Transcriptome profiling of ontogeny in the acridid grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus

Acridid grasshoppers (Orthoptera:Acrididae) are widely used model organisms for developmental, evolutionary, and neurobiological research. Although there has been recent influx of orthopteran transcriptomic resources, many use pooled ontogenetic stages obscuring information about changes in gene expression during development. Here we developed a de novo transcriptome spanning 7 stages in the life cycle of the acridid grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus. Samples from different stages encompassing embryonic development through adults were used for transcriptomic profiling, revealing patterns of differential gene expression that highlight processes in the different life stages. These patterns were validated with semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Embryonic development showed a strongly differentiated expression pattern compared to all of the other stages and genes upregulated in this stage were involved in signaling, cellular differentiation, and organ development. Our study is one of the first to examine gene expression during post-embryonic development in a hemimetabolous insect and we found that only the fourth and fifth instars had clusters of genes upregulated during these stages. These genes are involved in various processes ranging from synthesis of biogenic amines to chitin binding. These observations indicate that post-embryonic ontogeny is not a continuous process and that some instars are differentiated. Finally, genes upregulated in the imago were generally involved in aging and immunity. Our study highlights the importance of looking at ontogeny as a whole and indicates promising directions for future research in orthopteran development

Cold adaptation drives population genomic divergence in the ecological specialist, Drosophila montana

Funding: UK Natural Environment Research Council (Grant Number(s): NE/L501852/1, NE/P000592/1); Academy of Finland (GrantNumber(s): 267244, 268214, 322980), Ella ja Georg Ehrnroothin Säätiö.Detecting signatures of ecological adaptation in comparative genomics is challenging, but analysing population samples with characterised geographic distributions, such as clinal variation, can help identify genes showing covariation with important ecological variation. Here, we analysed patterns of geographic variation in the cold-adapted species Drosophila montana across phenotypes, genotypes and environmental conditions and tested for signatures of cold adaptation in population genomic divergence. We first derived the climatic variables associated with the geographic distribution of 24 populations across two continents to trace the scale of environmental variation experienced by the species, and measured variation in the cold tolerance of the flies of six populations from different geographic contexts. We then performed pooled whole genome sequencing of these six populations, and used Bayesian methods to identify SNPs where genetic differentiation is associated with both climatic variables and the population phenotypic measurements, while controlling for effects of demography and population structure. The top candidate SNPs were enriched on the X and fourth chromosomes, and they also lay near genes implicated in other studies of cold tolerance and population divergence in this species and its close relatives. We conclude that ecological adaptation has contributed to the divergence of D. montana populations throughout the genome and in particular on the X and fourth chromosomes, which also showed highest interpopulation FST. This study demonstrates that ecological selection can drive genomic divergence at different scales, from candidate genes to chromosome-wide effects.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Higgs-mass predictions in the MSSM and beyond

Predictions for the Higgs masses are a distinctive feature of supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, where they play a crucial role in constraining the parameter space. The discovery of a Higgs boson and the remarkably precise measurement of its mass at the LHC have spurred new efforts aimed at improving the accuracy of the theoretical predictions for the Higgs masses in supersymmetric models. The "Precision SUSY Higgs Mass Calculation Initiative" (KUTS) was launched in 2014 to provide a forum for discussions between the different groups involved in these efforts. This report aims to present a comprehensive overview of the current status of Higgs-mass calculations in supersymmetric models, to document the many advances that were achieved in recent years and were discussed during the KUTS meetings, and to outline the prospects for future improvements in these calculations

Inter- and intra-specific genomic divergence in Drosophila montana shows evidence for cold adaptation

The genomes of species that are ecological specialists will likely contain signatures of genomic adaptation to their niche. However, distinguishing genes related to ecological specialism from other sources of selection and more random changes is a challenge. Here we describe the genome of Drosophila montana, which is the most extremely cold-adapted Drosophila species. We use branch tests to identify genes showing accelerated divergence in contrasts between cold- and warm adapted species and identify about 250 genes that show differences, possibly driven by a lower synonymous substitution rate in cold-adapted species. We look for evidence of accelerated divergence between D. montana and D. virilis, a previously sequenced relative, and do not find strong evidence for divergent selection on coding sequence variation. Divergent genes are involved in a variety of functions, including cuticular and olfactory processes. We also re-sequenced three populations of D. montana from its ecological and geographic range. Outlier loci were more likely to be found on the X chromosome and there was a greater than expected overlap between population outliers and those genes implicated in cold adaptation between Drosophila species, implying some continuity of selective process at these different evolutionary scales

