The genome also revealed the location of genes that may be involved in fighting off pathogens which will help scientists understand more about disease resistance in pines.
By looking at how genes were expressed the molecular biologist narrowed the possibilities from thousands of genes to 608 then to 47 and eventually to three.
These genes are functional in both resistant and susceptible varieties. How they respond to regulations triggered by the fungal infection makes the difference he says.
That's why normal gene cloning didn't work. Resistance to the disease is controlled by the chemical pathways of two growth hormones jasmonate
Two of the three genes are involved directly in the chemical pathways Yen explains. How the third one is involved we still do not know
In the resistant wheat the key resistance gene may delay this chain of reactions until the host tissue is too hard for the disease to develop Yen explains.
Most of the genes had come from a poultry virus that had existed in china for many years
and two genes probably came from a wild bird isolate he says. We felt a major knowledge gap in the outbreak was that we didn't know which poultry species was maintaining the virus
Some of these earlier studies had traced the genetic origin of this trait in Europeans to a particular mutation that regulates the expression of the gene that codes for lactase.
To look for genetic variations among the populations'abilities to digest milk the team sequenced three genomic regions thought to influence the activity of the lactase-encoding LCT gene in 819 Africans from 63 different populations and 154 non
The research provides a new approach integrating knowledge of genes proteins plant chemical compounds and engineering modeling to understand how plants make products
They analyzed RNA interference (RNAI) a method that uses genetic material to silence specific genes--in this case genes known to give insect pests an advantage.
The team targeted two genes that are regulated differently in rotation-resistant and non-resistant rootworms. The first Dvrs5 codes for an enzyme that helps the rootworms digest plant proteins.
These genes have been found to play a role in rootworm resistance to crop rotation. The team looked at how treatment with RNAI
The researchers were surprised to find that the RNAI targeting the gene att1 had no effect
This does not represent an immediate concern for RNAI technology the researchers said as they tested genes that are unlikely to be used in commercial crops.
The findings suggest that targeting a single gene to control a pest species is not the best strategy Spencer said.
We now know that disrupting a particular target gene may enhance undesirable pest characteristic such as rotation resistance
The researchers identified a de novo gene mutation--one that occurs for the first time in a member of a family--in a gene called GRIN2A.
The discovery required an analysis of the patient's genetic makeup in search of the one gene that changed setting this detrimental series of events in motion.
Pierson added that many other genes have been associated with several forms of epilepsy in infancy but only few other instances of early-onset epileptic encephalopathy involved the GRIN2A gene.
The GRIN2A gene influences electrochemical events that affect the flow and strength of electrical impulses in the brain.
Having identified the de novo gene defect the researchers conducted laboratory experiments to confirm the resulting protein dysfunction and its effects on electrical-regulating mechanisms.
We then performed lab studies with several drugs that were approved already by the Food and Drug Administration and which we thought might block the seizure activity.
Our results suggest that children with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy should undergo evaluation for similar gene variants with the possibility of using memantine
and their ideas--an international postal system organized agriculture research and meritocracy-based civil service among other things--shaped national borders languages cultures and human gene pools
It was shown also that a higher saturated fat intake was associated with an increased risk of dementia among those carrying a genetic risk factor of Alzheimer's disease the epsilon 4 variant of the apolipoprotein E (Apoe) gene.
Most of the yield increases are the result of breeders selecting better combinations of genes that can allow plants to take sunlight and produce more seed from that sunlight.
We don't know what genes breeders are selecting that are resulting in these increases for example where in that pathway from the sunlight hitting the canopy to producing seed where this occurs.
Bt genes have been engineered into a variety of crops to control insect pests. Since farmers began planting Bt crops in 1996 with 70 million hectares planted in the United states in 2012 there have been only three clear-cut cases in agriculture of resistance in caterpillars
To delay or prevent insect pests from evolving resistance to Bt crops the U s. Environmental protection agency promotes the use of multiple Bt genes in plants
and the practice of growing refuges of non-Bt plants that serve as a reservoir for insects with Bt susceptible genes. â#oeour paper argues there is another factor involved:
because they are known to be free of cattle genes and represent bison that existed on the Great plains for thousands of years.
