoras das proteínas E e NS5 individualmente, a cepa D3BR/RP1/2003 encontra-se mais proximamente relacionada a um vírus isolado na Ilha de Martinica no Caribe. Este achado sugere que o isolado D3BR/RP1/2003 pode ter sido originado através de um evento de recombinação entre duas cepas virais distintas antes ou após sua introdução no Brasil. Dados sugestivos de recombinação foram observados também quando analisada a relação filogenética entre vírus isolados na Ásia. / Dengue is an infectious disease caused by dengue virus (genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae), transmitted by the bite of arthropods of the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti, and being currently an important problem of public health worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, about 50 the 100 million people are infected annually in more than 100 countries of all continents. Dengue can be presented in three main clinical forms; undifferentiated febrile illness, classic dengue fever (DF) and hemorrhagic dengue fever with or without shock (DHF/DSS). Recently, a dramatically increase of DHF/DSS cases in the Americas have been seen, and this increase coincided with the introduction of the dengue type 3, genotype III. In this work, we have completely characterized the genome of a Brazilian dengue type 3 (D3BR/RP1/2003 strain) isolated from a DF patient. The viral genome possesses a size of 10707 nucleotides and has a unique open reading frame (position 95 to 10264), flanked by two untranslated regions (UTR5\', 1 to 94; UTR3\', 10268 to 10707). The comparison of the viral genome with other viruses isolated from patients with DF and DHF did not show significant differences to suggest the presence of a genetic factor associate with virulence. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete genome showed that D3BR/RP1/2003 strain belongs to genotype III and is close related to another virus isolated in Rio de Janeiro in 2002. However, when the phylogenetic analysis was based on the individual coding regions of E and NS5 proteins, D3BR/RP1/2003 strain was closely related to a virus isolated in the Island of Martinique in the Caribbean. This finding suggests that D3BR/RP1/2003 strain could have been originated through an event of recombination between different virus strains before or after its introduction to Brazil. Data supporting recombination events between viruses isolated in Asia have also been observed.

Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli are anaerobic intestinal spirochaetes that are the aetiological agents of swine dysentery and intestinal spirochaetosis, respectively. As part of this PhD study the genome sequence of B. hyodysenteriae strain WA1 and a near complete sequence of B. pilosicoli strain 95/1000 were obtained, and subjected to comparative genomic analysis. The B. hyodysenteriae genome consisted of a circular 3.0 Mb chromosome, and a 35,940 bp circular plasmid that has not previously been described. The incomplete genome of B. pilosicoli contained 4 scaffolds. There were 2,652 and 2,297 predicted ORFs in the B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli strains, respectively. Of the predicted ORFs, more had similarities to proteins of the enteric Clostridium species than they did to proteins of other spirochaetes. Many of these genes were associated with transport and metabolism, and they may have been gradually acquired through horizontal gene transfer in the environment of the large intestine. A reconstruction of central metabolic pathways of the Brachyspira species identified a complete set of coding sequences for glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, a non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide metabolism and a respiratory electron transport chain. A notable finding was the presence of rfb genes on the B. hyodysenteriae plasmid, and their apparent absence from B. pilosicoli. As these genes are involved in rhamnose biosynthesis it is likely that the composition of the B. hyodysenteriae lipooligosaccharide O-sugars is different from that of B. pilosicoli. O-antigen differences in these related species could be associated with differences in their specific niches, and/or with their disease specificity. Overall, comparison of B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli protein content and analysis of their central metabolic pathways showed that they have diverged markedly from other spirochaetes in the process of adapting to their habitat in the large intestine. The presence of overlapping genes in the two spirochaetes and in other spirochaete species also was investigated. The number of overlapping genes in the 12 spirochaete genomes examined ranged from 11-45%. Of these, 80% were unidirectional. Overlapping genes were found irregularly distributed within the Brachyspira genomes such that 70-80% of them occurred on the same strand (unidirectional, ->->/<-<-), with 16-28% occurring on opposite DNA strands (divergent, <-->). The remaining 4-6% of overlapping genes were convergent (-><-). The majority of the unidirectional overlap regions were relatively short, with >50% of the total observations overlapping by >4 bp. A small number of overlapping gene-pairs were duplicated within each genome and there were some triplet overlapping genes. Unique orthologous overlapping genes were identified within the various spirochaete genera. Over 75% of the overlapping genes in the Brachyspira species were in the same or related metabolic pathway. This finding suggests that overlapping genes are not only likely to be the result of functional constraints but also are constrained from a metabolomic context. Of the remaining 25% overlapping genes, 50% contained one hypothetical gene with unknown function. In addition, in one of the orthologous overlapping genes in the Brachyspira species, a promoter was shared, indicating the presence of a novel class of overlapping gene operon in these intestinal spirochaetes.

