The closely related Black-headed Bunting(Emberiza melanocephala,a western Palearctic lineage)and Red-headed Bunting(Emberiza bruniceps,an eastern Palearctic lineage)hybridize and replace each other south of the Caspia...The closely related Black-headed Bunting(Emberiza melanocephala,a western Palearctic lineage)and Red-headed Bunting(Emberiza bruniceps,an eastern Palearctic lineage)hybridize and replace each other south of the Caspian Sea.The parental species have distinct phenotypes and therefore morphology is useful for assessing hybridization in the contact zone.In the years of 1940 and 1977,quite a few hybrids were collected and studied morphologically.Since then,the hybrid zone appears to have expanded westwards,but there has been a time gap in the collection of morphological data.Here we reanalyze bunting specimens morphologically and compare the historical data with recent data.Morphometric and phenotypic traits from three time periods(1940,1977 and recent)were studied to assess phenotypic variation of hybrids,pattern of hybridization,and transgressive traits in the hybrid zone.Our results show that most of the birds in the hybrid zone exhibit intermediate phenotypes(both colors and morphometric characters),ranging from the pure phenotype of either of the parental species.However,hybridization has also produced novel phenotypes not seen in any of the parents.Using a canonical discriminant function analysis,the morphometric characters separated each parental species and the hybrids quite well.Our results showed morphometric intermediacy of hybrids in accordance with phenotypes.We observe a time trend in which recent hybrids are more similar to Red-headed Buntings phenotypically compared to historical samples.This pattern is likely a signature of a westward expansion of the Red-headed Bunting into the breeding range of the Black-headed Bunting.展开更多
Background Transgenic overexpression of human prostasin in rats disturbs salt balance and causes hypertension. We investigated whether genetic variations in prostasin were implicated in hypertension or related phenoty...Background Transgenic overexpression of human prostasin in rats disturbs salt balance and causes hypertension. We investigated whether genetic variations in prostasin were implicated in hypertension or related phenotypes in the Xinjiang Kazakh population.Methods We sequenced all exons and the promoter regions of the prostasin gene in 94 hypertensive individuals, and the genotype identification was performed by the TaqMan polymerase chain reaction method. Case-control studies were conducted in 938 Kazakh subjects.Results E342K and 2827G＞A, which are novel variants, were successfully genotyped in the general Xinjiang Kazakh population with a sample size of 938 individuals （406 men and 532 women）. Only one hypertensive patient was identified with the E342K mutation. No significant association was observed between 2827G＞A and hypertension. However,quantitative traits of hypertensive intermediate phenotypes were significantly associated with the A allele; P=-0.041 and 0.034 for body mass index （BMI） in the additive and recessive models, P=0.042 and 0.018 for OGTT-2h glucose in the additive and recessive models, P=0.031 for IRT-3h insulin in the recessive model, and P=0.038 for serum potassium in the dominant model.Conclusions This study does not provide evidence of a major role of prostasin variation in blood pressure modulation.However, association of prostasin polymorphisms with hypertension and metabolic effects can be observed in our population. Further investigation is warranted to clarify the relevance of prostasin polymorphisms to blood pressure regulation.展开更多
基金support from the Shiraz University(during 2015-2022)Ferdowsi University of Mashhad,Iran(during 2011-2013)the Department of Environment(DOE)for giving permission to AG for sampling(91.51843)。
文摘The closely related Black-headed Bunting(Emberiza melanocephala,a western Palearctic lineage)and Red-headed Bunting(Emberiza bruniceps,an eastern Palearctic lineage)hybridize and replace each other south of the Caspian Sea.The parental species have distinct phenotypes and therefore morphology is useful for assessing hybridization in the contact zone.In the years of 1940 and 1977,quite a few hybrids were collected and studied morphologically.Since then,the hybrid zone appears to have expanded westwards,but there has been a time gap in the collection of morphological data.Here we reanalyze bunting specimens morphologically and compare the historical data with recent data.Morphometric and phenotypic traits from three time periods(1940,1977 and recent)were studied to assess phenotypic variation of hybrids,pattern of hybridization,and transgressive traits in the hybrid zone.Our results show that most of the birds in the hybrid zone exhibit intermediate phenotypes(both colors and morphometric characters),ranging from the pure phenotype of either of the parental species.However,hybridization has also produced novel phenotypes not seen in any of the parents.Using a canonical discriminant function analysis,the morphometric characters separated each parental species and the hybrids quite well.Our results showed morphometric intermediacy of hybrids in accordance with phenotypes.We observe a time trend in which recent hybrids are more similar to Red-headed Buntings phenotypically compared to historical samples.This pattern is likely a signature of a westward expansion of the Red-headed Bunting into the breeding range of the Black-headed Bunting.
文摘Background Transgenic overexpression of human prostasin in rats disturbs salt balance and causes hypertension. We investigated whether genetic variations in prostasin were implicated in hypertension or related phenotypes in the Xinjiang Kazakh population.Methods We sequenced all exons and the promoter regions of the prostasin gene in 94 hypertensive individuals, and the genotype identification was performed by the TaqMan polymerase chain reaction method. Case-control studies were conducted in 938 Kazakh subjects.Results E342K and 2827G＞A, which are novel variants, were successfully genotyped in the general Xinjiang Kazakh population with a sample size of 938 individuals （406 men and 532 women）. Only one hypertensive patient was identified with the E342K mutation. No significant association was observed between 2827G＞A and hypertension. However,quantitative traits of hypertensive intermediate phenotypes were significantly associated with the A allele; P=-0.041 and 0.034 for body mass index （BMI） in the additive and recessive models, P=0.042 and 0.018 for OGTT-2h glucose in the additive and recessive models, P=0.031 for IRT-3h insulin in the recessive model, and P=0.038 for serum potassium in the dominant model.Conclusions This study does not provide evidence of a major role of prostasin variation in blood pressure modulation.However, association of prostasin polymorphisms with hypertension and metabolic effects can be observed in our population. Further investigation is warranted to clarify the relevance of prostasin polymorphisms to blood pressure regulation.
