Dr. Epstein questions the utility of rodents for evaluating biotech crops and points out that the MUV results highlight the importance of a careful case-by-case evaluation of GM CROPS
and the role science can play in decision-making around the introduction of GMOS into the food system.
Jonathan Pritchard Phd professor in the department of human genetics studies the nature of these human genetic variations by combining methods from evolutionary biology and statistics.
In a recent paper published in PLOS Genetics he and Joseph Pickrell a former University of Chicago researcher now at Harvard described a software model they developed that can infer the history of population splits and mixtures within a species based on modern DNA.
#Genetic history of tomatoes revealed by new sequencingthis week an international team of researchers led by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing is publishing in the journal Nature Genetics a brief genomic history
The C. M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center here at UC Davis played an important role in this study by providing seed of both cultivated tomato varieties and related wild
and modern breeding influenced the genetic makeup of cultivated tomatoes. UC Davis researchers also led an effort to sequence the genome of a wild relative of the cultivated tomato.
An important finding is that specific regions of the tomato genome were depleted unintentionally in genetic variation:
These stretches of genetic uniformity illustrate the need to increase overall genetic diversity in modern varieties
and highlight the important role that the Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center and similar collections play in housing much of the genetic variability that will be critical for future breeding and research on tomato.
No previous attempts to understand the evolutionary history of this group have included genetic samples from nearly all the existing species. Berv began sequencing DNA samples
what is applied typically to genetic data Berv says. We ran our data through more traditional types of analyses as well
It is therefore possible to yield plenty of genetic information with just a tiny fragment.
Scientists from the Department of Molecular biology and Genetics at Izmir Institute of technology in Turkey published a unique study in Hortscience that compared antioxidant traits for wild tomatoes with those of cultivated varieties.
and wild calves and showed that the EEHV1 strains in India displayed the same genetic diversity as those in Western zoos.
In these studies the investigators performed extensive DNA fingerprinting of the genetic signatures of all the known EEHV cases as well as samples of EEHV virus that were obtained from wild Asian
We can measure entire root systems for thousands of plants to give geneticists the information they need to search for genes with the best characteristics.
Data generated by the new technique will be used in subsequent analyses to help understand how changes in genetics affect plant growth.
This study gives us the genetic blueprint to quickly and cost-effectively convert white or yellow corn to orange corn that is rich in carotenoids--and we can do
We now have the genetic information needed to begin developing a major public-private sector collaboration with the goal of providing orange corn with high levels of Provitamin a to farmers throughout Sub-saharan africa he said.
The paper was published online in Genetics. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Purdue University.
The first generation of the new data resource which will be open access forms an essential tool for scientists working with cattle genetics and livestock history.
The results are published in an article in the scientific journal Nature Genetics. It's momentous says one of the scientists behind the international effort associate professor Bernt Guldbrandtsen from the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics Department of Molecular biology and Genetics Aarhus University.
Scientists from Aarhus University--the only Danish university to participate--have been part of the consortium from the start
and have enormous influence on the genetic composition and characteristics of modern cattle breeds. For example Holstein bulls in the database have fathered at least 6. 3 million daughters worldwide.
The article in Nature Genetics describes data from 232 bulls and two cows of the breeds Angus Holstein Jersey and Fleckvieh.
Since these animals are key ancestors they carry most of the genetic variations present in the three races.
and the genetic types carried by new offspring can be predicted. These data can be linked to data on key attributes such as health calving fertility milk yield
and growth allowing the identification of genetic variatiants that result in differences between animals. In the past we had mapped only approximately two percent of the variation.
He is supplemented by professor Mogens Sandã¸Lund director of the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics at the Department of Molecular biology and Genetics Aarhus University:
New basis for genetic work The scientists explain that the database will become the standard reference within bovine genetics.
It is a global resource that will be the basis for all bovine genetic studies for many years to come.
It opens the doors for further studies of the genetic variation of different traits and for more information and studies on the history of cattle explains postdoc Rasmus Froberg Brã¸ndum also from the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics.
When we have such detailed information to build on we can more easily and effectively focus the breeding work for the benefit of livestock health welfare and production.
