Landscape-Genetic Analysis of Population Structure in the Texas Gray Fox Oral Rabies Vaccination Zone

ABSTRACT In west-central Texas, USA, abatement efforts for the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) rabies epizootic illustrate the difficulties inherent in large-scale management of wildlife disease. The rabies epizootic has been managed through a cooperative oral rabies vaccination program (ORV) since 1996. Millions of edible baits containing a rabies vaccine have been distributed annually in a 16-km to 24-km zone around the perimeter of the epizootic, which encompasses a geographic area >4 × 10⁵ km². The ORV program successfully halted expansion of the epizootic into metropolitan areas but has not achieved the ultimate goal of eradication. Rabies activity in gray fox continues to occur periodically outside the ORV zone, preventing ORV zone contraction and dissipation of the epizootic. We employed a landscape-genetic approach to assess gray fox population structure and dispersal in the affected area, with the aim of assisting rabies management efforts. No unique genetic clusters or population boundaries were detected. Instead, foxes were weakly structured over the entire region in an isolation by distance pattern. Local subpopulations appeared to be genetically non-independent over distances >30 km, implying that long-distance movements or dispersal may have been common in the region. We concluded that gray foxes in west-central Texas have a high potential for long-distance rabies virus trafficking. Thus, a 16-km to 24-km ORV zone may be too narrow to contain the fox rabies epizootic. Continued expansion of the ORV zone, although costly, may be critical to the long-term goal of eliminating the Texas fox rabies virus variant from the United States.     

Trap-vaccinate-release and oral vaccination for rabies control in urban skunks, raccoons and foxes.

Two rabies control tactics, trap-vaccinate-release (T-V-R) and oral vaccination were used for the control of rabies in skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in metropolitan Toronto, Canada. Using T-V-R, a mean of 45% to 72% (95% confidence limits of 40% to 81%) of the skunks and a mean of 17% to 68% (95% confidence limits of 14% to 76%) of the raccoons in a 60 km2 area of Toronto were vaccinated against rabies between 1987 and 1991. The area has been free of skunk rabies from May 1989 to April 1992. Forty-five rabies cases were diagnosed during 1980 to 1986. In contrast, only three skunk cases have been reported since the vaccination program began in July 1987. The T-V-R area also remained rabies free during an epizootic of skunk rabies in metropolitan Toronto during 1991. Following distribution of rabies vaccine-baits throughout the ravines of metropolitan Toronto, June 1989 to December 1991, 46% to 80% of the Toronto fox population was immunized during 1989, 1990 and 1991. Only one case of fox rabies was reported in metropolitan Toronto since vaccination began, compared to 80 cases reported between 1982 and 1988. The area has been free of reported fox rabies from October 1990 to April 1992.     

Epizootiology of skunk rabies in North America

Public health surveillance data from the United States and Canada (1961 to 1982) were analyzed to determine if consistent temporal and spatial patterns in skunk rabies could be identified. Enzootic/epizootic rabies was recognized in 18 states (enzootic states) based on the criteria of greater than or equal to 20 yr of reported skunk rabies and at least 1 yr with a minimum of 50 reported rabid skunks. In other wildlife species, epizootics have been demonstrated to expand along a wave-like front. We hypothesized: if skunk rabies behaved in a similar fashion, states reporting rabid skunks would change over time. No such change was noted. During epizootics the number of counties reporting increased but not the number of states. Within Illinois certain counties were demonstrated to have persistent rabies histories and likely served as enzootic foci. Enzootic states combined prevalence indicated a 6 to 8 yr cycle for epizootics. Data on monthly percent rabies positive (number rabid/total number tested) were available from six states and Canada. Mean distributions were bimodal with winter and spring peaks. The patterns identified for skunk rabies differ from those of other major wildlife vectors and have significance for potential vaccination control regimes.     

