A genetic map of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) with integrated physical mapping of immunity-related genes.

Background: Cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz, is one of the most important crops world-wide representing the staple security for more than one billion of people. The development of dense genetic and physical maps, as the basis for implementing genetic and molecular approaches to accelerate the rate of genetic gains in breeding program represents a significant challenge. A reference genome sequence for cassava has been made recently available and community efforts are underway for improving its quality.

Identification of immunity-related genes in Arabidopsis and cassava using genomic data.

Recent advances in genomic and post-genomic technologies have provided the opportunity to generate a previously unimaginable amount of information. However, biological knowledge is still needed to improve the understanding of complex mechanisms such as plant immune responses. Better knowledge of this process could improve crop production and management.

Did the prion protein become vulnerable to misfolding after an evolutionary divide and conquer event?

Despite high sequence identity among mammalian prion proteins (PrPs), mammals have varying rates of susceptibility to prion disease resulting in a so-called species barrier. The species barrier follows no clear pattern, with closely related species or similar sequences being no more likely to infect each other, and remains an unresolved enigma. Variation of the conformationally flexible regions may alter the thermodynamics of the conformational change, commonly referred to as the conformational conversion, which occurs in the pathogenic process of the mammalian prion protein.