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Kumar S, Singh A, Bist CMS, Sharma M. Advancements in genetic techniques and functional genomics for enhancing crop traits and agricultural sustainability. Brief Funct Genomics 2024:elae017. [PMID: 38679487 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elae017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic variability is essential for the development of new crop varieties with economically beneficial traits. The traits can be inherited from wild relatives or induced through mutagenesis. Novel genetic elements can then be identified and new gene functions can be predicted. In this study, forward and reverse genetics approaches were described, in addition to their applications in modern crop improvement programs and functional genomics. By using heritable phenotypes and linked genetic markers, forward genetics searches for genes by using traditional genetic mapping and allele frequency estimation. Despite recent advances in sequencing technology, omics and computation, genetic redundancy remains a major challenge in forward genetics. By analyzing close-related genes, we will be able to dissect their functional redundancy and predict possible traits and gene activity patterns. In addition to these predictions, sophisticated reverse gene editing tools can be used to verify them, including TILLING, targeted insertional mutagenesis, gene silencing, gene targeting and genome editing. By using gene knock-down, knock-up and knock-out strategies, these tools are able to detect genetic changes in cells. In addition, epigenome analysis and editing enable the development of novel traits in existing crop cultivars without affecting their genetic makeup by increasing epiallelic variants. Our understanding of gene functions and molecular dynamics of various biological phenomena has been revised by all of these findings. The study also identifies novel genetic targets in crop species to improve yields and stress tolerances through conventional and non-conventional methods. In this article, genetic techniques and functional genomics are specifically discussed and assessed for their potential in crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surender Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Horticulture, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan-173230, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Anupama Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Horticulture, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan-173230, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Chander Mohan Singh Bist
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla-171001, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Munish Sharma
- Department of Plant Sciences, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala-176215, Himachal Pradesh, India
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Xu H, Tang X, Chen J, Shi Y, Liu J, Han C, Zhu X, Zhang T, Zhou J, Miao W. Development and optimization of an effective method for evaluating habituation learning behavior in larval zebrafish. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 386:109793. [PMID: 36640926 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Habituation learning is a simple and conserved behavior in all organisms which could be induced by repeated stimuli. However, no standard and universal methods for training and evaluating the habituation learning behavior in larval zebrafish were available. NEW METHOD This study aims to establish effective training and detection protocols for habituation learning behavior in larval zebrafish by using the ViewPoint system. For this purpose, the detection threshold of velocity-a parameter for distinguishing the escape reaction and the spontaneous motion, the detection sensitivity-a parameter for determining the size of the identified object, the number of stimuli, and the age of larvae were optimized to obtain the best performance. RESULTS In this study, the optimized parameters were as follows: the detection threshold of velocity at 13, the luminous intensity at 8 %, the detection sensitivity at 32, the number of stimuli at 150, and the age of larvae at 6 dpf. Furthermore, we validated the utility of the established protocol by showing a consistent memory impairment induced by cycloheximide (CHX). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD A similar method was reported previously. However, the equipment used in those assays, including the hardware and software, were neither standard nor universal, which might impede the extensive application of the habituation learning assays. Here, we developed an alternative method for studying the habituation learning behavior in larval zebrafish using the ViewPoint system. CONCLUSIONS Our study provided an alternative method for studying the habituation learning behavior in larval zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huifang Xu
- Otolaryngology Department, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medical, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuxia Tang
- Otolaryngology Department, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medical, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingjing Chen
- Otolaryngology Department, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medical, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ya Shi
- Otolaryngology Department, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medical, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Otolaryngology Department, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medical, Hangzhou, China
| | - Cheng Han
- Hunter Biotechnology, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Tao Zhang
- Hunter Biotechnology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jinghe Zhou
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Wenyu Miao
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Hunter Biotechnology, Hangzhou, China.
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Saccone G. A history of the genetic and molecular identification of genes and their functions controlling insect sex determination. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 151:103873. [PMID: 36400424 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The genetics of the sex determination regulatory cascade in Drosophila melanogaster has a fascinating history, interlinked with the foundation of the Genetics discipline itself. The discovery that alternative splicing rather than differential transcription is the molecular mechanism underlying the upstream control of sex differences in the Drosophila model system was surprising. This notion is now fully integrated into the scientific canon, appearing in many genetics textbooks and online education resources. In the last three decades, it was a key reference point for starting evolutionary studies in other insect species by using homology-based approaches. This review will introduce a very brief history of Drosophila genetics. It will describe the genetic and molecular approaches applied for the identifying and cloning key genes involved in sex determination in Drosophila and in many other insect species. These comparative analyses led to supporting the idea that sex-determining pathways have evolved mainly by recruiting different upstream signals/genes while maintaining widely conserved intermediate and downstream regulatory genes. The review also provides examples of the link between technological advances and research achievements, to stimulate reflections on how science is produced. It aims to hopefully strengthen the related historical and conceptual knowledge of general readers of other disciplines and of younger geneticists, often focused on the latest technical-molecular approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Saccone
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy.
