Collecting wild Miscanthus germplasm in Asia for crop improvement and conservation in Europe whilst adhering to the guidelines of the United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity.

Background And Aims: Germplasm with diverse, agronomically relevant traits forms the foundation of a successful plant breeding programme. Since 1993, the United Nations has been advocating the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the subsequent 2002 Bonn Guidelines as international best practice on germplasm collection and use. In 2006, a European team made an expedition to Asia to collect wild germplasm of Miscanthus, a C4 perennial rhizomatous grass, for breeding an environmentally adaptable, resilient and high-yielding bioenergy crop.

Inside the 8p23.1 duplication syndrome; eight microduplications of likely or uncertain clinical significance.

The 8p23.1 duplication syndrome (8p23.1 DS) is a recurrent genomic condition with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 58,000.

Breeding for Bio-ethanol Production in L.: Association of Allelic Variation with High Water-Soluble Carbohydrate Content.

Increasing the extractable sugar yield from perennial crops is one strategy to generate renewable fuels such as bio-ethanol. L. (perennial ryegrass) can contain significant (>30% dry matter) water-soluble sugars in the form of polymeric fructan which is readily extracted, broken down and fermented to bio-ethanol.

Outgrowth endothelial cells: characterization and their potential for reversing ischemic retinopathy.

Purpose: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have potential for promoting vascular repair and revascularization of ischemic retina. However, the highly heterogeneous nature of these cells causes confusion when assessing their biological functions. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive comparison between the two main EPC subtypes, early EPCs (eEPCs) and outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs), and to establish the potential of OECs as a novel cell therapy for ischemic retinopathy.

Jumping translocation in acute monocytic leukemia (M5b) with alternative breakpoint sites in the long arm of donor chromosome 3.

An 86-year-old man presented with acute hepatic failure, worsening thrombocytopenia, and anemia having been diagnosed and managed expectantly with cytogenetically normal RAEB-1. After 20 months a diagnosis of disease transformation to acute monocytic leukemia (M5b) was made. Conventional G-banded analysis of unstimulated bone marrow cultures demonstrated a jumping translocation (JT) involving proximal and distal breakpoints on donor chromosome 3 at bands 3q1?2 and 3q21, respectively.

Unbalanced jumping translocation involving 3q in myeloproliferative disease.

An 87-year-old woman was diagnosed with unclassified myeloproliferative disease having an acquired jumping translocation with the long arm of chromosome 3 translocating to the short arm telomeric region of chromosome 8 (major clone) and the long arm telomeric region of chromosome 10 (minor clone). Each abnormal clone was also associated with an extra copy of chromosome 8. Although there was no evidence of transformation to an acute leukemia, the patient deteriorated until her demise 7 months after disease presentation.

Coordinated expression of functionally diverse fructosyltransferase genes is associated with fructan accumulation in response to low temperature in perennial ryegrass.

* Fructan is the major nonstructural carbohydrate reserve in temperate grasses. To understand regulatory mechanisms in fructan synthesis and adaptation to cold environments, the isolation, functional characterization and genetic mapping of fructosyltransferase (FT) genes in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) are described. * Six cDNAs (prft1-prft6) encoding FTs were isolated from cold-treated ryegrass plants, and three were positioned on a perennial ryegrass linkage map.

Transformation of cytogenetically normal chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia to an acute myeloid leukaemia and the emergence of a novel +13, +15 double trisomy resulting in an adverse outcome.

A 58-year-old man was admitted with symptoms of lethargy and easy bruising for four months duration. Peripheral blood (PB) analysis revealed a white blood cell count (WBC) of 15.9 x 10(9)/l with monocytes 5.

Association of candidate genes with flowering time and water-soluble carbohydrate content in Lolium perenne (L.).

We describe a candidate gene approach for associating SNPs with variation in flowering time and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content and other quality traits in the temperate forage grass species Lolium perenne. Three analysis methods were used, which took the significant population structure into account. First, a linear mixed model was used enabling a structured association analysis to be incorporated with the nine populations identified in the structure analysis as random variables.

Impact of defoliation frequency on regrowth and carbohydrate metabolism in contrasting varieties of Lolium perenne.

