Morphological transitions in Wangiella dermatitidis, a causative agent of human phaeohyphomycosis, influence virulence processes in this polymorphic fungus. My project first involved the cloning and characterizion of the β(1→3) glucan synthase gene WdFKS1, which encodes the enzyme's catalytic subunit, followed by cloning and characterizing the WdRHO1 gene, which encodes its regulatory subunit. To better understand the Rho-type GTPase-mediated regulation of cell polarity and its role in fungal morphological transitions, a homologue of WdRAC1 from a W. dermatitidis was subsequently identified by degenerate PCR and gene walking. Gene deletions of WdFKS1 and WdRHO1 in haploid W. dermatitidis were lethal, whereas the deletion of WdRAC1 was not. RNA interference on WdFKS1 mRNA expression resulted in incomplete septa and damaged cell wall integrity, as well as slow growth rate in W. dermatitidis. Overexpression studies, after site-specific integrations of WdRHO1 and WdRAC1 alleles under control of the glaA promoter into the nonessential WdPKS1 locus, showed the different alleles had different effects on the cell morphological development. For example, whereas overexpression of the wdrho1⁺ allele did not affect the growth rate of W. dermatitidis, the overexpression of wdrho1[superscript G14V], a constitutively active mutation, slowed growth and repressed true filamentous hyphal growth by promoting pseudohyphal growth. While the deletion of WdRAC1 did not affect growth, its loss retarded polarized hyphal growth in a hyphal-inducing minimal medium. Moreover, three new phenotypes of a previously derived WdCDC42 deletion mutant were discovered during this study: in the first, the wdcdc42[Delta] mutant displayed cell lysis when incubated in YPMaltose medium at 37°C; in the second, a dark budding neck abnormality was found after Calcoflour staining; and in the third, the wdcdc42[Delta] mutant displayed no branching during true hyphal growth. Interestingly, the overexpression of wdrac1[superscript G16V] complemented the second and the third phenotypes caused by the WdCDC42 deletion. In addition, the wdcdc42[Delta]/wdrac1[superscript G16V] double mutant unexpectedly displayed an interrupted carotenogenesis pathway. These results support that in W. dermatitidis, Rho-type GTPases play essential roles in growth rate determination and cellular morphogenesis, especially while producing polarized hyphal growth during its many morphological transitions. / text

The utilization of lignocellulosic residues to produce renewable energy is an interesting alternative to meet the increasing demand of fuels while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Sweet sorghum bagasse is a lignocellulosic residue composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; and it is a promising substrate for ethanol production because its complex carbohydrates may be hydrolyzed and converted into simple sugars, and then fermented into ethanol. However, the utilization of lignocellulosic residues is difficult and inefficient. Lignocellulose is a very stable and compact complex structure, which is linked by β-1,4 and β-1,3 glycosidic bonds. Furthermore, the crystalline and amorphous features of cellulose fibers and the presence of hemicellulose and lignin make the conversion of lignocellulose into fermentable sugars currently impractical at commercial scale. The bioconversion of lignocellulose in nature is performed by microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, which produce enzymes that are able to degrade lignocellulose. The present study evaluated the bioconversion of lignocellulosic residues of sweet sorghum into simple sugars using filamentous fungi directly in the hydrolysis of the substrate, without prior isolation of the enzymes. The fungus Neurospora crassa and some wild fungi (that grew naturally on sweet sorghum bagasse) were used in this investigation. The effect of the fungi on substrate degradation and the sugars released after hydrolysis were evaluated, and then compared with standard hydrolysis performed by commercial enzymes (isolated cellulases). In addition, different combinations of fungi and enzymes were used to determine the best approach. The main goal was to verify if the fungi were able to attack and break down the lignocellulose structure directly and at a reasonable rate, rather than by the current method utilizing isolated enzymes. The main finding of this study was that the fungi (N. crassa and wild fungi) were able to degrade sweet sorghum bagasse directly; however, in all of the cases, the hydrolysis process was not efficient because the hydrolysis rate was much lower than the enzymatic hydrolysis rate. Hydrolysis using a combination of fungus and commercial enzymes was a good approach, but still not efficient enough for practical use. The best results of combined hydrolysis were obtained when the substrate was under the fungus attack for three days and then, commercial enzymes with low enzymatic activity (7 FPU/g and 25 CBU/g) were added to the solution. These enzymes represent 10% of the current enzymatic activity recommended per gram of substrate. This process reached reasonable levels of sugars (close to 85% of sugars yield obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis); however, the conversion rate was still slower, making the process impractical and more expensive since it took twice the amount of time as commercial enzymes. Furthermore, the wild fungi able to degrade cellulose were isolated, screened, and identified. Two of them belong to the genus Aspergillus, one to the genus Acremonium, and one to the genus Rhizopus. Small concentration of spores-0.5mL- (see Table 4, CHAPTER III- for specific number of spores per mL) did not show any sugar released during hydrolysis of sweet sorghum bagasse. However, when the concentration of spores was increased (to 5mL and 10mL of solution), citric acid production was detected. This finding indicates that those wild fungi were able to degrade lignocellulose, even though no simple sugars were measured, citric acid production is an indicator of fungi growing and utilization of lignocellulose as nutrient. It is assumed