A new plant-genomics laboratory was opened on 23rd April in Olomouc as part of the Institute of the Experimental Botany ASCR. The festive visitation of the lab was completed by Triticeae Genomics - Current Status and Utility of the Chromosome Based Strategies seminary. In the coming years, the new research establishment will be a part of an international wheat-genome-reading team, a prestigious task that can aid the understanding of one of the main crop-plants. and Jaroslav Doležel, Jan Kolář.
Současná biologie se bouřlivě rozvíjí v oblasti genomiky. Tyto přístupy pronikají stále více do ekologie i evoluční biologie. Vznikl nový obor populační genomika, který propojuje terénní a laboratorní biologii. Využívá nové metodiky sekvenování a bioinformatických analýz, které v tomto článku stručně popisujeme a vysvětlujeme., Genomics is a rapidly developing field of modern biology. Novel genomic approaches are increasingly utilized in ecology and evolutionary biology. Population genomics has been recently established as a new discipline, connecting field and laboratory biology. It uses new sequencing methods as well as bioinformatic analyses, briefly described and explained in this article., and Helena Štorchová.
Genomická a transkriptomická studia u dvou druhů bublinatky (Utricularia gibba a bublinatky obecné - Utricularia vulgaris) přinesla průlomové poznatky. Ukázala, že miniaturní genom Utricularia gibba obsahuje zhruba stejný počet genů jako jiné kvetoucí rostliny a u některých genových rodin došlo k výrazné expanzi. To se týká např. genů zodpovědných za tvorbu kutikuly nebo za reakci na chitin, což souvisí s životním stylem této vodní masožravé rostliny. Současná nepřítomnost genů souvisejících s vývojem a funkcí kořene u obou druhů bublinatky naznačuje ztrátu „kořenových” genů u společného předka těchto druhů., Genomic and transcriptomic studies in Utricularia gibba and U. vulgaris have led to important discoveries. It was found that the miniature genome of U. gibba contained about the same number of genes as other angiosperms and that some gene families even expanded. For example, the genes responsible for cuticle development or the response to chitin are more numerous than in other plants, which may be related to the aquatic carnivorous lifestyle. Coincident absence of the genes associated with root development and function in U. gibba and U. vulgaris indicates the loss of the root genes already in their common ancestor., and Helena Štorchová.
Fifteen years after the publication of the first genomic sequence of a phytophagous beetle, we review here the wealth of genetic and genomic information generated so far for the species-rich beetle superfamilies Chrysomeloidea (longhorn, seed and leaf beetles) and Curculionoidea (weevils and bark beetles). In this review we briefly describe the most common methods used to investigate the beetle genomes and also compile the nucleotide sequence information stored in public gene databases until December 2004. The motivations and relevance of these research initiatives are described in certain detail, distinguishing among structural and population studies, phylogenetic research, the study of genes involved in development and diapause, energetic metabolism, vegetal tissue digestion, and genes for insect resistance and defence.
Almost four decades have passed since the new field of ecosystem simulation sprang into full force as an added tool for a sound research in an ever-advancing scientific front. The enormous advances and new discoveries that recently took place in the field of molecular biology and basic genetics added more effective tools, have strengthened and increased the efficiency of science outputs in various areas, particularly in basic biological sciences. Now, we are entering into a more promising stage in science, i.e. 'post-genomics', where both simulation modelling and molecular biology tools are integral parts of experimental research in agricultural sciences. I briefly review the history of simulation of crop/environment systems in the light of advances in molecular biology, and most importantly the essential role of experimental research in developing and constructing more meaningful and effective models and technologies. Such anticipated technologies are expected to lead into better management of natural resources in relation to crop communities in particular and plant ecosystems in general, that might enhance productivity faster. Emphasis is placed on developing new technologies to improve agricultural productivity under stressful environments and to ensure sustainable economic development. The latter is essential since available natural resources, particularly land and water, are increasingly limiting.
The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) amount in cells as the basis for mitochondrial energy generating system, which produces ATP, plays an important role in the fetal development and postnatal morbidity. Isolated human cord blood leukocytes (HCBL) contribute very little to the overall metabolic turnover, but they may serve as easily available marker cells for the study of the mtDNA amount changes in cord blood during fetal development. The aim of our study was to analyze the mtDNA amount in HCBL. HCBL were isolated from cord blood samples of 107 neonates born between the 25th and 41st week of gestation. The mtDNA amount was analyzed by the real-time PCR method. The significant negative correlations were found between the relative mtDNA amount in HCBL and gestational age (r = -0.54, p<0.01) and birth weight (r = -0.43, p<0.01), respectively. The results revealed that the mtDNA content per cell decreases in HCBL with progressing fetal development. This may be explained by gradual shift of the hematopoiesis from fetal liver to bone marrow during the second half of pregnancy presumably accompanied by decreasing cell volume of HCBL as it was shown similarly in red blood cells., M. Pejznochová, M. Tesařová, T. Honzík, H. Hansíková, M. Magner, J. Zeman., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Synechococcus is one of the most abundant photoautotrophic picoplankton in the marine ecosystem. However, it is not clear how Synechococcus assemblages respond to light intensity variation in a genus group. Here, enriched Synechococcus assemblages from in situ coastal seawater were subjected to light intensity simulation experiments in a range of 9-243 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1. Characteristics concerning physiology, genomics, and metatranscriptomics were analyzed. Physiologically, the fitting model predicted photosynthesis indications and pigment contents increased with different trends following the light intensity. Genomic sequencing demonstrated that both the phylogenetic and phenotypic compositions of Synechococcus assemblage exhibited population succession. Especially, the proportion of Synechococcus pigment type 2 was changed significantly. In metatranscriptomics, most genes were downregulated in the high-light intensity group, while photosynthesis-related genes were entirely upregulated. The high upregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, such as psbO, psbA, apcB, and cpcB, corresponded to the succession of Synechococcus genotype and was responsible for the physiological shift in response to light intensity.
Thyroid hormones (TH) are powerful modulators of heart function, but their arrhythmogenic effects are less elucidated. We have examined both acute and long-term action of TH on the heart susceptibility to the ventricular fibrillation (VF) and on the heart ability to terminate VF and restore a sinus rhythm. Triiodothyronine (T3) was applied in the range of 10-9-10-6 mol/l in acute experiments using isolated perfused aged (14-month-old) guinea pig hearts. L-thyroxine (T4) was applied in the dose of 50 μg/100g/day to young (3-month-old) and aged (20-month-old) rats for 2 weeks. The T4 treatment resulted in an increased susceptibility of young, but not adult rat hearts to a hypokalemia induced VF and facilitated a spontaneous sinus rhythm (SSR) restoration in the latter group. The acute T3 administration in the range of 10-9-10-7 mol/l significantly decreased the susceptibility of an isolated heart to an electrically induced VF and also facilitated the sinus rhythm restoration. The SSR restoration was, however, not affected by 10-6 mol/l concentration of T3, which also led to an increased VF susceptibility. Results indicate that TH can affect the susceptibility of the heart to VF and its ability to restore the sinus rhythm via acute (non-genomic) and long-term (genomic) actions. Furthermore, an anti- and pro-arrhythmic potential of TH appears to be age- and dose-dependent., V. Knezl, T. Soukup, Ľ. Okruhlicová, J. Slezák, N. Tribulová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy