Monthly Archives: June 2020

Love it or hate it, rocket is popular all over the world. Also known as arugula, roquette and rucola, its known for its pungent and peppery flavours. It might look like an unassuming leafy vegetable, but the reasons for its taste, health benefits and whether we like it all comes down to genetics.

Rocket actually encompasses several species, all of them part of the same family as broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard and watercress the Brassicales. Its distinctive aroma and flavours are created by chemical compounds produced by its leaves, called isothiocyanates. Some of these compounds can be eye-wateringly hot, whereas others can have a radishy flavour or none at all.

In the wild, isothiocyanates are thought to help defend plants from herbivores and disease, and also help it tolerate environmental stress. But for humans, eating isothiocyanates confers health benefits. Studies have shown them to have anti-cancer properties, and anti-neurodegenerative effects against diseases such as Alzheimers.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

For this reason, plants containing isothiocyanates interest scientists particularly those with little taste and flavour. One such compound is sulforaphane, which is found in rocket and broccoli. Several years ago, researchers produced a super broccoli with high amounts of sulforaphane. Consumers couldnt taste the difference, and it was later shown to be effective in preventing and slowing prostate cancer and in lowering cholesterol.

But one advantage with rocket is that it doesnt need cooked to be eaten. Heating other Brassicales, like broccoli, to over 65C inactivates myrosinase, which is an enzyme in their tissues that converts compounds called glucosinolates into sulforaphane and other isothiocyanates when people chew these plants. If the myrosinase is inactivated, consumers will receive little or none of the associated health benefits, no matter how much is bred into the plants.

Chewing aside, theres some evidence to suggest that our gut microflora possess their own myrosinase and can convert glucosinolates to isothiocyanates for us. The amounts this produces are likely to be quite small, but release may be sustained, exposing our cells to compounds like sulforaphane for longer periods.

But the biggest barrier to people getting these beneficial molecules from rocket is the taste. This depends on when and where rocket crops are grown. In the summer, leaves can be extremely spicy and pungent, whereas in the winter they can be bland and tasteless.

There are many different varieties of rocketiStock)

Growth temperature likely plays a big role in determining the amounts of isothiocyanates released from leaves. Probably a stress response by the plants, it means hotter countries like Italy may produce more pungent leaves.

You can test this effect at home. Get two small pots and some rocket seeds from a local garden centre or supermarket. Plant two or three seeds in each. Keep one well-watered and relatively shaded, and the other in direct sunlight, watering infrequently. After a few weeks, taste the leaves from each pot one should taste much hotter.

The taste and flavour of rocket also varies because of the genetics of different varieties. Not only do leaves contain hot, pungent isothiocyanates, but also sugars (which create sweetness); pyrazines (which can smell earthy and pea-like); aldehydes (which smell like grass); alcohols (one in particular smells just like mushrooms); and many other types yet to be identified.

Recently, the worlds first rocket genome and transcriptome sequence was produced from the Eruca sativa species, allowing researchers to understand which genes may be responsible for making the compounds related to taste and flavour. Its genome contains up to 45,000 genes, which is more than the 42,611 genes humans are thought to have.

The research also found that different varieties produce more isothiocyanates and sugars than others. This explains why leaves can taste so different in the supermarket, even when bought from the same shop at the same time of the year. By knowing which genes are expressed in tissues and when, we can select rocket plants with improved taste and flavour profiles and breed new and improved cultivars.

To further complicate matters, our own genetics mean we dont all taste chemical compounds the same. We have many thousands of different odour receptors in our brains, and many different combinations of taste receptors on our tongues. These genetic differences are one of the reasons why coriander tastes different to different people. Those with a variant of the OR6A2 gene perceive the leaves as having a soapy flavour, which is thanks to the aldehyde compounds in coriander that activate this receptor variant.

