Potencial alelopático de forrageiras tropicais: efeitos sobre invasoras de pastagens

Extratos aquosos de sementes, parte aérea e raízes de três gramíneas e três leguminosas forrageiras foram preparados a uma concentração de 10%, com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos potencialmente alelopáticos sobre a germinação de sementes e o alongamento da radícula das invasoras de pastagens: desmódio, guanxuma e assa-peixe. A germinação foi monitorada em períodos de dez dias, com contagens diárias e eliminação das sementes germinadas. O alongamento da radícula era medido ao final de um período de dez dias de crescimento. Os efeitos do potencial osmótico foram isolados através de cálculos. As espécies doadoras evidenciaram potencialidades alelopáticas que variou de intensidade em função da especificidade entre espécies doadoras e receptoras. B. brizantha e calopogônio foram as espécies que promoveram as reduções mais intensas sobre a germinação das sementes e o alongamento da radícula das espécies receptoras. A parte aérea das espécies doadoras constituiu-se na principal fonte de substâncias potencialmente alelopáticas, solúveis em água. Independentemente da espécie doadora, desmódio e guanxuma foram as invasoras que se mostraram mais susceptíveis aos efeitos potencialmente alelopáticos, enquanto o assapeixe foi a mais tolerante.Aqueous extracts from seeds, aerial part and roots of grasses Brachiaria humidicola, Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu and legumes forage Calopogonium mucunoides and Stylosant hes guianensi s cv. Mineirão were prepared in a concentration of 10% (w/v), to evaluate the allelopathic potential effects on seed germination and radicle elongation of the pasture weeds: Desmodium adscendens, Sida rhombifolia and Vernonia polyanthes. Seed germination was monitored in ten-day periods, with daily countand elimination of seed germination. At the end of the ten-day periods the radicle was measure d. The osmot ic potential effects were isolated by calculation. The donor species showed allelopathic potential that varied in function of donor and receiver species. Brachiaria brizantha and among grasses and Calopogonium mucunoides among legumes were the species that promoted the reduction more intensively on seed germination and radicle elongation of the receiver species. The aerial part of the donor species was the main source of water soluble allelopathic potential compounds. Independently of the donor species, D. adscendens and S. rhombifolia were the weeds with the greatest sensibility to allelopathic potencial effects from donor species, while V. polyanthes showed more tolerance

Lessons learnt from a participatory integrated assessment of greenhouse gas emission reduction options in firms

Participatory integrated assessment, Climate change policy, Stakeholder involvement, Methodology, Agriculture,

Structural basis of Smoothened regulation by its extracellular domains

Developmental signals of the Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt families are transduced across the membrane by Frizzledclass G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) composed of both a heptahelical transmembrane domain (TMD) and an extracellular cysteine-rich domain (CRD). How the large extracellular domains of GPCRs regulate signalling by the TMD is unknown. We present crystal structures of the Hh signal transducer and oncoprotein Smoothened, a GPCR that contains two distinct ligand-binding sites: one in its TMD and one in the CRD. The CRD is stacked a top the TMD, separated by an intervening wedge-like linker domain. Structure-guided mutations show that the interface between the CRD, linker domain and TMD stabilizes the inactive state of Smoothened. Unexpectedly, we find a cholesterol molecule bound to Smoothened in the CRD binding site. Mutations predicted to prevent cholesterol binding impair the ability of Smoothened to transmit native Hh signals. Binding of a clinically used antagonist, vismodegib, to the TMD induces a conformational change that is propagated to the CRD, resulting in loss of cholesterol from the CRD-linker domain-TMD interface. Our results clarify the structural mechanism by which the activity of a GPCR is controlled by ligand-regulated interactions between its extracellular and transmembrane domains

Understanding the diversity of membrane lipid composition

Cellular membranes are formed from a chemically diverse set of lipids present in various amounts and proportions. A high lipid diversity is universal in eukaryotes and is seen from the scale of a membrane leaflet to that of a whole organism, highlighting its importance and suggesting that membrane lipids fulfil many functions. Indeed, alterations of membrane lipid homeostasis are linked to various diseases. While many of their functions remain unknown, interdisciplinary approaches have begun to reveal novel functions of lipids and their interactions. We are beginning to understand why even small changes in lipid structures and in composition can have profound effects on crucial biological functions