Texas A&m University scientists are working to map the genes controlling drought and heat tolerance in recent varieties.
and ultimately clone the genes controlling drought and heat tolerance for molecular studies and deployment of these genes in other crops she said.
Joining Zhang on the project are Dr. Hongbin Zhang Texas A&m professor of plant genomics and systems biology and director of the Laboratory for Plant Genomics and Molecular genetics;
This research will use high-throughput site-associated DNA sequencing to map the genes controlling drought
and heat tolerant genes but also develop a platform for mapping genes controlling several other biotic and abiotic stress tolerances such as aphid resistance and low phosphorus tolerance both
The drought and heat tolerant genes once defined and cloned will significantly advance understanding of the molecular basis underlying plant tolerances to these stresses Zhang said.
The researchers led by Dr Charles Wondji used a wide range of methods to narrow down how the resistance works finding a single mutation in the GSTE2 gene which makes insects break down DDT
They have shown also that this gene makes insects resistant to pyrethroids raising the concern that GSTE2 gene could protect mosquitoes against the major insecticides used in public health.
The spread of resistance genes could hold back efforts to prevent the disease. The authors say that knowing how resistance works will help to develop tests
and stop these genes from spreading amongst mosquito populations. Charles Wondji said:''We found a population of mosquitoes fully resistant to DDT (no mortality
They identified the GSTE2 gene as being upregulated--producing a lot of protein--in Benin mosquitoes. They found that a single mutation (L119f) changed a non-resistant version of the GSTE2 gene to a DDT resistant version.
They designed a DNA-based diagnostic test for this type of resistance (metabolic resistance) and confirmed that this mutation was found in mosquitoes from other areas of the world with DDT resistance
X-ray crystallography of the protein coded by the gene illustrated exactly how the mutation conferred resistance by opening up the'active site'where DDT molecules bind to the protein so more can be broken down.
They also introduced the gene into fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and found they became resistant to DDT
and later with sugarcane the team introduced genes that boost natural oil production in the plant.
The introduced gene from a South american wild relative of potato triggers the plant's natural defense mechanisms by enabling it to recognize the pathogen.
Cultivated potatoes possess around 750 resistance genes but in most varieties late blight is able to elude them.
and by the time a gene is introduced successfully into a cultivated variety the late blight pathogen may already have evolved the ability to overcome it said Professor Jonathan Jones from The Sainsbury Laboratory.
The Sainsbury Laboratory is continuing to identify multiple blight resistance genes that will difficult for blight to simultaneously overcome.
Their research will allow resistance genes to be prioritized that will be more difficult for the pathogen to evade.
and experiment with multiple resistance genes. By combining understanding of resistance genes with knowledge of the pathogen they hope to develop Desiree
and Maris Piper varieties that can completely thwart attacks from late blight. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Norwich Bioscience Institutes.
Genetic diversity can be measured in a number of ways by looking at the number of different variants in a gene in a population for instance
S. polyrhiza turns out to have one of the smallest known plant genomes at about 158 million base pairs and fewer than 20000 protein-encoding genes.
The most surprising find was insight into the molecular basis for genes involved in maturation--a forever-young lifestyle said senior author Joachim Messing director of the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University.
S. polyrhiza had fewer genes to promote and more genes to repress the switch from juvenile to mature growth.
Because of the reduction in neoteny there is an arrest in development and differentiation of organs. So this arrest allowed us to uncover regulatory networks that are required for differentiation
which genes were preserved over time and which were not. Many of the genes responsible for cellulose and lignin production in land dwelling plants were missing
and there were fewer copies of those that were present. Genes for another compound related to cell walls called expansins which are involved with cell wall
and root growth were reduced also. Genes for starch production on the other hand were retained and are used probably for creating starch-filled turions specialized buds produced by aquatic plants for overwintering enabling them sink to the bottom of ponds
and revive in warmer weather. Moreover despite the reduced number of total genes S. polyrhiza has more copies of genes for enzymes involved in nitrogen absorption and metabolism than in other plants.
