Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-11-27Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:54:03Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 sousa_mc_me_jabo.pdf: 1262141 bytes, checksum: 754a27f31e87b5e771e534235e7eb0a7 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A severidade dos sintomas provocados pelo Huanglongbing (HLB) ou Greening, a rápida progressão na incidência de plantas afetadas nos pomares e o fato de esta doença afetar indistintamente todas as variedades comerciais de citros, contribuíram para este estudo que visou conhecer o padrão de colonização da bactéria Candidatus Liberibacter americanus (Lam) e Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) em plantas cítricas. O PCR convencional é o teste atualmente utilizado na diagnose. Apesar de ser uma técnica reconhecidamente sensível, para o caso do HLB tem sido apenas confirmatório, ou seja, somente permite detecção da presença da bactéria em amostras de folhas sintomáticas. Surgiram aprimoramentos da técnica de PCR, como é o caso do Nested PCR e o PCR quantitativo (qPCR), demonstrado neste trabalho ser o método empregado mais sensível que o PCR convencional. Assim, através deste estudo pode-se concluir que Las e Lam se concentraram prioritariamente nas partes com sintomas de HLB das plantas de campo, naturalmente inoculadas e infectadas por liberibacter, se diferenciando na média do número estimado de cópias de liberibacter por grama de folha de plantas afetadas, sendo Las com 5,63 contra 5,01 em plantas afetadas por Lam (título bacteriano). A proporção de amostras positivas para Lam foram de 21 (19%) contra 12 (11,2%) amostras positivas para Las. A maior parte das amostras foi negativa para ambas as liberibacters (96 – Las e 90 – Lam). O pequeno acréscimo nos resultados positivos obtido pelo método de qPCR, aliado ao seu alto custo, não justifica a substituição do PCR convencional por este método na diagnose laboratorial do HLB, ficando restrito somente a pesquisa / The degree of severity of the symptoms developed by Huanglongbing (HLB) or Greening, the fast incidence of diseased plants at different orchards and the fact that this phytopathogen affects various commercial citrus varieties have contributed to the proposition of the present work, that aimed to know the colonization pattern developed by the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter americanus (LAM) and Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (LAS) on citrus plants. The conventional PCR is the current used assay to detect HLB. Besides being a sensitive and specific technique it is currently seen and a molecular technique that confirms the already symptomatic leaves of diseased plants. Improvements of the PCR technique named the Nested PCR and the quantitative PCR is described in this work as the most sensitive to detect the phytopathogen prior to the development of the symptoms disease. So, based on the results obtained in this work it was possible to conclude that LAS and LAM concentrate showed a tendency to appear mostly on parts of the plants exhibiting symptoms and that are already infected by these bacteria, showing difference when mean number of copies of liberibacter per g of leaf of infected plants, with LAS value of 5.63 as compared to 5.01 for LAM on plants with LAM detectable symptoms (high bacterial titer). The ratio of LAM positive samples was 21 (19%) against 12 (11.2%) positive for LAS. The majority of the samples were detected as negative for both bacteria (96% for LAS and 90% for LAM). The small increase on the positive results obtained when qPCR was used and considering its present high analysis cost, this type of PCR is not seen as adequate to diagnose LAM or LAS

In order to assess the long-term treatment of sulfate- and carbon- rich wastewater at low temperatures, three anaerobic biofilm reactors were operated at 20°C, a hydraulic retention time (HRT)of two days and fed a synthetic wastewater containing lactate and sulfate. The reactors were operated for over 900 days. DNA was extracted from the reactors around days 180 and 800. Three clone libraries, methanogenic archaea (MA), sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB), and bacteria, were constructed and quantitative PCR analysis was performed with the DNA. It was found that anaerobic biofilm reactors can be operated at 20°C with an organic load rate (OLR) of 1.3 g-chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L-day or less and an sulfur load rate (SLR) of 0.2 g-S/L-day with no significant deterioration in process performance. With long acclimation periods, OLR as high as 3.4 g COD/L-d and SLR of 0.3 g/L-d can be tolerated, producing effluent volatile-acid COD levels consistently less than 200 mg/L. Effluent dissolved sulfide and hydrogen sulfide levels were around 600 mg S/L and 150 mg S/L, respectively, during this period. In addition to long term operation, the effect of organic shock loading was assessed. The reactors were able to recover from one but not two lactate spikes of approximately 5,000 mg COD/L. It was determined that long-term stability could be achieved in reactors that contained well balanced, stable populations of lactate- and propionate-degrading SRB and aceticlastic methanogens. Significant populations of fermenters present resulted in an imbalance which caused lactate to be routed through an additional pathway where propionate was formed. Greater numbers of MA than bacteria were found in all reactors. This may be attributed to the availability of acetate in the reactors for MA consumption and to using the immobilized fixed bed reactor type. Aceticlastic methanogens were the dominant methanogen, and were observed to remove nearly all acetate produced in all reactors. SRB were observed to remove lactate in microbially balanced reactors, whereas fermenters degraded lactate in reactors with less balanced populations.

