RESUMO

This study analyzes Paraguay's biotechnology regulatory framework and its alignment with international standards amid biotechnological advancements. It also identifies areas of improvement for enhancing framework effectiveness. Through this work, we aim to provide a resource for policymakers, stakeholders, and researchers navigating Paraguay's biotechnology regulation.

RESUMO

The first leptospiral recombinant vaccine was developed in the late 1990s. Since then, progress in the fields of reverse vaccinology (RV) and structural vaccinology (SV) has significantly improved the identification of novel surface-exposed and conserved vaccine targets. However, developing recombinant vaccines for leptospirosis faces various challenges, including selecting the ideal expression platform or delivery system, assessing immunogenicity, selecting adjuvants, establishing vaccine formulation, demonstrating protective efficacy against lethal disease in homologous challenge, achieving full renal clearance using experimental models, and reproducibility of protective efficacy against heterologous challenge. In this review, we highlight the role of the expression/delivery system employed in studies based on the well-known LipL32 and leptospiral immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins, as well as the choice of adjuvants, as key factors to achieving the best vaccine performance in terms of protective efficacy against lethal infection and induction of sterile immunity.

RESUMO

Propósito/Contexto. Este artículo analiza aspectos éticos de la edición genética en seres humanos. Metodología/Enfoque. Se describe el desarrollo de las principales aplicaciones de la tecnología genética en prevención, diagnóstico y terapéutica de enfermedades genéticas en las últimas décadas, culminando con la edición genética. Resultados/Hallazgos. Se definen los principales aspectos éticos que presenta la edición genética somática y germinal en seres humanos, incluyendo cuestiones de seguridad, especificidad, precisión y certeza. Se critica la edición genética germinal y el concepto de "mejoramiento" humano por vulnerar la autonomía individual, generar cambios genéticos heredables en la progenie y aceptar la falacia del reduccionismo genético de que los rasgos de las personas dependen exclusivamente de la constitución genética, independiente del ambiente. Discusión/Conclusiones/Contribuciones. La edición genética somática puede ser ética si se siguen las normas éticas de la investigación biomédica. Por el contrario, la edición genética germinal no es pertinente ni necesaria para el tratamiento de enfermedades genéticas y presenta graves conflictos éticos, por lo cual, previo a su aplicación es necesario un consenso social por discusiones democráticas, amplias y profundas entre todos los actores sociales involucrados, seguido de mecanismos de gobernanza con regulación robusta por parte del estado, que impidan la vulneración de derechos humanos fundamentales.

Purpose/Context. This article discusses ethical aspects of gene editing in humans. Methodology/Approach. The main applications of genetic technology in the prevention, diagnosis and therapeutics of genetic diseases in recent decades, are described, culminating with genetic editing. Results/Findings. The main ethical aspects of somatic and germline gene editing in humans are discussed, including issues of safety, specificity, precision and certainty. Germline genetic editing and human "enhancement" are criticized for violating individual autonomy, for generating heritable genetic changes in the progeny and for accepting the fallacy of genetic reductionism that people's traits depend exclusively on genetic makeup, independent of the environment. Discussion/Conclusions/Contributions. Somatic gene editing can be ethical if the ethical standards of biomedical research are followed. However, germline genetic editing is not relevant nor necessary for the treatment of genetic diseases and, furthermore, it presents serious ethical conflicts. Therefore, prior to its application, a social consensus is necessary, obtained by democratic, broad and profound discussions among all the social players involved, followed by governance mechanisms with robust regulation by the state, which prevent the violation of fundamental human rights.

