Development of the first polymorphic microsatellite markers for the Roman snail Helix pomatia L., 1758 (Helicidae) and cross-species amplification within the genus Helix.

The terrestrial snail Helix pomatia (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Helicidae) is one of the largest gastropod species in Europe. This species is strictly protected in some European Union countries; however, at the same time, it is also farmed and commercialized for human consumption. Here, we describe 11 microsatellite markers that are very useful in population genetic studies for assessing the status of both wild and farmed populations of this species of community interest. The microsatellites were isolated using 454 pyrosequencing technologies and 11 primer pairs were selected and used for genotyping an H. pomatia population and also checked for cross-species amplification on H. lucorum and H. lutescens specimens. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 13 and observed heterozygosity was between 0.458 and 0.917. Seven of these loci were polymorphic in H. lucorum, and four in H. lutescens. This set of nuclear markers provides a powerful tool for population genetic studies of this species of community interest, and also for closely related species. The described microsatellite markers should also facilitate the identification of populations of conservation concern.

Functional variants of ERAP1 gene are associated with HLA-B27 positive spondyloarthritis.

We investigated two nonsynonymous variants (rs30187 and rs27044) of ERAP1 gene in HLA-B27 positive individuals (150 spondyloarthritis and 108 controls) and in general ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients (n = 137) vs random controls (n = 139). Both single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with the risk of spondyloarthritis [odds ratio (OR) 1.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-2.62, P = 0.001 for rs30187, OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.07-2.34, P = 0.02 for rs27044]. The CC haplotype was a protective factor (P = 0.002), while the TG haplotype was a risk factor (P = 0.01) for spondyloarthritis. The SNP rs30187 was also associated with the risk of HLA-B27+ AS. For the general group of AS, the carriers of minor alleles showed an increased risk for the disease (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.17-3.13 for rs30187, OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.08-2.80 for rs27044). This is the first study that shows the association of ERAP1 gene variants and haplotypes with HLA-B27 positive spondyloarthritis.

Y-chromosomal variation in the Czech Republic.

To analyze the contribution of the Czech population to the Y-chromosome diversity landscape of Europe and to reconstruct past demographic events, we typed 257 males from five locations for 21 UEPs. Moreover, 141 carriers of the three most common haplogroups were typed for 10 microsatellites and coalescent analyses applied. Sixteen Hg's characterized by derived alleles were identified, the most common being R1a-SRY(10831) and P-DYS257*(xR1a). The pool of haplogroups within I-M170 represented the third most common clade. Overall, the degree of population structure was low. The ages for Hg I-M170, P-DYS257*(xR1a), and R1a-SRY(10831) ap peared to be comparable and compatible with their presence during or soon after the LGM. A signal of population growth beginning in the first millennium B.C. was detected. Its similarity among the three most common Hg's indicated that growth was characteristic for a gene pool that already contained all of them. The Czech population appears to be influenced, to a very moderate extent, by genetic inputs from outside Europe in the post-Neolithic and historical times. Population growth postdated the archaeologically documented introduction of Neolithic technology and the estimated central value coincides with a period of repeated changes driven by the development of metal technologies and the associated social and trade organization.

Y chromosomal haplogroup J as a signature of the post-neolithic colonization of Europe.

In order to attain a finer reconstruction of the peopling of southern and central-eastern Europe from the Levant, we determined the frequencies of eight lineages internal to the Y chromosomal haplogroup J, defined by biallelic markers, in 22 population samples obtained with a fine-grained sampling scheme. Our results partially resolve a major multifurcation of lineages within the haplogroup. Analyses of molecular variance show that the area covered by haplogroup J dispersal is characterized by a significant degree of molecular radiation for unique event polymorphisms within the haplogroup, with a higher incidence of the most derived sub-haplogroups on the northern Mediterranean coast, from Turkey westward; here, J diversity is not simply a subset of that present in the area in which this haplogroup first originated. Dating estimates, based on simple tandem repeat loci (STR) diversity within each lineage, confirmed the presence of a major population structuring at the time of spread of haplogroup J in Europe and a punctuation in the peopling of this continent in the post-Neolithic, compatible with the expansion of the Greek world. We also present here, for the first time, a novel method for comparative dating of lineages, free of assumptions of STR mutation rates.