No description available.

Die molekulare Chimärismusdiagnostik stellt einen essenziellen Teil der Therapieüberwachung nach allogener HSZT dar. In der Uniklinik Würzburg wird hierbei mittels qPCR eines Panels von 21 Allelen eine Informativität von 95 % und eine Sensitivität von 0,1-0,01 % erreicht. Ziel der Arbeit war eine Optimierung dieser in unserem Labor angewandten Methode zur Chimärismusanalyse in puncto Sensitivität und Informativität. Es wurde untersucht, ob durch Steigerung des DNA-Inputs in die qPCR eine Sensitivitätserhöhung erzielt werden kann, ohne dass PCR-Inhibition auftritt. Dabei erwies sich ein DNA-Input von 250 ng als ideal für eine verlässlichere Detektion von 0,01 % Empfängerzellen. PCR-Inhibition trat nicht auf. Zur Deckung des damit einhergehendem erhöhten DNA-Bedarf wurden verschiedene Elutionsmethoden der DNA-Extraktion verglichen, wobei durch Extraktion mit dem QIAamp DNA Blood Midi-Kit und Elution mit 2 x 200 μl AE-Puffer der höchste DNA-Ertrag gewonnen wurde. Zur Erhöhung der Informativität wurde die Anwendbarkeit eines Primersets für qPCR des SNP rs713753 evaluiert. Hierbei zeigte sich eine mäßige Eignung: Beide Allele des SNP gemeinsam ergaben eine gute Informativität für Empfängerdiskriminierung von 37,5 %. Die qPCR-Effizienzen der lokusspezifischen Referenz und des Allels C waren nahezu optimal, die des Allels T lag lediglich bei 0,87. Die Sensitivität der spezifischen Allele lag bei max. 0,1 %. Sofern auch hier eine Sensitivitätssteigerung durch Erhöhung des DNA-Inputs in die qPCR ohne Auftreten unspezifischer Amplifikation möglich ist, wäre eine Integration der qPCR des SNP rs713753 in die Routinediagnostik denkbar. Zusammenfassend ist eine Optimierung der in unserem Labor angewandten Methode zur Chimärismusdiagnostik hinsichtlich Sensitivität und Informativität durchaus möglich. Eine Erhöhung des DNA-Inputs ist dabei am simpelsten umsetzbar; zur Etablierung weiterer Allele bedarf es zusätzlicher Experimente. / The monitoring of molecular chimerism is an essential part of the follow-up after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. At the University Hospital of Würzburg, a qPCR panel consisting of 21 alleles achieves an informativity of 95 % and a sensitivity of 0.1-0.01 %. The aim of this study was the optimization of the chimerism analysis method used in our laboratory in terms of sensitivity and informativity. It was investigated whether an increase in sensitivity could be achieved by increasing the DNA input to qPCR without causing PCR inhibition. A DNA input of 250 ng was found to be ideal for a more reliable detection of 0.01 % recipient cells. No PCR inhibition occurred. In order to meet the increased demand for DNA, different elution methods for DNA extraction were compared, with the highest DNA yield achieved by extraction using the QIAamp DNA Blood Midi Kit and elution with 2 x 200 µl AE buffer. To increase informativity, the practicality of a qPCR primer set for the SNP “rs713753” was evaluated. This was found to be moderately suitable: both alleles of the SNP taken together resulted in a good informativity of 37.5 % for recipient discrimination. The qPCR efficiencies of the locus-specific reference and the C allele were close to optimal values, while that of the T allele was only 0.87. The sensitivity of the specific alleles was max. 0.1 %. If it is possible to increase the sensitivity by increasing the DNA input into the qPCR without the occurrence of non-specific amplification, the integration of qPCR of the SNP rs713753 into daily diagnostics would be conceivable. In conclusion, it is possible to optimize the sensitivity and informativity of the chimerism analysis method used in our laboratory. Increasing the DNA input is the easiest to implement, whereas additional experiments are needed to establish additional alleles.

