A família Rubiaceae se caracteriza por produzir uma grande variedade de metabólitos secundários. Alcalóides, triterpenos iridóides e antraquinonas destacam-se entre os produtos naturais de maior ocorrência nas rubiaceas. Espécies desta família ocorrem com frequência no cerrado brasileiro, sendo que o gênero Alibertia, não havia sido estudado até recentemente. O presente trabalho, que é o primeiro com a espécie Alibertia edulis A. Rich, descreve o isolamento, identificação e determinação estrutural de triterpenos presentes nas folhas de um espécimen coletado nas proximidades de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. O estudo da fração clorofórmica do extrato etanólico mostrou a ocorrência predominante de triterpenos. Foram isolados através dos métodos cromatográficos usuais (coluna e placa preparativa), os pares oleanano-ursano urs-12-en-3β,28-diol e olean-12-en-3β,28-diol; 3β-hidroxiurs-12-en-28-óico e 3β-hidroxiolean-12-en-28-óico; 3β,23-diidroxiurs-12-en-28-óico e 3β,23-diidroxiolean-12-en-28-óico, que foram identificados através dos espectros de RMN de 13C e 1H. A mistura dos ésteres metílicos dos ácidos 3β, 19α,23,24-tetraidroxiurs-12-en-28-óico e 3β, 19α,23,24-tetraidroxiolean-12-en-28-óico também foi isolada desta mesma fração. Após ser acetilada, esta mistura foi submetida à cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência, o que possibilitou a separação dos seus componentes. Destes, o triterpeno com esqueleto tipo ursano foi identificado pelos seus espectros de RMN de 13C e 1H. Como não foi encontrado registro na literatura do triterpeno com esqueleto oleanano, a determinação estrutural deste foi feita por comparação com os dados de RMN do éster metílico do ácido 3β,19α,23,24-tetraidroxiur-12-en-28-óico, associado a uma análise do espectro bidimensional 1H-1H (COSY). Do extrato hexânico de A. edulis também foi isolada uma mistura, constituída por α e β-amirina, além de fitol. / The Rubiaceae family affords as secondary metabolites, mainly alkaloids, triterpenes and iridoids. Species of this family are spread in the region of Brazilian \"cerrado\". The genus Alibertia has not been studied until recently. This work, the first one with the specie Alibertia. edulis A. Rich, reports the isolation, identification and structural determination of the triterpenes that occurred in the leaves of a specimen colleted in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The chloroform fraction of the ethanolic extract shows the predominance of triterpene compounds. From this fraction, we isolate, by means of chromatographic procedures, the ursane-oleanane pairs: 3β,28-dihydroxy-urs-12-en and 3β,28-dihydroxy-olean-12-en; 3β-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic and 3β-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic; 3β,23-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic and 3β,23-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic; 3β,19α,23,24-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic and 3β,19α,23,24-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic. The last compound is a new natural product and its structure was determined based on methyl-triacetylated derivative. From the hexanic extract we isolated α and β-amyrin and phytol.

Doenças causadas por Phytophthora spp. ocorrem em todas as regiões produtoras de citros do mundo e as manifestações mais comuns são a podridão do pé e de raízes. A principal medida de controle desses patógenos é a exclusão, porém em áreas contaminadas o mesmo pode ser obtido através do uso de produtos químicos ou com o plantio de copas enxertadas sobre portaenxertos resistentes, que onera menos o custo de produção. Os porta-enxertos menos suscetíveis a Phytophthora nicotianae são o citrumelo Swingle e o Poncirus trifoliata. Apesar de sua importância, pouco se sabe sobre as alterações fisiológicas e bioquímicas da interação citros - P. nicotianae. Dessa maneira, o trabalho visou analisar e comparar alterações fisiológicas e bioquímicas provocadas por P. nicotianae em dois porta enxertos de citros: tangerina Sunki (suscetível) e citrumelo Swingle (resistente). Para tanto, porta-enxertos das duas variedades com nove ou dois meses de cultivo tiveram as raízes inoculadas com P. nicotianae. As plantas mais velhas foram mantidas sob condições de campo por nove meses e as mais novas foram mantidas por uma semana a 28 oC sob 12 h de luz. Periodicamente, avaliou-se a biomassa do sistema radicular e a colonização pelo patógeno, bem como parâmetros fisiológicos: troca gasosa, consumo de água e produção de etileno; do metabolismo primário: carboidratos e proteínas; e secundário: atividades da superóxido dismutase, catalase, quitinase, -1,3-glucanase, guaiacol peroxidase, polifenoloxidase, fenilalanina amônia-liase, fenóis totais e lignina. Observou-se nos porta-enxertos inoculados aos nove meses de cultivo que P. nicotianae comprometeu o sistema radicular e a troca gasosa apenas de tangerina Sunki a partir do quarto e quinto meses após a inoculação, respectivamente. A concentração de carboidratos em raízes de tangerina Sunki foi reduzida pelo patógeno a partir do terceiro mês após a inoculação, enquanto que em citrumelo Swingle só foram detectadas diferenças no terceiro e no quinto meses após a inoculação. Além disso, análises em HPLC, que envolveram os porta-enxertos com dois meses de cultivo, mostraram que as concentrações de sacarose e glicose em raízes de citrumelo Swingle foram afetadas pelo patógeno. Ademais, P. nicotianae estimulou a produção de etileno em plântulas de tangerina Sunki seis e sete dias após a inoculação, bem como reduziu a