Skunk rabies in California (1992-2003)--implications for oral rabies vaccination

Skunk-variant rabies is endemic in California (United States), and the development of oral vaccines and baits to vaccinate skunks is in progress. In 2003, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) began to quantify the impacts of skunk-variant rabies and to assess the feasibility of using oral rabies vaccination (ORV) as a containment measure. The CDPH rabies case data for skunks were spatially depicted and analyzed using a geographic information system. Statewide, rabid skunks (1992-2003) primarily occurred in seven physiographic regions: Central Coast, North Coast, North Sierra, Sacramento Valley, San Francisco Bay and Delta, San Joaquin Valley, and South Sierra. Detailed analysis of rabid skunks in San Luis Obispo (SLO) and Santa Barbara (SB) counties showed that skunk rabies was endemic in the coastal plain of SLO County between 1992 and 2000, but only became epizootic in SB County during 2002. Despite the widespread distribution of striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) throughout most of California, the skunk rabies variant has not been found in Los Angeles County since 1979. Results imply that future ORV campaigns for skunk-variant rabies in the Pacific Coastal Plain could deter spread from SLO into SB County, as well as deterring the reintroduction of skunk-variant rabies into southern California.     

Lack of Genetic Structure and Female-Specific Effect of Dispersal Barriers in a Rabies Vector,the Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Evaluating the permeability of potential barriers to movement, dispersal and gene exchanges can help describe spreading patterns of wildlife diseases. Here, we used landscape genetics methods to assess the genetic structure of the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), which is a frequent vector of rabies, a lethal zoonosis of great concern for public health. Our main objective was to identify landscape elements shaping the genetic structure of this species in Southern Québec, Canada, in an area where the raccoon rabies variant has been detected. We hypothesised that geographic distance and landscape barriers, such as highways and major rivers, would modulate genetic structure. We genotyped a total of 289 individuals sampled across a large area (22,000 km²) at nice microsatellite loci. Genetic structure analyses identified a single genetic cluster in the study area. Major rivers and highways, however, influenced the genetic relatedness among sampled individuals. Sex-specific analyses revealed that rivers significantly limited dispersal only for females while highways only had marginal effects. Rivers and highways did not significantly affect male dispersal. These results support the contention that female skunks are more philopatric than males. Overall, our results suggest that the effects of major rivers and highways on dispersal are sex-specific and rather weak and are thus unlikely to prevent the spread of rabies within and among striped skunk populations.     

Genetic variants in the JAK1 gene confer higher risk of Behcet’s disease with ocular involvement in Han Chinese

Recent surveys have identified SLC22A4, SLC22A5, RUNX1, JAK1 as susceptibility genes for various immune-related diseases. An association study was performed in 738 Behcet’s patients with ocular involvement and 1,873 controls using the iPLEX system method. The first-stage study for 30 SNPs showed that SNPs rs2780815, rs310241, rs3790532 in JAK1 were associated with Behcet’s disease in Han Chinese (Pc_{(Bonferroni correction)} = 0.022–7.7 × 10^?3). The G allele and AA genotype of SNP rs2834643 in RUNX1 (Pc = 0.041–1.75 × 10^?3), but none of the other SNPs, were associated with Behcet’s disease. Haplotype analysis for the SLC22A4, SLC22A5 genes showed an increased tendency for AGTCTGCCGC frequency in patients compared with controls; however, the significance was lost after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.004, Pc > 0.05). Subsequently, we further replicated the significantly associated SNPs using another independent cohort. Replication and combining studies showed that three SNPs rs2780815, rs310241, rs3790532 in JAK1, but not SNP rs2834643 in RUNX1, were consistently associated with Behcet’s disease (replication: Pc = 0.012–9.60 × 10^?4; combining: Pc = 0.030–1.90 × 10^?4). SNPs rs2780815, rs310241, rs3790532 were estimated to confer a population attributable risk of 35.0, 28.0, 27.0 %, respectively. We found a strong association between HLA-B51 with Behcet’s disease in Chinese Han population (P = 1.35 × 10^?73; OR = 5.15; 95 % CI 4.28–6.19). GMDR analysis showed that no gene–gene interaction was detectable between JAK1 and HLA-B51. Logistic analysis indicated that the JAK1 gene was an independent risk factor for Behcet’s disease (P > 0.05). Real-time PCR analysis showed that no difference on the expression of JAK1 in PBMCs or LPS-stimulated PBMCs between individuals with the different rs1762780815 genotypes studied (P > 0.05). In conclusion, this study suggests that JAK1, but not SLC22A4, SLC22A5 and RUNX1, contributes to the genetic susceptibility to Behcet’s disease with ocular involvement.     

