Background Helicoverpa armigera and H. zea are amongst the most significant polyphagous pest lepidopteran species in the Old and New Worlds respectively. Separation of H. armigera and H. zea is difficult and is usually only achieved... more
Background Helicoverpa armigera and H. zea are amongst the most significant polyphagous pest lepidopteran species in the Old and New Worlds respectively. Separation of H. armigera and H. zea is difficult and is usually only achieved through morphological differences in the genitalia. They are capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring. The single species status of H. armigera has been doubted, due to its wide distribution and plant host range across the Old World. This study explores the global genetic diversity of H. armigera and its evolutionary relationship to H zea. Results We obtained partial (511 bp) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Cytochrome Oxidase-I (COI) sequences for 249 individuals of H. armigera sampled from Australia, Burkina Faso, Uganda, China, India and Pakistan which were associated with various host plants. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the partial COI gene differentiated H. armigera populations into 33 mtDNA haplotypes. Shared haplotypes betw...
Mutations in the beta-amyloid precursor protein gene (APP) have been found in familial early-onset Alzheímer’s disease (AD). DNA variants at several genes have been linked to the risk of developing the most common late-onset form of AD... more
Mutations in the beta-amyloid precursor protein gene (APP) have been found in familial early-onset Alzheímer’s disease (AD). DNA variants at several genes have been linked to the risk of developing the most common late-onset form of AD (LOAD). A few studies analyzed the contribution of APP variants to LOAD, with negative or conflicting results. We determined the variation in the 18 APP exons and flanking intronic sequences in a total of 350 LOAD patients from Spain. A total of 13 nucleotide changes were found and 6 were new and not found among 340 healthy controls, including the only missense change (D243N). The in silico analysis suggested that none of them would have an effect on pre-mRNA splicing or protein folding (D243N). Patients and controls were also genotyped for three APP promoter polymorphisms, and none of them was significantly associated with LOAD. We concluded that APP variants would not contribute to the risk of developing LOAD in our population.
The stone marten is a widely distributed mustelid in the Palaearctic region that exhibits variable habitat preferences in different parts of its range. The species is a Holocene immigrant from southwest Asia which, according to fossil... more
The stone marten is a widely distributed mustelid in the Palaearctic region that exhibits variable habitat preferences in different parts of its range. The species is a Holocene immigrant from southwest Asia which, according to fossil remains, followed the expansion of the Neolithic farming cultures into Europe and possibly colonized the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Neolithic (ca. 7,000 years BP). However, the population genetic structure and historical biogeography of this generalist carnivore remains essentially unknown. In this study we have combined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing (621 bp) and microsatellite genotyping (23 polymorphic markers) to infer the population genetic structure of the stone marten within the Iberian Peninsula. The mtDNA data revealed low haplotype and nucleotide diversities and a lack of phylogeographic structure, most likely due to a recent colonization of the Iberian Peninsula by a few mtDNA lineages during the Early Neolithic. The microsatel...
Family, twin, and adoption studies have indicated that human intelligence quotient (IQ) has significant genetic components. We performed a low-density genome-wide association analysis with a family-based association test to identify... more
Family, twin, and adoption studies have indicated that human intelligence quotient (IQ) has significant genetic components. We performed a low-density genome-wide association analysis with a family-based association test to identify genetic variants influencing IQ, as measured by Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale full-score IQ (FSIQ). We examined 11,120 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the Affymetrix GeneChips 10K mapping array genotyped in 292 nuclear families from Genetic Analysis Workshop 14, a subset from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). A replication analysis was performed using part of International Multi-Center ADHD Genetics Project (IMAGE) dataset. Twenty-two SNPs were identified as having suggestive associations with IQ (p<10(-3)) in the COGA sample and eleven of the SNPs were located within known genes. In particular, NTM at 11q25 (rs411280, p = 0.000764) and NR3C2 at 4q31.1 (rs3846329, p = 0.000675) were two novel genes which hav...
Chloroquine (CQ) remains the first-line treatment of malaria in Haiti. Given the challenges of conducting in vivo drug efficacy trials in low-endemic settings like Haiti, molecular surveillance for drug resistance markers is a reasonable... more
Chloroquine (CQ) remains the first-line treatment of malaria in Haiti. Given the challenges of conducting in vivo drug efficacy trials in low-endemic settings like Haiti, molecular surveillance for drug resistance markers is a reasonable approach for detecting resistant parasites. In this study, 349 blood spots were collected from suspected malaria cases in areas in and around Port-au-Prince from March to July 2010. Among them, 121 samples that were Plasmodium falciparum positive by polymerase chain reaction were genotyped for drug-resistant pfcrt, pfdhfr, pfdhps, and pfmdr1 alleles. Among the 108 samples that were successfully sequenced for CQ resistant markers in pfcrt, 107 were wild type (CVMNK), whereas one sample carried a CQ-resistant allele (CVIET). Neutral microsatellite genotyping revealed that the CQ-resistant isolate was distinct from all other samples in this study. Furthermore, the remaining parasite specimens appeared to be genetically distinct from other reported Cent...
Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer is caused by germline mutations in the epithelial cadherin (CDH1) gene and is characterized by an increased risk for diffuse gastric cancer and lobular breast cancer.
The genetic diversity and population genetics of the Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto complex were investigated based on sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Total 81 isolates of hydatid cyst collected from ungulate animals from... more
The genetic diversity and population genetics of the Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto complex were investigated based on sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Total 81 isolates of hydatid cyst collected from ungulate animals from different geographical areas of North India were identified by sequencing of cytochrome c oxidase subunit1 (coxi) gene. Three genotypes belonging to E. granulosus sensu stricto complex were identified (G1, G2 and G3 genotypes). Further the nucleotide sequences (retrieved from GenBank) for the coxi gene from seven populations of E. granulosus sensu stricto complex covering 6 continents, were compared with sequences of isolates analysed in this study. Molecular diversity indices represent overall high mitochondrial DNA diversity for these populations, but low nucleotide diversity between haplotypes. The neutrality tests were used to analyze signatures of historical demographic events. The Tajima’s D test and Fu’s FS test showed negative value, indicat...
The human settlement of the Pacific Islands represents one of the most recent major migration events of mankind. Polynesians originated in Asia according to linguistic evidence or in Melanesia according to archaeological evidence. To shed... more
The human settlement of the Pacific Islands represents one of the most recent major migration events of mankind. Polynesians originated in Asia according to linguistic evidence or in Melanesia according to archaeological evidence. To shed light on the genetic origins of Polynesians, we investigated over 400 Polynesians from 8 island groups, in comparison with over 900 individuals from potential parental populations of Melanesia, Southeast and East Asia, and Australia, by means of Y chromosome (NRY) and mitochondrial DNA ( ...