Cochlea Implantation und das Sturzrisiko in einer erwachsenen Population

Einleitung: Die Kochleaimplantation ist heutzutage eine sehr erfolgreiche und sichere rehabilitative Maßnahme zur Behandlung einer schwerwiegenden Innenohrschwerhörigkeit. Allerdings besteht hierbei ein relevantes Risiko für Gleichgewichtsstörungen und eine damit verbundene Sturzgefahr. Ziel dieser Studie war die Bestimmung des Sturzrisikos nach Cochlea Implantat (CI)-Operation durch Messung der Körperstabilität.Methoden: In einer prospektiven klinischen Studie wurden vor einer CI-OP 20 erwachsene Patienten eingeschlossen. Die Körperstabilität wurde mit dem mobilen Posturographie-Gerät (Vertiguard®) untersucht. Die Posturographie ermittelt die Körperschwankungen vor- und rückwärts, sowie seitwärts in Grad pro Sekunde. Die Patienten führten unter Anleitung, vor der Operation und 3-5 Tage danach, den Standard Balance Deficit Test (SBDT) bzw. bei einem Alter ab 60 Jahren den geriatrischen Standard Balance Deficit Test (gSBDT) durch. Das Sturzrisiko wurde mit alters- und geschlechtsspezifischen Normwerten verglichen und in Prozent berechnet.Ergebnisse: Das mittlere Sturzrisiko in der untersuchten Studienpopulation betrug präoperativ 51%. Postoperativ lag es im Durchschnitt bei 53%. Die mittlere Differenz unterschied sich statistisch nicht signifikant. Auch im gSBDT-Protokoll zeigte sich im Durchschnitt keine statistisch nachweisbare Differenz. Schlussfolgerungen: Das Sturzrisiko bei CI-Kandidaten ist im Vergleich zur gesunden Population bereits präoperativ erhöht (>40%). Postoperativ fand sich keine signifikante Verschlechterung. Zusammenfassend konnte in dieser Studie kein Einfluss der CI-OP auf das Sturzrisiko von Patienten direkt postoperativ festgestellt werden. Weitere Untersuchungen mit einem größeren Patientenkollektiv und längeren Beobachtungszeiten sind geplant.Unterstützt durch: Verein zur Förderung von Wissenschaft und Forschung an der Medizinischen Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München e.V.Der Erstautor gibt keinen Interessenkonflikt an

A microsatellite linkage map for Drosophila montana shows large variation in recombination rates, and a courtship song trait maps to an area of low recombination

Current advances in genetic analysis are opening up our knowledge of the genetics of species differences, but challenges remain, particularly for out-bred natural populations. We constructed a microsatellite-based linkage map for two out-bred lines of Drosophila montana derived from divergent populations by taking advantage of the Drosophila virilis genome and available cytological maps of both species. Although the placement of markers was quite consistent with cytological predictions, the map indicated large heterogeneity in recombination rates along chromosomes. We also performed a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis on a courtship song character (carrier frequency), which differs between populations and is subject to strong sexual selection. Linkage mapping yielded two significant QTLs, which explained 3% and 14% of the variation in carrier frequency, respectively. Interestingly, as in other recent studies of traits which can influence speciation, the strongest QTL mapped to a genomic region partly covered by an inversion polymorphism

Innovative and efficient production processes for silicon solar cells and modules - SOLPRO IV

The joint project of wafer, solar cell and solar module manufacturers and research institutes called "SOLPRO" has been continued. Within SOLPRO IV the "board of experts: innovative and efficient production processes for silicon photovoltaic modules" was composed of 13 German enterprises and scientifically supported and co-ordinated by the Fraunhofer ISE and the Fraunhofer IPT. The consortium of participating enterprises covers almost completely the production chain from the as-cut-wafer to the completed module both on the production side as well as on the equipment manufacturing side. The multidisciplinarity of the SOLPRO consortium creates a fruitful ground for the identification and assessment of optimisation and innovation potentials within the production technology based on cells and modules from silicon wafers. Within the different sub-projects various results have been obtained, which are summarised in this paper. For example thorough experiments on alternatives to the standard edge isolation process in a plasma barrel etcher have shown, that the use of a fast laser ablation process instead of standard plasma barrel etching can lead to a significantly improved material flow in a production scale environment while maintaining or even improving the cell efficiency