Genetic mapping, synteny, and physical location of two loci for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. tracheiphilum race 4 resistance in cowpea [Vignaunguiculata (L.) Walp].

Fusarium wilt is a vascular disease caused by the fungus Fusariumoxysporum f.sp. tracheiphilum (Fot) in cowpea [Vignaunguiculata (L.) Walp]. In this study, we mapped loci conferring resistance to Fot race 4 in three cowpea RIL populations: IT93K-503-1 × CB46, CB27 × 24-125B-1, and CB27 × IT82E-18/Big Buff. Two independent loci which confer resistance to Fot race 4 were identified, Fot4-1 and Fot4-2. Fot4-1 was identified in the IT93K-503-1 (resistant) × CB46 (susceptible) population and was positioned on the cowpea consensus genetic map, spanning 21.57-29.40 cM on linkage group 5. The Fot4-2 locus was validated by identifying it in both the CB27 (resistant) × 24-125B-1 (susceptible) and CB27 (resistant) × IT82E-18/Big Buff (susceptible) populations. Fot4-2 was positioned on the cowpea consensus genetic map on linkage group 3; the minimum distance spanned 71.52-71.75 cM whereas the maximum distance spanned 64.44-80.23 cM. These genomic locations of Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 on the cowpea consensus genetic map, relative to Fot3-1 which was previously identified as the locus conferring resistance to Fot race 3, established that all three loci were independent. The Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 syntenic loci were examined in Glycine max, where several disease-resistance candidate genes were identified for both loci. In addition, Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 were coarsely positioned on the cowpea physical map. Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 will contribute to molecular marker development for future use in marker-assisted selection, thereby expediting introgression of Fot race 4 resistance into future cowpea cultivars

A SNP and SSR Based Genetic Map of Asparagus Bean (Vigna. unguiculata ssp. sesquipedialis) and Comparison with the Broader Species

Asparagus bean (Vigna. unguiculata ssp. sesquipedialis) is a distinctive subspecies of cowpea [Vigna. unguiculata (L.) Walp.] that apparently originated in East Asia and is characterized by extremely long and thin pods and an aggressive climbing growth habit. The crop is widely cultivated throughout Asia for the production of immature pods known as ‘long beans’ or ‘asparagus beans’. While the genome of cowpea ssp. unguiculata has been characterized recently by high-density genetic mapping and partial sequencing, little is known about the genome of asparagus bean. We report here the first genetic map of asparagus bean based on SNP and SSR markers. The current map consists of 375 loci mapped onto 11 linkage groups (LGs), with 191 loci detected by SNP markers and 184 loci by SSR markers. The overall map length is 745 cM, with an average marker distance of 1.98 cM. There are four high marker-density blocks distributed on three LGs and three regions of segregation distortion (SDRs) identified on two other LGs, two of which co-locate in chromosomal regions syntenic to SDRs in soybean. Synteny between asparagus bean and the model legume Lotus. japonica was also established. This work provides the basis for mapping and functional analysis of genes/QTLs of particular interest in asparagus bean, as well as for comparative genomics study of cowpea at the subspecies level

A Visual Metaphor Describing Neural Dynamics in Schizophrenia

Background: In many scientific disciplines the use of a metaphor as an heuristic aid is not uncommon. A well known example in somatic medicine is the 'defense army metaphor' used to characterize the immune system. In fact, probably a large part of the everyday work of doctors consists of 'translating' scientific and clinical information (i.e. causes of disease, percentage of succes versus risk of side-effects) into information tailored to the needs and capacities of the individual patient. The ability to do so in an effective way is at least partly what makes a clinician a good communicator. Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder which affects approximately 1% of the population. Over the last two decades a large amount of molecular-biological, imaging and genetic data have been accumulated regarding the biological underpinnings of schizophrenia. However, it remains difficult to understand how the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations and delusions are related to disturbances on the molecular-biological level. In general, psychiatry seems to lack a conceptual framework with sufficient explanatory power to link the mental- and molecular-biological domains. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we present an essay-like study in which we propose to use visualized concepts stemming from the theory on dynamical complex systems as a 'visual metaphor' to bridge the mental- and molecular-biological domains in schizophrenia. We first describe a computer model of neural information processing; we show how the information processing in this model can be visualized, using concepts from the theory on complex systems. We then describe two computer models which have been used to investigate the primary theory on schizophrenia, the neurodevelopmental model, and show how disturbed information processing in these two computer models can be presented in terms of the visual metaphor previously described. Finally, we describe the effects of dopamine neuromodulation, of which disturbances have been frequently described in schizophrenia, in terms of the same visualized metaphor. Conclusions/Significance: The conceptual framework and metaphor described offers a heuristic tool to understand the relationship between the mental- and molecular-biological domains in an intuitive way. The concepts we present may serve to facilitate communicatio