Os rotavírus do grupo A (RVA) são importantes causadores de diarreias virais em crianças e animais jovens de diferentes espécies, com impactos na saúde pública e animal. Visando contribuir para o entendimento e prevenção das rotaviroses assim como suas possíveis relações zoonóticas, caracterizou-se os 11 segmentos de dsRNA de rotavírus codificadores das proteínas estruturais e não estruturais presentes em amostras fecais positivas de suínos coletadas nos anos de 2012-2013, em 2 estados brasileiros. Mediante o emprego de RT-PCR, sequenciamento nucleotídico e análises filogenéticas, todos os segmentos genéticos oriundos de 12 amostras de RVA detectados em suínos foram analisados e comparados com os de outras amostras descritas previamente. As sequências obtidas para os genes codificadores das proteínas NSP2, NSP3 e VP6 contemplaram a open reading frame (ORF) completa do gene, enquanto que a ORF parcial foi determinada para os genes codificadores das proteínas VP1, VP2, VP3, VP4, VP7, NSP1, NSP4, NSP5 e NSP6. Os genotipos de rotavírus suíno provenientes das regiões amostradas concordam com os mais frequentemente descritos nesta espécie animal, apresentando, assim, uma matriz genética suína com a maioria dos segmentos pertencentes à constelação genotípica 1, com exceção dos genes codificadores das proteínas VP6 e NSP1, os quais foram os genotipos I5 e A8, respectivamente. Apesar de predominar o genotipo 1 (Wa-like) nas sequências deste estudo, a análise genômica sugere a existência de uma variação intragenotípica no genoma do rotavírus do grupo A atualmente circulante nas populações suína amostradas dos estados de São Paulo e Mato Grosso. Adicionalmente, buscou-se identificar os aminoácidos relacionados com a adaptação dos rotavírus no hospedeiro e assinaturas genéticas que distinguissem RVA suíno e humano. Para isso, as sequências obtidas neste estudo foram comparadas com outras cepas de RVA detectadas nestas duas espécies e pertencentes ao genotipo 1 (Wa-like) disponíveis no Genbank. Como resultados foram encontrados mais de 75 sítios de mudanças deaminoácidos que diferenciam RVA suíno e humano além de sítios de substituiçãopresentes em algumas proteínas virais que frequentemente covariaram entre elas. Estes resultados proporcionam um maior entendimento da diversidade viral circulante em unidades de produção suína e uma melhor compreensão dos animaiscomo reservatórios genéticos de cepas de rotavírus emergentes em humanos. / Group A rotaviruses (RVA) are leading causes of viral diarrhea in children and in the young of many animals species with impacts on public and animal health. To contribute to the understanding and prevention of rotaviruses as well as its possible zoonotic relationships, it was characterized the 11 segments of dsRNA rotavirus encoding the structural and nonstructural proteins present in positive fecal samples from pigs collected in the years 2012-2013 in 2 Brazilian states. Using RT-PCR, nucleotide sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses, all gene segments from 12 RVA samples detected in pigs were analyzed and compared with the other samples as described previously. The sequences obtained for the NSP2, NSP3, and VP6 coding genes covered the complete open reading frame (ORF), while the partial ORF was determined for the VP1, VP2, VP3, VP4, VP7, NSP1, NSP4, NSP5 and NSP6 coding genes. The genotypes of porcine rotavirus from the sampled regions agree with the most frequently reported in this species, presenting thus a porcine-RVA-like backbone with most segments being designated as constellation genotype 1, with the exception of the VP6 and NSP1 coding genes, which were genotypes I5 and A8, respectively. Although genotype 1 (Wa-like) sequences were predominant in this study, the genomic analysis suggests the existence of a intragenotypic variation in group A rotavirus genome currently circulating in swine populations sampled in the states of São Paulo and Mato Grosso. In addition, we sought to identify the amino acids related to the adaptation of rotavirus in the host and genetic signatures that distinguish RVA pig and human. For this, the sequences obtained in this study were compared with other strains of RVA detected in these two species, belonging to genotype 1 (Wa-like) available in Genbank. The following results were found more than 75 sites of amino acid changes that differentiate RVA pig and human as well as substitution sites present in some viral proteins that often covaried between them. These results provide a greater understanding of the current viral diversity in swine production units and a better understanding of animals as genetic reservoirs emerging rotavirus strains in humans.

