PubMed · 16184656
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2005. Democratizing sequencing.. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth0905-633
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Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica, a subdioecious plant inhabiting the cold desert of the Indian Himalaya, has gained immense recognition for its nutritional and medicinal values. In recent years, the plant species has proven to be a suitable system to understand the evolution of dioecy. Despite its biological significance, the cytogenetics of this dioecious plant is unclear due to various conflicting accounts of its X-Y chromosome system, particularly the length of Y-chromosome. In this study, we resolved these ambiguities through comprehensive cytogenetic analyses across diverse western Himalayan populations. Using morphometric analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a gender-specific marker (HRMSSR), we confirmed homomorphic XX chromosomes in females and heteromorphic sex-chromosomes in males with a notably smaller Y-chromosome. The investigation also revealed a predominant somatic chromosome number of 2n = 24, although minor deviations (2n = 18, 20, 22) appeared at the seed level. These findings highlight an evolutionarily advanced sex-chromosome system. This first detailed cytogenetic investigation of Himalayan Seabuckthorn provides critical insights into the chromosomal architecture, laying a crucial foundation for future evolutionary, genomic, and conservation studies in the species.
A recent study by Cheung et al. demonstrates how to identify expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) underlying gene expression phenotypes through a combination of genome-wide linkage analysis and subsequent fine mapping or by genome-wide association (GWA) analysis. This study emphasizes the complexity of human traits, highlighting the challenges faced by investigators--in particular, insufficient linkage disequilibrium between the trait and marker variant, genetic heterogeneity and correcting for multiple testing will all adversely impact the power to detect loci by association. These issues must be considered carefully if the GWA approach is to succeed in mapping complex phenotypes.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death world-wide, and most cases have a complex, multifactorial aetiology that includes a substantial heritable component. Identification of new genes involved in CAD may inform pathogenesis and provide new therapeutic targets. The PROCARDIS study recruited 2,658 affected sibling pairs (ASPs) with onset of CAD before age 66 y from four European countries to map susceptibility loci for CAD. ASPs were defined as having CAD phenotype if both had CAD, or myocardial infarction (MI) phenotype if both had a MI. In a first study, involving a genome-wide linkage screen, tentative loci were mapped to Chromosomes 3 and 11 with the CAD phenotype (1,464 ASPs), and to Chromosome 17 with the MI phenotype (739 ASPs). In a second study, these loci were examined with a dense panel of grid-tightening markers in an independent set of families (1,194 CAD and 344 MI ASPs). This replication study showed a significant result on Chromosome 17 (MI phenotype; p = 0.009 after adjustment for three independent replication tests). An exclusion analysis suggests that further genes of effect size lambda(sib) > 1.24 are unlikely to exist in these populations of European ancestry. To our knowledge, this is the first genome-wide linkage analysis to map, and replicate, a CAD locus. The region on Chromosome 17 provides a compelling target within which to identify novel genes underlying CAD. Understanding the genetic aetiology of CAD may lead to novel preventative and/or therapeutic strategies.