Tumor target amplification: Implications for nano drug delivery systems.

Tumor cells overexpress surface markers which are absent from normal cells. These tumor-restricted antigenic signatures are a fundamental basis for distinguishing on-target from off-target cells for ligand-directed targeting of cancer cells. Unfortunately, tumor heterogeneity impedes the establishment of a solid expression pattern for a given target marker, leading to drastic changes in quality (availability) and quantity (number) of the target.

Complex segregation analysis of craniomandibular osteopathy in Deutsch Drahthaar dogs.

This study investigated familial relationships among Deutsch Drahthaar dogs with craniomandibular osteopathy and examined the most likely mode of inheritance. Sixteen Deutsch Drahthaar dogs with craniomandibular osteopathy were diagnosed using clinical findings, radiography or computed tomography. All 16 dogs with craniomandibular osteopathy had one common ancestor.

Canine Bocavirus Type 2 Infection Associated With Intestinal Lesions.

Bocaviruses are small nonenveloped DNA viruses belonging to the Bocaparvovirus genus of the Parvoviridae family and have been linked to both respiratory and enteric disease in humans and animals. To date, 3 bocaviruses, canine bocaviruses 1 to 3 (CBoV-1-3), have been shown to affect dogs with different disease manifestations reported for infected animals. We used next-generation sequencing to identify a novel strain of canine CBoV-2 (CBoV TH-2016) in a litter of puppies that died in Thailand from acute dyspnea and hemoptysis, for which no causal pathogen could be identified in routine assays.

A genome-wide association study for left-sided displacement of the abomasum using a high-density single nucleotide polymorphism array.

Left-sided displacement of the abomasum (LDA) is a frequent disease in dairy cattle causing significant financial losses for dairy farmers. Heritability (h) of this complex disease was estimated at up to 0.5 in German Holstein (GH) cattle.

A genetic algorithm for simulating correlated binary data from biomedical research.

Correlated binary data arise in a large variety of biomedical research. In order to evaluate methods for their analysis, computer simulations of such data are often required. Existing methods can often not cover the full range of possible correlations between the variables or are not available as implemented software.

Effects of inbreeding and other systematic effects on fertility of Black Forest Draught horses in Germany.

Background: The Black Forest Draught horse (BFDH) is an endangered German coldblood breed with its origin in the area of the Black Forest in South Germany. In this retrospective study, the influence of the inbreeding coefficient on foaling rates was investigated using records from ten breeding seasons. Due to the small population size of BFDH, the level of inbreeding is increasing and may have an effect on foaling rates.

Germline mutation within COL2A1 associated with lethal chondrodysplasia in a polled Holstein family.

Background: The bulldog calf syndrome is a lethal form of the inherited congenital chondrodysplasias. Among the progeny of the polled Holstein bull Energy P cases of lethal chondrodysplasia were observed. Pedigrees of the cases and the frequency of 3/8 cases among the offspring of Energy P at our teaching and experimental farm Ruthe (LuFG Ruthe) supported the assumption of a germline mutation with a mosaic of normal and defective sperm.

RGD delivery of truncated coagulase to tumor vasculature affords local thrombotic activity to induce infarction of tumors in mice.

Induction of thrombosis in tumor vasculature represents an appealing strategy for combating cancer. Herein, we combined unique intrinsic coagulation properties of staphylocoagulase with new acquired functional potentials introduced by genetic engineering, to generate a novel bi-functional fusion protein consisting of truncated coagulase (tCoa) bearing an RGD motif on its C-terminus for cancer therapy. We demonstrated that free coagulase failed to elicit any significant thrombotic activity.

Developing a 670k genotyping array to tag ~2M SNPs across 24 horse breeds.

Background: To date, genome-scale analyses in the domestic horse have been limited by suboptimal single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) density and uneven genomic coverage of the current SNP genotyping arrays. The recent availability of whole genome sequences has created the opportunity to develop a next generation, high-density equine SNP array.

Results: Using whole genome sequence from 153 individuals representing 24 distinct breeds collated by the equine genomics community, we cataloged over 23 million de novo discovered genetic variants.

Breeding experiments and genome-wide association analysis elucidate two genetically different forms of non-syndromic congenital cleft lip and jaw in Vorderwald × Montbéliarde cattle.

Non-syndromic congenital cleft lip and jaw (CLJ) is a condition reported in Vorderwald × Montbéliarde cattle. The objective of the present study was to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for 10 CLJ-affected and 50 unaffected Vorderwald × Montbéliarde cattle using the bovine Illumina high density bead chip to identify loci for this condition. Phenotypic classification of CLJ was based on a detailed recording of orofacial structures using computed tomography.

Y Chromosome Uncovers the Recent Oriental Origin of Modern Stallions.

The Y chromosome directly reflects male genealogies, but the extremely low Y chromosome sequence diversity in horses has prevented the reconstruction of stallion genealogies [1, 2]. Here, we resolve the first Y chromosome genealogy of modern horses by screening 1.46 Mb of the male-specific region of the Y chromosome (MSY) in 52 horses from 21 breeds.

kmerPyramid: an interactive visualization tool for nucleobase and k-mer frequencies.

Summary: Bioinformatics methods often incorporate the frequency distribution of nulecobases or k-mers in DNA or RNA sequences, for example as part of metagenomic or phylogenetic analysis. Because the frequency matrix with sequences in the rows and nucleobases in the columns is multi-dimensional it is hard to visualize. We present the R-package 'kmerPyramid' that allows to display each sequence, based on its nucleobase or k-mer distribution projected to the space of principal components, as a point within a 3-dimensional, interactive pyramid.

Whole genome sequencing identifies missense mutation in MTBP in Shar-Pei affected with Autoinflammatory Disease (SPAID).

