RNAseq reveals modulation of genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis in chicken liver according to genetic background, sex, and diet.

Increases in chicken production are mainly due to specialised breeds. However, local breeds are of increasing importance, known for ability to adapt to the environment and unique products. Conventional poultry products contain lower levels of n-3 fatty acids (FAs) compared to those obtained from local breeds, therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the modulation of expression of genes involved in long-chain polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) biosynthesis pathways according to genetic background, diet conditions, and sex. Animals from two local breeds and a commercial line were fed different diets: control and experimental diet (10% linseed supplementation). For each breed and diet group, both sexes were reared. The RNA was extracted from 36 liver samples and sequenced by RNAseq method. Bioinformatic analysis was carried out to find differentially expressed genes from comparisons between experimental groups. Results showed low impact of diet on differentially expressed genes related to FA biosynthesis, but linseed diet increased percentage of n-3 FAs of liver. Sex and genetic background determined the differential expression of genes related to long-chain PUFA biosynthesis. Specifically, females of local breeds shared 23 up-regulated genes when compared to their respective commercial line groups. Some of the shared genes had a role in de novo triglyceride biosynthesis (MTTPL and GPAM), and in de novo FA biosynthesis (ACACA and SCD) was detected. In conclusion, local breeds are able to better adapt to a diet rich in PUFA, by triggering certain transcriptomic shifts in the liver that allow birds to process the high PUFA content provided by diet.

Salience network connectivity is reduced by a meal and influenced by genetic background and hypothalamic gliosis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The salience network (SN) comprises brain regions that evaluate cues in the external environment in light of internal signals. We examined the SN response to meal intake and potential genetic and acquired influences on SN function. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Monozygotic (MZ; 40 pairs) and dizygotic (15 pairs) twins had body composition and plasma metabolic profile evaluated (glucose, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and GLP-1). Twins underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans before and after a standardized meal. The strength of SN connectivity was analyzed pre- and post-meal and the percentage change elicited by a meal was calculated. A multi-echo T2 MRI scan measured T2 relaxation time, a radiologic index of gliosis, in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and control regions. Statistical approaches included intraclass correlations (ICC) to investigate genetic influences and within-pair analyses to exclude genetic confounders. RESULTS: SN connectivity was reduced by a meal ingestion (ß = -0.20; P < 0.001). Inherited influences on both pre- and post-meal connectivity were present (ICC MZ twins 26%, P < 0.05 and 47%, P < 0.001, respectively), but not percentage change in response to the meal. SN connectivity in response to a meal did not differ between participants with obesity and of normal weight (χ2(1) = 0.93; P = 0.33). However, when participants were classified as having high or low signs of MBH gliosis, the high MBH gliosis group failed to reduce the connectivity in response to a meal (z = -1.32; P = 0.19). Excluding genetic confounders, the percentage change in SN connectivity by a meal correlated to body fat percentage (r = 0.24; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: SN connectivity was reduced by a meal, indicating potential participation of the SN in control of feeding. The strength of SN connectivity is inherited, but the degree to which SN connectivity is reduced by eating appears to be influenced by adiposity and the presence of hypothalamic gliosis.

Effect of genetic background on the stability of sunflower fatty acid composition in different high oleic mutations.

BACKGROUND: The effect of genetic background on the stability of fatty acid composition in sunflower near isogenic lines (NILs) carrying high-oleic Pervenets (P) or high-oleic NM1 mutations was studied. The materials were field-tested in different locations and at different sowing dates to evaluate a wide range of environmental conditions. Relationships were established between the fatty acids and the minimum night temperature (MNT) and the response was characterized. RESULTS: A genetic background effect for the fatty acid composition was found in both groups of NILs. The NM1-NILs showed an oleic level higher than 910 g kg-1 and they were more stable across environments with a zero or low dependence on the genetic background; on the other hand, high oleic materials bearing the P mutation showed lower levels of oleic acid, with a higher variation in fatty acid composition and a highly significant dependence on the genetic background. CONCLUSION: The NM1 mutation is the best option to develop ultra-high oleic sunflower oil that is stable across environments and genetic backgrounds, making its agronomical production more efficient and predictable. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Interactions between the Bumblebee Bombus pascuorum and Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) Are Mediated by Plant Genetic Background.

Wildflower mixes are often planted around field margins to provide forage for pollinators. Although seed for these mixtures is often wild-sourced, for species where agricultural cultivars are available, for example red clover (Trifolium pratense), cultivars can also be included. Previous evidence suggests that plant genetic background can have a strong influence on plant-arthropod interactions and therefore the provenance and genetic background of the plants included in wildflower mixes could impact plant-pollinator interactions. We tested the performance of five individual T. pratense cultivars against two commercially available wild-sourced T. pratense populations in terms of their ability to attract potential pollinator species (focusing on bumblebees) and their floral traits using greenhouse and garden experiments. The main bumblebee observed interacting with T. pratense was Bombus pascuorum and we found no difference in the absolute number of B. pascuorum visiting the cultivars or wild populations. However, we found variation among cultivars and between wild populations in their ability to attract bumblebees, which seems to be related to their relative investment in different floral traits. There was a positive relationship between biomass and number of inflorescences produced by the wild populations of T. pratense, which was not apparent for the cultivars. This suggests that artificial selection on the cultivars has changed the G-matrix of correlated traits. We show that agricultural cultivars of T. pratense can be as effective as wild populations at attracting pollinators such as bumblebees, but that the genetic background of both cultivars and wild populations can have a significant impact on the attractiveness of the plant to pollinators. We also show divergence in the correlated traits of T. pratense cultivars and wild populations that could lead to outbreeding depression if the plants interbreed.

