Chloroplast capture and range extension after hybridization in taro ().

Complete chloroplast genomes of 17 samples from six species of (Araceae) were sequenced, assembled, and aligned together with two previously reported complete genome sequences from taro (). Analysis provides a well-supported phylogenetic tree for taro and closely-related wild species in Southeast Asia. Two chloroplast lineages (CI and CII) form a well-defined haplotype group and are found in cultivated taros known as var.

Prevalence of male DNA on female worn undergarments. How small datasets may support robust opinions in activity level evaluative reporting.

In cases of sexual assault, the interpretation of biological traces on clothing, and particularly undergarments, may be complex. This is especially so when the complainant and defendant interact socially, for instance as (ex-)partners or by co-habitation. Here we present the results from a study where latent male DNA on female worn undergarments is recovered in four groups with different levels of male-female social interaction.

Patterns of fructan synthesized by onion fructan : fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase expressed in tobacco BY2 cells - is fructan : fructan 1-fructosyltransferase needed in onion?

•  Fructan : fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase (6G-FFT) has been proposed to be the enzyme essential for the production of neo-series inulin. Transfer of a fructose unit from short chain inulins to the C6 of the glucose residue of sucrose or inulin was proposed to be its most important characteristic. Here, we investigate the activity of 6G-FFT from onion (Allium cepa) more thoroughly.

Persistent numbers of tetramer+ CD8(+) T cells, but loss of interferon-gamma+ HIV-specific T cells during progression to AIDS.

Although CD8(+) T cells initially suppress human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication, cytotoxic T-cell precursor frequencies eventually decline and fail to prevent disease progression. In a longitudinal study including 16 individuals infected with HIV-1, we studied both the number and function of HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells by comparing HLA-peptide tetramer staining and peptide-induced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production. Numbers of IFN-gamma-producing T cells declined during progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), whereas the number of tetramer+ T cells in many individuals persisted at high frequencies.

T cell expansions in lymph nodes and peripheral blood in HIV-1-infected individuals: effect of antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: To evaluate dynamics in CD8 T cell expansions during highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Design: Various T cell subsets were isolated from blood and lymph nodes and analysed for T cell receptor (TCR) diversity.

Methods: TCR complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) spectratyping and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses were performed in combination with sequencing to assess clonality of the subsets.