Effect of Village-wide Use of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets on Visceral Leishmaniasis Vectors in India and Nepal: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a vector-borne disease causing at least 60,000 deaths each year amongst an estimated half million cases, and until recently there have been no significant initiatives to reduce this burden. However, in 2005, the governments of India, Bangladesh and Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding at the World Health Assembly in Geneva for the elimination of the disease by 2015. In the absence of an effective vaccine, the program will rely on the active detection and prompt treatment of cases throughout the endemic region, combined with a recurrent indoor residual spraying (IRS) of all villages at risk. Vector control programs based on IRS are notorious for failing to maintain comprehensive spray coverage over time owing to logistical problems and lack of compliance by householders. Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LNs) have been postulated as an alternative or complement to IRS. Here we describe how comprehensive coverage of LN in trial communities reduced the indoor density of sand flies by 25% compared to communities without LNs. This provides an indication that LNs could be usefully deployed as a component of the VL control program in the Indian subcontinent

The giant diploid faba genome unlocks variation in a global protein crop

Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Increasing the proportion of locally produced plant protein in currently meat-rich diets could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity1. However, plant protein production is hampered by the lack of a cool-season legume equivalent to soybean in agronomic value2. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) has a high yield potential and is well suited for cultivation in temperate regions, but genomic resources are scarce. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the faba bean genome and show that it has expanded to a massive 13 Gb in size through an imbalance between the rates of amplification and elimination of retrotransposons and satellite repeats. Genes and recombination events are evenly dispersed across chromosomes and the gene space is remarkably compact considering the genome size, although with substantial copy number variation driven by tandem duplication. Demonstrating practical application of the genome sequence, we develop a targeted genotyping assay and use high-resolution genome-wide association analysis to dissect the genetic basis of seed size and hilum colour. The resources presented constitute a genomics-based breeding platform for faba bean, enabling breeders and geneticists to accelerate the improvement of sustainable protein production across the Mediterranean, subtropical and northern temperate agroecological zones.Peer reviewe

Study of synteny conservation between genomic regions containing freezing tolerance QTL on Pisum sativum (WFD 6.1) and Medicago truncatula (Mt-FTQTL6) linkage groups VI and fine mapping of Mt-FTQTL6

L’identification des bases moléculaires de la tolérance au gel présente une grande importance tant sur le plan fondamental qu’appliqué. Medicago truncatula est une légumineuse modèle pour les espèces tempérées. Un QTL majeur de tolérance au gel après acclimatation au froid (Mt-FTQTL6), expliquant 40% de la variation phénotypique, a été détecté sur le chromosome 6 de cette espèce. En parallèle, un QTL pour le même caractère (WFD 6.1/FD164.c) a été identifié sur le groupe de liaison équivalent chez Pisum sativum. Cette thèse a pour objectifs de confirmer la synténie des régions chromosomiques contenant Mt-FTQTL6 et WFD 6.1/FD164.c et d’identifier des gènes candidats positionnels pour Mt-FTQTL6. Les premiers efforts ont permis de localiser Mt-FTQTL6 dans un intervalle de 3,7 cM qui coïncide avec une zone du génome de Medicago truncatula dont l’assemblage reste incomplet. Les ressources génomiques de Glycine max ont été ensuite exploitées. Cinq marqueurs géniques ont permis d'ancrer les régions chromosomiques de Mt-FTQTL6 et WFD 6.1/FD164.c. Des clones BAC correspondant à 15 marqueurs (sondes) ont été assemblés en 6 contigs couvrant l’intervalle de confiance de Mt-FTQTL6. Des lignées F7 ou F8, recombinantes au niveau de cet intervalle, ont été identifiées et phénotypées pour la tolérance au gel en conditions contrôlées. L'intervalle de confiance de Mt-FTQTL6 a ainsi été réduit à une région de 0,4 cM contenant 20 gènes parmi lesquels 12 gènes CBF/DREB1 en tandem. La variation allélique pour 11 gènes CBF/DREB1 a été mise en évidence chez les parents de la population de cartographie.La validation fonctionnelle est maintenant envisageable chez Medicago truncatula et Pisum sativum.Unraveling the molecular bases of freezing tolerance is of great importance both at the fundamental and applied levels. Medicago truncatula is a model legume for studies concerning cool-season species. A major freezing tolerance QTL after cold acclimation (Mt-FTQTL6), accounting for 40% of the phenotypic variation, has been identified on chromosome 6 of this species. Interestingly, a QTL for the same trait has been mapped on the corresponding linkage group in Pisum sativum (WFD 6.1/FD164.c). The present thesis aimed to confirm synteny between Mt-FTQTL6 and WFD 6.1/FD164.c harboring regions and to subsequently identify positional candidate genes for Mt-FTQTL6. Using BAC-derived markers, Mt-FTQTL6 has been first located in a 3.7-cM interval, coinciding with an assembly physical gap. Mt-FTQTL6 co-orthologous blocks in Glycine max were identified and exploited to develop additional markers. Five common gene-based markers were obtained between Mt-FTQTL6 and WFD 6.1/FD164.c chromosomal regions. Positive BAC clones for 15 different markers (probes) were assembled in 6 BAC contigs linked to Mt-FTQTL6. Homozygous F7 or F8 recombinant lines at Mt-FTQTL6 were identified and evaluated for freezing tolerance under controlled conditions. The QTL confidence interval was subsequently delimited to a 0.4 cM-region that contains 20 protein-coding genes including 12 tandemly-arrayed CBF/DREB1 genes. Isolation of 11 out of the 12 CBF/DREB1 genes from both parents of the mapping population was successfully achieved. Efforts will be next needed for functional validation in Medicago truncatula and Pisum sativum