Johnsongrass mosaic virus (JGMV) é uma espécie do gênero Potyvirus. A sua distribuição geográfica, até o início da década de 1990, estava limitada à Austrália e aos Estados Unidos, onde causa doença em sorgo, milho e várias gramíneas. Em 2001, o JGMV foi detectado pela primeira vez no Brasil em amostras de híbridos e variedades de milho provenientes da região de Ribeirão Preto, SP mediante análise sorológica (DAS-ELISA), e em 2013 foi detectado mediante RT-PCR em amostras de Pennisetum purpureum provenientes do Estado da Bahia. Em Fevereiro de 2012 a Clínica Fitopatológica da ESALQ/USP recebeu amostras de Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, com sintomas de mosaico, de São Luiz do Paraitinga, SP. Exames preliminares de contrastação negativa em microscópio eletrônico de transmissão indicaram a presença de partículas virais características de potyvirus. Diante disso, o principal objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar o agente etiológico associado às plantas doentes de capim Mombaça mediante testes biológicos, sorológicos e moleculares. Extratos foliares de plantas sintomáticas de capim Mombaça foram inoculados mecanicamente em 69 genótipos da família Poaceae. As avaliações foram feitas com base nos sintomas e por PTA-ELISA usando antissoro policlonal contra a proteína capsidial do potyvirus produzido nesse trabalho, após purificação do isolado viral. As espécies susceptíveis foram Brachiaria brizantha, B. decumbens, B. plantaginea, Cenchrus echinatus, Echinochloa colona, E. crus-galli, E. cruspavonis, Melinis minutiflora, Panicum maximum cv. Colonião, Pennisetum setosum, Rhynchelytrum repens, Rottboellia exaltata, Sorghum bicolor BRS 332, S. bicolor BRS 509, S. bicolor x S. sudanense BRS 802 e S. verticilliflorum. Espécies cultivadas como arroz, aveia, cana-de-açúcar, centeio, milho e trigo não foram infectadas com esse isolado. O peso molecular da proteína capsidial deste potyvirus foi estimado em cerca de 33 kDa por meio de Western blot. Sequência de nucleotídeos do genoma completo (9.885 nt) obtida neste estudo revelou identidade de 82,03% com a única sequência completa do genoma de um isolado do JGMV da Austrália, depositada no GenBank. A partir dessa sequência foram obtidos oligonucleotídeos iniciadores específicos para a detecção do isolado de SP do JGMV mediante RT-PCR. / Johnsongrass mosaic virus (JGMV) is a species of the genus Potyvirus. The geographical distribution, until the early 1990s, was limited to Australia and the United States, where it causes disease in sorghum, corn and various grasses. In 2001, JGMV was first detected in Brazil in samples of hybrids and varieties of corn from the region of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State by serological analysis (DASELISA), and in 2013 it was detected by RT-PCR in samples of Pennisetum purpureum from the State of Bahia. In February 2012, the Disease Diagnostic Clinic ESALQ/USP received samples of Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, exhibiting mosaic symptoms, from the region of São Luiz do Paraitinga, SP. Preliminary examination of negatively stained sap in a transmission electron microscope indicated the presence of potyvirus-like particles. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize the etiologic agent associated with P. maximum cv. Mombaça diseased plants by biological, serological and molecular tests. Leaf extract from Mombaça infected plants was mechanically inoculated in 69 genotypes of the Poaceae family. Evaluations were done based on symptoms expression and PTAELISA using polyclonal antiserum against the capsid protein of the potyvirus produced in the preset work virus purification. Susceptible species were Brachiaria brizantha, B. decumbens, B. plantaginea, Cenchrus echinatus, Echinochloa colona, E. crus-galli, E. crus-pavonis, Melinis minutiflora, Panicum maximum cv. Colonião, Pennisetum setosum, Rhynchelytrum repens, Rottboellia exaltata, Sorghum bicolor BRS 332, S. bicolor BRS 509, S. bicolor x S. sudanense BRS 802 and S. verticilliflorum. Cultivated species such as rice, oats, sugarcane, rye, corn and wheat were not infected with this isolate. The molecular weight of the coat protein of this potyvirus was estimated at about 33 kDa by Western blot. The nucleotide sequence of the complete genome (9885 nt) obtained in this study showed 82.03% identity with an unique sequence for the complete genome of an isolate of JGMV from Australia, deposited in GenBank. From this nucleotide sequence, specific pair of primers was designed for the detection of the São Paulo isolate of JGMV by RT-PCR.

