Digital self-aligned focusing schlieren.

In this Letter, a digital self-aligned focusing schlieren (D-SAFS) system is introduced. This system uses a digital transparent micro liquid crystal display (µLCD), in combination with a linear polarizer, to act on the linear polarization state of light transmitted in both the forward and reverse directions, essentially acting as both the source and cutoff grids. The use of the µLCD display allows for on-the-fly changes to the cutoff pattern type, spatial frequency, and orientation. This eliminates the need to physically access the source/cutoff grid in order to optimize the instrument's sensitivity, which is necessary with a conventional self-aligned focusing schlieren (SAFS) system.

Characterization of a new greenbug resistance gene Gb9 in a synthetic hexaploid wheat.

Greenbug [Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)] is a serious insect pest that not only damages cereal crops, but also transmits several destructive viruses. The emergence of new greenbug biotypes in the field makes it urgent to identify novel greenbug resistance genes in wheat. CWI 76364 (PI 703397), a synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) line, exhibits greenbug resistance. Evaluation of an F2:3 population from cross OK 14319 × CWI 76364 indicated that a dominant gene, designated Gb9, conditions greenbug resistance in CWI 76364. Selective genotyping of a subset of F2 plants with contrasting phenotypes by genotyping-by-sequencing identified 25 SNPs closely linked to Gb9 on chromosome arm 7DL. Ten of these SNPs were converted to Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) markers for genotyping the entire F2 population. Genetic analysis delimited Gb9 to a 0.6-Mb interval flanked by KASP markers located at 599,835,668 bp (Stars-KASP872) and 600,471,081 bp (Stars-KASP881) on 7DL. Gb9 was 0.5 cM distal to Stars-KASP872 and 0.5 cM proximal to Stars-KASP881. Allelism tests indicated that Gb9 is a new greenbug resistance gene which confers resistance to greenbug biotypes C, E, H, I, and TX1. TX1 is one of the most widely virulent biotypes and has overcome most known wheat greenbug resistance genes. The introgression of Gb9 into locally adapted wheat cultivars is of economic importance, and the KASP markers developed in this study can be used to tag Gb9 in cultivar development.

Characterization of Quantitative Trait Loci for Leaf Rust Resistance in the Uzbekistani Wheat Landrace Teremai Bugdai.

Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina, is a major cause of wheat yield losses globally, and novel leaf rust resistance genes are needed to enhance wheat leaf rust resistance. Teremai Bugdai is a landrace from Uzebekistan that is highly resistant to many races of P. triticina in the United States. To unravel leaf rust resistance loci in Teremai Bugdai, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of Teremai Bugdai × TAM 110 was evaluated for response to P. triticina race Pt54-1 (TNBGJ) and genotyped using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated by genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis using 5,130 high-quality GBS-SNPs revealed three QTLs, QLr-Stars-2DS, QLr-Stars-6BL, and QLr.Stars-7BL, for leaf rust resistance in two experiments. QLr-Stars-2DS, which is either a new Lr2 allele or a new resistance locus, was delimited to an ∼19.47-Mb interval between 46.4 and 65.9 Mb on 2DS and explained 31.3 and 33.2% of the phenotypic variance in the two experiments. QLr-Stars-6BL was mapped in an ∼84.0-kb interval between 719.48 and 719.56 Mb on 6BL, accounting for 33 to 36.8% of the phenotypic variance in two experiments. QLr.Stars-7BL was placed in a 350-kb interval between 762.41 and 762.76 Mb on 7BL and explained 4.4 to 5.3% of the phenotypic variance. Nine GBS-SNPs flanking these QTLs were converted to kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers, and these markers can be used to facilitate their introgression into locally adapted wheat lines.