Finalidade/Contexto. Este artigo discute aspectos éticos da edição de genes em humanos. Metodologia/Aproximação. Descreve o desenvolvimento das principais aplicações da tecnologia genética na prevenção, diagnóstico e terapia de doenças genéticas nas últimas décadas, culminando com a edição de genes. Resultados/Descobertas. São definidos os principais aspectos éticos da edição de genes somáticos e da linha germinal no ser humano, incluindo questões de segurança, especificidade, precisão e exactidão. A edição genética da Germline e o conceito de "melhoramento" humano são criticados por violarem a autonomia individual, gerando alterações genéticas hereditárias nos descendentes e aceitando a falácia do reducionismo genético de que as características das pessoas dependem exclusivamente da sua constituição genética, independente do ambiente. Discussão/Conclusões/Contribuições. A edição somática de genes pode ser ética se os padrões éticos da investigação biomédica forem seguidos. Pelo contrário, a edição genética na linha germinal não é relevante nem necessária para o tratamento de doenças genéticas e apresenta graves conflitos éticos. Por conseguinte, antes da sua aplicação, é necessário um consenso social através de discussões democráticas, amplas e profundas entre todos os actores sociais envolvidos, seguidas de mecanismos de governação com regulação robusta por parte do Estado, que impeçam a violação dos direitos humanos fundamentais.

RESUMO

The aim of this work is the expression of the PreS2-S region of surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in yeast Pichia pastoris. A cDNA fragment encoding the Pres2-S protein of HBV was cloned to yeast transfer vectors. Based on cloned new plasmids pPIC3.5-PreS2-S (8707 bp) and pPIC9-PreS2-S (8980 bp) the recombinant strains of P. pastoris producing the PreS2-S region of surface antigen of HBV were obtained. The PAGE electrophoresis and immunoblotting of obtained recombinant PreS2-S protein confirm the molecular weight (34 kDa) and high specificity to the HBV antibodies)AU)

El objetivo de este trabajo es la expresión de la región PreS2-S del antígeno de superficie del virus de la hepatitis B en la levadura Pichia pastoris. Se clonó un fragmento de ADNc que codifica la proteína PreS2-S del VHB en vectores de transferencia de levadura. A partir de los nuevos plásmidos clonados pPIC3.5-PreS2-S (8707 pb) y pPIC9-PreS2-S (8980 pb) se obtuvieron las cepas recombinantes de P. pastoris productoras de la región PreS2-S del antígeno de superficie del VHB. La electroforesis PAGE y la inmunotransferencia de la proteína PreS2-S recombinante obtenida confirman el peso molecular (34 kDa) y la alta especificidad a los anticuerpos contra el VHB(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

El diagnóstico molecular de arbovirus es indispensable para identificar agentes etiológicos, particularmente en zonas endémicas para al menos uno de ellos. Estas deben ser validadas con controles positivos, los cuales están clásicamente representados por virus vivos, cuya obtención puede ser riesgosa, laboriosa y costosa. El objetivo de este estudio fue producir plásmidos recombinantes para su uso como controles positivos en la validación de la técnica RT-PCR para el diagnóstico de los virus Chikungunya (CHIKV) y Zika (ZIKV). A partir de los ARN extraídos de los virus [CHIKV (LARD809-GC) y ZIKV (MR766)] se obtuvieron por RT-PCR fragmentos parciales de ADN correspondientes a secuencias nucleotídicas de los genes E1 y NS5 de los virus Chikungunya y Zika, respectivamente, para serclonados en el plásmido comercial pGEM®-T Easy. La clonación se confirmó mediante PCR de colonias y PCR de ADN plasmídicos extraídos a partir de las colonias recombinantes. Se logró la producción de dos plásmidos recombinantes CHIKV-E1/pGEM®-T Easy y ZIKV-NS5192/pGEM®-T Easy con cada una de las secuencias especificadas, para su uso en la validación y control de las técnicas moleculares descritas en este reporte, para el diagnóstico de agentes virales CHIKV y ZIKV, evitando la manipulación de cultivos celulares y garantizando una fuente confiable de controles positivos(AU)

