A common variant in the FTO gene is associated with body mass index and predisposes to childhood and adult obesity

Obesity is a serious international health problem that increases the risk of several common diseases. The genetic factors predisposing to obesity are poorly understood. A genome-wide search for type 2 diabetes-susceptibility genes identified a common variant in the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene that predisposes to diabetes through an effect on body mass index (BMI). An additive association of the variant with BMI was replicated in 13 cohorts with 38,759 participants. The 16% of adults who are homozygous for the risk allele weighed about 3 kilograms more and had 1.67-fold increased odds of obesity when compared with those not inheriting a risk allele. This association was observed from age 7 years upward and reflects a specific increase in fat mass.     

Recent developments in genome editing and applications in plant breeding

Increasing genetic variation beyond natural variation is an important aim in plant breeding. In the past 70 years, random mutagenesis by irradiation or by chemicals has created numerous mutants which have been frequently used in breeding. However, their application is hampered by the mutational load due to many background mutations. In the past 10 years, new techniques for site‐directed mutagenesis have been introduced to plant breeding which are commonly referred to as “genome editing.” Among these, the CRISPR/Cas9 system turned out to be the most efficient and easy to apply. DNA is cleaved by a nuclease precisely at a target site where a mutation is likely to be beneficial. The DNA is healed by the cellular repair system either by error‐prone non‐homologous end joining or by homologous recombination, by which small DNA fragments can be inserted at the target site. In this review, we describe the application of targeted mutagenesis to crop plants and the modification of agronomically important traits, which could have direct impacts on plant breeding.     

Borna disease in Switzerland and in the principality of Liechtenstein

Borna disease (BD) is a rare immunopathological disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by infection with Borna disease virus (BDV) and histologically characterized by mononuclear encephalomyelitis. BD primarily affects equines and sheep in well defined endemic areas of central Europe, but BDV infections have also been reported in other host species including humans, as well as in non endemic regions. In this paper recent data on the pathogenesis of BD are reviewed and the current situation in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein is summarized.     

Genomic additive and dominance variance of milk performance traits

Milk performance traits are likely influenced by both additive and non‐additive (e.g. dominance) genetic effects. Genetic variation can be partitioned using genomic information. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic variance components of production and milk component traits (e.g. acetone, fatty acids), which are particularly important for milk processing or which can provide information on the health status of cows. A genomic relationship approach was applied to phenotypic and genetic information of 1295 Holstein cows for estimating additive genetic and dominance variance components. Most of the 17 investigated traits were mainly affected by additive genetic effects, but protein content and casein content also showed a significant contribution of dominance. The ratio of dominance to additive variance was estimated as 0.64 for protein content and 0.56 for casein content. This ratio was highest for SCS (1.36) although dominance was not significant. Dominance effects were negligible in other moderately heritable milk traits.     

Burkholderia mallei infection in a horse imported from Brazil

A horse imported from Brazil developed a respiratory illness 2 weeks after arrival in Germany. After an initial but inefficient treatment glanders was diagnosed based on serological and molecular biological findings. The present case highlights the potential risk of an importation of glanders in free areas. The fact that veterinarians in countries where glanders has been eradicated for decades are not familiar with the clinical symptoms of the disease, can favour the entry of the disease. In order to prevent the spread of glanders, the sanctions of the veterinary authorities in such cases of the infection are of utmost importance.     

Long-range-projecting GABAergic neurons modulate inhibition in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex

The hippocampus and entorhinal cortex play a pivotal role in spatial learning and memory. The two forebrain regions are highly interconnected via excitatory pathways. Using optogenetic tools, we identified and characterized long-range γ-aminobutyric acid-releasing (GABAergic) neurons that provide a bidirectional hippocampal-entorhinal inhibitory connectivity and preferentially target GABAergic interneurons. Activation of long-range GABAergic axons enhances sub- and suprathreshold rhythmic theta activity of postsynaptic neurons in the target areas.     

Performance of complement fixation test and confirmatory immunoblot as two-cascade testing approach for serodiagnosis of glanders in an endemic region of South East Asia

Various serological tests were used for the diagnosis of glanders in the past but still complement fixation test (CFT) is the internationally prescribed test for trading equines. A new immunoblot (IB) technique has recently been introduced to overcome the well known shortcomings of CFT i. e. a considerable number of false positive and negative results and anticomplementary effects of sera. The objective of this study was the comparative evaluation of two glanders CFT antigens commercially available at Central Veterinary Institute ofWageningen UR, Lelystad, NL (CIDC) and at c.c.pro GmbH, Oberdorla, DE (c.c.pro) in a glanders endemic area regarding specificity and sensitivity. A total of 1678 serum samples from the endemic region (Province Punjab, Pakistan) and a non-endemic area (Germany) were analysed. All sera tested positive or suspicious with CFT were analysed by the confirmatory IB to exclude CFT false positive results. Both CFT antigens showed 100% sensitivity. The use of CIDC or c.c.pro antigen resulted in specificities of 77.45% or 75.71% for sera from endemic area and 93.75% or 94.79% for sera from non-endemic areas, respectively. The results demonstrate the different performances of identical tests in different epidemiologically settings. Based on these results, the combined use of CFT and IB is highly suggestive for the serodiagnosis of glanders. Good agreement was calculated between CFT (using either c.c.pro or CIDC antigen) and immunoblot.     

Cross-border molecular tracing of brucellosis in Europe

To assess the general impact of endemic countries on the re-emergence of brucellosis in non-endemic regions of the European Union, the genetic fingerprints of Brucella melitensis strains imported to Germany were compared to ovine strains from Turkey in a molecular epidemiological study. Genotyping of 66 Brucella strains (based on Multiple Locus of Variable number of tandem repeats Analysis) isolated from German travellers and Turkish immigrants living in Germany revealed epidemiological concordance with 20 sheep isolates originating from Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. In summary, cross-border molecular tracing confirmed brucellosis being a zoonosis of concern for European public health.