A Genome-Wide Association Study of Diabetic Kidney Disease in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

dentification of sequence variants robustly associated with predisposition to diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has the potential to provide insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of DKD in type 2 diabetes (T2D) using eight complementary dichotomous and quantitative DKD phenotypes: the principal dichotomous analysis involved 5,717 T2D subjects, 3,345 with DKD. Promising association signals were evaluated in up to 26,827 subjects with T2D (12,710 with DKD). A combined T1D+T2D GWAS was performed using complementary data available for subjects with T1D, which, with replication samples, involved up to 40,340 subjects with diabetes (18,582 with DKD). Analysis of specific DKD phenotypes identified a novel signal near GABRR1 (rs9942471, P = 4.5 x 10(-8)) associated with microalbuminuria in European T2D case subjects. However, no replication of this signal was observed in Asian subjects with T2D or in the equivalent T1D analysis. There was only limited support, in this substantially enlarged analysis, for association at previously reported DKD signals, except for those at UMOD and PRKAG2, both associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate. We conclude that, despite challenges in addressing phenotypic heterogeneity, access to increased sample sizes will continue to provide more robust inference regarding risk variant discovery for DKD.Peer reviewe

Data from: Combined effects of retention forestry and prescribed burning on polypore fungi

1. Retention forestry and prescribed burning aim to alleviate the negative effects of forestry on biodiversity by maintaining the structural elements of natural forests in managed forests. We present the long-term effects of these methods on polypore fungi, a taxonomic group that has been severely affected by forestry. 2. Using a 10-year, large-scale field experiment, we studied how prescribed burning and two different tree retention levels (10 and 50 m3 ha−1) affect polypore fungi. We monitored polypore sporocarps on 2767 individually marked trees four times over the study period: in the first autumn after the treatments, and again 2, 4 and 10 years after the treatments. 3. The number of polypore species and records initially increased rather slowly but showed a marked increasing trend towards the end of the 10-year monitoring period. After 2 years, the higher retention sites had an average 8·5 species and the low retention sites 4·5 species per site. After 4 years, the difference was 14 vs. 9 species and after 10 years 26 vs. 19 species. Red-listed species were not found often on the trunks earlier than 10 years after the treatments. 4. Prescribed burning increased the number of polypore species and records along with time. Furthermore, 13 species favoured burned sites, while only six species favoured unburned sites, and the differences in the composition of species assemblages between burned and unburned sites were evident 10 years after the treatments. 5. Synthesis and applications. We show, for the first time, that retention trees can host rich polypore assemblages, and even some red-listed species, and, thus, be useful in conservation of forest biodiversity outside protected areas. Higher retention levels maintain more diverse polypore assemblages. Prescribed burning increases the positive effects of retention forestry by creating substrates that are typical in the early-successional natural forests

Burning harvested sites enhances polypore diversity

Prescribed burning after clear-cut has been used as a silvicultural method, but it has also been found to support biodiversity. We asked what is the impact of fire on polypores that grow on stumps and slash left on clear-cut sites. Eighteen one-hectare study stands were cut with different levels of retention trees and nine of the sites were burned the following summer. The study sites are located in eastern Finland in forests that are dominated by Pinus sylvestris. We sampled stumps and slash for polypores ten years after cuttings and burnings. We sampled 14 235 stumps and 13 345 pieces of slash and counted 7 179 polypore records of 74 species on these. More polypores were found from burned stumps compared to the unburned stumps, but burning had no effect on polypores on slash. We found also some red-listed polypore species both from stumps and slash - more from those sites where the resource had been burned. All red-listed species that were found on unburned sites were found also on burned sites, except for one species. Our results show that stumps and slash can be valuable substrates for wood-decaying fungi, including rare and red-listed species, on clear-cut forest stands. We recommend avoiding full-scale stump and slash harvest. e.g. for the purposes of bioenergy production, on clear-cut areas. Instead, we encourage to retain stumps and to apply prescribed burnings on harvested sites, to enhance polypore diversity in managed forests.peerReviewe

Noteworthy records of aphyllophoroid fungi in Finland (Basidiomycota)

We present new records of noteworthy aphyllophoroid fungi, mainly polypores and corticioids in Finland. The following 19 rare or infrequently collected species are presented with notes on their substrates: Amylocorticium subsulphureum, Antrodiella parasitica, Ceraceomyces sulphurinus, Clavaria atroumbrina, Clavaria rosea, Gloeophyllum carbonarium, Hyphodontia flavipora, Junghuhnia fimbriatella, Lindtneria chordulata, Odonticium septocystidia, Peniophorella guttulifera, Perenniporia tenuis, Postia immitis, Repetobasidium vile, Resinicium pinicola, Sidera vulgaris, Tomentella coerulea, Trechispora laevis and Xylodon pruni. We also list 41 aphyllophoroid fungi as new to some sections of the boreal vegetation zone in Finland

Polypore fungi on retention trees

Data include fungi occurrences on individual trees in two retention levels in years 2003,2005 and 2011