No description available.

The thesis focuses on studying changes of microbial communities living in the soil contaminated by heavy metals. Two sites with different degree of contamination were selected in the Příbram area. Respiration was measured in vitro in the soil samples supplemented with various carbon sources and different concentration of cadmium. The respiration showed that even at cadmium concentration of 1000 mg.kg-1 the community is viable and capable of utilization of substrates while increasing the respiration rate. Enviromental DNA from soil samples was isolated and 16S rRNA gene of actinobacteria was amplified. The terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed a clear difference between the profiles of both sites. The shifts in the community profiles were observed also after the addition of substrates. The quantification of total bacteria and actinobacteria was performed by quantitative PCR based on amplification of part of the 16S rRNA gene. The more contaminated site contained slightly more bacteria, but almost twice the actinobacteria than the less contaminated one. The sequencing of amplicons of a part of 16S rRNA gene by Illumina showed an increase in proportion of actinobacteria and changes of their community structure in the more contaminated site. The conclusion was made that, high...

Quantifizierung des postmortalen RNA-Status im Gehirn mittels Real-time-PCR: Ein Beitrag zur Bestimmung der Leichenliegezeit Der postmortale Nukleinsäureabbau verläuft unterschiedlich: während DNA im Allgemeinen als stabil angesehen wird und erst mit Einsetzen von Fäulniserscheinungen stärkerer Degradation unterliegt, wird RNA mit dem Sistieren der Kreislauftätigkeit relativ rasch abgebaut. Eine Reihe von Studien hat aber gezeigt, dass RNA in bestimmten Geweben eine höhere Stabilität besitzt als ursprünglich angenommen. Dies könnte Bedeutung für die molekulare Medizinforschung besitzen, die auf Genexpressionsstudien in postmortalem Gewebe angewiesen ist. Außerdem könnte eine Quantifizierung der RNA-Degradation z.B. durch Real-time-PCR zur Eingrenzung der Leichenliegezeit genutzt werden. In dieser Studie wurde ein quantitativer Vergleich verschiedener sog. Haushaltsgene (u.a. GAPDH, ß-Actin, FASN) in Gehirngewebe mit einer Leichenliegezeit zwischen 0 und 96 Stunden und unter alternativen Ansätzen zur reversen Transkription (oligo-(dT)-Primer mit und ohne sog. Anker, Random Hexamer Primer) durchgeführt. Zunächst erfolgten systematische Untersuchungen zur Effektivität der RNA-Isolierung, reversen Transkription und der PCR im Hinblick auf eine möglichst präzise Quantifizierung. Es zeigte sich, dass die Resultate der Real-time-PCR ein Maß für die ursprünglich in der Probe vorhandene mRNA-Menge darstellen. Weiterhin stellte sich heraus, dass eine deutliche und evtl. auch zur Liegezeitbestimmung nutzbare RNA-Degradation erst nach 24h einsetzt. Ein wesentlicher Unterschied zwischen Random- und oligo-(dT)-priming der reversen Transkription war dabei nicht festzustellen. Diese Ergebnisse belegen zum einen, dass RNA im frühen postmortalen Intervall relativ stabil ist und als Substrat für quantitative Untersuchungen dienen kann, zum anderen, dass ein zeitabhängiger Abbau besteht, der eine Eingrenzung der Leichenliegezeit z.B. mittels Grenzwerten in ein frühes und mittleres Postmortalintervall zulässt. / Quantification of the postmortem RNA-status in human brain by means of real-time-PCR: A contribution to the determination of the postmortem interval The postmortem degradation of nucleic acid proceeds differently: whereas DNA is generally considered as stable and is only subject to stronger degradation with the beginning of putrefaction, RNA degrades very fast when the circulation is