On Hybrid Formation in the Rock Fern Asplenium x alternifolium (Aspleniaceae,Pteridophyta)

Length polymorphism in a non-coding spacer (trnL_UAA-trnF_GAA) in the chloroplast DNA was used in the investigation of the origin of the most common and conspicuous European fern hybrid, Asplenium x alternifolium (Aspleniaceae, Pteridophyta). The origins of A. x alternifolium, the hybrid between A. trichomanes s.l. and A. septentrionale s.l. was studied at three ploidy levels, diploid, triploid and tetraploid. The cpDNA technique allowed us to investigate the mode of hybrid formation between sexual species for the first time over a wide geographic range and with a large sample size. Morphological variation in this hybrid has previously been attributed to different reciprocal parental combinations, and to the influence of chloroplast genes on morphogenesis. Our results demonstrate that one parent, A. septentrionale s.l., acts predominantly as the female parent in these hybrids, with only one population of A. x alternifolium showing reciprocal hybridity. The discovery of predominantly unidirectional hybrid formation in this hybrid may be explained by the different breeding systems of the parental taxa. The role of gametophyte ecology is also assessed.     

Differences Between Vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops) and Patas Monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) in Agonistic Interactions Between Adult Females

We examined agonistic interactions between adult females in wild, unprovisioned patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops). The dominance hierarchy of patas is far less clear than that of vervets. Patas had fewer interactions per dyad, fewer dyads with interactions, and a high percentage (18%) of reversals in which lower-ranking females won in agonistic interactions with higher-ranking females. Although the rank ordering of the kinds of interactions patas and vervets displayed is similar, with avoidance being the most frequently observed agonistic response to approaches by other females, patas were chased and supplanted more often than vervets were. The resources over which females were supplanted also differ between species. Supplants over food comprise smaller proportion of total supplants patas than for vervets. Patas appear to feed on less usurpable foods than vervets. We conclude that (1) Erythrocebus and Cercopithecus spp., except C. aethiops, should not be categorized with other Cercopithecinae, and C. aethiops should not be categorized with other Cercopithecus spp. and Erythrocebus, in discussions and analyses of relationships between females within groups and (2) ecological conditions, i.e., usurpability of foods, can override phylogenetic history as the selective pressure determining the nature of female competitive relationships within groups.     

A novel variant in DMXL2 gene is associated with autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing impairment (DFNA71) in a Cameroonian family

Approximately half of congenital hearing impairment cases are inherited, with non-syndromic hearing impairment (NSHI) being the most frequent clinical entity of genetic hearing impairment cases. A family from Cameroon with NSHI was investigated by performing exome sequencing using DNA samples obtained from three family members, followed by direct Sanger sequencing in additional family members and controls participants. We identified an autosomal dominantly inherited novel missense variant [NM_001174116.2:c.918G>T; p.(Q306H)] in DMXL2 gene (MIM:612186) that co-segregates with mild to profound non-syndromic sensorineural hearing impairment . The p.(Q306H) variant which substitutes a highly conserved glutamine residue is predicted deleterious by various bioinformatics tools and is absent from several genome databases. This variant was also neither found in 121 apparently healthy controls without a family history of hearing impairment , nor 112 sporadic NSHI cases from Cameroon. There is one previous report of a large Han Chinese NSHI family that segregates a missense variant in DMXL2. The present study provides additional evidence that DMXL2 is involved in hearing impairment etiology, and we suggest DMXL2 should be considered in diagnostic hearing impairment panels.     

Using Mendelian Inheritance To Improve High-Throughput SNP Discovery

Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing or genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approaches allow for rapid and cost-effective discovery and genotyping of thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in multiple individuals. However, rigorous quality control practices are needed to avoid high levels of error and bias with these reduced representation methods. We developed a formal statistical framework for filtering spurious loci, using Mendelian inheritance patterns in nuclear families, that accommodates variable-quality genotype calls and missing data—both rampant issues with GBS data—and for identifying sex-linked SNPs. Simulations predict excellent performance of both the Mendelian filter and the sex-linkage assignment under a variety of conditions. We further evaluate our method by applying it to real GBS data and validating a subset of high-quality SNPs. These results demonstrate that our metric of Mendelian inheritance is a powerful quality filter for GBS loci that is complementary to standard coverage and Hardy–Weinberg filters. The described method, implemented in the software MendelChecker, will improve quality control during SNP discovery in nonmodel as well as model organisms.     

GENETIC VARIATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION

Epigenetic variation has been observed in a range of organisms, leading to questions of the adaptive significance of this variation. In this study, we present a model to explore the ecological and genetic conditions that select for epigenetic regulation. We find that the rate of temporal environmental change is a key factor controlling the features of this evolution. When the environment fluctuates rapidly between states with different phenotypic optima, epigenetic regulation may evolve but we expect to observe low transgenerational inheritance of epigenetic states, whereas when this fluctuation occurs over longer time scales, regulation may evolve to generate epigenetic states that are inherited faithfully for many generations. In all cases, the underlying genetic variation at the epigenetically regulated locus is a crucial factor determining the range of conditions that allow for evolution of epigenetic mechanisms.     

