and frequently referred to as microsatellites are highly variable sections of the genome.''Sequence repeat'refers to the fact that a nucleotide motif is repeated.'
Because these markers typically have high rates of molecular evolution the number of repeats present in the genome often differs between individuals.
Their high rate of change makes these markers particularly useful for fine-scale studies aimed at uncovering genetic structure within
and between populations of a single species. Scientists at Hendrix College have determined the location of a set of SSR regions that were originally found in the chloroplast genome of two species of pines.
Importantly all loci used in this study were from the plastid genome. Nuclear markers have historically been difficult to work with in pines explains Willyard.
Although the nuclear genome is important to fully understand evolutionary relationships in plants nuclear data sets are very difficult to obtain for large numbers of individuals
They found six markers to be particularly useful for understanding genetic structure within this group.
By showing which primers were conserved in regions of the genome they were able to suggest that many of these loci are likely to be useful in other groups.
#Involvement of gene in lentivirus infections of sheep, goats has been establishedin her Phd thesis Helena Crespo-Otano has studied the mechanism of the action of the small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) a type of virus
and goat species. Lentiviruses are viruses responsible for slow infections that damage the immune system and which cause a range of clinical symptoms (nervous pulmonary arthritic and mammary).
lentivirus de pequeã os rumiantes Role of the mannose receptor and the polarization of macrophages due to lentivirus infection in small ruminants.
when the virus is allowed to penetrate the cells of the animals. The target cells of these lentiviruses are the macrophages.
These cells are capable of modifying their genetic expression depending on the external stimuli they are exposed to
As Helena Crespo explained what is observed in the flocks infected by the small ruminant lentivirus is a fall in productivity an increase in mortality caused by secondary infections
Specifically the so-called MR (mannose receptor) could be a safe door of entry for certain bacteria protozoa parasites and viruses like SRLVS into the target cell
and characterised the ovine MR gene and have determined its involvement in the entry of the virus into the cells that express it.
and evolution of the disease opening up the possibility of identifying new therapeutic targets to combat lentiviral infections.
Researchers from leading universities including the University of Sheffield carried out a survey of carbon stocks biodiversity and economic values from one of the world's most threatened ecosystems the western Andes of Colombia.
and biodiversity loss so there is an urgent need to simultaneously address both issues. This would cost very little money said senior scientist Dr David Edwards of the University of Sheffield's Department of Animal and Plant sciences.
The impact on reducing the biodiversity extinction crisis and climate change could be huge. The study also found that letting forests regenerate had a massive impact on the populations of threatened species. In secondary forests in the region researchers found 33 of 40 red-listed bird species that are threatened with extinction.
Biodiversity would also be restored improving habitats for many species at risk of extinction--all at minimal cost.
Plant immunity that is controlled by a single resistance gene on which most conventional breeding programs are based is comparably easy to overcome by a pathogen.
Dr Oliver Berkowitz a Research Associate in the ARC Centre for Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and the School of Plant Biology at the University of Western australia was involved also in the research.
Although their research has been performed in a weed called'Arabidopsis thaliana'the work horse of plant geneticists the team is confident that their discovery can be used for the protection of crops from their enemies.
The research which has been published in the international journal Nature Chemical Biology also involved scientists from the University Jaume I in Spain and Utrecht University in The netherlands.
but when danger lurks they dine together to seek safety in numbers commented co-author Professor Lars Chittka from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical sciences.
According to a recent study by Kansas State university published in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal insects carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria from one point to another including from food animal farms and wastewater treatment
In addition Zurek's team showed that bacteria in the house fly digestive tract can exchange antibiotic resistance by horizontal gene transfer.
Antibiotics in low doses are added as feed additives primarily in poultry and swine diets he said.
The plan is to phase out antibiotics as a feed additive for growth promotion in United states in the next three years.
so subsidies can provide a needed boost to make the investment worthwhile said study lead author Avery Cohn an independent fellow at the UC Berkeley Energy Biosciences Institute and a graduate of the Department of Environmental science Policy and Management.
mitigating genetic risk for diabetesas the number of people with type 2 diabetes continues to rise
and its toll increases scientists are scrambling to unravel the complex genetic and lifestyle factors behind the disease.
