A High Density Consensus Map of Rye (Secale cereale L.) Based on DArT Markers

L.) is an economically important crop, exhibiting unique features such as outstanding resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and high nutrient use efficiency. This species presents a challenge to geneticists and breeders due to its large genome containing a high proportion of repetitive sequences, self incompatibility, severe inbreeding depression and tissue culture recalcitrance. The genomic resources currently available for rye are underdeveloped in comparison with other crops of similar economic importance. The aim of this study was to create a highly saturated, multilocus linkage map of rye via consensus mapping, based on Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) markers.Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from 5 populations (564 in total) were genotyped using DArT markers and subjected to linkage analysis using Join Map 4.0 and Multipoint Consensus 2.2 software. A consensus map was constructed using a total of 9703 segregating markers. The average chromosome map length ranged from 199.9 cM (2R) to 251.4 cM (4R) and the average map density was 1.1 cM. The integrated map comprised 4048 loci with the number of markers per chromosome ranging from 454 for 7R to 805 for 4R. In comparison with previously published studies on rye, this represents an eight-fold increase in the number of loci placed on a consensus map and a more than two-fold increase in the number of genetically mapped DArT markers.Through the careful choice of marker type, mapping populations and the use of software packages implementing powerful algorithms for map order optimization, we produced a valuable resource for rye and triticale genomics and breeding, which provides an excellent starting point for more in-depth studies on rye genome organization

Wyniki wieloletnich analiz mikologicznych materiałów biologicznych pochodzących z wybranych ontocenoz narządowych – drożdże i grzyby drożdżopodobne

This paper reviews the results of an extensive monitoring study, spanning 20-years of observation from three medical centres in Olsztyn on the dynamics and species diversity of fungi most frequently colonizing the respiratory and digestive systems of humans. The experimental materials were swabs and specimens from the gastrointestinal tract, swabs from the oral cavity and pharynx, as well as sputum and bronchial fluid from the respiratory system. The biological material was subjected to routine mycological diagnostics, taxonomic determination and identification. In total, 41 species of yeast and yeast-like fungi were isolated, including 34 from the respiratory and 25 from the digestive system. In the last decade, a significant increase has been noticed in the counts of fungi, especially the gastrointestinal tract, reported from people. As many as 18 species were isolated from both systems – they were predominated by fungi of the genus Candida and their perfect forms. Worthy of notice are also frequent isolations of yeast (Saccharomyces spp.) and detection of an endemic species, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, in the respiratory system, and of the sexual stages of Rhodosporidium diobovatum and Rhodosporidium kratochvilovae from the gastrointestinal tract

The potential anti‐infective applications of metal oxide nanoparticles: A systematic review

Microbial infections present a major global healthcare challenge, in large part because of the development of microbial resistance to the currently approved antimicrobial drugs. This demands the development of new antimicrobial agents. Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are a class of materials that have been widely explored for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. They are reported to have wide‐ranging antimicrobial activities and to be potent against bacteria, viruses, and protozoans. The use of MONPs reduces the possibility of resistance developing because they have multiple mechanisms of action (including via reactive oxygen species generation), simultaneously attacking many sites in the microorganism. However, despite this there are to date no MONPs clinically approved for antimicrobial therapy. This review explores the recent literature in this area, discusses the mechanisms of MONP action against microorganisms, and considers the barriers faced to the use of MONPs in humans. These include biological challenges, of which the potential for an immune response and off‐target toxicity are key. We explore in detail the possible benefits/disbenefits of an immune response being initiated, and consider the effect of production method (chemical vs. green synthesis) on cytotoxicity. There are also a number of technical and manufacturing challenges hindering MONP translation to the clinic which are additionally discussed in depth. In the short term, there are potentially some “quick wins” from the repurposing of already‐approved nanoparticle‐based medicines for anti‐infective applications, but a number of hurdles, both technical and biological, lie in the path to long‐term clinical translation of new MONP‐based formulations. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Toxicology of Nanomaterial