A Nonhomologous End-Joining Mutant for Neurospora sitophila Research

Disruption of the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway has been shown to increase the efficiency of transgene integration into targeted genomic locations of Neurospora crassa and other fungi. Here, we report that a similar phenomenon occurs in a second Neurospora species: N. sitophila. Specifically, we show that deletion of N. sitophila mus-51 increases the efficiency of targeted-transgene integration, presumably by disrupting NHEJ. Researchers interested in obtaining the N. sitophila mus-51∆ strains described in this study can obtain them from the Fungal Genetics Stock Center (FGSC, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS)

Production de références pour optimiser la fertilisation organique en riziculture biologique camarguaise (France)

La vitesse de minéralisation d’un engrais organique commercial a été évaluée durant trois années dans une rizière biologique en Camargue (France). L’effet de différentes doses d’engrais apportées à différentes périodes a été testé. En conditions inondées, l’engrais organique minéralise rapidement. Sur la base de ce résultat, nous montrons qu’une adaptation des pratiques de fertilisation organique, inspirée de celles appliquées pour des engrais minéraux, permet une meilleure valorisation des engrais organiques, découlant sur une meilleure rentabilité

A mus-51 RIP allele for transformation of Neurospora crassa

This report describes the construction and characterization of mus-51RIP70, an allele for high-efficiency targeted integration of transgenes into the genome of the model eukaryote Neurospora crassa. Two of the mus-51RIP70 strains investigated in this work (RZS27.10 and RZS27.18) can be obtained from the Fungal Genetics Stock Center. The two deposited strains are, to our knowledge, genetically identical and neither one is preferred over the other for use in Neurospora research

French lag in scientific research on organic farming: a scientometric approach

France suffers from a large research deficit in most areas related to sustainable development and public health. The case of research on organic farming, within the framework of the broader sector of agronomic research, constitutes a largely under-investigated field. Even if the demand for organic products is rapidly growing in Europe, research in this field still suffers from a lack of funding and researchers. A bibliometric analysis based on key words from scientific publications (in English only) taken from Thomson Scientific’s ISI Web of Science reference database made it possible to determine sufficiently relevant indicators for a comparison of national research efforts from 2000-2006, and to therefore assess actual research priorities in the area of organic farming. Beyond traditional specialisation analyses, the ratio between the world share of publications of a given country in organic farming and its world share of publications in specific disciplines and sub-disciplines (according to the nomenclature of the French Observatory for Sciences and Techniques) allowed us to obtain these prioritisation indexes that act as policy and priority (or prioritisation activity) indicators for research institutions involved in the concerned area. An index above 1 indicates an over-specialisation, whereas an index below 1 indicates an under-specialisation. For the period 2000-2006, the European Union obtained a specialisation index of 1.52 in the area of organic farming, compared to 0.68 for the US, 0.98 for Brazil and 0.18 for China. However, this seemingly satisfactory average for Europe as a whole hides important disparities between European countries. Moreover, France is at the very end of the classification for all indexes with only 0.47 specialisation, compared to Germany with 1.19, Italy with 1.39, Austria with 2.78, Sweden with 3.99, Finland with 4.46 and Denmark with 12.19. The prioritisation index for organic farming in comparison to the discipline, “Applied biology and ecology”, is 1.65 for the EU27, 0.69 for the US, 1.7 for Germany, 3.98 for Austria, 3.84 for Finland, 9.45 for Denmark and 0.49 for France. In comparison to the subdiscipline, “Agriculture, plant biology” the index is 1.5 for the EU27, 0.98 for the US, 1.61 for Germany, 3.28 for Austria, 1.52 for Finland, 9.79 for Denmark, and 0.41 for France. Finally, for the sub-discipline, “Agro-food”, it is 1.86 for the EU27, 0.73 for the US, 1.98 for Germany, 6.92 for Austria, 7.39 for Finland, 9.39 for Denmark and 0.58 for France. These results confirm that research on organic farming is largely under-prioritised in France. The French national research effort is therefore far from meeting the ecological and economic challenges facing agriculture in the 21st century

Incorporating tissue anisotropy and heterogeneity in finite element models of trabecular bone altered predicted local stress distributions

Trabecular bone is composed of organized mineralized collagen fibrils, which results in heterogeneous and anisotropic mechanical properties at the tissue level. Recently, biomechanical models computing stresses and strains in trabecular bone have indicated a significant effect of tissue heterogeneity on predicted stresses and strains. However, the effect of the tissue-level mechanical anisotropy on the trabecular bone biomechanical response is unknown. Here, a computational method was established to automatically impose physiologically relevant orientation inherent in trabecular bone tissue on a trabecular bone microscale finite element model. Spatially varying tissue-level anisotropic elastic properties were then applied according to the bone mineral density and the local tissue orientation. The model was used to test the hypothesis that anisotropy in both homogeneous and heterogeneous models alters the predicted distribution of stress invariants. Linear elastic finite element computations were performed on a 3 mm cube model isolated from a microcomputed tomography scan of human trabecular bone from the distal femur. Hydrostatic stress and von Mises equivalent stress were recorded at every element, and the distributions of these values were analyzed. Anisotropy reduced the range of hydrostatic stress in both tension and compression more strongly than the associated increase in von Mises equivalent stress. The effect of anisotropy was independent of the spatial redistribution high compressive stresses due to tissue elastic heterogeneity. Tissue anisotropy and heterogeneity are likely important mechanisms to protect bone from failure and should be included for stress analyses in trabecular bone

