Genetic Structure in the Seabuckthorn Carpenter Moth (Holcocerus hippophaecolus) in China: The Role of Outbreak Events, Geographical and Host Factors

Understanding factors responsible for structuring genetic diversity is of fundamental importance in evolutionary biology. The seabuckthorn carpenter moth (Holcocerus hippophaecolus Hua) is a native species throughout the north of China and is considered the main threat to seabuckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides L. We assessed the influence of outbreaks, environmental factors and host species in shaping the genetic variation and structure of H. hippophaecolus by using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers. We rejected the hypothesis that outbreak-associated genetic divergence exist, as evidenced by genetic clusters containing a combination of populations from historical outbreak areas, as well as non-outbreak areas. Although a small number of markers (4 of 933 loci) were identified as candidates under selection in response to population densities. H. hippophaecolus also did not follow an isolation-by-distance pattern. We rejected the hypothesis that outbreak and drought events were driving the genetic structure of H. hippophaecolus. Rather, the genetic structure appears to be influenced by various confounding bio-geographical factors. There were detectable genetic differences between H. hippophaecolus occupying different host trees from within the same geographic location. Host-associated genetic divergence should be confirmed by further investigation

Semantics of Database Transformations

Database transformations arise in many different settings including database integration, evolution of database systems, and implementing user views and data entry tools. This paper surveys approaches that have been taken to problems in these settings, assesses their strengths and weaknesses, and develops require ments on a formal model for specifying and implementing database transformations. We also consider the problem of insuring the correctness of database transformations. In particular, we demonstrate that the usefulness of correctness conditions such as information preservation is hindered by the interactions of transformations and database constraints, and the limited expressive power of established database constraint languages. We conclude that more general notions of correctness are required, and that there is a need for a uniform formalism for expressing both database transformations and constraints, and reasoning about their interactions, Finally we introduce WOL, a declarative language for specifying and implementing database transformations and constraints. We briefly describe the WOL language and its semantics, and argue that it addresses many of the requirements on a formalism for dealing with general database transformations

Tyrosine phosphorylation of the TATA element modulatory factor by the FER nuclear tyrosine kinases

AbstractThe FER locus in the mouse encodes two tyrosine kinases, p94fer and p51ferT. While p94fer accumulates in the cytoplasm and nucleus of most mammalian cells the expression of p51ferT is restricted to the nucleus of meiotic primary spermatocytes. The cellular function of the FER kinases is not understood, nor has a substrate for these enzymes been characterized. To identify putative substrates of p94fer and p51ferT, the two enzymes were used as `baits' in the yeast two-hybrid screening system. cDNAs encoding the mouse TATA element modulatory factor (TMF) were repeatedly isolated in this assay. TMF was previously shown to bind the TATA element in RNA polymerase II promoters and impaired their functioning in a cell free transcription system. Both p94fer and p51ferT phosphorylated the TMF protein in in vitro and in vivo kinase assays. Sequential deletions showed that the carboxy-terminal region of TMF was essential for phosphorylation. In situ hybridization analysis revealed the preferential accumulation of TMF transcripts in meiotic spermatogenic and oogenic cells. p94fer and p51ferT may thus modulate the suppressive activity of TMF during cellular growth and in defined differentiation processes

A Search for Obligatory Paternal Alleles in a DNA Database to Find an Alleged Rapist in a Fatherless Paternity Case

A sexual assault case resulted in a pregnancy, which was subsequently aborted. The alleged father of the fetus was unknown. Maternal and fetal types were obtained using the 11-locus AmpFℓSTR® SGM Plus® kit. The national DNA database was searched for the paternal obligatory alleles and detected two suspects who could not be excluded as father of the male fetus. Additional typing using the AmpFℓSTR® Minifiler™ kit, containing three additional autosomal loci, was not sufficient to exclude either suspect. Subsequent typing using the PowerPlex® 16, containing four additional loci, and Y-Filer™ kits resulted in excluding one suspect. Searching a database for paternal obligatory alleles can be fruitful, but is fraught with possible false positive results so that finding a match must be taken as only preliminary evidence. © 2012 American Academy of Forensic Sciences