Mitogenomes from Egyptian Cattle Breeds: New Clues on the Origin of Haplogroup Q and the Early Spread of Bos taurus from the Near East

Background Genetic studies support the scenario that Bos taurus domestication occurred in the Near East during the Neolithic transition about 10 thousand years (ky) ago, with the likely exception of a minor secondary event in Italy. However, despite the proven effectiveness of whole mitochondrial genome data in providing valuable information concerning the origin of taurine cattle, until now no population surveys have been carried out at the level of mitogenomes in local breeds from the Near East or surrounding areas. Egypt is in close geographic and cultural proximity to the Near East, in particular the Nile Delta region, and was one of the first neighboring areas to adopt the Neolithic package. Thus, a survey of mitogenome variation of autochthonous taurine breeds from the Nile Delta region might provide new insights on the early spread of cattle rearing outside the Near East. Methodology Using Illumina high-throughput sequencing we characterized the mitogenomes from two cattle breeds, Menofi (N = 17) and Domiaty (N = 14), from the Nile Delta region. Phylogenetic and Bayesian analyses were subsequently performed. Conclusions Phylogenetic analyses of the 31 mitogenomes confirmed the prevalence of haplogroup T1, similar to most African cattle breeds, but showed also high frequencies for haplogroups T2, T3 and Q1, and an extremely high haplotype diversity, while Bayesian skyline plots pointed to a main episode of population growth ~12.5 ky ago. Comparisons of Nile Delta mitogenomes with those from other geographic areas revealed that (i) most Egyptian mtDNAs are probably direct local derivatives from the founder domestic herds which first arrived from the Near East and the extent of gene flow from and towards the Nile Delta region was limited after the initial founding event(s); (ii) haplogroup Q1 was among these founders, thus proving that it underwent domestication in the Near East together with the founders of the T clades

Frequency of 22q11.2 microdeletion in children with congenital heart defects in western poland

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (22q11.2 deletion syndrome -22q11.2DS) refers to congenital abnormalities, including primarily heart defects and facial dysmorphy, thymic hypoplasia, cleft palate and hypocalcaemia. Microdeletion within chromosomal region 22q11.2 constitutes the molecular basis of this syndrome. The 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome occurs in 1/4000 births. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of 22q11.2 microdeletion in 87 children suffering from a congenital heart defect (conotruncal or non-conotruncal) coexisting with at least one additional 22q11.2DS feature and to carry out 22q11.2 microdeletion testing of the deleted children's parents. We also attempted to identify the most frequent heart defects in both groups and phenotypic traits of patients with microdeletion to determine selection criteria for at risk patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The analysis of microdeletions was conducted using fluorescence <it>in situ </it>hybridization (FISH) on metaphase chromosomes and interphase nuclei isolated from venous peripheral blood cultures. A molecular probe (Tuple) specific to the <it>HIRA (TUPLE1, DGCR1</it>) region at 22q11 was used for the hybridisation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Microdeletions of 22q11.2 region were detected in 13 children with a congenital heart defect (14.94% of the examined group). Microdeletion of 22q11.2 occurred in 20% and 11.54% of the conotruncal and non-conotruncal groups respectively. Tetralogy of Fallot was the most frequent heart defect in the first group of children with 22q11.2 microdeletion, while ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect/ventricular septal defect were most frequent in the second group. The microdeletion was also detected in one of the parents of the deleted child (6.25%) without congenital heart defect, but with slight dysmorphism. In the remaining children, 22q11.2 microdeletion originated <it>de novo</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Patients with 22q11.2DS exhibit wide spectrum of phenotypic characteristics, ranging from discreet to quite strong. The deletion was inherited by one child. Our study suggests that screening for 22q11.2 microdeletion should be performed in children with conotruncal and non-conotruncal heart defects and with at least one typical feature of 22q11.2DS as well as in the deleted children's parents.</p

Nano-modified non-woven filter fabrics capable of holding viruses

W przypadku występowania zanieczyszczeń powietrza w postaci niebezpiecznych mikroorganizmów, sensownym staje się zastosowanie specjalnych układów filtracyjnych. Dzięki zastosowaniu odpowiednich materiałów, możemy uzyskać systemy filtracyjne w całości biodegradowalne. Poprzez zmodyfikowanie powierzchni filtra nanowłóknami, zmniejsza się ich średnice porów, równocześnie zwiększając jego powierzchnie właściwą. Dzięki temu skuteczność filtracji potrafi wzrosnąć kilkadziesiąt razy. Stosując odpowiednie metody modyfikacji nanowłókien, otrzymujemy układ filtrów selektywnych. Pozwalają one nie tylko na zatrzymywanie zanieczyszczeń oraz mikroorganizmów, ale także na ich eliminację.In case of presence of air pollution with harmful microorganisms it seems reasonable to make use of specialist filtering systems. As a result of using properly selected materials the filtration systems can be 100% biodegradable. Surface modification of the filter with nano-fibres brings reduction in mesh size and increases the specific surface area of the filter. This leads to the increase in filtering efficiency even by several dozen times. The application of proper methods of surface modification allows for creating a system of selective filters, which not only stop pollutants and micro-organisms but also may eliminate them

Complete mitochondrial genome of wild aurochs (Bos primigenius) reconstructed from ancient DNA

Extinct aurochs (Bos primigenius), accepted as the ancestor of domestic cattle, was one of the largest wild animals inhabiting Europe, Asia and North Africa. The gradual process of aurochs extinction finished in Poland in 1627, were the last recorded aurochs, a female, died. Some aspects of cattle domestication history and the distribution of aurochs genetic material among modern cattle breeds still remain unclear. Analyses of ancient DNA (aDNA) from bone sample deliver new genetic information about extinct wild aurochs as well as modern cattle phylogeny. DNA was extracted from a fragment of aurochs fossil bone found in the Pisz Forest, Poland. The sample was radiocarbon-dated to about 1500 yBP. The aDNA was used for Whole Genome Amplification in order to form a DNA bank. Auroch mitochondrial DNA sequences were amplified using sets of 41 primers overlapping the whole mtDNA, cloned and sequenced. The sequence of the whole mitochondrial genome was reconstructed and deposed in GenBank [GenBank:JQ437479]. Based on the phylogenetic analyses of the Bovine mitochondrial genomes, a phylogenetic tree was created. As expected, the tree clearly shows that the mtDNA sequence of the analyzed PWA (Polish Wild Aurochs) individual belongs to haplogroup P. In the course of the comparative mtDNA analysis we identified 30 nucleotide marker positions for haplogroup P and nine unique PWA differences compared to the two remaining haplotype P representatives. Our analysis provides the next step to the reconstruction of the demographic history of this extinct but still exciting species