Evidence for human-caused founder effect in populations of Solanum jamesii at archaeological sites: II. Genetic sequencing establishes ancient transport across the Southwest USA.

PREMISE: The domestication of wild plant species can begin with gathering and transport of propagules by Indigenous peoples. The effect on genomic composition, especially in clonal, self-incompatible perennials would be instantaneous and drastic with respect to new, anthropogenic populations subsequently established. Reductions in genetic diversity and mating capability would be symptomatic and the presence of unique alleles and genetic sequences would reveal the origins and ancestry of populations associated with archaeological sites. The current distribution of the Four Corners potato, Solanum jamesii Torr. in the Southwestern USA, may thus reflect the early stages of a domestication process that began with tuber transport. METHODS: Herein genetic sequencing (GBS) data are used to further examine the hypothesis of domestication in this culturally significant species by sampling 25 archaeological and non-archaeological populations. RESULTS: Archaeological populations from Utah, Colorado and northern Arizona have lower levels of polymorphic loci, unique alleles, and heterozygosity than non-archaeological populations from the Mogollon region of central Arizona and New Mexico. Principle components analysis, Fst values, and structure analysis revealed that genetic relationships among archaeological populations did not correspond to geographic proximity. Populations in Escalante, Utah were related to those on the Mogollon Rim (400 km south) and had multiple origins and significant disjunctions with those populations in Bears Ears, Chaco Canyon, and Mesa Verde sites. CONCLUSIONS: Movement of tubers from the Mogollon region may have occurred many times and in multiple directions during the past, resulting in the complex genetic patterns seen in populations from across the Four Corners region.

Reproducible Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance to Soft Rot Caused by Dickeya dianthicola Derived from the Wild Potato Solanum microdontum (PI 458355) Are Located on Chromosomes 1, 3, and 5.

The potato wild relative Solanum microdontum is a breeder-friendly source of genetic resistance to soft rot. Our objectives were to (i) identify loci associated with soft rot resistance in S. microdontum germplasm and (ii) develop bi-parental populations in a self-compatible S. tuberosum genetic background to recover segregating F2 progenies, construct a linkage map, and identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Under objective (i), tubers from 103 S. microdontum genotypes from the United States Potato Genebank were inoculated with a high virulence strain of Dickeya dianthicola, and lesion size was measured after a 24-h incubation period at 30°C. Association analysis using 3,490 polymorphic Infinium array SNP markers identified soft rot resistance loci on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, and 12. Under objective (ii), a resistant S. microdontum accession PI 458355 was crossed with a highly fertile, self-compatible, diploid S. tuberosum pollen parent (PI 654351) to generate segregating F2 populations. Composite interval mapping was conducted using a genetic linkage map with 970 GBS-based SNP markers. Reproducible QTLs were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, and 5, explaining 11, 13, and 23% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Homozygous S. microdontum alleles at the QTL on chromosome 5 and heterozygous or homozygous S. microdontum alleles at QTLs on chromosomes 1 and 3 significantly decrease lesion size compared with the homozygous S. tuberosum parent. The germplasm created in these studies provides a resource for studying traits from S. microdontum, and we can use the advanced F2 selections for future potato improvement. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

High regrowth of potato crop wild relative genotypes after cryogenic storage.

Potatoes are consumed by millions of people and are the survival food in several countries. Cultivated varieties of potato (Solanum tubersosum L.) are results of selection and crossing of many wild species. Only 8-13% of wild potato species used for food are preserved by either in situ or ex situ methods. The U.S. National Potato Germplasm Collection maintains over 5900 accessions, of which 75% are crop wild relatives (CWR). The objective of the study was to investigate regrowth of cryogenically stored clonal propagules (shoot tips) of selected CWR accessions maintained in the collection. Sixty-nine accessions from 30 Solanum species and six accessions that are not yet assigned to a species were cryopreserved by a droplet vitrification method at the NLGRP. The post cryopreservation regrowth varied from 40 to 100% (average 68%) but was not significantly different between the tested accessions. Regrowth of six accessions tested after 10 years of cryogenic storage was between 35 and 90% (average 66%) and was significantly different from their initial regrowth (average 87%); the largest viability loss was in S. condolleanum; but for the other five accessions the regrowth was between 45 and 90% (average 72%) and suggested at least 10 years of successful storage in LN was possible. Twelve potato wild species cryopreserved in this study were reported in literature as important for developing cultivated varieties for changed weather conditions.

Evidence for human-caused founder effect in populations of Solanum jamesii found at archaeological sites: I. Breeding experiments and the geography of sexual reproduction.

