The current global environmental and economic scenario is intrinsically related to the increase in fossil fuel consumption caused by technological development and world population growth. Thus, it is necessary to search for renewable sources of biofuel in an attempt to mitigate the effects of fossil fuels on the environment and the lack of these non-renewable fuels. The use of lignocellulosic biomass, an abundant and renewable resource in Brazilian regions, has contributed successfully to new research and technologies for second-generation ethanol production. The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars requires the use of cellulolytic enzymes produced by microorganisms found in the microbiota. This work evaluated the production of endoglucanase and β-glucosidase in a liquid medium containing carboxymethylcellulose by five microorganisms (bacteria and yeasts) from the bank of 348 isolates from eucalyptus soils in the Cerrado Mineiro. Microorganisms with the following enzymatic activity indexes were selected: IM1-74 (22), IM25-9 (5.33), IM32-90 (7.33), IM1-5 (10.33) and IM32-91 (5.44). The microorganisms with the highest enzymatic activity in the liquid medium were IM32-90 (endoglucanase = 0.214 U mL-1) and IM32-91 (β-glucosidase = 0.067 U mL-1).

No abstract

No abstract

Thaumastocoris peregrinus is a pest that damages eucalyptus plantations. Recently in Brazil, there are few studies related to its control. With the advancement of molecular biology, several techniques can assist in the discovery of an effective and sustainable control. The different techniques of analysis of gene expression start with the extraction of the total RNA from the material for genomic analysis, hence it is essential that the RNA be intact. Numerous insect RNA extraction protocols are available, but none of them are widely effective, therefore, several factors and intrinsic characteristics of the tissue to be analyzed can affect the quality of the extracted material. Thus, it is necessary to modify the protocols in order to optimize the extraction of RNA. This study aimed to analyze the efficiency of three methods for RNA extraction from T. peregrinus. The results obtained demonstrated that the RNA extracted with only one method was more efficient due to less contamination with DNA and greater integrity of the samples. It should be noted that the determination of an efficient protocol for the extraction of RNA from T. peregrines will assist in future research, which will assist in the discovery of genes present in the extracted RNA sample.