Status, sale and patenting of human genetic material: an international survey

10.1038/8735 ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartha Maria Knoppers
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25583
Author(s):  
Magdalena Grenda-Kurmanow

In 2017 the author conducted an international survey among the conservators who have worked with herbaria collections, particularly paper conservators who treated historic herbaria. During the survey the author contacted 25 people from 9 countries. The participants were the conservators who either shared their experience through publications or whose conservation reports were available to the author. Participants were asked to recommend materials used in the conservation of historic herbaria and materials used on a daily basis to mount specimens. The aim of the survey was to list the materials that have direct contact with the surface of the specimens. Therefore the results concentrated mostly on adhesives. Acknowledging that materials recommended for conservation treatment may differ from those used for a typical mounting of a modern specimen, the author presented a traditional conservator’s approach that every modern object (including herbaria) may one day become a valuable part of heritage. This means that all materials used when working with herbaria should be reversible and DNA-safe. The survey revealed that most conservators recommend materials that are very popular in paper conservation: wheat starch paste and methylcellulose at different concentrations, however some suggested using animal glues such as gelatine or isinglass and mixtures of isinglass and starch paste. Other adhesives that were present in the results were two versions of hydroxypropylcellulose, Klucel G and Klucel E, rice starch, shofu, and different PVAs used for mounting (e.g. Hewit M218 and Jade 403). Many conservators expressed their negative approach to popular mounting materials and techniques of mounting by overall adhesion. The survey was a part of the project "Heritage preservation and ethnobotany. Analysis of the influence of conservation treatment on genetic material comprised in historic herbaria“ (project no. 2014/13/N/HS2/03118) funded by the National Science Centre in Poland. The results of the survey served as a basis for the next stage of the project, which was testing samples of herbarium specimens, 'treated' with the chosen materials, for the possible damaging influence on the DNA of specimens. The choice of materials based on the results of the survey, literature and availability of materials (some adhesives used for mounting some decades ago are no longer available). The herbarium samples were made of Arabidopsis thaliana and Fragaria vesca leaves, prepared for the project. After drying and 'treating' with conservation and mounting materials, the samples were artificially aged in a climatic chamber to imitate deterioration processes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-381
Author(s):  
Ny Anjara Fifi Ravelomanantsoa ◽  
Sarah Guth ◽  
Angelo Andrianiaina ◽  
Santino Andry ◽  
Anecia Gentles ◽  
...  

Seven zoonoses — human infections of animal origin — have emerged from the Coronaviridae family in the past century, including three viruses responsible for significant human mortality (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) in the past twenty years alone. These three viruses, in addition to two older CoV zoonoses (HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) are believed to be originally derived from wild bat reservoir species. We review the molecular biology of the bat-derived Alpha- and Betacoronavirus genera, highlighting features that contribute to their potential for cross-species emergence, including the use of well-conserved mammalian host cell machinery for cell entry and a unique capacity for adaptation to novel host environments after host switching. The adaptive capacity of coronaviruses largely results from their large genomes, which reduce the risk of deleterious mutational errors and facilitate range-expanding recombination events by offering heightened redundancy in essential genetic material. Large CoV genomes are made possible by the unique proofreading capacity encoded for their RNA-dependent polymerase. We find that bat-borne SARS-related coronaviruses in the subgenus Sarbecovirus, the source clade for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, present a particularly poignant pandemic threat, due to the extraordinary viral genetic diversity represented among several sympatric species of their horseshoe bat hosts. To date, Sarbecovirus surveillance has been almost entirely restricted to China. More vigorous field research efforts tracking the circulation of Sarbecoviruses specifically and Betacoronaviruses more generally is needed across a broader global range if we are to avoid future repeats of the COVID-19 pandemic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Lecomte ◽  
Crystal Samson ◽  
Farooq Naeem ◽  
Leslie Schachte ◽  
John Farhall

Author(s):  
Yeoungjee Cho ◽  
Aminu K. Bello ◽  
Adeera Levin ◽  
Meaghan Lunney ◽  
Mohamed A. Osman ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2A) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Bonfim ◽  
Luma Ramirez de Carvalho ◽  
Daniel Perez Vieira

Micronucleus assay is a test used to evaluate genotoxic damage in cells, which can be caused by various factors, like ionizing radiation. Interactions between radiation energies and DNA can cause breakage, leading to use chromosomal mutations or loss of genetic material, important events that could be induced in solid tumors to mitigate its expansion within human body.  Melanoma has been described as a tumor with increased radio resistance.  This work evaluated micronuclei percentages (%MN) in human melanoma cells (SK-MEL-37), irradiated by gamma radiation, with doses between 0 and 16Gy.  Cell suspensions were irradiated in PBS by a 60Co source in doses between 0 and 16Gy, and incubated by 48h.  Then cell membranes were lysed in the presence of SYTOX Green and EMA dyes, preserving nuclear membranes.  Using this method, EMA-stained nuclei could be discriminated as those derived from dead cells, and SYTOX nuclei and micronuclei could be quantified.  Micronuclei percentages were found to be proportional to dose, (R2 = 0.997).  Only the highest dose (16Gy) could induce statistically significant increase of MN (p<0.0001), although cultures irradiated by 4, 8 and 16Gy showed significant increase of dead cell fractions.  Calculation of the nuclei-to-beads ratio showed that 8 and 16Gy could reduce melanoma cell proliferation.  Results showed that although cell death and loss of proliferative capacity could be observed on cultures irradiated at lower doses, genotoxic damage could be induced only on a higher dose. Resistance to radiation-induced genotoxicity could explain a relatively high radio resistance of melanoma tumors.


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