The Phylogeography and Spatiotemporal Spread of South-Central Skunk Rabies Virus

The south-central skunk rabies virus (SCSK) is the most broadly distributed terrestrial viral lineage in North America. Skunk rabies has not been efficiently targeted by oral vaccination campaigns and represents a natural system of pathogen invasion, yielding insights to rabies emergence. In the present study we reconstructed spatiotemporal spread of SCSK in the whole territory of its circulation using a combination of Bayesian methods. The analysis based on 241 glycoprotein gene sequences demonstrated that SCSK is much more divergent phylogenetically than was appreciated previously. According to our analyses the SCSK originated in the territory of Texas ~170 years ago, and spread geographically during the following decades. The wavefront velocity in the northward direction was significantly greater than in the eastward and westward directions. Rivers (except the Mississippi River and Rio Grande River) did not constitute significant barriers for epizootic spread, in contrast to deserts and mountains. The mean dispersal rate of skunk rabies was lower than that of the raccoon and fox rabies. Viral lineages circulate in their areas with limited evidence of geographic spread during decades. However, spatiotemporal reconstruction shows that after a long period of stability the dispersal rate and wavefront velocity of SCSK are increasing. Our results indicate that there is a need to develop control measures for SCSK, and suggest how such measure can be implemented most efficiently. Our approach can be extrapolated to other rabies reservoirs and used as a tool for investigation of epizootic patterns and planning interventions towards disease elimination.     

A commonly carried genetic variant,rs9616915, in SHANK3 gene is associated with a reduced risk of autism spectrum disorder: replication in a Chinese population

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of neurodevelopmental disorders with highly heritability. Recently, abnormality at the synapse is found to be important etiology of ASD. SHANK3 gene is suggested as a strong candidate gene for the pathogenesis of ASD, because it is essential for normally synaptic structure and function. We performed a case–control study to identify association between rs9616915 of the SHANK3 gene and ASD in a Chinese population. Genomic DNA was extracted from oral swabs samples of 212 patients and 636 controls and the SNP genotypes were determined by a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymerase assay. Significant difference in genotype distribution of rs9616915 was observed between cases and controls by Pearson’s χ ² test (χ ² = 6.92, P = 0.031). Genetic analysis of heterozygous model, dominant model and additive model showed an association of the C allele of the rs9616915 with ASD (e.g., additive model, OR 0.582, 95 % CI 0.359–0.942, P = 0.028). In conclusion, our results suggested that this commonly genetic variant in SHANK3 gene strikingly decreased the risk of ASD in China.     

Evaluation of an electronic nose for the early detection of organic overload of anaerobic digesters

This study aimed at analysing the utilization of an electronic nose (e-nose) to serve as a specific monitoring tool for anaerobic digestion process, especially for detecting organic overload. An array of non specific metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors were used to detect process faults due to organic overload events in twelve 1.8-L anaerobic semi-continuous reactors. Three different load strategies were followed: (1) a cautious organic load (1.3 gVS L^?1 day^?1); (2) an increasing load strategy (1.3–5.3 gVS L^?1 day^?1) and (3) a cautious organic load with load pulses of up to 12 gVS L^?1 day^?1. A first monitoring campaign was conducted with three different substrates: sucrose, maize oil and a mix of sucrose/oil during 60 days. The second campaign was run with dry sugar beet pulp for 45 days. Hotelling’s T ² value and upper control limit to a reference set of digesters fed with a cautious OLR (1.3 gVS L^?1 day^?1) was used as indirect state variable of the reactors. Overload situations were identified by the e-nose apparatus with Hotelling’s T ² values at least four times higher in magnitude than the upper control limit of 23.7. These results confirmed that the e-nose technology appeared promising for online detection of process imbalances in the domain of anaerobic digestion.     

