Thesis (M.Sc. (Zoology)) --University of Limpopo, 2001. / A South African rehabilitation centre for illegally kept vervet monkeys required an evaluation of the genetic status of vervet monkeys , to determine whether animals from different geographical areas may be kept in the same enclosures and mixed during release back into the wild. Animals originating from three geographical regions (the former Transvaal, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape) were studied using biochemical genetic and morphological approaches to address this question. The most prominent trend from allozyme data was derived from the locus PRT-2 (an unspecified serum protein), where each of the three populations could be characterized by the absence or presence of unique alleles. A significant deviation of genotypes from Hardy­ Weinberg equilibrium was found at the PGD-1 locus in all the populations studied. Nevertheless, statistical coefficients indicated little genetic divergence, with genetic distance values of 0.001-0.003, gene flow values of 4.300 - 16.310 and an overall fixation index value of 0.046. Average heterozygosity did not differ appreciably among populations (2.5-3.3%). The morphological study identified suitable traits, free from the influence of growth allometry, which can be used for inter-population comparisons. No significant morphological differences between conspecific populations were however found. It is concluded that vervet monkeys from the species' wider distribution range is relatively monotypic, but that monkeys from different geographical areas should not be unduly mixed, pending the results of finer grained molecular studies.

Dysregulation of cellular metabolism is associated with multiple diseases including cancer. Polyamines are organic cations shown to control gene expression at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and translational level. The activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the first enzyme in polyamine synthesis, is associated with normal and neoplastic growth. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs2302615, SNP +316 nucleotides 3' of the transcriptional start site) in the ODC1 gene has been found to be both functional and prognostic for risk of colorectal carcinogenesis. A comprehensive investigation of genetic variability in ODC1 gene was performed. We confirmed frequencies of 12 SNPs occurring in participants of a clinical cancer prevention trial. We identified haplotypes accounting for over 90% of the genetic diversity in the ODC1 gene. Mechanistically, we addressed two of them, which account for more than half of the participants in the clinical trial. Two ODC1 intron 1 SNPs, rs2302616 (SNP +263 nucleotides 3' of the transcriptional start site) and rs2302615, were found to be associated with disease processes. Both of them predicted metachronous adenoma and response to agents targeting the polyamine pathway in participants of the clinical trial. The rs2302616 functionally modulate a DNA G-quadruplex structure and predicted the ODC1 rate-limiting product putrescine by genotype. Both SNPs cooperate to modulate ODC1 transcriptional activity involving both a G-quadruplex structure and Sp1 binding site at rs2302616, and rs2302615 flanked MYC-binding E-boxes. Haplotype analysis, using both these SNPs, might provide better discrimination of both disease prognosis and treatment prediction in cancer chemoprevention clinical trials.

Šio darbo metu naudojant 5 mikrosatelitinius DNR žymenis buvo bandoma išsiaiškinti, ar į Lietuvą natūraliai atplaukiantys upiniai unguriai skiriasi nuo į Lietuvą introdukuotų upinių ungurių genetiškai. Vietines Anguilla anguilla populiacijas atstovavo Baltijos jūros ir Kuršių marių imtys, o introdukuotas – Dringio ir Siesarčio ežerų imtys. Tikrinama buvo, tiek izoliacijos dėl atstumo (IBD), tiek laikinės izoliacijos (IBT), įtaka A. anguilla genetinei diferenciacijai. Nors genetinė diferenciacija tarp didžiosios dalies lyginamų imčių buvo maža (FST = 0,0042) ir nepatikima (p > 0,05), tačiau remdamiesi gautais tyrimo rezultatais negalime patvirtinti panmiksinės hipotezės A. anguilla rūšyje, kadangi mažos (FST = 0,0143) ir patikimos (p = 0,0018) genetinės diferenciacijos nustatymas tarp Siesarčio ežero introdukuotų upinių ungurių leidžia teigti, kad genetinė diferenciacija Anguilla anguilla rūšyje egzistuoja. / In order to find out whether native and introduced Anguilla anguilla populations differ one from another genetically I have used 5 microsatellite markers and compared 2 native between 2 introduced European eel samples. Native A. anguilla samples were taken from Baltic sea and Curonian lagoon, while introduced samples were taken from Dringis and Siesartis lakes. During this work I tried to find out not only IBD, but also IBT impact to A. anguilla genetic differentiation. Experiment results do not reject panmixia hypothesis in European eel, because there are small (FST = 0,0042) and not significant (p > 0,05) genetic differentiation among all samples used in this experiment. However, there is no enough data to say that A. anguilla genetic differentiation does not exist at all, because there is small (FST = 0,0143) and significant (p = 0,0018) genetic differentiation among lake Siesartis samples.