Depending on whether you have a functioning or non-functioning copy of certain taste receptor genes, you may not be able to taste certain compounds at all. In the other extreme, if you have two working copies of a particular gene, some foods may taste unbearably bitter and unpleasant.

Another classic example is Brussels sprouts. Some people love them, while others loathe them. This is because of the gene TAS2R38 which gives us the ability to taste the bitter glucosinolate compounds in these vegetables as well as rocket.

Love or loathe? The superfood continues to divide (iStock)

Those people with two working copies of the gene are bitter supertasters. People with only one are medium tasters, while those with no working copies are blind to these compounds. So what is intense and inedible to one person might be pleasant and mild to another.

This partly explains peoples general food preferences and rocket leaves are an excellent example of these processes in action. A consumer study of rocket leaves showed that some people like them hot and pungent, others like them sweet and mild, and others just dont like them at all.

However, peoples culture and life experience probably also determine whether they like rocket and other foods. A previous study of rocket showed that peoples genetic differences are not necessarily an indicator of whether they will like something. Its perfectly possible to be a bitter supertaster and like rocket and Brussels sprouts depending on your upbringing and exposure to them.

Another study showed that preference for flavour and pungency of white radish is linked to differences in geography and culture. Japanese and Korean people liked pungency created by an isothiocyanate much more than Australians. Pickled radish is a common condiment in Asian countries: being regularly exposed to a food may predispose people to like it, irrespective of their taste sensitivity.

Very little is currently known about the interactions between plant and human genotypes. But ongoing research aims to find out which compounds people with different TAS2R38 genotypes are sensitive to. This will make it possible in the future to selectively breed in (or out) certain genes, and produce rocket types tailored to a persons preferences.

Luke Bell is a lecturer in temperate horticulture at the University of Reading. This article first appeared on The Conversation

The rest is here:
Do you have the rocket gene? Why genetics may decide whether you like the peppery veggie - The Independent

There are worse places to spend a COVID-19 lockdown than next to a sanctuary with one of the worlds rarest birdsthe New Zealand takah. And during this strange moment in history, its wonderful to watch these remarkable relics from the pasttakah were twice declared extinct and twice rebounded unexpectedly from the deadin the shadow of their last wild refuge, the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland National Park.

Indeed, these colorful swamphens and the coronavirus pandemic both exemplify opposite extremes of widely held beliefs about the natural world; attitudes towards nature, moreover, that reflect much popular misunderstanding about evolutionary biologyand genetics in particular.

Given this, the much-regarded bird and the much-reviled virus can usefully illustrate some of the important contradictions and confusions that befuddle broader public appreciation of modern genetic science. So lets begin with a little more detail about the former, the amusingly clumsy-looking takah, the worlds largest rail.

Well-known in pre-contact times to New Zealands indigenous Maori, takah were initially thought extinct by the first European scientists to examine their fossilized remainsan assessment that proved mistaken when a small number of these flightless rails were caught during the latter part of the 19th century, the last in 1898.

Presumed extinct (for the second time) for the following fifty years, takah were famously rediscovered in the rugged and remote Fiordland mountains in 1948an event that triggered both an international avalanche of publicity and intense debate about how best to protect the last remnants of the species. Today considered a national taonga or treasure, this cherished bird is now a darling poster child for New Zealand conservation.

They are also, by all accounts, extremely tastyearly Maori hunted them extensively as a source of much-prized feathers and food, and the sealers who caught and cooked one in 1850 declared it a most delicious dainty.

This then raises a question that is less facetious than might first appear: Would it be okay to eat a takah? And if not, why not? Here we can start to explore the popular beliefs about nature alluded to above, ones that result in wider uncertainty about modern genetic science and, at an extreme, vocal opposition to genetic modification and genetic engineering.

To many nature-lovers, even talking about eating an animal like the takah would likely seem immoral; after all, these birds (like other endangered species everywhere, from black rhinos to gorillas to whales) are special. Yet if we examine this belief, being special appears to amount to little more than being rare. Nor could being wild be a cause for special status; this implies, for instance, that captive-bred rare animals are of less value than their free-living counterparts.