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Abstract
Genetics is one of the various approaches adopted to understand and control mammalian sleep. Reverse genetics, which is usually applied to analyze sleep in gene-deficient mice, has been the mainstream field of genetic studies on sleep for the past three decades and has revealed that various molecules, including orexin, are involved in sleep regulation. Recently, forward genetic studies in humans and mice have identified gene mutations responsible for heritable sleep abnormalities, such as SIK3, NALCN, DEC2, the neuropeptide S receptor, and β1 adrenergic receptor. Furthermore, the protein kinase A-SIK3 pathway was shown to represent the intracellular neural signaling for sleep need. Large-scale genome-wide analyses of human sleep have been conducted, and many gene loci associated with individual differences in sleep have been found. The development of genome-editing technology and gene transfer by an adeno-associated virus has updated and expanded the genetic studies on mammals. These efforts are expected to elucidate the mechanisms of sleep–wake regulation and develop new therapeutic interventions for sleep disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromasa Funato
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Ota-ku, Tokyo 951-8585, Japan
| | - Masashi Yanagisawa
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75390, Texas, USA
- Life Science Center, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
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Sheardown E, Mech AM, Petrazzini MEM, Leggieri A, Gidziela A, Hosseinian S, Sealy IM, Torres-Perez JV, Busch-Nentwich EM, Malanchini M, Brennan CH. Translational relevance of forward genetic screens in animal models for the study of psychiatric disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104559. [PMID: 35124155 PMCID: PMC9016269 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders represent a significant burden in our societies. Despite the convincing evidence pointing at gene and gene-environment interaction contributions, the role of genetics in the etiology of psychiatric disease is still poorly understood. Forward genetic screens in animal models have helped elucidate causal links. Here we discuss the application of mutagenesis-based forward genetic approaches in common animal model species: two invertebrates, nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) and fruit flies (Drosophila sp.); and two vertebrates, zebrafish (Danio rerio) and mice (Mus musculus), in relation to psychiatric disease. We also discuss the use of large scale genomic studies in human populations. Despite the advances using data from human populations, animal models coupled with next-generation sequencing strategies are still needed. Although with its own limitations, zebrafish possess characteristics that make them especially well-suited to forward genetic studies exploring the etiology of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Sheardown
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Aleksandra M Mech
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | | | - Adele Leggieri
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Agnieszka Gidziela
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Saeedeh Hosseinian
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Ian M Sealy
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jose V Torres-Perez
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London and Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, 86 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Elisabeth M Busch-Nentwich
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Caroline H Brennan
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK.
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Panchin Y, Kovalzon VM. Total Wake: Natural, Pathological, and Experimental Limits to Sleep Reduction. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:643496. [PMID: 33897357 PMCID: PMC8058214 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.643496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep is not considered a pathological state, but it consumes a third of conscious human life. This share is much more than most optimistic life extension forecasts that biotechnologies or experimental and medical interventions can offer. Are there insurmountable physical or biological limitations to reducing the duration of sleep? How far can it be avoided without fatal consequences? What means can reduce the length of sleep? It is widely accepted that sleep is necessary for long-term survival. Here we review the limited yet intriguing evidence that is not consistent with this notion. We concentrate on clinical cases of complete and partial loss of sleep and on human mutations that result in a short sleep phenotype. These observations are supported by new animal studies and are discussed from the perspective of sleep evolution. Two separate hypotheses suggest distinct approaches for remodeling our sleep machinery. If sleep serves an unidentified vital physiological function, this indispensable function has to be identified before “sleep prosthesis” (technical, biological, or chemical) can be developed. If sleep has no vital function, but rather represents a timing mechanism for adaptive inactivity, sleep could be reduced by forging the sleep generation system itself, with no adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Panchin
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Mathematical Methods in Biology, Belozersky Institute, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir M Kovalzon
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Kim SM, Vadnie CA, Philip VM, Gagnon LH, Chowdari KV, Chesler EJ, McClung CA, Logan RW. High-throughput measurement of fibroblast rhythms reveals genetic heritability of circadian phenotypes in diversity outbred mice and their founder strains. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2573. [PMID: 33510298 PMCID: PMC7843998 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82069-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian variability is driven by genetics and Diversity Outbred (DO) mice is a powerful tool for examining the genetics of complex traits because their high genetic and phenotypic diversity compared to conventional mouse crosses. The DO population combines the genetic diversity of eight founder strains including five common inbred and three wild-derived strains. In DO mice and their founders, we established a high-throughput system to measure cellular rhythms using in vitro preparations of skin fibroblasts. Among the founders, we observed strong heritability for rhythm period, robustness, phase and amplitude. We also found significant sex and strain differences for these rhythms. Extreme differences in period for molecular and behavioral rhythms were found between the inbred A/J strain and the wild-derived CAST/EiJ strain, where A/J had the longest period and CAST/EiJ had the shortest. In addition, we measured cellular rhythms in 329 DO mice, which displayed far greater phenotypic variability than the founders—80% of founders compared to only 25% of DO mice had periods of ~ 24 h. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that genetic diversity contributes to phenotypic variability in circadian rhythms, and high-throughput characterization of fibroblast rhythms in DO mice is a tractable system for examining the genetics of circadian traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam-Moon Kim
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA.,Center for Systems Neurogenetics of Addiction, The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 04609, ME, USA
| | - Chelsea A Vadnie
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
| | - Vivek M Philip
- Center for Systems Neurogenetics of Addiction, The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 04609, ME, USA
| | - Leona H Gagnon
- Center for Systems Neurogenetics of Addiction, The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 04609, ME, USA
| | - Kodavali V Chowdari
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
| | - Elissa J Chesler
- Center for Systems Neurogenetics of Addiction, The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 04609, ME, USA
| | - Colleen A McClung
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA. .,Center for Systems Neurogenetics of Addiction, The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 04609, ME, USA.
| | - Ryan W Logan
- Center for Systems Neurogenetics of Addiction, The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, 04609, ME, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, Boston, 02118, MA, USA.
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