RESUMO -A acerola (Malpighia emarginata) é uma frutífera tropical encontrada nativa na América Central e no Norte da América do Sul, sendo de grande importância econômica e social devido ao seu alto conteúdo de vitamina C (ácido ascórbico). Pomares de acerola têm sido preferencialmente estabelecidos por métodos de propagação vegetiva. No entanto, a propagação sexuada por sementes é igualmente utilizada e permite revelar um alto grau de polimorfismo na cultura, possibilitando a identificação de genótipos portadores de características de interesse agronômico. Vinte e quatro acessos de acerola, pertencentes ao Banco Ativo de Germoplasma da Universidade Estadual de Londrina, foram analisados, usando marcadores RAPD (Random amplified Polymorphic DNA) e obtidos com iniciadores (primers) de seqüência simples repetidas (SSRs). Um total de 164 e 73 marcadores foram obtidos com primers de RAPD e SSR, respectivamente. Os marcadores obtidos foram analisados, usando o método de agrupamentos UPGMA. A análise comparativa dos dendrogramas gerados com os primers de RAPD e com os primers SSR mostrou que, enquanto alguns acessos se associaram em grupos diferentes, outros apresentaram a mesma associação. Entretanto, maior polimorfismo entre acessos foi detectado com os primers de RAPD. A análise dos resultados revelou a alta variabilidade contida na coleção, permitindo associar o grau de similaridade genética, obtido por marcadores de DNA, com caracteres morfológicos compartilhados entre os acessos.Termos para indexação: Acerola, Malpighia emarginata, marcadores RAPD e SSR, variabilidade genética. THE USE OF MOLECULAR MARKERS IN THE GENETIC VARIABILITY ANALYSIS OF ACEROLA (Malphighia emarginata)ABSTRACT -Acerola (Malpighia emarginata) is a tropical fruit native from Central America and north of South America. It has shown an increasing economic and social importance due to its high vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content. Vegetative propagation is the preferable method used to establish acerola plantations. However, propagation by seeds has also been used allowing the identification and selection of genotypes that carry characteristics of agronomic interest. Twenty-four acerola accesses, of the Active Germplasm Bank of the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, were analyzed using molecular markers obtained with random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and simple sequence repeated (SSRs) primers. A total of 164 and 73 markers were obtained with RAPD and SSR primers, respectively. Polymorfic markers were scored as present or absent and analyzed using the UPGMA cluster analysis. The results presented reveal high levels of polymorphism in the studied collection. Comparative analysis of the phenograms, generated with both RAPD and SSR primers, revealed that while some accesses clustered in different groups other accesses presented the same association. However, there was large RAPD variation among the accesses. The associations observed with molecular markers were, for many accesses, the same of those determined on the basis of morphological char...

The antinutritional factors found in soybean, lectin (SBL) and Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (SKTI), are usually inactivated by heat treatment. However, residual activity of these factors can be found in several types of soy-derived products. Heat treatment does not completely eliminate these factors, and in addition it may considerably decrease protein solubility. The genetic elimination of these antinutritional factors could be an alternative to the heat treatment. This study aimed to develop soybean lines devoid of SKTI and SBL in their seeds. The population under study was obtained by crossing the normal cv. Monarca with a soybean line lacking SKTI and SBL. Specific DNA primers were designed for the identification of the recessive alleles that condition the absence of SKTI and SBL. F 2 seeds presenting the DNA markers that identify the recessive alleles were selected and the corresponding F 2 plants were backcrossed with the recurrent parent ('Monarca'), producing the BC 1 F 1 generation. The F 2 generation was analyzed by SDS-PAGE in order to confirm the genotypes of the F 2 selected. The segregation tests confirmed that these traits are governed by two genes that segregate independently.