Genetic relationship of Chinese ethnic populations revealed by mtDNA sequence diversity

The origin and demographic history of the ethnic populations of China have not been clearly resolved. In this study, we examined the hypervariable segment I sequences (HVSI) of the mitochondrial DNA control region in 372 individuals from nine Chinese popu

Mitochondrial DNA variation, effective female population size and population history of the endangered Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis

The anadromous Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), mainly endemic to the Yangtze River in China, is an endangered fish species. The natural population has declined since the Gezhouba Dam blocked its migratory route to the spawning grounds in 1981. In the near future, the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project, may further impact this species by altering the water flow of the Yangtze River. Little is currently known about the population genetic structure of the Chinese sturgeon. In this study, DNA sequence data were determined from the control region (D-loop) of the mitochondrial genome of adult sturgeons (n = 106) that were collected between 1995-2000. The molecular data were used to investigate genetic variation, effective female population size and population history of the Chinese sturgeon in the Yangtze River. Our results indicate that the reduction in abundance did not change genetic variation of the Chinese sturgeon, and that the population underwent an expansion in the past. AMOVA analysis indicated that 98.7% of the genetic variability occurred within each year's spawning populations, the year of collection had little influence on the diversity of annual temporary samples. The relative large effective female population size (N-ef) indicates that good potential exists for the recovery of this species in the future. Strikingly, the ratio of N-ef to the census female population size (N-f) is unusually high (0.77-0.93). This may be the result of a current bottleneck in the population of the Chinese sturgeon that is likely caused by human intervention.

Mitochondrial DNA sequence polymorphisms of five ethnic populations from northern China

To study the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms in a total of 232 individuals from five ethnic populations (Daur, n=45; Ewenki, n=47; Korean, n=48; Mongolian, n=48; Oroqen, n=44) in northern China, we analyzed the control region sequences and typed for a number of characteristic mutations in coding regions (especially the region 14576-16047), by direct sequencing or restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. With the exception of 14 individuals belonging to the European-specific haplogroups R2, H, J, and T, the mtDNAs considered could be assigned into the East Asian-specific haplogroups described recently. The polymorphisms in cytochrome b sequence were found to be very informative for defining or supporting the haplogroups status of East Asian mtDNAs in addition to the reported regions 10171-10659 and 14055-14590 in our previous study. The haplogroup distribution frequencies varied in the five ethnic populations, but in general they all harbored a large amount of north-prevalent haplogroups, such as D, G, C, and Z, and thus were in agreement with their ethnohistory of northern origin. The two populations (Ewenki and Oroqen) with small population census also show concordant features in their matrilineal genetic structures, with lower genetic diversities observed.

Genetic structure of asian populations of Bombus ignitus (Hymenoptera : Apidae)

The genetic structure of seven mainland and island Asian populations of Bombus ignitus was investigated using nine microsatellite markers and the sequences of part of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene. While microsatellite markers showed high gen

Genetic differentiation and cryptic speciation in natural populations of Drosophila lacertosa

Drosophila lacertosa, an Oriental member of the robusta species group in the virilis-repleta radiation, has a wide distribution from northern India throughout China to the Far East. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial ND2 gene sequences revealed two ge

Evidence for Positive Selection on the Osteogenin (BMP3) Gene in Human Populations

Background: Human skeletal system has evolved rapidly since the dispersal of modern humans from Africa, potentially driven by selection and adaptation. Osteogenin (BMP3) plays an important role in skeletal development and bone osteogenesis as an antagonist of the osteogenic bone morphogenetic proteins, and negatively regulates bone mineral density. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we resequenced the BMP3 gene from individuals in four geographically separated modern human populations. Features supportive of positive selection in the BMP3 gene were found including the presence of an excess of nonsynonymous mutations in modern humans, and a significantly lower genetic diversity that deviates from neutrality. The prevalent haplotypes of the first exon region in Europeans demonstrated features of long-range haplotype homogeneity. In contrast with findings in European, the derived allele SNP Arg192Gln shows higher extended haplotype homozygosity in East Asian. The worldwide allele frequency distribution of SNP shows not only a high-derived allele frequency in Asians, but also in Americans, which is suggestive of functional adaptation. Conclusions/Significance: In conclusion, we provide evidence for recent positive selection operating upon a crucial gene in skeletal development, which may provide new insight into the evolution of the skeletal system and bone development.