Yet while it is rationally unclear (independent of scarcity) why wild animals should have greater intrinsic value than farmed ones, it is nevertheless a distinction that many people maketreasuring rare or wild animals over well-known domesticated ones. (This inconsistency in attitudes is also evident in the furor over the euthanizing of a single giraffe in 2014 in a zoo in Denmark, an agricultural country where tens of thousands of farm animals are routinely slaughtered each day.) If takah were as common as chickens, sayor whales as widespread as cowswould they still be seen as special?

The old adage familiarity breeds contempt is also evident in antipathy towards genetically modified foods. That is, in the same way that familiar livestock are overlooked in comparison with wild/rare animals, so too are supposedly natural everyday foodstuffs in the vehement rejection of unnatural genetically adulterated Frankenfoods. In reality, of course, all of our staple crops have themselves been genetically modified through selective breeding over time, with manyincluding such common items as corn, peaches and watermelonsveritable monstrosities compared to their wild precursors.

Furthermore, such unexamined beliefs about what is natural and what is unnatural help explain how support for wildlife conservation can morph into opposition to genetic sciencemost especially, in the idea that human activities destroy the delicate balance of nature. Despite having been long-since rejected by ecologists, the romanticized concept of a natural balanceanthropomorphised as a wise and benign Mother Nature, constantly striving to maintain the natural harmonystill holds sway in public consciousness.

A surprising example of this concept of purpose and harmony in nature is Pope Franciss recent suggestion that COVID-19 is natures response to climate change. While the Pope is an odd source for such a claim (after all, traditionally God is the one who directs plagues for His own purposes, as many believers still insist), it is nevertheless based on the same belief in a natural (or supernatural) guiding force maintaining natures equilibrium in a world bespoilt by humankind.

Such a notion, of course, stands in stark contrast to the Darwinian concept of life, in which the illusion of harmony merely masks a precarious stalemate in the ceaseless competition between and among species. Moreover, the evolutionary view regards nature as purposeless and amoral, with the ultimate aim of living organisms being simply survival and replication.

In which case, COVID-19 is not natures revenge (or Gods wrath), but rather the mindless spread of an incredibly successful sequence of genes, a contagious virus replicating at the expense of other organisms that just happen to be us. Plagues and pestilence, in other words, are as much a part of nature as wonderful animals like the takah (a point humorously made in Monty Pythons All things dull and ugly).

Potentially, the current coronavirus crisis may disabuse many people of their romanticized notions about benevolent and harmonious nature; at any rate, the overwhelming world reaction is not simply to let nature take its course but rather to act to mitigate its worse effects. And while the unexpectedness and novelty of the pandemic has left many nations floundering over how best to respond, the ultimate solution(s) can only be derived from evidence and factsin other words from empirical science. At the same time, however, the fight against COVID-19 will likely be hindered by the very things that dog the rational application of genetics to human needsmisinformation, conspiracy thinking and pseudo-science.

But before drawing the disparate threads of this argument together, lets return to the takah, itself an excellent example of the pitiless Darwinian account of life. Like much of New Zealands avian fauna, the takahs ancestors were accidental, wind-blown arrivals on these remote South Pacific islands. Lacking competition in their new environment, takah numbers rapidly expanded while at the same time evolutionary processes, including island gigantism, gradually morphed them into the large, flightless and slow-breeding animals we see today. And, like numerous other New Zealand species, the takah were therefore easily out-competed by the next set of arrivals, the fast-breeding mammals introduced by human beings.

Yet while the ensuing tidal wave of bird extinctions was initially viewed as natural and inevitable, modern attitudes have changedand now New Zealands conservation efforts are directed at preserving the surviving native species by eradicating the more recent mammalian invaders. A tragic irony here is that, in the name of conservation, many native species are kept alive only through the mass killing of exotics.