The use of molecular techniques for the viral diagnosis requires the use of positive controls.Classically, the controls are live viruses, whose manipulation may be risky, laborious and expensive. The objective of this study was produced recombinant plasmids to obtain cloned sequences of Chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKV) virus for their use as controls in the specificdiagnostic by RT-PCR. DNA fragments were obtained fromRNA [CHIKV (LARD809-GC) and ZIKV (MR766)] using specific primers to amplify the nucleotide sequences from fragments of Envelope 1 protein (E1) of CHIKV and Non Structural 5 protein (NS5) of ZIKV genomes. The 548 bp (CHIKV) and 192 bp(ZIKV) bands were purified from agarose gel and ligations were performed with the cloning vector pGEM®-T Easy. The Escherichia coli XL1-Blue MRF` cells were transformed with the ligation mixture, the recombinant colonies were identified by colony PCR using the specific primers to the specific viral agent. One recombinant colony from CHIKV and six recombinant colonies from ZIKV were obtained from which plasmidic DNAs was extracted. The plasmidic DNAs were used as reaction controls in CHIKV and ZIKV RT-PCR, obtaining the characteristic bands. The cloning of the sequences was successful to produce the recombinant plasmids (CHIKV-E1/pGEM®-T Easy y ZIKV-NS5192/pGEM®-T Easy) to use in the validation of RT-PCR techniques(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

