Karyotype evolution in the genus Jacaranda Juss. (Jacarandeae, Bignoniaceae): chromosome numbers and heterochromatin.

Most taxa in the Bignoniaceae have 2n = 40, but the basal clade Jacarandeae has 2n = 36, suggesting that x = 18 is the ancestral basic number for the family. Variations in heterochromatin band patterns in genera that are numerically stable, such as Jacaranda, could facilitate our understanding of the chromosomal and karyotypic evolution of the family. We characterized heterochromatin distributions in six Jacaranda species using chromomycin A3 (CMA) and 4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). All of them had 2n = 36, including first counts for Jacaranda bracteata Bureau & K. Schum., Jacaranda irwinii A.H. Gentry, Jacaranda jasminoides (Thunb.) Sandwith, and Jacaranda rugosa A.H. Gentry. Their karyotypes had four to eight terminal CMA+/DAPI- bands per monoploid set. In the section Monolobos, Jacaranda brasiliana (Lam.) Pers. had eight terminal bands and Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don had four; in the section Dilobos, J. bracteata had six bands per monoploid set, with the other species having five. While three species in the section Dilobos had the same number of terminal bands, J. irwinii had two additional pericentromeric bands and a proximal heterozygotic band, and J. bracteata had two distended CMA bands. The consistent records of 2n = 36 in Jacaranda may represent a plesiomorphic condition for the Bignoniaceae; therefore, the family originated from an ancestor with x = 18. However, 2n = 36 may represent a derived condition, and the family could have had an ancestral basic number of x = 20 that is still conserved in most representatives of the family.

Is there a relationship between polyploidy and stressful environments? A case study of inselbergs in northeastern Brazil.

The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that plants with higher ploidy levels are selected by environments under more extremely stressful conditions than the same (or closely related) species from less rigorous terrestrial or epiphytic habitats. Therefore, we analyzed the chromosome numbers of 26 species belonging to 21 genera and 13 families of angiosperms that were collected on 4 inselbergs in Paraiba State, northeastern Brazil. In addition, 13 rupicolous species that grow in the study area, whose chromosome numbers were previously determined, were included in our analysis. Plant chromosome numbers varied between 2n = 12 in Callisia filiformis (Commelinaceae) to 2n = ca. 240 in Epidendrum cinnabarinum (Orchidaceae). The data as a whole do not support the hypothesis that inselberg species have greater levels of ploidy than terrestrial or epiphytic populations of the same or closely related species because these rupicolous species demonstrate chromosomal evolution patterns that are independent of the stressful environments of inselberg formations.

Intraspecific and interspecific polyploidy of Brazilian species of the genus Inga (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae).

We investigated the karyotypes of 13 species of six sections of the genus Inga (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae) from Brazil. We used conventional Giemsa staining to identify numerical chromosomal variations and looked for karyotypic evolutionary patterns. The karyotypes generally had small chromosomes, varying from metacentric to submetacentric, with a basic number x=13. Nine of the species showed 2n=2x=26 (I. thibaudiana, I. cayennensis, I. ingoides, I. edulis, I. vera, I. subnuda, I. striata, I. bollandii, and Inga sp), while 2n=4x=52 was seen in a population of Inga cylindrical and of I. capitata, and in five populations of I. laurina. Additionally, 2n=8x=104 was observed in a population of I. cayennensis. Eight of these counts were new, while the counts of 2n=52 for I. laurina and 2n=26 for I. marginata, I. vera, I. subnuda, and I. edulis confirmed previous studies. We did not find cytological stability among the sections studied, with occurrence of significant intra- and inter-specific numerical variations. We conclude that polyploidy has played a significant role in karyotypic evolution in this group and that it occurred independently in several sections of the genus.

Chromosome number variation and evolution in Neotropical Leguminoseae (Mimosoideae) from northeastern Brazil.