that the fungi consume the sugars at the same time they are released, thus they are not detected. The maximum concentration of citric acid (~14.50 mg/mL) was achieved between days 8-11 of hydrolysis. On the other hand, before using lignocellulose, the substrate needed to be pretreated in order to facilitate its decomposition and subsequent hydrolysis. Sweet sorghum bagasse was washed three times to remove any soluble sugars remaining after the juice was extracted from the stalks. Then, another finding of this study was that the first wash solution could be used for ethanol production since the amount of sugars present in it was close to 13°Brix. The ethanol yield after 48 hours of fermentation was in average 6.82mg/mL, which is close to the theoretical ethanol yield. The other two washes were too dilute for commercial ethanol production. In terms of pretreatments, the best one to break down sweet sorghum bagasse was 2% (w/v) NaOH. This pretreatment shows the highest amounts of glucose and xylose released after hydrolysis. Unwashed and untreated bagasse (raw bagasse) did not show any sugar released. In terms of ethanol, 74.50% of the theoretical yield was reached by enzymatic hydrolysis, while 1.10% was reached by hydrolysis using the fungus N. crassa. Finally, it is important to remark that further investigation is needed to improve the direct conversion of lignocellulose into fermentable sugars by fungal enzymes. This approach is a promising technology that needs to be developed and improved to make it efficient and feasible at commercial scale.

A suinocultura brasileira encontra-se atualmente em um nível técnico de destaque no contexto mundial. Entretanto, diversas estratégias são utilizadas para restringir a compra dos produtos brasileiros por países estrangeiros, em especial barreiras sanitárias. Os objetivos desse trabalho foram determinar a microbiota fúngica da pele de suínos sem lesões aparentes e estabelecer os possíveis agentes micóticos de importância nesta espécie. Foram obtidas 261 amostras de animais com 20 a 120 dias de idade, provenientes de 11 granjas do Rio Grande do Sul. As amostras foram obtidas apenas dos animais com ausência de qualquer patologia. Essas foram semeadas em Agar Sabouraud com cloranfenicol. Obteve-se o crescimento de 509 culturas, sendo 305 (59,92%) fungos filamentosos e 204 (40,08%) leveduras. A distribuição do número de diferentes colônias isoladas por amostra demonstra uma predominância de monocultura no grupo 1 (animais de 20 a 60 dias de idade) em relação ao grupo 2 (animais acima de 60 dias de idade). Dentre os fungos filamentosos septados, ocorreu predominância dos hialohifomicetos (43,03%) em relação aos feohifomicetos (10,41%), enquanto que observou-se apenas 6,48% de filamentosos asseptados. O Aspergillus (22,90%) foi o gênero de hialohifomiceto mais isolado, com predominância do A. flavus (5,70%). Dentre os feohifomicetos, o gênero Cladosporium foi o mais prevalente (9,04%). No que concerne os zygomicetos, o gênero mais isolado foi Mucor (4,13%). Em relação às leveduras, o gênero Candida foi o mais isolado (14,73%), sendo a distribuição de freqüência das espécies: C. albicans (13,56%), C. parapsilopsis (0,59%), C. famata (0,20%), C. tropicalis (0,20%) e outras espécies de Candida (0,20%). A reduzida quantidade de diferentes fungos isolados por amostra nos animais do grupo 1, em relação ao grupo 2, pode ter sido influenciada pela menor quantidade de grãos utilizada na fabricação de ração nos animais mais novos, maior freqüência de limpeza e desinfecção das instalações, bem como a não mistura de animais provenientes de diferentes origens. A alta prevalência do gênero Candida observada em suínos, um gênero normalmente comensal do trato gastrintestinal, se torna importante quando esses animais são acometidos por doenças imunossupressoras. Estudos clínicos longitudinais e/ou infecções experimentais talvez possam definir a importância destes agentes em suínos. / Brazilian pig production has reached a technical and techological level that stands out in international pig production. However, several strategies have been used to limit access of Brazilian pig products to international market, including health barriers. The objective of our work was to determine the fungal flora of the healthy pig skin and to determine possible micotic agents important for this animal species. 261 samples from 20-120 day old pigles were obtained from 11 pig farms from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. All sampled animals were negative for any skin lesions. The samples were cultured in Sabouraud agar and cloranfenicol. Cultures were obtained from 509 materials, with 305 (59,95%) filamentous fungi and 204 (40,08%) yeasts. The distribution of different fungi isolated each simple shows a high prevalence on group 1 (20-60 days old) in relation to group 2 (more than 60 days old). Among septated filamentous fungi, there was a great preponderance of hialohifomycetes (43,03%) in relation to feohifomycetes (10,41%), while only 6,48% were aseptated filamentous. Aspergillus (22,90%) was the most isolated genus of hialohifomycetes and A. flavus (5,70%) was the more prevalent specie isolated. As to zygomycetes, the most isolated genus was Mucor (4,13%). Regarding yeasts, the genus Candida was the most prevalent (14,73%) and the species distribution was: C. albicans (13,56%), C. parapsilopsis (0,59%), C. famata (0,20%), C. tropicalis (0,20%) and other Candida species (0,20%). The little quantity isolated per sample could have been influenced by quantity of grains used in pig feed in these different stages of production, types of facilities, stress and environmental changes could be important to imbalance the flora, as well as favoring diffusion of mycosis in the herds. The limited number of different fungi isolated from animal flora on group 1 may have been influenced by the smaller use of grains in the feed mill in this stage, a better cleaning and disinfection of premises, as well as avoiding mixing pigs of different source. Clinical longitudinal studies and/ or experimental infections perhaps may help to define the importance of these fungi to that species.

