Flow cytometric chromosome sorting from diploid progenitors of bread wheat, T. urartu, Ae. speltoides and Ae. tauschii

Key message Chromosomes 5Au, 5S and 5D can be isolated from wild progenitors, providing a chromosomebased approach to develop tools for breeding and to study the genome evolution of wheat. Abstract The three subgenomes of hexaploid bread wheat originated from Triticum urartu (AuAu), from a species similar to Aegilops speltoides (SS) (progenitor of the B genome), and from Ae. tauschii (DD). Earlier studies indicated the potential of chromosome genomics to assist gene transfer from wild relatives of wheat and discover novel genes for wheat improvement. This study evaluates the potential of flow cytometric chromosome sorting in the diploid progenitors of bread wheat. Flow karyotypes obtained by analysing DAPI-stained chromosomes were characterized and the contents of the chromosome peaks were determined. FISH analysis with repetitive DNA probes proved that chromosomes 5Au, 5S and 5D could be sorted with purities of 78–90 %, while the remaining chromosomes could be sorted in groups of three. Twenty-five conserved orthologous set (COS) markers covering wheat homoeologous chromosome groups 1–7 were used for PCR with DNA amplified from flow-sorted chromosomes and genomic DNA. These assays validated the cytomolecular results as follows: peak I on flow karyotypes contained chromosome groups 1, 4 and 6, peak II represented homoeologous group 5, while peak III consisted of groups 2, 3 and 7. The isolation of individual chromosomes of wild progenitors provides an attractive opportunity to investigate the structure and evolution of the polyploid genome and to deliver tools for wheat improvement

Advances in plant gene-targeted and functional markers: a review

Public genomic databases have provided new directions for molecular marker development and initiated a shift in the types of PCR-based techniques commonly used in plant science. Alongside commonly used arbitrarily amplified DNA markers, other methods have been developed. Targeted fingerprinting marker techniques are based on the well-established practices of arbitrarily amplified DNA methods, but employ novel methodological innovations such as the incorporation of gene or promoter elements in the primers. These markers provide good reproducibility and increased resolution by the concurrent incidence of dominant and co-dominant bands. Despite their promising features, these semi-random markers suffer from possible problems of collision and non-homology analogous to those found with randomly generated fingerprints. Transposable elements, present in abundance in plant genomes, may also be used to generate fingerprints. These markers provide increased genomic coverage by utilizing specific targeted sites and produce bands that mostly seem to be homologous. The biggest drawback with most of these techniques is that prior genomic information about retrotransposons is needed for primer design, prohibiting universal applications. Another class of recently developed methods exploits length polymorphism present in arrays of multi-copy gene families such as cytochrome P450 and β-tubulin genes to provide cross-species amplification and transferability. A specific class of marker makes use of common features of plant resistance genes to generate bands linked to a given phenotype, or to reveal genetic diversity. Conserved DNA-based strategies have limited genome coverage and may fail to reveal genetic diversity, while resistance genes may be under specific evolutionary selection. Markers may also be generated from functional and/or transcribed regions of the genome using different gene-targeting approaches coupled with the use RNA information. Such techniques have the potential to generate phenotypically linked functional markers, especially when fingerprints are generated from the transcribed or expressed region of the genome. It is to be expected that these recently developed techniques will generate larger datasets, but their shortcomings should also be acknowledged and carefully investigated.Peer reviewe

Pericentromeric chromatin reorganisation follows the initiation of recombination and coincides with early events of synapsis in cereals

The reciprocal exchange of genetic information between homologous chromosomes during meiotic recombination is essential to secure balanced chromosome segregation and to promote genetic diversity. The chromosomal position and frequency of reciprocal genetic exchange shapes the efficiency of breeding programmes and influences crop improvement under a changing climate. In large genome cereals, such as wheat and barley, crossovers are consistently restricted to subtelomeric chromosomal regions, thus preventing favourable allele combinations being formed within a considerable proportion of the genome, including interstitial and pericentromeric chromatin. Understanding the key elements driving crossover designation is therefore essential to broaden the regions available for crossovers. Here, we followed early meiotic chromatin dynamism in cereals through the visualisation of a homologous barley chromosome arm pair stably transferred into the wheat genetic background. By capturing the dynamics of a single chromosome arm at the same time as detecting the undergoing events of meiotic recombination and synapsis, we showed that subtelomeric chromatin of homologues synchronously transitions to an open chromatin structure during recombination initiation. By contrast, pericentromeric and interstitial regions preserved their closed chromatin organisation and become unpackaged only later, concomitant with initiation of recombinatorial repair and the initial assembly of the synaptonemal complex. Our results raise the possibility that the closed pericentromeric chromatin structure in cereals may influence the fate decision during recombination initiation, as well as the spatial development of synapsis, and may also explain the suppression of crossover events in the proximity of the centromeres

Radiológiai osztályon dolgozó szakdolgozók kiégési szintje Magyarországon = Burnout level among radiology department workers in Hungary