Most members of the subfamily Mimosoideae have pantropical distributions, variable habits, and a basic chromosome number x = 13. We examined karyotypic evolution of 27 species of this subfamily occurring principally in northeastern Brazil by examining chromosomes stained with Giemsa. All of the species had semi-reticulated interphase nuclei and early condensing segments in the proximal region of both chromosome arms. The basic number x = 13 was the most frequent, with 2n = 2x = 26 in 19 of the species, followed by 2n = 4x = 52 and 2n = 6x = 78. However, the three species of the genus Calliandra had the basic number x = 8, with 2n = 2x = 16, while Mimosa cordistipula had 2n = 4x = 32. The karyotypes were relatively symmetrical, although bimodality was accentuated in some species, some with one or two acrocentric pairs. As a whole, our data support earlier hypotheses that the Mimosoideae subfamily has a basic number of x = 13 and underwent karyotypic evolution by polyploidy. However, x = 13 seems to be a secondary basic number that originated from an ancestral stock with x1 = 7, in which polyploidy followed by descending disploidy gave rise to the current lineages with x = 13. Another lineage, including current representatives of Calliandra with x = 8, may have arisen by ascending disploidy directly from an ancestral monoploid stock with x1 = 7.

Karyotype diversity and genome size variation in Neotropical Maxillariinae orchids.

Orchidaceae is a widely distributed plant family with very diverse vegetative and floral morphology, and such variability is also reflected in their karyotypes. However, since only a low proportion of Orchidaceae has been analysed for chromosome data, greater diversity may await to be unveiled. Here we analyse both genome size (GS) and karyotype in two subtribes recently included in the broadened Maxillariinea to detect how much chromosome and GS variation there is in these groups and to evaluate which genome rearrangements are involved in the species evolution. To do so, the GS (14 species), the karyotype - based on chromosome number, heterochromatic banding and 5S and 45S rDNA localisation (18 species) - was characterised and analysed along with published data using phylogenetic approaches. The GS presented a high phylogenetic correlation and it was related to morphological groups in Bifrenaria (larger plants - higher GS). The two largest GS found among genera were caused by different mechanisms: polyploidy in Bifrenaria tyrianthina and accumulation of repetitive DNA in Scuticaria hadwenii. The chromosome number variability was caused mainly through descending dysploidy, and x=20 was estimated as the base chromosome number. Combining GS and karyotype data with molecular phylogeny, our data provide a more complete scenario of the karyotype evolution in Maxillariinae orchids, allowing us to suggest, besides dysploidy, that inversions and transposable elements as two mechanisms involved in the karyotype evolution. Such karyotype modifications could be associated with niche changes that occurred during species evolution.

Conhecimento botânico medicinal sobre espécies vegetais nativas da caatinga e plantas espontâneas no agreste da Paraíba, Brasil / Botanical medical knowledge of native species of the Caatinga and spontaneous plants in the Agreste region of the state of Paraíba, Brazil

O bioma Caatinga apresenta diversas espécies vegetais amplamente empregadas pelas populações rurais, especialmente na fitoterapia, abrangendo diversos usos no tratamento de determinadas enfermidades. As plantas espontâneas, apesar de serem entendidas como espécies daninhas ou invasoras, concomitantemente apresentam propriedades fitoquímicas que podem ser aproveitadas no âmbito medicinal. Nesta concepção, o referente trabalho tem como objetivo identificar espécies vegetais nativas da Caatinga, assim como plantas espontâneas, empregadas na medicina popular através de estudo etnobotânico desenvolvido na zona rural do município de Serra da Raiz, Agreste da Paraíba, Nordeste do Brasil. O levantamento das plantas de uso fitoterápico foi estabelecido através de questionamentos e entrevistas semiestruturadas com 57 famílias da região. Foram coletadas informações referentes a 55 espécies vegetais e seus empregos terapêuticos, destacando-se entre elas: Myracrodruom urundeuva Allemão (Aroeira), Genipa americana L. (Jenipapo), Solanum paniculatum L. (Jurubeba) e Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan (Angico) por serem amplamente utilizadas no tratamento de diversas enfermidades pelos moradores locais.