Las afecciones causadas por el Virus de la Hepatitis B (VHB) constituyen una de las grandes problemáticas de salud pública a nivel mundial. En la actualidad la principal estrategia de prevención es una vacuna obtenida mediante la tecnología de ADN recombinante a partir de la expresión del gen viral que codifica el antígeno de superficie de la hepatitis B (HBsAg). En Argentina, esta vacuna está incorporada en el Calendario Nacional de Vacunación desde el año 2000, y es deber de la Autoridad Reguladora Nacional (ARN) verificar la calidad, seguridad y eficacia de cada lote liberado al mercado. Considerando que la determinación del contenido antigénico en vacunas representa uno de los ensayos esenciales de control de calidad y que, para ello, es necesario contar con metodologías estandarizadas que permitan obtener resultados reproducibles y confiables, en el Laboratorio de Inmunobiológicos del Instituto Nacional de Medicamentos se estandarizó un método para la identificación y cuantificación del HBsAg en vacunas contra la Hepatitis B empleando un kit comercial de ELISA cuyo uso clínico está previsto para la detección de HBsAg en suero o plasma humano. Para ello, se analizaron dos muestras: una preparación de antígeno HBsAg purificado y una vacuna contra la Hepatitis B ADN recombinante comercial y se evaluaron los parámetros de especificidad, exactitud, repetibilidad, precisión intermedia y linealidad. En todos los casos, se cumplieron con los criterios de aceptación establecidos para cada parámetro, por lo cual se concluye que la metodología analítica es adecuada para la identificación y cuantificación del HBsAg.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Las afecciones causadas por el Virus de la Hepatitis B (VHB) constituyen una de las grandes problemáticas de salud pública a nivel mundial. En la actualidad la principal estrategia de prevención es una vacuna obtenida mediante la tecnología de ADN recombinante a partir de la expresión del gen viral que codifica el antígeno de superficie de la hepatitis B (HBsAg). En Argentina, esta vacuna está incorporada en el Calendario Nacional de Vacunación desde el año 2000, y es deber de la Autoridad Reguladora Nacional (ARN) verificar la calidad, seguridad y eficacia de cada lote liberado al mercado. Considerando que la determinación del contenido antigénico en vacunas representa uno de los ensayos esenciales de control de calidad y que, para ello, es necesario contar con metodologías estandarizadas que permitan obtener resultados reproducibles y confiables, en el Laboratorio de Inmunobiológicos del Instituto Nacional de Medicamentos se estandarizó un método para la identificación y cuantificación del HBsAg en vacunas contra la Hepatitis B empleando un kit comercial de ELISA cuyo uso clínico está previsto para la detección de HBsAg en suero o plasma humano. Para ello, se analizaron dos muestras: una preparación de antígeno HBsAg purificado y una vacuna contra la Hepatitis B ADN recombinante comercial y se evaluaron los parámetros de especificidad, exactitud, repetibilidad, precisión intermedia y linealidad. En todos los casos, se cumplieron con los criterios de aceptación establecidos para cada parámetro, por lo cual se concluye que la metodología analítica es adecuada para la identificación y cuantificación del HBsAg.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Las afecciones causadas por el Virus de la Hepatitis B (VHB) constituyen una de las grandes problemáticas de salud pública a nivel mundial. En la actualidad la principal estrategia de prevención es una vacuna obtenida mediante la tecnología de ADN recombinante a partir de la expresión del gen viral que codifica el antígeno de superficie de la hepatitis B (HBsAg). En Argentina, esta vacuna está incorporada en el Calendario Nacional de Vacunación desde el año 2000, y es deber de la Autoridad Reguladora Nacional (ARN) verificar la calidad, seguridad y eficacia de cada lote liberado al mercado. Considerando que la determinación del contenido antigénico en vacunas representa uno de los ensayos esenciales de control de calidad y que, para ello, es necesario contar con metodologías estandarizadas que permitan obtener resultados reproducibles y confiables, en el Laboratorio de Inmunobiológicos del Instituto Nacional de Medicamentos se estandarizó un método para la identificación y cuantificación del HBsAg en vacunas contra la Hepatitis B empleando un kit comercial de ELISA cuyo uso clínico está previsto para la detección de HBsAg en suero o plasma humano. Para ello, se analizaron dos muestras: una preparación de antígeno HBsAg purificado y una vacuna contra la Hepatitis B ADN recombinante comercial y se evaluaron los parámetros de especificidad, exactitud, repetibilidad, precisión intermedia y linealidad. En todos los casos, se cumplieron con los criterios de aceptación establecidos para cada parámetro, por lo cual se concluye que la metodología analítica es adecuada para la identificación y cuantificación del HBsAg.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Abstract DNA vaccines have been evaluated as an option to prevent several diseases. In this study, the capacity of the xanthan biopolymer to improve the DNA vaccines immune response, administered intramuscularly, was evaluated. The experimental vaccines consisted of genes encoding fragments of the proteins LigA and LigB of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Copenhageni strain Fiocruz L1-130. The humoral immune response was evaluated by indirect ELISA. Cytokine expression levels were determined by RT-qPCR. Compared to the control group, the IgG antibody levels of animals immunized with pTARGET/ligAni and pTARGET/ligBrep plasmids associated with xanthan biopolymer were significantly higher than the control group. Additionally, there was a significant increase in IL-17 expression in animals vaccinated with pTARGET/ligBrep and xanthan.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Para las metodologías de ADN recombinante, los biólogos moleculares emplean mutantes de Escherichia coli que son adquiridos de kit comerciales o de colecciones microbianas especializadas. En la práctica estos mutantes son conservados por pases sucesivos o en un banco poco caracterizado. No seguir el sistema de lotes de siembra (lote de siembra de referencia y lotes de siembra de trabajo) y la falta de controles sistemáticos, puede llevar a la pérdida de las características originales de las cepas y afectar la calidad de los resultados experimentales. Por otra parte, la propia dinámica de los laboratorios de investigación hace que sea poco práctico realizar las extensas verificaciones propias del trabajo de las colecciones microbianas. El objetivo de este artículo es proponer un método de evaluación de pureza y estabilidad genética que permita la verificación de varios mutantes de E. coli en un solo ensayo. En él se definen los criterios de selección para el diseño de medios de cultivos específicos. Se realizan diluciones seriadas de los cultivos crecidos en medio Luria Bertani y se emplea como método de siembra las trazas de dilución. Los resultados evidencian que teniendo en cuenta las rutas metabólicas afectadas en cada mutante, se pueden agrupar varias cepas a verificar en un solo ensayo. La combinación de medios específicos permite tener un criterio de la pureza del cultivo y la estabilidad genética. Esta alternativa permite el chequeo rápido de aquellos marcadores de las cepas que son determinantes en las metodologías de ADN recombinante(AU)

