A 25-year-old pregnant American Quarter Horse mare presented with a 1-week history of progressively worsening vaginal discharge. Transrectal ultrasound revealed increased thickness of the combined uterus and placenta with evidence of chorioallantoic edema but no placental separation. A thickened amnion was visible on transabdominal ultrasound. Abortion occurred 2 days after ...

OBJECTIVE: Here we describe the successful application of massively parallel sequencing for noninvasive prenatal detection of trisomy 21. In addition, for the detection of a broader spectrum of fetal aneuploidies, a target enrichment approach was successfully tested. METHODS: The circulating cell-free DNA was prepared from 53 maternal blood samples and ...

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is the key molecular marker for diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNES) cells, its expression in the pregnant corpus luteum (CL) of dairy goats was studied by the immunofluorescence method and the ultra structural characteristics of luteal cells were detected by the electron microscopy to identify the existence of ...

New molecular resources regarding the so-called “non-standard models” in biology extend the present knowledge and are essential for molecular evolution and diversity studies (especially during the development) and evolutionary inferences about these zoological groups, or more practically for their fruitful management. Sepia officinalis, an economically important cephalopod species, is emerging ...

Despite great progress over the past decade, some portions of the mammalian tree of life remain unresolved. In particular, relationships among the different orders included within the supraordinal group Laurasiatheria have been proven difficult to determine, and have received poor support in the vast majority of phylogenomic studies of mammalian ...

This review gives an overview on ovine and caprine defects/disorders, disease predispositions, production traits and coat colours for which causal gene variants are known. Most phenotypes are inherited autosomal-recessive or dominant and in the majority are caused by single nucleotide substitutions or deletions. Causative sequence variants mainly were identified by ...

The pregnant sheep has provided seminal insights into reproduction related to animal and human development (ovarian function, fertility, implantation, fetal growth, parturition and lactation). Fetal sheep physiology has been extensively studied since 1950, contributing significantly to the basis for our understanding of many aspects of fetal development and behavior that ...

Scincid lizards exhibit a variety of limb anatomies which reflect the functional requirements of different modes of life. Besides surface dwellers which show neither body elongation nor limb reduction, there are numerous examples that can be arranged as increasingly serpentiform taxa moving in sand, humus or leaf litter. We explored ...

Pummelo (Citrus grandis) is one of the most important species found in the genus Citrus and one of the ancestors of sweet oranges. We used flower buds at different developmental stages to construct the first cDNA library for this species. A total of 3,758 EST sequences were generated from the ...

We evaluated both clinical and laboratory aspects of our new strategy offering quantitative fluorescence (QF)-PCR followed by non-targeted whole genome 250K single-nucleotide polymorphism array analysis instead of routine karyotyping for prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with structural anomalies. Upon the detection of structural fetal anomalies, parents were offered a choice between ...

The Poaceae family, also known as the grasses, includes agronomically important cereal crops such as rice, maize, sorghum, and wheat. Previous comparative studies showed that much of the gene content is shared among the grasses; however, functional conservation of orthologous genes has yet to be explored. To gain an understanding ...

Whole genome analysis using genome-wide arrays, also called 'genomic arrays', 'microarrays' or 'arrays', has become the first-tier diagnostic test for patients with developmental abnormalities and/or intellectual disabilities. In addition to constitutional anomalies, genomic arrays are also used to diagnose acquired disorders. Despite the rapid implementation of these technologies in diagnostic ...

We describe the isolation and characterization of a novel Betacoronavirus subgroup A coronavirus, rabbit coronavirus HKU14 (RbCoV HKU14), from domestic rabbits. The virus was detected in 11 (8.1%) of 136 rabbit fecal samples by RT-PCR, with viral load up to 10(8) copies/ml. RbCoV HKU14 was able to replicate in HRT-18G ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small RNAs involved in translation inhibition or mRNA degradation. Due to its large size, Manduca sexta has long been used as a model to study insect physiology and biochemistry. While transcriptome studies have greatly enriched our knowledge on M. sexta structural genes, little is known ...

Eragrostis tef (Zucc.), a member of the Chloridoideae subfamily of grasses, is one of the most important food crops in Ethiopia. Lodging is the most important production problem in tef. The rht1 and sd1 dwarfing genes have been useful for improving lodging resistance in wheat and rice, respectively, in what ...

We provide here unique data on elephant skeletal ontogeny. We focus on the sequence of cranial and post-cranial ossification events during growth in the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Previous analyses on ossification sequences in mammals have focused on monotremes, marsupials, boreoeutherian and xenarthran placentals. Here, we add data on ossification ...

Urorectal septum malformation sequence (URSMS) is an extremely rare anomaly, consists of multiple system anomalies including ambiguous genitalia, absence of a perineal opening, an imperforate anus, and urological, colonic and lumbosacral defects. We describe a newborn with characteristic URSMS who also had features of congenital varus deformity of leg, polydactyly, ...

The frog Xenopus has been vital for biomedical science for over 80 years, contributing to diverse fields from cell signaling, cell and developmental biology, to ion channel physiology and toxicology. Its experimentally-manipulable oocytes and embryos provide abundant material for molecular and biochemical approaches for a wide range of gene discovery ...