This is probably linked to the plant's ability to utilize excess nitrogen in contaminated waters.
Understanding which genes produce which traits will allow researchers to create new varieties of duckweed with enhanced biofuel traits such as increased reduction of cellulose or increased starch or even higher lipid production.
The team analyzed a dataset with more than 80000 gene sequences representing the global diversity of the Influenza a virus
What we're finding is that the avian virus has an extremely shallow history in most genes not much older than the invention of the telephone Worobey explained.
According to Worobey the newly generated evolutionary trees show a global replacement of the genes in the avian flu virus coinciding closely with the horse flu outbreak
Ever since the influenza pandemic of 1918 it has not been possible to narrow down even to a hemisphere the geographic origins of any of the genes of the pandemic virus. Our study changes that Worobey said.
Instead the genetic diversity across the whole avian virus gene pool in domestic and wild birds often appears to trace back to earlier outbreaks of the virus in domestic birds Worobey explained.
In contrast a male benefit from ensuring that only his sperm is used to fertilize the female's eggs thereby passing only his genes on to the next generation.
In a recent issue of Nature the researchers reported on a particular gene sequence that allows Bacteroidetes to carry out this function.
They show that about 92 per cent of the population harbors bacteria with a variant of the gene sequence according to a survey of public genome data from 250 adult humans.
The team used the latest gene identification techniques to compare the genes of healthy and infected female Holstein-friesians.
Differences between cattle in their genes is not the only factor in determining whether the animal will get bovine TB or not;
When applied Meja initiates a process of gene activity affiliated with the biosynthesis of glucosinolates (GS)
However during this process Meja also signals a network of genes that lead to plant decay by inducing the release of ethylene Juvik explained.
#Wasps use ancient aggression genes to create social groupsaggression-causing genes appeared early in animal evolution
If these mean genes keep their roles in different animals and in different contexts then perhaps model organisms--such as bees and mice--can provide insights into the biological basis of aggression in all animals including humans the researchers said.
This is one of the first investigations to utilize large datasets consisting of thousands of different genes to ask
whether there are shared genes relating to similar forms of behavior across a very wide range of animals said Amy Toth assistant professor of ecology evolution and organismal biology Iowa State.
and mice and found a few genes that are associated consistently with aggression. This suggests that even after hundreds of millions of years of evolution some genes may retain their ancestral roles in similar forms of behavior like aggression.
The team investigated the expression of aggression genes in the brains and ovaries of paper wasps--Polistes metricus.
Specifically they looked at wasps belonging to different castes including dominant colony-founding queens subordinate colony-founding queens established queens dominant workers and subordinate workers.
We found that in wasps which are primitively social insects aggression genes control the establishment of an individual's dominance over a group said Christina Grozinger professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research Penn State.
In contrast in honey bees which are advanced social insects aggression genes control altruistic defensive behavior--for example
In solitary species like fruit flies and mice the same set of aggression genes controls fighting between males over territory.
So the same genes are involved in aggression across species but are now being used in different ways by different organisms.
because they share some of the same genes that regulate aggression behaviors even if those behaviors are now quite different.
In addition to learning that aggression genes are shared among organisms the team also found that these genes are extremely sensitive to the external environment.
We found that the most important influence on expression of genes in the brains of paper wasps was external factors such as the season
Everyone agrees that both nature--including genes and physiology--and nurture--including diet environment and social interactions--contribute to the likelihood that an individual will behave in a certain way
But our results show that the external environment plays a much greater role in regulating expression of genes in the brain
which they will manipulate the expression of single genes to see how they affect behavior.
if we ramp up expression of one of the genes involved in aggression Toth said.
This type of question allows us to go beyond correlation between the gene and the behavior and address causation.
Does the gene of interest actually cause aggressive behavior? Grozinger added If there are hyper-aggressive wasps
Funded by the Grains Research & development Corporation Professor Oliver and his team in conjunction with independent research provider Kalyx Australia have demonstrated that by taking away disease-sensitivity genes from the wheat germplasm
They compared cultivars with disease-sensitivity genes to cultivars that lacked these particular genes and were able to show that the cultivars lacking the gene showed no yield loss and in some instances increased yields in the presence of disease.