Dengue é uma doença infecciosa não contagiosa causada pelo vírus da dengue (gênero Flavivirus, família Flaviviridae), transmitida pela picada de artrópodes do gênero Aedes, principalmente Aedes aegypti, e sendo atualmente um importante problema de saúde pública em todo o mundo. Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde, cerca de 50 a 100 milhões de pessoas se infectam anualmente em mais de 100 países de todos os continentes. A dengue apresenta-se em três formas clínicas principais; doença febril indiferenciada, febre clássica do dengue (DF) e dengue hemorrágico com ou sem choque (DHF/DSS). Recentemente, viu-se um dramático aumento do número de casos de DHF/DSS nas Américas, e este aumento coincidiu com a introdução do dengue tipo 3, genótipo III. Neste trabalho, caracterizamos completamente o genoma de um vírus brasileiro de dengue tipo 3 (D3BR/RP1/2003) isolado de um paciente com dengue clássica. O genoma viral possui um tamanho de 10707 nucleotídeos e contém uma única região codificadora (posição 95 a 10264) flanqueada por duas regiões não codificadoras (RNC5, 1 a 94; RNC3, 10268 a 10707). A comparação do genoma viral com outros vírus isolados de pacientes com DF e DHF não mostrou diferenças significativas que sugerissem a presença de um fator genético associado à virulência. A analise filogenética baseada no genoma completo, mostra que a cepa D3BR/RP1/2003 pertence ao genótipo III e encontra-se proximamente relacionada a outro vírus isolado no Rio de Janeiro em 2002. Entretanto, quando essa análise filogenética é realizada com as regiões codificadoras das proteínas E e NS5 individualmente, a cepa D3BR/RP1/2003 encontra-se mais proximamente relacionada a um vírus isolado na Ilha de Martinica no Caribe. Este achado sugere que o isolado D3BR/RP1/2003 pode ter sido originado através de um evento de recombinação entre duas cepas virais distintas antes ou após sua introdução no Brasil. Dados sugestivos de recombinação foram observados também quando analisada a relação filogenética entre vírus isolados na Ásia. / Dengue is an infectious disease caused by dengue virus (genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae), transmitted by the bite of arthropods of the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti, and being currently an important problem of public health worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, about 50 the 100 million people are infected annually in more than 100 countries of all continents. Dengue can be presented in three main clinical forms; undifferentiated febrile illness, classic dengue fever (DF) and hemorrhagic dengue fever with or without shock (DHF/DSS). Recently, a dramatically increase of DHF/DSS cases in the Americas have been seen, and this increase coincided with the introduction of the dengue type 3, genotype III. In this work, we have completely characterized the genome of a Brazilian dengue type 3 (D3BR/RP1/2003 strain) isolated from a DF patient. The viral genome possesses a size of 10707 nucleotides and has a unique open reading frame (position 95 to 10264), flanked by two untranslated regions (UTR5\', 1 to 94; UTR3\', 10268 to 10707). The comparison of the viral genome with other viruses isolated from patients with DF and DHF did not show significant differences to suggest the presence of a genetic factor associate with virulence. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete genome showed that D3BR/RP1/2003 strain belongs to genotype III and is close related to another virus isolated in Rio de Janeiro in 2002. However, when the phylogenetic analysis was based on the individual coding regions of E and NS5 proteins, D3BR/RP1/2003 strain was closely related to a virus isolated in the Island of Martinique in the Caribbean. This finding suggests that D3BR/RP1/2003 strain could have been originated through an event of recombination between different virus strains before or after its introduction to Brazil. Data supporting recombination events between viruses isolated in Asia have also been observed.

Burkholderia contaminans MS14 shows excellent antimicrobial activities against a wide range of pathogens. Complete sequence analysis reveals that the MS14 genome harbors multiple gene loci that contribute to its antimicrobial activities and lacks key virulence features commonly found in pathogenic Burkholderia species. A mutagenesis study identified the genes required for MS14 antibacterial activities and gene expression profiling targeted a polyketide synthase (PKS) gene cluster. Site-specific mutagenesis confirmed the PKS gene cluster is directly related to MS14 antibacterial activities and the PKS gene product is predicted to be the MS14 antibacterial compound. Strain UFB2 isolated from Mississippi shows significant antifungal and antibacterial activities. UFB2 was classified to be Pseudomonas chlororaphis and its complete genome sequence was reported in this study. Green house trails showed P. chlororaphis strain UFB2 could efficiently reduce the disease severity of bacterial canker of tomato, by significantly inhibiting the growth of the pathogen Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. The research findings of B. contaminans MS14 and P. chlororaphis UFB2 have provided insights into the development of MS14 antibacterial compound for agricultural application and potential use of strain UFB2 as a biocontrol agent.

Yes / Lysinibacillus fusiformis strain RB21 is a quorum-quenching bacterium that is able to degrade quorum-sensing signaling molecules. Here, we present the first complete genome sequence of L. fusiformis strain RB21. The finished genome is 4.8 Mbp in size, and the quorum-quenching gene was identified. / University of Malaya for High Impact Research (UM-MOHE HIR) grant UM C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/CHAN/01, no. A000001-50001 and grant UM C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/CHAN/14/1, H-50001-A000027