A novel framework for evaluating in situ breeding management strategies in endangered populations

Conservation breeding management aims to reduce inbreeding and maximize the retention of genetic diversity in endangered populations. However, breeding management of wild populations is still rare, and there is a need for approaches that provide data-driven evidence of the likelihood of success of alternative in situ strategies. Here, we provide an analytical framework that uses in silico simulations to evaluate, for real wild populations, (i) the degree of population-level inbreeding avoidance, (ii) the genetic quality of mating pairs, and (iii) the potential genetic benefits of implementing two breeding management strategies. The proposed strategies aim to improve the genetic quality of breeding pairs by splitting detrimental pairs and allowing the members to re-pair in different ways. We apply the framework to the wild population of the Critically Endangered helmeted honeyeater by combining genomic data and field observations to estimate the inbreeding (i.e., pair-kinship) and genetic quality (i.e., Mate Suitability Index) of all mating pairs for seven consecutive breeding seasons. We found no evidence of population-level inbreeding avoidance and that ~91.6% of breeding pairs were detrimental to the genetic health of the population. Furthermore, the framework revealed that neither proposed management strategy would significantly improve the genetic quality or reduce inbreeding of the mating pairs in this population. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of our analytical framework for testing the efficacy of different in situ breeding management strategies and for making evidence-based management decisions.     

不同强度运动对大鼠心肌细胞凋亡的影响

通过比较不同强度负荷运动中大鼠心肌细胞的凋亡及其相关基因B细胞淋巴瘤-2(Bcl-2)表达变化的实验研究,试图找出它们之间相互关系的一般规律,为训练制定合理的、适宜的运动负荷提供理论依据.采用8周龄雄性SD大鼠30只,随机分为安静对照组(NC)、中等强度运动组(ME)和大强度运动组(HE),测定心肌细胞的凋亡指数和相关基因B细胞淋巴瘤-2,采用HE染色法观察心肌细胞.结果表明:中等强度运动组和大强度运动组的心肌都有细胞凋亡现象.中等强度运动组的心肌细胞凋亡指数显著升高且差异具有显著性意义(P<0.05),不同强度运动组差异无统计学意义.3组均有Bcl-2表达,中等强度运动组和安静对照组相比具有极显著性差异(P<0.01),大强度运动组和安静对照组相比有显著性差异(P<0.05),大强度运动组表达显著低于中等强度运动组(P<0.05).不适宜的运动负荷会造成大鼠心肌细胞凋亡增加,并且可能参与心肌的损害过程.     

Phase II trial of hu14.18-IL2 for patients with metastatic melanoma

Phase I testing of the hu14.18-IL2 immunocytokine in melanoma patients showed immune activation, reversible toxicities, and a maximal tolerated dose of 7.5?mg/m²/day. In this phase II study, 14 patients with measurable metastatic melanoma were scheduled to receive hu14.18-IL2 at 6?mg/m²/day as 4-h intravenous infusions on Days 1, 2, and 3 of each 28?day cycle. Patients with stable disease (SD) or regression following cycle 2 could receive two additional treatment cycles. The primary objective was to evaluate antitumor activity and response duration. Secondary objectives evaluated adverse events and immunologic activation. All patients received two cycles of treatment. One patient had a partial response (PR) [1 PR of 14 patients?=?response rate of 7.1?%; confidence interval, 0.2?C33.9?%], and 4 patients had SD and received cycles 3 and 4. The PR and SD responses lasted 3?C4?months. All toxicities were reversible and those resulting in dose reduction included grade 3 hypotension (2 patients) and grade 2 renal insufficiency with oliguria (1 patient). Patients had a peripheral blood lymphocytosis on Day 8 and increased C-reactive protein. While one PR in 14 patients met protocol criteria to proceed to stage 2 and enter 16 additional patients, we suspended stage 2 due to limited availability of hu14.18-IL2 at that time and the brief duration of PR and SD. We conclude that subsequent testing of hu14.18-IL2 should involve melanoma patients with minimal residual disease based on compelling preclinical data and the confirmed immune activation with some antitumor activity in this study.     

Associations of type 2 diabetes with common variants in PPARD and the modifying effect of vitamin D among middle-aged and elderly Chinese

Background

Previous studies have identified that variants in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor PPAR-δ (PPARD), a target gene of vitamin D, were significantly associated with fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity in European populations. This current study sought to determine (1) whether the genetic associations of PPARD variants with type 2 diabetes and its related traits could be replicated in Chinese Han population, and (2) whether the associations would be modified by the effect of vitamin D status.

