and genetically modifying crops according to a Forum article published in the August issue of Bioscience.
RNA interference is a natural process that affects the level of activity of genes in animals and plants.
however successfully artificial interfering RNAS that target genes in insect pests slowing their growth or killing them.
The safety concern as with other types of genetic modification and with pesticides generally is that the artificial interfering RNAS will also harm desirable insects or other animals.
For example an interfering RNA might have unintended the effect of suppressing the action of a gene needed for reproduction in a beneficial species. Standard laboratory testing would detect no harm
The above story is provided based on materials by American Institute of Biological sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and biodiversity caused by intensive farming. Looking to the future the research weighed up the consequences of alternative land uses
Recasting the CAP as a Payment for Ecosystem Services mechanism would reward farmers for delivering a bundle of key of ecosystem services including climate change mitigation by the reduction of emission of greenhouse gases water regulation recreation and biodiversity conservation.
of which may be irreversible such as biodiversity loss. We have put a value to such costs and found that
in biodiversity. The EU's Common Agricultural Policy must account for the cost of not working with nature.
Now researchers in Mcgill University's Department of Chemical engineering are shedding light on the biological mechanisms by
In research results published online last month in the Canadian Journal of Microbiology Prof. Tufenkji and members of her laboratory report that cranberry powder can inhibit the ability of Proteus mirabilis a bacterium frequently implicated in complicated UTIS to swarm on agar plates
A genome-wide analysis of an uropathogenic E coli revealed that expression of the gene that encodes for the bacteria's flagellar filament was decreased in the presence of cranberry PACS.
Another recent study led by Tufenkji in collaboration with Mcgill professor Showan Nazhat a biomaterials expert at the Department of Mining
Based on the demonstrated bioactivity of cranberry its use in catheters and other medical devices could someday yield considerable benefits to patient health Tufenkji says.
Dr Evropi Theodoratou of the University of Edinburgh's School of Molecular Genetic and Population Health Sciences said:
#Boldly illuminating biologys dark matteris space really the final frontier or are the greatest mysteries closer to home?
The biological equivalent is microbial dark matter that pervasive yet practically invisible infrastructure of life on the planet
By employing next generation DNA sequencing of genomes isolated from single cells great strides are being made in the monumental task of systematically bringing to light
In an international collaboration led by the U s. Department of energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) the most recent findings from exploring microbial dark matter were published online July 14 2013 in the journal Nature.
and characterizing single genomes from complex environmental samples of millions of cells to provide a profound leap of understanding the microbial evolution on our planet.
and identify 201 distinct genomes which then could be aligned to 28 major previously uncharted branches of the tree of life.
So we have only recently become aware of their roles in various ecosystems through cultivation-independent methods such as metagenomics and single-cell genomics.
What we are now discovering are unexpected metabolic features that extend our understanding of biology and challenge established boundaries between the domains of life.
or 16s RIBOSOMAL RNA genes that are conserved across microbial lineages because of their essential role as housekeeping genes--critical for the organism's survival.
Genome sequencing of the rest of the genomes of most of these lineages is however proceeding much more slowly.
Microbial genome representation in the databases is skewed quite said Chris Rinke DOE JGI postdoctoral fellow and first author of the study.
More than three-quarters of all sequenced genomes fall into three taxonomic groups or phyla but there are over 60 phyla we know of.
Using modern single-cell techniques allowed us to access the genetic make-up for some of them even without growing them in the lab. In this effort to seek out new life the team's findings fell into three main areas.
This course correction provides insights into how organisms function in the context of a particular ecosystem as well as a much improved and more accurate understanding of the associations of newly discovered genes with resident life forms.
The 201 genomes provided solid reference points anchors for phylogeny--the lineage history of organisms as they change over time.
Our single-cell genomes gave us a glimpse into the evolutionary relationships between uncultivated organisms--insights that extend beyond the single locus resolution of the 16s rrna tree
which we solely have fragments of genetic information. We interpreted millions of these bits of genetic information like distant stars in the night sky trying to align them into recognizable constellations.
At first we didn't know what they should look like but we could estimate their relationship to each other not spatially but over evolutionary time.
and the path ahead in environmental genomics is similarly daunting. There is still a staggering amount of diversity to explore Woyke said.