The European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, was introduced to Australia in 1859 and quickly became a significant vertebrate pest species in the country across a wide distribution. In arid and semi-arid environments, rabbit populations exist as metapopulations - undergoing frequent extinction recolonisation cycles. Previous studies identified population genetic structuring at the regional level between arid and semi-arid environments, and habitat heterogeneity was suggested as a possible causal factor. For the most part, rabbit behaviour has been overlooked as a factor that could contribute to explaining population genetic structure in arid and semi-arid environments. This study utilised a combination of genetic sampling techniques and a simulated territorial intrusion approach to observing wild rabbit behaviour in arid and semi-arid environments. The genetic component of the study compared population samples from each region using four polymorphic microsatellite loci. The behavioural component examined variation in the level of territoriality exhibited by three study populations in the arid region towards rabbits of known versus unknown origins (resident vs transgressor (simulating dispersal)). A difference was observed in population genetic structure determined from nuclear markers between arid and semi-arid regions, which supports findings of previous research using mitochondrial DNA data in the same area. Additionally, differences in aggressive response to known vs unknown rabbits were identified in parts of the arid region, which together with the effects of habitat heterogeneity and connectivity may explain the observed differences in population genetic structure. Knowledge of behavioural plasticity and its effect on relative dispersal success and population genetic structure may contribute to improved management and control of feral rabbit populations at the regional level within Australia; and may assist with conservation efforts in the species' natural range in Europe.

Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) aquaculture is expanding throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The Department of Primary Industries, Queensland have estimated that the production from this industry could reach $30 million per annum in Australia by 2010. However, current production is severely impeded by outbreaks of Streptococcus iniae, which causes a fatal septicaemia in barramundi. S. iniae is a Gram positive bacterium which infects both humans and fish and was first reported in Australia in the 1980s in Queensland, but has rapidly disseminated to other states in Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia). Globally, there appears to be little geographical restriction to the distribution of S. iniae and infection occurs in temperate, sub-tropical and tropical, marine and fresh water fish with no evidence of species specificity. Outbreaks have been reported in North America, Middle East, Europe and Asia-Pacific, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan. Understanding distribution and spread of S. iniae is confounded by a number of factors. Firstly, identification of S. iniae is not straightforward, thus isolates often remain ‘unidentified’, as this bacterium is not included in commercial databases. In other cases it is misidentified as other bacteria such as S.uberis, S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis and S. anginosus. Furthermore, variability in phenotypic traits has led to difficulty in identifying isolates using standard commercial diagnostic kits. Additionally, there is tangible evidence of geographic diversity and endemism with strain variability having been reported from fish isolates in Japan, USA and Israel, and in human isolates from Canada, USA and SE Asia. Understanding strain diversity amongst S. iniae is critically important in terms of managing the disease. Ability to track routes of distribution of the pathogen in imported fish, including ornamentals and food fish has implications for better biosecurity. Perhaps most importantly, strain diversity has been reported as a cause of vaccine failure in trout in Israel and in barramundi in Northern Territory, Australia. To date, very little information exists on strain diversity in S. iniae and no research has been conducted on the diversity amongst Australian isolates within the barramundi industry. The