Identification, validation and biological characterisation of novel glioblastoma tumour microenvironment subtypes: implications for precision immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: New precision medicine therapies are urgently required for glioblastoma (GBM). However, to date, efforts to subtype patients based on molecular profiles have failed to direct treatment strategies. We hypothesised that interrogation of the GBM tumour microenvironment (TME) and identification of novel TME-specific subtypes could inform new precision immunotherapy treatment strategies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A refined and validated microenvironment cell population (MCP) counter method was applied to >800 GBM patient tumours (GBM-MCP-counter). Specifically, partition around medoids (PAM) clustering of GBM-MCP-counter scores in the GLIOTRAIN discovery cohort identified three novel patient clusters, uniquely characterised by TME composition, functional orientation markers and immune checkpoint proteins. Validation was carried out in three independent GBM-RNA-seq datasets. Neoantigen, mutational and gene ontology analysis identified mutations and uniquely altered pathways across subtypes. The longitudinal Glioma Longitudinal AnalySiS (GLASS) cohort and three immunotherapy clinical trial cohorts [treatment with neoadjuvant/adjuvant anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or PSVRIPO] were further interrogated to assess subtype alterations between primary and recurrent tumours and to assess the utility of TME classifiers as immunotherapy biomarkers. RESULTS: TMEHigh tumours (30%) displayed elevated lymphocyte, myeloid cell immune checkpoint, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 transcripts. TMEHigh/mesenchymal+ patients featured tertiary lymphoid structures. TMEMed (46%) tumours were enriched for endothelial cell gene expression profiles and displayed heterogeneous immune populations. TMELow (24%) tumours were manifest as an 'immune-desert' group. TME subtype transitions upon recurrence were identified in the longitudinal GLASS cohort. Assessment of GBM immunotherapy trial datasets revealed that TMEHigh patients receiving neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 had significantly increased overall survival (P = 0.04). Moreover, TMEHigh patients treated with adjuvant anti-PD-1 or oncolytic virus (PVSRIPO) showed a trend towards improved survival. CONCLUSIONS: We have established a novel TME-based classification system for application in intracranial malignancies. TME subtypes represent canonical 'termini a quo' (starting points) to support an improved precision immunotherapy treatment approach.

Weighted kernels improve multi-environment genomic prediction.

Crucial to variety improvement programs is the reliable and accurate prediction of genotype's performance across environments. However, due to the impactful presence of genotype by environment (G×E) interaction that dictates how changes in expression and function of genes influence target traits in different environments, prediction performance of genomic selection (GS) using single-environment models often falls short. Furthermore, despite the successes of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the genetic insights derived from genome-to-phenome mapping have not yet been incorporated in predictive analytics, making GS models that use Gaussian kernel primarily an estimator of genomic similarity, instead of the underlying genetics characteristics of the populations. Here, we developed a GS framework that, in addition to capturing the overall genomic relationship, can capitalize on the signal of genetic associations of the phenotypic variation as well as the genetic characteristics of the populations. The capacity of predicting the performance of populations across environments was demonstrated by an overall gain in predictability up to 31% for the winter wheat DH population. Compared to Gaussian kernels, we showed that our multi-environment weighted kernels could better leverage the significance of genetic associations and yielded a marked improvement of 4-33% in prediction accuracy for half-sib families. Furthermore, the flexibility incorporated in our Bayesian implementation provides the generalizable capacity required for predicting multiple highly genetic heterogeneous populations across environments, allowing reliable GS for genetic improvement programs that have no access to genetically uniform material.

Identification of a Novel Pm65 Allele Conferring a Wide Spectrum of Resistance to Powdery Mildew in Wheat Accession PI 351817.

Powdery mildew is caused by the highly adaptive biotrophic fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici infecting wheat worldwide. Novel powdery mildew resistance genes are urgently needed that can be used rapidly in wheat cultivar development with minimal disruption of trait advances elsewhere. PI 351817 is a German cultivar exhibiting a wide spectrum of resistance to B. graminis f. sp. tritici isolates collected from different wheat-growing regions of the United States. Evaluation of an F2 population and 237 F2:3 lines derived from OK1059060-2C14 × PI 351817 for responses to B. graminis f. sp. tritici isolate OKS(14)-B-3-1 identified a single dominant gene, designated Pm351817, for powdery mildew resistance in PI 351817. Using bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, Pm351817 was mapped in the terminal region of the long arm of chromosome 2A. Deep sequencing of the genotyping-by-sequencing libraries of the two parental lines identified a set of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in the 2AL candidate gene region. Those SNP markers was subsequently converted to Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers for genotyping the mapping population. Linkage analysis delimited Pm351817 to a 634-kb interval between Stars-KASP656 (771,207,512 bp) and Stars-KASP662 (771,841,609 bp) on 2AL, based on the Chinese Spring reference sequence IWGSC RefSeq v 2.1. Tests of allelism indicated that Pm351817 is located at the Pm65 locus. Pm351817 shows resistance to all B. graminis f. sp. tritici isolates used in this study and can be used to enhance powdery mildew resistance in the United States. KASP markers flanking Pm351817 can be used to select Pm351817 in wheat breeding programs after further tests for polymorphism.

