Isolation of plant transcription factors using a modified yeast one-hybrid system

Background  

The preparation of expressional cDNA libraries for use in the yeast two-hybrid system is quick and efficient when using the dedicated Clontech™ product, the MATCHMAKER Library Construction and Screening Kit 3. This kit employs SMART technology for the amplification of full-length cDNAs, in combination with cloning using homologous recombination.     

The role of weather and density dependence on population dynamics of Alpine‐dwelling red deer

The dynamics of red deer Cervus elaphus populations has been investigated across different environmental conditions, with the notable exception of the European Alps. Although the population dynamics of mountain‐dwelling ungulates is typically influenced by the interaction between winter severity and density, the increase of temperatures and the reduction of snowpack occurring on the Alps since the 1980s may be expected to alter this pattern, especially in populations dwelling at medium ‐ low elevations. Taking advantage of a 29‐year time series of spring count data, we explored the role of weather stochasticity and density dependence on growth rate and vital rates (mortality and weaning success), and the density‐dependent variation in body mass in a red deer population of the Italian Alps. The interaction between increasing values of density and snow depth exerted negative and positive effects on growth and mortality rates, respectively, while weaning success was negatively affected by increasing values of density, female‐biased sex ratio and snow depth. Body mass of males and females of different age classes declined as population size increased. Our data support the role of winter severity and density dependence as key components of red deer population dynamics, and provide insight into the species' ecology on the European Alps. Despite the recent decline of snowpack on the Alpine Region, the negative impacts of winter severity and population abundance on growth rrate (possibly mediated by the density‐dependent decline in body mass) confirms the importance of overwinter mortality in affecting the population dynamics of Alpine‐dwelling red deer.     

Detection of Leishmania infantum in captive wolves from Southwestern Europe

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Leishmania infantum infection in a wild reservoir host (Canis lupus) throughout an endemic area for the disease (Southern Europe). For that reason, the serum and peripheral blood samples of 33 captive wolves from the European Breeding of Endangered Species Programme (EEP) were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). L. infantum was detected in three samples from Central Portugal and Central and Northern Spain. Even though L. infantum infection in positive samples was low, surveillance of zoonotic leishmaniosis in this population is recommended as the parasite load could be higher in other tissues due to parasite tropism and most of the EEP institutions studied are located in endemic areas for canine leishmaniosis in Europe.