• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2000

Methanol extracts of 27 Brazilian plant samples and 10 oriental medicinal plant samples (27 families), using spectrophotometric and paper disc agar diffusion methods under anaerobic conditions, were tested in vitro for their growth-inhibiting activities against Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Clostridium perfringens, and Bacteroides fragilis. The responses varied with bacterial strains, plant species, and tissues sampled. In a test with B. longum and B. bifidum(20 mg/disc), extracts of Acanthopanax sessilifolinus stem bark and Ampelozizyphus amazonicus leaves strongly inhibited the growth of B. longum, whereas other plant samples did not inhibit any intestinal bacteria tested. At 5 mg/disc, adding extracts of Aralia eleta, Euterpe oleracea, and Syzygium guineense to the media strongly inhibited the growth of C. perfringens and B. fragilis without growth inhibition of B. adolescentis, B. longum, and B. bifidum. Extracts of Jacaranda mimosifolia and Ulmus paraifolia significantly inhibited the growth of C. perfringens and B. fragilis as well as B. adolescentis. These results may be indications of at least one of the pharmacological actions of the five Brazilian plants but not oriental medicinal plants tested.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09b
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• pp.213-217
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• 2003

Antioxidants have been used in cosmetic industry for treatment of aged skin and recently have been also introduced as additives in photoprotection products. In order to determine among the Brazilian botanical species presenting interesting antioxidant activities we have screened several extracts from plants from Rain and Amazonical Tropical Forests, as well as some endemic species, using both TBARs and DPPH methods. Extracts with antioxidant activities were found with Jacaranda caroba, Veloso DL, Spilanthes oleracea (Spilanthes acmella var. oleracea), Orbignya phalerata, Pothomorphe umbellata, Chiococca brachiata and Polypodium lepidopteris. Other extracts such as Camelia sinensis, Sambucus australis, Rosmarinus officinalis L. were also studied, and showed some antioxidant activity.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.329-336
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• 2017

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the tolerance of micropropagated and mycorrhized alpinia plants to the parasite Meloidogyne arenaria. The experimental design was completely randomized with a factorial arrangement of four inoculation treatments with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Gigaspora albida, Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Acaulospora longula, and a non-inoculated control) in the presence or absence of M. arenaria with five replicates. The following characteristics were evaluated after 270 days of mycorrhization and 170 days of M. arenaria inoculation: height, number of leaves and tillers, fresh mass of aerial and subterranean parts, dry mass of aerial parts, foliar area, nutritional content, mycorrhizal colonization, AMF sporulation, and the number of galls, egg masses, and eggs. The results indicated a significant interaction between the treatments for AMF spore density, total mycorrhizal colonization, and nutrient content (Zn, Na, and N), while the remaining parameters were influenced by either AMF or nematodes. Plants inoculated with A. longula or C. etunicatum exhibited greater growth than the control. Lower N content was observed in plants inoculated with AMF, while Zn and Na were found in larger quantities in plants inoculated with C. etunicatum. Fewer galls were observed on mycorrhized plants, and egg mass production and the number of eggs were lower in plants inoculated with G. albida. Plants inoculated with A. longula showed a higher percentage of total mycorrhizal colonization in the presence of the nematode. Therefore, the association of micropropagated alpinia plants and A. longula enhanced tolerance to parasitism by M. arenaria.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.247-262
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• 2015

The few lignin biomarker studies conducted in tropical environments are hampered by having to use references signatures established for plants and soils characteristic of the temperate zone. This study presents a lignin biomarker analysis (vanillyls (V), p-hydroxyls (P), syringyls (S), cinnamyls (C)) of the dominant plant species and soil horizons as well as an analysis of the interrelated terrigenous organic matter (TOM) dynamics between vegetation and soil of the $Tapaj{\acute{o}}s$ river region, an active colonization front in the Brazilian Amazon. We collected and analyzed samples from 17 fresh dominant plant species and 48 soil cores at three depths (0-5 cm, 20-25 cm, 50-55 cm) from primary rainforest, fallow forest, subsistence agriculture fields and pastures. Lignin signatures in tropical plants clearly distinguish from temperate ones with high ratios of Acid/aldehyde of vanillyls ((Ad/Al)v) and P/V+S. Contrary to temperate environments, similarly high ratios in tropical soils are not related to TOM degradation along with pedogenesis but to direct influence of plants growing on them. Lignin signatures of both plants and soils of primary rainforest and fallow forest clearly distinguish from those of non-forested areas, i.e., agriculture fields and pastures. Attalea speciosa Palm trees, an invasive species in all perturbed landscapes of the Amazon, exhibit lignin signatures clearly distinct from other dominant plant species. The study of lignin signatures in tropical areas thus represents a powerful tool to evaluate the impact of primary rainforest clearing on TOM dynamics in tropical areas.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.199-204
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• 2004