Colinear focused laser differential interferometry and self-aligned focusing schlieren.

A colinear focused laser differential interferometer (FLDI) and self-aligned focusing schlieren (SAFS) system has been assembled and tested in the laboratory, using a turbulent jet of compressed air issuing from a small needle nozzle to provide a high frequency density object. Measurements verified that the coupling of the SAFS system onto the optical axis of the FLDI system had negligible influence on the FLDI system's data, including tests that assessed the influence of the inclusion of dichroic mirrors, dichroic mirror reflection angle, dichroic mirror positioning relative to the Wollaston prisms of the FLDI system, and SAFS light propagation direction. A qualitative comparison of the focusing ability of the two systems was made, and FLDI power spectral density estimates and SAFS spectral proper orthogonal decomposition were used for quantitative comparisons of the acoustic frequency of the jet, with good agreement between the two. The success of the system integration and resulting jet testing demonstrates the utility of this colinear, simultaneous FLDI/SAFS measurement system.

Topographic hydro-conditioning to resolve surface depression storage and ponding in a fully distributed hydrologic model.

Land surface depressions play a central role in the transformation of rainfall to ponding, infiltration and runoff, yet digital elevation models (DEMs) used by spatially distributed hydrologic models that resolve land surface processes rarely capture land surface depressions at spatial scales relevant to this transformation. Methods to generate DEMs through processing of remote sensing data, such as optical and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) have favored surfaces without depressions to avoid adverse slopes that are problematic for many hydrologic routing methods. Here we present a new topographic conditioning workflow, Depression-Preserved DEM Processing (D2P) algorithm, which is designed to preserve physically meaningful surface depressions for depression-integrated and efficient hydrologic modeling. D2P includes several features: (1) an adaptive screening interval for delineation of depressions, (2) the ability to filter out anthropogenic land surface features (e.g., bridges), (3) the ability to blend river smoothing (e.g., a general downslope profile) and depression resolving functionality. From a case study in the Goodwin Creek Experimental Watershed, D2P successfully resolved 86% of the ponds at a DEM resolution of 10 m. Topographic conditioning was achieved with minimum impact as D2P reduced the number of modified cells from the original DEM by 51% compared to a conventional algorithm. Furthermore, hydrologic simulation using a D2P processed DEM resulted in a more robust characterization on surface water dynamics based on higher surface water storage as well as an attenuated and delayed peak streamflow.

Rise Above the Competition: How Do Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants with NCAA Experience Fare in the Residency Match?

BACKGROUND: The integrated plastic surgery residency match continues to be highly competitive. Every year, some candidates are former NCAA athletes. While it is challenging to balance academic and athletic responsibilities, participation in NCAA sports may be predictive of continued success. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of participation in collegiate athletics on applicant anticipated rank and academic success. METHODS: All applications received from 2017 to 2020 at a single institution were reviewed for participation in NCAA athletics (Division I-III). Our primary outcome of interest was applicant anticipated rank by letter of reference writers. Applications were also examined for demographic information, membership in AOA, number of research publications, and USMLE board certification examination scores. RESULTS: After reviewing 885 applications, 61 applicants (6.89%) were former NCAA athletes. Former NCAA involvement was associated with the highest effect on anticipated ranking (- 0.22, p=0.001). Former NCAA involvement demonstrated the highest odds of receiving an anticipated ranking in the top 5 (OR 1.83, p=0.025). We found no significant difference in research productivity between the two groups, including first authorships or USMLE Step 1 board certification exam scores. A significant difference was seen in race distribution, with forty-five (80.4%) of athlete applicants identifying as Caucasian, while 430 (56.5%) of non-athletes identified as Caucasian (p=0.012). CONCLUSION: Former athletes applying to become integrated plastic surgery residents overcome the challenges of balancing athletic and academic pursuits with a higher anticipated rank in the integrated plastic surgery match while having comparable academic achievement. Former collegiate athletes have demonstrated greater success in and after residency. Former NCAA participation demonstrated the highest odds of receiving a top-5 rank. Former NCAA applicants showed no difference in academic productivity LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: Case series study. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors   www.springer.com/00266 .

Toward improved sediment management and coastal resilience through efficient permitting in California.

