Genetic variability in a Holstein population using SNP markers and their use for monitoring mating strategies

As genotyping costs continue to decrease, the demand for genotyping has increased among farmers. In most livestock herds, an important issue is controlling the increase in inbreeding coefficient. While this remains a large motive to genotype, producers are often unaware of the other benefits that genotyping could bring. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that SNP chips could be used as an effective herd management tool by utilizing a population of Italian Holstein-Friesian cattle. After filtering, the total number of animals and SNPs retained for analyses were 44 and 27,365, respectively. The principal component analyses (PCA) were able to identify a sire and origin-of-sire effect within the herd, while determining that sires do not influence individual genomic selection index values. The inbreeding coefficients calculated from genotypes (FIS) provided a glimpse into the herd\u2019s heterozygosity and determined that the genetic variability is being well maintained. On the other hand, inbreeding coefficients on the genomic level were deduced from runs of homozygosity (FROH) and were compared to the inbreeding coefficients based on pedigree (FPED). Furthermore, 1,950 runs of homozygosity (ROH) were identified with the average length of ROH being 4.66 Mb. Genes and QTL within the genomic regions most commonly associated (top 1% and top 5% of SNP) with ROH were characterized. These results indicate that genotyping small herds, albeit at low-density, provides insights to the genetic variability within the herd and thus allows producers the ability to manage their stock from a genetic standpoint

Characterization of Alternaria alternata Isolates from Tangerine Hybrids Affected by Brown Spot in Italy

Alternaria brown spot, caused by Alternaria alternata, is the most important disease of tangerines and their hybrids worldwide, including Italy. The disease represents, for some susceptible citrus cultivar, a limiting factor in profitable cultivation. The results of the characterization of A. alternata isolates obtained from lesions on leaves and fruits of Fortune, Nova and Winola hybrids and Valencia sweet orange, collected in two groves located in Calabria and Sicily, is reported. An endopolygalacturonase gene (endoPG) was sequenced from five representative strains and a phylogenetic tree based on endoPG sequence data of Italian isolates and those of citrus associated Alternaria species deposited in Genbank was constructed. Italian brown spot isolates were grouped both in clusters with brown spot isolates from different countries and in clusters with A. alternata isolates associated with other diseases of citrus. Intra-population variability was demonstrated by a fAFLP protocol. A primer pair combination was selected amongst four primer combinations and tested on 18 A. alternata isolates. Mixed populations of A. alternata were recovered in a single citrus grove in Calabria. No correlation was found among geographical origin, host, and year of isolation

Interstitial Cystitis – Elucidation of Psychophysiologic and Autonomic Characteristics (the ICEPAC Study): design and methods

Thomas Chelimsky,1 Gisela Chelimsky,1 N Patrick McCabe,2 Megan Louttit,3 Adonis Hijaz,3 Sangeeta Mahajan,3 Tatiana Sanses,3 CA Tony Buffington,4 Bradford Fenton,5 Thomas Janicki,3 Sarah Ialacci,2 Elias Veizi,3 Di Zhang,2 Firouz Daneshgari,2,3 Robert Elston,2 Jeffrey Janata2,31The Medical College of Wisconsin, Departments of Neurology and Gastroenterology, Milwaukee, WI, 2Case Western Reserve University, Department of Neurology, Cleveland, OH, 3University Hospitals Case Medical Center, School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 4The Ohio State University, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Columbus, OH, 5Summa Health System, Department of Gynecology, Akron, OH, USABackground and purpose: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is relatively common and associated with severe pain, yet effective treatment remains elusive. Research typically emphasized the bladder's role, but given the high presence of systemic comorbidities, the authors hypothesized a pathophysiologic nervous system role. This paper reports the methodology and approach to study the nervous system in women with IC/BPS. The study compares neurologic, urologic, gynecologic, autonomic, gastrointestinal, and psychological features of women with IC/BPS, their female relatives, women with myofascial pelvic pain (MPP), and healthy controls to elucidate the role of central and peripheral processing.Methods and results: In total, 228 women (76 IC/BPS, 76 MPP, 38 family members, and 38 healthy controls) will be recruited. Subjects undergo detailed screening, structured neurologic examination of limbs and pelvis, tender point examination, autonomic testing, electrogastrography, and assessment of comorbid functional dysautonomias. Interpreters are blinded to subject classification. Psychological and stress response characteristics are examined with assessments of stress, trauma history, general psychological function, and stress response quantification. As of December 2012, data collection is completed for 25 healthy controls, 33 IC/BPS ± MPP, eight MPP, and three family members. Recruitment rate is accelerating and strategies emphasize maintaining and encouraging investigator participation in study science, internet advertising, and presentations to pelvic pain support groups.Conclusion: The study represents a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to sampling autonomic and psychophysiologic characteristics of women with IC/BPS. Despite divergent opinions on study methodologies based on specialty experiences, the study has proven feasible to date and different perspectives have proved to be one of the greatest study strengths.Keywords: interstitial cystitis, bladder pain syndrome, autonomic nervous system, psychophysiology, pelvic pain, myofascial pai

Bacterial wilt and canker of tomato: fundamentals of a complex biological system

"Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is well-known as a model for study of plant–pathogen interactions, since it is a crop of global relevance and susceptible to multiple bacterial, fungal, viral and nematode pathogens. Among bacterial phytopathogens, the actinomycete Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm) is the causal agent of bacterial wilt and canker of tomato, considered a quarantine disease at international level. The tomato–Cmm interaction has been studied to decipher the pathogenicity mechanisms in Cmm, susceptibility mechanisms in tomato, molecular basis of resistance to Cmm in wild species relative to domesticated tomato, and the level of genetic variability in Cmm. The objective of this review is to discuss recent advances in tomato–Cmm compatible interaction, which can be integrated for application in early diagnosis and biological control of bacterial wilt and canker of tomato. Further study of plant–microorganism interactions is a promising field for improvements in tomato pathogen resistance.