Functional polymorphism rs4072037 in MUC1 gene contributes to the susceptibility to gastric cancer: evidence from pooled 6,580 cases and 10,324 controls

Genome-wide association studies have reported a promising association of rs4072037 with gastric cancer (GC). This variant was associated with altered physiological function of MUC1 possibly by modulating promoter activity and alternative splicing of MUC1. However, the association results were inconclusive and estimate of the effect of this variant was not well evaluated. A meta-analysis by systematically reviewing relevant reports may facilitate to address these concerns. Association studies involving MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism and GC risk were identified up to June 30, 2012. Odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) in additive model were estimated or extracted from each study. The pooled effect size was quantitatively synthesized using meta-analysis. Heterogeneity between studies was measured by the Q test and I ² statistic, and publication bias was evaluated by a funnel plot and the Egger’s test. A total of 10 independent case–control studies including 6,580 GC cases and 10,324 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Eight of the ten studies were Asian ethnicity and two European. The G allele of MUC1 rs4072037 was significantly associated with a decreased risk of GC (OR = 0.72, 95 % CI 0.68–0.77; P = 7.82 × 10^?25), as compared with A allele. Stratification for different ethnicity, tumor localization or type showed similar results. These findings represent important evidence for association of MUC1 rs4072037 variant with GC risk, and also provide a relatively reliable estimate of effect size. MUC1 is a strong candidate as a susceptibility gene of GC.     

Increased organic carbon concentrations in Estonian rivers in the period 1992–2007 as affected by deepening droughts

There are 10,091 km² of peatlands in Estonia and human activities may have changed the role of northern peatlands from global sinks to global sources of carbon. The aim of this work was to explain the changes in organic carbon exports from eleven Estonian rivers in the period 1992–2007 in terms of land use change, climate change quantified by trends in stream-water discharge and hydrological droughts and reductions in atmospheric sulfate quantified by change in water chemistry. Direct TOC (total organic carbon) measurements had been initiated in 1998. We used CODKMnO₄ (permanganate oxygen consumed) as its surrogate for the whole time span (Spearman’s determination coefficient in six small northern Estonian rivers 0.95 > ρ² > 0.72; p < 0.01). The Mann–Kendall test revealed significant trends in the TOC proxy in five small rivers in northern Estonia (M–K stat > 2.35; p < 0.05). The trends in the eleven investigated streams correlated closely with the increased 28 ratios of drought days (Spearman’s ρ² = 0.68; p < 0.01). The correlations with land use compositions, decreases in water discharges and SO₄ ^2? concentrations were insignificant (p > 0.05). We conclude that the main factor in the increase of organic carbon export is the deepening of droughts driven by climate change, magnified by man-made drainage.     

Optimizing modes of inoculation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhipicephalus</Emphasis> ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) with a mitosporic entomopathogenic fungus in the laboratory