To try to capture 50 percent of just the currently known phylogenetic diversity we would have to sequence 20000 more genomes
http://www. jgi. doe. gov/programs/GEBA/)and closely articulates with other international efforts such as the Microbial Earth Project which aims to generate a comprehensive genome catalog of all archaeal and bacterial
The above story is provided based on materials by DOE/Joint Genome Institute. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Evidently sexual reproduction and new combinations of genetic material usually prove disadvantageous for the fungus. Asexual reproduction however is considerably more successful for mildew as plant biologists from the University of Zurich
and the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne demonstrate. Nonetheless the fungus still allows itself a sexual reproduction cycle.
Beat Keller and Thomas Wicker both plant biologists from the University of Zurich and their team have been analyzing the genetic material of wheat mildew varieties from Switzerland England
and Israel while the team headed by Paul Schulze-Lefert at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne studies the genetic material of barley mildew.
The results recently published in Nature Genetics and PNAS respectively unveil a long shared history of co-evolution between the host and the pest and the unexpected success of asexually produced mildew offspring.
Sexually where the genetic material is recombined and asexually where the offspring and the mother fungus are genetically identical.
In a parasite-host situation new combinations of genetic material are a disadvantage for the parasite as the adaptation to the host
however have the ideal genetic prerequisites to be able to attack a host themselves. According to Schulze-Lefert wheat and barley mildew offspring from asexual reproduction are normally more successful than their sexually reproduced counterparts.
Sex still worthwhilebased on the gene analyses the scientists were also able to prove that mildew already lived parasitically on the ancestral form of wheat 10000 years ago before wheat were domesticated actually as crops.
None of the subsequent genetic changes in the crops due to breeding or spontaneous mutations was ever able to keep the mildew fungus away from wheat in the longer term.
That's only possible by recombining the genetic material; in other words sexual reproduction. Evidently a sexual exchange and mixtures of the genetic material of different mildew varieties have occurred several times in the course of the millennia giving rise to new mildew varieties that were able to attack new sorts of wheat.
The scientists suspect that the grain trade in the ancient world was partly responsible for the emergence of new mildew varieties.
Work by scientists at Newcastle University UK has looked at the impact slugs have on grassland biodiversity
#Snakes devour more mosquito-eating birds as climate change heats forestsmany birds feed on mosquitoes that spread the West Nile virus a disease that killed 286 people in the United states in 2012 according to the Centers
However rising temperatures threaten wild birds including the Missouri-native Acadian flycatcher by making snakes more active according to University of Missouri biologist John Faaborg.
and seek more baby birds for food said Faaborg professor of biological sciences in MU's College of Arts and Science.
and his colleagues published in the journal Global Change Biology. Survival of young indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) also decreased during warmer years.
#Understanding bulls gene-rich Y chromosomes may improve herd fertilitythe Y chromosomes of cattle have more genes
and are more active than the Y chromosomes of other primates according to researchers. This discovery may help biologists better understand how cattle
and other mammals evolved as well as help animal breeders and farmers better maintain and enhance fertility in the cattle industry said Wansheng Liu associate professor of animal genomics Penn State.
Low fertility is a big problem for the dairy and beef industry Liu said. In the past 60 years we paid more attention to milk
The researchers identified 1274 genes in the male specific region of the bovine Y chromosome compared to the 31 to 78 genes associated in the Y chromosomes of various primates.
They also said the genes in the bovine Y chromosome were much more transcriptionally active compared to other mammals.
Transcription is the first step of gene expression when DNA is copied. In this process the cell produces MESSENGER RNA that copies the genetic information from the cell nucleus to serve as a template for protein synthesis
. In addition to the 1274 genes that take part in coding proteins they also identified 375 novel noncoding gene families on the bovine Y chromosome
which are expressed predominantly in different stages of the testis. Most researchers believed that the Y chromosome of cattle would be similar to the Y chromosome of other mammals
which does not have a large number of genes and is considered mostly transcriptionally inactive Liu said.
The Y chromosome which was once similar to the X chromosome evolved predominantly for testis development and male fertility he added.
Currently the gene content and transcription pattern of the bovine Y chromosome is the only non-primate Y chromosome that researchers have studied in depth according to Liu.
