Association mapping for yield and grain quality traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Association analysis was applied to a panel of accessions of Embrapa Rice Core Collection (ERiCC) with 86 SSR and field data from two experiments. A clear subdivision between lowland and upland accessions was apparent, thereby indicating the presence of population structure. Thirty-two accessions with admixed ancestry were identified through structure analysis, these being discarded from association analysis, thus leaving 210 accessions subdivided into two panels. The association of yield and grain-quality traits with SSR was undertaken with a mixed linear model, with markers and subpopulation as fixed factors, and kinship matrix as a random factor. Eight markers from the two appraised panels showed significant association with four different traits, although only one (RM190) maintained the marker-trait association across years and cultivation. The significant association detected between amylose content and RM190 was in agreement with previous QTL analyses in the literature. Herein, the feasibility of undertaking association analysis in conjunction with germplasm characterization was demonstrated, even when considering low marker density. The high linkage disequilibrium expected in rice lines and cultivars facilitates the detection of marker-trait associations for implementing marker assisted selection, and the mining of alleles related to important traits in germplasm

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, NAIP, cIAP1 and cIAP2 expression during macrophage differentiation and M1/M2 polarization

Monocytes and macrophages constitute the first line of defense of the immune system against external pathogens. Macrophages have a highly plastic phenotype depending on environmental conditions; the extremes of this phenotypic spectrum are a pro-inflammatory defensive role (M1 phenotype) and an anti-inflammatory tissue-repair one (M2 phenotype). The Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins have important roles in the regulation of several cellular processes, including innate and adaptive immunity. In this study we have analyzed the differential expression of the IAPs, NAIP, cIAP1 and cIAP2, during macrophage differentiation and polarization into M1 or M2. In polarized THP-1 cells and primary human macrophages, NAIP is abundantly expressed in M2 macrophages, while cIAP1 and cIAP2 show an inverse pattern of expression in polarized macrophages, with elevated expression levels of cIAP1 in M2 and cIAP2 preferentially expressed in M1. Interestingly, treatment with the IAP antagonist SMC-LCL161, induced the upregulation of NAIP in M2, the downregulation of cIAP1 in M1 and M2 and an induction of cIAP2 in M1 macrophages.This work was supported by Universidad de Granada, Plan Propio 2015;#P3B: FAM, VMC (http://investigacion.ugr.es/pages/planpropio/2015/ resoluciones/p3b_def_28072015); Universidad de Granada CEI BioTic;#CAEP2-84: VMC (http:// biotic.ugr.es/pages/resolucionprovisional enseaanzapractica22demayo/!); and Canadian nstitutes of Health Research;#231421, #318176, #361847: STB, ECL, RK (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc. ca/e/193.html). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Recent insights into targeting the IL-6 cytokine family in inflammatory diseases and cancer

The IL-6 family of cytokines consists of IL-6, IL-11, IL-27, IL-31, oncostatin M (OSM), leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), cardiotrophin 1 (CT-1) and cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1). Membership of this cytokine family is defined by usage of common β-receptor signalling subunits, which activate various intracellular signalling pathways. Each IL-6 family member elicits responses essential to the physiological control of immune homeostasis, haematopoiesis, inflammation, development and metabolism. Accordingly, distortion of these cytokine activities often promotes chronic disease and cancer; the pathological importance of this is exemplified by the successful treatment of certain autoimmune conditions with drugs that target the IL-6 pathway. Here, we discuss the emerging roles for IL-6 family members in infection, chronic inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer and review therapeutic strategies designed to manipulate these cytokines in disease

Linkage disequilibrium in French wild cherry germplasm and worldwide sweet cherry germplasm

A basic knowledge on linkage disequilibrium (LD) is necessary in order to determine resolution of association studies. We investigated the extent and patterns of LD in a self-incompatible species ( Prunus avium L.), in 3 groups (wild cherry, sweet cherry landraces and sweet cherry modern varieties), using a set of 35 microsatellite markers and the gametophytic self-incompatibility locus. Since population structure might create spurious LD, we thus used the information provided by a structure analysis published in a previous study to perform the LD analysis. In the current study, we detected a greater LD extent in sweet cherry than in wild cherry, which is plausibly due to the bottleneck associated with domestication and breeding. Higher LD values in sweet cherry sub-groups may be explained by smaller sample sizes. We also showed that the remaining structure in the groups of sweet cherry, in particular landraces, is responsible for a part of the LD extent. Intra-group relatedness may also account for extensive LD in two sub-groups. These results demonstrate, if ever necessary, the importance of controlling the genetic structure and relatedness when estimating LD. Moreover, LD decays very rapidly with genetic linkage distance in both wild and sweet cherries, which seems promising for future association studies