Submitted by Alexandre Soares (alexandredesoares@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-08-25T12:15:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ricardo_salviano_dos_santos.pdf: 10951738 bytes, checksum: c0a4f85e54d112293b5db8023ebbe5a7 (MD5) / Submitted by Alexandre Soares (bicalho.sam@gmail.com) on 2017-01-09T12:48:01Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) ricardo_salviano_dos_santos.pdf: 10951738 bytes, checksum: c0a4f85e54d112293b5db8023ebbe5a7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2017-01-10T12:26:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) ricardo_salviano_dos_santos.pdf: 10951738 bytes, checksum: c0a4f85e54d112293b5db8023ebbe5a7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-10T12:26:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) ricardo_salviano_dos_santos.pdf: 10951738 bytes, checksum: c0a4f85e54d112293b5db8023ebbe5a7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / A demanda por enzimas holocelulot?ticas tem aumentado nos ?ltimos anos, impulsionada, principalmente, pelo mercado rec?m estabelecido de etanol de 2? gera??o. Diante disso, o objetivo central desta tese foi avaliar o potencial de fungos filamentosos selecionados e de res?duos agroindustriais derivados de oleaginosas, usados aqui como fontes de carbono, para a produ??o de enzimas celulol?ticas e xilanol?ticas por fermenta??o em estado s?lido (FES) conduzida em batelada simples. O desenvolvimento deste projeto envolveu as seguintes etapas: caracteriza??o centesimal dos res?duos agroindustriais; avalia??o do potencial indutor de cada res?duo agroindustrial sobre a produ??o enzim?tica de holocelulases por cada uma das linhagens f?ngicas pesquisadas; otimiza??o da produ??o das hidrolases de interesse com o uso da linhagem f?ngica e do res?duo agroindustrial que se destacaram; caracteriza??o do extrato enzim?tico obtido na condi??o otimizada; e avalia??o da aplica??o do extrato enzim?tico obtido na condi??o otimizada na sacarifica??o de biomassas lignocelul?sicas. Cinco linhagens de fungos filamentosos, Aspergillus niger INCQS:40065, Aspergillus tubingensis AN1257, Fusarium oxysporum INCQS:40144, Penicillium oxalicum INCQS:40103 e Trichoderma reesei CCT2768, e seis res?duos agroindustriais, tortas de caro?o de algod?o, dend?, girassol, maca?ba, mamona e pinh?o manso, usados como fontes de carbono, foram avaliados para a produ??o das enzimas de interesse. Dentre as linhagens testadas, Aspergillus tubingensis AN1257 foi a que se destacou para a produ??o de enzimas celulol?ticas e xilanol?ticas, especialmente quando combinado com a torta de caro?o de algod?o. A otimiza??o de processo conduzida com A. tubingensis e a torta de caro?o de algod?o para a produ??o das atividades de CMCase, FPase, ?-glucosidase e xilanase apontou a raz?o s?lido:l?quido (S/L) de 35%, a fonte de nitrog?nio de 1,30 g de (NH4)2SO4 /100g torta, e o tamanho do in?culo de 1,00 x 107 con?dios/g de torta, como determinantes para a condi??o fermentativa otimizada. Nesta condi??o fermentativa otimizada foram obtidos valores de atividade aproximados de 20 U/g para CMCase, 50U/g para FPase, 300 U/g para ?-glucosidase e 1300 U/g para xilanase, ap?s 8 dias de fermenta??o. Os efeitos combinados da temperatura e do pH sobre as atividades das enzimas holocelulol?ticas produzidas por A. tubingensis AN1257 denotam uma boa aplicabilidade destas enzimas sob temperaturas entre 40 e 60?C, e pH em torno de 4,0 a 5,0. O extrato enzim?tico produzido por A. tubingensis AN1257 na condi??o fermentativa otimizada mostrou-se eficiente na sacarifica??o das pr?prias tortas vegetais usadas inicialmente como fontes de carbono, sobretudo quando aplicado em processo de sacarifica??o e fermenta??o simult?nea da torta de girassol pr?-tratada. Este processo resultou na produ??o de 16 g de etanol por 100g de torta de caro?o de algod?o e um mosto fermentado com a concentra??o de 20g/L de etanol. O conjunto dos resultados obtidos nesta tese aponta como promissor o uso de alguns res?duos agroindustriais e fungos filamentosos selecionados para a produ??o de enzimas holocelulol?ticas com potencial aplica??o para a produ??o de bioetanol de 2? gera??o. Palavras / Programa de P?s-gradua??o em Biocombust?veis, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2015. / The demand for hollocelulolytic enzymes has increased in recent years, driven mainly by the newly established market for 2ndgeneration ethanol. The potential of selected filamentous fungi