These findings directly contradict the traditional view that the Y is largely heterochromatic with a paucity of genes
and transcription activity said the researchers who released their findings in the current online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The X and Y sex chromosome in most mammals began to diverge after 160 million years of evolution.
However genetic isolation and lineage-specific evolution resulted in the unique structure of the bovine Y chromosome
which determines the gene content and transcriptional activity of the Y chromosome among cattle according to Liu.
With little knowledge of the roles that the Y chromosome genes play in fertility most animal breeders and farmers select bulls based on physical characteristics such as the size of the testis.
Because the Y chromosome is present in males only the Y-linked testis genes that govern male fertility are passed directly through the male line.
Understanding genetic diversity may give farmers another tool for managing their herds to improve male fertility Liu said.
fellows in animal science at Penn State and the late Ernest Retzel National Center for Genome Resources.
We can begin to understand the Y chromosome variation among male lineages in a cattle breed Liu said.
And also we can better understand how we can maintain genetic diversity in males particularly in a breed such as Holsteins that has been selected extensively
The researchers analyzed the expression of the entire Y-linked genes as the bull aged beginning soon after the bull's birth during puberty and then again after the bull matured.
COMPLEMENTARY DNA is a form of DNA that is synthesized from a MESSENGER RNA templatethe bovine genome sequence was published in 2009 said Liu.
As that genome sequence was from a female the findings of the bovine Y chromosome study is a significant contribution to the completion of the bovine--male and female--genome project.
These he says are feed additives in given routinely without a prescription at lower than therapeutic concentrations for purposes such as growth promotion
He believes that how bacteria which might carry resistant genes are transmitted to humans must be considered
Matthew Wheeler a University of Illinois Professor of Animal Sciences and member of the Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering research theme at the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) worked with a team of five
because their tracheas have similar biomechanical and anatomical properties to a growing human trachea. Essentially all our breakthroughs in human clinical medicine have been tested initially
First Wheeler sent a CT scan of a pig's trachea to Scott Hollister a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan.
The above story is provided based on materials by Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
and Assistant professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Andrew Richardson however has found that forests across the globe are becoming more efficient than expected.
The researchers--led by Brett Sandercock professor of biology--discovered that wind turbines have little effect on greater prairie chickens
and then hide nests in tall prairie grass The scientists researched many different features of prairie chickens and their biology:
Virginia Winder assistant professor of biology at Benedictine college; Lance Mcnew 2010 doctoral graduate in biology and research wildlife biologist with the U s. Geological Survey at the Alaska Science Center;
Andrew Gregory 2011 doctoral graduate in biology and postdoctoral scholar at Northern Arizona University; and Lyla Hunt master's student in biology Riverside Calif. The Grassland Community Collaborative Oversight Committee of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative oversaw the research project.
The project received funding from a variety of sources including the U s. Department of energy; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory;
the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism; the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; and The Nature Conservancy.
In addition to the observation of the daily embryonic development in detail the primary research interest focused on the hatch dynamics60000 images of the hatching chickthe hatch itself is subject to biological variation.
History of similar viruses gives cause for concernthe H7n9 avian flu strain that emerged in China earlier this year has subsided for now
The virus has several highly unusual traits that paint a disquieting picture of a pathogen that may yet lead to a pandemic according to lead scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases.
David Morens Jeffery Taubenberger and Anthony Fauci in a paper published in mbio the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology describe the history of H7 viruses in animal and human disease
The outbreak of H7n9 earlier this year led China to temporarily close scores of live poultry markets in an effort to limit the spread of the virus
despite this apparent hiatus viruses like H7n9 which have subtype 7 hemagglutinin are a cause for heightened concern because of several highly unusual characteristics.
First H7 viruses have repeatedly been involved in numerous explosive poultry outbreaks including incidents in New york Canada Mexico The netherlands
and Italy and in almost all of these cases the virus eventually spilled over into humans.
Also H7 viruses have the ability to mutate from a low pathogenicity form to a high pathogenicity form in birds a scenario that can lead to large-scale culling and ultimately to human exposure to the virus among poultry workers.
Among other commonalities both viruses have a clinical picture that includes bilateral pneumonia acute respiratory distress syndrome
and multi-organ failure and it appears they are both currently unable to easily infect most humans but cause severe disease in individuals with uncharacterized genetic susceptibilities.