PREMISE: Plant domestication can be detected when transport, use, and manipulation of propagules impact reproductive functionality, especially in species with self-incompatible breeding systems. METHODS: Evidence for human-caused founder effect in the Four Corners potato (Solanum jamesii Torr.) was examined by conducting 526 controlled matings between archaeological and non-archaeological populations from field-collected tubers grown in a greenhouse. Specimens from 24 major herbaria and collection records from >160 populations were examined to determine which produced fruits. RESULTS: Archaeological populations did not produce any fruits when self-crossed or outcrossed between individuals from the same source. A weak ability to self- or outcross within populations was observed in non-archaeological populations. Outcrossing between archaeological and non-archaeological populations, however, produced fully formed, seed-containing fruits, especially with a non-archaeological pollen source. Fruit formation was observed in 51 of 162 occurrences, with minimal evidence of constraint by monsoonal drought, lack of pollinators, or spatial separation of suitable partners. Some archaeological populations (especially those along ancient trade routes) had records of fruit production (Chaco Canyon), while others (those in northern Arizona, western Colorado, and southern Utah) did not. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that archaeological populations could have different origins at different times-some descending directly from large gene pools to the south and others derived from gardens already established around occupations. The latter experienced a chain of founder events, which presumably would further reduce genetic diversity and mating capability. Consequently, some archaeological populations lack the genetic ability to sexually reproduce, likely as the result of human-caused founder effect.

Carers of older adults' satisfaction with public mental health service clinicians: a qualitative study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our paper was to explore primary caregivers' experience of the way public mental health nurses and other mental health clinicians responded to them as primary carers of older adults with mental illness. BACKGROUND: As populations age, the prevalence of mental illness in older adults will increase and the burden of care placed on family carers will intensify. While family carers are essential to the well-being and quality of life of older adults with mental illness, they frequently experience marginalisation from clinicians. DESIGN: An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used to inform data collection and analysis. METHOD: Individual, semistructured, audio-recorded qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 30 primary carers. RESULTS: Two themes were abstracted from the data highlighting carers' contrasting satisfaction with, and delivery of culturally competent care by, clinicians. A third theme, strategies for enhancing carers' experience of care, incorporated carers' suggestions about ways to strengthen their experience of caring. CONCLUSION: Although some primary carers had favourable experiences with clinicians, most were dissatisfied and this, in turn, clouded their overall experience of caring. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our findings have implications for the provision of education, ongoing support for, and building the cultural competence of, clinicians about working with carers. They also highlight the need for a change in organisational and practice culture to encompass mutual respect and partnership with carers within the context of the providing person-centred care for carers and older adults with mental illness.

Potato soup: analysis of cultivated potato gene bank populations reveals high diversity and little structure.

Cultivated potatoes are incredibly diverse, ranging from diploid to pentaploid and encompass four different species. They are adapted to disparate environments and conditions and carry unique alleles for resistance to pests and pathogens. Describing how diversity is partitioned within and among these populations is essential to understanding the potato genome and effectively utilizing landraces in breeding. This task is complicated by the difficulty of making comparisons across cytotypes and extensive admixture within section petota. We genotyped 730 accessions from the US Potato genebank including wild diploids and cultivated diploids and tetraploids using Genotype-by-sequencing. This data set allowed us to interrogate population structure and diversity as well as generate core subsets which will support breeders in efficiently screening genebank material for biotic and abiotic stress resistance alleles. We found that even controlling for ploidy, tetraploid material exhibited higher observed and expected heterozygosity than diploid accessions. In particular group chilotanum material was the most heterozygous and the only taxa not to exhibit any inbreeding. This may in part be because group chilotanum has a history of introgression not just from wild species, but landraces as well. All group chilotanum, exhibits introgression from group andigenum except clones from Southern South America near its origin, where the two groups are not highly differentiated. Moving north, we do not observe evidence for the same level of admixture back into group andigenum. This suggests that extensive history of admixture is a particular characteristic of chilotanum.

An international breeding project using a wild potato relative Solanum commersonii resulted in two new frost-tolerant native potato cultivars for the Andes and the Altiplano.

