An approach to canine behavioural genetics employing guide dogs for the blind

The purpose of this study was to attempt to find related variables of the canine genome with behavioural traits of dogs maintained and tested in a guide dog facility which provided a relatively uniform environment. The study involved 81 Labrador Retrievers that were being trained as guide dogs. Each dog was taken on walk-out sessions in which the trainer weekly recorded observations that were related to behavioural traits. The records were subjected to key-word analysis of 14 behaviour-related words. A factor analysis on the appearance rate of the 14 key words or phrases resulted in the extraction of six factors that accounted for 67.4% of the variance. Factor 1, referred to as aggressiveness, was significantly related to the success or failure of the dog in qualifying as a guide dog, and was also related to the variable of litter identification. Factor 2, referred to as distraction, was related to the variable of trainer. Factor 3, activity level, was related to the variable of sex, and was significantly related to the polymorphisms of c.471T>C in the solute carrier family 1 ( neuronal/epithelial high affinity glutamate transporter ) member 2 gene and c.216G>A in the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene. The involvement of polymorphisms c.471T>C and c.216G>A in behavioural patterns related to activity level is similar to comparable genetic studies in other mammalian species. These results contribute to a greater understanding of the role of these genes in behaviour.     

Genetic Diversity of Fusarium oxysporum Populations Isolated from Tomato Plants in Tunisia

Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici is a new devastative disease of tomato greenhouse crops in Tunisia. Nothing is known neither about the population of this pathogen in this region, nor about the population of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of tomato. In order to examine the genetic relatedness among the F. oxysporum isolates by intergenic spacer restriction fragment length polymorphism (IGS‐RFLP) analysis and to elucidate the origin of the formae specialesradicis‐lycopersici in Tunisia by looking for genetic similarity of Tunisians isolates with isolates from a foreign source, the genetic diversity among F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici and F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici populations was investigated. A total of 62 isolates of F. oxysporum, obtained from symptomless tomato plants, were characterized using IGS typing and pathogenicity tests on tomato plants. All Fusarium isolates were highly pathogenic on tomato. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici isolates were separated into five IGS types. From the 53 F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici isolates, 34 isolates have the same IGS types (IGS type 25), and the remaining 19 isolates were distributed into four IGS types. However, the only nine isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici have six different IGS types. This difference of diversity between the two formae speciales suggests that F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici isolates have a foreign origin and may have been accidentally introduced into Tunisia.     

金线兰及近缘种植物遗传多样性ISSR分子标记分析

利用ISSR分子标记技术对我国不同地区收集的金线兰及其近缘种种质资源进行亲缘关系及遗传多样性分析。结果显示:9条ISSR引物在50份材料中共扩增条带156条,其中多态性条带155条,多态性比率达99.36%;UPGMA树状图分析显示,样本总体相似系数介于0.56~0.90之间,在相似系数0.65处可分4大类群,其中金线兰主要集中于A大类群。A大类群又可分为3个亚类5个小亚类,亚类中不同地区来源的金线兰种质没有明显的界限。去除部分地区来源不明材料,46份材料依不同地理来源分成8个种群,其中福建野生金线兰4个种群,二者Nei's基因多样性指数(H)分别为0.322和0.295,处兰科植物中等水平;种群遗传分化系数(Gst)分别为0.328和0.240,处兰科植物较低水平。AMOVA分析显示样本种群内变异指数87%,种群间变异指数13%,表明种群间可能存在基因交流。     

刺葡萄种内遗传多样性研究进展

刺萄萄主要分布在我国长江中下游及以南地区,是中国野生萄萄中果粒最大的一个种,其果实高抗炭疽病和白腐病,在湖南、江西、福建、贵州等省的部分地区一直作为鲜食和酿酒品种栽培利用。刺葡萄种内遗传多样性较为丰富,为了充分挖掘利用刺葡萄资源,提高刺葡萄资源的利用效率,本文从刺葡萄的物候学、花器类型、形态性状、果实理化性状、花粉形态、DNA遗传水平和抗性等方面进行种内多样性的研究和综述,以期为刺葡萄种质资源的保护、鉴定评价和发掘利用奠定基础。     