and derivatives of agro-industrial waste oil, used here as carbon sources for the production of cellulolytic and xylan-degrading enzymes, was evaluated. The development of the project involved the following steps: partial characterization of agro-industrial waste; the inducing potential of each agroindustrial residue on enzyme production by each filamentous fungus strain was investigated; optimization of the production of the hydrolases by the fungal strain and the agro-industrial waste that showed the greatest potential; characterization of the enzyme extract obtained under the optimum conditions; and evaluation of the implementation of the enzymatic extract obtained under the optimum condition for saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. Five strains of filamentous fungi - Aspergillus niger INCQS: 40065, Aspergillus tubingensis AN1257, Fusarium oxysporum INCQS:40144, Penicillium oxalicum INCQS:40103 and Trichoderma reesei CCT2768 -- and six agro-industrial wastes -- cottonseed, palm, sunflower, maca?ba, castor and jatropha cakes, used as carbon sources -- were assessed for production of the enzymatic activities of interest. Among the strains tested, Aspergillus tubingensis AN1257 was most noteworthy for the production of cellulolytic and xylanase enzymes, especially when combined with cottonseed cake. The optimization conducted with A. tubingensis and cottonseed cake for the production of CMCase, FPase, ?-glucosidase and xylanase activities indicated that the conditions for an optimum fermentation were a solid/liquid (S/L) ratio of 35%, 1.30 g (NH4)2SO4/100 g cake as the source of nitrogen, and an inoculum size of 1.00 x 107 conidia/g of cake. Activity values of approximately 20 U/g for CMCase, 50 U/g for FPase, 300 U/g for ?-glucosidase and 1300 U/g for xylanase were obtained after 8 days of fermentation under optimized fermentation conditions. The combined effects of temperature and pH on the activities of the holocellulolytic enzymes produced by A. tubingensis AN1257 indicated that these enzymes were most efficient at temperatures between 40 and 60 ?C and pH between 4.0 and 5.0. The enzyme extract produced by A. tubingensis under optimized fermentation conditions was efficient in the saccharification of the same vegetable cakes initially used as carbon sources, especially when applied to the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of pretreated sunflower cake. This process resulted in the production of 16 g of ethanol per 100 g of cottonseed cake and a fermented must with a concentration of 20 g/L of ethanol. Thus, the use of some agro-industrial wastes and selected filamentous fungi for the production of holocelulol?ticas enzymes with potential application for the production of 2nd generation bioethanol was shown to be very promising.

Mycelial pellet formation by filamentous fungi is one of the most researched topics in fungal biotechnology research. Pellets are generally formed as a result of a complex interaction process through the influence of many cultivation factors such as inoculum size, pH, dissolved oxygen level, agitation system, nucleating agents, additives, trace metals, CO2, temperature, reactor types, carbon substrate, rheology, culture modes, fermenter geometry, nitrogen and phosphate levels etc. Each factor has varying effects on the growth morphologies of different fungal species. Fungal growths in the form of pellets have several advantages and pose a potential solution to overcome the problems associated with the filamentous fungal growth in large scale industrial bioreactors. The aim of the present work was to study pellet formation of edible filamentous fungus Neurospora intermedia, focusing on the molecular aspects of the fungal pellets with special interest to investigate the role of cell signaling second messenger cyclic 3', 5’-adenosine mono- phosphate (cAMP). It was found that Neurospora intermedia stimulate cAMP in the pellet form than filamentous form. The industrial applications of fungal pellets for generating value added products were also studied and observed fermentation in individual and co fermented first and second-generation ethanol substrate, showed an ethanol yield maximum of 0.25 ± 0.05 g/g dry substrate. The growth of fungal pellets in presence of inhibitors (such as acetic acid, HMF and furfural) resulted in about 11% to 45% increase in ethanol production as compared to filamentous forms, at similar growth conditions in the liquid straw hydrolysate.