troca gasosa e o consumo de água nesse porta-enxerto a partir do quarto e quinto dia após a inoculação, respectivamente. Conclui-se que P. nicotianae reduz o sistema radicular de tangerina Sunki, o que diminui as trocas gasosas e afeta o balanço hídrico e estimula a síntese de etileno. Além disso, inicialmente P. nicotianae altera o metabolismo de carboidratos em raízes de citrumelo Swingle, seguida por reduções mais severas nas concentrações de açúcares em raízes de tangerina Sunki. Finalmente, não foram verificadas alterações relevantes no metabolismo secundário, que pudessem auxiliar na elucidação dos mecanismos de resistência de citrumelo Swingle a P. nicotianae. / Phytophthora diseases affect citrus plantations all over the world and the main symptoms are foot and root rot. Exclusion is the most important control method for these diseases, but they can be controlled in infected areas by using chemical control, or by planting scion grafted on resistant rootstocks, which is less costly. The less susceptible rootstocks to Phytophthora nicotianae are Swingle citrumelo and Poncirus trifoliata. Besides the importance of citrus-P. nicotianae interactions, it is still poorly understood its physiology and biochemistry. In this way, the objectives of this work were to analyze and to compare physiological and biochemical changes caused by P. nicotianae in two citrus rootstock: Sunki tangerine (susceptible) and Swingle citrumelo (resistant). Initially, nine and two months-old plants of both genotypes had their roots inoculated with P. nicotianae. The oldest plants were kept under field conditions during nine months and the youngest ones were incubated at 28 oC under 12 h of light for one week. Periodically, it was analyzed root biomass and pathogen colonization as well as physiological parameters: gas exchange, water consumption and ethylene production; primary metabolism: carbohydrates and protein; and secondary metabolism: superoxide dismutase, catalase, chitinase, -1,3-glucanase, guaiacol peroxidase, polyphenoloxydase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activities, total phenolics and lignin content. P. nicotianae reduced the root system and gas exchange of Sunki tangerine on the oldest rootstocks after the fourth and fifth months after the inoculation, respectively. This rootstock also showed reduction on the root carbohydrate content from the third month after the inoculation to the end of the experiment. On the other hand, the pathogen just changed this parameter on Swingle citrumelo on the third and fifth months after the inoculation. More over, HPLC analysis on two month-old plants indicated that sucrose and glucose concentration on Swingle citrumelo root system were affected by the pathogen. P. nicotianae also stimulated the ethylene production on Sunki tangerine six and seven days after the inoculation as well as decreased gas exchange and water consumption from the fourth to fifth days after the inoculation, respectively. It was concluded that P. nicotianae reduces the root system of Sunki tangerine, which decreases the gas exchange and water balance and increases ethylene synthesis. Moreover, initially P. nicotianae changes the carbohydrate metabolism in Swingle citrumelo root system, which is followed by severe reductions on sugar content on Sunki tangerine root. It was not found relevant changes on the secondary metabolism that could explain the mechanisms of resistance in Swingle citrumelo against P. nicotianae.

A semelhança entre os eventos da embriogênese zigótica e somática permite que sejam estabelecidos parâmetros para o acompanhamento destes dois processos. Neste trabalho foi estudada a embriogênese somática em Ocotea catharinensis, nas fases de maturação e germinação, além do processo germinativo da semente zigótica, avaliando-se parâmetros bioquímicos, e a expressão diferencial de proteínas. O tratamento com ABA + PEG em culturas de embriões somáticos apresentou variações semelhantes a apresentadas por embriões zigóticos no estádio de maturação. Não se observou a germinação de embriões somáticos, contudo verificou-se que a desidratação prévia promoveu importantes alterações bioquímicas. Durante a germinação, não se observou à síntese de novas proteínas no embrião zigótico. Os estudos proteômicos no desenvolvimento da semente permitiram a seleção de polipeptídios, marcadores estádio-específicos. Os resultados obtidos possibilitam a otimização e melhor entendimento das etapas da embriogênese somática, em espécies com sementes recalcitrantes, como O. catharinensis. / The great similarity among the events of zygotic and somatic embryogenesis allows the establishment of parameters for accompaniment of these processes. In the present work it was studied the somatic embryogenesis in Ocotea catharinensis, in the maturation and germination phases, and the zygotic embryogenesis. The biochemical parameters and differential expression of proteins were evaluated: The treatment with ABA + PEG presented similar variations for zygotic embryos in the maturation stage. The germination was not observed for somatic embryos; however, it was verified that the previous dehydration promoted important biochemical alterations. With relation to the zygotic embryo, throughout the germination process, the synthesis of new proteins was not observed. The proteomic studies carried out throughout seed development, allowed the selection of polypeptides with differential expression. The results obtained open perspectives for the methodology optimization of the somatic embryogenesis, for species with recalcitrant seeds, like O. catharinensis.