BACKGROUND:Noninvasive fetal aneuploidy detection by use of free DNA from maternal plasma has recently been shown to be achievable by whole genome shotgun sequencing. The high-throughput next-generation sequencing platforms previously tested use a PCR step during sample preparation, which results in amplification bias in GC-rich areas of the human genome. ...

The study of cis-regulatory DNAs that control developmental gene expression is integral to the modeling of comprehensive genomic regulatory networks for embryogenesis. Ascidian embryos provide a unique opportunity for the analysis of cis-regulatory DNAs with cellular resolution in the context of a simple but typical chordate body plan. Here, we ...

The enigmatic life cycle and elongated body of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L., 1758) have long motivated scientific enquiry. Recently, eel research has gained in urgency, as the population has dwindled to the point of critical endangerment. We have assembled a draft genome in order to facilitate advances in ...

DNA methylation is a major epigenetic modification in the mammalian genome that regulates crucial aspects of gene function. Mammalian cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) often results in gestational or neonatal failure with only a small proportion of manipulated embryos producing live births. Many of the embryos that survive ...

Understanding the genetic and evolutionary basis of animal morphological diversity will require comparative developmental studies that use new model organisms. This necessitates development of tools for the study of genetics and also the generation of sequence information of the organism to be studied. The development of next generation sequencing technology ...

The T-box transcription factor Brachyury (T) is essential for formation of the posterior mesoderm and the notochord in vertebrate embryos. Work in the frog and the zebrafish has identified some direct genomic targets of Brachyury, but little is known about Brachyury targets in the mouse. Here we use chromatin immunoprecipitation ...

Even though the 16S rRNA gene is the most commonly used taxonomic marker in microbial ecology, its poor resolution is still not fully understood at the intra-genus level. In this work, the number of rRNA gene operons, intra-genomic heterogeneities and lateral transfers were investigated at a fine-scale resolution, throughout the ...

Morphological variation in rotifers is affected by environmental conditions, making it hard to identify some rotifer taxa. We examined the rDNA ITS sequences of 10 unspined (KCU1-KCU10) and 17 spined (KCS1-KCS17) Keratell cochlearis clones, 26 two-spined (KQT1-KQT26), 18 single-spined (KQS1-KQS18) and 9 unspined (KQU1-KQU9) K. quadrata clones, and 17 long-spined ...

  Aflatoxins (AFs) represent the most important single mycotoxin-related food safety problem in developed and developing countries as they have adverse effects on human and animal health. They are produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Both species have different aflatoxinogenic profile. In order to distinguish between A. flavus and A. parasiticus, gene-specific primers were ...

We examined the presence of hemoplasmas, hemotropic mycoplasmas, among 11 sheep (Ovis aries) with regenerative and hemolytic anemia and found six of them were positive by real-time PCR. The positive samples were then subjected to conventional PCR for direct sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Nucleotide sequences of all the ...

Möbius sequence is a congenital facial and abducens nerve palsy, frequently associated to abnormalities of extremities. Arthrogryposis multiplex congenital is defined as a congenital fixation of multiple joints seldom of neurogenic origin. Both sequences must have a genetic origin, but usually are sporadic cases related to environmental factors such as ...

We examined the geographic distributions and phylogenetic relationships of bisexual and unisexual (parthenogenetic) forms of the weevil Scepticus insularis on Hokkaido Island, northern Japan. Unisexual beetles were widespread throughout Hokkaido, whereas bisexuals were found only in three remote areas. Bisexuals (females and males) and unisexual females occurred sympatrically in two ...

Pregnancy-Associated Glycoproteins (PAGs) are trophoblastic proteins belonging to the Aspartic proteinase family secreted by different placental cells of many mammalian species. They play a pivotal role in placentogenesis, foetomaternal unit remodeling, and implantation. The identification of the genes encoding those proteins will be helpful to unravel the intricate embryogenomic functions ...

This review summarizes the recent progress on the biosynthesis of fumitremorgin-type alkaloids; that is, the identification of the biosynthetic gene clusters from genome sequences by genome mining and proof of gene function by molecular biological and biochemical investigations.

Kitasatospora setae NBRC 14216(T) (=KM-6054(T)) is known to produce setamycin (bafilomycin B1) possessing antitrichomonal activity. The genus Kitasatospora is morphologically similar to the genus Streptomyces, although they are distinguishable from each other on the basis of cell wall composition and the 16S rDNA sequence. We have determined the complete genome ...

Streptomyces clavuligerus, an industrially important producer of clavulanate as well as cephem antibiotics, also produces the N-acylated dithiolopyrrolone antibiotic holomycin, a reported inhibitor of RNA synthesis. The genome sequence of S. clavuligerus ATCC 27064 was examined for a potential biosynthetic gene cluster, assuming that holomycin arises from some derivative of ...