For recombinant DNA methodologies, molecular biologists use Escherichia coli mutants acquired from commercial kits or specialized microbial strain collections. These mutants are routinely conserved by successive passages or in poorly-characterized strain banks. A failure to follow the seed lot system (reference seed lot and working seed lot) and the lack of systematic controls, can lead to the loss of original strain characteristics and affect the quality of experimental results. On the other hand, the dynamic of research laboratories makes impractical to carry out extensive verifications related to the work with microbial collections. The aim of this article is to propose a single-assay method for genetic purity and stability evaluation of multiple E. coli mutants simultaneously. For the design of specific culture media, selection criteria were defined. Serial dilutions of cultures in Luria Bertani medium were made, and track dilution was used as seeding method. The results show how a mutated metabolic pathway-oriented design permit the verification of several strains in a single trial. A criterion about culture purity and genetic stability could be obtained after combining specific media. This alternative allows for a rapid evaluation of strain key genetic markers for recombinant DNA methodologies(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

l-Arabinose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.4) (l-AI) from Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 was overproduced in Escherichia coli by designing a codon-optimized synthetic araA gene. Using this optimized gene, two N- and C-terminal His-tagged-l-AI proteins were produced. The cloning of the two chimeric genes into regulated expression vectors resulted in the production of high amounts of recombinant N-His-l-AI and C-His-l-AI in soluble and active forms. Both His-tagged enzymes were purified in a single step through metal-affinity chromatography and showed different kinetic and structural characteristics. Analytical ultracentrifugation revealed that C-His-l-AI was preferentially hexameric in solution, whereas N-His-l-AI was mainly monomeric. The specific activity of the N-His-l-AI at acidic pH was higher than that of C-His-l-AI and showed a maximum bioconversion yield of 26% at 50 °C for d-tagatose biosynthesis, with Km and Vmax parameters of 252 mM and 0.092 U mg-1, respectively. However, C-His-l-AI was more active and stable at alkaline pH than N-His-l-AI. N-His-l-AI follows a Michaelis-Menten kinetic, whereas C-His-l-AI fitted to a sigmoidal saturation curve.

Assuntos

RESUMO

DNA cloning is an essential tool regarding DNA recombinant technology as it allows the replication of foreign DNA fragments within a cell. pELMO was here constructed as an in-house cloning vector for rapid and low-cost PCR product propagation; it is an optimally designed vector containing the ccdB killer gene from the pDONR 221 plasmid, cloned into the pUC18 vector's multiple cloning site (Thermo Scientific). The ccdB killer gene has a cleavage site (CCC/GGG) for the SmaI restriction enzyme which is used for vector linearisation and cloning blunt-ended products. pELMO transformation efficiency was evaluated with different sized inserts and its cloning efficiency was compared to that of the pGEM-T Easy commercial vector. The highest pELMO transformation efficiency was observed for ~500 bp DNA fragments; pELMO vector had higher cloning efficiency for all insert sizes tested. In-house and commercial vector cloned insert reads after sequencing were similar thus highlighting that sequencing primers were designed and localised appropriately. pELMO is thus proposed as a practical alternative for in-house cloning of PCR products in molecular biology laboratories.

