In genetics, a mosaic (or mosaicism) means the presence of two different genotypes in an individual which developed from a single fertilized egg. As a result, the individual has two or more genetically different cell lines derived from a single zygote.[1]

Mosaicism may result from:

The phenomenon was discovered by Curt Stern. In 1936, he demonstrated that recombination, normal in meiosis, can also take place in mitosis.[2] When it does, it results in somatic (body) mosaics. These are organisms which contain two or more genetically distinct types of tissue.[3]

A genetic chimera is an organism composed of two or more sets of genetically distinct cells. Dispermic chimeras happen when two fertilized eggs fuse together. Mosaics are a different kind of chimerism: they originate from a single fertilized egg.

This is easiest to see with eye colours. When eye colours vary between the two eyes, or within one or both eyes, the condition is called heterochromia iridis (= 'different coloured iris'). It can have many different causes, both genetic and accidental. For example, David Bowie had the appearance of different eye colours due to an injury that caused one pupil to be permanently dilated.

On this page, only genetic mosaicism is discussed.

The most common cause of mosaicism in mammalian females is X-inactivation. Females have two X chromosomes (and males have only one). The two X chromosomes in a female are rarely identical. They have the same genes, but at some loci (positions) they may have different alleles (versions of the same gene).

In the early embryo, each cell independently and randomly inactivates one copy of the X chromosome.[4] This inactivation lasts the lifetime of the cell, and all the descendants of the cell inactivate that same chromosome.

This phenomenon shows in the colouration of calico cats and tortoiseshell cats. These females are heterozygous for the X-linked colour genes: the genes for their coat colours are carried on the X chromosome. X-inactivation causes groups of cells to carry either one or the other X-chromosome in an active state.[5]

X-inactivation is reversed in the female germline, so that all egg cells contain an active X chromosome.

Mosaicism refers to differences in the genotype of various cell populations in the same individual, but X-inactivation is an epigenetic change, a switching off of genes on one chromosome. It is not a change in the genotype.[6] Descendent cells of the embryo carry the same X-inactivation as the original cells. This may give rise to mild symptoms in female 'carriers' of X-linked genetic disorders.[7]

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Mosaic (genetics) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free ...

VOL. 132 | NO. 135 | Monday, July 10, 2017

A pair of scientists in Memphis is using almost $2 million in grant money to make improvements to an online database and open-source software system called GeneNetwork, used by researchers to study genetic differences and evaluate disease risk.

Drs. Robert Williams and Saunak Sen, both part of the faculty at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, won a grant from the National Institutes of Health for the project. GeneNetwork was launched in 2001 as part of a NIH Human Brain Project grant to UTHSC and was one of the first websites designed for gene mapping.

Williams, who chairs the Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics at UTHSC, said the grant money will be used to support major upgrades for the software infrastructure for gene mapping and analysis for the system. One of the systems main uses, he said, is being able to predict more accurate health outcomes from genetic and environmental data.

The system itself is like a combination of Microsofts popular Excel spreadsheet software paired with large amounts of financial data. Except in this case, its biological rather than financial data, combined with a sophisticated spreadsheet that allows users to perform their analyses.

Those users include undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students. The biggest slice of users is scientists, Williams said, who are interested in understanding the relationship between genetic differences and health status.

The grant has four major aims that will be stretched out over four years, Williams said. The first is to make this more useful to a larger community of users. Getting data in and out of GeneNetwork is quite a bit of work, so were going to be building some software that allows easier data entry into GeneNetwork.

The team at UTHSC which is where the GeneNetwork hub exists also wants to make some statistical improvements to the system. Theyll also be developing new analytical methods as well as tools so that the system is accessible not only to students and scientists but also professional statisticians, computer scientists and users at big pharmaceutical companies who Williams said need a different type of interface than what exists now.

The team supporting GeneNetwork actually extends beyond Memphis, spanning the globe, in fact. Other key members include Dr. Pjotr Prins, a computer programmer based in the Netherlands whos responsible for the software architecture. Dr. Karl Broman, a statistical geneticist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is also contributing to the project. And at UTHSC, Dr. Yan Cui, a computational biologist in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, is also working on the project.

