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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that modulate gene expression through post-transcriptional regulation. Here, we report the identification and characterization of miRNAs in two closely related screwworm flies with different feeding habits: Cochliomyia hominivorax and Cochliomyia macellaria. The New World screwworm, C. hominivorax, is an obligatory parasite of warm-blooded vertebrates, whereas the secondary screwworm, C. macellaria, is a free-living organism that feeds on decaying organic matter. Here, the small RNA transcriptomes of adults and third-instar larvae of both species were sequenced. A total of 110 evolutionarily conserved miRNAs were identified, and 10 putative precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs) were predicted. The relative expression of six selected miRNAs was further investigated, including miRNAs that are related to reproduction and neural processes in other insects. Mature miRNAs were also characterized across an evolutionary time scale, suggesting that the majority of them have been conserved since the emergence of the Arthropoda [540 million years ago (Ma)], Hexapoda (488 Ma) and Brachycera (195 Ma) lineages. This study is the first report of miRNAs for screwworm flies. We also performed a comparative analysis with the hereby predicted miRNAs from the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. The results presented may advance our understanding of parasitic habits within Calliphoridae and assist further functional studies in blowflies.

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The pipeline for macro- and microarray analyses (PMmA) is a set of scripts with a web interface developed to analyze DNA array data generated by array image quantification software. PMmA is designed for use with single- or double-color array data and to work as a pipeline in five classes (data format, normalization, data analysis, clustering, and array maps). It can also be used as a plugin in the BioArray Software Environment, an open-source database for array analysis, or used in a local version of the web service. All scripts in PMmA were developed in the PERL programming language and statistical analysis functions were implemented in the R statistical language. Consequently, our package is a platform-independent software. Our algorithms can correctly select almost 90 percent of the differentially expressed genes, showing a superior performance compared to other methods of analysis. The pipeline software has been applied to 1536 expressed sequence tags macroarray public data of sugarcane exposed to cold for 3 to 48 h. PMmA identified thirty cold-responsive genes previously unidentified in this public dataset. Fourteen genes were up-regulated, two had a variable expression and the other fourteen were down-regulated in the treatments. These new findings certainly were a consequence of using a superior statistical analysis approach, since the original study did not take into account the dependence of data variability on the average signal intensity of each gene. The web interface, supplementary information, and the package source code are available, free, to non-commercial users at http://ipe.cbmeg.unicamp.br/pub/PMmA.

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RESUMO

The pipeline for macro- and microarray analyses (PMmA) is a set of scripts with a web interface developed to analyze DNA array data generated by array image quantification software. PMmA is designed for use with single- or double-color array data and to work as a pipeline in five classes (data format, normalization, data analysis, clustering, and array maps). It can also be used as a plugin in the BioArray Software Environment, an open-source database for array analysis, or used in a local version of the web service. All scripts in PMmA were developed in the PERL programming language and statistical analysis functions were implemented in the R statistical language. Consequently, our package is a platform-independent software. Our algorithms can correctly select almost 90% of the differentially expressed genes, showing a superior performance compared to other methods of analysis. The pipeline software has been applied to 1536 expressed sequence tags macroarray public data of sugarcane exposed to cold for 3 to 48 h. PMmA identified thirty cold-responsive genes previously unidentified in this public dataset. Fourteen genes were up-regulated, two had a variable expression and the other fourteen were down-regulated in the treatments. These new findings certainly were a consequence of using a superior statistical analysis approach, since the original study did not take into account the dependence of data variability on the average signal intensity of each gene. The web interface, supplementary information, and the package source code are available, free, to non-commercial users at http://ipe.cbmeg.unicamp.br/pub/PMmA.

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Sex ratio and size structure constitute basic information in assessing reproductive potential and estimating stock size in fish populations. One hundred fifty-one individuals of Micropogonias furnieri caught by experimental otter trawls, in three zones (inner, central, and outer) of Sepetiba Bay between October 1998 and September 1999 were examined. Males outnumbered females (1.3:1.0) in all zones but no significant differences were detected. Only in the outer zone (5.0:1.0) were male/female rates significantly different according to the chi-square test. No temporal differences were observed in sex ratio. Fish size ranged from 81 to 244 mm total length (TL) with significant differences in 155 to 185 mm TL size classes, where males predominated, and a slightly higher number of females were observed for the smaller size class (TL = 95-150 mm). Size distribution varied according to the zone, with juveniles predominating in the inner and adults in the outer zone. Spatial difference in size structure observed in this study indicates that the inner bay is a rearing ground during the first life-cycle period, and movement toward the sea occurs as fish increase in size.

