Pulmonary Function and Blood DNA Methylation A Multiancestry Epigenome-Wide Association Meta-analysis

Rationale: Methylation integrates factors present at birth and modifiable across the lifespan that can influence pulmonary function. Studies are limited in scope and replication. Objectives: To conduct large-scale epigenome-wide meta-analyses of blood DNA methylation and pulmonary function. Methods: Twelve cohorts analyzed associations of methylation at cytosine-phosphate-guanine probes (CpGs), using Illumina 450K or EPIC/850K arrays, with FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC. We performed multiancestry epigenome-wide meta-analyses (total of 17,503 individuals; 14,761 European, 2,549 African, and 193 Hispanic/Latino ancestries) and interpreted results using integrative epigenomics. Measurements and Main Results: We identified 1,267 CpGs (1,042 genes) differentially methylated (false discovery rate,,0.025) in relation to FEV1, FVC, or FEV1/FVC, including 1,240 novel and 73 also related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1,787 cases). We found 294 CpGs unique to European or African ancestry and 395 CpGs unique to never or ever smokers. The majority of significant CpGs correlated with nearby gene expression in blood. Findings were enriched in key regulatory elements for gene function, including accessible chromatin elements, in both blood and lung. Sixty-nine implicated genes are targets of investigational or approved drugs. One example novel gene highlighted by integrative epigenomic and druggable target analysis is TNFRSF4. Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses suggest that epigenome-wide association study signals capture causal regulatory genomic loci. Conclusions: We identified numerous novel loci differentially methylated in relation to pulmonary function; few were detected in large genome-wide association studies. Integrative analyses highlight functional relevance and potential therapeutic targets. This comprehensive discovery of potentially modifiable, novel lung function loci expands knowledge gained from genetic studies, providing insights into lung pathogenesis

Spore dispersal gradients and disease development

Non peer reviewe

Spore dispersal in relation to epidemic models

Non peer reviewe

Spore dispersal in splash droplets

Water is the solvent for metabolic processes, it participates directly in many biochemical reactions and has a vital skeletal function. It also plays a key role in the behaviour and spread of fungi. The chapters of this book, which was originally published in 1986, give a broad perspective on this vast subject. The contributions were all written by acknowledged experts in their field, and subjects of great practical importance are discussed. The bio-deterioration of plant products, such as foodstuffs, grain and timber, the relationship between weather patterns and the likelihood of disease epidemics and the characteristics of pathogenic and mycorrhizal fungi, are described. Overall the book provides a physiological basis that unites the different aspects of the subject area, which had previously been studied in isolation from each other

Dispersal of foliar plant pathogens : mechanisms, gradients and spatial patterns

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The role of rain in dispersal of pathogen inoculum

The importance of rain in the dispersal of micro-organisms was first demon­ strated in the 1880s, in the classic studies of Pierre Miquel (Figure 1) on the microflora of the Pare Montsouris in Paris. Collected rainwater contained large numbers of fungal spores and bacteria and numbers of airborne spores and bacteria decreased while rain was falling (61). By contrast, numbers of airborne micro-organisms collected by the suction sampler frequently in­ creased during intervals between rain showersPeer reviewe

Influence of target characteristics on the amount of water splashed by impacting drops

Experiments were done to investigate the influence of drop diameter on the efficiency of the splash process, using a rain tower and different types of target (glass, water films, healthy and/or diseased oilseed rape leaves and tobacco leaves) and different target configurations. For horizontal glass plates, random variability in the mass of water splashed was 3-4 times greater for dry targets than for wet targets and considerably more water was splashed from wet targets. The effect of target angle was greater for large drops and the greatest amount of water was splashed from horizontal targets. More water was splashed from oilseed rape leaves than tobacco leaves. Both spore suspensions and surfactant in target liquids decreased the mean volume of water splashed and increased its variability. A power law described the relationship between drop diameter and mass of water splashed per incident drop for drops falling from a height of 11 m onto targets of different types. Using results obtained with incident drops falling from heights of 11 or 1.5 m there was no unique relationship between mass of water splashed and kinetic energy, momentum or impact force. A simulation study, which calculated splash efficiency of single drops on leaves, illustrated the importance of leaf characteristics when assessing rain-splash potential, and more generally when developing methodology to describe the influence of crop structure on the dispersal of spores by splash. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.Peer reviewe

The incorporation of spores into splash droplets : a simulation approach

Non peer reviewe