Chemokine Binding Protein M3 of Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Modulates the Host Response to Infection in a Natural Host

Murine γ-herpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) infection of Mus musculus-derived strains of mice is an attractive model of γ-herpesvirus infection. Surprisingly, however, ablation of expression of MHV-68 M3, a secreted protein with broad chemokine-binding properties in vitro, has no discernable effect during experimental infection via the respiratory tract. Here we demonstrate that M3 indeed contributes significantly to MHV-68 infection, but only in the context of a natural host, the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus). Specifically, M3 was essential for two features unique to the wood mouse: virus-dependent inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT) in the lung and highly organized secondary follicles in the spleen, both predominant sites of latency in these organs. Consequently, lack of M3 resulted in substantially reduced latency in the spleen and lung. In the absence of M3, splenic germinal centers appeared as previously described for MHV-68-infected laboratory strains of mice, further evidence that M3 is not fully functional in the established model host. Finally, analyses of M3's influence on chemokine and cytokine levels within the lungs of infected wood mice were consistent with the known chemokine-binding profile of M3, and revealed additional influences that provide further insight into its role in MHV-68 biology

Genetic mapping, synteny, and physical location of two loci for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. tracheiphilum race 4 resistance in cowpea [Vignaunguiculata (L.) Walp].

Fusarium wilt is a vascular disease caused by the fungus Fusariumoxysporum f.sp. tracheiphilum (Fot) in cowpea [Vignaunguiculata (L.) Walp]. In this study, we mapped loci conferring resistance to Fot race 4 in three cowpea RIL populations: IT93K-503-1 × CB46, CB27 × 24-125B-1, and CB27 × IT82E-18/Big Buff. Two independent loci which confer resistance to Fot race 4 were identified, Fot4-1 and Fot4-2. Fot4-1 was identified in the IT93K-503-1 (resistant) × CB46 (susceptible) population and was positioned on the cowpea consensus genetic map, spanning 21.57-29.40 cM on linkage group 5. The Fot4-2 locus was validated by identifying it in both the CB27 (resistant) × 24-125B-1 (susceptible) and CB27 (resistant) × IT82E-18/Big Buff (susceptible) populations. Fot4-2 was positioned on the cowpea consensus genetic map on linkage group 3; the minimum distance spanned 71.52-71.75 cM whereas the maximum distance spanned 64.44-80.23 cM. These genomic locations of Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 on the cowpea consensus genetic map, relative to Fot3-1 which was previously identified as the locus conferring resistance to Fot race 3, established that all three loci were independent. The Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 syntenic loci were examined in Glycine max, where several disease-resistance candidate genes were identified for both loci. In addition, Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 were coarsely positioned on the cowpea physical map. Fot4-1 and Fot4-2 will contribute to molecular marker development for future use in marker-assisted selection, thereby expediting introgression of Fot race 4 resistance into future cowpea cultivars

A SNP and SSR based genetic map of asparagus bean (Vigna. unguiculata ssp. sesquipedialis) and comparison with the broader species.

Asparagus bean (Vigna. unguiculata ssp. sesquipedialis) is a distinctive subspecies of cowpea [Vigna. unguiculata (L.) Walp.] that apparently originated in East Asia and is characterized by extremely long and thin pods and an aggressive climbing growth habit. The crop is widely cultivated throughout Asia for the production of immature pods known as 'long beans' or 'asparagus beans'. While the genome of cowpea ssp. unguiculata has been characterized recently by high-density genetic mapping and partial sequencing, little is known about the genome of asparagus bean. We report here the first genetic map of asparagus bean based on SNP and SSR markers. The current map consists of 375 loci mapped onto 11 linkage groups (LGs), with 191 loci detected by SNP markers and 184 loci by SSR markers. The overall map length is 745 cM, with an average marker distance of 1.98 cM. There are four high marker-density blocks distributed on three LGs and three regions of segregation distortion (SDRs) identified on two other LGs, two of which co-locate in chromosomal regions syntenic to SDRs in soybean. Synteny between asparagus bean and the model legume Lotus. japonica was also established. This work provides the basis for mapping and functional analysis of genes/QTLs of particular interest in asparagus bean, as well as for comparative genomics study of cowpea at the subspecies level