Institut National De La Recherche Research Articles

Phage-templated gold nano-aggregates for cancer treatment

Event Abstract Back to Event Phage-templated gold nano-aggregates for cancer treatment Esen Sokullu1, Aziz Berchtikou1, Amy Blum2, Tsuneyuki Ozaki1 and Marc A. Gauthier1 1 Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications (EMT), Canada 2 McGill University, Chemistry Department, Canada Theranostic is an approach combining diagnosis and therapy to increase the precision and efficacy of cancer treatment. Different nanoparticle (NP) platforms have been engineered to obtain both functions by uniting them in one agent; however none of these can overcome the limitation in specificity of NP targeting, which is still a major challenge in cancer treatment. Plasmonic nanobubbles (PNB) are a new class of nano-agent that was developed to overcome this limitation. A PNB is a vapor nanobubble transiently generated around superheated gold NPs by a short laser pulse. The rapidly expanding bubble mechanically disrupts the surrounding tissue and achieves micrometer precision in tissue ablation. In general, PNB therapy relies on receptor-mediated endocytosis of gold NPs and formation of gold clusters within the cells [1],[2]. However, variability in the cellular uptake and subsequent aggregation of gold NPs may be detrimental to reproducibility of PNB. In this study, M13 and T4 phage display platforms are used to synthesize well-defined gold nano-aggregates and their efficiency in formation of gold nano-aggregates are evaluated. Two different T4 phage templates were designed by displaying cysteine and gold binding A3 peptide (AYSSGAPPMPPF) (A: Alanine, Y: Tyrosine, S: Serine, G: Glycine, P: Proline, M: Methionine, F: Phenylalanine, L: Leucine, K: Lysine, H: Histidine, R: Arginine, V: Valine, D: Aspartic acid) on small outer capsid (SOC) protein of phage through the homologous recombination between T4-Z1 mutant phage and pRH recombination plasmid. Ph.D. Peptide Display Cloning System (Biolabs Inc.) was used to design M13 phage templates. Self assembly of gold NP was directed by displaying gold binding peptide sequence (VSGSSPDS) on p8 major coat protein of phage. M13 phage templates were also engineered to display RGD peptides (ACDCRGDCFC, ACRGDGWC, GRGDSP) (C; Cysteine, W; Tryptophan) on p3 minor coat protein to target cancer cells through integrin protein. Recombinant phages were analyzed by PCR and also verified via DNA sequencing. The affinities of RGD displaying M13 phages were tested against human integrin alpha 5 protein fragment by phage-ELISA and M13 phages displaying cyclic RGD peptides (with two and four cysteines) showed significant binding affinity to integrin. Gold NPs were synthesized according to the protocol of Zahr and Blum and formation of gold nano-aggregates was initially studied by using cysteine bearing T4 phage template [3]. Conjugation of gold NPs to phage capsid was monitored by using UV-Vis spectrometer and the growth of plasmon at 600 nm was recorded. After 3 days of reaction, the samples were visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and formation of phage-templated gold nano-aggregates was confirmed. Herein, it was shown that cysteine-displaying T4 phage was successfully used as a template to develop well-defined gold nano-aggregates. The number of functional moieties on phage surface can be controlled at gene level and make us to avoid the use of irreproducible functionalization steps. The future work will focus on optimization of gold nano-aggregate formation for each phage design and their efficiency in PNB generation will be investigated. We would like to acknowledge that T4Z1 mutant phage and pRH recombination plasmid were kindly supplied by Prof. Lindsay W. Black (University of Maryland, US).

