BackgroundKinetochores are large multiprotein complexes indispensable for proper chromosome segregation. Although Drosophila is a classical model organism for studies of chromosome segregation, little is known about the organization of its kinetochores.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe employed bioinformatics, proteomics and cell biology methods to identify and analyze the interaction network of Drosophila kinetochore proteins. We have shown that three Drosophila proteins highly diverged from human and yeast Ndc80, Nuf2 and Mis12 are indeed their orthologues. Affinity purification of these proteins from cultured Drosophila cells identified a further five interacting proteins with weak similarity to subunits of the SPC105/KNL-1, MIND/MIS12 and NDC80 kinetochore complexes together with known kinetochore associated proteins such as dynein/dynactin, spindle assembly checkpoint components and heterochromatin proteins. All eight kinetochore complex proteins were present at the kinetochore during mitosis and MIND/MIS12 complex proteins were also centromeric during interphase. Their down-regulation led to dramatic defects in chromosome congression/segregation frequently accompanied by mitotic spindle elongation. The systematic depletion of each individual protein allowed us to establish dependency relationships for their recruitment onto the kinetochore. This revealed the sequential recruitment of individual members of first, the MIND/MIS12 and then, NDC80 complex.Conclusions/SignificanceThe Drosophila MIND/MIS12 and NDC80 complexes and the Spc105 protein, like their counterparts from other eukaryotic species, are essential for chromosome congression and segregation, but are highly diverged in sequence. Hierarchical dependence relationships of individual proteins regulate the assembly of Drosophila kinetochore complexes in a manner similar, but not identical, to other organisms.

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This study showed the OR is a major source of wasted hospital expenditure and an area wherein an intervention would have a significant impact. Reducing wasted supplies could improve the cost efficiency of the OR and also decrease its ecological impact.

There is evidence that in southern US, leprosy is a zoonosis infecting wild Dasypus novemcinctus armadillos but the extent of this finding is unknown. This ecological study investigated leprosy in rural communities and in wild armadillos from the Brazilian Amazon. The study area was the Mamiá Lake of Coari municipality, Amazonas State, Northern region, a hyper endemic leprosy area where residents live on subsistence farming, fishing and armadillo hunting and its meat intake are frequent. The leprosy survey was conducted in sixteen communities by a visiting team of specialists. Local partakers provided wild armadillos to investigate M. leprae infection. Volunteers had complete dermato-neurological examination by a dermatologist with expertise in leprosy diagnosis, suspect skin lesions were biopsied for histopathology (Hematoxylin-eosin/HE, Fite-Faraco/FF staining); slit skin smears were collected. Armadillos’ tissue fragments (skins, spleens, livers, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, others) were prepared for histopathology (HE/FF) and for M. leprae repetitive element-RLEP-qPCR. Among 176 volunteers, six new indeterminate leprosy cases were identified (incidence = 3.4%). Suspect skin sections and slit skin smears were negative for bacilli. Twelve wild D. novemcinctus were investigated (48 specimens/96 slides) and histopathological features of M. leprae infection were not found, except for one skin presenting unspecific inflammatory infiltrate suggestive of indeterminate leprosy. Possible traumatic neuroma, granuloma with epithelioid and Langhans cells, foreign-body granuloma were also identified. Granulomatous/non-granulomatous dermatitides were periodic-acid-Schiff/PAS negative for fungus. M. leprae-RLEP-qPCR was negative in all armadillos’ tissues; no bacillus was found in histopathology. Our survey in rural communities confirmed the high endemicity for leprosy while one armadillo was compatible with paucibacillary M. leprae infection. At least in the highly endemic rural area of Coari, in the Brazilian Amazon region where infectious sources from untreated multibacillary leprosy are abundant, M. leprae infected armadillos may not represent a major source of infection nor a significant public health concern.

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Water is an indispensable resource for the maintenance of life; however, the available volume for consumption has decreased over a period of life, as a result of which, the availability of water that is inferior in quality has increased. In this context, we aimed to evaluate the growth and yield of okra (Santa Cruz cultivar) under different nitrogen rates and irrigation facilities using post-treated domestic wastewater through sand filter with intermittent flow in a Brazilian semiarid region. The experiment was performed in the Pombal region of the Paraíba state, Brazil using a randomized block design with six nitrogen Rates (N 1 = 0, N 2 = 40, N 3 = 80, N 4 = 120, N 5 = 160, and N 6 = 200 kg ha -1 ) and irrigation by using wastewater. The water was added to the treatment with 100% (160 kg ha -1 ) using nitrogen fertilization recommendation and irrigation water supply. The effects of treatments on the growth and production variables of okra plants were evaluated.

ResumoO algodão é uma cultura de importância social, ambiental e econômica no mundo. Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar atributos qualitativos de sementes de algodoeiro hidrocondicionadas em soluções com diferentes concentrações de silício. O experimento foi realizado no Laboratório de Fisiologia Vegetal da Embrapa Algodão, em Campina Grande-PB, Brasil. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 5x3, sendo cinco concentrações de silício (0; 50; 100; 150 e 200 mg L -1 de Si), três cultivares de algodoeiro (BRS Topázio, BRS Safira e BRS Rubi) e quatro repetições. As avaliações consistiram na quantificação de variáveis de germinação, vigor, emergência e índices fisiológicos. O hidrocondicionamento de sementes em solução com concentração de 200 mg L -1 de silício promoveu reduções na germinação, no vigor, na emergência e nos índices fisiológicos. Maior taxa de crescimento relativo da parte aérea das raízes da cultivar BRS Safira foi obtida em sementes hidrocondicionadas em solução com 100 mg L -1 de silício.Palavras-chave adicionais: crescimento; fitomassa; germinação; Gossypium hirsutum L.; vigor. AbstractCotton is a crop of social, environmental and economic world. The objective of this study was to evaluate qualitative attributes of cotton seeds primed in solutions with different concentrations of silicon. The experiment was conducted in the Laboratory of Plant Physiology, in Embrapa Algodão, Campina Grande-PB, Brazil. The experimental design was the completely randomized as a 5x3 factorial with five silicon concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg L -1 ), three cotton cultivars (BRS Topázio, BRS Safira and BRS Rubi) and four replications. Evaluations consisted of quantifying germination, vigor, emergence and physiological indices. Hydropriming seeds in solution with a concentration of 200 mg L -1 silicon promoted reductions in germination, vigor, emergence and physiological indices. Greater relative growth rate of BRS Safira shoots is obtained from seeds primed in solution with 100 mg L -1 silicon.

Improving plant germination is essential to guarantee better quality seedlings. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate whether the seed priming with light quality (LIQ) and the aqueous extract of Cyperus rotundus (AEC) tuber could modulate the germination and initial growth of Moringa oleifera L. seedlings. The experimental design was a completely randomized in the 4x4 factorial scheme, composed of four LIQ conditions (white, blue, red, and distant red light) and four AEC concentrations (0, 25, 50 and 100%). Seed priming with red light reduced the average emergence time, while blue, red, and extreme red lights associated with 50% of aqueous extract of C. rotundus increased shoot initial length and photosynthetic pigment accumulation. Seed priming with blue light resulted in seedlings with a shorter final shoot length. However, application of 100% of aqueous extract of C. rotundus reversed this. The white light in combination with concentrations of 50 and 100% of AEC promoted a higher relative shoot growth rate of seedlings. The research revealed that seed priming with light quality and aqueous extracts of C. rotundus tubers modulates the germination and initial growth of M. oleifera seedlings. More work needs to be done to determine the responsible compounds in AEC that is responsible for priming growth as phytohormones.