Os estudos da biotransformação têm-se mostrado um método eficiente para reações que envolvam a obtenção de compostos com interesse comercial. Dentre estes produtos utilizados podemos destacar monoterpenos por constituírem uma variedade de compostos com grande aplicação tanto no âmbito farmacêutico, como em perfumes, cosméticos e alimentos. As suspensões de células vegetais e os fungos filamentosos têm sido largamente usados em reações de biotransformação destes metabólitos secundários como substratos exógenos. A habilidade das culturas celulares e fungos em transformar tais compostos vêm sendo dirigidos principalmente para a obtenção de derivados oxigenados de maior valor agregado, principalmente visando à produção de flavorizantes, aromatizantes e fragrâncias. As suspensões de células vegetais apresentam sistemas enzimáticos mais complexos, podendo levar a produtos específicos, enquanto os microrganismos, por serem mais simples e de crescimento mais rápido, geralmente promovem mais rapidamente a metabolização dos substratos.Neste contexto, o presente trabalho descreve a investigação do potencial de bioconversão dos monoterpenos (R)-(+)-α-pineno, (S)-(-)-α-pineno e (S)-(-)-β- pineno, bem como do óleo de terebentina, para avaliação de suas potencialidades frente a reações de biotransformação mediadas pelos microrganismos Cunninghamella echinulata ATCC 9245, Mortierella isabellina NRRL 1757 e Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 36112 e por suspensões de células vegetais de Catharanthus roseus. Todos os sistemas estudados mostraram habilidade na bioconversão dos substratos testados. / Biotransformation has been an efficient method to obtain important commercial compounds such as monoterpenes, that have a range of applications in the pharmaceutical, perfumery, cosmetics and food industries. Plant cell cultures and filamentous fungi suspensions have been widely used in biotransformation reactions of monoterpenes as exogenous substrates. The ability of the cells and fungi cultures to transform these compounds has being mainly used for the synthesis of oxygenated derivatives aiming at the production of flavours and fragrances. The plant cell cultures suspensions have complex enzymatic systems with the production of specific compounds, where as filamentous fungi, which are structurally simpler and fast growing, can promote quicker transformations reactions. In this context, the present work describes the evaluation of bioconversion of the monoterpenes (R)-(+)-α-pinene, (S)-(-)-α-pinene, (S)-(-)-β-pinene, as well as turpentine oil using the filamentous fungi suspensions of Cunninghamella echinulata ATCC 9245, Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 36112 and Mortierella isabellina NRRL 1757, aswer as Catharanthus roseus plant cell cultures. All evaluated systems were capable of bioconverting the studied substrates. The main product obtained from pinenes and turpentine oil was α-terpineol.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Fungi are organisms that have high importance as they are the primary decomposers of all terrestrial ecosystems and have critical ecological functions in nutrient cycling and associations with other organisms. Metabolic diversity of fungi aroused great interest for technological research, as new natural products are continually being produced by fungi. However, only a small part of fungal diversity has been grown and selected as biotechnology resource. Much of the potential of fungi is due to the diversity in production of hydrolytic enzymes such as chitinase, which can be used for various purposes. The chitinases hydrolyze the β-1.4 linked in chitin polymer resulting in the release of chito-oligomers. These enzymes are studied for numerous applications such as the production of biopesticides for agriculture use. Despite this relevance, some factors limit a wider commercial use of chitinases such as the lack of organisms with high production rates, high production cost, and low activity and stability of available chitinases. The objectives of this study were to isolate and identify producers of chitinase fungi, evaluate the production of this enzyme in solid state fermentation (SSF), optimize the production of chitinase by largest producer in SSF, evaluate different sources of chitin for the production of chitinase and various solvents for extraction of the enzymes produced during the fermentation process and evaluate the effectiveness of the enzyme extract and biological control in mortality of phytopathogenic nematodes Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita. 51 fungi were isolated from the exoskeleton of Tibraca limbativentris bugs in 5 collection points distributed in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. From the isolated, 50 produced chitinases and ten were selected as the best producers of this enzyme in SSF utilizing wheat bran and macro- and micro-nutrients solution. The ten isolated were identified by ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 nrDNA region. The isolated selected Trichoderma sp. UFSMQ40 with 13.07 U gds-1 of chitinase, followed