Absztrakt: Bevezetés: A segítő szakmákban dolgozó szakembereket veszélyeztető kiégésnek széles körű negatív hatásai lehetnek, ami a betegellátás minőségét és az egészségügyi rendszer hatékonyságát is befolyásolhatja. Célkitűzés: A kutatás célja volt feltárni, hogy a magyarországi radiológiai osztályon dolgozó szakdolgozókat milyen mértékben veszélyezteti a kiégés. Módszer: Kvantitatív, keresztmetszeti, leíró kutatás keretében az adatgyűjtésre 2018. június–szeptember intervallumban online felületen megosztott kérdőív segítségével, radiológiai osztályon dolgozó szakdolgozók körében került sor egyszerű, nem véletlenszerű mintavétel alkalmazásával, anonim módon. A saját szerkesztésű kérdőív a szociodemográfiai és a munkavégzés jellegével kapcsolatos jellemzők mellett a Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) nemzetközileg validált kérdőívet is tartalmazta. Eredmények: Az adatok tisztítását követően összesen 404 fő válaszait vontuk be a statisztikai elemzésbe. A többségében megyei kórházakban alkalmazott szakdolgozók átlagosan 18,3 éve (SD 13,7) dolgoznak az egészségügyi ellátórendszerben. A kiégésnek a deperszonalizáció és emocionális kimerülés dimenziójában a minta enyhén emelkedett értékű kiégést mutat. Az iskolai végzettség, az életkor és az egészségügyben eltöltött évek száma szignifikánsan befolyásolta mindhárom, kiégéssel kapcsolatos dimenziót (p≤0,05). A 31–35 éves korcsoport és a 16–20 éve a pályán lévő válaszadók tekinthetők a legveszélyeztetettebb csoportnak a kiégés mindhárom dimenziójában. Az MSc-végzettséggel rendelkezők emocionális kimerülési értéke szignifikánsan alacsonyabbnak bizonyult társaikéhoz viszonyítva. Következtetés: A deperszonalizáció és az emocionális kimerülés emelkedett értéke jelző értékkel bírhat a munkáltatók számára. A kapott eredmények a nemzetközi szakirodalomban leírtakkal jól korrelálnak. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(27): 1070–1077. | Abstract: Introduction: Burnout can have a wide negative impact on the quality and the effectiveness of the health care system. The aim of our research was to assess the burnout level of the radiology department workers in Hungary. Method: Our quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive data collection lasted from June to September 2018 using an online questionnaire. Simple, non-random sampling was carried out among radiology department workers in Hungary. In addition to our self-made questionnaire which included socio-demographic and work-related questions, an internationally validated Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire was sent out. Results: After data cleaning, a total number of 404 (n = 404) respondents were included in the statistical analysis. The majority of the respondents works in county hospital, the average year spent in the healthcare system was 18.3 (SD 13,7). The sample’s values at the depersonalization and emotional exhaustion dimension were slightly elevated in contrast to the average values. Educational level, age and years spent in the healthcare system had a significant influence on all the three dimensions of burnout (p≤0.05). The group of workers being 31–35 years old and the group of those who spent 16–20 years in the healthcare system are considered to be the most compromised groups in all the three dimensions of burnout. Respondents with master degree had significantly lower emotional exhaustion values than their colleagues. Conclusion: The increased value of the depersonalization and the emotional exhaustion can be an indicator for employers. Our results are similar like described in the international literature. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(27): 1070–1077

Elevated Vascular Level of ortho-Tyrosine Contributes to the Impairment of Insulin-Induced Arterial Relaxation.

Previous studies have shown that in diabetes mellitus, insulin-induced relaxation of arteries is impaired and the level of ortho-tyrosine (o-Tyr), an oxidized amino acid is increased. Thus, we hypothesized that elevated vascular level of o-Tyr contributes to the impairment of insulin-induced vascular relaxation. Rats were fed with o-Tyr for 4 weeks. Insulin-induced vasomotor responses of isolated femoral artery were studied using wire myography. Vascular o-Tyr content was measured by HPLC, whereas immunoblot analyses were preformed to detect eNOS phosphorylation. Sustained oral supplementation of rats with o-Tyr increased the content of o-Tyr in the arterial wall and significantly reduced the relaxations to insulin. Sustained supplementation of cultured endothelial cells with o-Tyr increased the incorporation of o-Tyr and mitigated eNOS Ser (1 177) phosphorylation to insulin. Increasing arterial wall o-Tyr level attenuates insulin-induced relaxation - at least in part - by decreasing eNOS activation. Elevated level of o-Tyr could be an underlying mechanism for vasomotor dysfunction in diabetes mellitus

Constraints on the physical properties of Type Ia supernovae from photometry

We present a photometric study of 17 Type Ia supernovae (SNe) based on multi-color (Bessell BVRI) data taken at Piszkesteto mountain station of Konkoly Observatory, Hungary between 2016 and 2018. We analyze the light curves (LCs) using the publicly available LC-fitter SNooPy2 to derive distance and reddening information. The bolometric LCs are fit with a radiation-diffusion Arnett-model to get constraints on the physical parameters of the ejecta: the optical opacity, the ejected mass and the expansion velocity in particular. We also study the pre-maximum (B-V) color evolution by comparing our data with standard delayed detonation and pulsational delayed detonation models, and show that the Ni56 masses of the models that fit the (B-V) colors are consistent with those derived from the bolometric LC fitting. We find similar correlations between the ejecta parameters (e.g. ejecta mass, or Ni56 mass vs decline rate) as published recently by Scalzo et al. (2019