The medicinal value of the genus Cleome justifies bio-technological studies of Cleome rosea, a Brazilian annual species from sandy coastal ecosystems (restinga), which have been submitted to an intense process of antropogenic degradation. In the present work, was analyzed the influence of cytokinins, 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin) added to the Murashige and Skoog medium (MS), on the proliferation capacity of explants from the stem axis (hypocotyl, node and internode) for a period of five monthly subcultures (150 days). Regardless of the explant sources, plantlet regeneration by direct and indirect organogenesis was observed. The largest number of shoots proliferated through direct organogenesis was obtained on medium with 4.4 $\mu{M}$ BA. Also, the highest proliferation capacity through indirect organogenesis was found on medium with 4.4 $\mu{M}$ BA + 4.6 $\mu{M}$ kinetin. The presence of kinetin alone was not effective for multiplication of the species. Elongation and rooting were obtained when shoots were transferred onto growth regulator-free medium, and acclimatization rates from 70% to 81% were achieved depending on explant sources used. Plants were then successfully established in soil and showed normal phenotypes.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.51-68
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• 2010

Hanyak, Korean herbal medicine is defined as the herbs understood and explained by traditional Korean medical theories. Considering this definition, there are broad prospective of every species being consilienced and utilized as Korean herbal medicine. Most varied plant species are in tropical regions, and its of these regions posses its own particular traditional medicine. Brazil posses the most varied and abundant plant species and also characteristic traditional medicine, formed by the combination of native indians and immigrants from Africa and Europe. Brazilian traditional medicine are practices by 'garrafeiros', 'raizeiros', or 'curandeiros' and in Caatinga uses herbs in ritual ceremonies. But threatened by modernization, these knowledge may be vanished in a prompt time. Therefore we carried this research in the propose of understanding as well as preserving their traditional medical knowledge. We revised publications about the medical plants and summarized 314 species of 94 families according to repetitive references. The most cited families were COMPOSITAE, LABIATAE, LEGUMINOSAE, RUBIACEAE, SOLANACEAE, UMBELLIFERAE, VERBENACEAE. Also cited major medical efficacies which further medical uses in combinations or modification of current traditional Korean medicine should be studied. This study provides overall prospect of the plants resources of Brazil and their uses. It may serve in the consilience and understanding of varied traditional medicine by traditional Korean Medicine.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2000

An efficient and reliable Agrobacterium transformation procedure based on TDZ (thidiazuron)-induced organogenesis was established and applied to six Brazilian eggp1ant varieties. Optimum transgenic plants recovery was achieved upon the study of the following parameters affecting transformation efficiency, using F-100 variety as a model: i) explant source; ii) pre-culture period; iii) physical state of the pre-culture medium and iv) coculture conditions. The highest frequency of kanamycin-resistant calli derived from leaf explants (5%) was obtained without a pre-culture period and co-cultivation for 24 h in liquid medium followed by five days on solid RM (regeneration medium). For cotyledon explants, best results were achieved upon a pre-culture of 24 h in liquid RM and a co-cultivation period of 24 h in liquid RM followed by three days in solid RM, resulting in a transformation Sequency of 22.7%. Kanamycin-resistant organogenic calli were also obtained from cultivars Emb, Preta Comprida, Round nose Shaded, Campineira and Florida Market. The expression pattern of an epidermis-specific promoter was studied using transformants expressing a chimaeric construct comprised by the promoter Atgrp-5 transcriptionally fused to the coding region of the gus gene. The expression pattern was similar to that previously observed in tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana, with preferential expression at the epidermis and the stem phloem. These results support the idea that the Atgrp-5 promoter can be used to drive defense genes in these tissues, which are sites of pathogen interaction and spread, in programs for the genetic improvement of eggplant.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.978-987
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• 2015

