Segregation of infectious pancreatic necrosis resistance QTL in the early life cycle of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

In a previous study, three significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN) disease were identified by analysing challenge data from one sub-population of Landcatch Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt. While these QTL were shown to affect the resistance in seawater, their effect in freshwater was unknown. This study investigates the effect of these QTL on IPN resistance in salmon fry in freshwater. Twenty families with intermediate levels of IPN mortality were analysed from a freshwater challenge trial undertaken on a different sup-population of LNS salmon to that studied previously. Only the QTL from linkage group 21 (LG21) appeared to have a significant and large effect on resistance in freshwater; the same QTL was found to have the largest effect in seawater in the previous study. Variance component analysis showed a high heritability for the QTL: 0.45 ± 0.07 on the liability scale and 0.25 ± 0.05 on the observed scale. In a family where both parents were segregating for the QTL, there was a 0% vs. 100% mortality in homozygous offspring for resistant and susceptible QTL alleles. The finding that the same QTL has major effect in both freshwater and seawater has important practical implications, as this will allow the improvement of resistance in both phases through marker assisted selection by targeting this QTL. Moreover, the segregation of the LG21 QTL in a different sub-population gives further evidence of its association with IPN-resistance.     

A correlation between BCL-2 modifying factor,p53 and livin gene expressions in cancer colon patients

Accumulating evidence has revealed that livin gene and BCL-2 modifying factor (BMF) gene are closely associated with the initiation and progression of colon carcinoma by activating or suppressing multiple malignant processes. Those genes that can detect colon - cancer are a promising approach for cancer screening and diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate correlation between livin, BMF and p53 genes expression in colon cancer tissues of patients included in the study, and their relationship with clinicopathological features and survival outcome in those patients. In this study, 50 pathologically diagnosed early cancer colon patients included and their tissue biopsy with 50 matched adjacent normal tissue, and 50 adenoma tissue specimens were analyzed for livin gene and BMF gene expressions using real time PCR. The relationship of those genes expressions with clinicopathological features, tumor markers, Time to Progression and overall survival for those patients were correlated in cancer colon group. In this study, there was a significant a reciprocal relationship between over expression of livin gene and down regulation of BMF and p53 genes in colon cancer cells. Livin mRNA was significantly higher, while BMF and p53 mRNA were significantly lower in colorectal cancer tissue compared to benign and normal colon tissue specimens (P < 0.001), however, this finding was absent between colon adenomas and normal mucosa. There was a significant association between up regulation of livin and down regulation of BMF and p53 expressions with more aggressive tumor (advanced TNM stage), rapid progression with metastasis and decreased overall survival in cancer colon patients, hence these genes can serve as significant prognostic markers of poor outcome in colon cancer patients. This work highlights the role of livin, BMF and p53 genes in colorectal tumorigenesis and the applicability of using those genes as a diagnostic and prognostic markers in patients with colon carcinoma and as a good target for cancer colon treatment in the future.     

Biocides formulation of essential oils having antimicrobial activity

Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway, eucalyptus, geranium and lemon were tested for their antimicrobial activities against some plant pathogenic micro-organisms (Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternate, Penicilium italicum Penicilium digitatum and Botyritus cinerea). Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway were selected as an active ingredient for the formulation of biocides due to their efficiency in controlling the tested micro-organisms. Successful emulsifiable concentrates (biocides) were prepared from these oils using different emulsifiers (Emulgator B.L.M. Tween20 and Tween80) and different fixed oils (sesame, olive, cotton and soybean oils). Physico-chemical properties of the formulated biocide (spontaneous emulsification, emulsion stability test, cold stability and heat stability tests as well as viscosity, surface tension and pH) were measured. The prepared biocides were ready to be tested for application in a future work as a safe pesticide against different pathogens.     