Scientists have combined genetic analyses with new modeling approaches for the first time to help identify how well balsam popular trees are adapted to handle climate change.
The scientists sampled the genetic code of 400 trees from 31 locations across northern North america
and combined the genetic variations with computer modeling techniques to map how important genes differ within balsam poplar
Some will respond differently given different genetic backgrounds. It turns out that all members of a species won't react the same way to climate change.
This type of modeling of variation in genetic makeup represents an important advance in understanding how climate change may impact biodiversity.
We've developed the techniques to associate genetic variation to climate and to map where individuals may
which micro-RNAS direct gene expression to achieve this differentiation. We need to know what signal makes a cell contribute to one zone
Now livestock such as sheep offer an intriguing animal to examine adaptation to climate change with a genetic legacy of centuries of selected breeding and a wealth of livestock genome-wide data available.
We have provided genetic evidence that green leafy volatiles have this dual function â#in the plant they activate production of insecticidal compounds
By modifying the gene expressions responsible for the branch growth during the first year of woody species researchers of the Centre for Plant Biotechnology
On that basis researchers at UPM have used a biotechnological procedure to modify the gene expression levels of RAV1 (Related to ABI3
This process of genetic modification is potentially applicable to any woody species and using their adaptive features to a particular habitat.
#Using genetic screening to improve Korean white wheatvisiting scientist Dae Wook Kim hopes to develop a line of Korean wheat that does not sprout
when exposed to wet harvest conditions thanks to genetic screening techniques he learned at South dakota State university.
Kim will quantify the gene expression levels from Glover's newest lines that are resistant to preharvest sprouting
Growers should not rely too heavily on modern genetics to give them the yields they expect without spending a considerable amount of effort on maintaining nutrient availability throughout the growing season.
That's the conclusion of University of Oregon researchers and colleagues from other institutions who studied the genetic fingerprints of bacteria on 57 species of trees growing on a Panamanian island.
This can be done without genetic engineering. The findings are important for grain farmers around the world.
-and pest-resistance traits of other grasses using a legion of genetic tools that can reduce crop losses
But with the rise of agriculture and cultivated wheat 10000 years ago the plant's genetic structure changed.
While facilitated by technology the actual exchange of genetic material is similar to what has taken long place in nature only faster.
They documented for the first time the presence of genetic material for the bluetongue virus in female midges that were collected during two consecutive winter seasons.
The findings which appear in PLOS Genetics could help researchers build better defense responses in corn and other plants;
USDA plant geneticist and breeder Jim Holland co-authored the paper along with first authors Bode Olukolu
Many evolutionary solutions are already at handwhereas we might have to wait for new solutions from human gene therapy genetic engineering of crops
These genetically modified crops kill certain pests but without refuges the pests quickly adapt. Providing refuges of conventional plants has been especially effective for suppressing resistance in the pink bollworm an invasive pest of cotton.
and quantity climatic conditions synchronization physiological conditions in both insect and food plant genetic modifications etc.
The research carried out by academics from the University of Birmingham represents a significant contribution to global research in plant genetic resources for food and agriculture particularly in the fight against the detrimental impacts of climate change on food security.
With more plant species than Europe and CWR of globally important food crops its position as a provider of plant genetic resources for crop improvement is crucial to us all globally.
and all are likely to be already suffering a loss of genetic diversity due to habitat loss
while taking samples and placing them in gene banks as a safety back up where the genetic material can be kept for up to 300 years.
because seeds have a lot of genetic variability and you don't know if a seed will produce the same fruit as the tree that produced it.
Next the scientists looked at how coffee's genetic make-up is distinct from other species. Compared to several other plant species including the grape
The scientists demonstrated how three societies living on the slopes of Mount Kenya have shaped the geographic distribution and structure of the genetic diversity of local varieties.
This study sheds light on the debate on the ownership and redistribution of benefits from genetic resources.
Three societies the same environmentclimate environment and competition between species are well-known factors in the genetic evolution of plants.
These practices limit the genetic and phenotypic standardization of the varieties grown on the slopes of Mount Kenya.
