Construction of a linkage map of the Rennell Island Tall coconut type (Cocos nucifera L.) and QTL analysis for yield characters.

AFLP and SSR DNA markers were used to construct a linkage map in the coconut (Cocos nucifera L.; 2n = 32) type Rennell Island Tall (RIT). A total of 227 markers were arranged into 16 linkage groups. The total genome length corresponded to 1971 cM for the RIT map, with 5-23 markers per linkage group. QTL analysis for yield characters in two consecutive sampling periods identified nine loci. Three and two QTLs were detected for number of bunches and one and three QTLs for number of nuts. The correlation of trait values between characters and evaluation periods is partially reflected in identical QTLs. The QTLs represent characters that are important in coconut breeding. The cosegregation of markers with these QTLs provides an opportunity for marker-assisted selection in coconut breeding programmes.     

High throughput parallel synthesis of oligonucleotides with 1536 channel synthesizer

A 1536 channel oligonucleotide synthesizer, the MultiSyn, was developed with the capability to simultaneously synthesize 1536 oligonucleotides of 20mer length in 10 h. The instrument was designed to synthesize different sequences of various lengths in micro-wells and has synthesized oligonucleotides as long as 119 nt with reasonably good yields using CPG beads of 1000 Å pore size. The instrument consists of four 384 channel synthesis modules. Phosphoramidite chemistry was employed and step yields as high as 99.3% were achieved. The enhancement of oligonucleotide synthesis throughput is accomplished by increasing the spatial density of reaction wells. We have identified several parameters that are critical in achieving a good synthesis yield and negligible failure rate in small reaction wells. The coefficient of variation (CV) of product yields in 1536 reaction wells was 20%. The quality of the product was examined by capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. The instrument has robustly synthesized oligonucleotides of various lengths for use as primers and probes for PCR amplifications, oligonucleotide microarrays and genotyping applications. This high throughput oligonucleotide synthesizer is a useful instrument for genomic applications, which require tens of thousands of probes or primers in a short time.     

The risk for depression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a population-based cohort study

Introduction

Depression is frequent in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. However, epidemiological data about the potential increase in risk are lacking. This study compares the rate of doctor-diagnosed depression in a well defined cohort of AS patients to the general population seeking care.

Methods

The Skåne Healthcare Register comprises healthcare data of each resident in Region Skåne, Sweden (population 1.2 million), including ICD-10 diagnoses. Using physician coded consultation data from years 1999 to 2011, we calculated depression consultation rates for all AS patients. We obtained standardized depression-rate ratios by dividing the observed depression rate in AS patients by the expected rate based on the corresponding age- and sex-specific rates of depression in the general population seeking care. A ratio >1 equals a higher rate of depression among AS patients.

Results

The AS cohort consisted of 1738 subjects (65% men) with a mean age of 54 years. The reference population consisted of 967,012 subjects. During the 13-year observation period 10% (n = 172) of the AS cohort had a doctor-diagnosed depression compared to 6% (n = 105) to be expected. The standardized estimate of depression-rate ratio was 1.81 (95% confidence interval 1.44 to 2.24) in women men and 1.49 (1.20 to 1.89) in men.

Conclusions

The rate of doctor-diagnosed depression is increased about 80% in female and 50% in male AS patients. Future challenges are to timely identify and treat the AS patients who suffer from depression.     

Ultrastructural localization of the high molecular weight proteins associated with in vitro-assembled brain microtubules

Microtubules isolated from brain extracts by in vitro assembly (1, 19, 23) are composed principally of two tubulins and two high molecular weight proteins (microtubule-associated proteins [MAPS] 1 and 2) (2,5,7,20). Recently, it was demonstrated that in vitro-assembled brain microtubules (neurotubules) are coated with filaments (5, 7) which are similar to the filaments attached to neurotubules in situ (4, 15, 21, 24, 25), and it was suggested that the filaments are composed of the higher molecular weight MAPs (5, 7, 12). In this study, microtubules were assembled in the presence and absence of the MAPs, and thin sections of the microtubules were examined by electron microscopy. The results show that the filaments only occur on microtubules assembled in the presence of the MAPs and it is therefore concluded that the filaments are composed of the high molecular weight MAP's.     

A novel liver specific isoform of the rat LAR transcript is expressed as a truncated isoform encoded from a 5'UTR located within intron 11

Background  

The leukocyte common antigen related receptor (LAR) protein has been shown to modulate the signal transduction of a number of different growth factors, including insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1. Splice variants exhibit differing roles and are expressed according to tissue type and developmental stage.