Evaluation of the allelic variations in vernalisation (VRN1) and photoperiod (PPD1) genes and genetic diversity in a Spanish spelt wheat collection

Allelic variation within genes controlling the vernalisation requirement (VRN1) and photoperiod response (PPD1) determines the adaptation of wheat to different environmental growing conditions as well as influences other traits related to grain yield. This study aimed to screen a Spanish spelt wheat collection using gene-specific molecular markers for VRN-A1, VRN-B1, VRN-D1, and PPD-D1 loci and to phenotype for heading date (HD) in both field and greenhouse experiments under a long photoperiod and without vernalisation. Fifty-five spelt genotypes (91.7%) exhibited a spring growth habit, and all of them carried at least one dominant VRN1 allele, whereas five (8.3%) genotypes had a winter growth habit, and they carried the triple recessive allele combination. The Vrn-D1s was the most frequent allele in the studied set of spelt accessions, and it was found in combination with both the dominant Vrn-A1b and/or Vrn-B1a alleles in 88.3% of the spelt accessions tested. All spelt accessions carried the photoperiod-sensitive Ppd-D1b allele, which may explain the late heading of spelt germplasm compared to the commercial spring bread wheat Setenil used as a control. The least significant difference test showed significant differences between allelic combinations, the earliest accessions being those carrying two or three dominant alleles, followed by the one-gene combinations. In addition, the genetic diversity was evaluated through capillary electrophoresis using 15 wheat simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Most markers had high levels of polymorphism, producing 95 different alleles which ranged between 53 and 279 bp in size. Based on the polymorphic information content values obtained (from 0.51 to 0.97), 12 out of the 15 SSRs were catalogued as informative markers (values > 0.5). According to the dendrogram generated, the spelt accessions clustered as a separate group from the commercial bread wheat Setenil. Knowledge of VRN1 and PPD1 alleles, heading time, and genetic variability using SSR markers is valuable for spelt wheat breeding programs

Development of wheat—Hordeum chilense Chromosome 2Hch Introgression Lines Potentially Useful for Improving Grain Quality Traits

The chromosome 2Hch of Hordeum chilense. has the potential to improve seed carotenoid content in wheat as it carries a set of endosperm carotenoid-related genes. We have obtained structural changes in chromosome 2Hch in a common wheat (Triticum aestivum L. “Chinese Spring”) background by crossing a wheat double disomic substitution 2Hch(2D) and 7Hch(7D) line with a disomic addition line carrying chromosome 2Cc from Aegilops cylindrica Host.. Seven introgressions of chromosome 2Hch into wheat were characterized by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and DNA markers. Chromosome-specific simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were used for identifying wheat chromosomes. In addition, we tested 82 conserved orthologous set (COS) markers for homoeologous group 2, of which 65 amplified targets in H. chilense and 26 showed polymorphism between H. chilense and wheat. A total of 24 markers were assigned to chromosome 2Hch with eight allocated to 2HchS and 16 to 2HchL. Among the seven introgressions there was a disomic substitution line 2Hch(2D), a ditelosomic addition line for the 2HchL arm, an isochromosome for the 2HchL arm, a homozygous centromeric 2HchS·2DL translocation, a double monosomic 2HchS·2DL plus 7HchS·D translocation, a homozygous centromeric 7HchS·2HchL translocation and, finally, a 2HchL·7HchL translocation. Wheat—H. chilense macrosyntenic comparisons using COS markers revealed that H. chilense chromosome 2Hch exhibits synteny to wheat homoeologous group 2 chromosomes, and the COS markers assigned to this chromosome will facilitate alien gene introgression into wheat. The genetic stocks developed here include new wheat—H. chilense recombinations which are useful for studying the effect of chromosome 2Hch on grain quality traits

Development and Characterization of Wheat-Agropyron cristatum Introgression Lines Induced by Gametocidal Genes and Wheat ph1b Mutant

The P genome of Agropyron cristatum Gaertn. contains many desirable genes that can be utilized as genetic resources to improve wheat. In this research, we used both the gametocidal chromosome 2Cc and the pairing homologous gene (Ph1b) mutant to induce structural aberrations and translocations between wheat and the 4P, 5P, and 6P genome chromosomes. By using the two approaches, a total of 19 wheat-A. cristatum translocations have been identified, in which 13 were induced by the Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring (CS) ph1b mutant (CS ph1b) and six were induced by gametocidal chromosome 2Cc from Aegilops cylindrica Host. The wheat-4P, -5P and -6P A. cristatum translocations were characterized by in situ hybridization and by a set of conserved orthologous set (COS) molecular markers. The aberrations included centromeric translocations, terminal translocations, dicentric translocations, and deletions. The average induction frequency of chromosome structural aberrations was 10.9% using gametocidal 2Cc chromosome and 8.8% using ph1b mutant. The highest frequency obtained was for chromosome 4P using both approaches. All the wheat-A. cristatum translocation lines obtained were valuable for identifying A. cristatum chromosome 4P, 5P, and 6P related genes. In addition, these lines provided genetic resources and new germplasm accessions for the genetic improvement of wheat

