Major biogeographic barriers in eastern Australia have shaped the population structure of widely distributed Eucalyptus moluccana and its putative subspecies

We have investigated the impact of recognized biogeographic barriers on genetic differentiation of grey box (Eucalyptus moluccana), a common and widespread tree species of the family Myrtaceae in eastern Australian woodlands, and its previously proposed four subspecies moluccana, pedicellata, queenslandica, and crassifolia. A range of phylogeographic analyses were conducted to examine the population genetic differentiation and subspecies genetic structure in E. moluccana in relation to biogeographic barriers. Slow evolving markers uncovering long term processes (chloroplast DNA) were used to generate a haplotype network and infer phylogeographic barriers. Additionally, fast evolving, hypervariable markers (microsatellites) were used to estimate demographic processes and genetic structure among five geographic regions (29 populations) across the entire distribution of E. moluccana. Morphological features of seedlings, such as leaf and stem traits, were assessed to evaluate population clusters and test differentiation of the putative subspecies. Haplotype network analysis revealed twenty chloroplast haplotypes with a main haplotype in a central position shared by individuals belonging to the regions containing the four putative subspecies. Microsatellite analysis detected the genetic structure between Queensland (QLD) and New South Wales (NSW) populations, consistent with the McPherson Range barrier, an east‐west spur of the Great Dividing Range. The substructure was detected within QLD and NSW in line with other barriers in eastern Australia. The morphological analyses supported differentiation between QLD and NSW populations, with no difference within QLD, yet some differentiation within NSW populations. Our molecular and morphological analyses provide evidence that several geographic barriers in eastern Australia, including the Burdekin Gap and the McPherson Range have contributed to the genetic structure of E. moluccana. Genetic differentiation among E. moluccana populations supports the recognition of some but not all the four previously proposed subspecies, with crassifolia being the most differentiated.     

Single visit versus multiple visit root canal

Single visit endodontics offers many advantages over multi visit treatment. Therefore, it is of interest to assess the preference of single visit over multiple visit root canals. We used 86,000 patient records and selected 9017 records matching the inclusion criteria for the analysis using statistical tools (Chi square test at p value <0.05). Data shows that people between 26 to 45 years are often affected with dental caries. Available data is biased towards multi visits rather than single visit regardless number of canals.     

Common genetic variants and central adiposity among Asian-Indians

Recent studies have identified common genetic variants that are unequivocally associated with central adiposity, BMI, and/or fasting plasma glucose among individuals of European descent. Our objective was to evaluate these associations in a population of Asian-Indians. We examined 16 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from loci previously linked to waist circumference, BMI, or fasting glucose in 1,129 Asian-Indians from New Delhi and Trivandrum. Trained medical staff measured waist circumference, height, and weight. Fasting plasma glucose was measured from collected blood specimens. Genotype-phenotype associations were evaluated using linear regression, with adjustments for age, gender, religion, and study region. For gene-environment interaction tests, total physical activity (PA) during the past 7 days was assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The T allele at the FTO rs3751812 locus was associated with increased waist circumference (per allele effect of +1.58 cm, P(trend) = 0.0015) after Bonferroni adjustment for multiple testing (P(adj) = 0.04). We also found a nominally statistically significant FTO-PA interaction (P(interaction) = 0.008). Among participants with <81 metabolic equivalent (MET)-h/wk of PA, the rs3751812 variant was associated with increased waist size (+2.68 cm; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.24, 4.12), but not among those with 212+ MET-h/wk (-1.79 cm; 95% CI = -4.17, 0.58). No other variant had statistically significant associations, although statistical power was modest. In conclusion, we confirmed that an FTO variant associated with central adiposity in European populations is associated with central adiposity among Asian-Indians and corroborated prior reports indicating that high PA attenuates FTO-related genetic susceptibility to adiposity.     

Paraquat-Induced Movement Disorder in Relation to Oxidative Stress-Mediated Neurodegeneration in the Brain of Drosophila melanogaster

Neurochemical Research - Exposure to pesticides like paraquat&nbsp;(PQ) is considered as a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease (PD). PQ has been shown to induce PD-like phenotype in...     

Correction to: Paraquat-Induced Movement Disorder in Relation to Oxidative Stress-Mediated Neurodegeneration in the Brain of Drosophila melanogaster

Neurochemical Research - The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The entries missing in the reference list are given below and their corresponding citations are...     

Insertion-deletions burden in copy number polymorphisms of the Tibetan population

BACKGROUND:

Many studies have been conducted to identify either insertions-deletions (inDels) or copy number variations (CNVs) in humans, but few studies have been conducted to identify both of these forms coexisting in the same region.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

To map the functionally significant sites within human genes that are likely to influence human traits and diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

In this report, we describe an inDel map in the 1051 Tibetan CNV regions obtained through CNV genotyping using Affymetrix Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism 6.0 chip. InDel polymorphisms in these copy number polymorphism regions were identified with a computational approach using the 2500 deoxyribonucleic acid sequences obtained from the 1000 Genome Project.

RESULTS:

The study identified a total of 95935 inDels that range from 1 bp to several bps in length which were found scattered across regulatory regions, exons and in introns of genes underlying the CNVs. A study on the distribution of inDels revealed that the majority of inDels were found in coding regions of the genome than the noncoding, while within the genes, inDels in intron regions were more followed by exonic regions and finally the regulatory regions.

CONCLUSION:

Study of inDels in CNV regions contribute to the enhanced understanding of the role played by the two variations and their collective influence on the genome. Further, a collection of these inDel genetic markers will aid in genetic mapping, further understanding of the phenotypic variability, identification of disease genes and in detecting novel CNVs.