Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus velezensis Strain Krd-20 with Antifungal Activity, a Biotechnologically Important Isolate from Wheat Root Zone.

Bacillus velezensis Krd-20 strain with antifungal activity was isolated from the wheat rhizosphere. This strain is used to suppress fungi of the Fusarium sp. when growing oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). Genome assembling resulted in 44 contigs with a total length of 3939663 bp were obtained, the GC content is 46.4%.

SNP-Based Analysis Reveals Authenticity and Genetic Similarity of Russian Indigenous V. vinifera Grape Cultivars.

9 Russian Vitis vinifera grape varieties and the European variety Muscat Hamburg were sequenced and genotyped using 527 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) with high minor allele frequency for the first time. The data were coupled with previously identified genotypes of 783 varieties and subjected to parentage and population analysis. As a result, contrary to the historical and ampelographic data published in many sources from 1800 to 2012, only two of the nine Russian varieties (Pukhlyakovskiy Belyi and Sibirkovyi) were related to foreign ones and were obviously imported from Europe to the Russian Empire. The remaining seven varieties, led by Krasnostop Zolotovskiy, are not directly related either in the Caucasus or in Europe, they form separate clusters on the genetic distance-based dendrogram and the world parentage network of V. vinifera. The resulting pedigree of Muscat Hamburg and its descendants is in accordance with SSR-based (simple sequence repeats) studies and the described pedigree of this variety which confirms the use of the reduced SNP set for further studies.

Sequencing of Supernumerary Chromosomes of Red Fox and Raccoon Dog Confirms a Non-Random Gene Acquisition by B Chromosomes.

B chromosomes (Bs) represent a variable addition to the main karyotype in some lineages of animals and plants. Bs accumulate through non-Mendelian inheritance and become widespread in populations. Despite the presence of multiple genes, most Bs lack specific phenotypic effects, although their influence on host genome epigenetic status and gene expression are recorded. Previously, using sequencing of isolated Bs of ruminants and rodents, we demonstrated that Bs originate as segmental duplications of specific genomic regions, and subsequently experience pseudogenization and repeat accumulation. Here, we used a similar approach to characterize Bs of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) and the Chinese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides procyonoides Gray). We confirm the previous findings of the KIT gene on Bs of both species, but demostrate an independent origin of Bs in these species, with two reused regions. Comparison of gene ensembles in Bs of canids, ruminants, and rodents once again indicates enrichment with cell-cycle genes, development-related genes, and genes functioning in the neuron synapse. The presence of B-chromosomal copies of genes involved in cell-cycle regulation and tissue differentiation may indicate importance of these genes for B chromosome establishment.

Natural Products as a Source of Antiarrhythmic Drugs.

Throughout the development of medicine, the spotlight has been held by the search for new drugs blocking different types of arrhythmia. In the past decade, much attention was given to the selection of active antiarrhythmic substances from plant material. It has been shown that these compounds have a good antiarrhythmic effect, and their chemical modifications substantially increase their major effects while adding other beneficial pharmacological properties. In this regard, work on the chemical modification of plant-source antiarrhythmics is highly relevant to the development of new and promising drugs.