Identification of intergenomic translocations involving wheat, Hordeum vulgare and Hordeum chilense chromosomes by FISH

4 pages: 1 figure: 1 tableIntergenomic translocations between wheat, Hordeum chilense and Hordeum vulgare have been obtained in tritordeum background. Advanced lines from the crosses between three disomic chromosome addition lines for chromosome 2Hv, 3Hv, and 4Hv of barley (Hordeum vulgare) in Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring (CS) and hexaploid tritordeum (2n=6x=42, AABBHchHch) were analyzed. Multicolour FISH using both genomic DNA from H. chilense and H. vulgare were used to establish the presence and numbers of H. vulgare introgressions into tritordeum. Interspecific H. vulgare-H. chilense and intergeneric wheat-H. vulgare and wheat-H. chilense translocations were identified. Frequencies of plants containing different kinds of intergenomic translocations between chromosome arms are presented. These lines can be useful for introgressing into tritordeum characters of interest from H. vulgare.CICYT, Spain, projects AGF98- 0945-CO2-01 and AGF99-1036-C02-02Peer reviewe

Introgression of Seedling Plant Resistance to Leaf Rust from Agropyron cristatum into Wheat by Induced Homoeologous Recombination

Agropyron cristatum (P genome) is a Triticeae species from the wheat tertiary gene pool which has economic importance as forage and also displays traits beneficial to wheat. Resistance to leaf rust was previously mapped to the short arm of chromosome 1P (1PS) in A. cristatum by the development of a compensating Robertsonian translocation involving chromosome arm 1PS and the long arm of wheat chromosome 1B (1BL). In this study, chromosome arm 1PS was engineered using the ph1b mutation to induce 1BS/1PS homoeologous recombination and to obtain new translocations with shortened fragments of chromosome arm 1PS. Two translocations with different alien fragment sizes were identified by genomic in situ hybridization, wheat 1BS- and 1PS-specific molecular markers and gene-specific markers for glutenin, Glu-B3 and gliadin Gli-B1 seed storage protein. One translocation (called type 1) replaces a proximal segment of 1PS chromatin, and the other (called type 2) replaces a distal 1PS segment and introduces the Glu-B3 and Gli-B1 wheat storage protein loci. Six specific EST-STS markers for chromosome arm 1PS amplified PCR products in the recombinant type 2 translocation line. Resistance analysis showed that the type 2 translocation was highly resistant to a virulent race of leaf rust pathogen. The new wheat–A. cristatum translocations obtained yield material with seedling plant resistance to leaf rust and seed storage protein loci

The subtelomeric region is important for chromosome recognition and pairing during meiosis

The process of meiosis results in the formation of haploid daughter cells, each of which inherit a half of the diploid parental cells' genetic material. The ordered association of homologues (identical chromosomes) is a critical prerequisite for a successful outcome of meiosis. Homologue recognition and pairing are initiated at the chromosome ends, which comprise the telomere dominated by generic repetitive sequences, and the adjacent subtelomeric region, which harbours chromosome-specific sequences. In many organisms telomeres are responsible for bringing the ends of the chromosomes close together during early meiosis, but little is known regarding the role of the subtelomeric region sequence during meiosis. Here, the observation of homologue pairing between a pair of Hordeum chilense chromosomes lacking the subtelomeric region on one chromosome arm indicates that the subtelomeric region is important for the process of homologous chromosome recognition and pairing.This research was supported by ERC-Starting Grant-243118 from the FP7 and The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) from the European Union and by the AGL2012-33264 from the Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry.Peer Reviewe

Using eye-tracking into decision makers evaluation in evolutionary interactive UA-FLP algorithms

Unequal area facility layout problem is an important issue in the design of industrial plants, as well as other fields such as hospitals or schools, among others. While participating in an interactive designing process, the human user is required to evaluate a high number of proposed solutions, which produces them fatigue both mental and physical. In this paper, the use of eye-tracking to estimate user’s evaluations from gaze behavior is investigated. The results show that, after a process of training and data taking, it is possible to obtain a good enough estimation of the user’s evaluations which is independent of the problem and of the users as well. These promising results advice to use eye-tracking as a substitute for the mouse during users’ evaluations

Solicitation and Sexualized Interactions of Minors with Adults: Prevalence, Overlap with Other Forms of Cybervictimization, and Relationship with Quality of Life