Protein phosphorylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins, which can either activate or inhibit the function of a given protein. The enzymes, protein kinases and protein phosphatases catalyze the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of target proteins, respectively. Protein kinases catalyze the transfer of γ-phosphate from ATP to serine, threonine or tyrosine residues in target proteins. They are traditionally classified as protein serine/threonine kinases and protein tyrosine kinases based on the amino acid to which they transfer the phosphate group. Protein tyrosine kinases play vital roles in numerous pathways that regulate growth, development and oncogenesis in animals. However, no protein tyrosine kinase has been cloned so far from plants. The sequence motif, CW(X)6RPXF of sub-domain XI is well conserved among biochemically characterized protein tyrosine kinases from human, rat, mice, worm, fruitfly and Dictyostelium. To seek plant genes encoding tyrosine kinase, we have performed extensive genome-wide analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana using the delineated tyrosine kinase from animal systems. Repetitive database mining with CW(X)6RPXF sequence motif revealed the presence of 57 different protein kinases that have tyrosine kinase motifs. Myosin light chain protein kinase was identified as false positive with this motif. Multiple sequence alignment of all the 57 kinases indicated the presence of twelve conserved sub-domains in their kinase catalytic domain. Out of the 12 sub-domains present in protein kinases, sub-domain VIb confers serine/threonine kinase Specificity and sub-domains VIII and XI confer tyrosine kinase specificity. All the 57 kinases were Verified to contain CW(X) 6RPXF in sub-domain XI. However, the catalytic domain of all the catalogued kinases contain KXXN motif in sub-domain VIb, which is indicative of serine/threonine Kinase specificity. None of the kinases had the tyrosine kinase consensus motif RAA or ARR in sub-domain VIb. Thus, the catalytic domains of all the identified Arabidopsis protein kinases have motifs for serine/threonine specificity in sub-domain VIb and tyrosine kinase motif in sub-domain XI. These results indicate that perhaps all the kinases belong to the dual-specificity kinase family. Hence, we have tentatively named these protein sequences as STY (serine/threonine/tyrosine) protein kinases. To examine the relationships of Arabidopsis STY protein kinases, a topographic cladogram was constructed. Casein kinase 1 was used as an outgroup to perceive the true class of STY protein kinase family. Neighbor joining tree was constructed with the full-length protein sequences following the alignments. Dendrogram of STY protein kinases suggested that the kinases are mainly clustered into four groups. Group I includes kinases related to ATN1-like kinases, peanut STY related kinases, soybean GmPK6-like kinases and ATMRK1-like kinases. Group II consists of MAP3K-like kinases, CTR1 and EDR1 related kinases. Group III includes protein kinases that harbor ankyrin domain repeat motifs. These kinases are related to Medicago sativa ankyrin kinase, MsAPK1. Group IV consists of light sensory kinases that are related to Ceratodon purpureus phytochrome kinase. C. purpureus light sensory kinase has both phytochrome and protein kinase domains. However, the protein kinases of group IV do not have a phytochrome domain. BLAST analysis was performed using CW(X)6RPXF motif against all the available plant sequences in the database. We retrieved 11 rice protein kinases and 14 Dictyostelium kinases. In addition, we obtained STY protein kinases from wheat, barley, soybean, tomato, beech and alfalfa. Dendrogram analysis indicated that the plant STY protein kinases are clustered in similar manner as observed for Arabidopsis. Large number of sequences were retrieved when the tyrosine kinase motif CW(X)6RPXF was used to perform BLAST analysis against all the known sequences from animals. As large numbers of protein tyrosine kinases are available in animals, we have used representative kinases of each family towards the construction of phylogenetic tree. The main difference between the animal and plant tyrosine kinases is in the consensus motif conferring the tyrosine and serine/threonine specificity in the sub-domain VIb. Animal tyrosine kinases have consensus ARR/RAA in sub-domain VIb and plant kinases have KXXN which is indicative of serine/threonine specificity. Expression analysis of Arabidopsis STY protein kinases was performed using Genevestigator online search tool Meta-Analyzer. Genes were grouped based on their relative expression levels during a specific growth stage, in a particular organ or following different environmental stresses. Various kinases are highly expressed in stamens and seeds while some kinases are expressed ubiquitously. A number of biotic and abiotic factors upregulated plant STY protein kinases. Gene expression data suggests the importance of STY protein kinases in plant growth and development. Genome-wide analysis is supported by phosphoproteomics in Arabidopsis seedlings. Evidence for tyrosine phosphorylated proteins is provided by alkaline hydrolysis, phosphoamino acid analysis and peptide mass fingerprinting. Alkaline treatment detected two proteins corresponding to 46 and 37.5 kD. Phosphoamino acids analysis confirmed their dual-specificity nature. MALDI mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprinting analysis identified these two proteins as ATN1 and peanut serine/threonine/tyrosine protein kinase like protein from Arabidopsis. To further support the in silico approach, we have overexpressed one of the identified Arabidopsis thaliana serine/threonine/tyrosine protein kinases (AtSTYPK) in E. coli. The recombinant kinase was induced with IPTG and purified by using nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity chromatography. AtSTYPK exhibited a strong preference for manganese over magnesium for kinase activity. The autophosphorylation activity of AtSTYPK was inhibited by the addition of calcium to reaction buffer containing manganese. The rate of autophosphorylation reaction was linear with increasing time and protein concentration. The AtSTYPK phosphorylated histone H1 (type III-S), and myelin basic protein (MBP) in substrate phosphorylation reaction and it did not phosphorylate casein or enolase. To see whether calcium or magnesium inhibits phosphorylation of MBP, we have performed the reaction in the presence of combination of different metal ions. The MBP phosphorylation reaction is more efficient in the presence of Mg2++ Mn2+ than Ca2++ Mn2+ under the same conditions. The recombinant kinase autophosphorylated on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues and phosphorylated myelin basic protein on threonine and tyrosine residues. The AtSTYPK harbors a manganese-dependent serine/threonine kinase domain, COG3642. H248 and S265 on COG3642 are conserved in AtSTYPK and the site-directed mutation of H248 to alanine resulted in loss of serine/threonine kinase activity, but the mutation of S265 to alanine