Biochemical studies on malathion resistance,inheritance and association of carboxylesterase activity in brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens complex in Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract Two sympatric populations of brown planthopper (BPH), one from rice and the other from Leersia hexandra were collected from each of five locations in Malaysia. All the tested malathion-resistant individuals of the rice BPH population and F₁ generation (cross between malathion-resistant [usually caught on rice] and malathion-susceptible [usually caught on Leersia]) showed high esterase activity, while all malathion-susceptible individuals on L. hexandra showed low esterase activity. In the F₂ generation, all the individuals tested against malathion were approximately 75% resistant and 25% susceptible and the inheritance pattern of esterase activity (high and low esterase activity) segregated in the same manner to a 3: 1 ratio. This confirms that resistance to malathion is mono-factorial and inheritance pattern of esterase activity is also linked to malathion resistance. Carboxylesterase or total esterase activity in BPH is inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion that is encoded by a single dominant gene. For the total esterase assay, average esterase activity levels in the rice-infesting population ranged from 17.64 to 19.37 nmoles 1-napthol/mg protein while that in the Leersia-infesting population ranged from 5.29 to 6.11 nmoles 1-napthol/mg protein. In terms of esterase activity, the two sympatric Nilaparvata lugens populations separated into two distinct groups. Results based on the tube color intensity test showed 96% and 98% resistant and susceptible individuals were present in the rice- and Leersia-infesting populations, respectively. In a filter paper test, the rice-infesting population had 94% with high esterase activity while the Leersia-infesting population had 96% with low esterase activity.     

Maternal effects on phase characteristics in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria: a review of current understanding

Desert locusts demonstrate pronounced density-dependent polyphenism: a complex suite of traits shifts over the lifetime of an individual in response to crowding or isolation. These changes also accumulate across generations through a maternal effect. Female desert locusts alter the developmental trajectory of their offspring in response to their own experience of crowding. The mother possesses a memory of both the recency and extent of crowding and shifts the phase state of her hatchlings accordingly. Extensive experimental work has shown that offspring behaviour is controlled by a low molecular weight, polar compound (or compounds) released from the mother's accessory glands. The chemical identity of this agent is not yet known.     

Paternal, maternal, and biparental inheritance of the chloroplast genome in Passiflora (Passifloraceae): implications for phylogenetic studies

Patterns of inheritance of the chloroplast genome in Passiflora were analyzed by examining the progeny from both interspecific and intraspecific crosses. Artificial crosses of field-collected material were performed in greenhouses at The University of Texas at Austin. DNA from fresh leaf material was analyzed by Southern blot techniques to identify the donor of the chloroplast genome. Initially, single progeny were analyzed for 11 crosses; two intraspecific crosses demonstrated maternal inheritance, whereas the nine interspecific crosses had paternal inheritance. Subsequently, the donor of the chloroplast genome was determined for multiple progeny in seven crosses. Passiflora oerstedii × P. retipetala showed strict paternal inheritance in all of 17 progeny. A series of five crosses and backcrosses between P. oerstedii and P. menispermifolia demonstrated strictly paternal inheritance. Finally, when 15 progeny were analyzed for the P. costaricensis × P. costaricensis cross, 12 of the 15 showed maternal inheritance, whereas the remaining three were biparental. Interestingly, all interspecific crosses had primarily paternal inheritance, whereas all intraspecific crosses had primarily maternal inheritance. The implications of heteroplasmy on phylogenetic analyses of chloroplast DNA are discussed.     

Epigenetic inheritance in rice plants

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Epigenetics is defined as mechanisms that regulate gene expression without base sequence alteration. One molecular basis is considered to be DNA cytosine methylation, which reversibly modifies DNA or chromatin structures. Although its correlation with epigenetic inheritance over generations has been circumstantially shown, evidence at the gene level has been limited. The present study aims to find genes whose methylation status directly correlates with inheritance of phenotypic changes. METHODS: DNA methylation in vivo was artificially reduced by treating rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) seeds with 5-azadeoxycytidine, and the progeny were cultivated in the field for > 10 years. Genomic regions with changed methylation status were screened by the methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphysm (MSAP) method, and cytosine methylation was directly scanned by the bisulfite mapping method. Pathogen infection with Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, race PR2 was performed by the scissors-dip method on mature leaf blades. KEY RESULTS: The majority of seedlings were lethal, but some survived to maturity. One line designated as Line-2 showed a clear marker phenotype of dwarfism, which was stably inherited by the progeny over nine generations. MSAP screening identified six fragments, among which two were further characterized by DNA blot hybridization and direct methylation mapping. One clone encoding a retrotransposon gag-pol polyprotein showed a complete erasure of 5-methylcytosines in Line-2, but neither translocation nor expression of this region was detectable. The other clone encoded an Xa21-like protein, Xa21G. In wild-type plants, all cytosines were methylated within the promoter region, whereas in Line-2, corresponding methylation was completely erased throughout generations. Expression of Xa21G was not detectable in wild type but was constitutive in Line-2. When infected with X. oryzae pv. oryzae, against which Xa21 confers resistance in a gene-for-gene manner, the progeny of Line-2 were apparently resistant while the wild type was highly susceptible without Xa21G expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that demethylation was selective in Line-2, and that promoter demethylation abolished the constitutive silencing of Xa21G due to hypermethylation, resulting in acquisition of disease resistance. Both hypomethylation and resistant trait were stably inherited. This is a clear example of epigenetic inheritance, and supports the idea of Lamarckian inheritance which suggested acquired traits to be heritable.     

转基因海带的研究现状

海带是海洋中一种极其重要的经济海藻。转基因技术在海带科研中的应用,将使海带的附加值得到进一步的提高。就海带遗传转化方法,以及转GUS基因、转lacZ基因、转CAT基因、转bar基因等报告基因和转HBsAg基因、转r-PA基因等功能基因海带的研究现状进行了综述。