Methods and Findings

We genotyped 9 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cover the gene of PPARD (rs2267664, rs6902123, rs3798343, rs2267665, rs2267668, rs2016520, rs2299869, rs1053049, and rs9658056) and tested their associations with type 2 diabetes risk and its related traits, including fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c in 3,210 Chinese Hans. Among the 9 PPARD tag SNPs, rs6902123 was significantly associated with risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 1.75 [95%CI 1.22–2.53]; P = 0.0025) and combined type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (odds ratio 1.47 [95%CI 1.12–1.92]; P = 0.0054). The minor C allele of rs6902123 was associated with increased levels of fasting glucose (P = 0.0316) and HbA1c (P = 0.0180). In addition, we observed that vitamin D modified the effect of rs6902123 on HbA1c (P for interaction = 0.0347).

Conclusions/Significance

Our findings demonstrate that common variants in PPARD contribute to the risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese Hans, and provided suggestive evidence of interaction between 25(OH)D levels and PPARD-rs6902123 on HbA1c.     

Effect of the thymus on the capability of stromal progenitor cells for intracellular repair of radiation damage

Cells-precursors of haemopoietic microenvironment, as well as osteogenic cells-precursors, indicated with heterotopic transplantation of mouse bone marrow, can repair sublethal radiation damages. Thymectomy of the bone-marrow donors does not influence this capacity of the stromal precursors.     

温敏核不育小麦可育花药和败育花药发育观察

对温敏核不育小麦百农不育系（Bainong sterility,BNS）的可育和不育花药结构进行对比观察。在减数分裂期、小孢子早期和小孢子晚期,可育花药与不育花药的结构相同。小孢子分裂形成二胞花粉后,可育花粉中随着大液泡的分解,细胞质内含物增加,其中出现一些颗粒状物质。不育花药中,小孢子也可分裂形成二胞花粉,但营养细胞的大液泡不分解,细胞质也不增加,最终花粉中的细胞质消失,花粉败育。该种温敏核不育小麦的花粉败育时间发生在二胞花粉早期,可能和其大液泡没有适时分解有关。花粉败育时间的确定为进一步深入研究该种雄性不育小麦的败育机制打下了基础。     

Generation and analysis of expressed sequence tags for microsatellite marker development in Calamus simplicifolius C. F. Wei

Rattans serve as an important source of raw non-wood materials for furniture and handicraft industries worldwide. However, their genomic sequence information in public databases is very limited. In this study, a set of 2,528 good-quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from a full-length cDNA library constructed previously with root, stem and male inflorescence tissues of Calamus simplicifolius C. F. Wei, a rattan species native to Hainan Island, China. The ESTs were assembled into 1,588 unigenes, including 1,221 singletons and 367 contigs. BlastX searches against the GenBank non-redundant protein database revealed that 1,248 (78.6 %) unigenes had at least one significant match (E ≤ 10^?5). The gene ontology functional classification assigned 991, 669 and 977 of the unigenes to the cellular component, molecular function and biological process categories, respectively. A total of 71 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were developed among these ESTs, including 65 polymorphic across 19 rattan species representing three genera. High levels of cross-species/genus transferability were observed for the EST-SSRs. For the polymorphic EST-SSR markers, the number of alleles per locus and polymorphic information content ranged from 2 to 25 (mean 11.1) and from 0.135 to 0.949 (mean 0.695), respectively. The EST sequences and the EST-SSR primers have been deposited in GenBank databases of EST (IDs JK838364–40891) and Probe (IDs Pr16718978–9048, to be assigned).     

A bifunctional cellulase–xylanase of a new Chryseobacterium strain isolated from the dung of a straw‐fed cattle

A new cellulolytic strain of Chryseobacterium genus was screened from the dung of a cattle fed with cereal straw. A putative cellulase gene (cbGH5) belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 5 subfamily 46 (GH5_46) was identified and cloned by degenerate PCR plus genome walking. The CbGH5 protein was overexpressed in Pichia pastoris, purified and characterized. It is the first bifunctional cellulase–xylanase reported in GH5_46 as well as in Chryseobacterium genus. The enzyme showed an endoglucanase activity on carboxymethylcellulose of 3237 μmol min^?1 mg^?1 at pH 9, 90 °C and a xylanase activity on birchwood xylan of 1793 μmol min^?1 mg^?1 at pH 8, 90 °C. The activity level and thermophilicity are in the front rank of all the known cellulases and xylanases. Core hydrophobicity had a positive effect on the thermophilicity of this enzyme. When similar quantity of enzymatic activity units was applied on the straws of wheat, rice, corn and oilseed rape, CbGH5 could obtain 3.5–5.0× glucose and 1.2–1.8× xylose than a mixed commercial cellulase plus xylanase of Novozymes. When applied on spent mushroom substrates made from the four straws, CbGH5 could obtain 9.2–15.7× glucose and 3.5–4.3× xylose than the mixed Novozymes cellulase+xylanase. The results suggest that CbGH5 could be a promising candidate for industrial lignocellulosic biomass conversion.