Genetic Polymorphism of Human Y Chromosome and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases: A Study in WOBASZ Cohort

Genetic variants of Y chromosome predispose to hypertension in rodents, whereas in humans the evidence is conflicting. Our purpose was to study the distribution of a panel of Y chromosome markers in a cohort from a cross-sectional population-based study on the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in Poland (WOBASZ study). The HindIII, YAP Y chromosome variants, previously shown to influence blood pressure, lipid traits or height, as well as SNPs defining main Y chromosome haplogroups, were typed in 3026, 2783 and 2652 samples, respectively. In addition, 4 subgroups (N∼100 each) representing extremes of LDL concentration or blood pressure (BP) were typed for a panel of 17 STRs. The HindIII and YAP polymorphism were not associated with any of the studied traits. Analysis of the haplogroup distribution showed an association between higher HDL level and hg I-M170 (P = 0.02), higher LDL level and hg F*(xI-M170, J2-M172, K-M9) (P = 0.03) and lower BMI and hg N3-Tat (P = 0.04). Analysis of STRs did not show statistically significant differences. Since all these associations lost statistical significance after Bonferroni correction, we conclude that a major role of Y chromosome genetic variation (defined by HindIII, YAP or main Y chromosome haplogroups) in determining cardiovascular risk in Poles is unlikely.     

Possible Association between Suicide Committed under Influence of Ethanol and a Variant in the AUTS2 Gene

Background

rs6943555 in AUTS2 has been shown to modulate ethanol consumption. We hypothesized that rs6943555 might be associated with completed suicide.

Methods

We genotyped rs6943555 in 625 completed suicides and 3861 controls using real-time TaqMan Allelic Discrimination Assay. All individuals were Polish Caucasians.

Results

We detected an association between suicide and rs6943555 A allele (OR = 1.17, P = 0.018 for allelic comparison, OR = 1.24, P = 0.013 for dominant, and OR = 1.18, P = 0.020 for co-dominant model of inheritance). The association remained significant after adjusting for age and gender (co-dominant: P = 0.002 and dominant model: P = 0.001). After stratifying suicides according to blood ethanol concentration (BAC≤ 20 mg/dl and BAC > 20 mg/dl) the association remained significant only for cases who committed suicide under influence of alcohol (co-dominant: OR  =  1.37, P = 0.004 and dominant model: OR = 1.45, P = 0.006). To validate this finding we genotyped another cohort of 132 cases. We reproduced the association between rs6943555 A allele and suicide under influence of ethanol (allelic comparison: OR = 1.55, P = 0.023; co-dominant : OR = 1.54, P = 0.031; dominant model: OR = 1.84, P = 0.015). Analyzing pooled suicides with BAC >20 mg/dl (N = 300) we found the association of rs6943555 A allele not only vs. controls (allelic OR = 1.41, P = 0.00029) but also vs. cases with BAC ≤ 20 mg/dl (N = 449, allelic OR = 1.33, P = 0.019).

Conclusions

In our study rs6943555 A allele is associated with suicide committed after drinking ethanol shortly before death. The rs6943555 A allele may be linked to adverse emotional reaction to ethanol, which could explain the association with lower consumption in general population as well as the predisposition to suicide under influence of ethanol.     

Identification of transcription factors that bind to the 5′-UTR of the barley PHO2 gene

Plant Molecular Biology - In barley and other higher plants, phosphate homeostasis is maintained by a regulatory network involving the PHO2 (PHOSPHATE2) encoding ubiquitin-conjugating...     