Establishing references to optimise organic fertilisation in organic rice farming in the Camargue region of France

The mineralization rate of a commercial organic fertiliser was evaluated over the course of three years in an organic rice field in the Camargue (France). The effect of different mounts of fertiliser applied at different periods was tested. The organic fertiliser rapidly mineralised under flooded conditions. On the basis of this result, we demonstrated that an adaptation of organic fertilisation practices, similar to those employed for mineral fertilisers, would result in the optimisation of organic fertilisers, leading to improved profitability

Use of Online Food Delivery Services to Order Food Prepared Away-From-Home and Associated Sociodemographic Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional, Multi-Country Analysis

Online food delivery services like Just Eat and Grubhub facilitate online ordering and home delivery of food prepared away-from-home. It is poorly understood how these services are used and by whom. This study investigated the prevalence of online food delivery service use and sociodemographic characteristics of customers, in and across Australia, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and the USA. We analyzed online survey data (n = 19,378) from the International Food Policy Study, conducted in 2018. We identified respondents who reported any online food delivery service use in the past 7 days and calculated the frequency of use and number of meals ordered. We investigated whether odds of any online food delivery service use in the past 7 days differed by sociodemographic characteristics using adjusted logistic regression. Overall, 15% of respondents (n = 2929) reported online food delivery service use, with the greatest prevalence amongst respondents in Mexico (n = 839 (26%)). Online food delivery services had most frequently been used once and the median number of meals purchased through this mode of order was two. Odds of any online food delivery service use were lower per additional year of age (OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.94, 0.95) and greater for respondents who were male (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.35, 1.66), that identified with an ethnic minority (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.38, 1.78), were highly educated (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.46, 1.90), or living with children (OR: 2.71; 95% CI: 2.44, 3.01). Further research is required to explore how online food delivery services may influence diet and health

OmniMapFree: A unified tool to visualise and explore sequenced genomes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>• Background</p> <p>Acquiring and exploring whole genome sequence information for a species under investigation is now a routine experimental approach. On most genome browsers, typically, only the DNA sequence, EST support, motif search results, and GO annotations are displayed. However, for many species, a growing volume of additional experimental information is available but this is rarely searchable within the landscape of the entire genome.</p> <p>• Results</p> <p>We have developed a generic software which permits users to view a single genome in entirety either within its chromosome or supercontig context within a single window. This software permits the genome to be displayed at any scales and with any features. Different data types and data sets are displayed onto the genome, which have been acquired from other types of studies including classical genetics, forward and reverse genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics and improved annotation from alternative sources. In each display, different types of information can be overlapped, then retrieved in the desired combinations and scales and used in follow up analyses. The displays generated are of publication quality.</p> <p>• Conclusions</p> <p>OmniMapFree provides a unified, versatile and easy-to-use software tool for studying a single genome in association with all the other datasets and data types available for the organism.</p

SAD-3, a Putative Helicase Required for Meiotic Silencing by Unpaired DNA, Interacts with Other Components of the Silencing Machinery

In Neurospora crassa, genes lacking a pairing partner during meiosis are suppressed by a process known as meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD). To identify novel MSUD components, we have developed a high-throughput reverse-genetic screen for use with the N. crassa knockout library. Here we describe the screening method and the characterization of a gene (sad-3) subsequently discovered. SAD-3 is a putative helicase required for MSUD and sexual spore production. It exists in a complex with other known MSUD proteins in the perinuclear region, a center for meiotic silencing activity. Orthologs of SAD-3 include Schizosaccharomyces pombe Hrr1, a helicase required for RNAi-induced heterochromatin formation. Both SAD-3 and Hrr1 interact with an RNA-directed RNA polymerase and an Argonaute, suggesting that certain aspects of silencing complex formation may be conserved between the two fungal species

Differential effects of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate containing supplements on correcting skeletal defects in a Down syndrome mouse model

SCOPE: Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21), is characterized by a spectrum of phenotypes including skeletal abnormalities. The Ts65Dn DS mouse model exhibits similar skeletal phenotypes as humans with DS. DYRK1A, a kinase encoded on Hsa21, has been linked to deficiencies in bone homeostasis in DS mice and individuals with DS. Treatment with Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a known inhibitor of Dyrk1a, improves some skeletal abnormalities associated with DS in mice. EGCG supplements are widely available but the effectiveness of different EGCG-containing supplements has not been well studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six commercially available supplements containing EGCG were analyzed, and two of these supplements were compared with pure EGCG for their impact on skeletal deficits in a DS mouse model. The results demonstrate differential effects of commercial supplements on correcting skeletal abnormalities in Ts65Dn mice. Different EGCG-containing supplements display differences in degradation, polyphenol content, and effects on trisomic bone. CONCLUSION: This work suggests that the dose of EGCG and composition of EGCG-containing supplements may be important in correcting skeletal deficits associated with DS. Careful analyses of these parameters may lead to a better understanding of how to improve skeletal and other deficits that impair individuals with DS