Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Feeding and oviposition preference of Phyllophaga cuyabana (Moser) (Coleoptera : Melolonthidae) on several crops

Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were carried out to study food and oviposition preference by Phyllophaga cuyabana (Moser) on different plant species as Cajanus cajan L. (pigeon pea), Crotalaria juncea L. (sun hemp), Crotalaria spectabilis Roth (showy crotalaria), Crotalaria ochroleuca G. Don (slenderleaf rattlebox), Glycine max [L.] Merrill (soybean), Gossypium hirsutum L. (cotton), Helianthus annuus L. (sunflower), Stizolobium aterrimum [Mucuna aterrima] Piper & Tracey (velvetbean) and Zea mays L. (mayze). In no-choice experiments, the number of eggs layed in sunflower, C. juncea and soybean was larger compared to cotton. Despite the fact that the adults did not discriminate among plants, in dual-choice test, the proportion of eggs layed and leaf consumption by P cuyabana adults in soybean were significantly higher than in C. spectabilis. The larval distribution in the soil was at random in multiple-choice, withouth any trend of preference, but in dual-choice, when soybean was the control, larvae always preferred to feed on its roots. P cuyabana adults had preference for more suitable hosts and that could stand their offspring survival. This behaviour can be usefully exploited in an integrated management program for this pest.36575976

Seasonal and Vertical Distribution of Phyllophaga cuyabana (Moser) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) in the Soil Profile

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Phyllophaga cuyabana (Moser) temporal and vertical distribution patterns were evaluated in the soil profile, in order to subsidize methodology for population sampling, aiming at its management. In insect surveys carried out during three years, in Boa Esperanca County, State of Parana, Brazil, Phyllophaga cuyabana was univoltine, with little overlap of the larval stages. Population peaked during December-February, but declined during the colder months, when larvae were in diapause. Different developmental stages exploited distinct soil depths. Eggs and early first instars tended to concentrate between 5 cm and 10 cm deep, but they spread more uniformly through the soil profile, reaching depths up to 30 cm, as they developed. Adults and eggs occurred in the spring (October to December) when active larvae also started to be observed; feeding larvae occurred up to late-April between 0 to 15 cm deep. Diapausing larvae and pupae were observed from early fall to early spring, mostly from 15 cm to 30 cm deep. Throughout the year, the number of insects in the soil (up to 40 cm deep) showed a positive functional relationship with air temperature and evapotranspiration. The relationship of percent distribution of larvae in the soil profile and soil temperature, however, was positive only above 10 cm. To estimate the insect population from November to April, samples can be collected until 20 cm deep; from May to October, however, samplings should be deeper, up to 30 cm.385582588Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES