Search results for "sequence analysis"
showing 10 items of 1349 documents
Limited indirect fitness benefits of male group membership in a lekking species
2014
In group living species, individuals may gain the indirect fitness benefits characterizing kin selection when groups contain close relatives. However, tests of kin selection have primarily focused on cooperatively breeding and eusocial species, whereas its importance in other forms of group living remains to be fully understood. Lekking is a form of grouping where males display on small aggregated territories, which females then visit to mate. As females prefer larger aggregations, territorial males might gain indirect fitness benefits if their presence increases the fitness of close relatives. Previous studies have tested specific predictions of kin selection models using measures such as …
Female-biased dispersal alone can reduce the occurrence of inbreeding in black grouse (Tetrao tetrix)
2010
Although inbreeding depression and mechanisms for kin recognition have been described in natural bird populations, inbreeding avoidance through mate choice has rarely been reported suggesting that sex-biased dispersal is the main mechanism reducing the risks of inbreeding. However, a full understanding of the effect of dispersal on the occurrence of inbred matings requires estimating the inbreeding risks prior to dispersal. Combining pairwise relatedness measures and kinship assignments, we investigated in black grouse whether the observed occurrence of inbred matings was explained by active kin discrimination or by female-biased dispersal. In this large continuous population, copulations b…
Tandem repeat structure of the duplicated Y-chromosomal STR locus DYS385 and frequency studies in the German and three Asian populations
1998
The Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) locus DYS385 can be typed using PCR amplification and separation of the resulting polymorphic fragments by non-denaturing high resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver staining. The PCR primers amplify a duplicated repeat sequence on the Y chromosome revealing a two-band pattern in male individuals. To determine the internal repeat structure as a basis for a consensus nomenclature, DNA sequence analysis was carried out after subcloning of PCR-amplified fragments revealing the uniform 4-bp repeat structure 'GAAA'. The shortest allele observed consisted of 10 repeat units thus providing the basis for the designation 'allele 1…
Genotyping of sex hormone-related pathways in benign and malignant human prostate tissues: data of a preliminary study.
2011
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major health issue in Westernized countries, representing a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly male population. Endogenous sex steroids, along with environmental factors (notably diet) and host immune and inflammatory responses, are likely to cooperate in the pathogenesis of the disease. Based on the assumption that a complex endocrine–inflammatory-immune interaction is primarily implicated in human PCa, we have investigated the interplay between sex steroids and inflammation in development and growth of human PCa. To this end, we have assessed nine functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)s of five genes involved in sex hormone-related …
Viral Sequence Analysis of Occult HBV Infection and Its Reactivation in Immunosuppressed Patients
2012
Mechanisms associated with reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients with occult HBV infection (OBI) remain unclear. In some cases immunosuppression is an enhancer of viral replication. However, not all patients with OBI who undergo immunosuppression experience reactivation. This study explores the role of viral heterogeneity as a determinant of occult HBV reactivation. HBV genotype, mutation patterns and quasispecies were assessed by sequencing the PreS/S region of 16 patients with OBI undergoing chemotherapy, 3 of whom experienced a OBI reactivation. The latter were also assessed at the time of reactivation. Phylogenetic analysis identified low nucleotide and amino acid diversit…
A Single Copy of the Recently Identified Dual Oxidase Maturation Factor (DUOXA) 1 Gene Produces Only Mild Transient Hypothyroidism in a Patient with …
2011
Dual oxidases (DUOX1 and DUOX2) play a crucial role in the generation of hydrogen peroxide required in the oxidation of iodide and the synthesis of thyroid hormone. Heterodimerization with specific maturation factors (DUOXA1 and DUOXA2) is essential for the maturation and function of the DUOX enzyme complexes. Biallelic loss-of-function mutations of DUOX2 result in congenital hypothyroidism (CH), whereas a single reported case of homozygous DUOXA2 mutation (Y246X) has been associated with mild CH.We now report an infant with transient CH due to a complex genetic alteration of the DUOX/DUOXA system.Our patient was born to euthyroid nonconsanguineous parents and presented with an elevated TSH…
Mild-stretch mechanical ventilation upregulates toll-like receptor 2 and sensitizes the lung to bacterial lipopeptide.
2011
Introduction Mechanical ventilation (MV) could prime the lung toward an inflammatory response if exposed to another insult such as bacterial invasion. The underlying mechanisms are not so far clear. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) allow the host to recognize selectively bacterial pathogens and in turn to trigger an immune response. We therefore hypothesized that MV modulates TLR2 expression and in turn modifies responsiveness to agonists such as bacterial lipopeptide (BLP). Method Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted. First, TLR2 expression and protein were measured in the A549 pulmonary epithelial cell line submitted to 8-hour cyclic stretch (20% elongation; 20/minute rate). Aft…
Evolution of alternative male morphotypes in oxyurid nematodes: a case of convergence?
2014
Male dimorphism has been reported across different taxa and is usually expressed as the coexistence of a larger morph with exaggerated male traits and a smaller one with reduced traits. The evolution and maintenance of male dimorphism are still poorly understood for several of the species in which it has been observed. Here, we analyse male dimorphism in several species of reptile parasitic nematodes of the genus Spauligodon, in which a major male morph (exaggerated morph), which presents the traditional male morphological traits reported for this taxon, coexists with a minor morph with reduced morphological traits (i.e. reduced genital papillae) resembling more closely the males of the sis…
Eubacterial PCR for Bacterial Detection and Identification in 100 Acute Postcataract Surgery Endophthalmitis
2008
International audience; PURPOSE: To evaluate eubacterial PCR compared with conventional cultures for detection and identification of bacterial agents in ocular samples from patients with acute postcataract endophthalmitis. METHODS: Broad-range eubacterial PCR amplification was used, followed by direct DNA sequencing in ocular samples (aqueous humor, vitreous samples from tap or vitrectomy) from 100 consecutive patients presenting with acute postcataract endophthalmitis. Bacterial cultures were performed on the same ocular samples by using traditional methods (brain-heart infusion broth). RESULTS: At the time of admission, the detection rate was not significantly different between cultures a…
The Genome of the Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
2006
We report the sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus , a model for developmental and systems biology. The sequencing strategy combined whole-genome shotgun and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. This use of BAC clones, aided by a pooling strategy, overcame difficulties associated with high heterozygosity of the genome. The genome encodes about 23,300 genes, including many previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or known only outside the deuterostomes. This echinoderm genome provides an evolutionary outgroup for the chordates and yields insights into the evolution of deuterostomes.