46 research outputs found
Keragaman Jeruk Fungsional Indonesia Berdasarkan Karakter Morfologis Dan Marka RAPD
Identification of citrus genetic variability is prerequisite for effective genetic resources management and selection process in breeding program. The objective of the research was to study fifteen accessions of Indonesian functional citrus based on morphological characters and molecular marker. The research was conducted in Plant Breeding Laboratory, Indonesian Citrus and Subtropical Fruits Reserach Institute, Malang, West Java. The morphological variability was based on observation of morphological characters, while molecular variability was based on amplification of RAPD markers. Morphology and molecular diversities were analyzed by DARWin5 program. The results showed that morphological diversity is higher than molecular diversity. The highest morphology diversity occured between Citrumelo and Carrizo Citrange with seedless Lemon (79%), while the highest molecular diversity occured between Lemo Swangi with seedless Lemon (49%). The specific bands were found on Jari Budha, Etrog Citron, and seedless Lemon accessions using RAPD marker OPH15(235,280), on accession with trifoliate leaf (Troyer Citrange, Citrumelo, and Carrizo Citrange) using OPD07(400) and OPC17(416) and on Keprok Tening using OPH04(583) and OPD07(330)
Stream and slope weathering effects on organic-rich mudstone geochemistry and implications for hydrocarbon source rock assessment: a Bowland Shale case study
This study contributes to the exploration and quantification of the weathering of organic-rich mudstones under temperate climatic conditions. Bowland Shales, exposed by a stream and slope, were sampled in order to develop a model for the effects of weathering on the mudstone geochemistry, including major and trace element geochemistry, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and δ13Corg. Four weathering grades (I – IV) are defined using a visual classification scheme; visually fresh and unaltered (I), chemically altered (II, III) and ‘paper shale’ that typifies weathered mudstone on slopes (IV). Bedload abrasion in the stream exposes of visually fresh and geochemically unaltered mudstone. Natural fractures are conduits for oxidising meteoric waters that promote leaching at the millimetre scale and/or precipitation of iron oxide coatings along fracture surfaces. On the slope, bedding-parallel fractures formed (and may continue to form) in response to chemical and/or physical weathering processes. These fractures develop along planes of weakness, typically along laminae comprising detrital grains, and exhibit millimetre- and centimetre-scale leached layers and iron oxide coatings. Fracture surfaces are progressively exposed to physical weathering processes towards the outcrop surface, and results in disintegration of the altered material along fracture surfaces. Grade IV, ‘paper shale’ mudstone is chemically unaltered but represents a biased record driven by initial heterogeneity in the sedimentary fabric. Chemically weathered outcrop samples exhibit lower concentrations of both ‘free’ (S1) (up to 0.6 mgHC/g rock) and ‘bound’ (S2) (up to 3.2 mgHC/g rock) hydrocarbon, reduced total organic carbon content (up to 0.34 wt%), reduced hydrogen index (up to 58 mgHC/gTOC), increased oxygen index (up to 19 mgCO + CO2/gTOC) and increased Tmax (up to 11 °C) compared with unaltered samples. If analysis of chemically weathered samples is unavoidable, back-extrapolation of Rock-Eval parameters can assist in the estimation of pre-weathering organic compositions. Combining Cs/Cu with oxygen index is a proxy for identifying the weathering progression from fresh material (I) to ‘paper shale’ (IV). This study demonstrates that outcrop samples in temperate climates can provide information for assessing hydrocarbon potential of organic-rich mudstones
Many ways to make darker flies: Intra-and interspecific variation in Drosophila body pigmentation components
Body pigmentation is an evolutionarily diversified and ecologically relevant trait with
substantial variation within and between species, and important roles in animal survival
and reproduction. Insect pigmentation, in particular, provides some of the most
compelling examples of adaptive evolution, including its ecological significance and
genetic bases. Pigmentation includes multiple aspects of color and color pattern that
may vary more or less independently, and can be under different selective pressures.
We decompose Drosophila thorax and abdominal pigmentation, a valuable eco-evo-
devo
model, into distinct measurable traits related to color and color pattern. We
investigate intra-and
interspecific variation for those traits and assess its different
sources. For each body part, we measured overall darkness, as well as four other
pigmentation properties distinguishing between background color and color of the
darker pattern elements that decorate each body part. By focusing on two standard
D. melanogaster laboratory populations, we show that pigmentation components
vary and covary in distinct manners depending on sex, genetic background, and temperature
during development. Studying three natural populations of D. melanogaster
along a latitudinal cline and five other Drosophila species, we then show t hat evolution
of lighter or darker bodies can be achieved by changing distinct component
traits. Our results paint a much more complex picture of body pigmentation variation
than previous studies could uncover, including patterns of sexual dimorphism,
thermal plasticity, and interspecific diversity. These findings underscore the value of
detailed quantitative phenotyping and analysis of different sources of variation for a
better understanding of phenotypic variation and diversification, and the ecological
pressures and genetic mechanisms underlying them.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Phase I trial of ADP-A2AFP TCR T-cell therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular or gastric hepatoid carcinoma
Background & Aims:
Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) generally experience poor outcomes despite current therapies; alternative treatments are needed. ADP-A2AFP is an investigational autologous T-cell therapy with an affinity-enhanced T-cell receptor (TCR) targeting alpha-fetoprotein (AFP).
Methods:
We describe a phase I, open-label, first-in-human clinical trial of ADP-A2AFP (NCT03132792) in human leukocyte antigen–eligible participants with AFP-expressing HCC (or other tumor) not amenable to transplant/resection that progressed on, were intolerant to, or refused prior systemic therapy. Participants received lymphodepletion chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2/day for 3 days and fludarabine 20 mg/m2/day for 3 days, or cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2/day for 3 days and fludarabine 30 mg/m2/day for 4 days) followed by ADP-A2AFP intravenous infusion. Safety evaluation was the primary objective; response per RECIST v1.1 was the key secondary endpoint.
Results:
Twenty-one participants, 20 with advanced HCC and 1 with gastric hepatoid carcinoma received ≥1 ADP-A2AFP infusion. All participants experienced ≥1 grade 3 or higher adverse event; 52.4% experienced ≥1 grade 3 or higher event considered related to ADP-A2AFP treatment. Six participants experienced cytokine release syndrome (grade 1–2: n = 5; grade 4: n = 1). Best overall responses were complete response (n = 1), partial response (n = 1), and stable disease (n = 12); overall response rate was 9.5%. Eight patients had duration of stable disease ≥16 weeks. Infiltration of ADP-A2AFP TCR and CD8+ T cells was seen in AFP-positive areas of post-treatment tumor samples. A relationship was demonstrated between increased ADP-A2AFP dose and serum AFP reduction in responders.
Conclusions:
Lymphodepletion chemotherapy followed by ADP-A2AFP TCR T-cell therapy showed a manageable safety profile and preliminary indications of antitumor activity in these previously treated patients
Afamitresgene autoleucel for advanced synovial sarcoma and myxoid round cell liposarcoma (SPEARHEAD-1): an international, open-label, phase 2 trial
BACKGROUND:
Afamitresgene autoleucel (afami-cel) showed acceptable safety and promising efficacy in a phase 1 trial (NCT03132922). The aim of this study was to further evaluate the efficacy of afami-cel for the treatment of patients with HLA-A*02 and MAGE-A4-expressing advanced synovial sarcoma or myxoid round cell liposarcoma.