A new study finds that African american children with a genetic predisposition to diabetes may be able to reduce their risk by getting the USDA-recommended dose of calcium.
We were excited to find that higher calcium intake appears to mitigate the impact of some of the risk genes for type 2 diabetes
Among children who tested positive for gene variants known to be associated with type 2 diabetes those who consumed higher amounts of calcium had a significantly lower body mass index and percent body fat than those with lower
The ultimate goal would be to be able to predict from a child's genotype his
or related dietary factors may cause epigenetic changes that affect how the diabetes-linked genes are expressed.
What got us interested in this is the whole question of how the environment--including a person's diet--influences gene expression said Tosi.
Understanding the interactions of genes and environmental factors in children is especially helpful for a disease as complex as diabetes said Devaney.
Joseph Devaney presented the findings during the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting on Monday April 28. Story Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB.
Muhammad M. Mohiuddin MD of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Program at the NHLBI and co-investigators have developed now techniques to overcome some of the immunologic roadblocks that hinder successful xenotransplantation using genetically engineered pigs as a source of donor organs.
As the result of recent improvements in technology for genetic modification of pigs genes that are immunogenic for humans have been eliminated('knocked out) and several human genes have been added to the pig genome.
These recent scientific developments in the field of genetic engineering along with the generation of novel target specific immune suppression and their favorable impact on organ and cellular transplantation may instill a new ray of hope for thousands
Through the combination of a pig heart with certain gene modifications with drugs suppressing both T
Merritt Turetsky Department of Integrative Biology. Turetsky is the lead author of a paper published today in Global Change Biology based on one of the largest-ever analyses of global methane emissions.
The team looked at almost 20000 field data measurements collected from 70 sites across arctic temperate and tropical regions.
#Fungus implicated in potato blightscientists at the Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and development Neiker-Tecnalia led by the Doctor in Biology Josã Ignacio Ruiz de Galarreta have identified for the first time the existence in à lava-Araba
#Crabs killing Northeast saltmarshes, study confirmsa marathon summer of field work by Mark Bertness professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and a squadron of students may finally help settle the heated debate about
Sure enough the team reported in Ecology Letters that excluding predators for a single growing season rapidly led to a more than 100-percent increase in Sesarma herbivory a more than 60-percent decrease in aboveground cordgrass biomass a more than 95-percent
A conventional plastic container and nine types of biocontainers (bioplastic coir manure peat bioplastic sleeve slotted rice hull solid rice hull straw and wood fiber) were included in the life cycle
Biologists at Newcastle University UK have been exploring the potential of harmless plant volatiles as an alternative to pesticides in greenhouses.
while the TV's on and the radio's blaring out and someone's talking to you explains Dr Tosh based in Newcastle University's School of Biology.
and is controlled traditionally using chemical pesticides or biological methods such as parasites. Previous studies have shown that whitefly become'restless
Dr Brogan also based in the School of Biology adds: Plants talk to each other when they are under attack--producing chemicals
In northern marine areas the diversity and biomass of fish populations have increased. Water warming has altered also the distribution of large species of fish found in the open sea.
Rachel Scherr will present the findings during the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting on Sunday April 27.
The above story is provided based on materials by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB.
which refers to damage inflicted to biological tissues by reactive oxygen molecules. Such molecules also called free radicals occur naturally as a byproduct of metabolic processes in the body
The study is published in the April 1 issue of the journal Genes and Development. The first author of the report is Tongde Wu a graduate of the UA Department of Pharmacology
The study Hrd1 suppresses Nrf2-mediated cellular protection during liver cirrhosis is published in the April 1 issue of the journal Genes and Development.
and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while freeing up large areas of farmland for other purposes such as food export or bioenergy.
and soil pollution greenhouse gas emissions simultaneously reducing threats to human health biodiversity and food security.
soil climate and biodiversity. Professor Sutton said As the EU now starts to renegotiate the National Emissions Ceilings Directive it is an open question to what extent countries will emphasize technical measures or such behavioural changes.