The fact that many H7 viruses tend to infect conjunctival cells is also cause for concern.
The authors point out that many H7 viruses have adapted to infect mammals including horses and pigs
The possibility that H7n9 might infect pigs is particularly troubling as swine are considered a mixing vessel for viruses--a breeding ground for novel viral reassortants like the 2009 H1n1 pandemic influenza strain commonly known as swine flu.
Although avian influenza viruses have not caused widespread human transmission in 94 years of surveillance there have been numerous instances of avian influenza spillover
and H7n9 might arguably be more likely than other avian viruses to become human-adapted write the authors.
All the unknowns surrounding the virus make a strong case for enhancing basic and applied research into the evolution of influenza viruses and for better integration of influenza virology within human and veterinary public health efforts.
The above story is provided based on materials by American Society for Microbiology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
#Plant molecular biologist are getting to the root of the matterworking to identify key genes in the root development of poplar trees three Michigan Technological University scientists have come up with a new model for how genes interact
They also identified a network of genes that cause poplar roots to grow well in low-nitrogen soil making them ideal candidates for biofuel tree plantations on marginal lands.
The article is titled Nitrogen deprivation promotes Populus root growth through global transcriptome reprogramming and activation of hierarchical genetic networks.
or economically smart says Busov who studies the functional genomics of plant development. Only 30 percent is used by the plants.
But first they had to unlock the secret to the genetic mechanisms underlying plant root growth.
because it is a major biofuel crop. There are tens of thousands of genes in the poplar genome.
The challenge--and it was a big one--was how to determine which genes are doing
what how they affect each other and how they work together to regulate root growth under low nitrogen conditions.
Wei a molecular biologist also has extensive knowledge of computer science and he is adept at applying it to large biological data sets.
He took on the task of untangling the interactions of more than 61000 genes by searching for a high hierarchical regulator the boss gene.
In their laboratory at Michigan Tech Busov and Yordanov planted poplar seedlings under normal nitrogen levels.
But what is the genetic machinery behind this growth? The scientists did a series of experiments over time under the same experimental conditions to identify the genes involved in the changes they observed.
They found 9. 198 genes that produced significantly different amounts or kinds of proteins at six different times.
By performing genetic network analyses they narrowed the field to a handful of key genes that appeared to control the majority of the 9198 others.
Further analysis closed in on a gene called Ptanac1. When we tweak this gene the entire network responds
and the roots grow 58 percent more than controls'says Busov. What Wei wound up with is a new model of how genes function together.
Imagine a manufacturer he says. At the bottom of the hierarchy you find the laborers They answer to a foreman who reports to a manager and so on until you get to the president.
If you want multiple laborers to do a complicated job you start with the president who will pass the instructions down.
Wei's work with the genetic networks that cause root growth gave us one of the big switches says Busov.
Now that the scientists understand the poplar's genetic engine they can work to develop new varieties of plants that can thrive on marginal lands.
and Matteo Pasquali a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry. Tour is the T. T. and W. F. Chao Chair in Chemistry as well as a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of computer science at Rice.
Biology contributed to the study. Additional co-authors include researchers from Mcmaster University (Canada) the Russian Academy of Sciences and Bayer Cropscience (Germany.
Pau conducted the research as part of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) Forecasting Phenology Working group and with Elizabeth M. Wolkovich of the University of British columbia's Biodiversity Research Centre;
It is also the first study to get an accurate picture of how specific genes are switched on in the human mammary gland during lactation.
They then created the first publicly accessible library of genes expressed in the mammary gland based on RNA-sequencing technology.
This approach revealed a highly sensitive portrait of the genes being expressed in human milk-making cells.
They discovered an orchestrated switching on and off of various genes as the mammary gland transitions from secreting small amounts of immunity-boosting colostrum in the first days after giving birth to the copious production of milk in mature lactation.
In particular the PTPRF gene which is known to suppress intracellular signals that are triggered usually by insulin binding to its receptor on the cell surface may serve as a biomarker linking insulin resistance with insufficient milk supply.
It is also the first study to get an accurate picture of how specific genes are switched on in the human mammary gland during lactation.
They then created the first publicly accessible library of genes expressed in the mammary gland based on RNA-sequencing technology.
