Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mohammad Reza Ashrafzadeh, Rasoul Khosravi, Carlos Fernandes, Cecilia Aguayo, Zoltan Bagi, Vukan M. Lavadinovie, Laszlo Szendrei, Dejan Beukove, Bendeguz Mihalik, Szilvia Kusza
Summary: The study on genetic variation of introduced populations of common pheasants in Central and Southeast Europe revealed two distinct clades in the study area and genetic differentiation between Serbia and Hungary, with evidence of recent population expansion.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Simone Macri, Ida-Maria Aalto, Remi Allemand, Nicolas Di-Poi
Summary: This study reveals the ecological origins and early evolution of snakes using high-definition brain reconstructions of extant species. The findings suggest that crown snakes originated from ancestors with a burrowing lifestyle and opportunistic behavior, reflecting complex brain patterns. The research emphasizes the importance of tracking soft tissue phenotypic diversification and accurately defining intact brain morphological traits, such as the cerebellum, in understanding snake evolution and vertebrate paleobiology.
Article
Psychiatry
Ron Nudel, Wesley K. Thompson, Anders D. Borglum, David M. Hougaard, Preben B. Mortensen, Thomas Werge, Merete Nordentoft, Michael E. Benros
Summary: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in behavior, social interaction, and communication. Previous research has shown an association between maternal infections during pregnancy and increased risk of ASD in children. This study investigates the genetic contribution to this association through genetic correlation analyses.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Gayacharan, Swarup K. Parida, Nupur Mondal, Rashmi Yadav, Harinder C. Vishwakarma, Jai C. Rana
Summary: Legumes play a crucial role in ensuring food and nutritional security as well as environmental sustainability. However, their yield and production have been hindered by various factors, leading to a decline in legume consumption and protein-related malnutrition in India. To address this, efforts have been made to utilize the vast collection of legume genetic resources conserved globally to identify ideal donors and enhance genetic gains. Large-scale phenotyping combined with omics-based science is being used to identify target traits. Additionally, wild relatives are being explored for pre-breeding to overcome genetic limitations in major legume crops.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Giacomo Francesco Ena, Julen Aizpurua-Iraola, Neus Font-Porterias, Francesc Calafell, David Comas
Summary: This review presents the latest developments in the genetic background research of the Roma, including studies on their ancestral components and migrations. It is important for both the public and scholars to understand the genetic characteristics and origins of the Roma.
Article
Fisheries
Geir Dahle, Bernard Sainte-Marie, Sarah L. Mincks, Eva Farestveit, Knut E. Jorstad, Ann Merete Hjelset, Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt
Summary: Genetic analysis revealed that the snow crab in the Barents Sea may have been introduced through Bering Strait and Arctic Ocean, rather than from small numbers of individuals. The presence of snow crab in the Barents Sea is likely due to recent natural range expansion.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
J. Zalewska-Galosz, M. Kwiatkowska, J. Prancl, K. Skubala, M. Lucanova, D. Gebler, K. Szoszkiewicz
Summary: This paper investigates the genetic variability of the interspecific hybrid Ranunculus circinatus x R. fluitans and its parental species through genome-wide DNA fingerprinting. The study reveals a strong genetic structure of the hybrid within Poland, attributed to independent hybridization events, sterility of hybrid individuals, vegetative propagation, and geographical isolation. The hybrid, although sterile, has the potential to participate in subsequent hybridization events and regain fertility through ploidy changes. The ability to produce unreduced female gametes in the hybrid and its parental species is an important evolutionary mechanism that may give rise to new taxa in Ranunculus sect. Batrachium.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ludwig Triest, Tom Van der Stocken, Dennis De Ryck, Marc Kochzius, Sophie Lorent, Magdalene Ngeve, Hajaniaina Andrianavalonarivo Ratsimbazafy, Tim Sierens, Rosa van der Ven, Nico Koedam
