Rapid evolution of an adaptive cyanogenesis cline in introduced North American white clover (Trifolium repens L.)

White clover is polymorphic for cyanogenesis (HCN production after tissue damage), and this herbivore defence polymorphism has served as a classic model for studying adaptive variation. The cyanogenic phenotype requires two interacting biochemical components; the presence/absence of each component is controlled by a simple Mendelian gene (Ac/ac and Li/li). Climate-associated cyanogenesis clines occur in both native (Eurasian) and introduced populations worldwide, with cyanogenic plants predominating in warmer locations. Moreover, previous studies have suggested that epistatic selection may act within populations to maintain cyanogenic (AcLi) plants and acyanogenic plants that lack both components (acli plants) at the expense of plants possessing a single component (Acli and acLi plants). Here, we examine the roles of selection, gene flow and demography in the evolution of a latitudinal cyanogenesis cline in introduced North American populations. Using 1145 plants sampled across a 1650 km transect, we determine the distribution of cyanogenesis variation across the central United States and investigate whether clinal variation is adaptive or an artefact of population introduction history. We also test for the evidence of epistatic selection. We detect a clear latitudinal cline, with cyanogenesis frequencies increasing from 11% to 86% across the transect. Population structure analysis using nine microsatellite loci indicates that the cline is adaptive and not a by-product of demographic history. However, we find no evidence for epistatic selection within populations. Our results provide strong evidence for rapid adaptive evolution in these introduced populations, and they further suggest that the mechanisms maintaining adaptive variation may vary among populations of a species.     

Searching for the bull's eye: agents and targets of selection vary among geographically disparate cyanogenesis clines in white clover (Trifolium repens L.)

The recurrent evolution of adaptive clines within a species can be used to elucidate theselective factors and genetic responses that underlie adaptation. White clover ispolymorphic for cyanogenesis (HCN release with tissue damage), and climate-associatedcyanogenesis clines have evolved throughout the native and introduced species range. Thispolymorphism arises through two independently segregating Mendelian polymorphisms for thepresence/absence of two required components: cyanogenic glucosides and theirhydrolyzing enzyme linamarase. Cyanogenesis is commonly thought to function in herbivoredefense; however, the individual cyanogenic components may also serve other physiologicalfunctions. To test whether cyanogenesis clines have evolved in response to the sameselective pressures acting on the same genetic targets, we examined cyanogenesis clineshape and its environmental correlates in three world regions: southern New Zealand, thecentral United States and the US Pacific Northwest. For some regional comparisons, clineshapes are remarkably similar despite large differences in the spatial scales over whichclines occur (40–1600 km). However, we also find evidence for majordifferences in both the agents and targets of selection among the sampled clines.Variation in cyanogenesis frequency is best predicted using a combination of minimumwinter temperature and aridity variables. Together, our results provide evidence thatrecurrent adaptive clines do not necessarily reflect shared adaptive processes.     

Local adaptation for body color in Drosophila americana

Pigmentation is one of the most variable traits within and between Drosophila species. Much of this diversity appears to be adaptive, with environmental factors often invoked as selective forces. Here, we describe the geographic structure of pigmentation in Drosophila americana and evaluate the hypothesis that it is a locally adapted trait. Body pigmentation was quantified using digital images and spectrometry in up to 10 flies from each of 93 isofemale lines collected from 17 locations across the United States and found to correlate most strongly with longitude. Sequence variation at putatively neutral loci showed no evidence of population structure and was inconsistent with an isolation-by-distance model, suggesting that the pigmentation cline exists despite extensive gene flow throughout the species range, and is most likely the product of natural selection. In all other Drosophila species examined to date, dark pigmentation is associated with arid habitats; however, in D. americana, the darkest flies were collected from the most humid regions. To investigate this relationship further, we examined desiccation resistance attributable to an allele that darkens pigmentation in D. americana. We found no significant effect of pigmentation on desiccation resistance in this experiment, suggesting that pigmentation and desiccation resistance are not unequivocally linked in all Drosophila species.     

遗传变异的又一来源：拷贝数变异

人们很早就发现DNA拷贝数变异与特定染色体重组和基因组异常相关这一现象,但最近才知道它与疾病的相关联系。我们对拷贝数变异的原理、最新研究方法,及其与复杂疾病的相关性研究等进展进行了综述;总结了拷贝数变异研究所存在的问题;对拷贝数变异未来的研究重点和需要解决的问题进行了展望。     

人microRNA相关的遗传变异与肿瘤

微RNA(microRNA,miRNA)是新发现的一类进化上高度保守的重要的转录后调控因子,通过调节基因的表达而参与调控细胞凋亡、增殖及分化等生理过程,同时与肿瘤等疾病的发生发展密切相关。近年来研究发现,miRNA、miRNA生物合成通路基因及miRNA的靶基因结合位点的遗传变异(例如单核苷酸多态性和拷贝数变异等)可影响miRNA调控功能的发挥,并产生显著的遗传学效应。文章主要综述了miRNA相关的遗传变异与肿瘤易感性和临床转归等的研究进展。     

Cyanogenesis in Cotoneaster-arten

The presence of the cyanogenic glycoside prunasin in leaves and fruits of Cotoneaster species was confirmed by GLC. In addition amygdalin was found in ripe fruits. The variation in prunasin and amygdalin was measured during development of the flowers and fruits of C. praecox and C. bullata. The importance of these findings for chemotaxonomy and physiology is discussed.