PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.) CYTOPLASMIC MALE STERILTY

In the present study the molecular basis and mechanism of pepper cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and its restoration system (Rf) has been characterized in detail. Pollen fertility of five CMSs (No. 201 to 205), four restorer lines (No. 206, 207, 209 and 210) and their F1, F2 generations were investigated during different growing seasons to study the response of male sterility to various environmental conditions. Restorer gene specific primers were applied to reveal the molecular genetic differences between the CMS and restorer lines. „Bulk segregant” and individual analysis screened DNA markers linked to the fertility restorer (Rf) gene for cytoplasmic male sterility. By the application for conventional breeding and molecular genetic methods co-segregation of the restorer specific markers and pollen viability data were observed on hundred individuals of the F2 generation in order to construct a physical linkage map

USE OF GROWTH ANALYSIS TO EVALUATE GENETIC MECHANISMS AFFECTING ACHENE YIELD FORMATION OF SUNFLOWER

The main objective of this study was to investigate the process of dry matter accumulation (DMA) in achenes during the grain-filling period of fifty sunflower genotypes by using the functional method of growth analysis in a field trial at Bicsérd, Hungary. The Hunt-formula of lnY= P0 + P1*X + P2*X2 was fitted to data. Maximum yield (Ymax), the average of the absolute growth rate (AGRavg), maximum growth rate (AGRmax), date of the maximum growth rate (Xagrmax), and the average of the relative growth rate (RGRavg) were calculated from growth curves for hybrids and replications. Significant differences among hybrids and their interaction with sampling dates indicate hybrid differences in the intensity of DMA accumulation. The strongest correlation was observed between the parameters of Ymax and AGRmax

Imidazo[1,2-b]pyrazole-7-carboxamides Induce Apoptosis in Human Leukemia Cells at Nanomolar Concentrations

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Developing a community-based genetic nomenclature for anole lizards

Background: Comparative studies of amniotes have been hindered by a dearth of reptilian molecular sequences. With the genomic assembly of the green anole, Anolis carolinensis available, non-avian reptilian genes can now be compared to mammalian, avian, and amphibian homologs. Furthermore, with more than 350 extant species in the genus Anolis, anoles are an unparalleled example of tetrapod genetic diversity and divergence. As an important ecological, genetic and now genomic reference, it is imperative to develop a standardized Anolis gene nomenclature alongside associated vocabularies and other useful metrics. Results: Here we report the formation of the Anolis Gene Nomenclature Committee (AGNC) and propose a standardized evolutionary characterization code that will help researchers to define gene orthology and paralogy with tetrapod homologs, provide a system for naming novel genes in Anolis and other reptiles, furnish abbreviations to facilitate comparative studies among the Anolis species and related iguanid squamates, and classify the geographical origins of Anolis subpopulations. Conclusions: This report has been generated in close consultation with members of the Anolis and genomic research communities, and using public database resources including NCBI and Ensembl. Updates will continue to be regularly posted to new research community websites such as lizardbase. We anticipate that this standardized gene nomenclature will facilitate the accessibility of reptilian sequences for comparative studies among tetrapods and will further serve as a template for other communities in their sequencing and annotation initiatives.Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyOther Research Uni

An improved microRNA annotation of the canine genome

The domestic dog, Canis familiaris, is a valuable model for studying human diseases. The publication of the latest Canine genome build and annotation, CanFam3.1 provides an opportunity to enhance our understanding of gene regulation across tissues in the dog model system. In this study, we used the latest dog genome assembly and small RNA sequencing data from 9 different dog tissues to predict novel miRNAs in the dog genome, as well as to annotate conserved miRNAs from the miRBase database that were missing from the current dog annotation. We used both miRCat and miRDeep2 algorithms to computationally predict miRNA loci. The resulting, putative hairpin sequences were analysed in order to discard false positives, based on predicted secondary structures and patterns of small RNA read alignments. Results were further divided into high and low confidence miRNAs, using the same criteria. We generated tissue specific expression profiles for the resulting set of 811 loci: 720 conserved miRNAs, (207 of which had not been previously annotated in the dog genome) and 91 novel miRNA loci. Comparative analyses revealed 8 putative homologues of some novel miRNA in ferret, and one in microbat. All miRNAs were also classified into the genic and intergenic categories, based on the Ensembl RefSeq gene annotation for CanFam3.1. This additionally allowed us to identify four previously undescribed MiRtrons among our total set of miRNAs. We additionally annotated piRNAs, using proTRAC on the same input data. We thus identified 263 putative clusters, most of which (211 clusters) were found to be expressed in testis. Our results represent an important improvement of the dog genome annotation, paving the way to further research on the evolution of gene regulation, as well as on the contribution of post-transcriptional regulation to pathological conditions