RESUMO

DNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes that control the topological state of DNA replication during mitosis. These enzymes are classified based on their mechanisms and physical properties. During mitosis, superhelical DNA must be unwound or relaxed by DNA topoisomerases prior to a decoding step by DNA processing enzymes, such as DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase. By blocking the reaction of resealing the breaks in the DNA ultimately can result in cellular death. Compounds that inhibit the catalytic function of these enzymes can serve as potential anticancer agents. DNA topoisomerases are found in nature and used as high quality and well-validated targets for the screening of potential anticancer agents. Our current work focuses on determining potential anticancer agents from natural resources using DNA topoisomerases as the screening targets. Large scale production of these enzymes using recombinant DNA technology in our academic laboratory is utilised to avoid dependence on expensive commercially available enzymes. The in-house produced enzymes can also be used to enhance our research in the field of molecular medicine by providing an enzyme source that can be used to screen potential anticancer agents, and for other newly developed diagnostic and medical research projects in the near future as well as a step in moving our efforts into the industrial sector.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de danos ocasionados por pragas nas características morfológicas e estruturais e composição química das partes da planta dos híbridos de milho DKB390 e AG8088 contendo o gene Cry1Ab e de suas contrapartes convencionais. Os híbridos de milho DKB390 e AG8088 contendo o gene Cry1Ab não receberam aplicação de inseticida e os híbridos convencionais receberam uma aplicação de deltametrina (2,8%) aos 42 dias após a semeadura. As plantas convencionais tiveram maiores danos pelo ataque das pragas Spodoptera frugiperda e Helicoverpa zea. Após o corte, 95 dias após o plantio, a planta foi separada em colmo, espiga, folha, material morto e pendão. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso em arranjo fatorial 2 x 2. Os híbridos contendo o gene cry1Ab tiveram maior quantidade e percentual de material morto, altura da planta e altura da espiga quando comparados aos seus isogênicos. Houve maior transferência de nutrientes do colmo para o enchimento dos grãos e menor relação espiga:colmo na planta transgênica. As plantas transgênicas podem favorecer o conteúdo de nutrientes digestíveis, devido ao aumento no teor de carboidratos não fibrosos, quando colhidas mais cedo, ou desfavorecer o conteúdo de nutrientes digestíveis, em virtude da maior proporção de colmo e maiores teores de lignina no colmo, quando colhidas mais tarde. (AU)

It was aimed to evaluate the effect of insect damage on the morphologic and structural characteristics and chemical composition from maize hybrids DKB 390 and AG 8088 with the Cry1Ab trait versus its nonbiotech counterpart. The GMO did not receive insecticide application and the conventional hybrids received one deltametrina (2.8%) application at 42 days. The damages caused bySpodoptera frugiperda and Helicoverpa zea in hybrids with Cry1Ab were smaller than its nonbiotech counterpart. After harvest, 95 days after seedling plants were separated in stalks, ears, leafs, dead leafs and floral pennant. The experimental design was randomized block in factorial arrangement 2 x 2. The height of plant and height of ear, percentage and amount of dead leafs from hybrids with the Cry1Ab were higher than its nonbiotech counterpart. There was higher nutrients transfer from stalks to grain filling and smaller rate stalks:ear on transgenic plant. The quality of the transgenic plants can be better when harvest earlier, by increasing no fiber carbohydrates, but when harvest latter, by increasing stalk percentage and stalk lignin content. (AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de danos ocasionados por pragas nas características morfológicas e estruturais e composição química das partes da planta dos híbridos de milho DKB390 e AG8088 contendo o gene Cry1Ab e de suas contrapartes convencionais. Os híbridos de milho DKB390 e AG8088 contendo o gene Cry1Ab não receberam aplicação de inseticida e os híbridos convencionais receberam uma aplicação de deltametrina (2,8%) aos 42 dias após a semeadura. As plantas convencionais tiveram maiores danos pelo ataque das pragas Spodoptera frugiperda e Helicoverpa zea. Após o corte, 95 dias após o plantio, a planta foi separada em colmo, espiga, folha, material morto e pendão. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso em arranjo fatorial 2 x 2. Os híbridos contendo o gene cry1Ab tiveram maior quantidade e percentual de material morto, altura da planta e altura da espiga quando comparados aos seus isogênicos. Houve maior transferência de nutrientes do colmo para o enchimento dos grãos e menor relação espiga:colmo na planta transgênica. As plantas transgênicas podem favorecer o conteúdo de nutrientes digestíveis, devido ao aumento no teor de carboidratos não fibrosos, quando colhidas mais cedo, ou desfavorecer o conteúdo de nutrientes digestíveis, em virtude da maior proporção de colmo e maiores teores de lignina no colmo, quando colhidas mais tarde.