Foreword to the tribute issue for Professor Peter Campbell

This special issue of Environmental Chemistry is dedicated to the career of Prof. Peter G. C. Campbell and was designed to coincide with his retirement from the Institut national de la recherche – Eau, terre, environment (INRS-ETE) at the end of 2015. Peter is probably best known for his work aiming to increase our quantitative understanding of how the toxicity of metals is modified by competing ions, pH, the presence of natural organic matter and water chemistry parameters. Indeed, his early critical synthesis and review of the free ion activity model has been cited over 1000 times and continues to serve as a reference paper for generations of young scientists entering the field. Nonetheless, Peter’s scientific career has also included many other seminal contributions that were made by first understanding the underlying chemical–biochemical basis for an environmental process and then applying that fundamental knowledge to gain practical insight into complex problems. For example, the method for inferring the speciation of trace elements in sediments using sequential extractions that Peter developed in collaboration with Prof. Andre Tessier has helped thousands of scientists to develop a better understanding of the geochemical behaviour of metals in aquatic ecosystems. Similarly, recent work in the field of metallomics has demonstrated how the uptake and subsequent internal handling of trace metals by aquatic organisms can be better understood by combining state-of-the art analytical tools with a fundamental physiological understanding. The contributions of Prof. Campbell in the fields of metal biogeochemistry and ecotoxicology are matched by only a few other individuals. On one hand, Peter has examined emerging and difficult questions, including the piggyback transport of metals into organisms by anion transporters, the biogeochemistry of metals in complex systems and the extremely complex role(s) of natural organic matter on trace metal behaviour. On the other hand, his work has had important but practical implications for industrial and governmental partners. Peter’s expert opinion and balanced scientific assessments are internationally sought and valuedhe is regularly solicited by both industrial partners and governmental organisations to solve contentious environmental issues related to metals. Without a doubt, his work has largely moved the risk assessment community to accept the need to take chemical speciation into account during ecotoxicity assessments. The methods that he employs have been developed and extensively tested in his own laboratory and often adopted worldwide. As demonstrated by these examples, Peter has always strongly favoured a multidisciplinary approach when solving complex problems, something that was facilitated by his continued interactions, locally and internationally, with diverse environmental scientists including biologists, geologists, modellers and engineers. Indeed, papers in this issue reflect both the multidisciplinary vision of Peter, as well as his capacity to influence a broad cross-section of environmental scientists. For example, metal uptake and toxicity was examined both in a review paper that Peter co-authored and in three original CSIRO PUBLISHING

Electrografted P4VP as Dielectric in High Aspect Ratio TSV: Surface Preparation and Thermomechanical Consideration

A key to most 3D integration approaches is the deposition of the Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) dielectric layer. A TSV is traditionally electrically insulated from the silicon substrate by a thin SiO2 film. As TSV aspect ratio is getting higher, conformal SiO2 dielectric deposition is getting harder. Alchimer has proposed a high conformal organic (poly-4-vinylpyridine, P4VP) as dielectric. This polymer is electrografted through electrochemical reduction of diazonium salts in aquous media. Although the electrografting process is well described in the literature [1, 2], electrical and thermomechanical properties of such material grafted onto silicon structure remain incomplete. This information is mandatory in order to optimize 3D integrated processor’s layout. Since electrografting mechanism is initiated from the surface [2], P4VP material properties and kinetic growth can vary with the surface preparation of the TSV. Results obtained on TSVs, with various surface preparations, insulated by electrografted P4VP suggest that the polymer is not only a good dielectric, but could allow a reduction of the Keep Out Zone (KOZ) size for a higher integration density. Furthermore, as P4VP is a viscoelastic material, its Young’s modulus is temperature dependent and dramatically drops down above its glass transition temperature. Such a material is particularly interesting to reduce stress as it can act as a buffer stress layer.We will present the study of electrical and thermomechanical properties of the electrografted P4VP dielectric realized on high aspect ratio TSV. We will discuss the impact of TSV surface preparation on the electrografting process and on the material properties of the P4VP grafted layer. Results will be compared to more conventional approaches based on a silicon oxide insulator. Acknowledgement Université de Sherbrooke, Natural Sciences and Engeeniring Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Teledyne Dalsa and Alchimer are gratefully acknowledged for their help and their financial support. Figure 1