#Genetic legacy of rare dwarf trees is widespreadresearchers from Queen Mary University of London have found genetic evidence that one of Britain's native tree species the dwarf birch found in the Scottish Highlands
Genes from dwarf birch were found in birch tree populations across Britain which reflects a much wider distribution occupied by the wee tree
We seem to have found genetic footprints of the retreat of dwarf birch into its current refuges in the Scottish Highlands said Dr Richard Buggs Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary's School of Biological
As dwarf birch moved north some of its genes were picked up by downy birch trees which spread through Britain at the cost of dwarf birch.
Our genetic results fit well with the fact that fossil pollen from dwarf birch has been found in parts of England and Wales.
As global warming continues stray genes and fossils could be all that is left of dwarf birch in Britain.
Richard Nichols Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at QMUL points out: We suspect that the influx of pollen from other birch species is actively harmful to the dwarf populations especially
The study funded by the Natural Environment Research Council was published in Global Ecology and Biogeography.
and biomass but we must ensure we have sufficient ecological ground data to correctly interpret
The method is equivalent to a label that cannot be removed says Robert Grass lecturer in the Department of chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich.
A piece of artificial genetic material is the heart of the mini-label. With DNA there are millions of options that can be used as codes says Grass.
To promote acceptance natural genetic material could be used in place of synthetic DNA; for instance from exotic tomatoes or pineapples of which there are a great variety--but also from any other fruit or vegetable that is a part of our diet.
The findings come from a collaboration of scientists led by Scott Peck of the University of Missouri that includes researchers from Missouri the Biological sciences Division at PNNL and EMSL DOE's Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.
or molecules that the plant uses to recognize the bacteria as a strategy for evading detection said Peck associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Missouri
and structure of the Congo rainforest affecting its biodiversity and carbon storage. Previous research used satellite-based measurements of vegetation greenness to investigate changes in the Amazon rainforest notably the effects of severe short-term droughts in 2005 and 2010.
Because of its importance and impact on forestry the mountain pine beetle's genome has been sequenced recently. Using this new resource authors Janes et al. examined how the pine beetle could undergo such rapid habitat range expansion
and if population genetics and the cataloguing of genome wide mutations could shed any light on possible molecular causes of the outbreak.
They found several candidate genetic markers and conclude that the mountain pine beetle may have been able to spread by adjusting its cellular and metabolic functions to better withstand cooler climates
The above story is provided based on materials by Molecular biology and Evolution (Oxford university Press. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Martã an assistant professor of chemistry and bioengineering; Wong a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry;
and Tomson a professor of civil and environmental engineering. 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.
which is used commonly as a farm soil fertilizer contains a surprising number of newly identified antibiotic resistance genes from the cows'gut bacteria.
The findings reported in mbioâ the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology hints that cow manure is a potential source of new types of antibiotic resistance genes that transfer to bacteria in the soils
Thousands of antibiotic resistance (AR) genes have already been identified but the vast majority of them don't pose a problem
when these genes appear in the types of pathogenic bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses
or hospital infections Since there is a connection between AR genes found in environmental bacteria and bacteria in hospitals we wanted to know what kind of bacteria are released into the environment via this route of manure fertilization says Fabienne Wichmann lead study author and former postdoctoral researcher at Yale university in New haven Connecticut.
and they or their genes might move to the human ecosystem. Is this a route for movement of these genes from the barn to the table?
asks Jo Handelsman senior study author and microbiologist at Yale. The first step toward an answer was surveying
which AR genes are present in cow manure. Handelsman's team used a powerful screening-plus-sequencing approach to identify 80 unique and functional AR genes.
The genes made a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli bacteria resistant to one of four types of antibiotics--beta-lactams (like penicillin) aminoglycosides (like kanamycin) tetracycline or chloramphenicol.
Roughly 75%of the 80 AR genes had sequences that were only distantly related to AR genes already discovered.
The team also found an entire new family of AR genes that confer resistance to chloramphenicol antibiotics which are used commonly to treat respiratory infections in livestock.
The diversity of genes we found is remarkable in itself considering the small set of five manure samples says Handelsman who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor.
But also these are evolutionarily distant from the genes we already have in the genetic databases
which largely represent AR genes we see in the clinic. That might signal good news that AR genes from cow gut bacteria are not currently causing problems for human patients.
