Mitochondrial DNA evolution in the genus Equus

Employing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction-endonuclease maps as the basis of comparison, we have investigated the evolutionary affinities of the seven species generally recognized as the genus Equus. Individual species' cleavage maps contained an average of 60 cleavage sites for 16 enzymes, of which 29 were invariant for all species. Based on an average divergence rate of 2%/Myr, the variation between species supports a divergence of extant lineages from a common ancestor approximately 3.9 Myr before the present. Comparisons of cleavage maps between Equus przewalskii (Mongolian wild horse) and E. caballus (domestic horse) yielded estimates of nucleotide sequence divergence ranging from 0.27% to 0.41%. This range was due to intraspecific variation, which was noted only for E. caballus. For pairwise comparisons within this family, estimates of sequence divergence ranged from 0% (E. hemionus onager vs. E. h. kulan) to 7.8% (E. przewalskii vs. E. h. onager). Trees constructed according to the parsimony principle, on the basis of 31 phylogenetically informative restriction sites, indicate that the three extant zebra species represent a monophyletic group with E. grevyi and E. burchelli antiquorum diverging most recently. The phylogenetic relationships of E. africanus and E. hemionus remain enigmatic on the basis of the mtDNA analysis, although a recent divergence is unsupported.      

Cassava leaf harvesting as vegetables; a cause of vulnerability of cassava plant to cassava mosaic disease and eventual yield reduction: Ernte von cassavablättern als gemüse; eine ursache für die anfälligkeit der cassavapflanze für die cassava-mosaikkrankheit und für spätere ertragseinbußen

The consequence of harvesting young leaves of cassava as vegetable on the vulnerability of the crop to cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and on storage root yield was investigated using 30 cassava genotypes planted in IITA fields located in the humid forest (Port Harcourt?:?Onne), forest-savannah transition (Ibadan), southern guinea savannah (Mokwa) and northern guinea savannah (Zaria) agroecologies in Nigeria. Tender apical leaves and shoots of the cassava genotypes were removed from forty plants per cassava genotype with the same number of plants considered as control. Whitefly infestation, disease incidence (DI) and symptom severity (ISS) of the disease were assessed at monthly interval for six months and also at the ninth month after planting (MAP). Yield reduction due to this treatment was calculated as percentage harvest index (HI). Whitefly population fluctuated throughout the period of observation at all locations with higher population obtained generally for treated plants compared to control plants. Sprouting leaves of some treated genotypes were observed with severe mosaic symptoms, while corresponding control showed no mosaic symptoms. Contrarily, no remarkable difference was observed in Zaria between the mean ISS of treated and control cassava genotypes. There was a highly significant difference (P?<?0.01) in DI and ISS among cassava genotypes across all locations. Also, there was a highly significant interaction (P?<?0.01) in symptom severity between location (loc) and genotype, genotype and treatment (trt), loc and trt. Interaction between loc, genotypes and trt with regard to DI was highly significant at 2, 3 and 4 MAP, while with ISS, the interaction was highly significant all through the counting period. There was a positive relationship between DI and ISS on plants of genotypes 96/1039 and ISU. The percentage HI (27.4) of treated plants of genotype 95/0166 in Ibadan was remarkably lower than the value obtained for corresponding control (41.9) plants. Also, sharp distinction in% HI of treated (39.5) and control (43.8) ISU was observed in Onne with their respective ISS values as 3.7 and 3.2. Therefore, harvesting tender apical leaves and shoots of cassava as vegetables should be discouraged as it increases the severity of CMD infection in the regenerating shoots of cassava with attendant storage root yield reduction.     

An outbreak of ornithosis at a textile factory

For the first time an outbreak of ornithosis at a textile factory is described. The data on the specific epidemiological features of the outbreak, the specific clinical features of the disease, the results of catamnestic observations and the study of the titers of specific antibodies in the complement fixation test are presented.     