Background: Autoinflammatory diseases in dogs are characterized by complex disease processes with varying clinical signs. In Shar-Pei, signs of inflammation including fever and arthritis are known to be related with a breed-specific predisposition for Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disease (SPAID).

Results: Clinical and histopathological examinations of two severely SPAID-affected Shar-Pei revealed signs of inflammation including fever, arthritis, and perivascular and diffuse dermatitis in both dogs.

Automated multigroup outlier identification in molecular high-throughput data using bagplots and gemplots.

Background: Analyses of molecular high-throughput data often lack in robustness, i.e. results are very sensitive to the addition or removal of a single observation.

Systematic Evaluation of Pleiotropy Identifies 6 Further Loci Associated With Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have so far identified 56 loci associated with risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Many CAD loci show pleiotropy; that is, they are also associated with other diseases or traits.

Objectives: This study sought to systematically test if genetic variants identified for non-CAD diseases/traits also associate with CAD and to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the extent of pleiotropy of all CAD loci.

Suspected X-linked facial dysmorphia and growth retardation in related Labrador retriever puppies.

Seven male Labrador retriever puppies from four different litters were identified with a brachycephalic-like face and skull, associated with low birth weight, severe growth retardation, and reduced abilities to crawl and suckle, which were not compatible with survival. Excessive doming of the cranium, brachygnathia superior and inferior, and an abnormally opened fontanelle were found in all affected puppies by computed tomography and at post-mortem examination. Pedigree analysis supported an X-linked recessive mode of inheritance.

Relationships among stallion fertility and semen traits using estimated breeding values of German Warmblood stallions.

A high quality of stallion semen is of particular importance for maximum reproductive efficiency. In the present study, we estimated the relationships among estimated breeding values (EBVs) of semen traits and EBVs for the paternal component of the pregnancy rate per estrus cycle (EBV-PAT) for 100 German Warmblood stallions using correlation and general linear model analyses. The most highly correlated sperm quality trait was total number of progressively motile sperm (r = 0.

Whole-genome sequencing reveals a potential causal mutation for dwarfism in the Miniature Shetland pony.

The Miniature Shetland pony represents a horse breed with an extremely small body size. Clinical examination of a dwarf Miniature Shetland pony revealed a lowered size at the withers, malformed skull and brachygnathia superior. Computed tomography (CT) showed a shortened maxilla and a cleft of the hard and soft palate which protruded into the nasal passage leading to breathing difficulties.

Lama glama α-casein: Identification of new polymorphisms in the CSN1S1 gene.

South American camelids have been poorly genetically investigated and little information is available in llamas (Lama glama) regarding the diversity of the caseins at the protein and gene level. Exon skipping and duplication events previously reported in the α-casein gene (CSN1S1) led us to investigate the genetic variability at this locus. Seventy-two positive clones for the α-casein transcripts were analyzed and randomly sequenced.

Monochorial diamniotic dizygotic twins in a German Shepherd Dog: A case report.

A 6.5-year-old clinically healthy German Shepherd Dog with regular oestrous cycles of 6 months was presented for pregnancy diagnosis on day 38 after ovulation (p.ov.

Shedding light on biofilm formation of Halobacterium salinarum R1 by SWATH-LC/MS/MS analysis of planktonic and sessile cells.

Early and mature biofilm formation in the extremely halophilic euryarchaeon Halobacterium salinarum strain R1 was characterized by SWATH-LC/MS/MS. Using a simple surfactant-assisted protein solubilization protocol and one-dimensional ultra-high performance nanoflow chromatography on the front end, 63.2 and 58.

Genome-wide association study for hereditary ataxia in the Parson Russell Terrier and DNA-testing for ataxia-associated mutations in the Parson and Jack Russell Terrier.

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia also referred to as hereditary ataxia comprises different forms of progressive neurodegenerative diseases. A complex mode of inheritance was most likely in Parson Russell Terriers (PRT) and in Jack Russell Terriers (JRT). Recently, the missense mutation KCNJ10:c.

Characterization of a very rare case of living ewe-buck hybrid using classical and molecular cytogenetics.

The natural occurrence of live hybrid offsprings between sheep and goats has been documented in literature, however all the studies have reported the mating of goats with rams, whereas the reciprocal cross was never documented. This study reports on a very rare case of interspecies hybridization occurred between a ewe (2n = 54, XX) and a buck (2n = 60, XY). The hybrid, born in a German flock under natural conditions, is characterised by an intermediate karyotype (2n = 57, XX).

Brain Metabolite Changes in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides the unique ability to monitor several disease-related pathological processes via their characteristic metabolic markers in vivo. In the present study metabolic compositions were assessed every six months over the period of two years in 36 patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) including 21 relapsing-remitting (RR), 15 secondary progressive (SP) patients and 12 normal subjects. The concentrations of the main MRS-detectable metabolites N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartylglutamate (tNAA), creatine and phosphocreatine (tCr), choline containing compounds (Cho), myo-Inositol (Ins), glutamine and glutamate (Glx) and their ratios were calculated in the normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and in selected non-enhancing white matter (WM) lesions.

Variant detection and runs of homozygosity in next generation sequencing data elucidate the genetic background of Lundehund syndrome.

Background: The Lundehund is a highly specialized breed characterized by a unique flexibility of the joints and polydactyly in all four limbs. The extremely small population size and high inbreeding has promoted a high frequency of diseased dogs affected by the Lundehund syndrome (LS), a severe gastro-enteropathic disease.

Results: Comprehensive analysis of bead chip and whole-genome sequencing data for LS in the Lundehund resulted in a genome-wide association signal on CFA 34 and LS-specific runs of homozygosity (ROH) in this region.