High rates of MHC mismatches in HLA matched unrelated donor/recipient pairs and potential impact on hematopoietic cell transplant outcome.

Introduction: Donors for patients requiring hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) are selected based on matching genetic sequences encoding the antigen recognition domain of specific HLA loci. However, differences in transplant outcomes in fully matched unrelated HCT compared with sibling HCT suggest that other genetic regions within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) may contribute to HCT outcomes.

Methods: We sequenced the non-classical MHC loci (NCML) HLA-E, -F, -G, -H, MICA and MICB on a well-characterized retrospective cohort of 157 unrelated donor/recipient HCT pairs to determine the extent of MHC mismatching in matched pairs.

HLA-OLI: A new MHC class I pseudogene and HLA-Y are located on a 60 kb indel in the human MHC between HLA-W and HLA-J.

Analysis of publicly available whole-genome sequence data from the Human Pangenome Project and the 1000 Genomes Project has identified a DNA segment of approximately 60 kb in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) between HLA-W and HLA-J that is present in some MHC haplotypes but not others. This DNA segment is largely repeat element-rich but includes the pseudogene HLA-Y, thus pinpointing the location of this pseudogene, and a new HLA class I sequence we have called HLA-OLI. HLA-OLI clusters phylogenetically with the HLA class I pseudogenes, HLA-P and HLA-W, and appears to have a similar genetic structure.

Measuring the photostability of agrochemicals on leaves: understanding the balance between loss processes and foliar uptake.

Background: Photostability is an important property in agrochemicals, impacting their biological efficacy, environmental fate and registrability. As such, it is a property that is routinely measured during the development of new active ingredients and their formulations. To make these measurements, compounds are typically exposed to simulated sunlight after application to a glass substrate.

The Anglo-Saxon migration and the formation of the early English gene pool.

The history of the British Isles and Ireland is characterized by multiple periods of major cultural change, including the influential transformation after the end of Roman rule, which precipitated shifts in language, settlement patterns and material culture. The extent to which migration from continental Europe mediated these transitions is a matter of long-standing debate. Here we study genome-wide ancient DNA from 460 medieval northwestern Europeans-including 278 individuals from England-alongside archaeological data, to infer contemporary population dynamics.