Models of protein and amino acid requirements for cattle

Protein supply and requirements by ruminants have been studied for more than a century. These studies led to the accumulation of lots of scientific information about digestion and metabolism of protein by ruminants as well as the characterization of the dietary protein in order to maximize animal performance. During the 1980s and 1990s, when computers became more accessible and powerful, scientists began to conceptualize and develop mathematical nutrition models, and to program them into computers to assist with ration balancing and formulation for domesticated ruminants, specifically dairy and beef cattle. The most commonly known nutrition models developed during this period were the National Research Council (NRC) in the United States, Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in the United Kingdom, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in France, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia. Others were derivative works from these models with different degrees of modifications in the supply or requirement calculations, and the modeling nature (e.g., static or dynamic, mechanistic, or deterministic). Circa 1990s, most models adopted the metabolizable protein (MP) system over the crude protein (CP) and digestible CP systems to estimate supply of MP and the factorial system to calculate MP required by the animal. The MP system included two portions of protein (i.e., the rumen-undegraded dietary CP - RUP - and the contributions of microbial CP - MCP) as the main sources of MP for the animal. Some models would explicitly account for the impact of dry matter intake (DMI) on the MP required for maintenance (MPm; e.g., Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System - CNCPS, the Dutch system - DVE/OEB), while others would simply account for scurf, urinary, metabolic fecal, and endogenous contributions independently of DMI. All models included milk yield and its components in estimating MP required for lactation (MPl) and calf birth weight and some form of an empirical, exponential equation to compute MP for pregnancy (MPp). The MP required for growth (MPg) varied tremendously among the original models and their derivative works mainly due to the differences in computing growth pattern and the composition of the gain. The calculation of MCP differs among models; some rely on the total digestible nutrient (TDN; e.g., NRC, CNCPS level 1) intake to estimate MCP, while others use fermentable organic matter (FOM; e.g., INRA, DVE/OEB), fermentable carbohydrate (e.g., CNCPS level 2, NorFor), or metabolizable energy (ME; e.g., ARC, CSIRO, Rostock). Most models acknowledged the importance of ruminal recycled N, but not all accounted for it. Our Monte Carlo simulation indicated the prediction of most models for required MPl overlapped, confirming uniformity among models when predicting requirements for lactating animals, but a large variation in required MPg for growing animals exists.

MOLECULAR SURVEY OF GEORGIAN TRADITIONAL GRAPEVINE GENETIC RESOURCES

The South Caucasus area is considered one of the main centers of origin and domestication for the cultivated grapevine, Vitis vinifera L. ssp. sativa DC. The aim of this work is to study the genetic structure of the Georgian grapevine platform by analyzing 135 Georgian grapevine accessions using 20 SSR molecular markers and to verify the contribution of Georgian germplasm to European viticulture. Among the 135 selected samples, 112 were representatives of traditional Georgian wine and table grape cultivars and 23 were collected from several Georgian woodlands and, after visual inspection, were considered representatives of Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris subspecies. Molecular fingerprints (20 SSR loci) of all 135 accessions were compared with data from the 2,300 accessions conserved at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) grape germplasm repository of Domaine de Vassal. Nei?s genetic distance was calculated among the Vassal and Georgian samples to verify the presence of synonyms and to have an overview of the structure of Georgian grapevine germplasm platform compared with the ones belonging to other countries. Results highlighted that most of Georgian viticulture is quite isolated from elsewhere. The results suggest that the Georgian viticulture is still strongly correlated to its geographic origin, allowing to clearly distinguish groups of accessions belonging to different regions of the country. Among wild samples, the molecular fingerprint has revealed very few mistakes or inter-specific crossings in the pool of collected samples and highlighted that, as already verified for other regions, there is diversification between the wild and cultivated forms. Yet this separation does not seem to be, in the case of Georgia, as robust as seen in other grape growing regions. These results seem to confirm that typical Georgian cultivars weren?t spread to other European countries and, on the other hand Georgian viticulture did not have contaminations from elsewhere. The apparent isolation of Georgian germplasm makes this viticulture particularly interesting for further investigation.