suspended. A series of studies, however, has shown that RNA has a greater stability in certain tissues than originally expected. This could be important for molecular medical research which is dependent on gene expression studies using postmortem tissue. Furthermore, the quantification of RNA-degradation by means of real-time-PCR could be used for the limitation of the postmortem interval. In this study, a quantitative comparison has been made between different so-called housekeeping-genes (e.g. GAPDH, ß-Actin, FASN) in human brain and a postmortem interval between 0 and 96 hours. Different alternative approaches have been used for the reverse transcription (oligo-(dT)-Primer with and without Anker, Random Hexamer Primer). At first, systematic examinations concerning the effectiveness of RNA isolation, reverse transcription and PCR have been undertaken with regard to a preferably exact quantification. It turned out that the results of the real-time-PCR represent a measure for the mRNA amount originally present in the specimen. Moreover, it emerged that a clear RNA degradation, which could possibly be used for the determination of the postmortem interval, begins after 24 hours. An important difference between random and oligo-(dT) priming of the reverse transcription could not be stated. These results demonstrate, on the one hand, that RNA is relatively stable during the early postmortem interval so that it can serve as substrate for quantitative examinations. On the other hand, it is shown that a time-dependent degradation exists which allows a limitation of the postmortem interval into an early and middle postmortem interval by means of threshold values for example.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar comparativamente alguns microrganismos que compõe a microbiota intestinal endógena de crianças eutróficas (30), com sobrepeso (24) e obesas (30) entre 3 a 11 anos, a partir de amostras fecais. Foi realizado o isolamento de espécies de Bacteroides, Parabacteroides e Clostridium; a identificação de B. fragilis e C. perfringens enterotoxigênicos; e a detecção quantitativa por PCR (SybrGreen) de B. fragilis, B.vulgatus, P. distasonis, C. perfringens, C. difficile, Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Bacteroidales e Clostridium (cluster I). As espécies C. perfringens e B. vulgatus foram as mais isoladas; nenhum isolado B. fragilis foi enterotoxigênico; todos C. perfringens foram classificados como tipo A e destes 8,7% e 12,2% possuiam os genes tpeL e netB, respectivamente. C. perfringens, C. difficile e Bifidobacterium spp. estavam em maior quantidade em crianças eutróficas, enquanto obesos e com sobrepeso apresentaram maior número de Lactobacillus spp. e Bacteroidales. / The aim of this study was to evaluate some microorganism from endogenous intestinal microbiota of normal weight (30), overweight (24) and obese (30) children between 3 and 11 years, from fecal samples. It was performed the isolation of species of Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and Clostridium; the identification of B. fragilis and C. perfringens enterotoxigenic; and the quantitative detection by PCR (SybrGreen) B. fragilis, B. vulgatus, P. distasonis, C. perfringens, C. difficile, Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Bacteroidales and Clostridium (cluster I). The species C. perfringens and B. vulgatus were the most isolated; no isolated B. fragilis was enterotoxigenic; all C. perfringens were classified as type A and these 8.7% and 12.2% harbored tpeL and netB genes, respectively. C. perfringens, C. difficile and Bifidobacterium spp. were in greater quantity in normal weight children while obese and overweight showed a higher number of Lactobacillus spp. and Bacteroidales.