But Wichmann points out another possibility is that cow manure harbors an unprecedented reservoir of AR genes that could be next to move into humans.
This is just the first in a sequence of studies--starting in the barn moving to the soil
and food on the table and then ending up in the clinic--to find out
whether these genes have the potential to move in that direction says Handelsman. AR genes can enter the human ecosystem by two routes--either the bacteria that contain them colonize humans
or the genes are transferred through a process called horizontal gene transfer to other bacteria that colonize humans.
Research has shown already that bacteria are transferred from farm animals to their human caretakers. Gene transfer enables genes to jump between microorganisms that are related not
and it occurs in most environments that host bacteria. Some manure bacteria might be pathogenic to humans
so if they acquire antibiotic resistance they could pose a problem. Alternatively benign bacteria in manure might transfer resistance genes to pathogens at any point along the path--in manure soil food or humans.
We're hoping this study will open up a larger field of surveillance to start looking at new types of resistance before they show up in the clinic says Handelsman.
The above story is provided based on materials by American Society for Microbiology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Results from the four-pronged investigation--based on linguistic and ecological evidence as well as the more traditional archaeological and genetic data--suggest a regional rather than a geographically specific birthplace for the domesticated chili pepper.
By tracing back the ancestry of any domesticated plant we can better understand the genetic evolution of that species
This information in turn better equips us to develop sound genetic conservation programs and increases the efficiency of breeding programs
To determine crop origins scientists have studied traditionally the plants'genetic makeup in geographic areas where they have observed high diversity among the crop's wild ancestors.
The genetic evidence seemed to point more to northeastern Mexico as the chili pepper's area of domestication;
and Kenneth Olsen Phd associate professor of biology who studies plant domestication. Both Marshall and Olsen are engaged currently in research on the crumbling margins of domestication where questions about this evolutionary process loom the largest.
because it brought together people working on plants and animals and archeologists and geneticists. I hadn't really thought much about animal domestication
Olsen on the other hand seeks to identify genes in modern crop species that are associated with domestication traits in the plant such as an erect rather than a sprawling architecture.
The techniques used to isolate these genes are difficult and time consuming and may not always penetrate as deeply into the past as scientists had assumed once
#Climate benefit of biofuels from corn residue: Researchers cast doubtusing corn crop residue to make ethanol
and other biofuels reduces soil carbon and can generate more greenhouse gases than gasoline according to a study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change.
The U s. Department of energy has provided more than $1 billion in federal funds to support research to develop cellulosic biofuels including ethanol made from corn stover.
While the cellulosic biofuel production process has yet to be commercialized extensively several private companies are specialized developing biorefineries capable of converting tough corn fibers into fuel.
The team found that removing crop residue from cornfields generates an additional 50 to 70 grams of carbon dioxide per megajoule of biofuel energy produced (a joule is a measure of energy
but it results in a smaller biofuel energy yield Liska said. To mitigate increased carbon dioxide emissions
or wood residue or export electricity from biofuel production facilities to offset emissions from coal-fueled power plants.
Liska is an assistant professor of biological systems engineering and agronomy and horticulture. He worked with Haishun Yang an associate professor of agronomy
The equilibrium theory of island biogeography is a pillar of biological research--its elegant equation to estimate the number of species in a habitat has reached almost the status of a scientific law according to Chase Mendenhall a Stanford doctoral student
in biology and the study's lead author. The theory drives the default strategy of conserving biodiversity by designating nature reserves.
This strategy sees reserves as islands in an inhospitable sea of human-modified habitats and doesn't adequately account for biodiversity patterns in many human-dominated landscapes according to the Stanford study.
This paper shows that farmland and forest remnants can be more valuable for biodiversity than previously assumed said Daniel Karp who earned his Phd in biology at Stanford in 2013
and is currently a Naturenet postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Berkeley If we're valuing coffee fields
or countryside biogeography the researchers turned to bats acutely sensitive to deforestation. The study focused on bat populations within a mosaic of forest fragments and farmland in Costa rica and on islands in a large lake in Panama.