Les légumes originaires de l’Ancien Monde et d’Afrique intertropicale. Les lentilles

National audienc

Beyond the sequencing of the pea genome: opportunities for genomics-based breeding and translational approaches

International audienceThe tribe Fabeae comprises more than 300 legume species, including some of the most ancient and important crops like Pisum sativum (pea), Lens culinaris (lentil), and Vicia faba (faba bean) used for food and feed. The genome sequence of pea, released in 2019, is an important milestone for the community working on legumes and especially on Fabeae. It brings into light evidences related to the genome expansion that occurred after the divergence of Fabeae from their sister tribes and highlights different chromosomal rearrangement events specific or not to the Pisum lineage. The pea genome sequence also represents a valuable resource to accelerate our understanding of the molecular basis of agronomically important traits and support breeding efforts. Great opportunities to address current agriculture challenges through genomics-based breeding and translational research projects are currently available. They are crucial for improving legume production and maintaining agricultural sustainability in the context of current and future agricultural challenges

RÉSIBRUCHE : Validation des régions génomiques impliquées dans la resistance aux BRUCHES chez la féverole et identification des mécanismes sous-jacents

National audienc

Taking cool-season grain legume breeding to the next level: the key role of the pea genome sequence

International audienceThe transition from a standalone phenotypic selection to a marker-assisted selection has been seen as a great step forward to improve the breeding process and reach the expected goals. More recently, the genomic revolution has also had its great impact on breeding. -omics are now part of the required toolkit for a successful, cost and time-efficient breeding. The genome sequence of pea (Pisum sativum) has been made available in 2019 through a collaborative international effort. This is a great tool for the pea community in general and the Fabeae community in particular. Current challenges facing pea and other Fabeae production are numerous. A large number of traits has also to be tackled in order to adapt the products to the various intended markets while guaranteeing their quality and quantity. This talk will highlight ongoing efforts to take pea breeding to the next step with genomics-assisted breeding. Examples will be given to illustrate how the pea resource is also important for lentil and faba bean programs

Diversification des cultures, exemple de la lentille et biologie translationnelle

National audiencePrésentation de l'Atelier :Les protéines sont des macronutriments majeurs dans l’alimentation des hommes et des animaux. Or la production de protéines végétales est toujours déficitaire en France qui a recours à des importations pour couvrir ses besoins.Les légumineuses contiennent plus de protéines que les céréales. En outre, leur culture contribue à la mise en œuvre de systèmes moins demandeurs en intrants qui peuvent ainsi, seuls, en rotation ou en mélange, contribuer efficacement à la démarche one health, vers une meilleure santé globale des hommes, des animaux, des cultures et de l’environnement. Améliorer la qualité des protéines végétales, tout en maintenant voire en augmentant le rendement est un objectif à poursuivre.Dans ce contexte, l’atelier a pour but de rapprocher les communautés de recherche en alimentation, en biologie végétale et en amélioration des plantes, des secteurs public et privé, afin de dégager les priorités communes interdisciplinaires.Cet atelier se tiendra soit sous forme de webinaire, soit en présentiel, en fonction de l'évolution de la situation sanitaire

Projet CasDAR RésiLens, tout savoir sur le projet et sur la diversité génétique de la lentille

National audienc