Quand l’Évolution se prête au jeu…

Créé par l’École de l’ADN et ses partenaires, « Trivial Évolution » est un jeu éducatif qui a pour objectifs de faire découvrir les concepts de base de l’Évolution des espèces et de combattre les idées reçues sur la théorie de l’Évolution : les concepteurs présentent ici une première évaluation de cet outil ludique de vulgarisation scientifique.Developed by the ADN school and its partners, « Trivial Evolution » is an educational board game which aims at helping players to grasp the basic concepts of species evolution, and to combat preconceived ideas concerning the Evolution theory: the designers present a first-time assessment of this educative and fun tool for the general public interested in Science

A combination of real-time PCR and high-resolution melting analysis to detect and identify CpGV genotypes involved in type I resistance

Cydia pomonella granulovirus, in particular CpGV-M isolate, is used as a biological control against the codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella. As a result of intensive control over the years, codling moth populations have developed resistance against this isolate. This resistance is now called type I resistance. Isolates, among them, CpGV-R5, have been found that are able to overcome type I resistance. Both CpGV-M and CpGV-R5 are used in orchards to control the codling moth. High resolution melting (HRM) has been adapted to differentiate between CpGV-M and CpGV-R5 isolates. Specific PCR primers have been designed for the CpGV p38 gene, encompassing the variable region responsible for the ability to overcome resistance. Because each amplicon has a specific melting point, it is possible to identify the CpGV-M and CpGV-R5 genotypes and to quantify their relative proportion. This method has been validated using mixtures of occlusion bodies of each isolate at various proportions. Then, the HRM has been used to estimate the proportion of each genotype in infected larvae or in occlusion bodies (OBs) extracted from dead larvae. This method allows a rapid detection of genotype replication and enables the assessment of either success or failure of the infection in field conditions