Os microRNAs (miRNAs) são pequenos RNAs não codificadores, de cerca de 20 bases de comprimento, capazes de regular negativamente a expressão gênica após a transcrição. A ação regulatória destas moléculas é indispensável para o funcionamento adequado de diversos processos biológicos, dentre eles o desenvolvimento e a manutenção da musculatura esquelética. Com o objetivo de caracterizar a população de miRNAs presentes na musculatura esquelética adulta de frangos, foi construída uma biblioteca de miRNAs a partir do músculo peitoral de indivíduos jovens (21 dias pós-eclosão). Um total de 576 clones foi sequenciado e as sequências obtidas foram agrupadas por similaridade em 98 grupos, dentre os quais 47 corresponderam à miRNAs conhecidos, 30 à outros tipos de RNA e seis à possíveis novos miRNAs. Estes dados poderão subsidiar estudos funcionais subsequentes, que visem entender a função exercida por cada uma destas moléculas na musculatura esquelética. Buscando-se associar a ocorrência e expressão dos miRNAs ao controle da miogênese, foi analisada a expressão de três miRNAs identificados na biblioteca (miR-125b, miR-221 e miR-206), envolvidos na regulação do balanço entre proliferação e diferenciação celular, mecanismo determinante da miogênese. A análise foi realizada por PCR quantitativa em diferentes estádios do desenvolvimento (nove e 17 dias embrionário e 21 dias pós-eclosão) e entre duas linhagens de frango com potencial divergente para crescimento e ganho de massa muscular. Não houve diferença significativa na expressão dos miRNAs entre as linhagens em nenhum dos estádios aferidos, entretanto, foi possível traçar a ontogenia destas moléculas ao longo do desenvolvimento do animal, o que permitiu inferências sobre as condições morfológicas e fisiológicas das células musculares em cada um dos estádios analisados. Por fim, com o objetivo de associar os dados de expressão obtidos para os miRNAs, à variações na expressão de genes alvo, aferimos a expressão de três genes: SRF, Fstl e Pola1; onde o primeiro é regulado pelo miR-133a (cuja expressão não foi aferida devido à questões metodológicas) e os dois últimos pelo miR-206. A análise foi feita também por PCR quantitativa, entre as linhagens e em diferentes estádios do desenvolvimento. Foi possível visualizar, apenas nos estádios embrionários, a relação entre a expressão do miR-206 e seus genes alvo, com uma coerência entre o aumento na expressão do miR-206 e a diminuição na expressão de Pola1 e Fstl1. A determinação do perfil de expressão dos três genes ao longo do desenvolvimento muscular permitiu inferências sobre a ação destas moléculas no balanço entre proliferação e diferenciação nas linhagens de corte e postura / MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small and noncoding RNAs, about 20-nucleotides long that negatively regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally. The regulatory action of these molecules is essential for the proper functioning of various biological processes, including the development and maintenance of skeletal muscles. To identify miRNAs that might be important for the skeletal muscle development, we constructed a miRNA library from pectoral skeletal muscle of 21º days after birth chickens. A total of 576 clones were sequenced and these sequences were collapsed into 98 clusters. Sequence analysis identified 47 small RNAs that show significant similarities with published miRNAs, 30 with others noncoding RNAs and six sequences clusters could be identified as potentially novel miRNAs. These data may support subsequent functional studies aimed at understanding the function performed by each of these molecules in skeletal muscle of chicken. To further associate the miRNA presence with the gene expression in the controlling of myogenesis the expression patterns of tree miRNAs identified in the library (miR-125b, miR-221 e miR-206) were analyzed. These miRNAs are involved in the balance between proliferation and differentiation mechanisms that control myogenesis. The expressions of these miRNAs were measured using quantitative RT-PCR. We analyzed samples from two embryos stages (9 and 17 days) and one adult stage (21º days after birth) in two chicken lines with different potential to growth and gain of muscle mass. There were no significant differences between the lines about these miRNAs expression. But, we could predict an overview of these miRNAs expressions during the muscle development of chicken, which allowed inferences about the physiologic and morphologic conditions of the muscles cells in each analyzed stage. Also, to further associate the miRNAs results to variations in the target genes expressions, we