aim of this thesis is to develop reliable methods for identification of differing strains of S. iniae and to investigate antigenic diversity in order to better inform both vaccine design and biosecurity procedures with which to manage this important disease in Australia and globally. To achieve this, a collection of more than 100 isolates from Australia and throughout the world has been created and stored at the University of Queensland. In the first chapter of my thesis, routine confirmatory diagnosis using amplification of the lactate oxidase gene was performed to support biochemical and physiological identification provided by the supplying laboratories and veterinarians. During this initial screen, two important discoveries were made. Firstly, S. iniae isolates can be divided into two groups based on the different sizes of PCR product obtained, 869 bp (now named Type 1) and 921 bp (now named Type 2). This difference was only found in isolates from Northern Territory, Australia. In light of this, identity was further confirmed by the results of partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene with the 530F primer and submission to the BLAST server (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/BLAST), which returned identities of 100% to S. iniae ATCC 29178. Sequence analysis of the lctO gene in isolates representing both the normal (lctO type 1) and higher molecular weight (lctO type 2) revealed that there is an insertion of 51 bp of repeat sequence in lctO type 2. Apart from the insertion sequence found in the 3' end of the gene in some isolates, three nucleotides in positions 211-213, not previously detected when the gene was described previously, resulted in an inserted valine residue in the translated product from all isolates. I also note an apparent error in the primary sequence and translation of the GenBank sequence (Y07622). This is likely to be due to an inserted C nucleotide at position 1148 at the far 3’ end of the gene sequence (inside the LOX-1, LOX-2 priming region) that has altered the reading frame. This means that the expected PCR product size of 870 bp is incorrect and is actually 869 bp. To determine the phenotypic relevance of the variation in lox gene product size, the lactate oxidase enzyme was extracted from cell lysates and assayed for activity. The two variant genes were each cloned and expressed in E. coli. Lactate oxidase enzyme activity also showed that there were differences in enzyme activity between the two gene products with strains expressing the higher molecular weight enzyme variant exhibiting higher enzyme activity. This suggests that positive selection may apply in favour of the larger gene in situations where lactate is the most readily available carbon source. However, no variation was detected in the lactate permease gene lctP, for any of the strains analysed. Whilst there was no difference in the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration Test (MIC) using different concentration of lactate there were differences detected in the growth rate of QMA0165 and QMA0177. Significant inhibition on growth rate of QMA0165 was detected with a 0.3% and 0.5% of lactate while there was no significant inhibition in QMA0177 with the same concentration. Prediction on three dimensional protein structure using PyMol based on Aerococcus viridans 3-D protein structure showed that there was an additional loop in lctO type 2 which suggested that it might play a role in enhancing enzyme activity of the binding site. The environment in barramundi farms in Northern Territory where the lctO type 2 isolates were isolated has 9 metre tides resulting in water flows in excess of 3km/h. It is likely that the resulting enforced swimming of the fish host has led to selection and maintenance of a gene encoding the higher efficiency enzyme in S. iniae. As diversity has led to reported vaccine failure in Israel, and antigenic diversity has been recorded in Japan and in isolates from the USA, the second data chapter of this thesis explores surface antigenic diversity of Australian S. iniae isolates from barramundi using a whole cell ELISA using a suite of antibodies raised in barramundi against four S. inaie isolates from differing habitats (freshwater and marine) and states (Western Australia and Queensland) in Australia. Forty-one isolates predominantly from farmed fish throughout Australia between 1995 and 