Iron Excess Disturbs Metabolic Status and Relative Gonad Mass in Rats on High Fat, Fructose, and Salt Diets

The aim of this study was to assess the metabolic and physiological changes in rats fed a diet high in fat, fructose, and salt, and with excess iron level. Mineral status was also estimated. Wistar rats were assigned to groups fed either a standard control diet (C) or a diet high in fat, fructose, and salt. The noncontrol diets contained either normal (M) or high level (MFe) of iron. After 6 weeks, the length and weight of the rats were measured, and the animals were euthanized. The kidneys and gonads were collected, and blood samples were taken. Serum levels of insulin, nitric oxide, and iron were measured. The iron, zinc, copper, and calcium concentrations of tissues were determined. It was found that the M diet led to a significant increase in the relative kidney mass of the rats compared with the control group. Among the rats fed the M diet, markedly higher serum level of iron and lower levels of zinc and copper were observed in tissues, while significantly higher calcium levels were found in the gonads. The MFe diet resulted in decreased obesity index, insulin level, and nitric oxide serum concentration in the rats, when compared with both the M and C diets. The high iron level in the modified diet increased the relative mass of the gonads. The excess iron level in the diet disturbed the zinc, copper, and calcium status of tissues. The decrease in insulin and nitric oxide in rats fed the diet high in iron, fat, fructose, and salt was associated with disorders of zinc, copper, and calcium status, as well as with an increase in the relative mass of the gonads.     

Structural heterogeneity of linear habitats positively affects Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria,Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis and Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca in farmland of Western Poland

Capsule Structural heterogeneity was the most important factor influencing the distribution of Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria, Common Whitethroat S. communis and Lesser Whitethroat S. curruca in linear habitats in farmland of Western Poland.

Aims To investigate the occurrence of three species of Sylvia warblers in relation to the spatial structure of linear habitats in the agricultural landscape of Western Poland where, in contrast to Western Europe, field boundaries are not managed in terms of their size or spatial structure.

Methods In 2008, the distribution of breeding territories of Sylvia warblers in linear habitats was estimated in farmland of Western Poland. Redundancy detrended analysis was used to assess the relationship between bird abundance and seven linear habitat variables in ninety-four 150?m sections.

Results Sylvia warblers differed in habitat requirements, however heterogeneity affected their distribution to the greatest extent. In addition, Barred Warbler preferred high shrub volume and wider sections, whereas Common Whitethroat was attracted by brambles and nettles and Lesser Whitethroat favoured shrubs. All species avoided a high proportion of low vegetation.

Conclusion Structural heterogeneity resulted in highly preferred linear habitats for Sylvia warblers. Thus, maintaining or increasing structural heterogeneity of linear habitats may be a very effective tool for the conservation of farmland bird populations.     

Interpretation of the invertebrate-based BMWP-PL index in a gravel-bed river: insight from the Polish Carpathians

Like its British prototype (Biological Monitoring Working Party score system), the Polish benthic invertebrate-based BMWP-PL index is commonly regarded as an indicator of river water quality. This interpretation of the index has been verified in a study of the gravel-bed Bia?a River. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 10 sites and compared in one channelized and one unmanaged cross-section per site. The resulting taxa richness and BMWP-PL index scores were compared with water quality and physical habitat characteristics in the cross-sections. Channelized and unmanaged cross-sections clearly differed in their physical habitat conditions, and water quality characteristics mostly varied in the downstream direction. Particular cross-sections hosted between 3 and 26 invertebrate taxa, with the respective BMWP-PL scores indicating the water in the surveyed cross-sections varied between high and poor quality. However, the BMWP-PL scores were unrelated to physicochemical characteristics of the river water, which consistently pointed to high water quality. Instead, the scores were significantly related to several physical habitat variables, with the number of low-flow channels in a cross-section explaining the largest proportion of the variance in the index values. The relationship of the scores with the complexity of flow pattern in the river and a lack of their dependence on physicochemical water characteristics show that the BMWP-PL index should not be regarded as an indicator of water quality but rather as an indicator of the ecological status of rivers, dependent both on their hydromorphological and water-quality characteristics.     

Modelling for rearrangement of fusiform initials during radial growth of the vascular cambium in Pinus sylvestris L.

