Quantifying the Evolutionary Conservation of Genes Encoding Multidrug Efflux Pumps in the ESKAPE Pathogens To Identify Antimicrobial Drug Targets.

Increasing rates of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection are one of the most pressing contemporary global health concerns. The ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and species) have been identified as the leading global cause of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, and overexpression of multidrug efflux (MEX) transport systems has been identified as one of the most critical mechanisms facilitating the evolution of multidrug resistance in ESKAPE pathogens. Despite efforts to develop efflux pump inhibitors to combat antibiotic resistance, the need persists to identify additional targets for future investigations.

Taxonomic revision of the Australian arid zone lizards Gehyra variegata and G. montium (Squamata, Gekkonidae) with description of three new species.

The taxonomy of central Australian populations of geckos of the genus Gehyra has been uncertain since chromosomal studies carried out in the 1970s and 1980s revealed considerable heterogeneity and apparently independent patterns of morphological and karyotypic diversity. Following detailed molecular genetic studies, species boundaries in this complex have become clearer and we here re-set the boundaries of the three named species involved, G. variegata (Duméril & Bibron, 1836), G.

Anonymous nuclear loci in non-model organisms: making the most of high-throughput genome surveys.

Motivation: When working with non-model organisms, few if any species-specific markers are available for phylogenetic, phylogeographic and population studies. Therefore, researchers often try to adapt markers developed in distantly related taxa, resulting in poor amplification and ascertainment bias in their target taxa. Markers can be developed de novo and anonymous nuclear loci (ANL) are proving to be a boon for researchers seeking large numbers of fast-evolving, independent loci.