不同地域野生欧李及其近缘植物亲缘关系的RAPD分析

利用RAPD分子标记技术对21个不同地域欧李及其近缘种属植物(桃、杏、李、樱桃)进行了遗传亲缘关系及分类研究。结果表明,用于不同地域野生欧李分析的25条引物中,共扩增出441个清晰可用的DNA片段,其中多态性位点366个,多态性比为82.99%。在遗传相似系数为0.71时,可将中国野生欧李资源划分为3个大的区域,分别为东北分布群、华北华东分布群与中西部分布群。用于欧李及其近缘种属植物分析的20条引物中,共扩出多态性带683条,多态性比率为98.99%。聚类分析表明,在遗传相似系数为0.61时,欧李与其近缘种属植物分为3大类;欧李与麦李的亲缘关系最近,与桃亲缘关系最远。     

SCoT分子标记在植物研究中的应用进展

SCo T是一种新型的目的基因分子标记,该标记不仅能获得与性状联系紧密的目的基因,而且能对性状进行跟踪,已被广泛应用于多种植物的研究。本文概述了SCo T标记的原理、引物设计方法及特点,并从PCR反应体系建立与优化、种质资源遗传多样性与亲缘关系分析、种质鉴定与指纹图谱构建、基因差异表达与分子遗传连锁图谱构建等方面总结了SCo T标记的应用进展。同时,对其存在的问题进行了讨论,并展望了该标记的发展应用前景。     

Not so colourful after all: eggshell pigments constrain avian eggshell colour space

Birds'' eggshells are renowned for their striking colours and varied patterns. Although often considered exceptionally diverse, we report that avian eggshell coloration, sampled here across the full phylogenetic diversity of birds, occupies only 0.08–0.10% of the avian perceivable colour space. The concentrations of the two known tetrapyrrole eggshell pigments (protoporphyrin and biliverdin) are generally poor predictors of colour, both intra- and interspecifically. Here, we show that the constrained diversity of eggshell coloration can be accurately predicted by colour mixing models based on the relative contribution of both pigments and we demonstrate that the models'' predictions can be improved by accounting for the reflectance of the eggshell''s calcium carbonate matrix. The establishment of these proximate links between pigmentation and colour will enable future tests of hypotheses on the functions of perceived avian eggshell colours that depend on eggshell chemistry. More generally, colour mixing models are not limited to avian eggshell colours but apply to any natural colour. Our approach illustrates how modelling can aid the understanding of constraints on phenotypic diversity.     

Etiological overlap between obsessive‐compulsive disorder and anorexia nervosa: a longitudinal cohort,multigenerational family and twin study

Obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) often co‐occurs with anorexia nervosa (AN), a comorbid profile that complicates the clinical management of both conditions. This population‐based study aimed to examine patterns of comorbidity, longitudinal risks, shared familial risks and shared genetic factors between OCD and AN at the population level. Participants were individuals with a diagnosis of OCD (N=19,814) or AN (N=8,462) in the Swedish National Patient Register between January 1992 and December 2009; their first‐, second‐ and third‐degree relatives; and population‐matched (1:10 ratio) unaffected comparison individuals and their relatives. Female twins from the population‐based Swedish Twin Register (N=8,550) were also included. Females with OCD had a 16‐fold increased risk of having a comorbid diagnosis of AN, whereas males with OCD had a 37‐fold increased risk. Longitudinal analyses showed that individuals first diagnosed with OCD had an increased risk for a later diagnosis of AN (risk ratio, RR=3.6), whereas individuals first diagnosed with AN had an even greater risk for a later diagnosis of OCD (RR=9.6). These longitudinal risks were about twice as high for males than for females. First‐ and second‐degree relatives of probands with OCD had an increased risk for AN, and the magnitude of this risk tended to increase with the degree of genetic relatedness. Bivariate twin models revealed a moderate but significant degree of genetic overlap between self‐reported OCD and AN diagnoses (r_a=0.52, 95% CI: 0.26‐0.81), but most of the genetic variance was disorder‐specific. The moderately high genetic correlation supports the idea that this frequently observed comorbid pattern is at least in part due to shared genetic factors, though disorder‐specific factors are more important. These results have implications for current gene‐searching efforts and for clinical practice.