Biomarkers of toxicity in Clarias gariepinus exposed to sublethal concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Physiological, biochemical and histological indices in Clarias gariepinus broodstock, and teratogenic indices in embryos exposed to sublethal concentrations of naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene were investigated in 2014 using a static-renewal bioassay protocol. Phenanthrene (1.41 mg l^?1) was the most toxic, followed by pyrene (1.53 mg l^?1) and naphthalene (7.21 mg l^?1), based on 96 h LC50 values. Hepatosomatic indices were significantly higher in naphthalene- and pyrene-treated males compared with solvent controls, whereas fecundity in females was significantly lower by factors of 2.4 (naphthalene), 2.8 (phenanthrene) and 2.4 (pyrene), compared with controls. Catalase levels were lower in female phenanthrene-treated fish compared with controls. Histological alterations observed in PAH-treated fish include oedema, inflammatory cells, epithelial lifting and hyperplasia in the gills, vacuolation, haemosiderin pigments and sinusoidal congestion in the liver, and degenerated zona radiata in the ovary. Teratogenic effects were not observed, as evidenced by the lack of histological alterations in embryos spawned from pre-exposed broodstock. Sex-specific responses and the utility of biomarkers at cellular and individual levels of organisation are therefore demonstrated for holistic evaluations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ecotoxicological studies.     

Allelic Combinations of Immune Response Genes and Risk of Development of Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a multifactorial polygenic disease. It develops because of the complex interaction between many environmental and genetic factors. In this paper, we have studied associations of MI and allele combinations of 17 polymorphic markers of immune response genes in an ethnically homogeneous group of Tatars. The material for analysis was DNA samples of patients (286 men) with onset of MI at the age of 30 to 60 years and 301 essentially healthy men of the control group. Using the APSampler algorithm, we obtained allele combinations with the increased risk of MI in which allele variants CX3CR1*M (rs3732378), VCAM1*C (rs3917010), ICAM1*E (rs5498), LTA*A (rs909253), and TNFRSF1B*M (rs1061622) occurred the most often.     

Association of Interleukin-6, Interleukin-12, and Interleukin-10 Gene Polymorphisms with Essential Hypertension in Tatars from Russia

Essential hypertension is a common disease with fatal clinical complications. Epidemiological and family studies have confirmed the role of genetic predisposition in its development. Hypertensive patients have been shown to have an altered profile of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The aim of our investigation was to reveal the association of interleukin-6, interleukin-12, and interleukin-10 gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension and its clinical complications in a Tatar ethnic group from Bashkortostan, Russia. The study involved 362 hypertensive patients and 244 healthy subjects from this Tatar ethnic group (Bashkortostan, Russia). DNA was isolated from whole venous blood using phenol–chloroform extraction by the standard method. IL6 −572 G/C, IL12B 1159 C/A, and IL10 –627 C/A genotypes were typed using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme digestion. We found that the IL10 −627 *C/*C genotype was associated with decreased risk of hypertension (OR = 0.64, P = 0.035). IL6 genotypes and allele distribution did not differ significantly between subjects with and without hypertension, but the IL6 −572 *G/*G genotype frequency was found to be significantly higher among those patients who had stroke, compared with normotensive control subjects (P = 0.036). Carriers of the IL12B 1159 *A/*A genotype had a lower risk of stroke (OR = 0.38, P = 0.028). Our study has shown the association between IL10 −627 C/A polymorphism and essential hypertension in the Tatar ethnic group from Bashkortostan, Russia. The IL10 −627*C/*C genotype was found to be protective against hypertension. We also demonstrated that hypertensive patients with the IL12B *A/*A and IL6 *G/*G genotypes had increased risk of stroke. Our results suggest a role for cytokines in cardiovascular disease development in the Tatar ethnic group, but further investigation is needed.     

<i>Streptomyces</i> PRIO41 as plant growth promoter of jalapeño pepper plants and as biocontrol agent of <i>Fusarium</i>

Chili pepper is one of the main crops of economic importance in Mexico, and Fusarium wilting is a disease that limits its production. In addition, the inappropriate use of agrochemicals in farming activities generate environmental and health problems. Therefore, in this study the effectiveness of Streptomyces sp PRIO41 was evaluated as a (1) biocontrol agent of Fusarium spp and (2) plant growth promoter bacteria. Assays of pathogenicity and virulence of Fusarium spp. in jalapeño pepper seeds, and interactions of these pathogens with Streptomyces PRIO41 were evaluated under two nutritional conditions. In the greenhouse, the effectiveness of Streptomyces sp. PRIO41 was determined as a (1) biocontrol of Fusarium, and (2) plant growth promoter of wilt of pepper plants. The results showed that all fungal isolates caused symptoms in pepper seeds and seedlings with different degrees of virulence. Interactions in vitro showed that Streptomyces showed the most effective range of virulence against Fusarium isolates in the poor medium (37.6%-100%), with fungicidal effects in some cases. In the greenhouse, Streptomyces PRIO41 reduced Fusarium wilting up to a 40%, and positively affected all vegetative growth parameters, particularly plant height, leaf area, root length, and leaf and root dry biomasses. This study showed the potential of Streptomyces PRIO41 as a biocontrol agent of Fusarium spp., and as a biofertilizer of pepper plants.     

