Identification of cold-responsive genes in a New Zealand alpine stick insect using RNA-Seq.

The endemic New Zealand alpine stick insect Micrarchus nov. sp. 2 regularly experiences sub-zero temperatures in the wild. 454-based RNA-Seq was used to generate a de novo transcriptome and differentiate between treatments to investigate the genetic basis of cold tolerance. Non cold-treated individuals were compared to those exposed to 0°C for 1 h followed by a 1 h recovery period at 20°C. We aligned 607,410 Roche 454 reads, generating a transcriptome of 5235 contigs. Differential expression analysis ranked candidate cold responsive genes for qPCR validation by P-value. The top nine up-regulated candidates, together with eight a priori targets identified from previous studies, had their relative expression quantified using qPCR. Three candidate cold responsive genes from the RNA-Seq data were verified as significantly up-regulated, annotated as: prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha-1 (P4HA1), staphylococcal nuclease domain-containing protein 1 (snd1) and cuticular protein analogous to peritrophins 3-D2 (Cpap3-d2). All three are novel candidate genes, illustrating the varied response to low temperature across insects

Draft Genome Sequence Of Burkholderia Andropogonis Type Strain Icmp2807, Isolated From Sorghum Bicolor.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Burkholderia andropogonis ICMP2807, a phytopathogenic bacterium isolated from Sorghum bicolor plants in the United States.

Recent Work on the Design and Construction of Air Inflated Structures

AbstractOver the last few years our practice has been responsible for the structural design of a number of lightweight structures that achieve their structural stability by inflating elements of fabric structure. The paper will explain the design rationale of key examples; describing the structural forms, methods of analysis and design, and the detailing, materials, and methods of fabrication. The largest and most complex of these structures to date is a demountable stage set structure for the Cirque du Soleil “Toruk: First Flight” show, comprising two 15 metre high and 20 metre wide structures. The stage set structures form ‘trees’ on which acrobats climb and perform. Each structure incorporates a high level access gantry with acrobat suspension and counterweight systems, as well as a secondary inflatable skin cladding. The entire primary structure and cladding system is constructed from inflated fabric elements using internal pressures ranging from 0.5 KN/m2 up to 90 KN/m2, and are deflated down to less than 5% of their erected volume for transport between venues. Other examples of our work described will include temporary pavilions with clear spans of up to 25 metres, using a combination of air tight and air permeable elements. Also a range of wide span structures that we describe as “semi-permanent” that are capable of resisting full environmental wind and snow loading, and that are fully demountable but that can also be erected for extended periods of time in a single location

A multigene phylogeny toward a new phylogenetic classification of Leotiomycetes

Fungi in the class Leotiomycetes are ecologically diverse, including mycorrhizas, endophytes of roots and leaves, plant pathogens, aquatic and aero-aquatic hyphomycetes, mammalian pathogens, and saprobes. These fungi are commonly detected in cultures from diseased tissue and from environmental DNA extracts. The identification of specimens from such character-poor samples increasingly relies on DNA sequencing. However, the current classification of Leotiomycetes is still largely based on morphologically defined taxa, especially at higher taxonomic levels. Consequently, the formal Leotiomycetes classification is frequently poorly congruent with the relationships suggested by DNA sequencing studies. Previous class-wide phylogenies of Leotiomycetes have been based on ribosomal DNA markers, with most of the published multi-gene studies being focussed on particular genera or families. In this paper we collate data available from specimens representing both sexual and asexual morphs from across the genetic breadth of the class, with a focus on generic type species, to present a phylogeny based on up to 15 concatenated genes across 279 specimens. Included in the dataset are genes that were extracted from 72 of the genomes available for the class, including 10 new genomes released with this study. To test the statistical support for the deepest branches in the phylogeny, an additional phylogeny based on 3156 genes from 51 selected genomes is also presented. To fill some of the taxonomic gaps in the 15-gene phylogeny, we further present an ITS gene tree, particularly targeting ex-type specimens of generic type species. A small number of novel taxa are proposed: Marthamycetales ord. nov., and Drepanopezizaceae and Mniaeciaceae fams. nov. The formal taxonomic changes are limited in part because of the ad hoc nature of taxon and specimen selection, based purely on the availability of data. The phylogeny constitutes a framework for enabling future taxonomically targeted studies using deliberate specimen selection. Such studies will ideally include designation of epitypes for the type species of those genera for which DNA is not able to be extracted from the original type specimen, and consideration of morphological characters whenever genetically defined clades are recognized as formal taxa within a classification

