Neglected cultivars for the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region (East Georgia): ampelography, phenology, and agro-climatology

Georgia is an important source of grapevine intra-specific variability for viticulture. This biodiversity can be a suitable tool to face the challenge of climate change. Nevertheless, it is important to take into account the interaction between the interest genotype and the local environment, whose climate is changing due to global heating. In this work, we put in relation the phenotypic behavior of some neglected Georgian cultivars (‘Tabidziseuli’, ‘Daisi’, ‘Qvelouri’, ‘Bazaleturi Colikouri’) from the Mtskheta-Mtianeti Georgian region to the agro-climatology of the region itself. The phenological phases and the vegetation length of these four grape varieties were described, as well as their principal ampelographic characters. The impact of global heating on the agro-climatology of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region has also been established, by comparing the sum of active temperatures (>10°C) of multi-years (1948-2017) with those calculated for the future scenario (2020-2050, temperature increase by 2°C). Based on this comparison, three agro-climatic zones have been confirmed within the region: dry subtropical, mountain and high mountain. The scenario of temperature increase by 2°C in the next three decades will cause the sum of active temperatures to reach 3900-4000°C in the dry subtropical zone, 3400-3500°C in the mountain zone and 1900-2000°C in the high mountain zone. Considering the vegetation length of the cultivars analyzed, it can be expected a shift of the most suitable sites for viticulture from the dry subtropical zone to the mountain area. High mountain seems not to be suitable for the cultivation of the studied cultivars. Given this environmental variability within the region, the increase in temperature will not suppress viticulture in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, if the real temperature does not exceed the level predicted by scenario

New Insights into the Role of MHC Diversity in Devil Facial Tumour Disease

Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a fatal contagious cancer that has decimated Tasmanian devil populations. The tumour has spread without invoking immune responses, possibly due to low levels of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) diversity in Tasmanian devils. Animals from a region in north-western Tasmania have lower infection rates than those in the east of the state. This area is a genetic transition zone between sub-populations, with individuals from north-western Tasmania displaying greater diversity than eastern devils at MHC genes, primarily through MHC class I gene copy number variation. Here we test the hypothesis that animals that remain healthy and tumour free show predictable differences at MHC loci compared to animals that develop the disease

Anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis: influence of an interaction between HLA-DRB1 shared epitope and a deletion polymorphism in glutathione s-transferase in a cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction A deletion polymorphism in glutathione S-transferase Mu-1 (GSTM1-null) has previously been implicated to play a role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk and progression, although no prior investigations have examined its associations with anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) positivity. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of GSTM1-null with ACPA positivity in RA and to assess for evidence of interaction between GSTM1 and HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE). Methods Associations of GSTM1-null with ACPA positivity were examined separately in two RA cohorts, the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis (VARA) registry (n = 703) and the Study of New-Onset RA (SONORA; n = 610). Interactions were examined by calculating an attributable proportion (AP) due to interaction. Results A majority of patients in the VARA registry (76%) and SONORA (69%) were positive for ACPA with a similar frequency of GSTM1-null (53% and 52%, respectively) and HLA-DRB1 SE positivity (76% and 71%, respectively). The parameter of patients who had ever smoked was more common in the VARA registry (80%) than in SONORA (65%). GSTM1-null was significantly associated with ACPA positivity in the VARA registry (odds ratio (OR), 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02 to 2.05), but not in SONORA (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.42). There were significant additive interactions between GSTM1 and HLA-DRB1 SE in the VARA registry (AP, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.77; P < 0.001) in ACPA positivity, an interaction replicated in SONORA (AP, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.76; P = 0.050). Conclusions This study is the first to show that the GSTM1-null genotype, a common genetic variant, exerts significant additive interaction with HLA-DRB1 SE on the risk of ACPA positivity in RA. Since GSTM1 has known antioxidant functions, these data suggest that oxidative stress may be important in the development of RA-specific autoimmunity in genetically susceptible individuals

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Chronic wasting disease detection in the lymph nodes of free-ranging cervids by real time quaking-induced conversion

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of deer, elk and moose, is the only prion disease affecting free-ranging animals. First identified in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming in 1967, new epidemic foci of the disease have since been identified in additional states, as well as two Canadian provinces and the Republic of South Korea. Identification of CWD-affected animals currently requires post-mortem analysis of brain or lymphoid tissues using immunohistochemistry (IHC) or an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with no practical way to evaluate potential strain types or investigate the epidemiology of existing or novel foci of disease. Using a standardized real time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, a seeded amplification assay employing recombinant prion protein as a conversion substrate and Thioflavin T (ThT) as an amyloid-binding fluorophore, we blindly analyzed 1243 retropharyngeal lymph node samples from white-tailed 35 deer, mule deer and moose, collected in the field from current or historic CWD-endemic areas. RT-QuIC results were then compared with those obtained by conventional IHC and ELISA, and amplification metrics using ThT and Thioflavin S examined in relation to clinical history of the sampled deer. The results indicate that RT-QuIC is useful in both for identifying CWD-infected animals and facilitating epidemiologic studies in CWD endemic and non-endemic areas

MHC-linked microsatellite loci allele frequencies showing little variation between healthy and DFTD infected devils.

<p>A single locus (Sh-I07) does not conform to Hardy-Weinberg expectations for healthy devils only (p = 0.003).</p

Tasmanian devils sequenced using the MHC class I primers developed by Siddle et al [41] and screened for a deletion at the <i>Saha-UA</i> locus in this same gene region.

<p>In each individual devil the loci which can be confirmed as failing to amplify are identified (as indicated by no alleles present). No significant differences were found between healthy and diseased animals in the prevalence of the <i>Saha-UA</i> deletion or in the frequency with which alleles failed to amplify at any loci.</p

Location of eight MHC-linked microsatellites on devil chromosome four, associated with the MHC region.

<p>Six of these (Sh-I01, Sh-I02, Sh-I05, Sh-I06, Sh-I10 and Sh-I11) are located close to the four MHC class I loci (<i>Saha-UA</i>, <i>Saha-UB</i>, <i>Saha-UC</i> and <i>Saha-UD</i>) and several other genes involved in antigen presentation (TAP1, TAP2, PSMB8, PSMB9). The two remaining markers (Sh-I07, Sh-I08) are more closely linked with genes within the MHC that do not play a direct role in antigen presentation (MTCH1, FGD2).</p