Conservation opportunities for tropical wildlife are linked tightly to adequate management of these human-modified habitats said co-author Christoph Meyer a researcher at the University of Lisbon's Center for Environmental Biology.
which the future of biodiversity most critically hinges the study's authors wrote. Not only do more species persist across the'sea of farmland'than expected by island biogeographic theory novel yet native species actually thrive there said co-author Elizabeth Hadly the Paul S. and Billie Achilles Professor in Environmental Biology at Stanford and senior
fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. This indicates that human-altered landscapes can foster more biological diversity than we anticipated.
A new approach The fate of much of the world's wildlife is playing out in human-altered landscapes that are threatened increasingly by chemical inputs such as herbicides and pesticides.
Biodiversity is not the only loser. People are losing many of nature's benefits such as water purification provided by forests
A theory of countryside biogeography is pivotal to conservation strategy in the agricultural ecosystems that comprise roughly half of the global land surface
To pinpoint the genetic changes that transformed this shy wild bird into the chickens we know today researchers analyzed DNA from the skeletal remains of 81 chickens retrieved from a dozen archeological sites across Europe dating from 200 to 2300 years old.
The researchers focused on two genes known to differ between domestic chickens and their wild counterparts:
a gene associated with yellow skin color called BCDO2 and a gene involved in thyroid hormone production called TSHR.
Though the exact function of TSHR is unknown it may be linked to the domestic chicken's ability to lay eggs year-round--a trait that Red Junglefowl
Similarly less than half of the ancient chickens had the version of the TSHR gene found worldwide in modern chickens.
or biological assessment the past several months Winkler said. The document should be completed soon. â#oemost of the land in Kansas is privately ownedâ#he said. â#oevoluntary actions of private landowners are the key to maintaining enhancing restoring
and goes through July 15 said Andy Burr state biologist for Kansasâ##NRCS. Burr said many landowners who are in their final year of their CRP contracts are questioning now how early land preparation could be affected by the lesser prairie chicken threatened species listing.
The increases currently projected for crop production from biotechnology genetics agronomics and horticulture will not be sufficient to meet food demand.
and vegetables and chronic disease prevention and pointed to research centers in the U s. that are making links between farmers biologists and chemists grocers health care practitioners and consumers.
and the United states currently are not necessary in East Africa said Elliud Muli senior lecturer in the Department of Biological sciences South Eastern Kenya University and researcher at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
or absence of Varroa and Nosema parasites and viruses identify and measure pesticide contaminants in hives
and determine the genetic composition of the colonies. This is the first comprehensive survey of bee health in East Africa where we have examined diseases genetics
and the environment to better understand what factors are most important in bee health in this region said Grozinger.
Of the seven common honeybee viruses in the United states and Europe the team only identified three species
The number of viruses present was correlated positively with Varroa levels but was not related to colony size.
I would not be surprised to find they have some innate genetic tolerance to these pests Patch said.
We suspect the seemingly greater tolerance of African bees to these pests over the western bees is a combination of genes and environment.
and viruses the researchers recommend that beekeepers in East Africa maintain healthy bee populations by protecting vital nesting habitat
and soil microbiologist Chuck Rice gave a presentation at the World bank on April 16. Rice was part of a group of 18 authors from around the world who wrote the chapter pertaining to agriculture forestry and other land use.
and alpacas) pigs cattle sheep and goats suggests that neither intentional breeding nor genetic isolation were as significant as traditionally thought the scientists said.
and indicate long-term gene flow or interbreeding between managed and wild animal populations Marshall said.
Our livestock is losing genetic diversity even faster than some wild animals because of management practices like artificial insemination Marshall said.
These management practices placed only light selection pressure on the herd's gene pool. Paradoxically environmental selection may in many instances have been stronger than artificial selection.
and gene flow highest in the case of pack animals such as donkeys or camelids. But even in the case of pigs or cattle interbreeding between domestic and wild animals has created long and complex evolutionary and domestication histories that challenge assumptions regarding genetic isolation and long-held definitions of domestication.
The curl in the pigs'tailsthe domestication of pigs is one of these stories. Dobney Greger Larson Phd and their team have shown that pigs were domesticated at least twice in eastern Anatolia and in central China.
and the likelihood of long-term gene flow from the wild. It's probably fortunate the Darwin had clear examples of animal breeding to consider as he thought about evolution.
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