Analysis of the African coelacanth genome sheds light on tetrapod evolution

It was a zoological sensation when a living specimen of the coelacanth was first discovered in 1938, as this lineage of lobe-finned fish was thought to have gone extinct 70 million years ago. The modern coelacanth looks remarkably similar to many of its ancient relatives, and its evolutionary proximity to our own fish ancestors provides a glimpse of the fish that first walked on land. Here we report the genome sequence of the African coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae. Through a phylogenomic analysis, we conclude that the lungfish, and not the coelacanth, is the closest living relative of tetrapods. Coelacanth protein-coding genes are significantly more slowly evolving than those of tetrapods, unlike other genomic features . Analyses of changes in genes and regulatory elements during the vertebrate adaptation to land highlight genes involved in immunity, nitrogen excretion and the development of fins, tail, ear, eye, brain, and olfaction. Functional assays of enhancers involved in the fin-to-limb transition and in the emergence of extra-embryonic tissues demonstrate the importance of the coelacanth genome as a blueprint for understanding tetrapod evolution

Analysis of the applicability of molecular markers linked to the PVY extreme resistance gene Ry sto , and the identification of new markers

In this study molecular markers linked to the Ry sto gene, which originates from the wild potato species Solanum stoloniferum and confers extreme resistance against PVY, were identified and the applicability of recently published Ry sto markers was analyzed. Three RAPD markers covering a total distance of 8.60 cM were detected in this experiment. The closest of these markers was located 0.53 cM from the gene. From among the published markers only one had diagnostic value in the experimental plant material, and mapped 2.95 cM from the gene, on the side opposite the RAPD markers developed in the present study. All the markers analyzed were present in Solanum stoloniferum accessions, irrespective of their resis- tance, indicating that these sequences are linked to the locus and not exclusively to the dominant allele of the Ry sto gene in the wild species. The inapplicability of several published markers indicates that the genetic background is decisive in this tetraploid and highly heterozygous species. This means that it may be necessary to develop markers from the breeding material itself, until the resistance gene is not cloned and cannot be used as a selection marker in marker-assisted selection

Differences in cardiorespiratory responses of young and senior male endurance athletes to maximal graded exercise test

Within recent years the popularity of sportive activities amongst older people, particularly competitive activities within certain age groups has increased. The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in the cardiorespiratory output at anaerobic threshold and at maximal power, output during an incremental exercise, among senior and young athletes. Ten elderly male subjects [mean (SD) age: 68.45 ± 9.32 years] and eight young male subjects [mean (SD) age: 25.87 ± 5.87 years] performed an incremental exercise test on a treadmill ergometer. No significant differences in body size were evident; however, the differences between the groups for peak power (451.62 ± 49 vs. 172.4 ± 32.2 W), aerobic capacity (57.97 ± 7.5 vs. 40.36 ± 8.6 mL kg-1 min-1), maximal heart rate (190.87 ± 9.2 vs. 158.5 ± 9.1 beats min-1), peak blood lactate (11 ± 1.7 vs. 7.3 ± 1.4 mmol L-1), and % VO2max at ventilatory thresholds (93.18 ± 4.3 vs. 79.29 ± 9.9%) were significantly lower in the senior athletes. The power output at anaerobic threshold was also higher (392 ± 48 vs. 151 ± 23 W) in the young athletes, explaining the significant difference in terms of performance between these groups. We have observed an evident deterioration in some of the cardiovascular parameters; however, the submaximal exercise economy seems to be preserved with aging. Exercise economy (i.e. metabolic cost of sustained submaximal exercise) was not different considerably with age in endurance-trained adults