2006 were serotyped and compared with reference isolates from the USA and Canada. Multiple serotypes were identified using polyclonal sera raised in barramundi against four different Australian S. iniae isolates i.e. anti QMA0072 (Queensland), anti QMA0074 (Queensland), anti QMA0083 (Western Australia) and anti QMA0087 (Western Australia). Different serotypes were often isolated from the same sites either simultaneously or within short time periods, indicating potential coexistence of multiple isolates in a particular geographic location or habitat. Electrophoretic profiles of whole cell proteins and integral membrane proteins were similar amongst isolates when analysed by SDS- PAGE, regardless of serotype. The results presented here suggest that surface serotypic variability of S. iniae is complex and multifactorial involving capsular carbohydrate and some surface proteins. As raising consistent antiserum in barramundi is almost impossible, and rabbit antisera invariably recognise more epitopes than teleost fish, a more consistent molecular method of typing was investigated in the third data chapter. In this chapter, the whole genome of S. iniae was digested using SmaI and separated using Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Twenty four isolates representing different geographical origin and host were analysed using this method. Reference isolates from dolphins, fish and humans were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control for comparison. PFGE profiles indicated at least 4 distinct groups amongst the Australian isolates, but these did not correlate with surface serotype. Interestingly, whilst there have been no reports of human cases of S. iniae infection in Australia, many of the isolates examined had closely related PFGE profile with reference human isolates from USA and Canada, but were markedly different from the type isolates isolated from dolphins. One of the major difficulties associated with PFGE is between lab variability, hence the requirement for inclusion of large numbers of reference isolates on each gel. Recently, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has been developed for epidemiological studies in a variety of human pathogens. MLST is based on sequencing of 8 ubiquitous housekeeping genes, genes which evolve slowly, allowing clustering of isolates. As sequencing is consistent between laboratories, results can be posted on a website and compared internationally without requiring transfer of strains overseas. The fourth data chapter in my thesis develops for the first time an MLST scheme for S. iniae. Primers for eight housekeeping genes were designed and annealing temperature for amplification were optimized. The selected housekeeping genes were: adhP (Alcohol dehydrogenase), pheS (Phenylalanyl tRNA syhthetase), atr (Amino acid transporter), glnA (Glutamine synthetase), sdhA (Serine dehydrogenase), glcK (Glucose kinase) and tkt (Transketolase). However, glnA was dropped from the analysis because of the inconsistent PCR product. Thirty seven isolates were selected representing the Australian isolates and other international isolates from United States, Canada, Israel, Thailand, Reunion Island with different hosts i.e. Amazon freshwater dolphin, human, flying fox and different species of fish (Channa striata, Oncorhynchus mykiss and Lates calcarifer). As there is no database available for S. iniae in the MLST database yet, only limited isolates from the global collection that can be analysed with the Australian isolates. The present study found that MLST results are less discriminative when compared to PFGE, but were very useful in pinpointing origin to a particular country, perhaps indicating little transfer of isolates between nations. MLST grouped together Australian, Thailand (QMA0187 and QMA0190), human isolates from Canada and USA regardless the geographic origin (QMA0130, QMA0133 and QMA0137) and also fish isolate from Canada (QMA0139). The similarity of the human isolates with the Australian isolates supporting PFGE results, which had a similar SmaI PFGE profiles to many of the fish isolates from Australia. However, MLST managed to distinguish isolates QMA0140 (dolphin/ USA), QMA0141 (dolphin/ USA), QMA0136 (human/ USA) and other international isolates from Israel (QMA0186 and QMA0188), Reunion Island (QMA0189). Despite the degree of heterogeneity in other methods used (serotyping, PFGE), MLST