Functional and comparative analysis of THI1 gene in grasses with a focus on sugarcane

De novo synthesis of thiamine (vitamin B1) in plants depends on the action of thiamine thiazole synthase, which synthesizes the thiazole ring, and is encoded by the THI1 gene. Here, we investigated the evolution and diversity of THI1 in Poaceae, where C4 and C3 photosynthetic plants co-evolved. An ancestral duplication of THI1 is observed in Panicoideae that remains in many modern monocots, including sugarcane. In addition to the two sugarcane copies (ScTHI1-1 and ScTHI1-2), we identified ScTHI1-2 alleles showing differences in their sequence, indicating divergence between ScTHI1-2a and ScTHI1-2b. Such variations are observed only in the Saccharum complex, corroborating the phylogeny. At least five THI1 genomic environments were found in Poaceae, two in sugarcane, M. sinensis, and S. bicolor. The THI1 promoter in Poaceae is highly conserved at 300 bp upstream of the start codon ATG and has cis-regulatory elements that putatively bind to transcription factors associated with development, growth, development and biological rhythms. An experiment set to compare gene expression levels in different tissues across the sugarcane R570 life cycle showed that ScTHI1-1 was expressed mainly in leaves regardless of age. Furthermore, ScTHI1 displayed relatively high expression levels in meristem and culm, which varied with the plant age. Finally, yeast complementation studies with THI4-defective strain demonstrate that only ScTHI1-1 and ScTHI1-2b isoforms can partially restore thiamine auxotrophy, albeit at a low frequency. Taken together, the present work supports the existence of multiple origins of THI1 harboring genomic regions in Poaceae with predicted functional redundancy. In addition, it questions the contribution of the levels of the thiazole ring in C4 photosynthetic plant tissues or potentially the relevance of the THI1 protein activity

Building the sugarcane genome for biotechnology and identifying evolutionary trends

Sugarcane is the source of sugar in all tropical and subtropical countries and is becoming increasingly important for bio-based fuels. However, its large (10 Gb), polyploid, complex genome has hindered genome based breeding efforts. Here we release the largest and most diverse set of sugarcane genome sequences to date, as part of an on-going initiative to provide a sugarcane genomic information resource, with the ultimate goal of producing a gold standard genome151CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2009/51632-1; 2009/09217-7; 2008/58243-8; 2009/09116-6; 2011/05317-7; 2008/54201-9sem informação2008/52074-0; 2010/05591-9; 2008/58031-0; 2008/52197-4; 08/52146-

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)