According to Dr. Sen, GeneNetwork will facilitate reproducible research because of the way it gives researchers open access to both the data and the software code used to process it. Reproducibility, he said, is essential to the scientific method, and were proud to be part of the open science movement.

The second generation of the service, called GeneNetwork 2, can be accessed at http://gn2.genenetwork.org/.

There are exponentially growing databases on humans and mice and rats and plants, Williams said. And its really difficult to handle all those huge data sets. So what we need are online tools for analyzing and integrating those data sets, and GeneNetwork is a tool for doing just that.

It provides access to a lot of data sets and the genotypes of subjects, and it allows you to analyze what the relationship is between genetic differences and outcome measurements. Like, how much do you weigh, are you likely to have diabetes, how long will you live, things like that.

Originally posted here:
Memphis Researchers Planning Big Upgrades to Online Genetics Database - Memphis Daily News

An announcement is expected on Thursday, and the companies hope to complete the transaction by the end of the year. Ambry Genetics declined to comment.

The Japanese government is helping to drive the diversification efforts. A state-backed investment fund, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, is teaming up with Konica Minolta in the Ambry acquisition. According to the people familiar with the deal, Konica Minolta would take a 60 percent share in Ambry, with the rest to be acquired by the fund.

Ambry, which is privately held, would retain its current leadership, these people said. The management team includes the company founder and chairman, Charles L. M. Dunlop, who has said his own experience with prostate cancer now in remission influenced his decision to make public anonymized information from Ambrys database.

Pooling data from many people is considered crucial to finding genetic elements that contribute to illnesses.

For Konica Minolta, the acquisition would confirm the acceleration of efforts to diversify beyond photocopiers and printers, areas where revenue and profit have been shrinking.

The Japanese company has identified health care, and cancer screening in particular, as a possible mainstay of business. It has been developing its own cancer-detecting technology using light-emitting nanoparticles to mark proteins that are drawn to cancer cells.

Other Japanese businesses have tried similar expansions. Fujifilm, for instance which, like Konica Minolta, built a name decades ago in photography has established a profitable health care and cosmetics division, helping it survive the end of the analog film era.

Other Japanese groups health care ventures have been less successful, however.

Follow Jonathan Soble on Twitter @jonathan_soble.

Chad Bray contributed reporting from London.

A version of this article appears in print on July 6, 2017, on Page B4 of the New York edition with the headline: Konica Minolta Nears Genetics Deal.

Read more from the original source:
Konica Minolta, With Eye on Health Care, Nears Deal for US Genetics Firm - New York Times

Family photo provided by Katie Rosenbaum via AP

WASHINGTON Colon cancer. Uterine cancer. Pancreatic cancer. Whatever the tumor, the more gene mutations lurking inside, the better chance your immune system has to fight back.

Thats the premise behind the recent approval of a landmark drug, the first cancer therapy ever cleared based on a tumors genetics instead of the body part it struck first. Now thousands of patients with worsening cancer despite standard treatment can try this immunotherapy as long as genetic testing of the tumor shows theyre a candidate.

Its like having a lottery ticket, said Johns Hopkins oncologist Dr. Dung Le, who helped prove the new use for the immunotherapy Keytruda. Weve got to figure out how to find these patients, because its such a great opportunity for them.

Today, doctors diagnose tumors by where they originate breast cancer in the breast, colon cancer in the colon and use therapies specifically tested for that organ. In contrast, the Food and Drug Administration labeled Keytruda the first tissue-agnostic treatment, for adults and children.

The reason: Seemingly unrelated cancers occasionally carry a common genetic flaw called a mismatch repair defect. Despite small studies, FDA found the evidence convincing that for a subset of patients, that flaw can make solid tumors susceptible to immunotherapy doctors otherwise wouldnt have tried.

We thought these would be the hardest tumors to treat. But its like an Achilles heel, said Hopkins cancer geneticist Bert Vogelstein.

And last month FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told a Senate subcommittee his agency will simplify drug development for diseases that all have a similar genetic fingerprint even if they have a slightly different clinical expression.