The value of sediment for helping coastal habitats and infrastructure respond to sea level rise is widely recognized. Across the country, coastal managers are seeking ways to beneficially use sediment sourced from dredging and other projects to counter coastal erosion and protect coastal resources. However, these projects are difficult to permit and have been slow to actualize. This paper draws on interviews with sediment managers and regulators in California to explore the challenges and opportunities for habitat restoration and beach nourishment within the current permitting regime. We find that permits are costly, difficult to obtain, and sometimes stand as a barrier to more sustainable and adaptive sediment management. We next characterize streamlining approaches and describe entities and ongoing efforts within California that apply them. Finally, we conclude that to keep pace with coastal losses due to climate change impacts, efforts toward efficient permitting must be accelerated and approaches diversified to support coastal resilience practices state-wide, in a timeframe that will allow coastal managers to innovate and adapt.

Identification and characterization of the novel leaf rust resistance gene Lr81 in wheat.

KEY MESSAGE: The novel, leaf rust seedling resistance gene, Lr81, was identified in a Croatian breeding line and mapped to a genomic region of less than 100 Kb on chromosome 2AS. Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina, is the most common and widespread rust disease in wheat. Races of Puccinia triticina evolve rapidly in the southern Great Plains of the USA, and leaf rust resistance genes often lose effectiveness shortly after deployment in wheat production. PI 470121, a wheat breeding line developed by the University of Zagreb in Croatia, showed high resistance to Puccinia triticina races collected from Oklahoma, suggesting that PI 470121 could be a leaf rust resistance source for the southern Great Plains of the USA. Genetic analysis based on an F2 population and F2:3 families derived from the cross PI 470121 × Stardust indicated that PI 470121 carries a dominant seedling resistance gene, designated as Lr81. Linkage mapping delimited Lr81 to a genomic region of 96,148 bp flanked by newly developed KASP markers Xstars-KASP320 and Xstars-KASP323 on the short arm of chromosome 2A, spanning 67,030,206-67,132,354 bp in the Chinese Spring reference assembly (IWGSC RefSeq v1.0). Deletion bin mapping assigned Lr81 to the terminal bin 2AS-0.78-1.00. Allelism tests indicated that Lr81 is a distinctive leaf rust resistance locus with the physical order Lr65-Lr17-Lr81. Marker-assisted selection based on a set of markers closely linked to leaf rust resistance genes in PI 470121 and Stardust enabled identification of a recombinant inbred line RIL92 carrying Lr81 only. Lr81 is a valuable leaf rust resistance source that can be rapidly introgressed into locally adapted cultivars using KASP markers Xstars-KASP320 and Xstars-KASP323.

Projection background-oriented schlieren.

A background-oriented schlieren (BOS) system is developed with two benefits over traditional BOS systems. First, the dot pattern required for BOS is projected onto a retroreflective background instead of being painted/printed onto the material itself, allowing for on-the-fly updates to the size and distribution of the dot pattern. Second, a reference image is acquired for every flow image so that real-time BOS images can be displayed, and a flow-off reference image need not be acquired if the projected dot pattern is changed during a run for BOS signal optimization. The system can be made very compact, can be converted quickly to operate as a shadowgraph system, and can be integrated with polarization optics that reduce glare/reflections from wind tunnel windows.

Design and experimental testing of a force-augmenting exoskeleton for the human hand.

BACKGROUND: Many older Americans suffer from long-term upper limb dysfunction, decreased grip strength, and/or a reduced ability to hold objects due to injuries and a variety of age-related illnesses. The objective of this study was to design and build a five-fingered powered assistive exoskeleton for the human hand, and to validate its ability to augment the gripping and pinching efforts of the wearer and assist in performing ADLs. METHODS: The exoskeleton device was designed using CAD software and 3-D printed in ABS. Each finger's movement efforts were individually monitored by a force sensing resistor at each fingertip, and proportionally augmented via the microcontroller-based control scheme, linear actuators, and rigid exoskeleton structure. The force production of the device and the force augmenting capability were assessed on ten healthy individuals with one 5-digit grasping test, three pinching tests, and two functional tests. RESULTS: Use of the device significantly decreased the forearm muscle activity necessary to maintain a grasping effort (67%, p < 0.001), the larger of two pinching efforts (30%, p < 0.05), and the palmer pinching effort (67%, p < 0.001); however, no benefit by wearing the device was identified while maintaining a minimal pinching effort or attempting one of the functional tests. CONCLUSION: The exoskeleton device allowed subjects to maintain independent control of each digit, and while wearing the exoskeleton, in both the unpowered and powered states, subjects were able to grasp, hold, and move objects such as a water bottle, bag, smartphone, or dry-erase marker.