This approach revealed a highly sensitive portrait of the genes being expressed in human milk-making cells.
They discovered an orchestrated switching on and off of various genes as the mammary gland transitions from secreting small amounts of immunity-boosting colostrum in the first days after giving birth to the copious production of milk in mature lactation.
In particular the PTPRF gene which is known to suppress intracellular signals that are triggered usually by insulin binding to its receptor on the cell surface may serve as a biomarker linking insulin resistance with insufficient milk supply.
The above story is provided based on materials by Society for Experimental Biology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
New research to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on July 5 shows that maize roots which have fewer cortical cells in the outer layer of their roots are more efficient at accessing water and nutrients.
The above story is provided based on materials by Society for Experimental Biology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
because converting uncultivated land would lead to major emissions of greenhouse gases and cause significant losses of biodiversity.
The authors of the paper accept that the intensification of agriculture will have some implications for other important policy goals such as preserving biodiversity animal welfare human nutrition protecting rural economies and sustainable development.
This is because according to the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 1992 the climate system comprises the totality of the atmosphere hydrosphere biosphere geosphere and their interactions.
A new study to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting in Valencia on the 3rd july shows that the efficiency of the mitochondria the power house of the cell is increased in fasted king penguin chicks.
Their biological adjustments increase survival of chicks which among birds have unrivalled an fasting endurance (up to 5 months).
The above story is provided based on materials by Society for Experimental Biology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
or indirect contact with livestock only industrial workers carried antibiotic-resistant Staph with multiple genetic characteristics linked to livestock.
and for genetic markers considered to indicate that the bacteria may have come from livestock. This study shows that these livestock-associated strains are present among workers at industrial livestock operations
#Insecticide causes changes in honeybee genes, research findsnew research by academics at The University of Nottingham has shown that exposure to a neonicotinoid insecticide causes changes to the genes of the honeybee.
The study published in the online journal PLOS ONE supports the recent decision taken by the European commission to temporarily ban three neonicotinoids amid concerns that they could be linked to bee deaths.
and insecticides but this is the first comprehensive study to look at changes in the activity of honeybee genes linked to one of the recently banned neonicotinoids imidacloprid.
The study led by Dr Reinhard Stã ger Associate professor in Epigenetics in the University's School of Biosciences was conducted under field realistic conditions
and showed that a very low exposure of just two parts per billion has an impact on the activity of some of the honeybee genes.
and increase the activity of genes involved in breaking down toxins most likely to cope with the insecticide.
Genes involved in regulating energy to run cells were affected also. Such changes are known to reduce the lifespan of the most widely studied insect the common fruit fly
This is a very significant piece of research which clearly shows clear changes in honeybee gene activity as a result of exposure to a pesticide
#Cattle flatulence doesnt stink with biotechnology: Farmers could improve air quality by using hormonesthe agriculture industry is researching new technologies to help feed the growing population.
According to a new article in Animal Frontiers biotechnologies increase food production and reduce harmful gas output from cattle.
In the Animal Frontiers paper Neumeier describes a recent experiment using biotechnologies. In the experiment a test group of cattle were treated with biotechnologies.
Different groups of cattle received implants Ionophores and Beta-adrenergic agonists. These biotechnologies help cattle grow more efficiently.
A control group of cattle were treated not with any of these biotechnologies. Researchers measured gas output by placing finishing steers in a special corral that traps emissions.
Each treatment group was tested four times to ensure accurate results. The researchers also tested a dairy biotechnology called rbst.
This biotechnology is a synthetic version of a cattle hormone that does not affect humans.
Many producers inject cows with rbst to help them produce more milk. In their experiment the researchers gave rbst to a test group of cows
and manure management and the installation of biogas recovery systems have contributed all to reducing the environmental impact of beef.
Biogas recovery systems are used in processing facilities to produce energy from animal waste. Animal waste is collected in lagoons where the gas is captured.
Some consumers do not like the use of biotechnology in food production. Neumeier thinks these consumers are unaware of the benefits of biotechnology.
His research shows that biotechnology can produce more food and lower gas emissions. We need to inform them that these are valuable tools for those two reasons
and not be turned off by the use of biotechnology Neumeier said. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American Society of Animal Science.
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