P. Horák

Association between polymorphism in the FTO gene and growth and carcass traits in pig crosses

BackgroundIndependent studies have shown that several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the human FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene are associated with obesity. SNP have also been identified in the pig FTO gene, among which some are associated with selected fat-deposition traits in F2 crosses and commercial populations. In this study, using both commercial pig populations and an experimental Meishan × Pietrain F2 population, we have investigated the association between one FTO SNP and several growth and carcass traits. Association analyses were performed with the FTO polymorphism either alone or in combination with polymorphisms in flanking loci.MethodsSNP (FM244720:g.400C>G) in exon 3 of porcine FTO was genotyped by PCR-RFLP and tested for associations with some growth, carcass and fat-related traits. Proportions of genetic variance of four pig chromosome 6 genes (FTO, RYR1, LIPE and TGFB1) on selected traits were evaluated using single- and multi-locus models.ResultsLinkage analysis placed FTO on the p arm of pig chromosome 6, approximately 22 cM from RYR1. In the commercial populations, allele C of the FTO SNP was significantly associated with back fat depth and allele G with muscling traits. In the Meishan × Pietrain F2 pigs, heterozygotes with allele C from the Pietrain sows and allele G from the Meishan boar were more significantly associated with fat-related traits compared to homozygotes with allele G from the Pietrain and allele G from the Meishan breed. In single- and multi-locus models, genes RYR1, TGFB1 and FTO showed high associations. The contribution in genetic variance from the polymorphism in the FTO gene was highest for back fat depth, meat area on the musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis tissues and metabolite glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.ConclusionsOur results show that in pig, FTO influences back fat depth in the commercial populations, while in the Meishan × Pietrain F2 pigs with a CG genotype, heterosis occurs for several fat-related traits.

Polymorphism screening and mapping of nine meat performance-related genes in the pig

Supporting information Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article. Figure S1 Pedigree of German Spitz MRD cases. Table S1 BEST1 SNP genotypes observed in eight German Spitz Klein cases and in five-first degree relatives of cases, and in the parents of a German Spitz Mittle case. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer-reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors.

Partial genomic structure, mutation analysis and mapping of the porcine inhibitor of DNA binding genes ID1, ID2, ID3 and ID4

62 9 SW709 8 16.10 M · P: …RYR1-1.9-LIPE-1.0-TGFB1-1.0-A1BG-1.5-EAH-3.5-SKI -15.9-FABP3-3.5-ID3-14.2-S0146-9.8-S0003…

Tomographic study of ion tracks by ion energy loss spectroscopy

Ion energy loss spectroscopy is suggested to determine the shape of the (latent, etched and filled) ion tracks in polymers using ion probes of various beam sizes. For a milli-probe, it can be considered as a one-dimensional tomography of many identical (rotationally symmetric) objects. For a micro-probe, the technique can be understood as a micro-tomography of the single ion track. In both cases, the ion energy loss spectroscopy requires monoenergetic ions with a low intensity (< 10−3 s−1) and a well defined angular beam set-up. Here we present a study of the possible use of the ion milli-and micro-probes in a tomographic study of the ion track 3D geometry and its evolution during chemical etching.

Structural Variation of Transition Metal - Fullerene Thin Films Modified by Thermal Annealing and Ion or Laser Beam Bombardment

In this paper, we have inspected the structural morphology of novel composite materials - transition metal (TM) (Ni, Ti) / fullerene (C60) thin films, prepared at room temperature (RT) or 500°C, and modified by ion-irradiation and/or thermal annealing. The hybrid films were synthesized by alternative or simultaneous deposition of the immiscible TM and C60 phases. As deposited (at RT) the hybrid systems were thermodynamically unstable and the internal stress induced lengthy phase separation. Co-deposition at 500°C resulted in the formation of a large-scale pattern structure. By high temperature annealing of the multilayer’s a new morphology could be synthesized. In addition, high-fluence ion-irradiation induces C60 fragmentation that has a strong impact on the final shaping of the resulted morphology.