Reduction in Chaetoceros populations by furanace

One of the most promising prophylactic agents being tested to control Penaeus monodon larval diseases is furanace (6-hydroxymethyl-2 2(5-nitro-2-furyl) vinyl pyridine). To evaluate further its suitability as a chemotherapeutic agent, its effects on the population growth of Chaetoceros calcitrans, the diatom used as feed for the zoeal stages, was examined. Chaetoceros populations of uniform density (initial density in all runs: 130-141x10 SUP-3 cells /ml) were placed in nine white, circular (382 sq cm), plastic basins. The physio-chemical characteristics of the culture water were as follows: salinity, 28 . 5-30 . 0 ppt; pH, 8 . 62-8 . 72; temperature, 23-25 . 5 degree C; dissolved oxygen, 7 . 1-9 . 3 ppm; nitrate, 0 . 03-0 . 07 ppm; and ammonia, 0 . 005-0 . 03 ppm. Preweighed furanace granules were dissolved in the culture water, with resulting concentrations of 1 and 2 mg/l (3 replicates each). A set of replicates without furanace served as the control. Population counts of the diatom were taken after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 hr exposures. After 4 hr, the population decreased in all three levels. The population in 2 mg/l furanace showed the lowest count and that in control the highest. The population means are not statistically different from one another. The results of the study show that the furanace causes reductions in Chaetoceros population at all durations of exposure.

The biology and control of Caligus sp., an ectoparasite of the adult milkfish Chanos chanos Forskal

One unidentified species of copepod belonging to the genus Caliqus of the family Caigidae was found to infest the adult milkfish broodstock. To control the parasites infesting the adult milkfish, tests were made using the chemical (2,2,2-trichloro-1-hydroxyl)-phosphonic acid-dimethylethol (Neguvon) at a concentration of 0 . 25 ppm. It is noted that a concentration of 0 . 25 ppm of Neguvon maintained for 12-24 hours in the sabalo-containing tanks in a closed water system but with aeration is effective in controlling the parasites. Fish mortality during the experiment was due to inadequate aeration in the tanks.

Transplantable neural progenitor populations derived from Rhesus monkey embryonic stem cells

Cell-based therapies using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in the treatment of neural disease will require the generation of homogenous donor neural progenitor (NP) populations. Here we describe an efficient culture system containing hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and G5 supplement for the production of highly enriched (88.3% +/- 8.1%)populations of NPs from rhesus monkey ESCs. Additional purification resulted in NP preparations that were 98% nestin positive. Moreover, NPs, as monolayers or neurospheres, could be maintained for prolonged periods of time in media containing HGF+G5 or G5 alone. In vitro differentiation and in vivo transplantation assays showed that NPs could differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The kinds and quantities of differentiated cells derived from NPs were closely correlated with their niches in vivo. Glial differentiation was predominant in periventricular areas, whereas cells migrating into the cortex were mostly neurons. Cell counts showed that 2 months after transplantation, approximately 25% of transplanted NPs survived and 65% - 80% of the surviving transplanted cells migrated along the ventricular wall or in a radial fashion. Subcloning demonstrated that several clonal lines derived from NPs expressed nestin and differentiated into three neural lineages in vitro and in rat brains in vivo. In contrast, some subcloned lines showed restricted differentiation both in vitro and in vivo in rat brains. These observations set the stage for obtaining highly enriched NPs and evaluating the efficacy of NP-based transplantation therapy in the nonhuman primate and will provide a platform for probing the molecular mechanisms that control neural induction.

