Project description:Myanmar locates in the crossroads of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, and is known for high culture diversity in different ethnic groups. It is considered to be important for understanding human evolutionary history and genetic diversity in East Eurasia. However, relatively few studies have examined the population structure and demographic history in Myanmar to date. In this study, we analyzed more than 220,000 genome-wide SNPs in 175 new samples of five ethnic groups from Myanmar and compared them with the published data. Our results showed that the Myanmar population is intricately substructured, with the main observed clusters corresponding roughly to western/northern highlanders (Chin, Naga, and Jingpo) and central/southern lowlanders (Bamar and Rakhine). The gene flow inferred from South Asia has a substantial influence (~11%) on the gene pool of central/southern lowlanders rather than western/northern highlanders. The genetic admixture is dated around 650 years ago. These findings suggest that the genome-wide variation in Myanmar was likely shaped by the linguistic, cultural, and historical changes.
Project description:Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is the only extant species of the genus Crocuta, which once occupied a much wider range during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. However, its origin and evolutionary history is somewhat contentious due to discordances being found between morphological, nuclear, and mitochondrial data. Due to the limited molecular data from east Asian Crocuta, and the difficulty of extracting ancient DNA from this area, here we present proteomic analysis of cave hyenas from three locations in northern China. This marks the first proteomic data generated from cave hyenas, adding new molecular data to the east Asian populations. Phylogenetic analysis based on these protein sequences reveals two different groups of cave hyenas in east Asia, one of which could not be distinguished from modern spotted hyenas from northern Africa, tentatively the result of previously suggested gene flow between these lineages. With developments of instrumentation and analytical methods, proteomics holds promising potential for the phylogenetic reconstruction of ancient fauna previously thought to be unreachable using ancient DNA.
Project description:The incidence of breast cancer has been rapidly increasing in East Asia. This is the first study of genome wide copy number of breast cancer in East Asia. We conducted this study to compare the genetic alterations between East and West.
Project description:Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis a disease endemic in South-East Asia and Northern Australia. The mortality rates in these areas are unacceptably high even with antibiotic treatment, attributed to intrinsic and acquired resistance of B. pseudomallei to antibiotics. With very few options for therapeutics there is an urgent requirement to identify anti-bacterial targets for the development of novel, effective treatments. In this study we examine the role and effect of ppiB on the proteome. Using LFQ analysis we show loss of ppiB has dramatic effect on the Burkholderia pseudomallei proteome.
Project description:This work aimed to characterize the molecular adaptations occurring in cork oak (Quercus suber) stems in adaptation to drought, and identify key genetic pathways regulating phellem development. One-year-old cork oak plants were grown for additional 6 months under well-watered (WW) or water-deficit (WD) conditions and main stems were targeted for transcriptomic analysis. WD had a negative impact on secondary growth, decreasing the activity of the vascular cambium and phellogen. Following a tissue-specific approach, we analyzed the transcriptional changes imposed by WD in phellem (outer bark), inner bark, and xylem, and found a global downregulation of genes related to cell division, cell wall biogenesis, lignin and/or suberin biosynthesis. Phellem and phloem showed a concerted upregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, suggesting a determinant role of stem photosynthesis in the adaptation of young plants to long-term drought. The data gathered will be important to further harness the diverse genetic background of this species for the development of optimized management practices.
Project description:Applying a gel-based proteomic approach, the dynamic changes in root proteins of drought treated Quercus ilex subsp. Ballota [Desf.] Samp. seedlings were followed. Water stress was applied on 20 day-old holm oak plantlets by water limitation for a period of 10 and 20 days, each followed by 10 days of recovery. Root proteins were extracted using trichloroacetate/acetone/phenol protocol and subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis. Coomassie colloidal stained gel images were analysed and spot intensity data subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Selected consistent spots in the three biological replicas, presenting significant changes under stress, were subjected to MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (peptide mass fingerprinting and MS/MS). For protein identification, combined search was performed with MASCOT search engine over NCBInr Viridiplantae and Uniprot databases. Taxonomy Holm oak (Quercus ilex subsp. Ballota [Desf.] Samp.). Dentro de Q. ilex hay dos subespecies, ilex ilex e ilex Ballota.
Project description:We compared the transcriptional profiles of female adult whiteflies of B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 feeding on TYLCCNV-free and TYLCCNV-infected tobacco plants using the next-generation sequencing technique.