Despite the high diversity of the Southern South American environments, the patterns and processes driving both their species diversity and demographic history are still poorly known and are a challenging task. In this study, we evaluate plastid DNA sequences of the conifer species Araucaria angustifolia aiming to (i) assess the species genetic structure within its main range of occurrence, (ii) infer its population demographic history, looking for evidence of southward expansion, (iii) search for evidence of glacial refugia within the species distribution area and (iv) discuss some conservation and management strategies for this species. Twenty haplotypes were identified, revealing the presence of three distinct genetic groups across the geographic range of the species and structuring the populations into Northern, Central and Southern groups. Our results suggest the occurrence of post-glacial expansion of A. angustifolia towards the south, as well as the existence of at least three refugia within the species occurrence area. Testing the occurrence of historical demographic expansion, we suggest that genetic groups experienced fluctuations in effective size, associated to a structured distribution of populations. The identification of three genetic groups in this study corroborates the proposition of using the geographic distribution of A. angustifolia for selecting in situ conservation areas, for planning seed collection for ex situ conservation, as well as for the delineation of seed zones.

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-Forty-seven Japanese plum (Prunus

bMycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the etiological agent of porcine enzootic pneumonia (EP), which is a respiratory disease responsible for huge economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. The commercially available vaccines provide only partial protection and are expensive. Thus, the development of alternatives for the prophylaxis of EP is critical for improving pig health. The use of multiple antigens in the same immunization may represent a promising alternative. In the present study, seven secreted proteins of M. hyopneumoniae were cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli, and evaluated for antigenicity using serum from naturally and experimentally infected pigs. In addition, the immunogenicity of the seven recombinant proteins delivered individually or in protein cocktail vaccines was evaluated in mice. In Western blot assays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, most of the recombinant proteins evaluated were recognized by convalescent-phase serum from the animals, indicating that they are expressed during the infectious process. The recombinant proteins were also immunogenic, and most induced a mixed IgG1/ IgG2a humoral immune response. The use of these proteins in a cocktail vaccine formulation enhanced the immune response compared to their use as antigens delivered individually, providing evidence of the efficacy of the multiple-antigen administration strategy for the induction of an immune response against M. hyopneumoniae. P orcine enzootic pneumonia (EP) is a chronic respiratory disease with a high incidence in pig farms worldwide. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, the etiological agent of this disease, colonizes and destroys the main mechanism of innate immunity of the pig respiratory system-the respiratory ciliated epithelium-predisposing the pigs to secondary and opportunistic infections (1). EP prophylaxis comprises the use of antibiotics, management procedures, and vaccination, which is considered the most efficient control measure (2). The commercially available vaccines consist of inactivated whole cells (bacterins) and have high production costs, mainly due to the fastidious growth of this microorganism. In addition, these vaccines do not eliminate M. hyopneumoniae from infected pig herds (1, 3, 4). Thus, efforts have been directed toward the search for new prophylaxis strategies against EP that do not include the use of bacterins.M. hyopneumoniae does not penetrate host cells, and thus it is believed that the pathogenesis of this microorganism is mediated by a complex and multifactorial process that involves components of the cell membrane and secreted proteins, many of which are still unidentified (5). Data generated from the sequencing of four isolates of M. hyopneumoniae (7448, 168, J, and 232) and the comparative genomic and proteomic analyses of pathogenic strains (7448 and 232) and a nonpathogenic strain (J) of M. hyopneumoniae (6,7,8,9) have allowed the identification of coding sequences (CDS) from secreted antigenic proteins and/or proteins involved in the pathogenicity of the microorganism. Som...

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