Proanthocyanidins in Sea Buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) Berries of Different Origins with Special Reference to the Influence of Genetic Background and Growth Location.

Wild sea buckthorn berries from Finland (Hippophaë rhamnoides ssp. rhamnoides) and China (ssp. sinensis) as well as berries of two varieties of ssp. rhamnoides cultivated in Finland and five of ssp. mongolica cultivated in Canada were compared on the basis of the content and composition of proanthocyanidins (PAs). Among all of the samples, only B-type PAs were found. The contents of dimeric, trimeric, tetrameric, and total PAs were in the range of 1.4-8.9, 1.3-9.5, 1.0-7.1, and 390-1940 mg/100 g of dry weight, respectively. The three subspecies were separated by three validated factors (R(2), 0.724; Q(2), 0.677) in the partial least squares discriminant analysis model. Significant differences in total PAs were found between the ssp. rhamnoides and mongolica samples (p < 0.05). In ssp. rhamnoides, samples grown in northern Finland were characterized by a high amount of total PAs, typically 2-3 times higher than that in the level found in southern Finland. In ssp. sinensis, altitude did not have a systematic effect on the PA composition, suggesting the significance of the interaction between genetic background and growth location.

Os dez anos da Política Nacional de Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterápicos (PNPMF) e os principais entraves da cadeia produtiva de extratos vegetais e medicamentos fitoterápicos no Brasil / The ten years of the National Policy of Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines (PNPMF) and the main obstacles in the production chain of plant extracts and herbal medicines in Brazil

O artigo faz uma análise sobre o desenvolvimento tecnológico de fitoterápicos, com pontos atuais das legislações relacionadas vigentes e seus respectivos avanços e gargalos. Após algumas atualizações, tanto na área regulatória, como na legislação de acesso ao patrimônio genético, alguns entraves persistem desde o estudo de Siani (2003), mas alguns avanços aparentemente foram alcançados. Por tratar-se de uma área extremamente complexa, faz-se necessário um estudo detalhado da cadeia produtiva necessária para a pesquisa e desenvolvimento de fitoterápicos. Neste contexto, o objetivo do presente artigo é detalhar a cadeia produtiva de fitoterápicos, desde o cultivo da matéria-prima e produção de extratos vegetais até o registro e comercialização do medicamento fitoterápico. Adicionalmente, com o levantamento dos entraves, ainda persistentes, e dos avanços alcançados, é apresentado um diagnóstico sobre o atual estágio da Política Nacional de Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterápicos (PNPMF).(AU)

The article is an analysis of the technological development of herbal medicines, with current points of existing related laws and their progress and bottlenecks. After some updates, both in the regulatory area, as the law of access to genetic resources, some barriers persist from the study by Siani (2003), but some progress was apparently achieved. Being an extremely complex area, it is necessary a detailed study of the production chain required for research and development of herbal medicines. In this context, the aim of this article is to detail the production chain of herbal medicines, from the cultivation of raw materials and production of plant extracts to the registration and marketing of herbal medicine. Additionally, with the removal of persisting barriers and progress made, a diagnosis was made on the current stage of the National Policy of Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines (PNPMF).(AU)

Optimising ketocarotenoid production in potato tubers: effect of genetic background, transgene combinations and environment.

Astaxanthin is a high value carotenoid produced by some bacteria, a few green algae, several fungi but only a limited number of plants from the genus Adonis. Astaxanthin has been industrially exploited as a feed supplement in poultry farming and aquaculture. Consumption of ketocarotenoids, most notably astaxanthin, is also increasingly associated with a wide range of health benefits, as demonstrated in numerous clinical studies. Currently astaxanthin is produced commercially by chemical synthesis or from algal production systems. Several studies have used a metabolic engineering approach to produce astaxanthin in transgenic plants. Previous attempts to produce transgenic potato tubers biofortified with astaxanthin have met with limited success. In this study we have investigated approaches to optimising tuber astaxanthin content. It is demonstrated that the selection of appropriate parental genotype for transgenic approaches and stacking carotenoid biosynthetic pathway genes with the cauliflower Or gene result in enhanced astaxanthin content, to give six-fold higher tuber astaxanthin content than has been achieved previously. Additionally we demonstrate the effects of growth environment on tuber carotenoid content in both wild type and astaxanthin-producing transgenic lines and describe the associated transcriptome and metabolome restructuring.

[Retinoblastoma: genetic background, modern diagnostic methods and therapies]. / Siatkówczak: podloze genetyczne, nowoczesne metody diagnostyczne oraz terapeutyczne.

Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular eye tumor of the pediatric age. It develops on account of a mutation on chromosome 13 in the 13q14 locus. New studies additionally demonstrated changes in the expression of other genes classified as oncogenes and suppressor genes. The tumor occurs in two forms--heritable (genetic) and non-heritable (non-genetic, sporadic). The most common clinical features of retinoblastoma are leucocoria and strabismus, however, they are not that specific because may also occur in several other eye diseases, such as Coats disease and toxocarosis. The diagnosis of retinoblastoma requires an indirect ophthalmoscopic examination. In addition, imaging techniques such as ultrasonography (USG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and, less commonly, computer tomography (CT) are used. Biopsy is contraindicated because of the risk of spreading cancer cells to the adjacent tissues and possibility of a metastasis development. Currently, the stage of the disease and the therapy prognosis are classified by the International Intraocular Retinoblastoma Classification. At present, chemotherapy is the standard treatment of retinoblastoma. During the last decades new therapies have been introduced, such as transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT), cryotherapy, brachytherapy, limiting the use of teletherapy and the number of performed enucleations. Patients with therapy-induced remission of retinoblastoma should undergo routine examinations because of the increased risk of subsequent neoplasms and other possible complications.