Sexual solicitation and sexualized interaction with minors by adults constitute one of the most pernicious risks of the Internet. Little is known about the age range in which this phenomenon is most prevalent or the relationship and overlap of this problem with other risks, such as peer-to-peer cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse. Additionally, little empirical evidence exists on whether the overlap between these types of online victimization affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to: 1) analyze the prevalence of sexual solicitation and interaction according to sex and stage of adolescence; 2) relate this problem to other forms of online victimization (cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse); 3) analyze the overlap between these forms of online victimization and differences in HRQoL scores. A cross-sectional and analytical study with 3,578 adolescents (52.7% girls) aged between 10-15 years was carried out. Of the adolescents in the study sample, 12.6% (n = 448) had received sexual requests and 6.4% (n = 230) had interacted sexually with adults. Sexual solicitation was most common among girls in middle adolescence. Of the participants, 33.9% (n = 1,216) had been involved in some form of online victimization. Peer cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse were positively and significantly correlated with sexualized solicitation/interactions with adults. Victims with the overlapping of all three types of online victimization (2.7%, n = 98) presented the lowest HQRoL scores (p < .001).La solicitación e interacción sexual con menores por parte de adultos constituyen uno de los riesgos más perniciosos de Internet. Se sabe poco sobre la franja de edad en el que es más frecuente o sobre la relación y el solapamiento de este problema con otros riesgos, como la cibervictimización entre iguales y el abuso online en la pareja. Además, existen pocas evidencias empíricas sobre si el solapamiento entre estos tipos de victimización afecta a la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS). Los objetivos de este estudio fueron: 1) analizar la prevalencia de la solicitación/interacción sexual en función del sexo y la etapa de la adolescencia, 2) relacionar esta problemática con la cibervictimización entre iguales y el abuso online en la pareja, 3) analizar el solapamiento entre estas formas de victimización online y sus diferencias en las puntaciones de CVRS. Se trata de un estudio transversal y analítico con 3,578 adolescentes (52.7% chicas) entre 10-15 años. El 12.6% (n = 448) habían recibido solicitaciones sexuales y el 6.4% (n = 230) había interactuado sexualmente con adultos. La solicitación sexual fue más frecuente en chicas en la adolescencia media. Un 33.9% (n = 1,216) había sufrido algún tipo de victimización online. La cibervictimización entre iguales y el abuso online en la pareja correlacionaron positiva y significativamente con solicitaciones/interacciones sexualizadas con adultos. Las víctimas que solaparon los tres tipos de victimización online (2.7%, n = 98) presentaron las puntuaciones de CVRS más bajas (p < .001)

Epidemiology of peer cybervictimization and its relationship with health-related quality of life in adolescents: A prospective study

Introduction: Research focused on the association between peer cybervictimization and declining health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is scarce. Currently, few longitudinal studies find an association between these phenomena, and none focus on cybervictimization profiles. The main objectives are: (1) to analyze the point and period prevalence, and incidence of cybervictimization profiles (uninvolved, new, ceased, intermittent, and stable cybervictims); (2) to study the relationship between cybervictimization and HRQoL over time; (3) to determine the longitudinal impact on the HRQoL of each type of profile. Methods: A prospective study was conducted in three waves over 13 months. A total of 1142 adolescents aged 11–18 years participated in all the waves (630 girls, 55.2%). Results: The prevalence of victimization for the three waves was 21.6% (Wave 1; W1), 23.5% (W2), and 19.6% (W3), respectively. The period prevalence was 41.3%, and the accumulated incidence was 25.1%. It was found that 24% of the participants were new victims, 5.9% were intermittent victims, and 6% were stable victims. Being a cybervictim at W1 poses a relative risk of 1.73 [1.29–2.32], that is, a twofold increased risk of presenting a low HRQoL 13 months later compared to those who are not cybervictims. Conclusion: One in four adolescents became a new cybervictim during the 13 months of the study. The adolescents who presented poorer HRQoL were the stable cybervictims

Loot box purchases and their relationship with internet gaming disorder and online gambling disorder in adolescents: A prospective study

In recent years, the video game industry has introduced Loot Box (LB), a new type of microtransaction in which a gamer uses real currency to purchase a random virtual item within a video game. Recently, LBs became more widespread and there is evidence suggesting their similarity to online gambling. Although some studies have investigated the association between LBs with disordered gaming and disordered gambling, very few have done so with clinical indicators of these problems. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge no longitudinal evidence of such relationships currently exists in the literature. Therefore, the present study aimed to 1) ascertain the stability of LB purchasing in minors and 2) investigate the associations between LB purchasing with gambling online and online gambling disorder within six months. A prospective cohort study was conducted at two time points six months apart. In total, 2.213 Spanish adolescents (1.067 [48.9%] boys) aged between 11 and 17 years participated in both waves. The purchase of LBs was prevalent and stable in the sample across the six months. While a positive relationship was found between purchasing LBs and online gambling six months later, the relationships between purchasing LBs and the presentation of online gambling disorder and gaming disorder require further study