Special Abstracts / Journal of Biotechnology 150S (2010) S1–S576 S491

[P-P&F.51]

Finite Element Modal Analysis Approach to Simulate and Mea-sure Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics of GramineaSpecies

W.F. Velloso Jr. ∗, T.T. Pereira dos Santos, M.V. Gallo

University of São Paulo- FZEA-USP, BrazilKeywords: Finite Element Method; Sugar cane; Bamboo; Numericalsimulation

Sugar cane (Sacharum officinarum) and bamboo (Bambusa spp)(species of Graminea family) are used to produce food (sugar, bev-erages) and energy (ethanol, bio Diesel). The bamboo is also used assource of fibres in clothes and as an ecological substitute for noblewoods in furniture and buildings. The aim of this study was to usethe Finite Element Method and the modal analysis to determinethermo-physical characteristics of both vegetables.

The experimental strategy was to construct metallic resonantmodules where samples of cane or bamboo could be adjusted. Thepresence of these samples produces small changes in modules’ nor-mal modes frequencies. Detecting these differences by measuringthe modal frequencies with a signal analyzer (AGILENT-35670A)it was possible to adjust the FEM parameters achieving the bestdetermination to the characteristics (elasticity, density, Poissonratio, specific heat, thermal conductivity). These best values wereobtained by means of an optimization method applied on theo-retical data produced by running the FE model over a range ofrandomly generated parameters values. The method works search-ing to the minimum difference between values of calculated andexperimental frequencies.

In order to validate our model, we used our Modal Analysis Lab-oratory (built with grants from FAPESP 06/04252-0). Specimens ofsugar cane and bamboo, from our Faculty farm, were used. Fromthese experiments we obtained a good agreement between the-oretical and experimental data. The medium differences were ≤(0,01%) in the case of bamboo and ≤ (0.02%) to the sugar cane.

The results showed that the proposed method is useful evenif some simplifications, as material homogeneity, have been sup-posed in the model. Since the vegetables studied are industriallyimportant these results can represent strategic economical infor-mation. In fact physical characteristics of these vegetables caninfluence agro-industrial processes as manual or mechanic harvest,grinding, fermentation, etc.

doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.09.755

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The study of genetic variability of micropropagated banana(Musa acuminate L.) cultivars

Zahra Nourmohammadi ∗, Farah Farahani, Hiva Aminpoor

Biology department, School of Basic Sciences, Science and ResearchBranch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of IranKeywords: Banana cultivars; Molecular markers; Somaclonal vari-ation

The micropropagated plants belonging to two banana (Musaacuminate L.) cultivars of Cavendish Dwarf and Valery were usedto assess the genetic variability among different subcultures.Twenty random decamer primers were successfully used to anal-yse genomic DNA from mother plants and in vitro plant materials.The regenerated plants belonging to different subcultures differedin the number of RAPD loci identified as well as degree of polymor-

phic bands. With an increase in the time period of sub-cultures anincrease in the amount of genetic variation occurred in the regen-erated plants of each banana cultivars studied. The same was truebetween mother and regenerated banana plants. Our results showthat RAPD markers could be used to detect the genetic similaritiesand dissimilarities in micropropagated material.

doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.09.756

[P-P&F.53]

A conserved group of CCCH zinc finger proteins is involved inresponse to abiotic stresses in durum wheat and arabidopsis

A.M. De Leonardis 1,∗, F. D’Orso 2, G. Morelli 2, R. Ruberti 3, L.Cattivelli 1, A.M. Mastrangelo 1

1 CRA-CER Centro di ricerca per la cerealicoltura foggia, Italy2 National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition Roma, Italy3 Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National ResearchCouncil Roma, ItalyKeywords: CCCH zinc finger domain; Abiotic stress; Durum wheat;Arabidopsis

CCCH zinc finger domain consists of a sequence with three cys-teines and one histidine residues with strictly defined spacing:C-X4-15-C-X4-6-C-X3-H. First identified in proteins of Tristetraprolinfamily in mammals, involved in regulation of stability of cytokinemRNAs, this domain has been found in other RNA-binding pro-teins, also in plants, as involved in control of important biologicalprocesses as floral reproductive organ identity determination andcalmodulin-mediated RNA processing in Arabidopsis.

A gene coding for a CCCH zinc finger protein, 2H8, was isolatedin durum wheat and characterised as responsive to cold and dehy-dration stresses. Six cDNA sequences were identified in the wheatEST database following a similarity search carried out by using thesequence of 2H8 as a query. These genes were characterized byexpression studies under cold and water stress conditions. A genefamily of more than sixty members coding for CCCH proteins wasdescribed in Arabidopsis. The expression profile also was studiedfor At2g19810 and At4g29190 genes, belonging to a sub-group ofthis family and showing the highest similarity level with respectto 2H8 gene at level of aminoacid sequence. As found for durumwheat 2H8 gene, they also showed variations in transcript accu-mulation in Arabidopsis plants subject to cold and salt stress. Thesefindings suggest a functional correspondence between Arabidopsisand durum wheat CCCH sequences, which could represent a con-served mechanism implicated in control of nucleic acid metabolismin stress conditions.

Therefore, a functional study is ongoing based on the character-ization of two T-DNA Arabidopsis insertion lines for the At2g19810gene, and a set of Arabidopsis lines generated by ihpRNA inter-ference and amiRNA technology resulting in a down-regulation ofthe At4g29190 gene. Analysis of germination of seeds derived fromthese mutant lines suggests the involvement of these genes in theregulation of germination by salt and temperature stimuli.

doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.09.757