An Integrated Genetic,Physical and Transcript Map of Homoeologous Chromosomes 12 and 26 in Upland Cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)

While Upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) represents 95% of the world production,its genetic improvement is hindered by the shortage of effective genomic tools and resources.The

Protecting wild yak (Bos mutus) species and preventing its hybrid in China

China has made efforts to protect wild yak （Bos mutus） species and prevent the hybrids between wild yak and domestic yak （Bos grunniens） species.At present,wild yak population of a reasonable estimate would be over 70,000.Due to conservation efforts in environmental protection and ecological construction such as the Wildlife Protection and Nature Reserve Construction Project,the ＂Grain-for-Green＂ Project and the Natural Forest Resources Protection Project,the number of wild yaks is increasing.In general,Tibetan Plateau＇s ecosystem is getting better and its environmental quality shows a gradual improving trend.Tibetan Plateau is one of the world＇s cleanest regions called as the ＂Third Pole＂.In order to preserve the genetic pool of wild yaks,local pastoralists and polices drive off the wild male yaks from the domestic yak herds by making noise （banging washbasins,pots,etc.） or driving cars.Local government also incentivizes the culling of domestic yaks found in wild herds.For the sake of the biological and genetic features of this wild species,and the pastoralist way of life,wild yaks should continuously be protected to keep their genetic integrity.We appeal plans to investigate the gene pollution of wild yaks in some important distribution regions of this species.In the face of hybridizing with domestic yaks,proper guidance is urgently needed to address genetic pollution and protect the genetic integrity of wild yaks.

Acquisition and dissemination mechanisms of CTXΦ in Vibrio cholerae : New paradigm for dif residents

Vibrio cholerae(V. cholerae) genome is equipped with a number of integrative mobile genetic element(IMGE) like prophages, plasmids, transposons or genomic islands, which provides fitness factors that help the pathogen to survive in changing environmental conditions. Metagenomic analyses of clinical and environmental V. cholerae isolates revealed that dimer resolution sites(dif) harbor several structurally and functionally distinct IMGEs. All IMGEs present in the dif region exploit chromosomally encoded tyrosine recombinases, Xer C and Xer D, for integration. Integration takes place due to site-specific recombination between two specific DNA sequences; chromosomal sequence is called att B and IMGEs sequence is called att P. Different IMGEs present in the att P region have different attP structure but all of them are recognized by Xer C and Xer D enzymes and mediate either reversible or irreversible integration. Cholera toxin phage(CTXΦ), a lysogenic filamentous phage carrying the cholera toxin genes ctx AB, deserves special attention because it provides V. cholerae the crucial toxin and is always present in the dif region of all epidemic cholera isolates. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of integration and dissemination of CTXΦ, genetic and ecological factors which support CTXΦ integration as well as production of virion from chromosomally integrated phage genome and interactions of CTXΦ with other genetic elements present in the genomes of V. cholerae is important for learning more about the biology of cholera pathogen.

Technology-Driven and Evidence-Based Genomic Analysis for Integrated Pediatric and Prenatal Genetics Evaluation

The first decade since the completion of the Human Genome Project has been marked with rapid development of genomic technologies and their immediate clinical applications. Genomic analysis using oligonucleotide array comparative genomic hybridization （aCGH） or single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP） chips has been applied to pediatric patients with developmental and intellectual disabilities （DD/ ID）, multiple congenital anomalies （MCA） and autistic spectrum disorders （ASD）. Evaluation of analytical and clinical validities of aCGH showed 〉 99% sensitivity and specificity and increased analytical resolution by higher density probe coverage. Reviews of case series, multi-center comparison and large patient-control studies demonstrated a diagnostic yield of 12%--20%; approximately 60% of these abnormalities were recurrent genomic disorders. This pediatric experience has been extended toward prenatal diagnosis. A series of reports indicated approximately 10% of pregnancies with ultrasound-detected structural anomalies and normal cytogenetic findings had genomic abnormalities, and 30% of these abnormalities were syndromic genomic disorders. Evidence-based practice guidelines and standards for implementing genomic analysis and web-delivered knowledge resources for interpreting genomic findings have been established. The progress from this technology-driven and evidence-based genomic analysis provides not only opportunities to dissect disease-causing mechanisms and develop rational therapeutic interventions but also important lessons for integrating genomic sequencing into pediatric and prenatal genetic evaluation.