Each ethnic group leaves its genetic signatureat the same time the researchers inventoried and sampled the different varieties of sorghum grown by 130 Chuka Mbeere and Tharaka households.
DNA analysis of the 300 plants gathered has identified four genetic groups of sorghum. Two of them correspond to two introduced varieties.
Using this multidisciplinary approach bringing together anthropologists geneticists and agronomists this work shows the role of human societies in the geographic distribution and evolution of the genetic diversity of crop plants.
Identifying the factors that shape biodiversity locally helps to preserve them better in the future. Furthermore this confirms the influence of local practices and knowledge on the diversity of life
which is a central issue in the debate on the ownership and redistribution of benefits from the use of genetic resources.
Role of agriculture reviewedwhat phenomenon enabled the demographic growth of Bantu farmers in Africa and led to their genetic differentiation from the Pygmy hunter-gatherer communities?
the genetic differentiation between the Pygmies and the ancestors of the Bantus and the demographic growth of the latter occurred long before the advent of agriculture on the continent.
It is apparent that the genetic differentiation of the two populations proves to be ancient
genetic mixing between the two societies did indeed take place at some point in the evolution
the genomes of the Pygmy communities today have up to 50%of the genetic material inherited from their farmer neighbours.
By questioning the impact of the discovery of agriculture on the history of genetics and demographics in Africa this work highlights a major question:
Irina Ovcarenko research scientist at the MTT Agrifood Research Finland has studied genetic diversity and ecology of greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) in her thesis. Greenhouse whitefly is a widespread invasive pest
Genetic analyses revealed that the same whitefly populations persist in the majority of the sampled greenhouses for two years.
Insecticide-treated populations able to recoverovcarenko's findings show that genetic diversity of greenhouse whitefly is lower in the Finnish greenhouses compared with Greece where whiteflies are able to persist outdoors all year round.
Furthermore global genetic diversity of greenhouse whitefly is low. Generally low genetic diversity results in species'decreased ability to adapt.
However whiteflies are able to recover from insecticide treatments and maintain even high levels of genetic diversity in their local populations.
It was surprising to find medium to high levels of local genetic diversity and no signs of harmful genetic bottlenecks in whiteflies from greenhouses where new crops are planted every year
and insecticides cause frequent mortality Ovcarenko says. Moreover low global genetic diversity has reduced not adaptation or invasion potential of the Finnish population.
Whitefly is a generalist herbivore which feeds on many plant species but it may also specialize in feeding on greenhouse crops.
Tomato and cucumber are the most common crops in the Finnish greenhouse cluster and initial signs of evolution of specialized races for these host plants were found in the study.
#New research reveals how wild rabbits were transformed genetically into tame rabbitsthe genetic changes that transformed wild animals into domesticated forms have long been a mystery.
and gives answers to many genetic questions. The domestication of animals and plants a prerequisite for the development of agriculture is one of the most important technological revolutions during human history.
There are several reasons why the rabbit is an outstanding model for genetic studies of domestication:
Wild rabbits also serve as an excellent model for genetic studies of the early stages of species formation as shown in an accompanying study we publish today in PLOS Genetics adds Miguel Carneiro.
No previous study on animal domestication has involved such a careful examination of genetic variation in the wild ancestral species. This allowed us to pinpoint the genetic changes that have occurred during rabbit domestication says Leif Andersson Uppsala University Swedish University of Agricultural
The scientists involved in the current study have now been able to reveal the genetic basis for this remarkable change in behaviour
Nutrition Research center Epidemiology and Genetics Core. An unhealthy diet has long been considered a major contributor to the development of diabetes
Some researchers hope that genetic engineering --in addition to improved farming practices and traditional plant breeding--will add to the arsenal of techniques to help crops withstand summer's swelter.
But these assumptions don't take into consideration human efforts to boost plant productivity through genetic manipulation plant breeding
and found that a genetic mutation stunted tassel growth because it was unable to transport boron across the plant membranes inhibiting further growth in the plants.