The aims of the study were to gain a better understanding of fructan metabolism regulation during regrowth of Lolium perenne, and to evaluate the role of fructans of remaining tissues as well as carbon assimilation of new leaf tissues in refoliation. Two varieties that contrast for carbohydrate metabolism, Aurora and Perma, were subject to severe and frequent or infrequent defoliations before regrowth. Aurora, which had a greater content of fructans in leaf sheaths than Perma before defoliation, produced more leaf biomass within the 4 days following the first cut.

RT-PCR analysis and stress response capacity of transgenic gshI-poplar clones (Populus x canescens) in response to paraquat exposure.

Stress response capacity (Fv/Fm at 690 nm and F690/F735 at Fmax) of untransformed hybrid poplar, Populus x canescens (P tremula x P alba), and two transgenic lines overexpressing gamma-ECS (gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase) either in the cytosol (cyt-ECS) or in the chloroplast (chl-ECS) was studied in response to the herbicide paraquat (4.0 x 10(-9) to 4.0 x 10(-6) M) for 21 days.

3'CBFbeta deletion associated with inv(16) in acute myeloid leukemia.

Recent reports have shown that concomitant submicroscopic deletions can occur in association with chromosomal translocations/inversions in several leukemia subtypes. Detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), these losses of sequence include deletion of the 5' region of the ABL gene and the 3' region of BCR in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), as well as the 5' region of ETO in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) French-American-British type M2 associated with t(8;21), 3'MLL in AML and ALL, and 3' core-binding factor beta (CBFbeta) in AML associated with inv(16). While it has been widely reported that submicroscopic deletions of the derivative 9 in CML have an adverse prognostic impact, the clinical significance, if any, of deletions associated with t(8;21), inv(16)/t(16;16), or MLL rearrangement is yet to be determined.

AFLP analysis and improved phytoextraction capacity of transgenic gshI-poplar clones (Populus x canescens L.) for copper in vitro.

Clone stability and in vitro phytoextraction capacity of vegetative clones of P. x canescens (2n = 4x = 38) including two transgenic clones (ggs11 and lgl6) were studied as in vitro leaf disc cultures. Presence of the gshI-transgene in the transformed clones was detected in PCR reactions using gshI-specific primers.

Differences in growth and nitrogen productivity between a stay-green genotype and a wild-type of Lolium perenne under limiting relative addition rates of nitrate supply.

The stay-green mutation of the nuclear gene sid inhibits chlorophyll degradation during leaf senescence in grasses. Decreased productivity is expected under conditions of limited external N availability, due to the higher retention of N in senescent tissues. However, this has not been reported when plants are grown at limiting low external concentrations of N.

Tetrasomy 13 as the sole cytogenetic abnormality in acute myeloid leukemia M1 without maturation.

We report a case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) M1 showing a 48,XY,+13,+13 karyotype. Treatment was according to the Medical Research Council AML14 trial protocol with two courses of DAT chemotherapy. Postchemotherapy bone marrow examination failed to show complete remission or cytogenetic normalization.

An assessment of the ability of the stay-green phenotype in lolium species to provide an improved protein supply for ruminants.

The stay-green phenotype results from a naturally occurring mutation in which senescent leaves retain their chlorophyll and the associated apoprotein, LHCPII. Protection of this protein pool could deliver grass with enhanced protein content and could decrease the extent of protein degradation by plant proteases in the rumen. This would enhance the efficiency of protein utilization in livestock to the benefit of the environment.

An enhanced molecular marker based genetic map of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) reveals comparative relationships with other Poaceae genomes.

A molecular-marker linkage map has been constructed for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) using a one-way pseudo-testcross population based on the mating of a multiple heterozygous individual with a doubled haploid genotype. RFLP, AFLP, isoenzyme, and EST data from four collaborating laboratories within the International Lolium Genome Initiative were combined to produce an integrated genetic map containing 240 loci covering 811 cM on seven linkage groups.

A stay-green mutation of Lolium perenne affects NO uptake and translocation of N during prolonged N starvation.

Apparent K and V for net NO uptake and short-term translocation patterns of recently absorbed N were compared in a stay-green mutant and wild-type selection line of Lolium perenne L. by means of a series of depletion studies using NO , performed over 12 d under conditions of progressively increasing N deprivation. In view of the greater retention of N in senescent leaves of the stay-green phenotype, it was predicted that NO uptake would be up-regulated relative to the normal line, and that a proportionally higher fraction of recently absorbed N would be allocated to young leaves.