In contrast to common belief, recent studies have confirmed that intrusive growth of fusiform cambial initials has a significant role in the rearrangement of the initials, but does not contribute to the cambial circumference increment. We observed a rapid rearrangement of cambial initials on a long series of transverse sections of the vascular cambium and the wood of a 50-year-old pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) tree. A comparison of cell arrangement in consecutive sections, as well as a critical analysis of tangential reconstructions, has confirmed that changes in cell locations in a group of cells on the tangential surface caused no change in the total tangential width of the whole group. Models illustrating changes in locations of the initials have been proposed, assuming that intrusive growth, which makes the growing initials intrude between the neighbouring initials and their immediate derivatives, is localized on the longitudinal edges of cells. We infer that intrusive growth of the cambial initials in P. sylvestris is not involved in the cambial circumference increment, but plays a significant role in the rearrangement of the initials, probably allowing for a relaxation of shearing strains generated during radial growth. The relationship of intrusive growth with the elimination of initials has been discussed with reference to the frequency of anticlinal divisions. It has been proposed that the occurrence of anticlinal divisions in excess over the actual requirement for increase in the cambial circumference could be due to internal shearing strains.     

A simple modification to improve the accuracy of methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme quantitative polymerase chain reaction

DNA digestion with endonucleases sensitive to CpG methylation such as HpaII followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quantitation is commonly used in molecular studies as a simple and inexpensive solution for assessment of region-specific DNA methylation. We observed that the results of such analyses were highly overestimated if mock-digested samples were applied as the reference. We determined DNA methylation levels in several promoter regions in two setups implementing different references: mock-digested and treated with a restriction enzyme that has no recognition sites within examined amplicons. Fragmentation of reference templates allowed removing the overestimation effect, thereby improving measurement accuracy.     

Morphology engineering of basidiomycetes for improved laccase biosynthesis

Objective

This work is the first application of a morphological engineering technique called microparticle-enhanced cultivation (MPEC) aimed at the facilitation of laccase production in the submerged cultures by two basidiomycetes species Cerrena unicolor and Pleurotus sapidus.

Results

The positive effect of the applied 10 μm Al₂O₃ microparticles at concentrations from 5 to 30 g Al₂O₃ l^?1 was shown. Laccase activity increased 3.5-fold for C. unicolor and 2-fold for P. sapidus at 15 g Al₂O₃ l^?1 on 9 and 14 day of the cultivation, respectively, compared to the control culture without microparticles. The increase of laccase activity in the cultivation broths was caused by the action of Al₂O₃ microparticles on the agglomeration of hyphae. It led to the decrease of the size of the pellets, (on average by 2 mm for C. unicolor), the change of their shape (star-shaped pellets for C. unicolor) and the change of their structure (more compact pellets for P. sapidus).

Conclusions

Application of MPEC for the submerged cultures of two laccase-producing basidiomycetes proved successful in increasing of enzyme production.

     

The role of selected tree species in industrial sewage sludge/flotation tailing management

The aim of the study was to estimate the ability of ten tree and bush species to tolerate and accumulate Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and As species [As(III), As(V), and total organic arsenic] in industrial sewage sludge extremely contaminated with arsenic (almost 27.5 g kg^?1) in a pot experiment. The premise being that it will then be possible to select the most promising tree/bush species, able to grow in the vicinity of dams where sewage sludge/flotation tailings are used as landfill. Six of the ten tested tree species were able to grow on the sludge. The highest content of total As was observed in Betula pendula roots (30.0 ± 1.3 mg kg^?1 DW), where the dominant As species was the toxic As(V). The highest biomass of Quercus Q1 robur (77.3 § 2.6 g) and Acer platanoides (76.0 § 4.9 g) was observed. A proper planting of selected tree species that are able to thrive on sewage sludge/flotation tailings could be an interesting and promising way to protect dams. By utilizing differences in their root systems and water needs, we will be able to reduce the risk of fatal environmental disasters.