This breeding project, initiated at the United States Potato Genebank (USPG) in collaboration with Peruvian partners Instituto Nacional de Innovacion Agraria (INIA), International Potato Center, Peru (CIP), and local farmers, sought to enhance cold hardiness and frost tolerance in native potato cultivars in Peru. The Andes and Altiplano are often affected by frost, which causes significant reduction in yield; creating varieties with superior resilience is a critical undertaking. The goal was to transfer outstanding non-acclimated cold tolerance and acclimation capacity found in wild potato species Solanum commersonii (cmm). Breeding families segregating for cold hardiness were created using (a) a somatic hybrid cmm + haploid Solanum tuberosum (tbr) (cv. Superior, US variety from Wisconsin) as male and (b) seven cultivars native to Peru of the species S. tuberosum sbsp. andigenum (adg) as females. All plant materials were part of the USPG germplasm collection. Sexual seeds of each family were sent to Peru for evaluations under the natural conditions of the Andean highlands and Altiplano. The plants were assessed for their response to frost, and genotypes showing exceptional tolerance were selected. Plants were also evaluated for good tuber traits and yield. Initial planting involving ~2,500 seedlings in five locations resulted in selecting 58 genotypes with exceptional frost tolerance, good recovery capacity after frost, and good tuber traits. Over the years, evaluations continued and were expanded to replicated field trials in the harsher conditions of the Altiplano (Puno). All trials confirmed consistency of frost tolerance over time and location, tuber quality, and yield. After 8 years, two advanced clones were considered for cultivar release because of their exceptional frost tolerance and superior field productivity that outyielded many of the established cultivars in the region. In November 2018, a new native cultivar named Wiñay, a Quechua word meaning "to grow" was released in Peru. In 2022, a second cultivar followed with the name Llapanchispaq (meaning "for all of us"). This project evidenced that a multinational and all-encompassing approach to deploy valuable genetic diversity can work and deliver effective results. This is even more significant when outcomes can promote food security and sustainability in very vulnerable regions of the world.

Use of the program explication method to explore the benefits of a service for homeless and marginalized young people.

Maintaining the alignment between the dynamic development of health and social services and the rapidly advancing scientific evaluation literature is a central challenge facing service administrators. We describe "program explication," a consulting method designed to assist services to identify and review implicit program logic assumptions against the evaluation literature. Program explication initially facilitates agency staff to identify and document service components and activities considered critical for improving client outcomes. Program assumptions regarding the relationship between service activities and client outcomes are then examined against available scientific evidence. We demonstrate the application of this method using an example of its use in reviewing a service for homeless young people operating in Melbourne, Australia, known as the Young People's Health Service (YPHS). The YPHS involved 21 activities organized within 4 components. The intended benefits of each of the activities were coherently articulated and logically consistent. Our literature search revealed moderate to strong evidence for around 1 quarter of the activities. The program explication method proved feasible for describing and appraising the YPHS service assumptions, thereby enhancing service evaluability.

Utilising implementation science in building research and evaluation capacity in community health.

It is becoming increasingly important for the community health sector to provide evidence of practice and program effectiveness. Unfortunately many community health centres do not have the capacity to provide such evidence and require the implementation of innovative changes within their organisation to develop their capacity to conduct research and evaluation. In this paper we present our project in which we utilised Donald Ely's model to build research and evaluation capacity in a community health centre. We utilised a qualitative research method that incorporated a co-operative inquiry action research design. Qualitative research methods incorporated data from semi-structured interviews, observations and the recording of relevant meetings. The data were analysed by means of thematic analysis. We found that to successfully build research and evaluation capacity entails the application of a model that is capable of not only addressing significant issues in implementation but that can also identify the conditions within an organisation that are important to achieve change. Ely's Conditions for Change model was most appropriate to implement the necessary changes.

Family recovery from youth substance use related problems: a pilot study of the BEST Plus program.

Youth substance use related problems are increasingly common, and families experience considerable stress in attempting to cope with these problems. A pilot study of 34 Australian parents from 21 families (38% sole parent families) participating in an 8-week group program, designed to assist families recover from youth substance use related problems, provided the context to explore family change processes. Participants reported a number of significant improvements over the course of the four groups that ran from late 2003 and through 2004. Regression analyses found general support for the program logic model in identifying significant associations between program-targeted parent changes and post-program improvements in stress symptoms and cohesive family behaviors. The study's limitations are noted.

Including the siblings of youth substance abusers in a parent-focused intervention: a pilot test of the Best Plus program.

Substance use is common among young people and can escalate into significant problems for affected individuals and their families. Family responses can influence the course of youth substance use and its consequences for family members, including parents and siblings. Family-level interventions developed to date have neglected the important role that siblings can play. This article describes a pilot test of an intervention designed to assist parents and siblings affected by youth substance use and related problems. The BEST Plus intervention consisting of professionally-led, multifamily groups sequenced over eight sessions is described with reference to the intended therapeutic processes. Professionally observed and self-reported changes for family participants including siblings suggested that the program had a beneficial therapeutic impact. This evaluation of early impacts suggests the BEST Plus program offers a promising means of assisting families to respond to substance use problems in young people.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with high folate content in wild potato species.