The Brazilian Caatinga has several plant species widely used by rural populations, especially in phytotherapy, covering many uses in the treatment of diseases. The spontaneous plants, although regarded as invasive plants or weeds, present phytochemical properties that can be exploited in medicine. This study aims to identify native plant species of the Caatinga and spontaneous plants used in medicine through an ethnobotanical study developed in the municipality of Serra da Raiz, Agreste area of the state of Paraíba, Brazil. The survey of plants used in herbal medicine was established through the questioning of and semi-structured interviews with 57 families in the region. Information was record on 55 plant species and their therapeutic uses. The species most used in the treatment of various diseases were Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão, Genipa americana L., Solanum paniculatum L. and Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan..

Familial inv(2) (p2300q11.2).

A hitherto undescribed inv(2) (p2300q11.2) was found in 2 generations of a family ascertained through a holoprosencephalic liveborn boy with normal karyotype. This inversion, quite probably not related to the child malformations, does not seem neither impair reproductive fitness nor to yield viable recombination aneusomies.

Reduced levels of uridine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase activity in fetal and neonatal human and guinea pig liver.

Uridine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase (UDPGPP) is the first enzyme in the bilirubin conjugation pathway. A study aiming to screen for red blood cell UDPGPP deficiency in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia was carried out. No individuals with severe UDPGPP deficiency were found, however, levels of UDPGPP in premature and at term newborns were lower than in adults. These findings led to the study of UDPGPP in human fetal, neonatal and adult liver, using guinea pig tissues as a parallel control. UDPGPP activities in fetal and neonatal samples were also significantly lower than in adult ones in both species. Therefore, it is postulated that the reduced levels of UDPGPP in fetal and neonatal liver could be a factor which contributes to the pathogenesis of the physiologic jaundice in human newborns.

De novo del(4) (p15.32) with incomplete expression of the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

A 7 7/12-year-old girl with a de novo deletion 4p15.32----pter without the typical Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is presented. This observation and others from medical literature suggest that monosomy 4p15.31----4p15.32, rather than 4p16, is the cause of the typical WHS.

Abnormal hemoglobins in Northwestern Mexico.

Blood samples from 9,929 individuals in Northwestern Mexico were assayed for abnormal hemoglobins (Hbs). alpha-thal, beta-thal, beta s and beta c traits, as well as rare abnormal Hbs were observed with variable low frequencies (0 to 0.45%). Eight out of eleven rare abnormal Hbs detected so far have been characterized: Three Hb Riyadh, one Hb J Georgia, one Hb Fannin-Lubbock, one Hb Chiapas and two Hb Tarrant. These results suggest that abnormal Hbs do not constitute a regional public health problem and reflect a wide ethnologic heterogeneity.

Hemoglobina Riyadh beta 120 (GH3) LIS-ASN en tres familias mexicanas. / Hemoglobin Riyadh beta 120 (GH3) LIS leads to ASN in 3 Mexican families

Durante el estudio de hemoglobinas anormales en el noroccidente de Mexico se encontraron 3 individuos sin parentesco aparente, portadores de Hb Riyadh. Los estudios hematologicos de siete portadores de las tres familias de los casos indices no mostraron alteracion de siete portadores de las tres familias de los casos indices no mostraron alteracion, lo que confirma la inocuidad de esta Hb anormal. Aunque el hallazgo de esta mutante en individuos mexicanos pudiera ser debido a migracion, la hipotesis de una mayor susceptibilidad de mutacion en algunas regiones especificas del ADN del gene globinico beta parece mas factible

Identificación de dos genes distintos de Talasemia ß en una familia mexicana / Identification of 2 distinct genes of beta thalassemia in a Mexican family

Una mujer de 21 años de edad con antecedentes de 11 años de anemia hemolítica fue diagnosticada como heterocigota compuesta para 2 genes diferentes de talasemia ß: ß- y ß+. La madre ß-/ß con Hb A2 elevada y el padre ß+/ß con Hb A2 normal mostraron elevación en la relación de cadenas globínicas alfa/no-alfa (1.39 y 1.34, respectivamente), lo que confirmó una deficiencia de síntesis de cadenas ß. 2 hermanas con el mismo genotipo ß-/ß+, presentaron también anemia hemolítica, otras 2 fueron heterocigotas simples ß+/ß y 3 más homocigotos normales. Este estudio demuestra por primera vez la presencia del gene ß+ con Hb A2 normal en población mexicana