The retinal fascin gene 2 (FSCN2) ? partial structural analysis and polymorphism detection in dogs with progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)

The retinal fascin 2 gene (FSCN2) underwent a molecular analysis, a search for polymorphisms and an evaluation as a candidate gene for retinopathies in dogs. Specific fragments of the gene encompassing partial exon 1 and intron 1, and exons 2–5 with respective introns were sequenced and these data were deposited in the GenBank database. Three distinct polymorphic sites detectable with PCR-RFLP were found — AM050719: g.237G > A, AM050719: g.525A > G, and AM050720: g. 1071A > G. No positive associations between these polymorphisms and the PRA-clinical status were observed in the investigated population consisting of Poodles, American Cocker Spaniels, and English Cocker Spaniels. In spite of that, theFSCN2 gene remains an excellent candidate gene for retinopathies in dogs and the results can contribute to further research in this field.

Water uptake in polyethylene terephthalate irradiated by medium energy O+ and Au+ ions

ABSTRACT The effect of the ion irradiation on the water uptake in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was examined. The PET samples were irradiated with MeV Au+ and O+ ions to different fluencies and then exposed to a water solution of LiCl, serving as a marker, for one month. After drying and removing of excessive surface LiCl the depth profiles of incorporated Li were measured by nondestructive neutron depth profiling (NDP). The ion species of different mass were chosen in order to examine the role of different mechanisms of energy transfer, nuclear and electronic ones, in PET modification. It was found that the ion irradiation to the fluencies below 1012 cm-2 has no visible effect on the water uptake into PET. For higher fluencies, a noticeable water penetration was detected and for the fluencies above 3.0 × 1013 cm-2 a water-soaked region was formed from the sample surface up to the depth roughly correlated with the ion projected range.

Characterization of ion tracks in CR39 polymer exposed to 241Am α-particles

ABSTRACT The CR39 polymer (poly-allyl-diglycol carbonate) is considered as a valuable instrument to register various charged particles. In the current experiment, the CR39 material was tested whether it can identify and distinguish α-particles with different energy. For the purpose of the experiment, the CR39 foils were irradiated by α-particles from a thin 241Am source; energy of the emitted α-particles was changed in the range from 3.5 to 5.5 MeV by varying the pressure in the vacuum chamber. The changes in the α-particles beam were monitored by a silicon detector and verified by SRIM simulations. The irradiated CR39 foils were etched in NaOH and analyzed by conventional optical microscopy (OM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The techniques were applied for analysis of the etched tracks – their outer diameters (OM and AFM) and depths (AFM). The combined application of these techniques allowed us to evaluate a clear correlation between the geometric parameters of the etched tracks and energy of the MeV α-particles, demonstrating that these techniques are a convenient tool for recognition of charged particles and certain identification of their energy.

Measurement of Li diffusion in porous carbon by neutron depth profiling

ABSTRACT Diffusion of Li in porous carbon material has been studied using a nondestructive neutron depth profiling technique. It has been acknowledged that carbon-based materials are good candidates for electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. It is because they exhibit a high ability to effectively release Li ions during charging and discharging processes. The Li diffusion was studied in porous carbon material with several annealing cycles. The produced data were useful for the determination of relative straight porosity level and diffusion coefficient, which result to be between 5.13E-11 cm2/s and 5.56E-11 cm2/s, that agree with the literature but obtained with a technique that does not alter the sample during the analysis.

Radiation Resistance of the U(Al, Si)3 Alloy: Ion-Induced Disordering

During the exploitation of nuclear reactors, various U-Al based ternary intermetallides are formed in the fuel-cladding interaction layer. Structure and physical properties of these intermetallides determine the radiation resistance of cladding and, ultimately, the reliability and lifetime of the nuclear reactor. In current research, U(Al, Si)3 composition was studied as a potential constituent of an interaction layer. Phase content of the alloy of an interest was ordered U(Al, Si)3, structure of which was reported earlier, and pure Al (constituting less than 20 vol % of the alloy). This alloy was investigated prior and after the irradiation performed by Ar ions at 30 keV. The irradiation was performed on the transmission electron microscopy (TEM, JEOL, Japan) samples, characterized before and after the irradiation process. Irradiation induced disorder accompanied by stress relief. Furthermore, it was found that there is a dose threshold for disordering of the crystalline matter in the irradiated region. Irradiation at doses equal or higher than this threshold resulted in almost solely disordered phase. Using the program “Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter” (SRIM), the parameters of penetration of Ar ions into the irradiated samples were estimated. Based on these estimations, the dose threshold for ion-induced disordering of the studied material was assessed.