The process of strain selection is an important step in the development of insect pathogens for biological control. Bioassays were conducted in the laboratory to evaluate the efficacy of different methods of inoculation using Rhipicephalus pulchellus Gerstäcker (Acari: Ixodidae) as a model. Initially, an oil-based formulation of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) titred at 10⁹ conidia ml^?1 was applied to R. pulchellus adults using a Burgerjon spray tower or a microapplicator. Inoculation by microapplicator yielded poor results (25.0% tick mortality) compared to Burgerjon’s spray tower (52.3% tick mortality), although the mean number of fungal conidia on R. pulchellus adults was lower (1.5 × 10⁴ ± 1.1 × 10³ conidia ml^?1) after spraying by Burgerjon’s spray tower compared to 1 × 10⁶ conidia ml^?1 obtained with the microapplicator. Thus, inoculation by Burgerjon’s spray tower was selected for further investigations. Different modes of inoculation were tested and included direct spray of inoculum on the tick and substrate (SS), direct spray on the substrate and tick followed by transfer of the tick to clean uncontaminated Petri dish (SP) or indirect inoculation of ticks through substrate (SW). The LC₅₀ values following contamination of nymphs (LC₅₀ = 1.4 × 10⁷ conidia ml^?1) and adults (LC₅₀ = 6.7 × 10⁷ conidia ml^?1) in SS were significantly lower compared to SP; nymphs (LC₅₀ = 5.7 × 10⁸ conidia ml^?1) and adults (LC₅₀ = 5.3 × 10⁹ conidia ml^?1) and SW; nymphs (LC₅₀ = 5 × 10⁸ conidia ml^?1). Although the LC₅₀ value in SS was the lowest, it recorded the highest tick mortality among control ticks (24.2% at 2 weeks post-treatment) and (23.3% at 3 weeks post-treatment) in nymphs and adults respectively compared to SP (2.5 and 5.8%, respectively) and SW (0.0 and 0.0). Results show that among the modes of inoculation tested, SP was the most appropriate for inoculating R. pulchellus adults. SW and SP were identified as appropriate techniques for infecting the R. pulchellus nymphs with conidia formulated in oil.     

The Impact of Microbial Immune Enteral Nutrition on the Patients with Acute Radiation Enteritis in Bowel Function and Immune Status

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of microbial immune enteral nutrition by microecopharmaceutics and deep sea fish oil and glutamine and Peptisorb on the patients with acute radiation enteritis in bowel function and immune status. From June 2010 to January 2013, 46 acute radiation enteritis patients in Liaocheng People’s Hospital were randomized into the microbial immune enteral nutrition group and the control group: 24 patients in treatment group and 22 patients in control group. The immune microbial nutrition was given to the study group, but not to the control group. The concentration of serum albumin and prealbumin and the number of CD₃ ⁺ T cell, CD₄ ⁺ T cell, CD₈ ⁺ T cell, CD₄ ⁺/CD₈ ⁺ and natural killer cell of the two groups were detected on the 1, 7 and 14 days after treatment. The arm muscle circumference and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) were recorded, and the tolerance of the two groups for enteral nutrition and intestinal symptoms was collected and then comparing the two indicators and get results. The tolerance of microbial immune enteral nutrition group about abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea was better than the control group (P values were 0.018, 0.04 and 0.008 after 7 days; P values were 0.018, 0.015 and 0.002 after 14 days); and the cellular immune parameters were better than the control group(^△ P = 0.008, P = 0.039, ^☆ P = 0.032); No difference was found in nutrition indicators. To the patients with acute radiation enteritis, microbial immune enteral nutrition could improve the patient’s immune status, and the tolerance of enteral nutrition could be better for the bowel function and the patients’ rehabilitation.     

Linkage disequilibrium pattern and age-at-diagnosis are critical for replicating genetic associations across ethnic groups in leprosy

One of the persistent challenges of genetic association studies is the replication of genetic marker-disease associations across ethnic groups. Here, we conducted high-density association mapping of PARK2/PACRG SNPs with leprosy and identified 69 SNPs significantly associated with leprosy in 198 single-case Vietnamese leprosy families. A total of 56 associated SNPs localized to the overlapping promoter regions of PARK2/PACRG. For this region, multivariate analysis identified four SNPs belonging to two major SNP bins (rs1333955, rs7744433) and two single SNP bins (rs2023004, rs6936895) that capture the combined statistical evidence (P = 1.1 × 10^?5) for association among Vietnamese patients. Next, we enrolled a case–control sample of 364 leprosy cases and 370 controls from Northern India. We genotyped all subjects for 149 SNPs that capture >80 % of the genetic variation in the Vietnamese sample and found 24 SNPs significantly associated with leprosy. Multivariate analysis identified three SNPs (rs1333955, rs9356058 and rs2023004) that capture the association with leprosy (P < 10^?8). Hence, two SNPs (rs1333955 and rs2023004) were replicated by multivariate analysis between both ethnic groups. Marked differences in the linkage disequilibrium pattern explained some of the differences in univariate analysis between the two ethnic groups. In addition, the strength of association for two promoter region SNP bins was significantly stronger among young leprosy patients in the Vietnamese sample. The same trend was observed in the Indian sample, but due to the higher age-at-diagnosis of the patients the age effect was less pronounced.     