Summary: Genetic diversity and connectivity of Rhizophora mucronata was studied across a coastal stretch in the Western Indian Ocean, revealing genetic breaks between populations along the East African coastline, Mozambique Channel Area, granitic Seychelles, and Aldabra and northern Madagascar. The study demonstrated how oceanographic processes can connect and separate mangrove populations irrespective of geographic distance.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Busra Geckin, Martijn Zoodsma, Gizem Kilic, Priya A. Debisarun, Srabanti Rakshit, Vasista Adiga, Asma Ahmed, Chaitra Parthiban, Nirutha Chetan Kumar, George D'Souza, Marijke P. Baltissen, Joost H. A. Martens, Jorge Dominguez-Andres, Yang Li, Annapurna Vyakarnam, Mihai G. Netea
Summary: In this study, the differences in immune responses between individuals from India and Europe were assessed. This is important because of the differences in morbidity and mortality between the two regions during the pandemic. The study found significant differences in chromatin accessibility in immune cells and observed a more balanced and effective immune response in individuals from India.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Zdenka Lososova, Irena Axmanova, Milan Chytry, Gabriele Midolo, Sylvain Abdulhak, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Julien Renaud, Jeremie Van Es, Pascal Vittoz, Wilfried Thuiller
Summary: This study compiled a comprehensive dataset of seed dispersal distance classes and predominant dispersal modes for most European vascular plants. The seed dispersal dataset can be used in functional biogeography, dynamic vegetation modelling, and ecological studies at local to continental scales.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edward P. K. Parker, Christina Bronowski, Kulandaipalayam Natarajan C. Sindhu, Sudhir Babji, Blossom Benny, Noelia Carmona-Vicente, Nedson Chasweka, End Chinyama, Nigel A. Cunliffe, Queen Dube, Sidhartha Giri, Nicholas C. Grassly, Annai Gunasekaran, Deborah Howarth, Sushil Immanuel, Khuzwayo C. Jere, Beate Kampmann, Jenna Lowe, Jonathan Mandolo, Ira Praharaj, Bakthavatsalam Sandya Rani, Sophia Silas, Vivek Kumar Srinivasan, Mark Turner, Srinivasan Venugopal, Valsan Philip Verghese, Alistair C. Darby, Gagandeep Kang, Miren Iturriza-Gomara
Summary: This study found that maternal rotavirus-specific antibodies in serum and breastmilk, as well as pre-vaccination microbiota diversity, are negatively correlated with ORV response in India and Malawi, potentially contributing to impaired vaccine efficacy.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kristina N. Heidrich, Jessica J. Meeuwig, Dirk Zeller
Summary: Comprehensive catch data are crucial but currently under-represented by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). We reconstructed fisheries catches for large pelagic species in the Indian Ocean from 1950 to 2020, finding that the reconstructed catches were 30% higher than the reported data. Distant-water fishing fleets were historically dominant but have been gradually replaced by fleets flagged to Indian Ocean rim countries.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Bin J. W. Chen, Xinyu Wang, Yuting Dong, Heinjo J. During, Xia Xu, Niels P. R. Anten
Summary: This study found that maple seeds produced in shaded microhabitats have greater dispersal potential, attributed to morphological plasticity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cyrill John P. Godinez, John King N. Layos, Yoshio Yamamoto, Tetsuo Kunieda, Monchai Duangjinda, Lawrence M. Liao, Xun-He Huang, Masahide Nishibori
Summary: This study analyzed the population dynamics and divergence time estimates of chicken populations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. The results showed that mainland Southeast Asian chickens have higher genetic diversity than island Southeast Asian chickens. The study also identified a new divergent matrilineage, providing important insights into the dispersal and evolution of chickens.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Senyao Sang
Summary: This study reconstructs the place branding model from the perspective of Peircean semiotics and confirms the importance of placemaking based on authentic place culture in place branding. The results emphasize the roles played by villagers and tourists in the negotiation of place branding.