showed a slight increase in its kinase activity. The protein kinase activity is regulated by various mechanisms that include autophosphorylation, protein phosphorylation by other kinases and by the action of regulatory domains or subunits. The role of tyrosine residues in the regulation of peanut dual-specificity kinase activity is well documented, but the importance of serine and threonine residues in the regulation of dual-specificity protein kinase is not studied so far. The kinase activity is generally regulated by phosphorylation of one or more residues within the kinase activation loop. The role of threonine residues in the kinase activation loop and the TEY motif of AtSTYPK were investigated in the present study. Four threonine residues in the activation loop and a T208 in the TEY sequence motif were converted to alanine to study their role in the regulation of kinase activity. The protein kinase activity was abolished when T208 and T293 of the activation loop were converted to alanine. Interestingly, the conversion of T284 in the activation loop to alanine resulted in an increase in both auto- and substrate phosphorylations. The mutation of T288 and T291 to alanine had no effect on kinase activity. There are eight serine residues in the kinase catalytic domain of AtSTYPK and surprisingly there is no serine residue in the kinase activation loop. So it is worthwhile to see how phosphorylation of serine residues regulates the dual-specificity protein kinase activity. The role of each serine residue was studied individually by substituting them with alanine. Serines at positions 215, 259, 269 and 315 regulate the kinase activity both in terms of autophosphorylation and substrate phosphorylation of myelin basic protein. The mutation of serine 265 to alanine resulted in slight increase in auto- and substrate phosphorylations, suggesting that it could be autoinhibitory in function. The other serine residues at positions 165, 181 and 360 did not show any change in the phosphorylation status when compared to wild-type AtSTYPK. In conclusion, this data suggests the importance of serine and threonine residues in the regulation of dual-specificity protein kinase activity and emphasizes the complexity of regulation of dual-specificity protein kinases in plants. To summarise, this study suggests that tyrosine phosphorylation in plants could be brought about only by dual-specificity protein kinases that phosphorylate on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues. This raises an interesting possibility that plants lack classical tyrosine kinases. The results provide a first report of manganese-dependent dual-specificity kinase from plant systems. This data also suggests that plant dual-specificity kinases undergo phosphorylation at multiple amino acid residues and their activity is regulated by various mechanisms, suggesting that they could be regulated by different mechanisms at different stages of plant growth and development. However, the role of dual-specificity kinases in planta has to be understood by mutant analysis in order to assign the physiological roles to these kinases. Further studies are needed to identify the upstream kinase(s) and downstream targets. Determination of physiological functions for dual-specificity protein kinases raises an important challenge in future in the area of plant signal transduction.

Content removed due to copyright restrictions: Burggraaf, V.T., Kemp, P.D., Thom, E.R., Waghorn,G.C., Woodfield, D.R. & Woodward, S.L. (2004) Performance of dairy cows grazing white clover selected for increased floral condensed tannin. Preliminary report from experiments presented in Chapter 4 published in the 2004 Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association. / Legumes containing 20 to 40 g of condensed tannin (CT) per kg of dry matter (DM) can improve dairy cow milk production by reducing ruminal protein degradation to ammonia and preventing bloat. White clover (Triflium repens L.) produces CT in its flower heads. High tannin (HT) white clover, bred for increased flowering and increased floral CT concentration, was evaluated under dairy grazing in Hamilton, New Zealand. Its performance in monoculture was compared to that of Grasslands Huia white clover over two years, and five short-term grazing experiments determined its effects on Friesian dairy cows. Huia and HT had similar floral CT concentrations, ranging from 15 to 77 g/kg DM over two flowering seasons. HT clover had higher flower densities than Huia until the second summer after sowing, resulting in higher clover (leaf plus flower) CT concentrations. Clover CT peaked at 12.1 g/kg DM for HT and 5.7 g/kg DM for Huia. HT swards had lower stolon growing point densities than Huia swards and annual DM yields averaged 10.0 and 11.0 t DM/ha for the respective clovers. The ingress of non-sown white clover genotypes reduced treatment differences in the last 10 months of the experiment. Mild bloat occurred in cows grazing both clovers. Cows grazing HT white clover had rumen ammonia concentrations 5 to 26% lower than that of cows grazing Huia, indicating less proteolysis in the rumen of HT cows, but there were no consistent effects on rumen soluble protein or volatile fatty acids (VFA). Differences between treatments in dietary CT concentrations were too small to affect milk production or composition. Minced mixtures of 0, 25, 50, 75 or 100% of DM as white clover flower with the remainder as white clover leaf, were incubated in vitro and rumen metabolite concentrations determined at 0, 2 ,4, 8, 12 and 24 hours. Polyethylene glycol was added to one of the 50% flower treatments to inactivate CT. Clover flowers had less soluble protein than leaves at 0 hours, and increasing the percentage of flowers from 0 to 100% reduced the net conversion of plant-N to ammonia-N from 29 to 12%. The contribution of CT to these effects was small. Increasing percentages of clover flowers did not significantly affect total VFA production but increased acetate to propionate (A:P) ratios. White clover CT decreased A:P ratios. In another in vitro experiment perennial ryegrass leaf (Lolium perenne L.) was incubated either alone or with white clover flowers or birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). Clover flowers were more effective at reducing proteolysis than birdsfoot trefoil, due largely to less release of soluble protein, but birdsfoot trefoil treatments had the lowest A:P ratios. In conclusion, HT clover had higher forage CT concentrations than Huia because of increased flowering. Increased flowering reduced the agronomic performance of HT and lowered rumen ammonia concentrations, but did not increase milk production or prevent bloat. White clover flowers reduced rumen proteolysis in vitro, but this was mainly a result of their low protein concentration. White clover CT and birdsfoot trefoil forage benefited the molar percentages of VFA, but increasing the proportion of clover flowers did not. Further increases in white clover CT concentrations may benefit ruminant performance, but this should not be implemented through increased flowering.