Ontogenetic diet shift in Commerson’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii commersonii) off Tierra del Fuego

The Commerson’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus c. commersonii, Lacépède, 1804) is the most common endemic dolphin of the coastal waters of Tierra del Fuego incidentally caught in artisanal coastal gill nets. A better understanding of its trophic ecology is essential to facilitate the effective management and conservation of its population. The aim of this study was to analyze possible shifts in diet among age and sex classes by analyzing bone collagen δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values collected from 220 individuals along the coast of Tierra del Fuego. Additional analysis of potential prey allowed us to use a stable isotope mixing model to quantify resource use. Isotopic comparisons suggest that all age classes share the same foraging areas. We found, however, a significant dietary shift: juveniles consume a higher mean (±SD) proportion (60 ± 7 %) of pelagic Sprattus fuegensis than adults (36 ± 10 %), and the consumption of benthopelagic species such as Illex argentinus and Loligo gahi is higher in adults (33 ± 12 %) than juveniles (20 ± 7 %). This may result from an improvement in foraging skills and expansion of habitats in adulthood. While males move greater distances in search of mates and resources, a lack of isotopic differences between the sexes suggests little evidence for sex-related resource partitioning. A significant decrease in δ¹⁵N values between calves and juveniles indicates a weaning period between 0.5 and 1 year as was shown in previous captive studies on this species. Our results also suggest that artisanal fisheries, despite being a major source of mortality, do not affect the long-term food habits of Commerson’s dolphin since they showed a weak trophic overlap.     

Controls on the rate of CO2 emission from woody debris in clearcut and coniferous forest environments

The rate at which CO₂ is released from woody debris post-clearcut affects the long term carbon consequences of such disturbances. Changes in microclimate post-clearcut may alter the rate of woody debris decomposition from that in a mature forest. However, very few studies have explored post-disturbance rates of woody debris respiration and the possible influence of an altered microclimate, and even fewer have considered the role of log position in influencing rates of respiration. This study explored the effects of log position and microclimate variability on the rates of coarse woody debris (CWD) respiration. The rates of respiration of downed Norway spruce (Picea abies) logs were repeatedly measured in situ using an LI-6200 gas analyzer. Treatments included native logs in the clearcut site, native logs in a neighboring mature spruce stand, and logs transferred from the clearcut site to the mature spruce stand. The transfer logs showed the highest rates of respiration (0.44 ± 0.03 g CO₂ m^?2 log surface h^?1), followed by the clearcut logs (0.36 ± 0.02 g CO₂ m^?2 log surface h^?1), and spruce stand logs (0.30 ± 0.02 g CO₂ m^?2 log surface h^?1) (P < 0.01). The boost in respiration found in the transfer treatment group was best explained by increases in log water content, while the slower rate of respiration in the spruce stand logs was best explained by the log’s contact/non-contact with the ground prior to the start of the observational campaign. CWD respiration was found to represent 18 ± 3 % of total daytime ecosystem respiration (R _eco).     

Species and Genotype Effects of Bioenergy Crops on Root Production,Carbon and Nitrogen in Temperate Agricultural Soil