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RESUMO

Sex ratio and size structure constitute basic information in assessing reproductive potential and estimating stock size in fish populations. One hundred fifty-one individuals of Micropogonias furnieri caught by experimental otter trawls, in three zones (inner, central, and outer) of Sepetiba Bay between October 1998 and September 1999 were examined. Males outnumbered females (1.3:1.0) in all zones but no significant differences were detected. Only in the outer zone (5.0:1.0) were male/female rates significantly different according to the chi-square test. No temporal differences were observed in sex ratio. Fish size ranged from 81 to 244 mm total length (TL) with significant differences in 155 to 185 mm TL size classes, where males predominated, and a slightly higher number of females were observed for the smaller size class (TL = 95-150 mm). Size distribution varied according to the zone, with juveniles predominating in the inner and adults in the outer zone. Spatial difference in size structure observed in this study indicates that the inner bay is a rearing ground during the first life-cycle period, and movement toward the sea occurs as fish increase in size.

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Sex ratio and size structure constitute basic information in assessing reproductive potential and estimating stock size in fish populations. One hundred fifty-one individuals of Micropogonias furnieri caught by experimental otter trawls, in three zones (inner, central, and outer) of Sepetiba Bay between October 1998 and September 1999 were examined. Males outnumbered females (1.3:1.0) in all zones but no significant differences were detected. Only in the outer zone (5.0:1.0) were male/female rates significantly different according to the chi-square test. No temporal differences were observed in sex ratio. Fish size ranged from 81 to 244 mm total length (TL) with significant differences in 155 to 185 mm TL size classes, where males predominated, and a slightly higher number of females were observed for the smaller size class (TL = 95-150 mm). Size distribution varied according to the zone, with juveniles predominating in the inner and adults in the outer zone. Spatial difference in size structure observed in this study indicates that the inner bay is a rearing ground during the first life-cycle period, and movement toward the sea occurs as fish increase in size.

RESUMO A proporção sexual e a estrutura de tamanho são informações básicas para avaliação do potencial reprodutivo e para estimativa do tamanho do estoque das populações de peixes. Foram utilizados 151 indivíduos de Micropogonias furnieri, capturados em arrastos de fundo padronizados, nas zonas interna, central e externa da Baía de Sepetiba, entre outubro de 1998 e setembro de 1999. A proporção entre machos e fêmeas para toda a Baía foi de 1,3:1,0, não apresentando diferença significativa. Somente a zona externa (5,0:1,0) apresentou maior número de machos que o de fêmeas de acordo com o teste c². Não se observou um padrão temporal de diferenciação na proporção sexual ao longo do ano. A população variou de 81 a 244 mm de comprimento total (CT) com diferença significativa entre os sexos apenas entre 155 e 185 mm de CT onde os machos predominaram. Observou-se gradativo aumento do tamanho dos peixes da zona interna para a externa. A diferenciação da estrutura de tamanho apresentada indica o uso da zona mais interna da baía como área de criação das corvinas nas primeiras fases de vida e um padrão de deslocamento para fora da baía à medida que estes peixes vão crescendo.

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Three cases of intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) of the uterus, a rare benign smooth-muscle tumor, are described. A preoperative diagnosis of IVL was not made in any of the patients, all of which presented with a pelvic mass with the presumptive diagnosis of leiomyoma. Surgical exploration confirmed the presence of uterine mass and two of the three cases showed extra-uterine extension into the ovarian or uterine veins. Histological examination demonstrated a fascicular pattern of bland spindle-shaped smooth-muscle cells, which extended to veins inside the myometrium or to extrauterine veins. This was confirmed by immunohistochemical stain for desmin and factor VIII. Despite their histological benignity, these lesions have a tendency to metastasize and are closely related to the conditions called "benign metastasizing leiomyoma" and "intracaval mass and cardiac extension". The primary treatment of IVL is hysterectomy and excision of any extrauterine tumor, when technically feasible. Anti-estrogenic therapy has been suggested as potentially useful in controlling of unresectable tumor. According to the literature, the follow-up must be long and periodic postoperative ultrasonic or magnetic nuclear resonance imaging studies may be useful in detecting growth of residual intravascular tumor.

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