by the isolated Fusarium sp. UFSMQ32 (11.35 U gds-1), Trichoderma sp. UFSMQ24 (10.11 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ18 (10.05 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ1 (9.84 U gds-1), Lecanicillium sp. UFSMQ6 (971 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ27 (9.11 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ12 (8.92 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ49 (8.16 U gds-1) and Fusarium sp. UFSMQ17 (8.05 U gds-1) showed high production of chitinase in SSF. Subsequently this step, the isolated Trichoderma sp. UFSMQ40 was identified as Trichoderma koningiopsis by amplification of the tef1 gene fragment. As an optimization result the increased production of chitinases by this fungus in SSF was 10.76 U gds-1 and occurred when the wheat bran substrate was used with 55% moisture, 5 g of corn steep liquor, two inoculum disks at 30 °C for 72 h. The colloidal chitin, powders and flakes, should be used as enzyme inducers without altering the production of the chitinase isolated. The use of 75 mL of citrate-phosphate buffer was the best extractor evaluated for the chitinase produced by this isolated in SSF. The Trichoderma koningiopsis UFSMQ40 presents potential for the industrial production of chitinase using agricultural residues as substrates and high nematicide effect against Meloidogyne incognita e Meloidogyne javanica. / Os fungos são organismos que apresentam elevada importância, pois são os decompositores primários dos ecossistemas terrestres, possuem funções ecológicas críticas na ciclagem de nutrientes e nas associações com outros organismos. A diversidade metabólica dos fungos desperta grande interesse para exploração tecnológica, pois novos produtos naturais estão continuamente sendo produzidos por estes. Entretanto, apenas uma pequena parte da diversidade fúngica tem sido cultivada e selecionada como recurso biotecnológico. Grande parte desse potencial dos fungos se deve a diversidade da produção de enzimas hidrolíticas, como as quitinases, que podem ser utilizadas para diversos fins. As quitinases hidrolisam as ligações β-1,4 no polímero de quitina, resultando na liberação de quito-oligômeros. Essas enzimas são estudadas para várias aplicações, como na produção de bioinseticidas para uso na agricultura. Apesar dessa relevância, alguns fatores restringem uma exploração comercial mais ampla das quitinases, como a escassez de microrganismos com altas taxas de produção, o alto custo de produção, e a baixa atividade e estabilidade das quitinases disponíveis. Os objetivos deste estudo foram isolar e identificar fungos produtores de quitinases, avaliar a produção desta enzima em fermentação em estado sólido (FES), otimizar a produção de quitinases pelo isolado maior produtor desta enzima, avaliar diferentes fontes de quitina para a produção de quitinase, testar diferentes solventes para a extração das enzimas produzidas durante o processo fermentativo e avaliar a efetividade do extrato enzimático e do controle biológico na mortalidade dos nematoides fitopatogênicos Meloidogyne javanica e Meloidogyne incognita. Foram isolados 51 fungos a partir do exoesqueleto de percevejos Tibraca limbativentris em 5 pontos de coleta distribuídos no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Dos isolados, 50 produziram quitinases e dez foram selecionados como os melhores produtores desta enzima, em FES utilizando farelo de trigo e solução de macro e micro nutrientes. Esses dez isolados foram identificados pela região ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 do nrDNA. O isolado selecionado Trichoderma sp. UFSMQ40 com 13,07 U gds-1 de quitinase, seguido dos isolados Fusarium sp. UFSMQ32 (11,35 U gds-1), Trichoderma sp. UFSMQ24 (10,11 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ18 (10,05 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ1 (9,84 U gds-1), Lecanicillium sp. UFSMQ6 (9,71 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ27 (9,11 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ12 (8,92 U gds-1), Fusarium sp. UFSMQ49 (8,16 U gds-1) e Fusarium sp. UFSMQ17 (8,05 U gds-1) apresentaram elevada produção de quitinases em FES. Após essa etapa, o isolado Trichoderma sp. UFSMQ40 foi identificado como Trichoderma koningiopsis pela amplificação do fragmento do gene tef1. Como resultado da otimização, a maior produção de quitinases por este fungo em FES foi de 10,76 U gds-1 e ocorreu quando foi utilizado no substrato farelo de trigo: 55% de umidade, 15% de quitina coloidal, 100% de água de maceração de milho, dois discos de inóculo à 30 °C por 72 h. A quitina coloidal, em pó e em flocos, podem ser utilizadas como indutores enzimáticos sem alterar a produção de quitinase pelo isolado. A utilização da razão 1:15 de tampão citrato-fosfato foi o melhor extrator avaliado para as quitinases produzidas por este isolado em FES. O isolado Trichoderma koningiopsis UFSMQ40 apresenta potencial para a produção industrial de quitinases utilizando resíduos agroindustriais como substratos e elevado efeito nematicida contra Meloidogyne incognita e Meloidogyne javanica.