Further ironies abound. Reassured by evidence-based science, the majority of New Zealanders accept the use of 1080 sodium monofluoroacetate poison as the most effective means to control pest speciesyet at the same time, research into more humane genetic alternatives (such as the use of gene drives) are stymied by the countrys vocal anti-GMO movement and its dated and restrictive legislation on genetic technology.

Indeed, the emotional, anti-scientific hostility to 1080 poison captures many of the points raised above, most especially in the belief that native and introduced species can coexist in a natural equilibrium (a notion belied by the estimated 25 million native New Zealand birds killed by introduced predators each year).

As for the takah itself, an initial willingness to let nature take its course was a factor in the species calamitous decline to just over 100 individuals by the 1980s, before more scientifically guided (and better funded) conservation policies began to take effect. Genetics has since played a strong part in hauling the takah back from the brink of extinction, particularly in mitigating the damaging effects of in-breeding. Genetic research has also uncovered surprising findings about the takahs origins; originally divided into two subspeciesone in New Zealands North Island and the other in the South Islandmore recent genetic analysis suggests these were instead two separate species, with the extinct northern variety descended from Australian swamphens and the extant southern species more closely related to South African rails. (Convergent evolution explains the physical similarities between the distinct species on either island.)

And here, takah genetics can usefully illustrate a final point about our conceptions (and misconceptions) of the natural world. Those most attracted to idealized visions of nature (and hence prey to anti-science attitudes), often assume that science robs nature of its glory and wonder. In fact it does the opposite; the more we understand about animals such as the takah (or indeed viruses such as SARS-cov-2), the more we are able to marvel at the wonders of evolved creation. And while romantic wishful thinking wont save the tasty takah from extinction (nor us humans from COVID-19), modern science just might.

Patrick Whittle has a PhD in philosophy and is a freelance writer with a particular interest in the social and political implications of modern biological science. Follow him on his website patrickmichaelwhittle.com or on Twitter @WhittlePM

Continued here:
How a rare bird and the coronavirus remind us that our safety depends on sciencenot wishful thinking - Genetic Literacy Project

Dr. Freathys team will study measures including the weight of a baby and placenta, and how early or late the baby is born

A new 1.4 million award from the Wellcome Trust will help researchers at the University of Exeter understand the processes that link a pregnant mothers obesity with health problems for her and her baby.

Obesity is known to be one of the most common risk factors for complications of pregnancy and birth. Now, Dr Rachel Freathy, at the University of Exeter Medical School, has been awarded a Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship to study human genetics data in babies, mothers and fathers to understand the mechanisms involved in causing these health problems, with a view to improving care.

Over five years, Dr. Freathys team will study measures including the weight of a baby and placenta, and how early or late the baby is born. They will investigate how these measures link with known risk factors connected to obesity in mothers, such as pregnancy-related diabetes and high blood pressure.

Dr Freathy said: Weve long known that obesity in pregnancy increases the risk of a range of complications for mother and baby yet little is known about the mechanisms that underpin these problems. Its essential that we understand processes such as how a fetus regulates its own growth, how the mothers glucose and blood pressure affect the fetus, and how the fetus itself might influence changes in the mothers body in pregnancy. The award from Wellcome gives us an amazing opportunity to really understand these processes and how they act together to influence risk in an individual pregnancy, which could help us to personalise antenatal care in the future.

Previous work led by Dr. Freathys team has identified 190 links between our genetic code and birth weight, and has shown that many of these genetic links to birth weight also influence risk of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes in later life.

Professor Clive Ballard, Executive Dean and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: Huge congratulations to Rachel, who has built up internationally-renowned expertise in the field of the genetics of mothers and babies. Already her work has shaped understanding in this field, and has the potential to make a significant impact on care.

