Genomewide association for a dominant pigmentation gene in sheep

Most published genomewide association studies (GWAS) in sheep have investigated recessively inherited monogenic traits. The objective here was to assess the feasibility of performing GWAS for a dominant trait for which the genetic basis was already known. A total of 42 Manchega and Rasa Aragonesa sheep that segregate solid black or white coat pigmentation were genotyped using the SNP50 BeadChip. Previous analysis in Manchegas demonstrated a complete association between the pigmentation trait and alleles of the MC1R gene, setting an a priori expectation for GWAS. Multiple methods were used to identify and quantify the strength of population substructure between black and white animals, before allelic association testing was performed for 49 034 SNPs. Following correction for substructure, GWAS identified the most strongly associated SNP (s26449) was also the closest to the MC1R gene. The finding was strongly supported by the permutation tree‐based random forest (RF) analysis. Importantly, GWAS identified unlinked SNP with only slightly lower p‐values than for s26449. Random forest analysis indicated these were false positives, suggesting interpretation based on both approaches was beneficial. The results indicate that a combined analytical approach can be successful in studies where a modest number of animals are available and substantial population stratification exists.     

卓越远见背后的灵感——百奥明公司举办"第三届世界营养科技论坛"

奥地利百奥明公司组织的两年一次的“第三届世界营养科技论坛”于2（／08年9月17～20日在著名的滑雪胜地——奥地利蒂罗尔（Tyrol）州迈尔霍芬（Mayrhofen）镇举行。来自世界各地的600多位公司主管、顾问和兽医、营养学家参加了这次会议。共同讨论动物营养学的发展和未来。     

论中国中长期食物发展战略

本文针对食物供需矛盾,全面系统地提出了食物结构调整、优化、配套的战略及相应措施,论述了从食物生产结构调整入手,引导居民适度消费,使食物生产结构、消费结构与营养结构三者配套协调的途径与效益。在分析历史与现状的基础上,制定了指标体系,划分了食物发展阶段,提出了符合中国国情的食物消费模式,重点表述了达到小康生活的食物消费与营养水平,同时对2020年发展进行了预测。根据食物发展战略和地区差异,论述了城市与农村以及不同区域食物发展的特点、趋势、目标与对策。阐述了食物发展的技术路线及宏观调控政策。提出具有中国特色的、与不同时期经济水平相适应的食物发展目标和合理的食物结构以及相应的发展对策,为国家有关部门制订国民经济中长期规划、食物发展纲领和近期食物政策提供科学依据。