Metagenomic insights into strategies of carbon conservation and unusual sulfur biogeochemistry in a hypersaline Antarctic lake

Organic Lake is a shallow, marine-derived hypersaline lake in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica that has the highest reported concentration of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in a natural body of water. To determine the composition and functional potential of the microbial community and learn about the unusual sulfur chemistry in Organic Lake, shotgun metagenomics was performed on size-fractionated samples collected along a depth profile. Eucaryal phytoflagellates were the main photosynthetic organisms. Bacteria were dominated by the globally distributed heterotrophic taxa Marinobacter, Roseovarius and Psychroflexus. The dominance of heterotrophic degradation, coupled with low fixation potential, indicates possible net carbon loss. However, abundant marker genes for aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy, sulfur oxidation, rhodopsins and CO oxidation were also linked to the dominant heterotrophic bacteria, and indicate the use of photo- and lithoheterotrophy as mechanisms for conserving organic carbon. Similarly, a high genetic potential for the recycling of nitrogen compounds likely functions to retain fixed nitrogen in the lake. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) lyase genes were abundant, indicating that DMSP is a significant carbon and energy source. Unlike marine environments, DMSP demethylases were less abundant, indicating that DMSP cleavage is the likely source of high DMS concentration. DMSP cleavage, carbon mixotrophy (photoheterotrophy and lithoheterotrophy) and nitrogen remineralization by dominant Organic Lake bacteria are potentially important adaptations to nutrient constraints. In particular, carbon mixotrophy relieves the extent of carbon oxidation for energy production, allowing more carbon to be used for biosynthetic processes. The study sheds light on how the microbial community has adapted to this unique Antarctic lake environment.     

Safeguarding marine life: conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Marine ecosystems and their associated biodiversity sustain life on Earth and hold intrinsic value. Critical marine ecosystem services include maintenance of...     

Arguments for biodiversity conservation: factors influencing their observed effectiveness in European case studies

Making a strong case for biodiversity protection is central to meeting the biodiversity targets in international agreements such as the CBD and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Effective arguments are needed to convince diverse actors that protection is worthwhile, and can play a crucial role in closing the implementation gap between biodiversity policy targets and outcomes. Drawing on a database of arguments from 11 European case studies, along with additional interview and case study material from all 13 case studies of the BESAFE project, we analysed relationships between potential and observed effectiveness of arguments. Our results show that strong logic, robustness, and timing of arguments are necessary but not sufficient conditions for arguments to be effective. We find that use of multiple and diverse arguments can enhance effectiveness by broadening the appeal to wider audiences, especially when arguments are repeated and refined through constructive dialogue. We discuss the role of framing, bundling and tailoring arguments to audiences in increasing effectiveness. Our results provide further support for the current shift towards recognition of value pluralism in biodiversity science and decision-making. We hope our results will help to demonstrate more convincingly the value of biodiversity to stakeholders in decision processes and thus build better cases for its conservation.     

Making a better case for biodiversity conservation: the BESAFE project

This Editorial to the BESAFE special issue introduces the project and its approach and case studies. The BESAFE (EC 7th Framework programme) project investigated how the effectiveness of different types of arguments for biodiversity conservation depends on the context in which they are used. Our results show that tailoring of argumentation to audience within the course of decision processes is the main factor determining effectiveness. We consistently found arguments linked to intrinsic value (e.g. moral or ethical obligation arguments) as shared and supported widely, and thus offering common ground between parties. Economic arguments are effective as additional ones, but not as replacements. Next generation biodiversity conservation strategies can probably improve their effectiveness by emphasizing and better explaining the synergies between traditional conservation and especially regulating and cultural services.     

Major quantitative trait loci affect resistance to infectious pancreatic necrosis in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is a viral disease currently presenting a major problem in the production of Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar). IPN can cause significant mortality to salmon fry within freshwater hatcheries and to smolts following transfer to seawater, although challenged populations show clear genetic variation in resistance. To determine whether this genetic variation includes loci of major effect, a genomewide quantitative trait loci (QTL) scan was performed within 10 full-sib families that had received a natural seawater IPN challenge. To utilize the large difference between Atlantic salmon male and female recombination rates, a two-stage mapping strategy was employed. Initially, a sire-based QTL analysis was used to detect linkage groups with significant effects on IPN resistance, using two to three microsatellite markers per linkage group. A dam-based analysis with additional markers was then used to confirm and position any detected QTL. Two genomewide significant QTL and one suggestive QTL were detected in the genome scan. The most significant QTL was mapped to linkage group 21 and was significant at the genomewide level in both the sire and the dam-based analyses. The identified QTL can be applied in marker-assisted selection programs to improve the resistance of salmon to IPN and reduce disease-related mortality.