Multilocus phylogenetic analysis reveals that Cyttariales is a synonym of Helotiales

Cyttaria is a morphologically and biologically distinct genus comprising wood-inhabiting species that are biotrophic associates of trees in the genera Nothofagus sensu stricto and Lophozonia in southern South America, Australia, and New Zealand. The uniqueness of the fruit bodies and habitat of Cyttaria has led taxonomists to justify its placement in its own order, Cyttariales, in Leotiomycetes. A multilocus phylogenetic reconstruction of the class Leotiomycetes incorporating new sequence data from Cyttaria nigra shows Cyttariaceae to have an isolated position near the base of Helotiales, with weak support for a relationship with Polydesmia pruinosa (incertae sedis) and Chlorociboriaceae. Cyttariales is here proposed as a synonym of Helotiales

Brahmaculus gen. nov. (Leotiomycetes, Chlorociboriaceae)

A second genus in Chlorociboriaceae is described here as Brahmaculus gen. nov. Macroscopically distinctive, all species have bright yellow apothecia with several apothecial cups held on short branches at the tip of a long stipe. The genus is widely distributed across the Southern Hemisphere; the four new species described here include two from Chile (B. magellanicus sp. nov., B. osornoensis sp. nov.) and one each from New Zealand (B. moonlighticus sp. nov.) and Australia (B. packhamiae sp. nov.). They differ from species referred to Chlorociboria, the only other genus in Chlorociboriaceae, in their terrestrial habitat and ascomata that are noticeably more hairy than the known Chlorociboria species, most of which have apothecia with short, macroscopically indistinct hair-like elements. Based on our analyses, Chlorociboria as accepted here is paraphyletic. Additional study is needed to clarify where alternative, monophyletic generic limits should be drawn and how these genera may be recognised morphologically. Also described here are three new Chlorociboria spp. from New Zealand (C. metrosideri sp. nov., C. solandri sp. nov., C. subtilis sp. nov.), distinctive in developing on dead leaves rather than wood and in two of them not forming the green pigmentation characteristic of most Chlorociboria species. New Zealand specimens previously incorrectly identified as Chlorociboria argentinensis are provided with a new name, C. novae-zelandiae sp. nov

Hymenotorrendiella brevisetosa P. R. Johnst. 2014, comb. nov.

Hymenotorrendiella brevisetosa (P.R. Johnst. & Gamundí) P.R. Johnst., comb. nov. Registration identifier: IF550525 Synonym: Torrendiella brevisetosa P.R. Johnst. & Gamundí, New Zealand Journal of Botany 38: 499 (2000).Published as part of Johnston, Peter R., Park, Duckchul, Baral, Hans-Otto, Galán, Ricardo, Platas, Gonzalo & Tena, Raúl, 2014, The phylogenetic relationships of Torrendiella and Hymenotorrendiella gen. nov. within the Leotiomycetes, pp. 1-25 in Phytotaxa 177 (1) on page 16, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.177.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/514452

Hymenotorrendiella madsenii P. R. Johnst. 2014, comb. nov.

Hymenotorrendiella madsenii (G.W. Beaton & Weste) P.R. Johnst., comb. nov. Registration identifier: IF550531 Synonyms: Zoellneria madsenii G.W.Beaton & Weste, Transactions of the British Mycological Society 68: 82 (1977); Torrendiella madsenii (G.W. Beaton & Weste) Spooner, Bibliotheca Mycologica 116: 330 (1987).Published as part of Johnston, Peter R., Park, Duckchul, Baral, Hans-Otto, Galán, Ricardo, Platas, Gonzalo & Tena, Raúl, 2014, The phylogenetic relationships of Torrendiella and Hymenotorrendiella gen. nov. within the Leotiomycetes, pp. 1-25 in Phytotaxa 177 (1) on page 17, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.177.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/514452

Hymenotorrendiella cannibalensis P. R. Johnst. 2014, comb. nov.

Hymenotorrendiella cannibalensis (P.R. Johnst. & Gamundí) P.R. Johnst., comb. nov. Registration identifier: IF550526 Synonym: Torrendiella cannibalensis P.R. Johnst. & Gamundí, New Zealand Journal of Botany 38: 503 (2000).Published as part of Johnston, Peter R., Park, Duckchul, Baral, Hans-Otto, Galán, Ricardo, Platas, Gonzalo & Tena, Raúl, 2014, The phylogenetic relationships of Torrendiella and Hymenotorrendiella gen. nov. within the Leotiomycetes, pp. 1-25 in Phytotaxa 177 (1) on page 17, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.177.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/514452