The Relationship Between Neuropsychiatric Diagnoses and Revision Surgery After Breast Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: A neuropsychiatric diagnosis (ND) has the potential to affect patient satisfaction after breast reconstruction. However, literature regarding the interplay between neuropsychiatric diagnoses and revision operations after reconstruction remains sparse. In this study, we aim to determine whether neuropsychiatric diagnoses result in increased revision operations and healthcare utilization of plastic surgery resources after alloplastic and autologous breast reconstruction. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 200 patients from 2010 to 2019 who underwent postmastectomy alloplastic or autologous breast reconstruction by a single surgeon at our institution. We evaluated for the presence of neuropsychiatric diagnoses, type of neuropsychiatric diagnoses, number of revisions, and number of postreconstruction plastic surgery appointments. Continuous variables were compared using independent samples t tests, and categorical variables were compared using χ 2 tests. RESULTS: Of the 196 patients who met inclusion criteria, the majority underwent at least one revision (65.3%). The presence of an ND did not predict a higher number of revision operations ( P = 0.512) nor was the timing of the diagnosis (preoperative vs postoperative) significantly associated with the number of revision procedures ( P = 0.156). The patients who had a ND at any point during the reconstructive process had a significantly higher number of plastic surgery appointments and a longer duration of follow-up compared with the patients without any neuropsychiatric diagnoses ( P = 0.009 and P = 0.040, respectively). Complications did not impact the number of revision operations ( P = 0.780). CONCLUSIONS: Neuropsychiatric diagnoses do not significantly influence the number of revision operations after breast reconstruction. However, neuropsychiatric diagnoses result in increased healthcare utilization of plastic surgery resources that may lead to increased healthcare costs.

Rapid High-Throughput Whole-Genome Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 by Using One-Step Reverse Transcription-PCR Amplification with an Integrated Microfluidic System and Next-Generation Sequencing.

The long-lasting global COVID-19 pandemic demands timely genomic investigation of SARS-CoV-2 viruses. Here, we report a simple and efficient workflow for whole-genome sequencing utilizing one-step reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) amplification on a microfluidic platform, followed by MiSeq amplicon sequencing. The method uses Fluidigm integrated fluidic circuit (IFC) and instruments to amplify 48 samples with 39 pairs of primers, including 35 custom-designed primer pairs and four additional primer pairs from the ARTIC network protocol v3. Application of this method on RNA samples from both viral isolates and clinical specimens demonstrates robustness and efficiency in obtaining the full genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2.

Compact, self-aligned focusing schlieren system.

A novel, to the best of our knowledge, compact, self-aligned focusing schlieren system is presented that eliminates the need for a separate source grid and cutoff grid. A single grid element serves both to generate a projected source grid onto a retroreflective background and act as the cutoff grid for the reflected light. This is made possible by manipulating the polarization of light through the system. The use of only a single grid element eliminates the need to create a cutoff grid that is perfectly matched and scaled to the source grid, and removes the need to align the source and cutoff grids to each other. The sensitivity to density objects is adjustable with the use of a polarizing prism. Images obtained with this system show operation similar to existing focusing schlieren systems, but with much reduced complexity and setup time. Images taken with acrylic windows placed normal to the optical axis further demonstrate the system's utility for wind tunnel measurements.

Characterization of wheat curl mite resistance gene Cmc4 in OK05312.

KEY MESSAGE: Cmc4, a wheat curl mite resistance gene, was delimited to a 523 kb region and a diagnostic marker haplotype was identified for selecting Cmc4 in breeding programs. Wheat curl mite (WCM, Aceria tosichella Keifer) is a disastrous wheat pest in many wheat-growing regions worldwide. WCM not only directly affects wheat yield, but also transmits wheat streak mosaic virus. Growing WCM resistant cultivars is the most economical and sustainable method to reduce its damage. A hard winter wheat breeding line OK05312 (PI 670019) carries Cmc4 gene resistance to A. tosichella and has many desirable agronomic traits. To finely map Cmc4 in OK05312, two recombinant inbred line populations were developed from crosses between OK05312 and two susceptible cultivars, SD06165 and Jerry, genotyped using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), and phenotyped for WCM resistance. Gene mapping using the two SNP maps confirmed Cmc4 in OK05312 that explained up to 68% of the phenotypic variation. Further analysis delimited Cmc4 to a ~ 523 kb region between SNPs SDOKSNP6314 and SDOKSNP2805 based on the Ae. tauschii reference genome. We developed 18 polymorphic Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers using the sequences of GBS-SNPs in this region and 23 additional KASP markers based on the SNPs between the parents derived from 90K SNP chips. The KASP markers SDOKSNP6314 and SDOKSNP9699 are closest to Cmc4 and can be used to diagnose the presence of Cmc4 in wheat breeding programs. Haplotype analysis suggested that CmcTAM112 in TAM112 might be the same gene as Cmc4.

