Genomic clues of the evolutionary history of Bos indicus cattle

Together with their sister subspecies Bos taurus, zebu cattle (Bos indicus) have contributed to important socioeconomic changes that have shaped modern civilizations. Zebu cattle were domesticated in the Indus Valley 8000 years before present (YBP). From the domestication site, they expanded to Africa, East Asia, southwestern Asia and Europe between 4000 and 1300 YBP, intercrossing with B. taurus to form clinal variations of zebu ancestry across the landmass of Afro‐Eurasia. In the past 150 years, zebu cattle reached the Americas and Oceania, where they have contributed to the prosperity of emerging economies. The zebu genome is characterized by two mitochondrial haplogroups (I1 and I2), one Y chromosome haplogroup (Y3) and three major autosomal ancestral groups (Indian‐Pakistani, African and Chinese). Phenotypically, zebu animals are recognized by their hump, large ears and excess skin. They are rustic, resilient to parasites and capable of bearing the hot and humid climates of the tropics. Many resources are available to study the zebu genome, including commercial arrays of SNP, reference assemblies and publicly available genotypes and whole‐genome sequences. Nevertheless, many of these resources were initially developed to support research and subsidize industrial applications in B. taurus, and therefore they can produce bias in data analysis. The combination of genomics with precision agriculture holds great promise for the identification of genetic variants affecting economically important traits such as tick resistance and heat tolerance, which were naturally selected for millennia and played a major role in the evolution of B. indicus cattle.     

Automated cytopathologic diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma. II. Preliminary results of classifying cytocentrifuged bronchial brushings

An automated discrimination between healthy and neoplastic bronchial cells was performed on eight bronchial smears prepared by cytocentrifugation. An image analyzer was used to examine 415 cells in these smears. The nuclear surface of each cell was measured, as was the total integrated optical density for 25 programmed thresholds. The results show that it is possible to distinguish healthy from cancerous cells in a given subject using these two measured parameters and two new parameters deduced mathematically. It appears difficult, however, to demonstrate a typical healthy and typical cancerous bronchial cell that could be used as a reference for all subjects. It is thus the presence of cell heterogeneity in a given subject that enables him or her to be characterized as healthy or having cancer.     

A study of the rheological properties of a non-Newtonian fermentation broth

Polysaccharide was synthesized by Aureobasidium pullulans (or Pullularia pullulans) 2552 in a sucrose medium. The field apparent viscosity of the culture medium from shake flask experiments rose to 24,500 cP and then dropped toward its initial value as the fermentation progressed. The magnitude of the maximum apparent viscosity depended on the initial pH of the fermentation broth. The inoculum age influenced the cultivation period before which the maximum viscosity was reached. Rheograms of the fermentation broths showed a change in viscosity behavior from Newtonian to pseudoplastic, and then toward Newtonian characteristics during the fermentation. The calculated non-Newtonian index was found to be a sensitive factor for the indication of the non-Newtonian behavior. Such behavior could not be detected from rheograms. Viscosity profiles of polysaccharide isolated from various stages of the fermentation showed a change from Newtonian to pseudoplastic behavior depending on the concentration (0–2%) of polysaccharide.     

Multilocus genotypic data reveal high genetic diversity and low population genetic structure of Iranian indigenous sheep

Iranian livestock diversity is still largely unexplored, in spite of the interest in the populations historically reared in this country located near the Fertile Crescent, a major livestock domestication centre. In this investigation, the genetic diversity and differentiation of 10 Iranian indigenous fat‐tailed sheep breeds were investigated using 18 microsatellite markers. Iranian breeds were found to host a high level of diversity. This conclusion is substantiated by the large number of alleles observed across loci (average 13.83, range 7–22) and by the high within‐breed expected heterozygosity (average 0.75, range 0.72–0.76). Iranian sheep have a low level of genetic differentiation, as indicated by the analysis of molecular variance, which allocated a very small proportion (1.67%) of total variation to the between‐population component, and by the small fixation index (F_ST = 0.02). Both Bayesian clustering and principal coordinates analysis revealed the absence of a detectable genetic structure. Also, no isolation by distance was observed through comparison of genetic and geographical distances. In spite of high within‐breed variation, signatures of inbreeding were detected by the F_IS indices, which were positive in all and statistically significant in three breeds. Possible factors explaining the patterns observed, such as considerable gene flow and inbreeding probably due to anthropogenic activities in the light of population management and conservation programmes, are discussed.