QTL analysis of femaleness in monoecious spinach and fine mapping of a major QTL using an updated version of chromosome-scale pseudomolecules.

Although spinach is predominantly dioecious, monoecious plants with varying proportions of female and male flowers are also present. Recently, monoecious inbred lines with highly female and male conditions have been preferentially used as parents for F1-hybrids, rather than dioecious lines. Accordingly, identifying the loci for monoecism is an important issue for spinach breeding.

Differential expression analysis using a model-based gene clustering algorithm for RNA-seq data.

Background: RNA-seq is a tool for measuring gene expression and is commonly used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene clustering is used to classify DEGs with similar expression patterns for the subsequent analyses of data from experiments such as time-courses or multi-group comparisons. However, gene clustering has rarely been used for analyzing simple two-group data or differential expression (DE).

Accurate Classification of Differential Expression Patterns in a Bayesian Framework With Robust Normalization for Multi-Group RNA-Seq Count Data.

Empirical Bayes is a choice framework for differential expression (DE) analysis for multi-group RNA-seq count data. Its characteristic ability to compute posterior probabilities for predefined expression patterns allows users to assign the pattern with the highest value to the gene under consideration. However, current Bayesian methods such as baySeq and EBSeq can be improved, especially with respect to normalization.

Silent KEL alleles identified from Japanese individuals with the K phenotype.

Background And Objective: The rare K phenotype lacks all 36 antigens in the Kell blood system. The molecular basis of the K phenotype has been investigated, and more than 40 silent KEL alleles are reported by many investigators. The majority of silent alleles are the KEL*02 background.

Molecular basis for D- Japanese: identification of novel DEL and D- alleles.

Background And Objectives: The occurrence of D- is approximately 0.5% in Japanese, but DEL in apparently D- individuals is relatively common compared with that in Caucasian populations. On the basis of molecular genetics, we examined D- Japanese blood donors.

A new ABCG2 null allele with a 27-kb deletion including the promoter region causing the Jr(a-) phenotype.

Background: The high-prevalence antigen Jr(a) is carried on the ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCG2. The ABCG2 gene consists of 16 exons and its translation start codon is located on the second exon. Although the occurrence of the Jr(a-) phenotype is rare, several ABCG2 null alleles have been reported.

Elevated receptor for activated C kinase 1 expression is involved in intracellular Ca2+ influx and potentially associated with compromised regulatory T cell function in patients with asthma.

Background: Regulatory T cells (T(regs)) are activated during anergy in response to T cell receptor (TCR) activation and functional immune suppression. Anergy of paediatric T(regs) is partially dependent on intracellular calcium mobility; following TCR activation, T(regs) do not exhibit increased intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+) ](i)).

Objective: We determined whether [Ca(2+) ](i) in adult T(regs) defined their anergy, if intracellular Ca(2+) movement was linked to regulatory functions, whether [Ca(2+)](i) was indicative of asthma pathology, and the potential molecular mechanism responsible for Ca(2+) movement in T(regs).