Continued here:
1.4 million for genetics research on how obesity in pregnancy affects mother and baby - Mirage News

A new market report by Market Research Intellect on the Human Genetics Market has been released with reliable information and accurate forecasts for a better understanding of the current and future market scenarios. The report offers an in-depth analysis of the global market, including qualitative and quantitative insights, historical data, and estimated projections about the market size and share in the forecast period. The forecasts mentioned in the report have been acquired by using proven research assumptions and methodologies. Hence, this research study serves as an important depository of the information for every market landscape. The report is segmented on the basis of types, end-users, applications, and regional markets.

The research study includes the latest updates about the COVID-19 impact on the Human Genetics sector. The outbreak has broadly influenced the global economic landscape. The report contains a complete breakdown of the current situation in the ever-evolving business sector and estimates the aftereffects of the outbreak on the overall economy.

Get Sample Copy with TOC of the Report to understand the structure of the complete report @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/download-sample/?rid=177432&utm_source=COD&utm_medium=888

The report also emphasizes the initiatives undertaken by the companies operating in the market including product innovation, product launches, and technological development to help their organization offer more effective products in the market. It also studies notable business events, including corporate deals, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships, product launches, and brand promotions.

Leading Human Genetics manufacturers/companies operating at both regional and global levels:

Sales and sales broken down by Product:

Sales and sales divided by Applications:

The report also inspects the financial standing of the leading companies, which includes gross profit, revenue generation, sales volume, sales revenue, manufacturing cost, individual growth rate, and other financial ratios.

The report also focuses on the global industry trends, development patterns of industries, governing factors, growth rate, and competitive analysis of the market, growth opportunities, challenges, investment strategies, and forecasts till 2026. The Human Genetics Market was estimated at USD XX Million/Billion in 2016 and is estimated to reach USD XX Million/Billion by 2026, expanding at a rate of XX% over the forecast period. To calculate the market size, the report provides a thorough analysis of the market by accumulating, studying, and synthesizing primary and secondary data from multiple sources.

To get Incredible Discounts on this Premium Report, Click Here @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=177432&utm_source=COD&utm_medium=888

The market is predicted to witness significant growth over the forecast period, owing to the growing consumer awareness about the benefits of Human Genetics. The increase in disposable income across the key geographies has also impacted the market positively. Moreover, factors like urbanization, high population growth, and a growing middle-class population with higher disposable income are also forecasted to drive market growth.

According to the research report, one of the key challenges that might hinder the market growth is the presence of counter fit products. The market is witnessing the entry of a surging number of alternative products that use inferior ingredients.

Key factors influencing market growth:

Reasons for purchasing this Report from Market Research Intellect

Customized Research Report Using Corporate Email Id @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/need-customization/?rid=177432&utm_source=COD&utm_medium=888

Customization of the Report:

Market Research Intellect also provides customization options to tailor the reports as per client requirements. This report can be personalized to cater to your research needs. Feel free to get in touch with our sales team, who will ensure that you get a report as per your needs.

Thank you for reading this article. You can also get chapter-wise sections or region-wise report coverage for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.

To summarize, the Human Genetics market report studies the contemporary market to forecast the growth prospects, challenges, opportunities, risks, threats, and the trends observed in the market that can either propel or curtail the growth rate of the industry. The market factors impacting the global sector also include provincial trade policies, international trade disputes, entry barriers, and other regulatory restrictions.

About Us:

Market Research Intellect provides syndicated and customized research reports to clients from various industries and organizations with the aim of delivering functional expertise. We provide reports for all industries including Energy, Technology, Manufacturing and Construction, Chemicals and Materials, Food and Beverage and more. These reports deliver an in-depth study of the market with industry analysis, market value for regions and countries and trends that are pertinent to the industry.

Contact Us:

Mr. Steven Fernandes

Market Research Intellect

New Jersey ( USA )

Tel: +1-650-781-4080

Link:
Human Genetics Market 2019 Break Down by Top Companies, Countries, Applications, Challenges, Opportunities and Forecast 2026 - Cole of Duty