Antibacterial acitivity of the peptide complex isolated from the preparation of leukocytic interferon

A complex of low-molecular cationic peptides having an anti-bacterial effect with respect to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was isolated from the preparation of leukocytic interferon. The antibacterial action of the peptide complex was experimentally studied in vitro. The study revealed that the degree of the antibacterial activity of the peptide complex depended on the concentration of the bacterial culture under study, the ionic power of the incubation medium and did not depend on the presence of the products of bacterial vital activity in the growth medium. The antibacterial action of the peptide complex on the test cultures of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as on the cultures of bacteria isolated from patients with infectious inflammatory diseases of the organs of the urinary system, was established. These results opened prospects for the development of fundamentally new antibacterial preparation on the basis of the peptide complex obtained in our studies.     

Associations of Polymorphic DNA Markers and Their Combinations with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is regarded as multifactorial, polygenic disease; its development is the result of autoimmune and neurodegenerative processes which lead to multifocal lesions of the central nervous system. The aim of the study was to analyze associations between MS and polymorphic markers rs3129934 (C6orf10), rs1109670 (DDEF2/MBOAT2 gene), rs9523762 (GPC5 gene), rs28362491 (NFKB1 gene), rs10974944 (JAK2 gene), and rs2304256 (TYK2 gene). The material for the study was DNA samples of unrelated MS patients (N = 224) aged 17 to 67 years and individuals of a control group (N = 312) aged 18 to 66 years. Both samples were formed from the ethnic group of Russians. The results of the investigation demonstrated that, for women, MS was associated with genotypes rs3129934*C/T (p = 0.001, OR = 2.23), rs3129934*T/T (p = 0.028, OR = 4.04), and rs2304256*C/C (p = 0.049, OR = 1.6); for men, with genotype rs1109670*C/A (p = 0.017, OR = 2.06). In addition, using the APSampler algorithm, we identified combinations of alleles associated with increased risk of MS separately for women and men, in which the most frequent alleles of polymorphic markers were rs3129934*T, rs1109670*C, rs10974944*G, and rs2304256*C.     

Association of polymorphic markers of chemokine genes,their receptors,and <Emphasis Type="Italic">CD14</Emphasis> gene with coronary atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis represents an inflammatory response to the disturbance of the endothelial layer in the arterial bloodstream. In the present study, an analysis of associations of polymorphic markers for the genes controlling synthesis of proteins involved in atherosclerosis pathogenesis in coronary atherosclerosis (CA) patients (217 subjects) and in a control group (250 subjects) was conducted. The following genes were examined: rs991804 (CCL2 gene), rs1126579 (CXCR2 gene), rs4074 (CXCL1 gene), rs4073 (CXCL8 gene), rs333 (CCR5 gene), rs2471859 (CXCR4 gene), rs1801157 (CXCL12 gene), and rs2569190 (CD14 gene). Using the Monte Carlo and Markov chain (APSampler) method, allele/genotype combinations associated with both low and high CA risk were revealed. The most important findings included the following: CXCR4*T/T + CCL2*C + CCR5*I/I (P_perm = 1 × 10^–6, OR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.3–0.63), CXCR2*C + CD14*C + CXCL12*G + CCL2*C + CCR5*D (P_perm = 4 × 10^–6, OR = 5.78, 95% CI 2.34–14.28), CD14*C + CCL2*C/C + CCR5*D (P_perm = 6.3 × 10^–6, OR = 5.81, 95% CI 2.17–15.56), CXCL8*A + CXCR2*C + CD14*T + CXCR4*C (P_perm = 0.01, OR = 3.21, 95% CI 1.63–6.31).