Diversity, abundance distribution and secondary production of intertidal and subtidal benthic macrofauna of Bushehr Province with emphasis on annelida groups

The present investigation was undertaken to establish a reference situation for future use, to identify temporal and spatial composition of macrofauna and estimate some ecological indices in the sub tidal waters along the Bushehr coastal waters in Persian Gulf. Six transects were selected including Genaveh, Farakeh, Shif, Bandargah, Rostami and Asalouyeh, at each transect 3 station were sampled in depths of zero, 5 and 10 metres. Sampling was seasonally carried out by a VAN VEEN grab 0.0225 m2, during summer 2008 until spring 2009. Samples were wet sieved immediately using 0.5 mm mesh size sieves and sediment retained in the sieve was preserved in 4% buffered formalin solution. Macrofauna specimen were separated from the sediments using decantation and elutriation methods, enumerated and identified up to the Genus level. Environmental factors such as temperature. pH, and salinity were recorded in field using sensitive probs and refractometer (for salinity) and also sediment samples were taken for TOM and grain size analysis in all the stations. 5611 specimens belonging to 66 genera were collected during the present study. Polychaetes were dominant both in terms of genus number (31) and relative abundance (74 % of total macrofaunal abundance). The other dominant groups were Artheropoda, (16.1%), Molusca (2.8%), Echinodermata (1.29%) and others including Nematoda, Nemertina, Echiura and Turbellaria (5.8%). Thirty one Genera belong of 27 families of polychaeta, one genus and family of Subphylum Chlicerata,19 genera belong to 14 families of Crustacea, 8 genera belong to 6 families of Molusca, were indentified in the studied region. 1 family (Polygordidae) and 3 genera (Flabeligera, Pilargis and Polygordius) of Polychaeta, 1 family (Nymphonidae) and genus (Nymphon) of Chelicerata, 1 Family (Nematoplanidae) and genus (Nematoplana) of Turbellaria, were identified for the first time in Persian Gulf area. The result indicated that macrofauna organism have strong relationship with the grain size characteristics of the sediments they inhabit. The most surface deposit feeder specimens such as Prionospio and Cossura were found in zero meters depth of Genaveh, Farakeh, Bandargah, Rostami and Asalouyeh stations with sandy substratum, however the most burrowing deposit feeder and scavenger specimens such as Capitella and Petaloproctus were collected in 5 and 10 meter depths of stations with silty–clay substratum. The annual mean abundance, Shanon- weiner diversity and evenness of macrofauna were estimated1152.73 N/ m² , 2.72 and 0.792 respectively .The annual average biomass and secondary production were computed 1.797 gDW m² and 3.594 gDW m² y-1 .The average of water temperature, salinity, pH and oxygen concentration were recorded between 16.37-36.05 °C, 38-42 g/l, 7.89-8.76 and 4.23-8.23 mg/l, respectively during this study in 6 studied region. Among of investigated stations Asalouyeh adjacent of effluent canal of Gas and petrochemical industry sewage and Farakeh regions adjacent the Helleh estuary had the lowets and the highest community indices. The average of diversity and density in 5 meters depth stations with moderate of sand, silt and clay were slightly more than 2 other depths stations, it seems that 5 meters stations are made a transition habitats between 2 sandy and clay habitats, that can be used by 2 groups of surface and borrowing deposit feeders. Based on the data provided in this survey, the temperature variation, sediment texture, TOM, type habitat and manmade factors of Gas and petrochemical industries have had the most effect on the macrofauna community structure in the studied region during sampling periods.

MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA POLYMORPHISM IN NATURAL-POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA-ALBOMICANS(I)

The technique of mtDNA restriction fragments length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to survey the population structure of D. albomicans. Remarkable mtDNA polymorphism has been observed in D. albomicans populations. A total of 34 nucleomorphs were detected from 82 isofemale lines assayed by only 8 restriction enzymes. The cause and the effect of this phenomenon were discussed. As a result, it is suggested that a mechanism which maintains mtDNA diversity exists in this fly, and that the high intra-populational polymorphism could numerically conceal the extent of differentiation between populations. In addition, on the base of restriction maps, it was found that the mtDNA molecule of D. albomicans might be impacted by the selection pressure during its evolution process both on the nucleotide composition and on the functional regions.

Ecological risk assessment of pollution in sediment on benthic fauna in coast of Bandar Abbas

Ecological risk assessment is determination of the probability of an adverse effect occurring to an ecological system. This investigation was carried out to assess the ecological risk of sediment in coast of Bandar Abbass in 9 stations including Shilat Jetty, Hotel Amin, Poshte-Shahr, Souro, Bahonar Jetty, Powerhouse, Refinery and Rajaee Jetty from autumn 2013 to summer 2014. Results showed that Polychaete with 1177 , 1109 , 414 , 573 , ind.m2 in autumn 91 , winter 91 , spring 92 and summer 92 were the most abundant in frequency respectively. Among ecological indices, the Margalof that ranged from 4 to 7 was in a good situation while Shanoon and Berger – Parker with 1.2 (at most) and 0.32 (at least) respectively indicated an environment with probable stress. Heavy metal distribution obtained as Cd>Pb>Cu>Zn in sediment. In tissue, the distribution of heavy metals were as Crab>polychaete>Bivalve>gastropod for Pb, Gastropod>Bivalve>Polychaete>Crab for Cd, Gastropod>Crab>Polychaete>Bivalve for Cu and Gastropod>Bivalve>Crab>Polychaete for Zn. Maximum and Minimum of TOM obtained 10.16 and 1.96 percent in Posht-e-Shahr and shilat Jetty respectively and clay was the dominant grain in most area. Bioaccumulation coefficient of Zn and Cu was high in all stations. Igeo as a single index was high for Cd indicating a high risk in all stations. Potential Ecological Risk was high for Cu and Zn and goes increasingly from shilat Jetty to Rajee Jetty but goes down for Pb. Pollution index for Cu and Pb was nearly the same as Potential Ecological Risk but for Zn goes constantly. Among PAH, 5-ring and 6-ring PAhs were more concentrate comparison to other compounds in sediment. 2-ring and 3-ring, 3-ring, 4-ring and 5-ring and 5-ring PAHs were more concentrate in Gastropod, Bivalve, Crab and Polychaete respectively. HI as an index of PAH obtained 1. Ecological Risk Indices showed that the heavy metals are a serious risk for invertebrate in sediment but PAHs are not a risk for benthic community.

Species identification of family Lutjanidae and separation of populations of John’s snapper (Lutjanus johnii) in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea based on otolith shape analysis

The anatomical and morphometric (shape indices, contour descriptors and otolith weight) characterizations of sagittal otoliths were investigated in 13 species of Lutjanus spp. inhabiting the Persian Gulf. This is the first study that compares the efficiency of three different image analysis techniques for discriminating species based on the shape of the outer otolith contour, including elliptical Fourier descriptors (EFD), fast Fourier transform (FFT) and wavelet transform (WT). Sagittal otoliths of snappers are morphologically similar with some small specific variations. The use of otolith contour based on wavelets (WT) provided the best results in comparison with the two other methods based on Fourier descriptors, but only the combination of the all three methods (EFD, FFT and WT) was useful to obtain a robust classification of species. The species prediction improved when otolith weight was included. In relation to the shape indices, only the aspect ratio provided a clear grouping of species. Also, another study was carried on to test the possibility of application of shape analysis and comparing otolith contour of otoliths of Lutjanus johnii from Persian Gulf and Oman Sea to identify potential stocks. The results showed the otoliths have differences in contour shape and can be contribute to two different stocks.