Content removed due to copyright restrictions: Burggraaf, V.T., Kemp, P.D., Thom, E.R., Waghorn,G.C., Woodfield, D.R. & Woodward, S.L. (2004) Performance of dairy cows grazing white clover selected for increased floral condensed tannin. Preliminary report from experiments presented in Chapter 4 published in the 2004 Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association. / Legumes containing 20 to 40 g of condensed tannin (CT) per kg of dry matter (DM) can improve dairy cow milk production by reducing ruminal protein degradation to ammonia and preventing bloat. White clover (Triflium repens L.) produces CT in its flower heads. High tannin (HT) white clover, bred for increased flowering and increased floral CT concentration, was evaluated under dairy grazing in Hamilton, New Zealand. Its performance in monoculture was compared to that of Grasslands Huia white clover over two years, and five short-term grazing experiments determined its effects on Friesian dairy cows. Huia and HT had similar floral CT concentrations, ranging from 15 to 77 g/kg DM over two flowering seasons. HT clover had higher flower densities than Huia until the second summer after sowing, resulting in higher clover (leaf plus flower) CT concentrations. Clover CT peaked at 12.1 g/kg DM for HT and 5.7 g/kg DM for Huia. HT swards had lower stolon growing point densities than Huia swards and annual DM yields averaged 10.0 and 11.0 t DM/ha for the respective clovers. The ingress of non-sown white clover genotypes reduced treatment differences in the last 10 months of the experiment. Mild bloat occurred in cows grazing both clovers. Cows grazing HT white clover had rumen ammonia concentrations 5 to 26% lower than that of cows grazing Huia, indicating less proteolysis in the rumen of HT cows, but there were no consistent effects on rumen soluble protein or volatile fatty acids (VFA). Differences between treatments in dietary CT concentrations were too small to affect milk production or composition. Minced mixtures of 0, 25, 50, 75 or 100% of DM as white clover flower with the remainder as white clover leaf, were incubated in vitro and rumen metabolite concentrations determined at 0, 2 ,4, 8, 12 and 24 hours. Polyethylene glycol was added to one of the 50% flower treatments to inactivate CT. Clover flowers had less soluble protein than leaves at 0 hours, and increasing the percentage of flowers from 0 to 100% reduced the net conversion of plant-N to ammonia-N from 29 to 12%. The contribution of CT to these effects was small. Increasing percentages of clover flowers did not significantly affect total VFA production but increased acetate to propionate (A:P) ratios. White clover CT decreased A:P ratios. In another in vitro experiment perennial ryegrass leaf (Lolium perenne L.) was incubated either alone or with white clover flowers or birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). Clover flowers were more effective at reducing proteolysis than birdsfoot trefoil, due largely to less release of soluble protein, but birdsfoot trefoil treatments had the lowest A:P ratios. In conclusion, HT clover had higher forage CT concentrations than Huia because of increased flowering. Increased flowering reduced the agronomic performance of HT and lowered rumen ammonia concentrations, but did not increase milk production or prevent bloat. White clover flowers reduced rumen proteolysis in vitro, but this was mainly a result of their low protein concentration. White clover CT and birdsfoot trefoil forage benefited the molar percentages of VFA, but increasing the proportion of clover flowers did not. Further increases in white clover CT concentrations may benefit ruminant performance, but this should not be implemented through increased flowering.

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are proteoglycans heavily substituted by arabinogalactan polysaccharides. These are composed of arabinose and galactose, and minor sugars such as glucuronic acid (GlcA), fucose and xylose. The arabinogalactan polysaccharides do not decorate classical AGPs exclusively, but they can also be found decorating a wide range of proteins. Arabinogalactan proteins have been implicated in many processes of plant development. Recently, AGPs were proposed to bind and store calcium at the plasma membrane. They are extracellular, and are localised mainly at the plasma membrane via a GPI-anchor. They can also be soluble in the apoplast. Their low abundance, chemical similarity and high functional redundancy have hindered their study. My strategy to overcome these difficulties was to study knock-out Arabidopsis thaliana plants of glycosyltransferases that transfer sugars specifically onto AG-polysaccharides. Glucuronic acid makes up about 10% of the arabinogalactan polysaccharide structure in Arabidopsis thaliana cell culture AGPs. Previously, the glucuronic acid transferase A TGLCA T14A, a member of the CAZy Glycosyl Transferase 14 family, was shown to transfer GlcA specifically onto AGPs, and knock-out Arabidopsis plants showed a 30% reduction in [Me]GlcA substitution in AGP-enriched preparations. However, no clear growth phenotype was observed. The characterisation of knock-out plants of other GT14 family members and combinations thereof is described here. Based on previous studies (Lamport and Várnai, 2013), I assayed in vitro the calcium binding capacity of AGP extracts from WT and knock-out plants. The results showed that AGP extracts from knock-out plants can hold less calcium than WT plants in vitro. A wide range of plant growth phenotypes were identified. Growth phenotypes can be explained by changes in the cytoskeleton and deficiencies in calcium signaling. Our evidence suggests links between structural deficiencies of extracellular proteoglycans to extracellular calcium and cytoskeleton. This research has the potential to create a new model system for the study of molecular mechanisms dependent on calcium that drive cell expansion, division and differentiation in plants.