A recent study published online August 24 2014 in Nature Genetics offers a more in depth population-based approach to identifying such mechanisms for adaptation
For the U s. Department of energy which is developing biomass crops for biofuels production this knowledge could determine which genotypes--genetic makeup of an organism--of biomass crop may thrive better than others in certain environments.
and analyses to understand the processes involved in shaping the genetic variation of natural poplar (Populus trichocarpa) populations.
so as to characterize the genetic basis for variation in adaptation. The shift from an approach focused on single candidate genes to the large-scale computational approach analyzing all of them is made possible by the availability of the poplar genome
#Evolutionary history of honeybees revealed by genomicsin a study published in Nature Genetics researchers from Uppsala University present the first global analysis of genome variation in honeybees.
The findings show a surprisingly high level of genetic diversity in honeybees and indicate that the species most probably originates from Asia
and have identified high levels of genetic diversity in honeybees. In contrast to other domestic species management of honeybees seems to have increased levels of genetic variation by mixing bees from different parts of the world.
The findings may also indicate that high levels of inbreeding are not a major cause of global colony losses says Matthew Webster researcher at the department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology Uppsala University.
and genetic adaptation and establishes a framework for investigating the biological mechanisms behind disease resistance
The study which appears Aug 21 in PLOS Pathogens found strong genetic evidence that three tree species--Canary Island pine Pohutukawa
A few years ago Duke's chairman of Molecular genetics and Microbiology Joseph Heitman M d. was contacted by longtime collaborator
but all African pygmy phenotypes do not have the same genetic underpinning suggesting a more recent adaptation than previously thought.
A phenotype is the outward expression of genetic makeup and while two individuals with the same phenotype may look alike their genes may differ substantially.
Perry and colleagues looked at the genetics of the Batwa rainforest hunter-gatherers of Uganda
Their short stature is caused not by a single genetic mutation as occurs in many forms of dwarfism
but is the result of a variety of genetic changes throughout the genome that influence height.
The researchers investigated 16 different genetic locations that were associated with short stature when they looked at individuals who were an admixture of Batwa and Bakiga.
Genetic mutations occur in populations all the time. If they have a negative impact on the individual they tend to disappear from the population quickly.
The results of the genetic comparison indicated that there was a statistical difference between the two groups indicative of multi gene adaptation.
However when they looked at the Baka of West Africa they did not find the same types of changes in the 16 genetic locations.
The fact that they are not suggests that both of these Pygmy phenotypes arose independently separated geographically with different underlying genetics
Despite many setbacks over the years recent genetic and immunologic advancements have helped revitalized progress in the xenotransplantation field comments lead investigator Muhammad M. Mohiuddin MD of the Cardiothoracic Surgery
In this study researchers compared the survival of hearts from genetically engineered piglets that were organized into different experimental groups based on the genetic modifications introduced.
#Plants may use newly discovered molecular language to communicatea Virginia Tech scientist has discovered a potentially new form of plant communication one that allows them to share an extraordinary amount of genetic information with one another.
#Statistical model predicts performance of hybrid ricegenomic prediction a new field of quantitative genetics is a statistical approach to predicting the value of an economically important trait in a plant such as yield or disease resistance.
Now a research team led by plant geneticists at the University of California Riverside and Huazhong Agricultural University China has used the method to predict the performance of hybrid rice (for example the yield growth-rate and disease resistance).
Rice and maize are two main crops that depend on hybrid breeding said Shizhong Xu a professor of genetics in the UC Riverside Department of Botany
In genetics dominance describes the joint action of two different alleles (copies) of a gene.
For instance changes to the characteristics of fruit might be made via small genetic tweaks designed to increase
So far editing tools have not been applied to the genetic modification of fruit crops. Most transgenic fruit crop plants have been developed using a plant bacterium to introduce foreign genes
The next stage of the research will be to gain approval for open-field studies. â#Genetic elimination of field-cage populations of Mediterranean Fruit Fliesâ##is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society
The data in this study did not permit the researchers to detect a genetic component to tolerance.