A utilização de resíduos agroindustriais na produção de diversos bioprodutos tem surgido como uma alternativa viável, para o aproveitamento na formação de subprodutos através da bioconversão de resíduos agroindustriais que estão cada vez mais utilizados. Os resíduos se caracterizam como materiais extremamente heterogêneos, e que servem tanto como fonte de carbono e energia, quanto para o crescimento microbiano, reduzindo assim os custos de produção de diversas enzimas microbianas e minimizando o impacto ambiental que esses materiais ocasionariam ao serem descartados no meio ambiente. Os fungos filamentosos apresentam um elevado potencial biotecnológico para produção de enzimas de origem microbiana. As tanases são enzimas extracelulares que catalisam a quebra de taninos hidrolisáveis, induzíveis, produzidas por diversos micro-organismos, principalmente por fungos filamentosos, por fermentação sólida, líquida ou submersa, com vasta aplicação em diversos seguimentos de origem industrial e comercial. Este trabalho apresenta uma proposta de formular meios considerados econômicos para produção de tanases utilizando resíduos agroindustriais (café, uva e laranja) pelo fungo filamentoso Aspergillus isolado da caatinga do estado de Pernambuco. A primeira etapa da pesquisa consistiu na seleção do fungo, onde ele apresentou atividade degradadora do ácido tânico, porém a linhagem que apresentou melhor atividade foi o SIS 4. Essa linhagem, posteriormente, foi testada em meios de cultura adicionando 10 g/L de resíduos agroindustriais a uma solução de sais contendo 10 g/L de ácido tânico. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos com o resíduo de café para a linhagem previamente selecionada. / The use of agro-industrial waste in the production of various bioproducts has emerged as a viable alternative for use in the formation of by-products through bioconversion of agro-industrial waste that are increasingly used. The waste material is characterized as highly heterogenous, and they serve both as a source of carbon and energy, as for microbial growth thus reducing the production costs of several microbial enzymes and minimizing the environmental impact that these materials would provoke to be disposed in the environment. Filamentous fungi has a high potential for biotechnological production of enzymes of microbial origin. The tanases are extracellular enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of hydrolyzable tannins, inducible produced by various microorganisms, mainly by filamentous fungi , for ferment solid, liquid or submerged in a wide application in various segments of origin industrial and commercial. This work presents a proposal to formulate considered economical means for tannase production using agroindustrial waste (coffee, grape and orange) by the filamentous fungus Aspergillus isolated from the caatinga of Pernambuco state. The first stage of the research consisted in the selection of the fungus, where he was active degrading tannic acid, but the strain that showed the best activity was the SIS 4. This strain was subsequently tested in culture media by adding 10 g/L of the agroindustrial waste salt solution containing 10 g /L tannic acid. The best results were obtained with the residue of coffee to the line previously selected.

A suinocultura brasileira encontra-se atualmente em um nível técnico de destaque no contexto mundial. Entretanto, diversas estratégias são utilizadas para restringir a compra dos produtos brasileiros por países estrangeiros, em especial barreiras sanitárias. Os objetivos desse trabalho foram determinar a microbiota fúngica da pele de suínos sem lesões aparentes e estabelecer os possíveis agentes micóticos de importância nesta espécie. Foram obtidas 261 amostras de animais com 20 a 120 dias de idade, provenientes de 11 granjas do Rio Grande do Sul. As amostras foram obtidas apenas dos animais com ausência de qualquer patologia. Essas foram semeadas em Agar Sabouraud com cloranfenicol. Obteve-se o crescimento de 509 culturas, sendo 305 (59,92%) fungos filamentosos e 204 (40,08%) leveduras. A distribuição do número de diferentes colônias isoladas por amostra demonstra uma predominância de monocultura no grupo 1 (animais de 20 a 60 dias de idade) em relação ao grupo 2 (animais acima de 60 dias de idade). Dentre os fungos filamentosos septados, ocorreu predominância dos hialohifomicetos (43,03%) em relação aos feohifomicetos (10,41%), enquanto que observou-se apenas 6,48% de filamentosos asseptados. O Aspergillus (22,90%) foi o gênero de hialohifomiceto mais isolado, com predominância do A. flavus (5,70%). Dentre os feohifomicetos, o gênero Cladosporium foi o mais prevalente (9,04%). No que concerne os zygomicetos, o gênero mais isolado foi Mucor (4,13%). Em relação às leveduras, o gênero Candida foi o mais isolado (14,73%), sendo a distribuição de freqüência das espécies: C. albicans (13,56%), C. parapsilopsis (0,59%), C. famata (0,20%), C. tropicalis (0,20%) e outras espécies de Candida (0,20%). A reduzida quantidade de diferentes fungos isolados por amostra nos animais do grupo 1, em relação ao grupo 2, pode ter sido influenciada pela menor quantidade de grãos utilizada na fabricação de ração nos animais mais novos, maior freqüência de limpeza e desinfecção das instalações, bem como a não mistura de animais provenientes de diferentes origens. A alta prevalência do gênero Candida observada em suínos, um gênero normalmente comensal do trato gastrintestinal, se torna importante quando esses animais são acometidos por doenças imunossupressoras. Estudos clínicos longitudinais e/ou infecções experimentais talvez possam definir a importância destes agentes em suínos. / Brazilian pig production has reached a technical and techological level that stands out in international pig production. However, several strategies have been used to limit access of Brazilian pig products to international market, including health barriers. The objective of our work was to determine the fungal flora of the healthy pig skin and to determine possible micotic agents important for this animal species. 