Chemical and genetic diversity of high-seed-yield sorghum (Sorghum bicolor M.) germplasms.

This study evaluated the chemical and genetic diversity of high-seed-yield sorghum germplasms from Korea, the United States, and South Africa. We identified significant differences in the chemical contents of whole plants at the heading stage in all cultivars, including differences in crude protein, fat, fiber, ash, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, mineral, and fatty acid contents. Our results suggest that Banwoldang is the most appropriate cultivar for roughage because of its high protein yield. We identified significant differences in the tannin, flavonoid, amylose, mineral, crude fat, fatty acid, and 3-deoxyanthocyanin contents in the whole grain from all cultivars, but not in the mineral or crude fat contents. Tannin levels were generally low. IS645 contained the highest levels of flavonoids and linolenic acid compounds, and Moktak had the highest amylose and deoxyanthocyanidin content in the grain. To assess genetic diversity, we used 10 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer sets to identify 38 alleles with 3-8 alleles per locus. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the SSR markers, the sorghum cultivars were divided into three major groups. Comparison of clusters based on chemical compositions with those based on SSRs showed that the groups formed by the three native Korean cultivars clustered similarly in molecular dendrograms. Association analysis was conducted for the 10 SSR marker; 48 chemical and growth traits were present for two marker traits (seed color and whole plant fatty acid content) with significant marker-trait associations. These markers could be used to select sorghum cultivars for breeding programs.

Development of a transposon-based marker system for mutation breeding in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.).

Under certain circumstances, transposable elements (TE) can create or reverse mutations and alter the genome size of a cell. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is promising for plant transposon tagging due to its small genome size and its low content of repetitive DNA. We developed a marker system based on targeted region amplification polymorphisms (TE-TRAP) that uses the terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) of transposons. A total of 3816 class 2 transposons belonging to the PIF/Harbinger family were identified from the whole sorghum genome that produced five primers, including eight types of TIRs. To define the applicability and utilization of TE-TRAP, we used 21 individuals that had been bred after ɤ-ray irradiation. In total, 31 TE-TRAP, 16 TD, and 21 AFLP primer combinations generated 1133, 223, and 555 amplicons, respectively. The percent polymorphic marker was 62.8, 51.1, and 59.3% for the TE-TRAP, TD, and AFLP markers, respectively. Phylogenetic and principal component analyses revealed that TE-TRAP divided the 21 individuals into three groups. Analysis of molecular variance suggested that TE-TRAP had a higher level of genetic diversity than the other two marker systems. After verifying the efficiency of TE-TRAP, 189 sorghum individuals were used to investigate the associations between the markers and the ɤ-ray doses. Two significant associations were found among the polymorphic markers. This TE-based method provides a useful marker resource for mutation breeding research.

Osteoarthritis of the hip in fibrous dysplasia of the proximal femur.

Deformity of the proximal femur in fibrous dysplasia leads to deviation of the mechanical axis of the hip, which may lead to the development of secondary osteoarthritis (OA). This study investigated the prevalence and predisposing factors for the development of OA in patients with fibrous dysplasia of the proximal femur. We reviewed the records of 209 patients from our institutional database with fibrous dysplasia of the proximal femur, investigating possible predisposing factors including patient demographics, the extent of the coxa vara deformity, the presence of peri-articular disease, and the overall burden of skeletal disease. Of the 209 patients, 24 (12%) had radiological evidence of OA in the ipsilateral hip. The prevalence was significantly higher in patients with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia compared with those with monostotic disease (p < 0.001). In a subgroup analysis of patients with polyostotic disease, the extent of deformity (quantified using the neck-shaft angle), and the presence of peri-articular disease (whether in the head of the femur or the acetabulum) were significant predictors of osteoarthritis (neck-shaft angle likelihood ratio (LR) = 0.847 per 1° increase, p = 0.004; presence of lesion in the head of the femur LR = 9.947, p = 0.027; presence of lesion in the acetabulum LR = 11.231, p = 0.014). Our data suggest that patients with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia have a high risk of developing secondary OA of the hips. This risk is higher in patients with peri-articular disease, and those with a more severe deformity of proximal femur.

Hypertrichosis universalis congenita: a separate entity, or the same disease as gingival fibromatosis?

Hypertrichosis universalis congenita is an extremely rare disorder characterized by generalized hypertrichosis. It is generally accepted as being inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with varying expression. Many aspects of this disease are still unknown. Several reports associating hypertrichosis and gingival fibromatosis raise the question of whether they are separate entities or the same disease with different expressions of the underlying process. Hypertrichosis universalis congenita occurred in a 6-year-old girl without known family history. Her facial features were simian-like and her gingiva was moderately hyperplastic. We pose the question of whether or not these phenomena are related.