Bioenergy crops have a secondary benefit if they increase soil organic C (SOC) stocks through capture and allocation below-ground. The effects of four genotypes of short-rotation coppice willow (Salix spp., ‘Terra Nova’ and ‘Tora’) and Miscanthus (M.?×?giganteus (‘Giganteus’) and M. sinensis (‘Sinensis’)) on roots, SOC and total nitrogen (TN) were quantified to test whether below-ground biomass controls SOC and TN dynamics. Soil cores were collected under (‘plant’) and between plants (‘gap’) in a field experiment on a temperate agricultural silty clay loam after 4 and 6 years’ management. Root density was greater under Miscanthus for plant (up to 15.5 kg m^?3) compared with gap (up to 2.7 kg m^?3), whereas willow had lower densities (up to 3.7 kg m^?3). Over 2 years, SOC increased below 0.2 m depth from 7.1 to 8.5 kg m^?3 and was greatest under Sinensis at 0–0.1 m depth (24.8 kg m^?3). Miscanthus-derived SOC, based on stable isotope analysis, was greater under plant (11.6 kg m^?3) than gap (3.1 kg m^?3) for Sinensis. Estimated SOC stock change rates over the 2-year period to 1-m depth were 6.4 for Terra Nova, 7.4 for Tora, 3.1 for Giganteus and 8.8 Mg ha^?1 year^?1 for Sinensis. Rates of change of TN were much less. That SOC matched root mass down the profile, particularly under Miscanthus, indicated that perennial root systems are an important contributor. Willow and Miscanthus offer both biomass production and C sequestration when planted in arable soil.     

Large multiethnic Candidate Gene Study for C-reactive protein levels: identification of a novel association at CD36 in African Americans

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a heritable biomarker of systemic inflammation and a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Large-scale genetic association studies for CRP have largely focused on individuals of European descent. We sought to uncover novel genetic variants for CRP in a multiethnic sample using the ITMAT Broad-CARe (IBC) array, a custom 50,000 SNP gene-centric array having dense coverage of over 2,000 candidate CVD genes. We performed analyses on 7,570 African Americans (AA) from the Candidate gene Association Resource (CARe) study and race-combined meta-analyses that included 29,939 additional individuals of European descent from CARe, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and KORA studies. We observed array-wide significance (p < 2.2 × 10^?6) for four loci in AA, three of which have been reported previously in individuals of European descent (IL6R, p = 2.0 × 10^?6; CRP, p = 4.2 × 10^?71; APOE, p = 1.6 × 10^?6). The fourth significant locus, CD36 (p = 1.6 × 10^?6), was observed at a functional variant (rs3211938) that is extremely rare in individuals of European descent. We replicated the CD36 finding (p = 1.8 × 10^?5) in an independent sample of 8,041 AA women from WHI; a meta-analysis combining the CARe and WHI AA results at rs3211938 reached genome-wide significance (p = 1.5 × 10^?10). In the race-combined meta-analyses, 13 loci reached significance, including ten (CRP, TOMM40/APOE/APOC1, HNF1A, LEPR, GCKR, IL6R, IL1RN, NLRP3, HNF4A and BAZ1B/BCL7B) previously associated with CRP, and one (ARNTL) previously reported to be nominally associated with CRP. Two novel loci were also detected (RPS6KB1, p = 2.0 × 10^?6; CD36, p = 1.4 × 10^?6). These results highlight both shared and unique genetic risk factors for CRP in AA compared to populations of European descent.     

Influence of Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains on hairy root induction and ‘bacoside A’ production from Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst.

Stable lines of hairy roots were established from leaf explants of Bacopa monnieri using different strains (A4, R1000, SA79, MTCC 532 and MTCC 2364) of Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The efficiency of hairy roots induction of these strains varied significantly and the maximum transformation frequency (75 %) was observed in case of strain SA79 using leaf explants followed by internode (55 %) in the presence of acetosyringone. Different parameters such as cell density of Agrobacterium suspension, co-cultivation period and infection time influenced the root induction frequency. Maximum frequency of root induction was obtained with bacterial density of 0.6 OD₆₀₀, 2 days of co-cultivation period and 10 min of infection time. Integration of T-DNA in the genome of hairy roots was confirmed by PCR amplification of rolB gene. Elimination of Agrobacterium from the established root cultures was ascertained by amplifying the DNA fragment specific to 16S rDNA and virD gene. All lines of hairy roots except strain A4 induced showed higher growth rate and accumulated higher levels of ‘bacoside A’ than the untransformed roots. Maximum biomass accumulation (6.8 g l^?1) and ‘bacoside A’ content (10.02 mg g^?1 DW) were recorded in case of the hairy root line induced by strain MTCC 2364.