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is one of the greatest limitations to agriculture in acid soils, particularly in tropical regions. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can supply plants with nutrients and give protection against Al toxicity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of soil liming (i.e., reducing Al saturation) on the AMF community composition and structure in the roots of maize lines contrasting for Al tolerance. To this end, we constructed four 18S rDNA cloning libraries from L3 (Al tolerant) and L22 (Al sensitive) maize lines grown in limed and non-limed soils. A total of 790 clones were sequenced, 69% belonging to the Glomeromycota phylum. The remaining sequences were from Ascomycota, which were more prominent in the limed soil, mainly in the L3 line. The most abundant AM fungal clones were related to the family Glomeraceae represented by the genera uncultured Glomus followed by Rhizophagus and Funneliformis. However, the most abundant operational taxonomic units with 27% of the Glomeromycota clones was affiliated to genus Racocetra. This genus was present in all the four libraries, but it was predominant in the non-limed soils, suggesting that Racocetra is tolerant to Al toxicity. Similarly, Acaulospora and Rhizophagus were also present mostly in both lines in non-limed soils. The community richness of AMF in the non-limed soils was higher than the limed soil for both lines. The results suggest that the soil Al saturation was the parameter that mostly influences the AMF species composition in the soils in this study.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.437-447
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• 2012

Natural and beneficial associations between plants and bacteria have demonstrated potential commercial application for several agricultural crops. The sunflower has acquired increasing importance in Brazilian agribusiness owing to its agronomic characteristics such as the tolerance to edaphoclimatic variations, resistance to pests and diseases, and adaptation to the implements commonly used for maize and soybean, as well as the versatility of the products and by-products obtained from its cultivation. A study of the cultivable bacteria associated with two sunflower cultivars, using classical microbiological methods, successfully obtained isolates from different plant tissues (roots, stems, florets, and rhizosphere). Out of 57 plant-growth-promoting isolates obtained, 45 were identified at the genus level and phylogenetically positioned based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing: 42 Bacillus (B. subtilis, B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, B. pumilus, B. megaterium, and Bacillus sp.) and 3 Methylobacterium komagatae. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis showed a broad diversity among the Bacillus isolates, which clustered into 2 groups with 75% similarity and 13 subgroups with 85% similarity, suggesting that the genetic distance correlated with the source of isolation. The isolates were also analyzed for certain growth-promoting activities. Auxin synthesis was widely distributed among the isolates, with values ranging from 93.34 to 1653.37 ${\mu}M$ auxin per ${\mu}g$ of protein. The phosphate solubilization index ranged from 1.25 to 3.89, and siderophore index varied from 1.15 to 5.25. From a total of 57 isolates, 3 showed an ability to biologically fix atmospheric nitrogen, and 7 showed antagonism against the pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The results of biochemical characterization allowed identification of potential candidates for the development of biofertilizers targeted to the sunflower crop.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.773-782
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• 2007

Different isolates of the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis produce multiple crystal (Cry) proteins toxic to a variety of insects, nematodes and protozoans. These insecticidal Cry toxins are known to be active against specific insect orders, being harmless to mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Due to these characteristics, genes encoding several Cry toxins have been engineered in order to be expressed by a variety of crop plants to control insectpests. The cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, and the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, are the major economically devastating pests of cotton crop in Brazil, causing severe losses, mainly due to their endophytic habit, which results in damages to the cotton boll and floral bud structures. A cry1Ia-type gene, designated cry1Ia12, was isolated and cloned from the Bt S811 strain. Nucleotide sequencing of the cry1Ia12 gene revealed an open reading frame of 2160 bp, encoding a protein of 719 amino acid residues in length, with a predicted molecular mass of 81 kDa. The amino acid sequence of Cry1Ia12 is 99% identical to the known Cry1Ia proteins and differs from them only in one or two amino acid residues positioned along the three domains involved in the insecticidal activity of the toxin. The recombinant Cry1Ia12 protein, corresponding to the cry1Ia12 gene expressed in Escherichia coli cells, showed moderate toxicity towards first instar larvae of both cotton boll weevil and fall armyworm. The highest concentration of the recombinant Cry1Ia12 tested to achieve the maximum toxicities against cotton boll weevil larvae and fall armyworm larvae were 230 ${\mu}g/mL$ and 5 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The herein demonstrated insecticidal activity of the recombinant Cry1Ia12 toxin against cotton boll weevil and fall armyworm larvae opens promising perspectives for the genetic engineering of cotton crop resistant to both these devastating pests in Brazil.