L: -Asparaginase (ASNase) has proved its use in medical and food industries. Sequence-based screening showed the thermophilic Streptomyces strain Streptomyces thermoluteus subsp. fuscus NBRC 14270 (14270 ASNase) to positive against predicted ASNase primary sequences. The 14270 ASNase gene and four L: -asparaginase genes from Streptomyces coelicolor, Streptomyces avermitilis, and Streptomyces ...

Reductive acetogenesis via the acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) pathway is an alternative hydrogen sink to methanogenesis in the rumen. Functional gene-based analysis is the ideal approach for investigating organisms capable of this metabolism (acetogens). However, existing tools targeting the formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase gene (fhs) are compromised by lack of specificity due ...

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are accumulated as intracellular carbon and energy storage polymers by various bacteria and a few haloarchaea. In this study, 28 strains belonging to 15 genera in the family Halobacteriaceae were investigated with respect to their ability to synthesize PHAs and the types of their PHA synthases. Fermentation results ...

Streptomyces clavuligerus is an important industrial strain that produces a number of antibiotics, including clavulanic acid and cephamycin C. A high-quality draft genome sequence of the S. clavuligerus NRRL 3585 strain was produced by employing a hybrid approach that involved Sanger sequencing, Roche/454 pyrosequencing, optical mapping, and partial finishing. Its ...

Dunaliella is a group of green algae with exceptional stress tolerance capability, and is considered as an important model organism for stress tolerance study. Here we cloned a TPS (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase) gene from Dunaliella viridis and designated it as DvTPS (D. viridis trehalose-6-phosphate synthase/phosphatase).The DvTPS cDNA contained an ORF of ...

Recently, we isolated a new thiopeptide antibiotic, TP-1161, from the fermentation broth of a marine actinomycete typed as a member of the genus Nocardiopsis. Here we report the identification, isolation, and analysis of the TP-1161 biosynthetic gene cluster from this species. The gene cluster was identified by mining a draft ...

Stephacidin and notoamide natural products belong to a group of prenylated indole alkaloids containing a core bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane ring system. These bioactive fungal secondary metabolites have a range of unusual structural and stereochemical features but their biosynthesis has remained uncharacterized. Herein, we report the first biosynthetic gene cluster for this class ...

Farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) synthase catalyzes the biosynthesis of FPP, which is the precursors of sesquiterpenoids such as floral scent volatiles, from isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). cDNA encoding wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox L.) FPP synthase was isolated by the RT-PCR and RACE methods. The deduced amino acid sequence showed ...

Nonpathogenic Mycobacterium species produce rare cyclic C(35) terpenes that are biosynthesized by cyclization of Z-type C(35) polyprenyl diphosphate. To provide deeper insight into the biosynthesis of C(35) terpenes, we carried out functional analyses of three Z-prenyltransferase homologues in M. vanbaalenii identified by genomic analysis. Mvan_3822, a novel bifunctional Z-prenyltransferase, biosynthesizes ...

Ultraviolet UV-A and UV-B radiation is harmful to living systems, causing damage to biological macromolecules. An important strategy for dealing with UV exposure is the biosynthesis of small-molecule sunscreens. Among such metabolites, the mycosporine and mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) are remarkable for their wide phylogenetic distribution and their unique chemical ...

Chitin synthases are crucial enzymes responsible for chitin biosynthesis in fungi, nematodes and arthropods. We characterized two alternative splicing-derived variants of chitin synthase 1 gene (LmCHS1) from the oriental migratory locust, Locusta migratoria manilensis (Meyen). Each cDNA of the two variants (LmCHS1A and LmCHS1B) consists of 5116 nucleotides that include ...

Cellulose synthases form rosette terminal complexes in the plasma membranes of Streptophyta and various linear terminal complexes in other taxa. The sequence of a putative CESA from Griffithsia monilis (Rhodophyta, Floridiophyceae) was deduced using a cloning strategy involving degenerate primers, a cDNA library screen, and 5' and 3' rapid amplification ...

Meroterpenoids are hybrid natural products of both terpenoid and polyketide origin. We identified a biosynthetic gene cluster that is responsible for the production of the meroterpenoid pyripyropene in the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus through reconstituted biosynthesis of up to five steps in a heterologous fungal expression system. The cluster revealed a ...

Isoprenoids are a very diverse family of organic compounds widespread in the three domains of life. Although they are produced from the condensation of the same precursors in all organisms (isopentenyl pyrophosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate), the evolutionary origin of their biosynthesis remains controversial. Two independent nonhomologous metabolic pathways are known: ...

The oral biofilm community consists of >800 microbial species, among which Streptococcus mutans is considered a primary pathogen for dental caries. The genomic island TnSmu2 of S. mutans comprises >2% of the genome. In this study, we demonstrate that TnSmu2 harbors a gene cluster encoding nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), polyketide ...

Here we announce the complete genome sequence of Croceibacter atlanticus HTCC2559(T), which was isolated by high-throughput dilution-to-extinction culturing from the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series station in the Western Sargasso Sea. Strain HTCC2559(T) contained genes for carotenoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and several macromolecule-degrading enzymes. The genome confirmed physiological observations of cultivated ...