Shared community effects and the non-genetic maternal environment shape cortisol levels in wild chimpanzees

Mechanisms of inheritance remain poorly defined for many fitness-mediating traits, especially in long-lived animals with protracted development. Using 6,123 urinary samples from 170 wild chimpanzees, we examined the contributions of genetics, non-genetic maternal effects, and shared community effects on variation in cortisol levels, an established predictor of survival in long-lived primates. Despite evidence for consistent individual variation in cortisol levels across years, between-group effects were more influential and made an overwhelming contribution to variation in this trait. Focusing on within-group variation, non-genetic maternal effects accounted for 8% of the individual differences in average cortisol levels, significantly more than that attributable to genetic factors, which was indistinguishable from zero. These maternal effects are consistent with a primary role of a shared environment in shaping physiology. For chimpanzees, and perhaps other species with long life histories, community and maternal effects appear more relevant than genetic inheritance in shaping key physiological traits.Additional co-authors: Klaus Zuberbuehler, Linda Vigilant, Tobias Deschner, Roman M. Wittig & Catherine Crockfor

Identification and mapping of a new leaf stripe resistance gene in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Pyrenophora graminea is the seed-bornepathogen causal agent of barley leaf stripe disease. Nearisogeniclines (NILs) carrying resistance of the cv “Thibaut”against the highly virulent isolate Dg2 were obtainedby introgressing the resistance into the geneticbackground of the susceptible cv “Mirco”. The segregationof the resistance gene was followed in a F2 populationof 128 plants as well as on the F3 lines derived fromthe F2 plants; the segregation fitted the 1:2:1 ratio for asingle gene. By using NILs, a RAPD marker associatedwith the resistance gene was identified; sequence-specific(STS) primers were designed on the basis of the ampliconsequence and a RILs mapping population with anAFLP-based map were used to position this molecularmarker to barley chromosome 1 S (7HS). STS and CAPSmarkers were developed from RFLPs mapped to thetelomeric region of barley chromosome 7HS and threepolymorphic PCR-based markers were developed. Thesegregation of these markers was followed in the F2 populationand their map position with respect to the resistancegene was determined. Our results indicate that theThibaut resistance gene, which we designated as Rdg2a,maps to the telomeric region of barley chromosome 7HSand is flanked by the markers OPQ-9700 and MWG 2018at distances of 3.1 and 2.5 cM respectively. The suitabilityof the PCR-based marker MWG2018 in selectionassistedbarley breeding programs is discussed

High expression level of a gene coding for a chloroplastic amino acid selective channel protein is correlated to cold acclimation in cereals

A cold-regulated gene (cor tmc-ap3) coding for a putative chloroplastic amino acid selective channel protein wasisolated from cold-treated barley leaves combining the differential display and the 50-RACE techniques. Cor tmcap3is expressed at low level under normal growing temperature, and its expression is strongly enhanced aftercold treatment. A positive correlation between the expression of cor tmc-ap3 and frost tolerance was found bothamong barley cultivars and among cereal species. The COR TMC-AP3 protein was expressed in vitro, purifiedand used to raise a polyclonal antibody.Western analysis showed that the cor tmc-ap3 gene product is localized tothe chloroplastic outer envelope fraction, supporting its putative function. The frost-resistant winter cultivar Oniceaccumulated COR TMC-AP3 more rapidly and at a higher level than the frost-susceptible spring cultivar Gitane.After 28 days of cold acclimation the winter cultivar had about 2-fold more protein than the spring genotype.All these results suggest that an increased amount of a chloroplastic amino acid selective channel protein couldbe required for cold acclimation in cereals. Hypotheses about the role of COR TMC-AP3 during the hardeningprocess are discussed

Quantitative resistance to barley leaf stripe (Pyrenophora graminea) is dominated by one major locus

A major gene underlying quantitative resistance to barley leaf stripe (Pyrenophora graminea), a seed-borne pathogen causing leaf stripe, was mapped with molecular markers in a barley doubled haploid (DH) population, derived from the cross Proctor x Nudinka (PN). The quantitative locus accounts for r2= 58.5% and was mapped on barley chromosome 1, tightly linked to the "naked" gene. A second resistance QTL, accounting for 29.3% of phenotypic variation, was identified on the P arm of barley chromosome 2. Another two minor QTLs were detected in further analyses. None of the QTLs were found in the chromosome 2 "vada" region studied by Giese et al. (1993)

Emerging Knowledge from Genome Sequencing of Crop Species

Extensive insights into the genome composition, organization, and evolution have been gained from the plant genome sequencing and annotation ongoing projects. The analysis of crop genomes provided surprising evidences with important implications in plant origin and evolution: genome duplication, ancestral re-arrangements and unexpected polyploidization events opened new doors to address fundamental questions related to species proliferation, adaptation, and functional modulations. Detailed paleogenomic analysis led to many speculation on how chromosomes have been shaped over time in terms of gene content and order. The completion of the genome sequences of several major crops, prompted to a detailed identification and annotation of transposable elements: new hypothesis related to their composition, chromosomal distribution, insertion models, amplification rate, and evolution patterns are coming up. Availability of full genome sequence of several crop species as well as from many accessions within species is providing new keys for biodiversity exploitation and interpretation. Re-sequencing is enabling high-throughput genotyping to identify a wealth of SNP and afterward to produce haplotype maps necessary to accurately associate molecular variation to phenotype