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The acquisition of embryogenic cell suspension (ECS) cultures has been one of the main objectives to maximize clonal propagation of the coffee plant. However, the majority of somatic embryogenesis induction requirements are genotype-dependent. Therefore, molecular markers linked to the embryogenic transition events may be useful. The BABY BOOM (BBM) gene can be considered as one of those markers, as it is related to the embryogenic process and to cell proliferation. BBM homologous sequences were obtained from Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) in a databank generated by the Brazilian Coffee Genome Project. We selected ESTcontigs that showed similarities with BBM sequence from different species. Two EST-contigs (C2 and C9) were expressed in silico in cellular suspension libraries and embryogenic calli of coffee. Contig C9, defined as BBM-like (CaBBM), presented similarity with BBM genes and showed 2-fold change in expression in ECS relative to embryogenic calli (EC). Contig C2, on the other hand, was related to the ERF-like family. It showed basal expression in nonembryogenic calli (NEC) and approximately 66-and 311-fold less in ECS and EC compared with CaBBM in the same samples, respectively. These data suggest that CaBBM is likely to be a BBM ortholog in Coffea arabica, which has potential for use as a molecular marker to further increase the methodological efficiency of in vitro culture of coffee.

The a im of this research was to characterize and compare two types of calli from leaf explants of Coffea arabica (cultivar Catiguá

Although several ant species are important targets for the development of molecular control strategies, only a few studies focus on identifying and validating reference genes for quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) data normalization. We provide here an extensive study to identify and validate suitable reference genes for gene expression analysis in the ant Atta sexdens, a threatening agricultural pest in South America. The optimal number of reference genes varies according to each sample and the result generated by RefFinder differed about which is the most suitable reference gene. Results suggest that the RPS16, NADH and SDHB genes were the best reference genes in the sample pool according to stability values. The SNF7 gene expression pattern was stable in all evaluated sample set. In contrast, when using less stable reference genes for normalization a large variability in SNF7 gene expression was recorded. There is no universal reference gene suitable for all conditions under analysis, since these genes can also participate in different cellular functions, thus requiring a systematic validation of possible reference genes for each specific condition. The choice of reference genes on SNF7 gene normalization confirmed that unstable reference genes might drastically change the expression profile analysis of target candidate genes.

The present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of polymorphisms in Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGTA-1 and 2), Fatty acid synthase (FASN), Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) genes and the Thioesterase domain of FASN (TE-FASN) gene that may be related to the lipid profile. In the experiment, a total of 84 sheep from different genetic groups were used. For the evaluation of the polymorphism of the genes, PCR-Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) technique and subsequent sequencing were used. In DGAT-2 gene, four genotypes were identified with the presence of 6 polymorphisms, with two (c.229T> C; c.255T> C) that resulted into the exchange of phenylalanine by leucine. In FASN gene, two genotypes were identified. In TE-FASN gene, three genotypes and 17 polymorphisms were identified. DGAT-1 and SCD genes did not reveal the occurrence of polymorphism. There was difference in relation to C14: 0, C18: 0 fatty acids and Δ9-desaturase C18 for DGAT-2 gene and of C18: 2ω6t for TE-FASN. There were differences among the genetic groups for C10: 0, C12: 0, C17: 0, C18: 2ω6t, C18: 3ω3, C20: 2, total of ω3, ω3/ω6 and atherogenicity index. There is occurrence of polymorphism of DGAT-2 and TE-FASN genes and these should be further studied in sheep since they revealed influence of the genotypes on the fatty acid profile.

The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of cell suspension of Coffea arabica cv. Catiguá at four different ages by morphological and gene expression analysis. For this purpose, cell suspension samples were collected at 30, 45, 60 and 75 days. Morphological analysis revealed the presence of embryogenic regions in all samples, and after 60 days, non-embryogenic regions were also identified. The genic analyses revealed that as the cells were transferred to a new medium a change in both their physical and chemical conditions was noticed that caused stress. The decrease in SERK and BBM genes expression after 75th day may also be due to the non-embryogenic regions, characterized by large, elongated and vacuolated cells that were observed in the periphery of embryogenic regions, starting from 60 days of culture.

The staple diet of most of the world population is provided by cereal, which present levels of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) below the nutritional demand of humans. Other factors that may substantially interfere for the low intake of Fe and Zn are the anti- nutritional factors present in the edible parts of plants, such as heavy metals and phytate. Hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate the genotypic variation in terms of yield (kg ha-1), plant height, insertion height of first pod, as well as concentrations of Fe, Zn, phosphorus (P) and the anti-nutrient phytate in grains of 24 soybean cultivars and to identify cultivars with potential for biofortification. The field experiment was conducted in Rio Verde, state of Goiás by the technological center of COMIGO. The experimental design used in the study was a randomized block design with 24 treatments and three replications. The results showed that there is genotypic variation for grain yield (kg ha-1), plant height, and insertion height of first pod, as well as for the concentrations of Zn, Fe, P and concentration of anti-nutient phytate in grains among the soybean cultivars. Non-significant or low correlations were found among the evaluated parameters except for the relationship between P and phytate (r=0.733). The diversity found among soybean cultivars offers genotypes such as 8197RR, M 7908RR and BRS 262 with potential to develop cultivars with better ability to accumulate nutrients in grains.