Fast analysis of genomic homologies: Primate immunodeficiency virus

We have recently published a new probabilistic algorithm which performs genomic comparisons on a huge scale. In the present paper it was applied to immunodeficiency viral sequences extracted from international gene databanks. During global sequence analysis of human (HIV I and HIV2) and simian viruses by means of dot-matrix representation, series of homology were obtained which permitted the definition of families of viruses overlapping the species divisions. Sequences of interest were characterized to the lexical base sentence through successive zoomings. Strain-to-strain comparison confirmed subfamily classifications and led, for example, to the identification of divergent LTR sequences. By way of example, we described the application of the algorithm to the ANT70C and MVP5180 HIV1-O viruses, for which the observed differences were shown to correspond to a deletion in the U3 region, situated between the LEF and NF-κB sites. It was of interest to consider these data in a tentative phylogenetic interpretation. Correspondence to: M.L.J. Moncany     

Fishers' knowledge and seahorse conservation in Brazil

From a conservationist perspective, seahorses are threatened fishes. Concomitantly, from a socioeconomic perspective, they represent a source of income to many fishing communities in developing countries. An integration between these two views requires, among other things, the recognition that seahorse fishers have knowledge and abilities that can assist the implementation of conservation strategies and of management plans for seahorses and their habitats. This paper documents the knowledge held by Brazilian fishers on the biology and ecology of the longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi. Its aims were to explore collaborative approaches to seahorse conservation and management in Brazil; to assess fishers' perception of seahorse biology and ecology, in the context evaluating potential management options; to increase fishers' involvement with seahorse conservation in Brazil. Data were obtained through questionnaires and interviews made during field surveys conducted in fishing villages located in the States of Piauí, Ceará, Paraíba, Maranhão, Pernambuco and Pará. We consider the following aspects as positive for the conservation of seahorses and their habitats in Brazil: fishers were willing to dialogue with researchers; although captures and/or trade of brooding seahorses occurred, most interviewees recognized the importance of reproduction to the maintenance of seahorses in the wild (and therefore of their source of income), and expressed concern over population declines; fishers associated the presence of a ventral pouch with reproduction in seahorses (regardless of them knowing which sex bears the pouch), and this may facilitate the construction of collaborative management options designed to eliminate captures of brooding specimens; fishers recognized microhabitats of importance to the maintenance of seahorse wild populations; fishers who kept seahorses in captivity tended to recognize the condtions as poor, and as being a cause of seahorse mortality.     

Science – A life fully lived: Joe Sodroski wins the 2006 Retrovirology Prize

The 2006 M Jeang Retrovirology Prize for HIV research has been awarded to Dr Joe Sodroski