It was aimed to evaluate the effect of insect damage on the morphologic and structural characteristics and chemical composition from maize hybrids DKB 390 and AG 8088 with the Cry1Ab trait versus its nonbiotech counterpart. The GMO did not receive insecticide application and the conventional hybrids received one deltametrina (2.8%) application at 42 days. The damages caused bySpodoptera frugiperda and Helicoverpa zea in hybrids with Cry1Ab were smaller than its nonbiotech counterpart. After harvest, 95 days after seedling plants were separated in stalks, ears, leafs, dead leafs and floral pennant. The experimental design was randomized block in factorial arrangement 2 x 2. The height of plant and height of ear, percentage and amount of dead leafs from hybrids with the Cry1Ab were higher than its nonbiotech counterpart. There was higher nutrients transfer from stalks to grain filling and smaller rate stalks:ear on transgenic plant. The quality of the transgenic plants can be better when harvest earlier, by increasing no fiber carbohydrates, but when harvest latter, by increasing stalk percentage and stalk lignin content.

Assuntos

RESUMO

In the United States, the continued promotion of quality genetics in cattle necessitates the emergence of novel technologies. One such promising technology is the utilization of genetic testing to aid in improving herd selection for a variety of traits included but not limited to milk production, fertility and disease prone animals. Additionally, these genetic markers have identified many chromosome regions containing important genes that code for financially viable traits. Therefore the ability to test animals prior to investing would financially benefit both the industry and consumer. To further promote these genetics, a relatively new procedure for superovulation using a slow release formula (SRF; hyaluronan-based solution) for Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) injections has shown to be as effective in comparison to traditional methods. The SRF protocol allows for 75% less handling thus lowering stress levels for both practitioner and donor animal. The application and benefits of recombinant technology in the use of superovulatory regimes, embryo production, semen processing in addition to vitrification will play an instrumental role in the future of cattle embryo transfer.(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

In the United States, the continued promotion of quality genetics in cattle necessitates the emergence of novel technologies. One such promising technology is the utilization of genetic testing to aid in improving herd selection for a variety of traits included but not limited to milk production, fertility and disease prone animals. Additionally, these genetic markers have identified many chromosome regions containing important genes that code for financially viable traits. Therefore the ability to test animals prior to investing would financially benefit both the industry and consumer. To further promote these genetics, a relatively new procedure for superovulation using a slow release formula (SRF; hyaluronan-based solution) for Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) injections has shown to be as effective in comparison to traditional methods. The SRF protocol allows for 75% less handling thus lowering stress levels for both practitioner and donor animal. The application and benefits of recombinant technology in the use of superovulatory regimes, embryo production, semen processing in addition to vitrification will play an instrumental role in the future of cattle embryo transfer.

Assuntos

RESUMO

La forma de estudiar la genética ha progresado notablemente en las últimas décadas. Sus orígenes se remontan al estudio de los caracteres hereditarios, seguido por el descubrimiento de los genes y los cromosomas hasta conocer la estructura del ADN. Este último evento impulsó el desarrollo de la tecnología del ADN recombinante y de la secuenciación masiva y automatizada, los cuales permitieron determinar posterior-mente la anatomía de los genomas. Todos estos descubrimientos han promovido la evolución de la biomedicina hacia las eras genómica y posgenómica en las que el uso de la genética reversa impera sobre la genética básica o directa. Además, surge la genética molecular, la genómica funcional y las diversas tecnologías -ómicas- que en conjunto pretenden comprender de manera integral la función de todos los componentes del genoma y sus productos. La biogerontología, disciplina que estudia los mecanismos biológicos del envejecimiento, es uno de los campos que se han desarrollado notoriamente en los últimos 15 años y refleja los avances científicos de la era posgenómica. Actualmente se han identificado varios gerontogenes y vías moleculares que modifican longevidad y regulan procesos y enfermedades relacionadas con envejecimiento. Dentro de estos genes se encuentran las sirtuinas, una familia de genes conservada evolutivamente que codifica para proteínas con actividad de desacetilasa dependiente de NAD+ y que tienen un papel importante en envejecimiento. En este trabajo revisamos diferentes aproximaciones de genética reversa que se han empleado para identificar algunas de las funciones de estos genes en mamíferos.