O presente trabalho descreve o isolamento, identificação e determinação estrutural dos constituintes químicos das inflorescências e folhas de Iryanthera sagotiana e das inflorescências e pericarpos de I. lancifolia, espécies da família Myristicaceae, que ocorrem na Amazônia. A investigação fitoquímica das inflorescências de I. sagotiana (Benth.) Warb. forneceu, após extração, partição com solventes orgânicos e fracionamentos cromatográficos, quatro diidrochalconas: 2\',4\'-diidroxi-4,6\'- dimetoxidiidrochalcona (I) ; 2\',4\',6\'-triidróxi-4-metoxidiidrochalcona; 2\',4,4\'-triidróxi-6\'-metoxidiidrochalcona (II) e 2\',4\'-diidroxi-4-metóxi-6\'-glicopiranosil-diidrochalcona, sendo as duas últimas, inéditas. Foram também isolados e identificados o benzaldeído, o ácido diidro-p-cumárico, dois flavonóis glicosilados: afzelina e quercitrina e quatro flavanonóis glicosilados: engeletina, isoengeletina, astilbina e isoastilbina. Das folhas de I. sagotiana foram isoladas as diidrochalconas I, II e o dímero 3\',3\"\'-bis-2\', 4\',6\'-triidróxi-4-metoxidiidrochalcona, inédito na literatura, além da afzelina, quercitrina, engeletina e astilbina. Os pericarpos de I. lancifolia Ducke forneceram, após procedimentos cromatográficos, as diidrochalconas I e 2\',4-diidróxi-4\',6\'dimetoxidiidrochalcona, inédita, e três flavonolignóides também inéditos: rel (1\"R,2\"R,3\"S)-3\'-(1\",4\"-di-p-hidroxifenil-2\",3\"-dimetilbutil)-2\',4\'-diidróxi-4,6\'-dimetoxidiidrochalcona (III); rel (1\"R,2\"S,3\"R)-3\'-(1\",4\"-di-p-hidroxifenil-2\",3\"-dimetilbutil)-2\',4\'-diidróxi-4,6\'-dimetoxidiidrochalcona (IV) e 5\'-(1\",4\"-di-p-hidroxifenil-2\",3\"-dimetilbutil)-2\',6\'-diidróxi-4,4\'dimetoxidiidrochalcona. Foram isoladas também três lactonas policetídicas inéditas: (2S,3S,4S)-2-(7-dodecenil)-3-hidróxi-4-metil-butanolido, rel (2S,3R,4S)-2-(7\'-dodecenil)-3-hidróxi-4-metil-butanolido e 2-dodecil-3-hidróxi-4-metil-but-2-enolido, além do tocotrienol 2,8-dimetil-2-(4,8,12-trimetil-3,7,11-tridecatrienil)-6-cromanol e da lignana (8R,TS,8\'S)-4,4\'diidróxi-2,7\'-ciclolignana. Das inflorescências de I. lancifolia foram isolados a diidrochalcona I, os flavonolignóides III e IV, o tocotrienol e o esteróide 3-β-O-β-D-galactopiranosilsitosterol. A elucidação estrutural das substâncias isoladas foi baseada em métodos espectrométricos: EM, RMN de 1H e 13C (PND e DEPT 135°), técnicas de RMN bidimensionais (HOMOCOSY e HETERO-COSY) e experimentos para a observação de NOE. Reações de acetilação e epoxidação foram efetuadas para se obterem derivados mais informativos. As atividades antioxidantes da afzelina, da quercitrina, do flavonolignóide IV e do tocotrienol foram avaliadas em comparação com a atividade antioxidante da vitamina E, empregando-se a inibição da autooxidação de homogenato de cérebro como modelo experimental. A capacidade antioxidante foi medida pela produção de malonildialdeído (MDA) e a concentração necessária para inibir 50% da autoxidação (Ql/2) foi calculada. Os valores de Ql/2 obtidos para afzelina, quercitrina, flavonolignóide, tocotrienol e vitamina E foram, respectivamente: 62,30; 2,29; 4,83; 1,08 e 11,20 µM. Estes ensaios foram realizados pela pesquisadora Dra. Solange C. Davino e pela professora Dra. Sílvia B. M. Barros, da Faculdade de Ciências FarmacêutIcas da USP. / This work describes the isolation, identification and structural elucidation of chemical constituents from inflorescences and leaves of Iryanthera sagotiana (Myristicaceae) and from inflorescences and pericarps of I. lancifolia, collected in Amazon region. After extraction and partition with organic solvents and chromatographic fractionation, phytochemical analysis of inflorescences of I. sagotiana (Benth.) Warb. afforded four dihydrochalcones: 2\',4\'-dihydroxy-4,6\'dimethoxydihydrochalcone (I); 2\',4\',6\'-trihydroxy-4-methoxy-dihydrochalcone; and the new 2\',4,4\'-trihydroxy-6\'-methoxy-dihydrochalcone (II) and 2\',4\'-dihydroxy- 4-methoxy-6\'-glucopyranosyl-dihydrochalcone. Benzaldehyde, dihydro-p-cumaric acid besides two glycosylated flavonols: afzelin and quercitrin and four glycosylated flavanonols: engeletin, isoengeletin, astilbin and isoastilbin were also isolated and identified. Leaves of I. sagotiana yielded dihydrochalcones I, II and the new dimer 3\',3\"\'-bis-2\',4\',6\'-trihydroxy-4-methoxydihydrochalcone in addition to afzelin, quercitrin, engeletin and astilbin. Pericarps of I. lancifolia Ducke afforded, after fractionation procedures, dihydrochalcones I e 2\',4-dihydroxy-4\',6\'-dimethoxy-dihydrochalcone, which has not been reported in literature yet, as well as three new flavonolignoids: rel (1\"R,2\"R,3\"S)-3\'-(1\",4\"-di-p-hydroxyphenyl-2\",3\"dimethylbutyl)-2\',4\'-dihydroxy-4,6\'-dimethoxydihydrochalcone (III); rel (1\"R,2\"S,3\"R)-3\'-(1\",4\"-di-p-hydroxyphenyl-2\",3\"-dimethylbutyl)-2\',4\'-dihydroxy-4,6\'-dimethoxydihydrochalcone (IV) e 5\'-(1\",4\"-di-p-hydroxyphenyl-2\",3\"dimethylbutyl)-2\',6\'-dihydroxy-4,4\'-dimethoxy-dihydrochalcone. Three new polyketide lactones were also isolated: (2S,3S,4S)-2-(7-dodecenyl)-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-butanolide, rel (2S,3R,4S)-2-(7\'-dodecenyl)-3-hydroxy-4-methylbutanolide e 2-dodecyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-but-2-enolide, besides tocotrienol 2,8-dimethyl-2-(4,8,12-trimethyl-3,7,11-tridecatrienyl)-6-cromanol and lignan (8R,T\'S,8\'S)-4,4\'-dihydroxy-2, 7\'-cyclo1ignan. From inflorescences of I. lancifolia, dihydrochalcone I, flavonolignoids III e IV, tocotrienol and the steroid 3-β-O-β-D-galactopyranosylsitosterol were isolated. Structural elucidation of the isolated compounds were based on spectrometric methods: MS, 1H and 13C NMR (PND and DEPT 135°), bidimensional NMR techniques (HOMOCOSY e HETERO-COSY) as well as NOE experiments. Acetylation and epoxidation reactions were carried out in order to get more informative derivatives. Antioxidant activities of afzelin, quercitrin, flavonolignoid IV and tocotrienol were evaluated in comparison with the antioxidant activity of vitamin E, using the inhibition of autoxidation of brain homogenates as a experimental model. The antioxidant capacity was measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) production and the necessary concentration to inhibit 50% of autoxidation (Q12) was calculated. The following values of Q1/2 were obtained for afzelin, quercitrin, flavonolignoid, tocotrienol and vitamin E, respectively: 62,30; 2,29; 4,83; 1,08 e 11,20 µM.

A família Rubiaceae se caracteriza por produzir uma grande variedade de metabólitos secundários. Alcalóides, triterpenos iridóides e antraquinonas destacam-se entre os produtos naturais de maior ocorrência nas rubiaceas. Espécies desta família ocorrem com frequência no cerrado brasileiro, sendo que o gênero Alibertia, não havia sido estudado até recentemente. O presente trabalho, que é o primeiro com a espécie Alibertia edulis A. Rich, descreve o isolamento, identificação e determinação estrutural de triterpenos presentes nas folhas de um espécimen coletado nas proximidades de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. O estudo da fração clorofórmica do extrato etanólico mostrou a ocorrência predominante de triterpenos. Foram isolados através dos métodos cromatográficos usuais (coluna e placa preparativa), os pares oleanano-ursano urs-12-en-3β,28-diol e olean-12-en-3β,28-diol; 3β-hidroxiurs-12-en-28-óico e 3β-hidroxiolean-12-en-28-óico; 3β,23-diidroxiurs-12-en-28-óico e 3β,23-diidroxiolean-12-en-28-óico, que foram identificados através dos espectros de RMN de 13C e 1H. A mistura dos ésteres metílicos dos ácidos 3β, 19α,23,24-tetraidroxiurs-12-en-28-óico e 3β, 19α,23,24-tetraidroxiolean-12-en-28-óico também foi isolada desta mesma fração. Após ser acetilada, esta mistura foi submetida à cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência, o que possibilitou a separação dos seus componentes. Destes, o triterpeno com esqueleto tipo ursano foi identificado pelos seus espectros de RMN de 13C e 1H. Como não foi encontrado registro na literatura do triterpeno com esqueleto oleanano, a determinação estrutural deste foi feita por comparação com os dados de RMN do éster metílico do ácido 3β,19α,23,24-tetraidroxiur-12-en-28-óico, associado a uma análise do espectro bidimensional 1H-1H (COSY). Do extrato hexânico de A. edulis também foi isolada uma mistura, constituída por α e β-amirina, além de fitol. / The Rubiaceae family affords as secondary metabolites, mainly alkaloids, triterpenes and iridoids. Species of this family are spread in the region of Brazilian \"cerrado\". The genus Alibertia has not been studied until recently. This work, the first one with the specie Alibertia. edulis A. Rich, reports the isolation, identification and structural determination of the triterpenes that occurred in the leaves of a specimen colleted in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The chloroform fraction of the ethanolic extract shows the predominance of triterpene compounds. From this fraction, we isolate, by means of chromatographic procedures, the ursane-oleanane pairs: 3β,28-dihydroxy-urs-12-en and 3β,28-dihydroxy-olean-12-en; 3β-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic and 3β-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic; 3β,23-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic and 3β,23-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic; 3β,19α,23,24-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic and 3β,19α,23,24-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic. The last compound is a new natural product and its structure was determined based on methyl-triacetylated derivative. From the hexanic extract we isolated α and β-amyrin and phytol.