Micronutrient deficiency, also known as the hidden hunger, affects over two billion people worldwide. Potato is the third most consumed food crops in the world, and is therefore a fundamental element of food security for millions of people. Increasing the amount of micronutrients in food crop could help alleviate worldwide micronutrient malnutrition. In the present study, we report on the identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with folate, an essential micronutrient in the human diet. A high folate diploid clone Fol 1.6 from the wild potato relative Solanum boliviense (PI 597736) was crossed with a low/medium folate diploid S. tuberosum clone USW4self#3. The resulting F1 progeny was intermated to generate an F2 population, and tubers from 94 F2 individuals were harvested for folate analysis and SNP genotyping using a SolCap 12K Potato SNP array. Folate content in the progeny ranged from 304 to 2,952 ng g-1 dry weight. 6,759 high quality SNPs containing 4,174 (62%) polymorphic and 2,585 (38%) monomorphic SNPs were used to investigate marker-trait association. Association analysis was performed using two different approaches: survey SNP-trait association (SSTA) and SNP-trait association (STA). A total of 497 significant SNPs were identified, 489 by SSTA analysis and 43 by STA analysis. Markers identified by SSTA were located on all twelve chromosomes while those identified by STA were confined to chromosomes 2, 4, and 6. Eighteen of the significant SNPs were located within or in close proximity to folate metabolism-related genes. Forty two SNPs were identical between SSTA and STA analyses. These SNPs have potential to be used in marker-assisted selection for breeding high folate potato varieties.

Family carers' experience of caring for an older parent with severe and persistent mental illness.

While the burden of caring for older people with chronic medical illness and dementia has been well documented, considerably less is known about how carers develop the strength and resilience to sustain this important role with older family members with mental illness. The aim of the study was to understand the lived experience of primary caregivers of older people with severe and persistent mental illness, and to explore what, if anything, helps to sustain them in their caring role. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was adopted, and qualitative interviews were used with 30 primary caregivers. Two overarching themes, and related subthemes, were abstracted from the data. First, caring is a difficult and demanding responsibility. It affects carers adversely, emotionally, physically, socially, and financially, and their lifestyle in general. This is reflected in three subthemes: (i) physically and emotionally draining; (ii) grieving about the loss; (iii) and adverse effects on lifestyle and social relationships. Second, carers develop resilience in caring, which helps sustain them in their role, as illustrated in three subthemes: (i) caring as purposeful and satisfying; (ii) harnessing social support from others; and (iii) purposefully maintaining their own well-being. Community mental health nurses have a key role in assessing carers' needs and supporting them in their caring role.

Exploring Folate Diversity in Wild and Primitive Potatoes for Modern Crop Improvement.

Malnutrition is one of the world's largest health concerns. Folate (also known as vitamin B9) is essential in the human diet, and without adequate folate intake, several serious health concerns, such as congenital birth defects and an increased risk of stroke and heart disease, can occur. Most people's folate intake remains sub-optimal, even in countries that have a folic acid food fortification program in place. Staple crops, such as potatoes, represent an appropriate organism for biofortification through traditional breeding based on their worldwide consumption and the fact that modern cultivars only contain about 6% of the daily recommended intake of folate. To start breeding potatoes with enhanced folate content, high folate potato material must be identified. In this study, 250 individual plants from 77 accessions and 10 Solanum species were screened for their folate content using a tri-enzyme extraction and microbial assay. There was a 10-fold range of folate concentrations among individuals. Certain individuals within the species Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum, Solanum vernei and Solanum boliviense have the potential to produce more than double the folate concentrations of commercial cultivars, such as Russet Burbank. Our results show that tapping into the genetic diversity of potato is a promising approach to increase the folate content of this important crop.

Taxonomy and Genetic Differentiation among Wild and Cultivated Germplasm of Solanum sect. Petota.