method showed a high homogeneity amongst S. iniae from Australia, perhaps reflecting the slow evolution of these genes and no accidental import of isolates. During the 12 years of isolates covered by our strain collection, there would appear to have been no evolution of these highly conserved genes within Australia. The variation in serotype within a single Sequence Type showed that there may be frequent horizontal gene transfer, or more rapid evolution of genes involved in synthesis and transport of capsular polysaccharide or other surface features. Moreover, the PFGE results indicate that there is more genetic plasticity in amongst the genome of S. iniae than indicated by then MLST. In order to gain a more discriminative epidemiological perspective of S. iniae, the results presented in this thesis suggest combination of different typing methods such as PFGE and MLST, with the latter providing an accurate means of determining nation of origin of strains (and therefore of great potential for biosecurity purposes) whilst PFGE may provide better discrimination of movement of local isolates within Australia.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:30:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 471774 bytes, checksum: 5e643026f3d91d5d68b2c035112de460 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-07-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Melipona rufiventris, Lepeletier, 1836 and M. mondury, Smith, 1863 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) are species genetically close popularly known as "uruçu amarela". Recent studies, using molecular markers showed that the population of "uruçu amarela" in Minas Gerais form distinct groups. M. mondury comes from the Atlantic Forest region, whereas M. rufiventris and a third species, known as Melipona sp. but not yet identified comes from the biome "Cerrado". The goal of this work was to study the genetic relationships between the population of "uruçu amarela" in the State of Minas Gerais using the ISSR molecular markers. 79 colonies from 10 different locations were used. The extracted DNA was amplified using nine ISSR primers and for the analysis one individual per colony was used. For the estimation of genetic differentiation the following analysis were done: (i) Percentage of polymorphic loci (P) and genetic diversity (ii) Genetic dissimilarity using the index of Dice and the method UPGMA (iii) Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and φst. The findings showed a high polymorphism in molecular level among the colonies studied. In the grouping analysis the formation of three distinct groups, composed by M. mondury, M. rufiventris, Melipona sp.. We observed Melipona sp. the population of Urucuia showed significant genetic divergence in relation to the other samples. / Melipona rufiventris, Lepeletier, 1836 e M. mondury, Smith, 1863 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) são espécies geneticamente similares, popularmente conhecidas como uruçu amarela. Estudos recentes, utilizando marcadores moleculares mostraram que as populações de uruçu amarela em Minas Gerais formam grupos distintos, sendo M. mondury pertencente à região de Mata Atlântica, M. rufiventris e uma terceira espécie, ainda não identificada aqui denominada de Melipona sp., pertencentes à região do Cerrado. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar as relações genéticas entre as populações de uruçu amarela no Estado de Minas Gerais, utilizando-se marcadores moleculares ISSR. Foram utilizadas 79 colônias oriundas de 10 localidades diferentes. Para cada colônia, extraiu-se DNA de um indivíduo e utilizouse nove primers ISSR na amplificação. Para a estimativa da diferenciação genética foram realizadas as seguintes análises: (i) Percentual de locos polimórficos (P) e a estimativa da diversidade genética (He); (ii) Dissimilaridade genética utilizando-se o índice de Dice e o método UPGMA; (iii) Análise de variância molecular e φst. Os resultados obtidos mostraram um elevado polimorfismo em nível molecular entre as colônias estudadas. A análise de agrupamento resultou na formação de três grupos distintos representados pelas populações de M. mondury, M. rufiventris e Melipona sp.. No grupo formado pelas populações de Melipona sp. destacam-se as colônias oriundas de Urucuia - MG por apresentarem maior divergência genética em relação às demais localidades.