If genetics do play a role she suspects multiple genes may interact with environmental factors to determine tolerance;
Understanding the genetic underpinnings of nematode tolerance could someday guide efforts to boost tolerance in livestock by identifying
Using advanced fly genetics the team found this effect only when oxidative phosphorylation was reduced in neurons but not in neighboring cells known as glia.
We still don't know which specific genetic factors in this MRSA type facilitate the spread from animals to humans.
And now new findings out of the genetics professor's lab promise to advance that technology even further.
After eating 300 g of lean red meat per day for four weeks study participants had a 30 percent increase in the levels of certain genetic molecules called mir-17-92
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell biology and Genetics show that supplying D-lactate
and Genetics with rather different research programs--but both happened to stumble upon the gene DJ-1 and joined forces.
so the genetic material will be injected into the human cell. Hemagglutinin is recognized by polysaccharide receptors on host cells
and genetics research of insects Kawahara said. There is a DNA revolution taking place Kawahara said.
Kawahara said the yearlong study is one of the first to utilize a massive amount of genetic data to answer questions about the history of butterflies and moths.
of which hold genetic material for organisms. The researchers identified 2696 genes by breaking down the DNA down and piecing it back together Kawahara said.
and the ability to digest milk in adulthood still visible in the genetic distribution of modern Finland which remains one of the highest consumers of dairy products in the world.
The DNA of a cattle bone shows genetic traces of the European aurochs and thus adds a further facet to the history of cattle domestication.
Aurochs of the Near east carry a maternally inherited genetic signature (mtdna) called T haplogroup. Modern cattle still carry this signature
The analysis showed that the bovine bone carried the European aurochs'genetic signature of the P haplogroup.
The genetic information will enhance scientists 'and agriculturalists'understanding of the growing patterns of African rice as well as enable the development of new rice varieties that are better able to cope with increasing environmental stressors to help solve global hunger challenges.
The paper The genome sequence of African rice (Oryza glaberrima) and evidence for independent domestication was published online in Nature Genetics on Sunday.
Carney is also a co-author on the Nature Genetics paper and her book served as one of the inspirations behind sequencing the African rice genome.
or through genetic modification techniques noted Wing who is also a member of the UA's BIO5 Institute and holds the Axa Endowed Chair of Genome Biology and Evolutionary Genomics at the International Rice Research
what geneticists call physical maps a tool that enables scientists to understand the structure of the genome.
and Asians independently selected for many of the same genetic traits in the two species such as higher nutrition
what is known about the genetic structure of wild varieties Wing and his team found that it's most similar to a population of wild rice species found in one location along the Niger river in Mali.
By understanding the entire genus at a genome level we have a whole new pool of genetic variation that can be used to combat pests
The work published July 27 in the journal Nature Genetics was lead by Bjã rn Usadel and colleagues at Aachen University in Germany.
The research by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell walls in the University's School of Agriculture Food and Wine in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Germany will be presented at the upcoming
The epigenome functions like a set of switches for regulating gene expression and can be altered by environmental conditions.
They report on their research in the most recent edition of the science journal Nature Genetics.
Dairy and beef cattle The project demonstrates how useful large-scale DNA analyses can be says Professor Roel Veerkamp Professor of Numerical Genetics at Wageningen University and board member of the 1000 Bull Genomes project.
and Maine's only native rabbit after new research based on genetic monitoring has found that in the last decade cottontail populations in northern New england have become more isolated
Kovach's research expands on this knowledge by using DNA analysis to provide new information on the cottontail's status distribution genetic diversity and dispersal ecology.
Researchers used genetics to study the changes in New england cottontail populations and their dispersal patterns.
Researchers identified the genetic pattern of individual rabbits and used information about genetic relatedness to make estimates of gene flow.
They identified four major genetic clusters of New england cottontails in the region. A major power line connected some of these populations in the recent past--a finding
which underscores the importance of restoring suitable habitat to reconnect these populations. If we can restore more of this habitat in our landscape
The second was to salvage some of the snakes to ensure we had genetic material from them in captivity
While it is well known that genetic differences underlie differences in many types of behavior the new findings show that sometimes it is important to give individuals a chance in a different situation to truly find out how different they are from each other Robinson said.
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