Because of their adaptation to a diverse set of habitats and stresses, wild species of cultivated crops offer new sources of genetic diversity for germplasm improvement. Using an Infinium array representing a genome-wide set of 8303 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), phylogenetic relationships and allelic diversity were evaluated within a diversity panel of germplasm from Solanum sect. Petota. This panel consists of 74 plant introductions (PIs) representing 25 species and provides a diverse representation of tuber-bearing Solanum germplasm. Unlike other molecular markers, genome-wide SNPs have not been widely implemented in potato. To determine relatedness between current species classifications and SNP-based genetic distances, a phylogeny was generated based on random individuals from each core collection PI. With few exceptions, SNP-based estimates of species relationships revealed general agreement with the existing taxonomic grouping of species in Solanum sect. Petota. Genotype comparisons between the Solanum sect. Petota diversity panel and a panel of 213 tetraploid cultivars and breeding lines indicated a greater extent of diversity between populations of native Andean landraces than among modern cultivated varieties. Comparison of SNP allele frequencies between the Solanum sect. Petota panel and tetraploid cultivars identified loci with extreme divergence between cultivated potato and its tuber-bearing relatives. Several of these loci are associated with genes related to carbohydrate metabolism and tuber development, suggesting potential roles in potato domestication. The Infinium SNP data offer a new taxonomic view of potato germplasm, while further identifying candidate alleles likely to differentiate wild germplasm and cultivated potato, possibly underlying key agronomic traits.

Antiproliferative activity and cytotoxicity of Solanum jamesii tuber extracts on human colon and prostate cancer cells in vitro.

Some tuber-bearing wild potato species are reportedly higher in potential health-promoting traits, such as antioxidant activity (AOA) and total phenolic content (TP), than commercial cultivars; therefore, they could be used as parental material in breeding for high AOA and TP. However, using wild species might result in progenies that are toxic for human consumption because of the presence of high total glycoalkaloids (TGAs) and other unknown compounds. Therefore, wild potato accessions should be screened for cytotoxicity before their introduction into breeding programs. The objective of this study was to investigate antiproliferative activity and cytotoxicity of tuber extracts from 15 Solanum jamesii accessions on human HT-29 colon and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines in vitro. Also, correlations among AOA, TP, TGA, and antiproliferative activity were determined. The tuber extracts significantly inhibited proliferation of HT-29 and LNCaP cell lines and were not cytotoxic to the cells compared to the control (DMSO). The antiproliferative activity exhibited by tuber extracts was not due to necrosis, because the amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released from cells incubated with the extracts was not significantly different from that released from cells incubated without extracts (control). Colon cancer cells were more responsive to tuber extract treatment than prostate cancer cells. In both HT-29 and LNCaP cells, there were no observable significant correlations between antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS) and inhibition of cell proliferation or between TP and cell proliferation inhibition. Also, glycoalkaloids did not exhibit significant correlations with the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Findings of this study show that S. jamesii accessions probably pose no cytotoxic effects when used as parental material in improving the nutritional value of potato cultivars. Correlation results, along with cell proliferation data, suggest that not only the compounds measured in this study but also other bioactive compounds present in the matrix acting additively or synergistically may be more responsible for the antiproliferative effects of potato tuber extracts than higher concentrations of a single or group of compounds.

The R1 resistance gene cluster contains three groups of independently evolving, type I R1 homologues and shows substantial structural variation among haplotypes of Solanum demissum.

Cultivated and wild potatoes contain a major disease-resistance cluster on the short arm of chromosome V, including the R1 resistance (R) gene against potato late blight. To explore the functional and evolutionary significance of clustering in the generation of novel disease-resistance genes, we constructed three approximately 1 Mb physical maps in the R1 gene region, one for each of the three genomes (haplotypes) of allohexaploid Solanum demissum, the wild potato progenitor of the R1 locus. Totals of 691, 919 and 559 kb were sequenced for each haplotype, and three distinct resistance-gene families were identified, one homologous to the potato R1 gene and two others homologous to either the Prf or the Bs4 R-gene of tomato. The regions with R1 homologues are highly divergent among the three haplotypes, in contrast to the conserved flanking non-resistance gene regions. The R1 locus shows dramatic variation in overall length and R1 homologue number among the three haplotypes. Sequence comparisons of the R1 homologues show that they form three distinct clades in a distance tree. Frequent sequence exchanges were detected among R1 homologues within each clade, but not among those in different clades. These frequent sequence exchanges homogenized the intron sequences of homologues within each clade, but did not homogenize the coding sequences. Our results suggest that the R1 homologues represent three independent groups of fast-evolving type I resistance genes, characterized by chimeric structures resulting from frequent sequence exchanges among group members. Such genes were first identified among clustered RGC2 genes in lettuce, where they were distinguished from slow-evolving type II R-genes. Our findings at the R1 locus in S. demissum may indicate that a common or similar mechanism underlies the previously reported differentiation of type I and type II R-genes and the differentiation of type I R-genes into distinct groups, identified here.