Further contributions to the genetic aspect of congenital sensorineural deafness in Dalmatians

Sensorineural deafness is a common congenital disorder in Dalmatians and is genetically transmitted. Different modes of inheritance have been proposed and the objective of this study was to study these by segregation analyses using maximum likelihood procedures. Data from 33 complete Dalmatian families were collected and data from 56 single Dalmatians added. This resulted in a total of 575 dogs with 357 known phenotypes. All dogs were clinically evaluated and electrophysiologically tested with brainstem auditory evoked responses.The prevalence of deafness was 16.5% (9.4% unilaterally deaf, 7.1% bilaterally deaf). Females were 4.4% more affected than males but this difference was not significant. Within the same litter, different phenotypic expressions of deafness occurred, which suggested different expressions of the disease. In addition, two data sets were analysed: the first included normal, uni- and bilaterally deaf dogs, the second had normal and deaf Dalmatians. We found that a recessive allele at a single biallelic major locus fitted our data best, although an incomplete penetrance of the recessive homozygotes was observed.     

Mortality and recovery of runt white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in a commercial farm in California, USA

We investigated the effect of raising runt white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) separately from dominant fish during the initial stages of grow-out in a commercial farm. Runt fish are poor-growers, have underdeveloped muscle mass, swim slowly and are more-frequently found at the top of the water column. The objective of the study was to describe the mortality and recovery rates (and their determinants) of white-sturgeon runts after separating them from dominant fish. Runt white sturgeon were stocked into twelve 2 m × 2 m rectangular tanks and graded periodically during a follow-up of 46–102 days. Overall mortality rates ranged from 0.3 to 7 dead fish per 1000 sturgeon-days at risk and overall recovery rates from 3.9 to 13.5 recovered fish per 1000 sturgeon-days at risk. Period-specific mortality and recovery rates increased over time. The period-specific mortality rates for all three periods were significantly higher for tanks of runts originating from grow-out tanks with high mortality (p-values: first period = 0.06; second period = 0.09; third period = 0.03), but were similar for tanks of runts of high- and low-mean initial weight. The period-specific recovery rates were significantly higher in runts originating from high-mortality grow-out tanks only for the third period (p = 0.05) but not the first and second periods (p-values = 0.33 and 0.25, respectively). Recovery rates were significantly higher in the higher-mean-weight runts tanks for the first and third period but not for the second (p-values: first period = 0.02; second period = 0.65; third period = 0.06). We concluded that the proportion of runts that recover during a 46–89 day period is substantial (16–58%); therefore, it might be worthwhile growing such fish separately in a fish farm for about three months. Financial analysis showed that this practice was profitable, if the value of white sturgeon fish for the farm exceeded $2.05 per kg.     

家蚕蛾黄翅的遗传分析与黄血基因的多效作用

在保存家蚕突变基因资源过程中调查发现：黄血蚕蛾翅在羽化之初呈鲜黄色,白血蚕均不然。通过与白血蚕（非黄翅）和黄血抑制基因（I）进行杂交试验,分析黄翅的遗传规律,结合普查家蚕突变系统蛾翅色性状,证明黄翅性状与幼虫黄脚一样,为黄血基因支配。进而记录了因黄血基因的多效作用在卵、幼虫、茧、成虫各阶段表现的形态特征。     

撒坝猪部分生长发育性状的典型相关分析

采用SAS统计分析系统对577头撒坝猪的3个体重性状和5个体尺性状进行了典型相关分析.结果表明,体重与体尺性状的第一、第二典型相关系数达到了显著水平(P＜0.01),分别为0.9532和0.3044,占总相关的99.97%.体重性状与体尺性状间的相关主要是由于4月龄体重、6月龄体重与6月龄胸围、6月龄腿围的相关引起的.在达到显著水平的两对典型变量中,体重性状的两个典型变量对6月龄体长、胸围和腿围的预测能力较强,体尺性状的两个典型变量对4月龄体重和6月龄体重的预测能力较强,在实际育种中,选择体尺性状可同时达到提高体重性状之目的.     

应用cDNA微阵列芯片技术筛选猪蛔虫性别差异表达基因的研究

采用cDNA微阵列芯片技术，从所构建的猪蛔虫雌、雄成虫cDNA消减文库分别挑取1044和1119个克隆，PCR扩增其插入片段，经纯化后点样于预先处理好的基片上（双点杂交），制备成cDNA微阵列芯片。将分别标记荧光素Cy3-dUTP和Cy5-dUTP的雌虫和雄虫cDNA探针，与制备好的cDNA芯片杂交（平行进行反标杂交试验）。根据每个点杂交后的Ratio值，筛选出双点杂交和正反标中都同时具有表达差异的基因克隆共1559个。将表达差异最明显的前831个克隆进行测序，获得720个有效序列，经生物信息学分析发现，雄虫特异表达的主要精于蛋白和雌虫特异表达的卵巢信息蛋白的基因序列多数与新杆属线虫存在同源性，有31个可能是新的ESTs。性别差异表达基因及其相关生物信息的获得为下一步研究基因功能奠定了基础。     