Its too early to know if whats being dubbed precision immunotherapy will have lasting benefits, but heres a look at the science.

WHOS A CANDIDATE?

Hopkins estimates about 4 percent of cancers are mismatch repair-deficient, potentially adding up to 60,000 patients a year. Widely available tests that cost $300 to $600 can tell whos eligible. The FDA said the flaw is more common in colon, endometrial and gastrointestinal cancers but occasionally occurs in a list of others.

Say, have I been tested for this?' is Les advice for patients.

MUTATIONS AND MORE MUTATIONS

Most tumors bear 50 or so mutations in various genes, Vogelstein said. Melanomas and lung cancers, spurred by sunlight and tobacco smoke, may have twice as many. But tumors with a mismatch repair defect can harbor 1,500 mutations.

Why? When DNA copies itself, sometimes the strands pair up wrong to leave a typo a mismatch. Normally the body spell checks and repairs those typos. Without that proofreading, mutations build up, not necessarily the kind that trigger cancer but bystanders in a growing tumor.

THE PLOT THICKENS

Your immune system could be a potent cancer fighter except that too often, tumors shield themselves. Mercks Keytruda and other so-called checkpoint inhibitors can block one of those shields, allowing immune cells to recognize a tumor as a foreign invader and attack. Until now, those immunotherapies were approved only for a few select cancers Keytruda hit the market for melanoma in 2014 and they work incredibly well for some patients but fail in many others. Learning whos a good candidate is critical for drugs that can cost $150,000 a year and sometimes cause serious side effects.

In 2012, Hopkins doctors testing various immunotherapies found the approach failed in all but one of 20 colon cancer patients. When perplexed oncologists told Vogelstein, a light bulb went off.

Sure enough, the one patient who fared well had a mismatch repair defect and a mind-boggling number of tumor mutations. The more mutations, the greater the chance that at least one produces a foreign-looking protein that is a beacon for immune cells, Vogelstein explained.

It was time to see if other kinds of cancer might respond, too.

WHATS THE DATA?

The strongest study, published in the journal Science, tested 86 such patients with a dozen different cancers, including some who had entered hospice. Half had their tumors at least shrink significantly, and 18 saw their cancer become undetectable.

Its not clear why the other half didnt respond. Researchers found a hint, in three patients, that new mutations might form that could resist treatment.

But after two years of Keytruda infusions, 11 of the complete responders have stopped the drug and remain cancer-free for a median of eight months and counting.

Catherine Katie Rosenbaum, 67, is one of those successes. The retired teacher had her uterus removed when endometrial cancer first struck, but five years later tumors returned, scattered through her pelvis and colon. She tried treatment after treatment until in 2014, her doctor urged the Hopkins study.

Rosenbaum took a train from Richmond, Virginia, to Baltimore for infusions every two weeks and then, after some fatigue and diarrhea side effects, once a month. Then the side effects eased and her tumors started disappearing. A year into the study she was well enough to swim a mile for a Swim Across America cancer fundraiser.

Nothing else had worked, so I guess we could say it was a last hope, said Rosenbaum, who now wants other patients to know about the option.

___

This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

See more here:
Getting tumors tested for genetics is the latest theory to help drugs target cancer - The Denver Post

WASHINGTON (AP) Colon cancer. Uterine cancer. Pancreatic cancer.

Whatever the tumor, the more gene mutations lurking inside, the better chance your immune system has to fight back.

Thats the premise behind the recent approval of a landmark drug, the first cancer therapy ever cleared based on a tumors genetics instead of the body part it struck first.

Now thousands of patients with worsening cancer despite standard treatment can try this immunotherapy as long as genetic testing of the tumor shows theyre candidates.

Its like having a lottery ticket, said Johns Hopkins oncologist Dr. Dung Le, who helped prove the new use for the immunotherapy Keytruda. Weve got to figure out how to find these patients, because its such a great opportunity for them.

Today, doctors diagnose tumors by where they originate breast cancer in the breast, colon cancer in the colon and use therapies tested specifically for that organ.