ANNALS OF TOURISM RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Arifa S. Khan, Sebastiaan Theuns, Laurent Mallet, Gwenael Cirefice, Ravneet Bhuller, Ana Goios, Rajinder Suri, Pieter Neels
Summary: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a new technology that can overcome limitations of current viral testing methods in biologics. A webinar organized by IABS and DCVMN introduced the technical and bioinformatics concepts of NGS, as well as its strengths and limitations in vaccine production. The 3rd Conference on NGS for Adventitious Virus Detection further discussed the scientific knowledge and readiness of NGS to replace or supplement current viral tests, and efforts are ongoing to validate and establish NGS as a new method for virus detection.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Catarina Serrano, Monica Lopes-Marques, Antonio Amorim, Maria Joao Prata, Luisa Azevedo
Summary: Gene duplication plays a significant role in evolution. This study identified and explored a partial duplication of an X-linked region in the Macaca genus. Genomic comparisons revealed that the duplication involved important genes encoding ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) and retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR). Selective pressure analysis showed no significant differences, indicating no selective pressures were acting during the evolutionary process. Although rare, further study of partial duplications of functionally important genes is valuable in understanding their impact.
Article
Oncology
Liliane Borik-Heil, Georg Endler, Walther Parson, Andreas Zuckermann, Lisa Schnaller, Keziban Uyanik-Uenal, Peter Jaksch, Georg Boehmig, Daniel Cejka, Katharina Staufer, Elisabeth Hielle-Wittmann, Susanne Rasoul-Rockenschaub, Peter Wolf, Raute Sunder-Plassmann, Alexandra Geusau
Summary: Due to life-long immunosuppression, organ transplant recipients are prone to skin cancer development. Cumulative UV burden, actinic keratosis, and certain MC1R genotypes increase the risk of skin cancer. Skin aging is only connected with a higher number of tumors, not with the development of skin cancer per se.
Article
Biology
Seraphin H. Unterberger, Cordula Berger, Michael Schirmer, Anton Kasper Pallua, Bettina Zelger, Georg Schaefer, Christian Kremser, Gerald Degenhart, Harald Spiegl, Simon Erler, David Putzer, Rohit Arora, Walther Parson, Johannes Dominikus Pallua
Summary: As glaciers melt, animal mummies preserved in ice for centuries are released, and the biological information in the residual soft tissues may vary depending on the preservation method. Paleoradiology, using micro-CT and MRI, is a non-destructive method for analyzing mummies. In this study, a 350-year-old Austrian Ardea purpurea glacier mummy was identified using micro-CT, MRI, histo-anatomical analyses, and DNA sequencing.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Rosario Capodiferro, Ana Maria Chero Osorio, Nicola Rambaldi Migliore, Dean Herman Tineo Tineo, Alessandro Raveane, Catarina Xavier, Martin Bodner, Filipa Simao, Linda Ongaro, Francesco Montinaro, John Lindo, Emilia Huerta-Sanchez, Gustavo Politis, Chiara Barbieri, Walther Parson, Leonor Gusmao, Alessandro Achilli
Summary: Despite being a crucial area, the genomic and archaeogenomic study of the western side of Amazonia between the Andes and the source of the Amazon River is lacking. This study focuses on this region and analyzes the genome-wide profiles of Ashaninka individuals from Amazonian Peru. The study reveals unexpected genomic variation and identifies distinct Ashaninka subgroups shaped by external admixtures, particularly with Indigenous groups from the Andes and the Pacific coast. The research also uncovers connections between present-day Ashaninka and Indigenous groups in the Caribbean, contributing to early Ceramic traditions in the islands.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Julen Aizpurua-Iraola, Raquel Rasal, Lourdes Prieto, David Comas, Nuria Bonet, Ferran Casals, Francesc Calafell, Patricia Vasquez
Summary: The first nationwide forensic-quality complete mitogenome database of El Salvador was established, containing 334 samples. The study found 293 different haplotypes belonging to 54 different haplogroups, with 91% of them being of Native American origin. The database aims to serve as a basis for the identification of people who disappeared during or after the civil war.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL-GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Marco Antinucci, David Comas, Francesc Calafell