一株无血凝性兔出血症病毒的分离鉴定及其衣壳蛋白VP60基因的克隆和序列分析

从临床病料中分离鉴定出1株无血凝性的致病性兔出血症病毒（RHDV），命名为Yaan-1。HA试验测得该毒株原代及经兔体传3代后的肝毒在25℃、37℃和4℃时均无血凝性；但在琼脂扩散试验和对流免疫电泳中均可见分离株与常规RHDV高免血清形成清晰的沉淀线；电镜观察可见30nm左右的病毒粒子。采用RT-PCR方法将Yaan-1株的衣壳蛋白VP60基因进行了克隆测序，序列分析表明VP60基因序列全长1740bp，编码579个氨基酸，测序结果提交GenBank（注册号为DQ069280），并与世界各国的常规RHDV分离株进行比较，结果表明核苷酸同源性为90．0％～98．0％，氨基酸同源性为94．1％～99．0％，氨基酸变异多发生在衣壳蛋白C、E区；同时对Yaan-1株的分子量、等电点、疏水性、跨膜区等分子结构特征进行了分析。本研究首次报道了无血凝性RHDV中国分离株，丰富了地方毒株资源，为明确我国地方株的分子流行病学，以及对VP60蛋白分子特征研究提供了新材料。     

A-FABP 在不同鸡种中遗传多态性分析

利用PCR—RFLP技术和DNA测序检测了尤溪麻鸡、鹿苑鸡、隐性白羽鸡3个鸡种共计96只鸡的脂肪细胞型脂肪酸结合蛋白（A—FABP）第85位点和第1805位点的遗传变异。结果表明：1）在这2个位点上，3个鸡种均存在变异，外来品种隐性白羽鸡以杂合子Cc居多；地方鸡种以cc居多，3个鸡种均含有较高频率的等位基因c，其中以尤溪麻鸡最高，而以隐性白羽鸡最低。2）A—FABP第85位点不影响A—FABP的氨基酸序列；而第1805位点的遗传多态性影响氨基酸序列的变化：由脯氨酸变为丝氨酸，说明该多态性可能通过A-FABP基因的表达水平从而影响鸡的肉质。本试验为进一步分析A-FABP基因的遗传变异与肌内脂肪含量的关系及该分子标记在育种计划中的应用奠定基础。     

禽呼肠病毒P10、P17非结构蛋白基因的克隆及序列分析

根据GenBank上的禽呼肠病毒(ARV)S1基因序列,设计并合成了一对跨越P10和P17非结构蛋白基因的特异性引物,对13个ARV毒株进行RT-PCR扩增、克隆及序列测定。结果显示,13个ARV毒株的P10蛋白基因ORF全长均为297bp,编码98个氨基酸;P17蛋白基因ORF全长为441bp,编码146个氨基酸。这13个ARV毒株P10、P17蛋白基因核苷酸同源性分别在96.6%~100%和95.2%~99.3%之间,推导的氨基酸同源性分别在98.2%~100%和91.9%~99.0%之间。将这13个ARV毒株与GenBank上其他正呼肠病毒毒株,包括番鸭株(DRV)和飞狐上分离到的内尔森海湾病毒(NelsonBayvirus,NBV)及两个澳洲分离株(ARM-1和SOM-4)进行同源性比较和遗传进化树分析,结果表明,呼肠病毒有地域和种类的差别。     

不同熟期苦荬菜的染色体数目及核型分析

苦荬菜Lactuca indica是一种优良的牧草种质资源,熟期是苦荬菜利用的重要影响因素之一。研究对2种不同熟期的苦荬菜种子根尖细胞进行冰浴处理,染色体用醋酸洋红染色制片。染色体数目和核型分析结果表明,早熟苦荬菜和晚熟苦荬菜染色体数目均为2n=2x=18,没有差异。早熟苦荬菜核型公式为2n=2x=2m 12sm 4st;晚熟苦荬菜核型公式为2n=2x=16sm 2st,存在差异。     

内蒙古天然草地退化成因的多因素灰色关联分析

选取内蒙古草地典型草原、草甸草原及农牧交错带典型区,通过对区域内影响草地退化的社会、经济和环境等因素进行定性分析,应用灰色系统理论的关联分析方法,以草地退化面积为参考数列,以牧草生长季积温、降水变率和年大风日数等气候因子,草地超载比例、人工种草与围栏草场面积、年割草量、畜棚与畜圈面积和牧民人均收入等人类活动因子作为比较数列,对草地退化进行了多因素关联分析。研究结果客观、定量地揭示了草地退化与各因素间的相互关系,认为草地生态系统的退化受损是气候变化和人类活动共同胁迫的结果,人类对草地的管理方式对草地生态系统具有巨大影响,人类可以通过多种管理措施来减轻牲畜对草场的压力,积极解决人与资源的平衡。