METHODS:
SPEARHEAD-1 was an open-label, non-randomised, phase 2 trial done across 23 sites in Canada, the USA, and Europe. The trial included three cohorts, of which the main investigational cohort (cohort 1) is reported here. Cohort 1 included patients with HLA-A*02, aged 16–75 years, with metastatic or unresectable synovial sarcoma or myxoid round cell liposarcoma (confirmed by cytogenetics) expressing MAGE-A4, and who had received at least one previous line of anthracycline-containing or ifosfamide-containing chemotherapy. Patients received a single intravenous dose of afami-cel (transduced dose range 1·0 × 109–10·0 × 109 T cells) after lymphodepletion. The primary endpoint was overall response rate in cohort 1, assessed by a masked independent review committee using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (version 1.1) in the modified intention-to-treat population (all patients who received afami-cel). Adverse events, including those of special interest (cytokine release syndrome, prolonged cytopenia, and neurotoxicity), were monitored and are reported for the modified intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04044768; recruitment is closed and follow-up is ongoing for cohorts 1 and 2, and recruitment is open for cohort 3.
FINDINGS:
Between Dec 17, 2019, and July 27, 2021, 52 patients with cytogenetically confirmed synovial sarcoma (n=44) and myxoid round cell liposarcoma (n=8) were enrolled and received afami-cel in cohort 1. Patients were heavily pre-treated (median three [IQR two to four] previous lines of systemic therapy). Median follow-up time was 32·6 months (IQR 29·4–36·1). Overall response rate was 37% (19 of 52; 95% CI 24–51) overall, 39% (17 of 44; 24–55) for patients with synovial sarcoma, and 25% (two of eight; 3–65) for patients with myxoid round cell liposarcoma. Cytokine release syndrome occurred in 37 (71%) of 52 of patients (one grade 3 event). Cytopenias were the most common grade 3 or worse adverse events (lymphopenia in 50 [96%], neutropenia 44 [85%], leukopenia 42 [81%] of 52 patients). No treatment-related deaths occurred.
INTERPRETATION:
Afami-cel treatment resulted in durable responses in heavily pre-treated patients with HLA-A*02 and MAGE-A4-expressing synovial sarcoma. This study shows that T-cell receptor therapy can be used to effectively target solid tumours and provides rationale to expand this approach to other solid malignancies.
FUNDING:
Adaptimmune
Adaptation to Aridity in the Malaria Mosquito Anopheles gambiae: Chromosomal Inversion Polymorphism and Body Size Influence Resistance to Desiccation
Chromosomal inversions are thought to confer a selective advantage in alternative habitats by protecting co-adapted alleles from recombination. The frequencies of two inversions (2La and 2Rb) of the afro-tropical malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae change gradually along geographical clines, increasing in frequency with degree of aridity. Such clines can result from gene flow and local selection acting upon alternative karyotypes along the cline, suggesting that these inversions may be associated with tolerance to xeric conditions. Since water loss represents a major challenge in xeric habitats, it can be supposed that genes inside these inversions are involved in water homeostasis. To test this hypothesis, we compared the desiccation resistance of alternative karyotypes from a colonised 2Rb/2La polymorphic population of A. gambiae from Cameroon. The strain included only the molecular form S, one of the genetic units marking incipient speciation in this taxon. Day-old mosquitoes of both sexes were assayed individually for time to death in a dry environment and the karyotype of each was determined post-mortem using molecular diagnostic assays for each inversion. In agreement with expectations based on their eco-geographical distribution, we found that 2La homokaryotypes survived significantly longer (1.3 hours) than the other karyotypes. However, there was weak support for the effect of 2Rb on desiccation resistance. Larger mosquitoes survived longer than smaller ones. Median survival of females was greater than males, but the effect of sex on desiccation resistance was weakly supported, indicating that differential survival was correlated to differences between sexes in average size. We found weak evidence for a heterotic effect of 2La karyotype on size in females. These results support the notion that genes located inside the 2La inversion are involved in water balance, contributing towards local adaptation of A. gambiae to xeric habitats, beyond the adaptive value conferred by a larger body size
DAF-16 and Δ9 Desaturase Genes Promote Cold Tolerance in Long-Lived Caenorhabditis elegans age-1 Mutants