Characterization of an Incomplete Leaf Rust Resistance Gene on Chromosome 1RS and Development of KASP Markers for Lr47 in Wheat.

Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina, is one of the most common wheat (Triticum aestivum) diseases in the Great Plains of the United States. A population of recombinant inbred lines from CI 17884 × 'Bainong 418' was evaluated for responses to leaf rust race Pt52-2 and genotyped using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Quantitative trait locus analysis identified a minor gene for resistance to leaf rust, designated QLr.stars-1RS, on the 1BL.1RS translocation segment in 'Bainong 418', and another leaf rust resistance gene, Lr47, on chromosome 7A of CI 17884. Lr47, originally identified in CI 17884 and located in a wheat-T. speltoides translocation segment 7S#1S, remains one of only a few race-specific resistance genes still effective in the Great Plains. A set of 7A-specific simple sequence repeat markers were developed and used to genotype CI 17884 and a pair of near-isogenic lines differing in the presence or absence of 7S#1S, PI 603918, and 'Pavon F76'. Haplotype analysis indicated that the estimated length of 7S#1S was 157.23 to 174.42 Megabases, accounting for ∼23% of the 7A chromosome. Two SNPs on 7S#1S and four SNPs on the 1RS chromosome arm were converted to Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers, which were subsequently validated in a panel of cultivars and elite breeding lines released within the last decade. Of these, one- and two-KASP markers are specific to the 1RS chromosome arm and 7S#1S, respectively, indicating that they can facilitate the introgression of Lr47 and QLr.stars-1RS into locally adapted wheat cultivars and breeding lines.

Deadly Proteomes: A Practical Guide to Proteotranscriptomics of Animal Venoms.

Animal venoms are renowned for their toxicity, biochemical complexity, and as a source of compounds with potential applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Polypeptides underlie much of the pharmacology of animal venoms, and elucidating these arsenals of polypeptide toxins-known as the venom proteome or venome-is an important step in venom research. Proteomics is used for the identification of venom toxins, determination of their primary structure including post-translational modifications, as well as investigations into the physiology underlying their production and delivery. Advances in proteomics and adjacent technologies has led to a recent upsurge in publications reporting venom proteomes. Improved mass spectrometers, better proteomic workflows, and the integration of next-generation sequencing of venom-gland transcriptomes and venomous animal genomes allow quicker and more accurate profiling of venom proteomes with greatly reduced starting material. Technologies such as imaging mass spectrometry are revealing additional insights into the mechanism, location, and kinetics of venom toxin production. However, these numerous new developments may be overwhelming for researchers designing venom proteome studies. Here, the field of venom proteomics is reviewed and some practical solutions for simplifying mass spectrometry workflows to study animal venoms are offered.

Gb8, a new gene conferring resistance to economically important greenbug biotypes in wheat.

KEY MESSAGE: A new greenbug resistance gene Gb8 conferring broad resistance to US greenbug biotypes was identified in hard red winter wheat line PI 595379-1 and was mapped to the terminal region of chromosome 7DL. Greenbug [Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)] is a worldwide insect pest that poses a serious threat to wheat production. New greenbug resistance genes that can be readily used in wheat breeding are urgently needed. The objective of this study was to characterize a greenbug resistance gene in PI 595379-1, a single plant selection from PI 595379. Genetic analysis of response to greenbug biotype E in an F2:3 population derived from a cross between PI 595379-1 and PI 243735 indicated that a single gene, designated Gb8, conditioned resistance. Linkage analysis placed Gb8 in a 2.7-Mb interval in the terminal bin of chromosome 7DL (7DL3-082-1.0), spanning 595.6 to 598.3 Mb in the Chinese Spring IWGSC RefSeq version 1.0 reference sequence. Gb8 co-segregated with a newly developed SSR marker Xstars508, positioned at 596.4 Mb in the reference sequence. Allelism tests showed that Gb8 was different from three permanently named genes on the same chromosome arm and the estimated genetic distance between Gb8 and Gb3 was 15.35 ± 1.35 cM. Gb8 can be directly used in wheat breeding to enhance greenbug resistance.