A taxonomic backbone for the global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales

The Caryophyllales constitute a major lineage of flowering plants with approximately 12500 species in 39 families. A taxonomic backbone at the genus level is provided that reflects the current state of knowledge and accepts 749 genera for the order. A detailed review of the literature of the past two decades shows that enormous progress has been made in understanding overall phylogenetic relationships in Caryophyllales. The process of re-circumscribing families in order to be monophyletic appears to be largely complete and has led to the recognition of eight new families (Anacampserotaceae, Kewaceae, Limeaceae, Lophiocarpaceae, Macarthuriaceae, Microteaceae, Montiaceae and Talinaceae), while the phylogenetic evaluation of generic concepts is still well underway. As a result of this, the number of genera has increased by more than ten percent in comparison to the last complete treatments in the Families and genera of vascular plants” series. A checklist with all currently accepted genus names in Caryophyllales, as well as nomenclatural references, type names and synonymy is presented. Notes indicate how extensively the respective genera have been studied in a phylogenetic context. The most diverse families at the generic level are Cactaceae and Aizoaceae, but 28 families comprise only one to six genera. This synopsis represents a first step towards the aim of creating a global synthesis of the species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales integrating the work of numerous specialists around the world

Sobrevivência em viveiro de mudas de espécies nativas retiradas da regeneração natural de remanescente florestal Survival in nursery of native species saplings obtained from natural regeneration of forest fragments

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a sobrevivência em viveiro de plântulas retiradas da regeneração natural de remanescente de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, localizado em Bofete, SP. Indivíduos com até 30 cm de espécies arbustivo-arbóreos foram coletados em parcelas instaladas previamente em remanescente florestal, transplantados para viveiro sob sombrite 50%, e avaliados periodicamente durante nove meses. Ao todo foram transferidos para o viveiro 2.424 indivíduos, pertencentes a 110 espécies. A taxa média de sobrevivência foi de 69%, com variação nos resultados para as diferentes espécies, famílias e classes de altura dos indivíduos. Embora espécies pioneiras tenham apresentado taxa de sobrevivência significativamente maior que não pioneiras, várias espécies não pioneiras apresentaram elevada taxa de sobrevivência. Muitas das espécies sobreviventes não são encontradas nos viveiros florestais do Estado de São Paulo. A produção de mudas por meio da transferência da regeneração natural de áreas naturais é uma estratégia complementar viável, que eleva a riqueza de espécies dos viveiros florestais.<br>Seedling survival was evaluated regarding transplanted saplings obtained from natural regeneration of a Semideciduous Seasonal Forest fragment, located at Bofete, São Paulo State, Brazil. Shrub and trees species seedlings up to 30 cm height were collected from samples sited on a forest remnant, transplanted to a nursery under 50% shade tissue, and evaluated periodically during nine months. A total of 2,424 seedlings, belonging to 110 species were transferred to the nursery. Average survival reached 69%, although this survival rate was quite variable according to the species, families and height classes of the evaluated individuals. In spite of the fact that pioneer species presented higher survival rate, several non-pioneer species also obtained high values of survival. Besides, many of the survivor species are usually not available in forest nurseries of the São Paulo State. The transference of seedlings from natural regeneration of forest fragments to forest nurseries seems to be a complementary and a viable method in order to produce saplings of native species, increasing diversity within nurseries with forest restoration purposes

Association of bronchial steroid inducible methylation quantitative trait loci with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment response.

Pathogenesis and treatment of chronic pulmonary disease

A multi-ethnic genome-wide association study of 21000 cases and 95000 controls identifies 11 novel genetic variants associated with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a highly heritable common chronic inflammatory skin disease. Twenty-one genetic risk loci have been previously identified. The largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date included around 5000 cases and 20 000 controls (of only European origin) and identified 3 risk loci, putting AD some way behind many other complex common diseases that have been studied in much larger numbers and for which many more risk loci have been identified. Method: We conducted the world’s largest GWAS of AD. Our discovery cohort consisted of 21 409 cases and 95 445 controls from 26 studies and used data imputed to the 1000 genomes reference panel (\u3e 15 million variants). In addition to carrying out a fixed effects genome-wide meta-analysis of European individuals, we also included Japanese, Latino and African-American individuals in a multi-ethnic meta-analysis (using MANTRA software). Replication was sought in 30 582 cases and 226 518 controls from 17 studies. Results: The discovery phase identified 27 loci associated with AD (11 novel). A gene-set enrichment analysis (using MAGENTA) identified 38 significantly enriched gene-sets (FDR \u3c 0.05) out of a total of \u3e 10 000 tested, and 9 additional SNPs (with P \u3c 10-5) were taken forward to replication. Eleven of the 20 novel SNPs replicated and reached genome-wide significance. One particularly interesting association involved a series of SNPs near CD207, a gene selectively expressed in Langerhans cells (dendritic cells of the epidermis), putatively involved in antigen uptake and processing. These SNPs also showed strong association with CD207 expression in skin tissue in the MuTHER study (P = 2x10-10). Thus, our results suggest a possible role for genetic factors influencing epithelial dendritic cell function in the aetiology of AD. In addition to the novel loci we also identified four secondary signals at known loci. Furthermore our results show a substantial genetic overlap with other immune-mediated diseases, particularly inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Thirty-nine of 163 SNPs robustly associated with IBD in a recent GWAS were at least nominally associated (P \u3c 0.05) with AD in our analysis (34 with the same direction of effect). Conclusion: Our results bring the total number of AD risk loci discovered to 31. All new loci include candidate genes with roles in regulating environmental sensing and adaptive immune responses, underscoring the important contribution of immune components to AD pathogenesis

A continuum of admixture in the Western Hemisphere revealed by the African Diaspora genome

Host-parasite interactio