Estudos sobre agroquímico geralmente reportam sobre sua eficiência no controle de pragas. Como no caso do tiametoxam, um inseticida sistêmico do grupo dos neonicotinóides que atua inibindo a ação do receptor nicotínico acetilcolina (nAChR) dos insetos levando-os à morte. Porém, essa molécula apresenta ações fisiológicas nas plantas capazes de influenciar o desenvolvimento das culturas, e quando um agroquímico apresenta essa atividade é comumente chamado de bioativador, devido ao aumento do vigor e da produtividade das plantas tratadas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos bioquímicos, fisiológicos e produtivos de doses crescentes do tiametoxam, aplicado via tratamento de sementes, nos cultivos de trigo, braquiária, arroz e milho. Experimentos com trigo, braquiária e arroz foram conduzidos em vasos, sob casade- vegetação, no Horto Experimental do Departamento de Ciências Biológicas da ESALQ/USP, Piracicaba, SP. Enquanto a condução da cultura do milho ocorreu em casa-de-vegetação, do Departamento de Agronomia no CEDETEG/UNICENTRO, e em área de plantio comercial, ambos no município de Guarapuava, PR. Durante a realização dos experimentos foram mensuradas características biométricas de: índice de emergência; altura de plantas; índice de clorofilas (SPAD); massa seca da parte aérea; comprimento, área e volume radicular. Parâmetros bioquímicos como: atividade de nitrato redutase; fenilalanina amônia-liase; conteúdo de proteína total; pigmentos fotossintéticos e conteúdo de nutrientes foliares. Parâmetros sobre a qualidade nutricional da braquiária também foram analisadas. E ao final do ciclo reprodutivo dos cereais foram determinados alguns parâmetros relacionados à produção. Foi constatado que o tiametoxam interferiu sobre diversos parâmetros bioquímicos, em todas as culturas testadas, com destaque para a potencial ação dessa molécula sobre atividades de nitrato redutase e fenilalanina amônia-liase, bem como sobre o conteúdo de proteína total em trigo e braquiária, além de alterar o teor de pigmentos fotossintéticos foliares em arroz e milho. Para as culturas do trigo e da braquiária foram notadas modificações severas sobre a fisiologia e produção. Concluiu-se que a aplicação de tiametoxam, via tratamento de sementes, foi responsável por moderar o metabolismo e o desenvolvimento vegetal, até o final do ciclo da planta, de maneira que as plantas submetidas a essa molécula expressaram maior vigor e, consequentemente, apresentaram maior aptidão para incrementar sua produção. / Studies on agrochemicals generally report on their effectiveness in pests control. As with thiamethoxam, a systemic insecticide of the neonicotinoid group that acts by inhibiting the action of acetylcholine nicotinic receptor (nAChR) of insects, leading to death. But this molecule which has physiological effect in plants, can influence crop development; and when an agrochemical presents this activity, it is commonly called bioactivator due to increased vigor and productivity of the treated plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate: biochemical, physiological and productive effects of increasing doses of thiamethoxam applied as seed treatment in wheat, Brachiaria, rice and corn crops. Experiments with wheat, rice and Brachiaria were conducted in pots under greenhouse, in the Horto Experimental of Biological Sciences Department of ESALQ/USP, Piracicaba, SP. While one corn crop was conducted in a greenhouse of the Department of Agronomy at CEDETEG / UNICENTRO, the other one was conducted in the field, both in Guarapuava, PR. We measure the biometric characteristics: emergence index, plant height, chlorophyll index (SPAD), shoot dry weight, length, root area and volume. Biochemical parameters such as: nitrate reductase activity, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, total protein content, photosynthetic pigments and leaf nutrient content. Parameters on the nutritional quality of Brachiaria were also analyzed. And at the end of the reproductive cycle of cereals some parameters related to production were determined. It was found that thiamethoxam interfered in various biochemical parameters in all tested crops, highlighting the potential action of this molecule on activities of nitrate reductase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, as well as the total protein content in wheat and pasture, besides changing the content of photosynthetic pigments in rice and corn leaves. For wheat and Brachiaria crops severe changes were noted on the plant physiology and production. It is concluded that the application of thiamethoxam, via seed treatment, was responsible for moderating metabolism and plant development, until the end of the life cycle of the plant, so that the plants under this molecule expressed greater vigor and thus had higher ability to increase production.