Summary: In this study, we conducted the first whole genome Copy Number Variant (CNV) study of the Roma population and compared them with reference populations from South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Using CNV calling software, we identified a total of 3171 deletions and 489 duplications. The analysis revealed that the patterns of deletion variation in the Roma population were consistent with those observed in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), indicating the influence of population history on CNV variation. Additionally, we found an increase in intronic deletions within Loss of Function (LoF)-intolerant genes, which may be attributed to reduced effective population size and slightly relaxed natural selection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sofia Antao-Sousa, Nadia Pinto, Pablo Rende, Antonio Amorim, Leonor Gusmao
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the repetitive motif composition of short tandem repeats (STRs) and their mutational dynamics. The results showed significant differences in the occurrence of multistep mutations among markers with different repetitive motifs. These findings have important implications for population genetics, epidemiology, phylogeography, and evolutionary studies involving STR mutation models.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Josephin Heinrich, Cordula Berger, Burkhard Berger, Werner Hecht, Christopher Phillips, Walther Parson
Summary: Predicting the outward appearance of dogs via their DNA is a new field of research in forensic genetics. The study developed a genetic assay, the LASSIE MPS Panel, which uses 44 genetic markers to predict various traits of dogs. The predictive performance of this assay was evaluated and found to be successful in predicting the appearance of randomly selected dog individuals.
FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL-GENETICS
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Daniela Felicio, Tanguy Rubat du Merac, Antonio Amorim, Sandra Martins
Summary: Polyglutamine (polyQ) spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are neurodegenerative disorders caused by expansions of (CAG/CAA)(n). This review focuses on the role of paralogs in the neuropathology of different SCAs and highlights potential functional candidates for new therapeutic strategies.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manuela Oliveira, Luisa Azevedo, David Ballard, Wojciech Branicki, Antonio Amorim
Summary: The field of Forensic Botany, which analyzes plant materials in forensic investigations, plays a crucial role in solving civil and criminal issues, enforcing laws and regulations, and ensuring public health safeguards. This comprehensive review examines the current state and future potential of Forensic Botany, covering plant evidence collection, identification and analysis techniques, as well as its applications in exposing fraud and illegal activities. The review also addresses national and global security issues related to biological warfare, bioterrorism, and biocrime, and provides an overview of the contributions of plant evidence in crime scene investigations.
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Lissette Delgado-Cruzata, Diego J. Gomes de Paula, Jennifer Vieira Gomes, Tatiana A. Simao, Leonor Gusmao, Luis Felipe Ribeiro Pinto, Sheila C. Soares-Lima
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Allan Scharf, Flavia F. Bezerra, Veronica M. Zembrzuski, Ana Carolina P. Da Fonseca, Leonor Gusmao, Eduardo Faerstein
Summary: This study investigated associations between genetic factors (such as ancestry and single nucleotide polymorphisms) and obesity-related traits in a Brazilian population. The results suggest that there is a direct association between the rs4074134 gene and gynoid fat mass in this population. However, the other genetic factors did not show any associations with obesity-related traits, indicating a stronger role of social, behavioral, and environmental determinants in this population.
ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Sandra Martins, Ashraf Yahia, Ines P. D. Costa, Hassab E. Siddig, Rayan Abubaker, Mahmoud Koko, Marc Corral-Juan, Antoni Matilla-Duenas, Alexis Brice, Alexandra Durr, Eric Leguern, Laura P. W. Ranum, Antonio Amorim, Liena E. O. Elsayed, Giovanni Stevanin, Jorge Sequeiros
Summary: Machado-Joseph disease (MJD/SCA3) is the most common dominant ataxia worldwide, caused by a (CAG)n expansion. This study reports the first diagnosed MJD case in Sudan, with genetic analysis revealing shared ancestry with Portuguese, Spanish, and North American families. The STR-based haplotype of the Sudanese patients is distinct, indicating a unique genetic background.
