The Simmental Breed: Population Structure and Generation Interval Trends

Pedigree data from the American Simmental Association from 1986-2008 were used to analyze the pedigree structure and changes in generation intervals over time within the Simmental breed. The number of breeders that accounted for 10% of sires of sires (SS), sires of dams (SD), dams of sires (DS), and dams of dams (DD) were 3, 5, 5, and 16, respectively. States with the greatest influenceon the four pathways of selection (SS, SD, DS, and DD) included Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, and Texas. In general, generation intervals for the four pathways decreased by year of birth over the time span of the data analyzed, albeit numerically slight. Averagegeneration intervals for sires and dams also decreased by year of birth, while animals increased slightly

Glioma progression is shaped by genetic evolution and microenvironment interactions.

The factors driving therapy resistance in diffuse glioma remain poorly understood. To identify treatment-associated cellular and genetic changes, we analyzed RNA and/or DNA sequencing data from the temporally separated tumor pairs of 304 adult patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wild-type and IDH-mutant glioma. Tumors recurred in distinct manners that were dependent on IDH mutation status and attributable to changes in histological feature composition, somatic alterations, and microenvironment interactions. Hypermutation and acquired CDKN2A deletions were associated with an increase in proliferating neoplastic cells at recurrence in both glioma subtypes, reflecting active tumor growth. IDH-wild-type tumors were more invasive at recurrence, and their neoplastic cells exhibited increased expression of neuronal signaling programs that reflected a possible role for neuronal interactions in promoting glioma progression. Mesenchymal transition was associated with the presence of a myeloid cell state defined by specific ligand-receptor interactions with neoplastic cells. Collectively, these recurrence-associated phenotypes represent potential targets to alter disease progression