From this the team were able to conclude if a sensitivity gene was eliminated there would be associated minimal risks
and it would be a safe and straightforward strategy for improving disease resistance. Professor Oliver said this research had never been done before as direct mapping for disease resistance had led not to useful molecular markers.
and relatively susceptible parents before doing the QTL (quantitative disease-resistance gene) mapping. But as disease resistance is multifactorial due to the several effector reactions the QTL mapping was always a bit fuzzy
and distribution over hosts involved investigating 484'18s rrna genes'the fragments of RNA responsible for protein synthesis.'Our most important discovery is that ciliates are extremely diverse'says evolution biologist Johannes Hackstein.'
APEC may also provide a reservoir for virulence genes that may be acquired by human strains. Many types of bacteria produce extracellular surface fibers like ECP enabling them to adhere to one another as well as to various surfaces.
The new research demonstrates--for the first time--the prevalence of ecpa a gene coding for a major structural subunit of ECP in a majority APEC sequences examined.
Deletion of ECP-related genes was shown to reduce biofilm production. Finally the study attempted to evaluate APEC virulence in baby chicks using strains with deleted ECP genes.
Results show a reduction in virulence. In fact the potential for colonization among the ECP deletion strains was reduced particularly in the bloodstream.
although the gene of ECP was found in a large number of APEC these bacteria express this gene differently
Elucidating how the expression of some genes is turned on or off by different factors will help us understand how these bacteria cause disease.
To demonstrate the utility of the protocol Avanesyan successfully amplified the DNA of a noncoding region of a plant chloroplast gene
and director of movement disorders at UCLA. Bronstein said the team also found that people with a common genetic variant of the ALDH2 gene are particularly sensitive to the effects of ALDH-inhibiting pesticides
Then the researchers found that those participants in the epidemiologic study with a genetic variant in the ALDH gene were increased at risk of Parkinson's when exposed to these pesticides.
and the Institute of Molecular biology of CSIC both in Barcelona and Dolf Weijers at the University of Wageningen in The netherlands unravels the mystery behind how the plant hormones called auxins activate multiple vital plant functions through various gene
or represses a specific group of genes. Some plants have more than 20 distinct auxin-regulated transcription factors.
and control the expression of numerous plant genes in function of the task to be undertaken that is to say cell growth flowering root initiation leaf growth etc.
The resolution of five 3d structures has revealed why a given transcription factor is capable of activating a single set of genes
because we have revealed the ultimate effect of a hormone that controls plant development on DNA that is to say on genes. says Miquel Coll. Story Source:
#Single gene separates queen from workersscientists have identified how a single gene in honey bees separates the queens from the workers.
A team of scientists from Michigan State university and Wayne State university unraveled the gene's inner workings
The gene which is responsible for leg and wing development plays a crucial role in the evolution of bees'ability to carry pollen.
This gene is critical in making the hind legs of workers distinct so they have the physical features necessary to carry pollen said Zachary Huang MSU entomologist.
Other studies have shed some light on this gene's role in this realm but our team examined in great detail how the modifications take place.
The gene in question is Ultrabithorax or Ubx. Specifically the gene allows workers to develop a smooth spot on their hind legs that hosts their pollen baskets.
On another part of their legs the gene promotes the formation of 11 neatly spaced bristles a section known as the pollen comb.
The gene also promotes the development of a pollen press a protrusion also found on hind legs that helps pack
and transport pollen back to the hive. While workers have these distinct features queens do not.
and silencing Ubx the target gene. This made the pollen baskets specialized leg features used to collect
because the gene is expressed more highly in hind legs compared to front and mid legs. Besides honey bees which aren't native to North america there are more than 300 species of other bees in Michigan alone.
They also tested samples of local foods for the presence of C. perfringens and the toxin gene.
and 2. 7%were positive for the epsilon toxin gene. Linden says these findings are important
Patients with a version of Apoe gene (Apoe4) which greatly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's
and high blood levels of DDE exhibited even more severe cognitive impairment than the patients without the risk gene.
and how the chemical compound interacts with the Apoe4 gene Richardson says. Although the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease--with five million Americans suffering now and millions more expected to fall prey with the graying of the Baby boom Generation--is known not scientists believe that late-onset Alzheimer's may be linked to a combination of genetic environmental and lifestyle factors.
