Towards Uniform Gene Bank Documentation In Europe – The Experience From The EFABISnet Project

In the EFABISnet project, a collaborative effort of EAAP, FAO and partners from 14 European countries, in cooperation with the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP), national information systems for monitoring the animal genetic resources on breed level were established in Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. The network was soon extended beyond the project plans, with the establishment of EFABIS databases in Finland, Greece, and Hungary. The network was then complemented by a set of inventories of national gene bank collections to strengthen the documentation of ex situ conservation programmes. These documentation systems were established by the National Focal Points for management of farm animal genetic resources. Here we present the experience gained in establishment of these national inventories of gene banks and their relevance to the Strategic Priority Areas of the Global Plan of Action which could be useful for other areas in the world

Kinetic CRAC uncovers a role for Nab3 in determining gene expression profiles during stress

RNA-binding proteins play a key role in shaping gene expression profiles during stress, however, little is known about the dynamic nature of these interactions and how this influences the kinetics of gene expression. To address this, we developed kinetic cross-linking and analysis of cDNAs (\u3c7CRAC), an ultraviolet cross-linking method that enabled us to quantitatively measure the dynamics of protein\u2013RNA interactions in vivo on a minute time-scale. Here, using \u3c7CRAC we measure the global RNA-binding dynamics of the yeast transcription termination factor Nab3 in response to glucose starvation. These measurements reveal rapid changes in protein\u2013RNA interactions within 1\u2009min following stress imposition. Changes in Nab3 binding are largely independent of alterations in transcription rate during the early stages of stress response, indicating orthogonal transcriptional control mechanisms. We also uncover a function for Nab3 in dampening expression of stress-responsive genes. \u3c7CRAC has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of in vivo dynamics of protein\u2013RNA interactions

Genetik / Pränatale Diagnostik

Un mosaïcisme chromosomique apparemment limité au placenta (MCP) est trouvé dans 1 à 2% des diagnostics prénataux par choriocentèse. Le MCP semble le plus souvent ne pas avoir de conséquence fœtale fâcheuse, puisque la grande majorité des enfants nés après un «faux positif» à la choriocentèse sont parfaitement normaux. Cependant, un MCP est associé rarement à des problèmes pré- et périnataux, tels qu’un retard des croissance intrautérine ou une létalité pré- ou périnatale. Parmi les facteurs qui augmentent le risque d’une dysfonction/insuffisance placentaire, il faut certainment inclure le contenu génique du chromosome impliqué et la proportion de cellules normales par rapport aux aneuploï-des. L’origine parentale du chromosome manquant/supplémentaire et la possibilité d’une disomie uniparentale de la lignée «normale» doivent aussi être considérées