fimA-folD genes linkage in Salmonella identifies a putative junctional site of chromosomal rearrangement in the enterobacterial genome

Abstract Analysis of the Salmonella chromosomal region located upstream of the fimA gene (coding for the major type 1 fimbrial subunit) showed a close linkage of this gene to the folD gene (coding for the enzyme 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase/5, 10-methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase), indicating that the fim gene cluster of Salmonella , unlike that of Escherichia coli , has no regulatory genes located upstream of fimA and apparently terminates with this gene. The respective locations of the fim and folD genes in the E. coli and Salmonella genetic maps suggests that the fimA-folD intergenic region of Salmonella encompasses a junctional site of a genetic rearrangement that probably originated from the different chromosomal location of the fim genes in these species.     

Engineering genetic circuits: advancements in genetic design automation tools and standards for synthetic biology

1. Download : Download high-res image (220KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Levels of genetic diversity at different stages of the domestication cycle of interior spruce in British Columbia

Concerns over the reductionist nature of the domestication of forest-tree species focus on the possibility of potential genetic erosion during this process. To address these concerns, genetic diversity assessments in a breeding zone the Province of British Columbia “interior” spruce (Picea glauca×engelmanni) program was conducted using allozyme markers. Genetic-variation comparisons were made between natural and production (seed orchard) populations as well as seed and seedling crops produced from the same breeding zone’s seed orchard. The natural population sample consisted of a total of 360 trees representing three stands within each of three watersheds present in the Shuswap-Adams low-elevation zone of interior British Columbia. Small amounts of genetic differentiation were observed among the nine natural populations (4%) and this was attributable to extensive gene flow Consequently, the sum of these nine populations was considered as a baseline for the genetic variation present in the breeding zone. The comparisons between the seed orchard and the breeding zone produced a similar percentage of polymorphic loci while the expected hetrozygosity (0.207 vs 0.210) and the average number of alleles per locus (2.7 vs 2.4) were slightly lower in the seed orchard. A total of seven natural populations’ rare alleles were not present in the orchard population, while one allele was unique to the orchard. The %P increased to 70.6% in the seedlot, but dropped to the natural populations level (64.7%) in the plantation. The observed increase in %P was a result of pollen contamination in the orchard. It is suspected that the reduction in the plantation was caused by an unintentional selection in the nursery. Simulated roguing in the orchard did not drastically reduce even if up to 50% of the orchard’s clones were rogued. However, roguing was associated with a reduction in the average number of alleles per locus (i.e., sampling effect). Received: 2 January 1996 / Accepted: 24 May 1996     

Low mtDNA Cytb diversity and shallow population structure of Eleutheronema tetradactylum in the East China Sea and the South China Sea

Eleutheronema tetradactylum is an economically important fish species in China water. To investigate the genetic diversity and describe population structure of it, an 1151 base pair (bp) fragment of the mitochondrial DNA Cytb sequence was analyzed in 120 individuals from four populations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. A total of 16 haplotypes were defined by 24 variable nucleotide sites. High level of haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity were observed in all populations. The results of AMOVA detected that 89.44% of the genetic variation occurred within populations. Significant genetic differentiations were detected among populations (0.05097, P < 0.05), but no large-scale regional differences were detected. Analysis of neutral evolution and mismatch distribution suggested no recent population expansion happened. The present results provided new information for genetic assessment, fishery management and conservation of this species.     

Food sharing: a model of manipulation by harassment

Most analyses of food-sharing behavior invoke complex explanationssuch as indirect and delayed benefits for sharing via kin selectionand reciprocal altruism. However, food sharing can be a moregeneral phenomenon accounted for by more parsimonious, mutualisticexplanations. We propose a game theoretical model of a generalsharing situation in which food owners share because it is in their own self-interest—they avoid high costs associatedwith beggar harassment. When beggars harass, owners may benefitfrom sharing part of the food if their consumption rate islow relative to the rate of cost accrual. Our model predictsthat harassment can be a profitable strategy for beggars if they reap some direct benefits from harassing other than sharedfood (such as picking up scraps). Therefore, beggars may manipulatethe owner's fitness payoffs in such a way as to make sharingmutualistic.     

Minireview: Metabolic control of the reproductive physiology: Insights from genetic mouse models

This article is part of a Special Issue Energy Balance.     

Genetic diversity assessment and estimation of phylogenetic relationships among 26 Fagaceae species using ISSRs

The family Fagaceae includes several species and presents huge genetic variability. In the last two decades, several genetic studies about phylogenetics and genetic diversity of Fagaceae have emerged. ISSR markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity of 26 species of Fagaceae belonging to the genera Castanea, Fagus and Quercus. Among several primers tested, 17 were selected for the evaluation of diversity and estimation of genetic relationships. A total of 371 ISSR markers were produced and each primer revealed high polymorphism. Specific ISSR markers for the Quercus infrageneric groups were amplified. ISSRs proved to be a reliable tool for the discrimination of the analyzed species per genus, infrageneric group and/or ecological origin.     

5S ribosomal gene clusters in wheat: pulsed field gel electrophoresis reveals a high degree of polymorphism

Summary The long-range structure of 5S rRNA gene clusters has been investigated in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by means of pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Using aneuploid stocks, 5S rRNA gene clusters were assigned to sites on chromosomes 1B, 1D, 513 and 5D. Cluster sizes were evaluated and the copy number of 5S DNA repeats was estimated at 4700-5200 copies for the short repeating unit (410 bp) and about 3100 copies for the long repeat (500 bp) per haploid genome. A comparison of wheat cultivars revealed extremely high levels of polymorphism in the 5S rRNA gene clusters. With one restriction enzyme digest all varieties tested gave unique banding patterns and, on a per fragment basis, 21-fold more polymorphism was detected among cultivars for 5S DNA compared to standard restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) detected with single copy clones. Experiments with aneuploid stocks suggest that the 5S rRNA gene clusters at several chromosomal sites contribute to this polymorphism. A number of previous reports have shown that wheat cultivars are not easily distinguished by isozymes or RFLPs. The high level of variation detected in 5S rRNA gene clusters therefore offers the possibility of a sensitive fingerprinting method for wheat. 5S DNA and other macro-satellite sequences may also serve as hypervariable Mendelian markers for genetic and breeding experiments in wheat.