Orientador: Diogo Teruo Hashimoto / Resumo: A aquicultura brasileira tem passado por um crescimento significativo nos últimos anos. Entretanto, o potencial de produção do país certamente será mais bem aproveitado com a utilização de produtos resultantes de melhoramento genético. O pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus (Characiformes, Serrasalmidae), é um peixe de ocorrência na bacia do rio Paraná-Paraguai e uma das principais espécies nativas utilizadas para a produção em aquicultura. A utilização de marcadores moleculares na piscicultura tem se mostrado fundamental, pois podem auxiliar no monitoramento genético das populações e em programas de pré-melhoramento. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar a análise da variabilidade genética de lotes selvagens e cultivados de Piaractus mesopotamicus, utilizando marcador molecular mitocondrial (Região Controladora - CR). De forma geral, os índices de diversidade se apresentaram com valores moderados (Hdsel = 0,692 e Hdpisc = 0,711; πsel = 0,0045845 e πpisc = 0,00660) e foi observada similaridade entre esses valores nas populações selvagens e cultivadas. Além disso, foi observada alta estruturação genética entre as populações selvagens e cultivadas (FST= 0,14404). Os baixos valores de diversidade encontrados em algumas das populações selvagens juntamente com os desvios de equilíbrio (D Tajima p<0,05) podem estar relacionados a diversos fatores antrópicos que vêm influenciando as populações de pacu ao longo dos anos, tais como pressões de pesca e barramentos para geração de energia elé... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Brazilian aquaculture has experienced significant growth in recent years. However, the national potential of production will certainly be better explored with the use of products resulting from breeding programs. The pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus (Characiformes, Serrasalmidae), is a fish of occurrence in the Paraná-Paraguay River Basin and it is one of the main native species used for production in aquaculture. The use of molecular markers in fish farming has been shown to be essential, especially for genetic monitoring of populations and pre-breeding programs. The mitochondrial molecular markers (mtDNA) have a higher rate of mutations and exclusively maternal inheritance, being useful for monitoring the genetic variability of a population and generate information about the founder stock. The objective of this study was to analyze the genetic variability of wild and cultivated stocks of Piaractus mesopotamicus using mitochondrial molecular marker (Control Region). In general, the diversity indexes presented moderate values (Hdwild = 0.692 and Hdfarm = 0.711; πwild = 0.0045845 and πfarm = 0.00660) and similarity was observed between these values in the wild and cultivated populations. In addition, high genetic structuring was observed among wild and cultivated populations (FST = 0.14404). The low values of diversity found in some of the wild populations together with the equilibrium deviations (D Tajima p <0.05) may be related to several anthropic factors that have been in... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Resumo: A figueira (Ficus carica L.) é uma frutífera de grande importância mundial e, neste sentido, o melhoramento genético se torna uma linha de pesquisa importante para a melhoria da cultura, sendo necessário reunir informações sobre esta espécie, principalmente em relação à sua variabilidade genética, para que projetos de propagação e manejo adequados sejam realizados. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a existência de variabilidade genética, por marcadores moleculares RAPD e AFLP, de seleções originadas de estacas provenientes de gemas irradiadas com raio gama. O experimento foi conduzido na Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias - UNESP - Campus de Jaboticabal - SP, utilizando-se estacas de cinco seleções de figueira obtidas em trabalho anterior realizado na Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira - UNESP, comparando-as entre si e utilizando a cultivar Roxo-de- Valinhos como parâmetro de comparação. Não há polimorfismo entre os tratamentos, indicando uma possível variação epigenética, devendo ser testada com outras técnicas sensíveis à uma possível metilação do DNA / Abstract: The fig (Ficus carica L.) is a fruit of great importance worldwide and in this sense, the genetic improvement becomes an important line of research to improve the culture, it is necessary to gather information about this species, especially in relation to their variability gene for propagation projects and handling are carried out. This study aims to determine the existence of genetic variability of selections originated from cuttings from buds irradiated with gamma rays, using the RAPD and AFLP molecular markers. The experiment was conducted at the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias - UNESP - Jaboticabal - SP, using cuttings from five fig selections obtained in a previous study conducted at the Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira - UNESP, comparing them with each other and using the Roxo-de-Valinhos cultivar for comparison. There was no polymorphism between treatments, indicating a possible epigenetic variation and should be tested with other techniques sensitive to a DNA methylation / Orientador: Antonio Baldo Geraldo Martins / Coorientadora: Janete Apparecida Desidério / Banca: Luiz de Souza Corrêa / Banca: Bianca Waléria Bertoni / Mestre