In contrast, the Food and Drug Administration labeled Keytruda the first tissue-agnostic treatment, for adults and children.

Seemingly unrelated cancers occasionally carry a common genetic flaw called a mismatch repair defect. Despite small studies, the FDA found the evidence convincing that for a subset of patients, that flaw can make solid tumors susceptible to immunotherapy doctors otherwise wouldnt have tried.

We thought these would be the hardest tumors to treat, but its like an Achilles heel, said Hopkins cancer geneticist Bert Vogelstein.

Last month, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told a Senate subcommittee his agency will simplify drug development for diseases that all have a similar genetic fingerprint even if they have a slightly different clinical expression.

Its too early to know if whats being dubbed precision immunotherapy will have lasting benefits, but heres a look at the science.

WHOS A CANDIDATE?

Hopkins estimates about 4 percent of cancers are mismatch repair-deficient, potentially adding up to 60,000 patients a year.

Widely available tests that cost $300 to $600 can tell whos eligible.

The FDA said the flaw is more common in colon, endometrial and gastrointestinal cancers but occasionally occurs in a list of others.

Say, have I been tested for this? is Les advice for patients.

MUTATIONS AND MORE MUTATIONS

Most tumors bear 50 or so mutations in various genes, Vogelstein said. Melanomas and lung cancers, spurred by sunlight and tobacco smoke, may have twice as many. Tumors with a mismatch repair defect can harbor 1,500 mutations.

Why? When DNA copies itself, sometimes the strands pair up wrong to leave a typo a mismatch. Normally the body spell checks and repairs those typos.

Without that proofreading, mutations build up, not necessarily the kind that trigger cancer but bystanders in a growing tumor.

THE PLOT THICKENS

Your immune system could be a potent cancer fighter except that too often, tumors shield themselves.

Mercks Keytruda and other so-called checkpoint inhibitors can block one of those shields, allowing immune cells to recognize a tumor as a foreign invader and attack. Until now, those immunotherapies were approved only for a few select cancers Keytruda hit the market for melanoma in 2014 and they work incredibly well for some patients but fail in many others.

Learning whos a good candidate is critical for drugs that can cost $150,000 a year and sometimes cause serious side effects.

In 2012, Hopkins doctors testing various immunotherapies found the approach failed in all but one of 20 colon cancer patients. When perplexed oncologists told Vogelstein, a light bulb went off.

Sure enough, the one patient who fared well had a mismatch repair defect and a mind-boggling number of tumor mutations. The more mutations, the greater the chance that at least one produces a foreign-looking protein that is a beacon for immune cells, Vogelstein explained.

It was time to see if other kinds of cancer might respond, too.

WHATS THE DATA?

The strongest study, published in the journal Science, tested 86 such patients with 12 different cancers, including some who had entered hospice. Half had their tumors at least shrink significantly and 18 saw their cancer become undetectable.

Its not clear why the other half didnt respond. Researchers found a hint, in three patients, that new mutations might form that could resist treatment.

But after two years of Keytruda infusions, 11 of the complete responders have stopped the drug and remain cancer-free for a median of eight months and counting.

Catherine Katie Rosenbaum, 67, is one of those successes. The retired teacher had her uterus removed when endometrial cancer struck, but five years later tumors returned, scattered throughout her pelvis and colon.

She tried treatment after treatment until in 2014, her doctor urged the Hopkins study.

Rosenbaum took a train from Richmond, Virginia, to Baltimore for infusions every two weeks and then, after some fatigue and diarrhea side effects, once a month. Then the side effects eased and her tumors started disappearing.

A year into the study she was well enough to swim a mile for a Swim Across America cancer fundraiser.

Nothing else had worked, so I guess we could say it was a last hope, said Rosenbaum, who now wants other patients to know about the option.

See the article here:
Immunotherapy drug targets tumor's genetics instead of body part - Monroe Evening News

July 07, 2017 07:00 ET | Source: NewLink Genetics Corporation

AMES, Iowa, July 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewLink Genetics Corporation(NASDAQ:NLNK), today announced that it will release its second quarter 2017 financial results onFriday, July 28, 2017. The company has scheduled a conference call for8:30 AM ETthe same day to discuss the results and to give an update on its clinical and development activities.