The way to study genetics has notably progressed in the last decades. Their origins date back to the study of hereditary features, followed by the discovery of genes and chromosomes up to the knowledge of DNA structure. This last event led to the development of recombinant DNA technology and the massive and automated sequencing, which allowed later to determine the anatomy of genomes. All of these discoveries have pushed the evolution of biomedicine towards the genomic and postgenomic eras, in which the use of reverse genetics prevails over the basic or direct one. Furthermore, it emerges the molecular genetics, the functional genomics and the diverse -omics- technologies that together pretend to understand, in an integrative way, the function of all of the genome components and its products. Biogerontology, discipline that studies the biological mechanisms of aging, is one of the fields that has developed notoriously in the last 15 years and reflects the scientific advances of the postgenomic era. Currently, there have been identified several gerontogenes and molecular pathways that modify and regulate age-related processes and diseases. Among these genes are the sirtuins, an evolutionarily preserved family of genes, which codify for proteins with NAD+ dependent deacetylase activity and that play an important role on aging. In this work, we review different reverse genetics approaches that have been used in order to identify some of the functions of these genes in mammals.

RESUMO

In recent years, the number of drugs of biotechnological origin available for many different diseases has increased exponentially, including different types of cancer, diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases (e.g. AIDS Virus / HIV) as well as cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, and autoimmune diseases, among others. The pharmaceutical industry has used different technologies to obtain new and promising active ingredients, as exemplified by the fermentation technique, recombinant DNA technique and the hybridoma technique. The expiry of the patents of the first drugs of biotechnological origin and the consequent emergence of biosimilar products, have posed various questions to health authorities worldwide regarding the definition, framework, and requirements for authorization to market such products.

Nos últimos anos, tem aumentado exponencialmente o número de fármacos de origem biotecnológica ao dispor das mais diversas patologias, entre elas destacam-se, os diferentes tipos de cancêr, as doenças infecciosas (ex. vírus AIDS/HIV), as doenças autoimunes, as doenças cardiovasculares, a Diabetes Mellitus, as doenças neurológicas, as doenças respiratórias, entre outras. A indústria farmacêutica tem recorrido a diferentes tecnologias para a obtenção de novos e promissores princípios ativos, como são exemplo a fermentação, a técnica de DNA Recombinante, a técnica de hidridoma, entre outras. A queda das patentes dos primeiros fármacos de origem biotecnológica e o consequente aparecimento dos produtos biossimilares têm colocado diferentes questões às autoridades de saúde mundiais, sobre a definição, enquadramento e exigências para a autorização de entrada no mercado deste tipo de produtos.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Virus diseases are a serious problem to agricuiture, can be a limitant factor to normal development of some crops. Control measures, like vectors elimination, healthy material use, culture rotation and infected plants eradication, are only transient solutions. The more efficient approach for control involves plant breeding resistant to virus or its vector. Reduced availability of resistance source can be increased through recombinant DNA technology, which brings new breeding perspectives to virus resistant crops.

As viroses são um sério problema para a agricultura, podendo se tomar um fator limitante para o desenvolvimento de determinadas espécies. Medidas de controle, como a eliminação dos vetores, o uso de material sadio, a rotação de culturas e a erradicação de plantas infectadas são apenas soluções temporárias. A mais eficiente estratégia de controle envolve o uso de cultivares melhoradas para resistência ao vírus ou a seu vetor. A reduzida disponibilidade de fontes de resistência pode ser aumentada através da tecnologia do DNA recombinante, que traz novas perspectivas para o melhoramento de plantas resistentes a viroses.