Genetic history of the population of Corsica (Western Mediterranean) as inferred from autosomal STR analysis
HUMAN BIOLOGY
Authors: Tofanelli, S; Taglioli, L; Varesi, L; Paoli, G
Abstract
To genetically reconstruct the demographic history of the human population of Corsica (western Mediterranean), we analyzed the variability at eight autosomal STR loci (FES, VWA, CSF1PO, TH01, F13A1, TPOX, CD4, and D3S1358) in a sample of 179 native blood donors from 4 out of the 5 administrative districts. The main line of genetic discontinuity inferred from the spatial distribution of STR variability overlapped the linguistic and geographic boundaries. In the innermost areas (Corte district) several estimators had larger stochastic effects on allele frequencies. Genetic distance measures underlying different evolutionary models all pointed to a higher variability within Corsicans than within the rest of the Mediterranean reference populations. All Corsican subsamples showed the highest distance with a pooled sample from central Sardinia, thus making recent gene flow between the two neighboring islands unlikely. Hierarchical AMOVA and distance-based multivariate genetic spaces stressed the closeness of Tuscan and Corsican frequency distributions, which could reflect peopling events with different time depths. Anyway, estimated separation times well support the linguistic hypothesis that Neolithic/Chalcolithic events have been far more important than Paleolithic or historical processes in the shaping of present Corsican variability.
Transcriptome profiling analysis of rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) gills after waterborne cadmium exposure
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS
Authors: Wang, Zhi-Jian; Liu, Xiao-Hong; Jin, Li; Pu, De-Yong; Huang, Jing; Zhang, Yao-Guang
Abstract
Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is a widely used experimental fish in risk assessments of aquatic pollutants in China. Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metals in the world; however, few studies have used fish gills, a multi-functional organ. In this study, we characterized the differential expression of adult female rare minnow gills after sub-chronic waterborne Cd (75 mu g/L CdCl2) exposure for 35 d. A total of 452 genes (209 upregulated and 243 down-regulated) were identified by gene expression profiling using RNA-Seq before and after treatment. Of these differentially expressed genes, 75, 21, and 54 differentially expressed genes are related to ion transport, oxidation-reduction processes, and the immune response, respectively. The results of GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, together with the altered transcript levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II molecules and the significant increases in the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 1 beta (IL1 beta) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B), indicated a disruption of the immune system, particularly the induction of inflammation and autoimmunity. The significant down-regulation of coagulation factor XIII A1 polypeptide (F13A1), tripartite motif-containing protein 21 (TRIM21), and Golgi-associated plant pathogenesis-related protein (GAPr) during both acute (<= 96 h) and sub-chronic (35 d) waterborne Cd exposure, as well as their dosage dependence, suggested that these three genes could be used as sensitive biomarkers for aquatic Cd risk assessment. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.