NewLink Genetics'senior management team will host the conference call, which will be open to all listeners. There will also be a question and answer session following the prepared remarks.

Access to the live conference call is available by dialing (855) 469-0612 (U.S.) or (484) 756-4268 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call. The conference call will be webcast live and a link can be accessed through theNewLink Geneticswebsite athttp://edge.media-server.com/m/p/mqa6eh65. A replay of the call will be available for two weeks from the date of the call and can be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S.) or (404) 537-3406 (international) and using the passcode 51432155.

AboutNewLink Genetics Corporation

NewLink Geneticsis a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering, developing and commercializing novel immuno-oncology product candidates to improve the lives of patients with cancer.NewLink Genetics'IDO pathway inhibitors are designed to harness multiple components of the immune system to combat cancer.Indoximod is being evaluated in combination with treatment regimens including anti-PD-1 agents, cancer vaccines, and chemotherapy across multiple indications such as melanoma, prostate cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, and pancreatic cancer. For more information, please visithttp://www.newlinkgenetics.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements ofNewLink Geneticsthat involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "target," "potential," "will," "could," "should," "seek" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include any statements other than statements of historical fact. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements thatNewLink Geneticsmakes due to a number of important factors, including those risks discussed in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere inNewLink Genetics'Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year endedDecember 31, 2016and other reports filed with theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The forward-looking statements in this press release representNewLink' Genetics'views as of the date of this press release.NewLink Geneticsanticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while it may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representingNewLink Genetics'views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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NewLink Genetics to Host Its Second Quarter 2017 Financial Results Conference Call on July 28, 2017 - GlobeNewswire (press release)

Smart technology is a real game changer in healthcare sector. Tony Mira, President and CEO at Anesthesia Business Consultants and also CEO at Ajuba International LLC, shares his views with ETHealthworld about the impact of technological innovations and more precisely the scope of genetic enhancements in healthcare. Edited excerpts.

Please share your views on the role of quality in evidence-based healthcare?

Healthcare today is evolving into a more technologically driven industry with rapid innovations and change, both planned and unplanned. As our client base grows, so does the level of analytics we can utilize to aid in treatment strategies and the volume of data available to clients to monitor their own level of care. Quality care which is accessible and affordable is our topmost priority. Integration of applicable technology into our policies and procedures, along with the appointment and training of dynamic professionals, is crucial for treating and diagnosing patients. A satisfied patient becomes a repeat client. Streamlining processes, reducing errors and delays, as well as working to ensure proper treatment that can be delivered with the necessary reliable output, adds to the credibility of our healthcare. Only when you can demonstrate a strong level of excellence, can the quality care aspect be respected and promoted to the next levels.

How has smart technology transformed patient-based healthcare and kindly please throw light on the future disruptions which will bring about the next revolution in this sector?

Smart technology is a real advantage for our healthcare sector. Modern diagnostics and clinical processes are enhanced with modern technology from inception through diagnosing, error correction and final output. Digital solutions and cloud-based technology allow us to serve patients better. Telemedicine is also an evolving revolution.

Another potential source of innovation is the technological revolution with sources such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, also facilitated by data analytics and cloud computing. The manual records of the past have been replaced in the cloud format with electronic health records (EHR). While treating patients and diagnosing them, along with ensuring proper medications and effective medical intervention, we benefit hugely from these digital records because of the clarity and the wide range of information they provide us, enhancing treatment and diagnosis.

The medical device industry is a huge business. What are the benefits which we are witnessing in terms of the transformational impact of medical technology coupled with the simplification of procedures while treating patients?

The medical device industry is a rapidly evolving billion dollar industry. New modern updated versions of medical devices utilize digital solutions like cloud, analytics and artificial intelligence. Complicated medical diagnosis and surgeries are able to be performed in a more simplified format. Genetics enhancements have the capability to produce a revolutionary effect in the field of medical sciences. With more app-based digital solutions, along with smart use of world class benchmarks of excellence, the healthcare industry keeps integrating innovation resulting in very credible patient care outcomes. We must be cognizant of the fact that advanced technology also comes with more cost associated to it. Patient care should be based on the quality of the outcome and also affordable at the end. We must implement technology that enhances the client outcome.