analyzed the expression of three genes: SRF, Fstl e Pola1. The first one is target of miR-133a (not analyzed due to methodological problems), and the others are target of miR-206. We analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR different stages and two chicken lines. It was possible to observe, only in the earlier stages, a relationship between the miR-206 expression and the Pola1 and Fstl1 expression, with a consistency between the increased expression of mir-206 and decrease in expression of Pola1 and Fstl1. The determination of the profile of these three gene expressions during the muscle development allowed inferences about the action of these molecules in the balance between proliferation and differentiation process in chicken strains for broiler and layer

Investigou-se o efeito da leptina exógena e do maior consumo de energia, sobre o padrão da expressão de genes no hipotálamo de novilhas zebuínas; de modo a elucidar o mecanismo de sinalização da leptina no hipotálamo e os genes responsáveis pela obtenção da puberdade. Trinta e seis novilhas não púberes, e com idade entre 18 e 20 meses, foram divididas em três grupos experimentais: baixa energia (BAIXA), alta energia (ALTA), baixa energia com administração de leptina recombinante ovina (BAIXA+LEP), totalizando 56 dias de tratamento. Vinte e quatro novilhas foram abatidas ao apresentar sinais de puberdade, sendo eles: concentração de progesterona no soro superior a 1 ng/mL por duas amostras seguidas e presença de corpo lúteo detectável por ultra-sonografia. O hipotálamo foi colhido e armazenado a -80ºC. As amostras foram submetidas à extração do RNA total, tratadas com DNAse I e submetidas à síntese de cDNA. A quantificação relativa de quatro genes candidatos reconhecidamente envolvidos com a sinalização hipotalâmica da leptina em bovinos: NPY, NPY-Y1, NPY-Y4 e SOCS-3, foi feita através de PCR quantitativo (tempo real). Não houve efeito da administração de leptina sobre a expressão do NPY (P=0,70), ou de seus receptores: NPY-Y1 (P=0,27) e NPY-Y4 (P=0,92) no início da puberdade. A expressão de SOCS-3 foi reduzida (P=0,05) no hipotálamo de novilhas tratadas com leptina, o que sugere menor ação inibitória sobre a leptina. Em novilhas alimentadas com dieta de alta energia, a expressão do NPY-Y1 foi reduzida (P=0,04), o que indica que o hipotálamo estaria menos sensível à ação do NPY, permitindo a entrada precoce em puberdade. Nos demais genes estudados, NPY (P=0,75), NPY-Y4 (P=0,92) e SOCS-3 (P=0,24), a dieta não alterou significativamente suas expressões hipotalâmicas. Estudo mais abrangente do efeito da nutrição e da administração de leptina foi realizado através de hibridização em microarranjos de DNA, objetivando a identificação de possíveis genes candidatos, expressos no hipotálamo, que influenciam na obtenção da puberdade em novilhas Nelore tratadas com leptina ou submetidas à dieta de alta energia. Foram encontrados 78 genes cuja expressão foi alterada pela densidade energética da dieta (P=0,05) no hipotálamo das novilhas Nelore, destes foram selecionados os que apresentaram razões de expressão da ordem de 1,4 ou mais, totalizando 20 genes. Entre esses se destaca o gene da &beta;-arrestina 1 (ARRB1), que foi 1,40 vezes mais expresso (P=0,04) em novilhas submetidas à dieta de alta energia, pois atua na mediação da dessensibilização dos receptores acoplados à proteína-G-(GPCRs)1, como os receptores de NPY. Foram encontrados 134 genes diferencialmente expressos (P=0,05) devido a aplicação de leptina. Dentre os 80 genes que apresentaram razões superiores a 1,4, 18 genes tiveram a expressão reduzida, e 62 tiveram a expressão aumentada pela aplicação de leptina. Destes, alguns estão envolvidos na regulação da sinalização da leptina. O gene SRC foi menos expresso (1,64 vezes; P=0,04) em novilhas tratadas com leptina, o que sugere menor ação inibitória pela SHP-2. A proteína SOCS-2 foi 1,43 vezes (P=0,01) mais expressa no hipotálamo de novilhas tratadas com leptina. Sabe-se que, ao contrário de SOCS-1 e SOCS-3, CIS e SOCS-2 não se ligam, ou inibem, as janus kinases. O STAT-3 foi 2,14 vezes (P=0,03) mais expresso em novilhas tratadas com leptina, e sua ativação possibilita a ligação hipotalâmica da leptina com seu receptor (Ob-Rb). As IGFPB-1 e -2 foram mais expressas no hipotálamo de novilhas tratadas com leptina que em novilhas não tratadas, sendo IGFPB-1 1,78 vezes (P=0,04) mais expressa e IGFPB-2 1,89 vezes (P=0,05). As IGFPBs podem desempenhar função de potencialização da ação do IGF-1, ou exercer ação inibitória. Conclui-se que tanto o consumo de energia quanto a aplicação com leptina influenciaram o padrão de expressão gênica