Submitted by Socorro Pontes (socorrop@ufersa.edu.br) on 2017-02-24T12:30:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RoseanoMS_TESE.pdf: 1932079 bytes, checksum: 835b00cad3977b9106c28f9681eae7e0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vanessa Christiane (referencia@ufersa.edu.br) on 2017-03-21T14:35:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 RoseanoMS_TESE.pdf: 1932079 bytes, checksum: 835b00cad3977b9106c28f9681eae7e0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-21T15:02:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RoseanoMS_TESE.pdf: 1932079 bytes, checksum: 835b00cad3977b9106c28f9681eae7e0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The passion fruit production has gained great importance in the world, Brazil is the largest producer and consumer. However, production has been affected due to the occurrence of diseases that have been limiting factor for passion fruit cultivation, reducing the life of orchards and increasing production costs due to the need for the application of control measures. The use of grafted seedlings of sour passion fruit in wild species has been advocated as an alternative for the management of diseases caused by pathogens inhabitants of the soil, although more information about this technology solution are still needed. Thus, there were five trials aimed to study the anticipation of grafting reaction eight cultivars of passion fruit and a cultivar grafted on Passiflora foetida L. planted in an area with fusariosis history in Mossoro region (RN), characterization and agronomic performance passion fruit grafted and morphoagronomic and molecular evaluation of species P. foetida access for selected rootstock passionfruit. The anticipation of grafting favored the precocity in the production of seedlings. The passion fruit grafted onto P. foetida is showing a promising technological solution for the region. The passion fruit grafted onto P. foetida showed a great development in vigor and earliness to the beginning of the reproductive phase, with good agronomic characteristics and fruit quality that meet all market requirements. The study of P. foetida access based on agronomic traits and genetic variability based on ISSR and RAPD markers showed the existence of qualitative and quantitative morphological differences and genetic variability among accessions, which bodes well for selection of work programs genetical enhancement / A produção de maracujá vem ganhando grande importância no mundo, sendo o Brasil o maior produtor e consumidor mundial. Entretanto, a produção vem sendo afetada devido à ocorrência de doenças que têm sido fator limitante para a cultura do maracujazeiro, reduzindo a vida útil dos pomares e aumentando os custos de produção, devido à necessidade de aplicação de medidas de controle. O uso de mudas enxertadas de maracujazeiro azedo em espécies silvestres vem sendo preconizado como uma alternativa para o manejo de doenças causadas por patógenos habitantes do solo, embora ainda sejam necessárias mais informações sobre essa solução tecnológica. Com isso, foram realizados cinco ensaios visando ao estudo da antecipação da enxertia, reação de oito cultivares de maracujazeiro e uma cultivar enxertada sobre Passiflora foetida L. plantada em área com histórico de fusariose na região de Mossoró (RN), caracterização e desempenho agronômico do maracujazeiro enxertado e avaliação morfoagronômica e molecular de acessos da espécie P. foetida selecionada para portaenxerto do maracujazeiro azedo. A antecipação da enxertia favoreceu a precocidade na produção das mudas. O maracujazeiro enxertado em P. foetida se mostrando como uma solução tecnológica promissora para a região. O maracujazeiro enxertado em P. foetida apresentou um ótimo desenvolvimento em vigor e uma precocidade para o início da fase reprodutiva, com boas características agronômicas e qualidade dos frutos que atendem todas as exigências do mercado. O estudo dos acessos de P. foetida com base nas características morfoagronômicas e variabilidade genética baseada em marcadores ISSR e RAPD evidenciaram a existência de diferenças morfológicas qualitativas e quantitativas e variabilidade genética entre os acessos avaliados, o que abre boas perspectivas para trabalhos de seleção em programas de melhoramento genético / 2017-02-23

Variability in genes and shell shape of salt water gastropod Hexaplex trunculus (Linné, 1758) was compared among the samples from three Croatian coastline localities, four localities on Greek island Lefkada and two localities from south France coastline in total number of 464 specimens. Genetical criteria were not found for separating individual populations. No variability were found in 683 bp long fragment of gene for michondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit one (COI). Differences among populations were not significant, even in conection of my data with the data of recent portuguese study (sequences from GenBank). Differences among populations were found by the geometric morphometric method. Based on these results, morphotypes for certain habitats were determined. During the study, high level of tributyltin (TBT) pollution in the Mediterranean sea causing sexual malformation called imposex phenomenon, was proved in this species of gastropod.