The recent cyber-attack on hospital systems proved to be very costly and also sends a clarion call demonstrating the need for security of our confidential systems. Your comments.

Cyber security is a very crucial aspect globally since the online space is vulnerable. Data threats and ransomware attacks have increased in frequency. We must continuously work to ensure that confidential patient data is not compromised and that level of commitment can prove to be very costly. Cyber security professionals need to be vigilant guarding the cyber space for an organisation. This specialization requires a specialized approach and experienced, skilled staff who can provide security to our systems and data. Hospitals must ensure that their electronic records and digital content are kept secure as their credibility will be impacted if such sensitive details are leaked or lost. In this age of digital content and IoT, we need to be vigilant to protect confidential data since prevention is key. More awareness through conferences, summits, workshops and training sessions, coupled with a system of checks and balances in order to learn from our past experiences, along with the implementation of current technology are extremely necessary at this point of time when such attacks are rampant and unpredictable.

In terms of treatment and diagnosis of terminal diseases, we are slowly evolving world class medical technology inching towards coming up with solutions to the most complicated health conditions. You take on this.

Genetics has solutions to some of most complicated problems in life sciences. Cancer and other dreaded complications can, with the research currently being conducted in genetics, have some very effective enhancements to care working toward a long-term cure to diseases. Medical diagnosis has evolved at a remarkable level where we can actually be proud of its innovations and path-breaking scientific experiments. Also in this age of technological boom, precision-based diagnostics, along with analytics and artificial intelligence, are creating a new wave in this sector where we are coming very close to understanding some of the unknown mysteries in biological sciences.

Link:
Research in genetics promises a long-term cure to diseases : Tony Mira, CEO at Ajuba International LLC - ETHealthworld.com

Victor Jackson milks a herd of 140 pedigree registered Holstein Friesian cows, alongside his nephew Richard, in Crossnacole, Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow.

The Jackson family welcomed hundreds of visitors to their Crossnacole Holsteins operation on Thursday, July 6, for the 25th Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) national open day.

We registered our first pedigree Holsteins in 1983. Over the years we decided to import embryos from the top cow families in North America, Victor said.

Those embryos form the backbone of the herd today some 20 years later.

The herd has progressed in terms of production and type and has grown to 140Holstein Friesian cows.

Thats about where we intend to stay. Our farm is fully developed now. We have 127ac and we dont intend on leasing any more. Were happy with how the herd is performing at the moment, Victor added.

The Crossnacole herd produces 1.4m litres annually, withan average yield of 10,000L at 3.91% butterfat and 3.35% protein.

90% of the herd is classified to Very Good and Excellent conformation the top two grades of the IHFA classification scoring system.

The Jacksons have always produced winter milk and attribute this, as well as a limited land base, as to why they chose the Holstein Friesian cow.

We needed a high-producing cow to produce large volumes of milk off forage indoors; its for that reason weve stuck with the Holstein.

Jackson houses in mid-October and provides a diet of high-quality silage and a total mixed ration (TMR) consisting of grass silage, maize silage, whole beet and brewers grains. Concentrate is fed to yield in the parlour.

In the spring, grazed grass is maximised in the cows diet. Jackson usually turns the cows out around March 17, with cows out night and day by April 10.

The Crossnacole herd contains some of the very best Holstein cow families. These include some of thetop North American cow families, such as the renowned Paradise family.

Jackson selects stock to deliver in terms of functionality, quality and efficiency of yields.

My breeding policy is for medium-sized, balanced, capacious cows with the ability to consume large volumes of roughage, Jackson stated.

Regarding sire selection, Jackson said: Were looking for high-type bulls, whose daughters will develop slowly into really good cows; bulls that are breeding good feet and legs, good udders and positive for kilograms of fat and protein.

Jackson aims to calve heifers at two-years-old. However, there is some leeway with being a liquid milk herd.