no hipotálamo de novilhas Nelore. A modulação da quantidade do receptor do NPY, NPY-Y1, no hipotálamo pode ser uma via importante pela qual a nutrição afeta o início da puberdade em novilhas. E ainda que estudos mais aprofundados de expressão dos genes encontrados nas hibridizações por microarranjo poderão revelar interações mais concisas entre os genes, a nutrição e a leptina na obtenção da puberdade. / It was investigated the effect of exogenous leptin and the high energy intake on gene expression pattern in the hypothalamus of zebuine heifers; in a way to elucidate the mechanism of leptin signaling in hypothalamus and the responsible genes for puberty. Thirty six heifers not in puberty at 18 and 20 months of age were divided in three experimental groups: low energy diet (LOW), high energy diet (HIGH), low energy diet with administration of recombinant ovine leptin (LOW+LEP), totalizing 56 days of treatment. Twenty four heifers were slaughtered when presented the signals of puberty: progesterone serum concentration above 1 ng/mL for two followed weeks and the presence of detectable corpus luteum by ultrasonography. The hypothalamus was collected and stored at -80ºC. Samples were submitted to total RNA extraction, treated with DNAse I and submitted to cDNA synthesis. The relative quantification of four candidate genes admittedly involved with hypothalamic leptin signaling in bovine: NPY, NPY-Y1, NPY-Y4 and SOCS-3, was evaluated through quantitative PCR (real time). There was no effect of leptin administration on NPY expression (P=0.70), or on its receptors: NPY-Y1 (P=0.27) and NPY-Y4 (P=0.92) in the onset of puberty. The expression of SOCS-3 was reduced (P=0.05) in the hypothalamus of heifers treated with leptin, what suggests lower inhibitory action over leptin. In heifers fed high energy diets, the expression of NPY-Y1 was reduced (P=0.04), which indicates that the hypothalamus would be less sensitive to the action of NPY, allowing the precocious onset of puberty. In other studied genes, NPY (P=0.75), NPY-Y4 (P=0.92) and SOCS-3 (P=0.24), the diet did not significantly altered their hypothalamic expressions. A more comprehensive study regarding the effect of nutrition and leptin administration was performed through the hybridization in DNA microarrangements, aiming the identification of possible candidate genes, expressed in hypothalamus that influence in the onset of puberty in Nelore heifers treated with leptin or submitted to high energy diets. It was found 78 genes whose expression was altered by the energy density of the diet (P<0.05) in the hypothalamus of Nelore heifers. From them, it was selected those genes which presented rates of expression in the order of 1.4 or more, totalizing 20 genes. From them, the highlight gene was &beta;-arrestin 1 (ARRB1) which was 1.40 more expressed (P=0.04) in heifers fed high energy diet due to its action in the mediation of receptors desensibilization coupled to protein-G-(GPCRs)1, as the receptors of NPY. It was found 134 genes differently expressed (P<0.05) due to leptin administration. From the 80 genes that presented rates of expression higher than 1.4, 18 genes had their expression reduced and 62 had their expression increased by leptin administration. Some of these 62 genes are involved in the regulation of leptin signaling. The gene SRC was the less expressed (1.64 times; P=0.04) in heifers treated with leptin what suggests lower inhibitory action by SHP-2. The protein SOCS-2 was 1.43 times (P=0.01) more expressed in the hypothalamus of heifers treated with leptin. It is known that on the contrary of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3, CIS and SOCS-2 do not bind or inhibit, as janus kinases. The STAT-3 was 2.14 times (P=0.03) more expressed in heifers treated with leptin and its activation enables the hypothalamic binding of leptin and its receptor (Ob-Rb). The IGFPB-1 and -2 were more expressed in the hypothalamus of heifers treated with leptin than the animals not treated, being the IGFPB-1 1.78 times (P=0.04) more expressed and the IGFPB-2 1.89 times (P=0.05). The IGFPBs could play a function of IGF-1 action enhancer or exert an inhibitory action. It is concluded that both energy intake and leptin administration influenced gene expression pattern in the hypothalamus of Nelore heifers. The modulation of the receptor quantity of NPY, NPY-Y1 in hypothalamus could be an important route in which nutrition affects the onset of puberty in heifers. Moreover, more detailed studies regarding gene expression in hybridization by microarrangement could reveal more concise interactions between genes, nutrition and leptin in the onset of puberty.