In Caenorhabditis elegans, mutants of the conserved insulin/IGF-1 signalling (IIS) pathway are long-lived and stress resistant due to the altered expression of DAF-16 target genes such as those involved in cellular defence and metabolism. The three Δ9 desaturase genes, fat-5, fat-6 and fat-7, are included amongst these DAF-16 targets, and it is well established that Δ9 desaturase enzymes play an important role in survival at low temperatures. However, no assessment of cold tolerance has previously been reported for IIS mutants. We demonstrate that long-lived age-1(hx546) mutants are remarkably resilient to low temperature stress relative to wild type worms, and that this is dependent upon daf-16. We also show that cold tolerance following direct transfer to low temperatures is increased in wild type worms during the facultative, daf-16 dependent, dauer stage. Although the cold tolerant phenotype of age-1(hx546) mutants is predominantly due to the Δ9 desaturase genes, additional transcriptional targets of DAF-16 are also involved. Surprisingly, survival of wild type adults following a rapid temperature decline is not dependent upon functional daf-16, and cellular distributions of a DAF-16::GFP fusion protein indicate that DAF-16 is not activated during low temperature stress. This suggests that cold-induced physiological defences are not specifically regulated by the IIS pathway and DAF-16, but expression of DAF-16 target genes in IIS mutants and dauers is sufficient to promote cross tolerance to low temperatures in addition to other forms of stress
Genome-Wide Patterns of Gene Expression during Aging in the African Malaria Vector Anopheles gambiae
The primary means of reducing malaria transmission is through reduction in longevity in days of the adult female stage of the Anopheles vector. However, assessing chronological age is limited to crude physiologic methods which categorize the females binomially as either very young (nulliparous) or not very young (parous). Yet the epidemiologically relevant reduction in life span falls within the latter category. Age-grading methods that delineate chronological age, using accurate molecular surrogates based upon gene expression profiles, will allow quantification of the longevity-reducing effects of vector control tools aimed at the adult, female mosquito. In this study, microarray analyses of gene expression profiles in the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae were conducted during natural senescence of females in laboratory conditions. Results showed that detoxification-related and stress-responsive genes were up-regulated as mosquitoes aged. A total of 276 transcripts had age-dependent expression, independently of blood feeding and egg laying events. Expression of 112 (40.6%) of these transcripts increased or decreased monotonically with increasing chronologic age. Seven candidate genes for practical age assessment were tested by quantitative gene amplification in the An. gambiae G3 strain in a laboratory experiment and the Mbita strain in field enclosures set up in western Kenya under conditions closely resembling natural ones. Results were similar between experiments, indicating that senescence is marked by changes in gene expression and that chronological age can be gauged accurately and repeatedly with this method. These results indicate that the method may be suitable for accurate gauging of the age in days of field-caught, female An. gambiae
Liver-Derived IGF-I Regulates Mean Life Span in Mice
Background: Transgenic mice with low levels of global insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) throughout their life span, including pre- and postnatal development, have increased longevity. This study investigated whether specific deficiency of liver-derived, endocrine IGF-I is of importance for life span. Methods and Findings: Serum IGF-I was reduced by approximately 80 % in mice with adult, liver-specific IGF-I inactivation (LI-IGF-I-/- mice), and body weight decreased due to reduced body fat. The mean life span of LI-IGF-I-/- mice (n = 84) increased 10 % vs. control mice (n = 137) (Cox’s test, p,0.01), mainly due to increased life span (16%) of female mice [LI-IGF-I-/- mice (n = 31): 26.761.1 vs. control (n = 67): 23.060.7 months, p,0.001]. Male LI-IGF-I-/- mice showed only a tendency for increased longevity (p = 0.10). Energy expenditure, measured as oxygen consumption during and after submaximal exercise, was increased in the LI-IGF-I-/- mice. Moreover, microarray and RT-PCR analyses showed consistent regulation of three genes (heat shock protein 1A and 1B and connective tissue growth factor) in several body organs in the LI-IGF-I-/- mice. Conclusions: Adult inactivation of liver-derived, endocrine IGF-I resulted in moderately increased mean life span. Body weight and body fat decreased in LI-IGF-I-/- mice, possibly due to increased energy expenditure during exercise. Genes earlier reported to modulate stress response and collagen aging showed consistent regulation, providing mechanisms tha