261 samples from 20-120 day old pigles were obtained from 11 pig farms from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. All sampled animals were negative for any skin lesions. The samples were cultured in Sabouraud agar and cloranfenicol. Cultures were obtained from 509 materials, with 305 (59,95%) filamentous fungi and 204 (40,08%) yeasts. The distribution of different fungi isolated each simple shows a high prevalence on group 1 (20-60 days old) in relation to group 2 (more than 60 days old). Among septated filamentous fungi, there was a great preponderance of hialohifomycetes (43,03%) in relation to feohifomycetes (10,41%), while only 6,48% were aseptated filamentous. Aspergillus (22,90%) was the most isolated genus of hialohifomycetes and A. flavus (5,70%) was the more prevalent specie isolated. As to zygomycetes, the most isolated genus was Mucor (4,13%). Regarding yeasts, the genus Candida was the most prevalent (14,73%) and the species distribution was: C. albicans (13,56%), C. parapsilopsis (0,59%), C. famata (0,20%), C. tropicalis (0,20%) and other Candida species (0,20%). The little quantity isolated per sample could have been influenced by quantity of grains used in pig feed in these different stages of production, types of facilities, stress and environmental changes could be important to imbalance the flora, as well as favoring diffusion of mycosis in the herds. The limited number of different fungi isolated from animal flora on group 1 may have been influenced by the smaller use of grains in the feed mill in this stage, a better cleaning and disinfection of premises, as well as avoiding mixing pigs of different source. Clinical longitudinal studies and/ or experimental infections perhaps may help to define the importance of these fungi to that species.

Os estudos da biotransformação têm-se mostrado um método eficiente para reações que envolvam a obtenção de compostos com interesse comercial. Dentre estes produtos utilizados podemos destacar monoterpenos por constituírem uma variedade de compostos com grande aplicação tanto no âmbito farmacêutico, como em perfumes, cosméticos e alimentos. As suspensões de células vegetais e os fungos filamentosos têm sido largamente usados em reações de biotransformação destes metabólitos secundários como substratos exógenos. A habilidade das culturas celulares e fungos em transformar tais compostos vêm sendo dirigidos principalmente para a obtenção de derivados oxigenados de maior valor agregado, principalmente visando à produção de flavorizantes, aromatizantes e fragrâncias. As suspensões de células vegetais apresentam sistemas enzimáticos mais complexos, podendo levar a produtos específicos, enquanto os microrganismos, por serem mais simples e de crescimento mais rápido, geralmente promovem mais rapidamente a metabolização dos substratos.Neste contexto, o presente trabalho descreve a investigação do potencial de bioconversão dos monoterpenos (R)-(+)-α-pineno, (S)-(-)-α-pineno e (S)-(-)-β- pineno, bem como do óleo de terebentina, para avaliação de suas potencialidades frente a reações de biotransformação mediadas pelos microrganismos Cunninghamella echinulata ATCC 9245, Mortierella isabellina NRRL 1757 e Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 36112 e por suspensões de células vegetais de Catharanthus roseus. Todos os sistemas estudados mostraram habilidade na bioconversão dos substratos testados. / Biotransformation has been an efficient method to obtain important commercial compounds such as monoterpenes, that have a range of applications in the pharmaceutical, perfumery, cosmetics and food industries. Plant cell cultures and filamentous fungi suspensions have been widely used in biotransformation reactions of monoterpenes as exogenous substrates. The ability of the cells and fungi cultures to transform these compounds has being mainly used for the synthesis of oxygenated derivatives aiming at the production of flavours and fragrances. The plant cell cultures suspensions have complex enzymatic systems with the production of specific compounds, where as filamentous fungi, which are structurally simpler and fast growing, can promote quicker transformations reactions. In this context, the present work describes the evaluation of bioconversion of the monoterpenes (R)-(+)-α-pinene, (S)-(-)-α-pinene, (S)-(-)-β-pinene, as well as turpentine oil using the filamentous fungi suspensions of Cunninghamella echinulata ATCC 9245, Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 36112 and Mortierella isabellina NRRL 1757, aswer as Catharanthus roseus plant cell cultures. All evaluated systems were capable of bioconverting the studied substrates. The main product obtained from pinenes and turpentine oil was α-terpineol.