There are 21550 protein coding genes found in total. Researchers compared buffalo genome with other mammals'such as cattle horse panda pig
As children get older the lactase gene is disabled gradually which means that no lactase is formed
This newly discovered sequence of genes enables Bacteroides ovatus to chop up xyloglucan a major type of dietary fibre found in many vegetables--from lettuce leaves to tomato fruits.
About 92 per cent of the population harbours bacteria with a variant of the gene sequence according to the researchers'survey of public genome data from 250 adult humans.
They contain two copies of each chromosome. Male honey bees known as drones on the other hand are haploid
and contain only one chromosome set. The haploid susceptibility hypothesis predicts that haploid males are more prone to disease compared to their diploid female counterparts
because dominant genes on one chromosome copy have the op-portunity to mask mutated genes on the other copy in diploid organisms.
A major criticism of GMOS Pepper notes focuses on cases where genes from other species â#even bacterial ones â#have been added to an organism to achieve a desired trait.
For instance the agricultural giant Monsanto adds a gene to cotton that makes it resistant to Roundupâ
and the weed killer to farmers. â#oewhat weâ##re doing is a little differentâ#Pepper said. â#oeweâ##re not actually adding in a gene from another species. Rather weâ##re knocking down the effect of one
of the genes thatâ##s already in the plant. â#Like human and animal eyes plants also have photoreceptors that pick up information about the environment.
and a short-fiber plant then zeroed in on a region of the genome that sat directly on top of one the phytochrome genes.
#or interfere with expression of that gene Pepper said. â#oethis was pure basic science seeking to understand the biological function of a geneâ#Pepper said. â#oeand sure enough the phytochrome â#knock-downâ##plants had all these phenotypic
#Ramularia and the 4 Rsthe gene that has provided spring barley with resistance to powdery mildew for over 30 years increases susceptibility to newly-important disease Ramularia leaf spot.
Since 1980 the mlo gene has transformed mildew from the most important disease of barley to an occasional nuisance in wetter areas of the UK.
However the research also paves the way for barley lines to be bred that are resistant to both diseases by selecting for multiple genes.
It has struck us that plant breeding relying on the successful use of a single major resistance gene can increase susceptibility to another disease said R&d breeder Peter Werner from KWS UK.
They then observed a strong induction of the expression of genes and enzymes responsible for the synthesis of glucose in the intestine.
Infertility caused by a single gene This practice is fraught with risk however: If the genetic make-up of any animal contains an unidentified defect this characteristic will be passed on to future generations.
TUM researchers have discovered now that a mutation in the TMEM95 gene on cattle chromosome 19 makes bulls effectively infertile with a success rate for insemination of less than 2 percent.
i e. they are homozygous for the defective gene. It is only in this case that the animals should be excluded from breeding.
The TMEM95 gene encodes a protein on the surface of the sperm heads. The protein probably mediates the binding process between the sperm and egg cells.
and quality but also improve animal health by identifying pathogenic gene variants and ensuring that they are passed not on to future animals.
For those with a family history of certain cancers information about our genes can offer choices in dealing with our genetic destiny.
A woman who carries the BRCA breast cancer gene for example who has watched families members die at an early age may choose preventive mastectomy rather than risk extremely high odds of developing the same illness.
For other cancers such as colorectal cancer the presence of a gene may signal the need for increased vigilance with more frequent screenings to catch any abnormality early.
These species the scientists discovered lack those genes that make other Burkholderia species harmful agents of infection.
They found a strong distinction between genes in these beneficial strains and in pathogenic strains.
They searched for genes typically involved in infection--for attaching to and invading cells or for secreting toxins.
Unlike their dangerous cousins the four symbiotic Burkholderia species did not have associated genes with the virulence systems found in the pathogenic species. Burkholderia were discovered first as plant pathogens in 1949 by Walter Burkholder who identified them as the agent causing
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