Being a liquid milk herd, we have the luxury of letting some heifers or cows slip a little. We dont have to cull entirely on fertility. One thing about the Holstein cow is that she will milk on.

The Holstein has an unbelievable ability to milk on through a long lactation.We produce almost 2,000L outside the 305-day period, Jackson said.

The rest is here:
North American genetics take centre stage in Wicklow - Agriland

July 5, 2017 Comparison of growth differences in wild-type (left) and growth-repressor mutant (right) Arabidopsis plants. Credit: Dr Nick Pullen

You might think that plants grow according to how much nutrition, water and sunlight they are exposed to, but new research by Dr Nick Pullen and a team from the John Innes Centre, UK shows that the plant's own genetics may be the real limiting factor.

"This could have potentially big implications for the agricultural industry," says Dr Pullen, "Our model plant is in the same family as cabbages, so it's easy to imagine creating giant cabbages or growing them to the desired market size faster than at present."

It was previously assumed that plant growth was generally resource-limited, meaning that plants would only grow as large and fast as they could photosynthesise. However, Dr Pullen and his team present evidence that plant growth is actually "sink-limited", meaning that genetic regulation and cell division rates have a much bigger role in controlling plant growth than previously thought: "We are proposing that plant growth is not physically limited by Net Primary Productivity (NPP) or the environment, but instead is limited genetically in response to these signals to ensure they do not become limiting."

By genetically altering the growth repressors in Arabidopsis, Dr Pullen and his team were able to create mutant strains. They identified the metabolic rates of the different plant strains by measuring rates of photosynthesis and respiration, as well as comparing the size and weight of the plants to monitor differences in physical growth.

Dr Pullen and the team also grew the mutant plant strains at different temperatures to see if this changed their results: "When grown at different temperatures we still find a difference in size of our plants between wildtype and the mutants. This suggests our results should be applicable in different climates."

The impact of these results is wide-reaching, and Dr Pullen suggests that it may even change how we think about global climate data: "Climate models need to incorporate genetic elements because at present most do not, and their predictions would be much improved with a better understanding of plant carbon demand."

Explore further: Revealed: New step in plant mastermind hormone's pathway

Plants are stationary. This means that the way they grow must be highly internally regulated to use the surrounding resources in the most-advantageous way possible.

Garden and potted plants with white spots on their leaves are so popular that they are specially selected for this feature. An international research team has now identified a new mutation in the plant Lotus japonicus which ...

Researchers have discovered a new gene that enables plants to regulate their growth in different temperatures.

Scientists have identified a new mutant plant that accumulates excessive amounts of starch, which could help to boost crop yields and increase the productivity of plants grown for biofuels.

New research from an Iowa State University scientist identifies a genetic mechanism that governs growth and drought tolerance in plants, a development that could lead to better performing traits in crops.

Because plants cannot relocate when resources become scarce, they need to efficiently regulate their growth by responding to environmental cues. Drought is the most important cause of reduced plant growth and crop yield, ...

Those who crave brownies or hot cocoa may be happy to hear that heroes too small to be seen may help to protect the world's chocolate supply. Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama found ...

New research shows a species of diatom, a single-celled algae, thought to be asexual does reproduce sexually, and scientists learned it's a common compound - ammonium - that puts the ubiquitous organism in the mood.

The orangutan population on the island of Borneo has shrunk by a quarter in the last decade, researchers said Friday, urging a rethink of strategies to protect the critically-endangered great ape.

As the old saying goes, teaching someone to fish is far more helpful than just giving them a fish. Now, research from WorldFish and MIT takes that adage a step further: Better yet, the study found, is working with the fishermen ...

After observing the mating habits of chacma baboons living in the wild over a four-year period, researchers have found that males of the species often use long-term sexual intimidation to control their mates. The findings ...

A University of Kentucky plant pathologist is part of an international team of researchers who have uncovered an important link to a disease which left unchecked could prove devastating to wheat. UK College of Agriculture, ...

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Genetics may lie at the heart of crop yield limitation - Phys.org - Phys.Org