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Errors in ancestry prediction for historical military casework result in soldiers unable to be interred to the country they fought and died for. Australian WWII soldiers with varying degrees of European and Asian heritage are expected in the remains recovered in the Asia-Pacific, representing the greatest risk of error for Unrecovered War Casualties-Army (UWC-A). Previous research using the Ghaiyed population-specific panel (GPSP), on a modern British sample, demonstrated less variation in family-level admixture compared to four global ancestry panels. This suggested that the targeting of specific populations of interest may improve accuracy, although an evaluation using a sample of WWII-era European-Australians (W2A) with varying degrees of family-level admixture was required. This paper outlines the development of an ancestry prediction strategy using a W2A sample (non-admixed), and simulation of 4,000 genotypes representing Australian pedigrees with one Japanese ancestor (great-great-grandparent, great-grand-parent, grandparent, and parent). All great-great-grandparent to grandparent profiles were accurately predicted as W2A individuals, and although admixture at the parent level could not be resolved, no profiles were incorrectly assigned Japanese ancestry. The GPSP provided more informative predictions in contrast with the mitochondrial DNA/Y-chromosome lineage approach currently used by UWC-A as the GPSP provides an approximately 75% improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unrecovered War Casualties – Army (UWC-A) is part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and investigates unaccounted for Australian soldiers from previous conflicts. In the Asia-Pacific region of WWII, DNA is often the only method available to predict the ancestry of remains. UWC-A specifically apply mtDNA/Y-DNA lineage testing which is estimated to predict ancestry accurately for only 23.4% of cases. This research presents a population-specific ancestry prediction strategy targeted to meet UWC-A needs and may ultimately lead to direct identification through further familial testing. Structure analyses indicated that all samples representing the UWC-A scenario (n = 195; British and Japanese samples) were correctly assigned. The use of the Ghaiyed population-specific panel (GPSP) showed an increase in thelowest membership profile for each group greater than was observed for other ancestry panels. This comparison demonstrated an increase in the minimum membership proportion in each group (14.3% for British and 18.1% for Japanese individuals). The Genomic Differentiation Index (GDI) indicated that the optimum differentiation between the GBR and JPT groups could be achieved using the GPSP. Six phenotype SNPs were used for the prediction of blue/brown eye colour and light/dark hair. This ancestry/phenotype prediction strategy will be evaluated on a historically relevant sample in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ramularia leaf spot (RLS) is a newly important disease of barley across temperate regions worldwide. Despite this recent change in importance, the infection biology of the causal agent Ramularia collo-cygni (Rcc) remains poorly understood. Confocal microscopy of the infection process of two transgenic Rcc isolates, expressing either GFP or DsRed reporter markers, was combined with light microscopy during field infection to track the progression of Rcc in planta. Infection of stomata, including the development of a previously unreported stomatopodium structure, results in symptomless development and intercellular colonization of the mesophyll tissue. Transition to necrotrophy is associated with breakdown of host chloroplasts and the formation of aggregates of conidiophores. In addition to barley, Rcc forms a compatible interaction with winter wheat and a number of perennial grass species. An incompatible reaction was observed with two dicotyledonous species. These results provide further insights into the host interactions of this fungus and suggest that RLS could be a potential threat to other agriculturally important crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant genus Mimulus is rapidly emerging as a model system for studies of evolutionary and ecological functional genomics. Mimulus contains a wide array of phenotypic, ecological and genomic diversity. Numerous studies have proven the experimental tractability of Mimulus in laboratory and field studies. Genomic resources currently under development are making Mimulus an excellent system for determining the genetic and genomic basis of adaptation and speciation. Here, we introduce some of the phenotypic and genetic diversity in the genus Mimulus and highlight how direct genetic studies with Mimulus can address a wide spectrum of ecological and evolutionary questions. In addition, we present the genomic resources currently available for Mimulus and discuss future directions for research. The integration of ecology and genetics with bioinformatics and genome technology offers great promise for exploring the mechanistic basis of adaptive evolution and the genetics of speciation.Heredity (2008) 100, 220–230; doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6801018; published online 6 June 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sympathetic neurons are a well-studied model for neuronal apoptosis, the role of the apoptosome in activating caspases in these neurons remains debated. We find that the ability of sympathetic neurons to undergo apoptosis in response to nerve growth factor (NGF) deprivation is completely dependent on having an intact apoptosome pathway. Genetic deletion of Apaf-1, caspase-9, or caspase-3 prevents apoptosis after NGF deprivation, and importantly, allows these neurons to recover and survive long-term following readdition of NGF. The inability of caspase-3 deficient sympathetic neurons to undergo apoptosis is particularly striking, as apoptosis in dermal fibroblasts and cortical neurons proceeds even in the absence of caspase-3. Our results show that in contrast to dermal fibroblasts and cortical neurons, sympathetic neurons express no detectable levels of caspase-7. The strict requirement for an intact apoptosome, coupled with a lack of effector caspase redundancy, provides sympathetic neurons with a markedly increased control over their apoptotic pathway.Cell Death and Differentiation (2007) 14, 625–633. doi:10.1038/sj.cdd.4402024; published online 25 August 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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