Genomic analysis links the American mink Royal pastel coat phenotype to retroviral element type 1 insertion in the HPS3 gene.

To date, only 10 of the more than 30 fur colours that had been observed in American mink (Neogale vison) have been linked to specific genes. The Royal pastel fur colour is part of a large family of brownish colours that are quite similar to one another, making breeding and selecting processes more difficult. Here we carried out whole-genome sequencing of five American minks with Royal pastel (b/b) phenotypes originating from two distinct mink populations.

Peripheral Blood Gene Expression Profiling Reveals Molecular Pathways Associated with Cervical Artery Dissection.

Cervical artery dissection (CeAD) is the primary cause of ischemic stroke in young adults. Monogenic heritable connective tissue diseases account for fewer than 5% of cases of CeAD. The remaining sporadic cases have known risk factors.

The Effectiveness of Co-Inoculation by Consortia of Microorganisms Depends on the Type of Plant and the Soil Microbiome.

The amalgamation of mineral and targeted bacterial preparations represents a new generation of agricultural technology. Inoculation with combined preparations of microorganisms is more effective than inoculation with a single microorganism in stimulating plant growth by providing a more balanced diet for various crops. In this work, the effect of inoculation of 20 consortium variants on the yield indicators of three crops (wheat, buckwheat, corn) and the soil microbiome in the open field was investigated.

StM171, a Bacteriophage That Affects Sensitivity to Antibiotics in Host Bacteria and Their Biofilm Formation.

mainly causes respiratory infections that are associated with a high mortality rate among immunocompromised patients. exhibits a high level of antibiotic resistance and can form biofilms, which complicates the treatment of patients infected with this bacterium. Phages combined with antibiotics could be a promising treatment option.

PARG1 and EXA1 genes as possible components of the facultative epigenetic control of plant development.

Plants are able to adjust their developmental program in response to incremental environmental changes by reprogramming the epigenomes of the cells. This process, known as facultative epigenetic developmental control, underlies plant developmental plasticity and the amazing diversity of morphotypes, which arises from the changes in cell fates. How plants determine when epigenome reprogramming should occur is largely unclear.

Genomic analysis of a novel Neanderthal from Mezmaiskaya Cave provides insights into the genetic relationships of Middle Palaeolithic populations.

The Mezmaiskaya cave is located on the North Caucasus near the border that divides Europe and Asia. Previously, fossil remains for two Neanderthals were reported from Mezmaiskaya Cave. A tooth from the third archaic hominin specimen (Mezmaiskaya 3) was retrieved from layer 3 in Mezmaiskaya Cave.

Identification of mutant gene for Black crystal coat and non-allelic gene interactions in Neogale vison.

Sable (Martes zibellina) and American mink (Neogale vison) are valuable species characterized by a variety of coat colour produced on fur farms. Black crystal fur phenotype is Mendelian codominant trait: heterozygous animals (C/ +) have white guard hairs scattered predominantly on the spine and the head, while homozygous (C/C) minks have coats resembling the Himalayan (c/c) or white Hedlund (h/h) types. It is one of the most recent of more than 35 currently known phenotypic traits of fur colour in American mink.

Genomics of Ancient Pathogens: First Advances and Prospects.

Paleogenomics is one of the urgent and promising areas of interdisciplinary research in the today's world science. New genomic methods of ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, such as next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, make it possible not only to obtain detailed genetic information about historical and prehistoric human populations, but also to study individual microbial and viral pathogens and microbiomes from different ancient and historical objects. Studies of aDNA of pathogens by reconstructing their genomes have so far yielded complete sequences of the ancient pathogens that played significant role in the history of the world: Yersinia pestis (plague), Variola virus (smallpox), Vibrio cholerae (cholera), HBV (hepatitis B virus), as well as the equally important endemic human infectious agents: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis), Mycobacterium leprae (leprosy), and Treponema pallidum (syphilis).

Shadow coat colour in American mink associated with a missense mutation in the KIT gene.

The classical genetic analysis describes more 35 mutations that are involved in the formation of the American mink (Neovison vison) fur colour phenotype. To date, only eight of these mutations have been linked to specific genes. Shadow is a member of the commercially valuable Black cross colour family.

The Interactive Effect of Genetic and Epigenetic Variations in and Genes on Anxiety and Brain EEG Parameters.

is a key stress-responsive regulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. To elucidate the contribution of rs1360780 C/T alleles to aging and longevity, we genotyped in a cohort of 800 non-demented and Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects of different age, taking into account the allele state of ε4, the major risk factor for AD. Furthermore, we searched for the association of with subcohorts of non-demented subjects evaluated for anxiety and resting-state quantitative EEG characteristics, associated with cognitive, emotional, and functional brain activities.

Genetic Evidence of Authenticity of a Hair Shaft Relic from the Portrait of Tsesarevich Alexei, Son of the Last Russian Emperor.

To determine the value of an art piece, authenticity of the artwork must be verified. We demonstrate here a genetic approach to determine origin of a historic relic in the museum piece. We tested two hair shafts of unknown origin framed into a watercolor portrait of Tsesarevich Alexei Romanov, son of the last Russian Tzar Nicholas II, which is a unique item kept in the State Historical Museum.

Genome Analysis of Sable Fur Color Links a Lightened Pigmentation Phenotype to a Frameshift Variant in the Tyrosinase-Related Protein 1 Gene.

Sable () is one of the most valuable species of fur animals. Wild-type sable fur color varies from sandy-yellow to black. Farm breeding and 90 years of directional selection have resulted in a generation of several sable breeds with a completely black coat color.

Genome analysis identifies the mutant genes for common industrial Silverblue and Hedlund white coat colours in American mink.

The fur colour of American mink (Neovison vison) involves over 35 traits, but only three of these have been linked to specific genes. Despite being the most popular, coat colours Silverblue and Hedlund white remain uncharacterized genetically. The former is the first genetic mutant of fur colour identified in minks, while the latter is a commercially valuable phenotype that can be dyed easily.

Peripubertal serum dioxin concentrations and subsequent sperm methylome profiles of young Russian adults.

Background: The association of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in the peripubertal period with subsequent sperm DNA methylation is unknown.

Objective: We examined the association of peripubertal serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) concentrations with whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) of sperm collected in young adulthood.

Methods: The Russian Children's Study is a prospective cohort of 516 boys who were enrolled at 8-9 years of age and provided semen samples at 18-19 years of age.