Erratum to: EEG amplitude modulation analysis for semi-automated diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

Author details Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Energy, Materials, and Telecommunications, University of Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences Center, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo Andre, Brazil. Mathematics, Computing and Cognition Center, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo Andre, Brazil. Reference Center of Behavioral Disturbances and Dementia, School of Medicine, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

OP019 Hypoxia responsive elements methylation status governs adherent-invasive Escherichia coli -receptor CEACAM6 expression in Crohn's disease

OP019 Hypoxia responsive elements methylation status governs adherent-invasive Escherichia coli -receptor CEACAM6 expression in Crohn's disease

Evaluation of equations predicting the net portal appearance of amino acid nitrogen in ruminants

A better assessment of digestible protein and AA flows is required to improve the predictions of animal performance in ruminants (e.g., growth and yields of milk and milk protein). In that respect, 2 recent meta-analyses were conducted in our laboratory to establish the relationships between net portal appearance of AA nitrogen (NPA-AAN) and dietary characteristics either from the National Research Council (Washington, DC) or Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA; St Genès Champanelle, France). Three prediction equations were selected from these meta-analyses: one equation based only on N intake (NI) and 2 equations based on NI, the intake of neutral detergent fiber, plus the dietary concentration of either total digestible nutrients or digestible organic matter. In the current meta-analysis, 2 new equations were developed to predict NPA-AAN from the estimated supply of metabolizable protein (MP) and the protein truly digestible in the intestine (PDI). The reliability of these 5 equations to predict NPA-AAN was evaluated using an independent database. On average, NPA-AAN predictions based on the supply of MP or PDI had the highest coefficient of determination and the lowest root of mean square prediction error and mean and regression biases compared with predictions based on dietary characteristics, suggesting better reliability with the former. No major difference was detected between NPA-AAN predictions based on parameters from the National Research Council or INRA, except that predictions based on MP had the lowest mean and regression biases. In each equation, mean of residual NPA-AAN (observed NPA-AAN minus predicted values) was lowest and negative for sheep compared with dairy cows, suggesting that NPA-AAN were overpredicted in sheep. Many continuous variables biased NPA-AAN predictions based on NI only, but none of the tested variables biased the predictions based on the supply of MP or PDI, corroborating the better reliability for the prediction equations based on the supply of digestible protein. Of the tested continuous variables, only the dietary concentration of crude protein (CP) biased NPA-AAN predictions based on NI plus dietary characteristics. The NPA-AAN responses to dietary CP concentration were overpredicted as dietary CP concentration increased and underpredicted as CP decreased, suggesting that ruminants were more efficient at converting ingested N into digestible protein when fed low-CP diets compared with high-CP diets.

Using videogames to treat childhood obesity

Childhood obesityChildhood is one of most important risk factors for incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adulthood. Childhood not only is common in developed countries but increasingly affects developing countries. Because of consequences of childhood -- in adulthood, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis -- has become one of leading causes of death in world (Rapport sur I'organisation de la recherche ..., 2010).Childhood has taken form of an epidemic since mid-1990s (Rapport sur I'organisation de la recherche..., 2010). One single indicator, Body Mass Index (BMI), usually determines adult obesity. It is calculated as ratio of weight in kilograms to square of height in meters. Individuals whose BMI is 25 to 29.9 are diagnosed as being overweight. The diagnosis of of first degree is made when BMI is 30 to 34.9; of second degree is pronounced when BMI is 35 to 40. Morbid obesity is diagnosed when BMI is over 40. In case of children it is not enough to know only BMI; it is necessary to correlate it with an interval of rate of growth for relevant age. For example, in France about 10% of children (from 3 to 16 years old) are obese, and about 19% are overweight (Sassi, Cecchini, & Devaux, 2012).A report of Institut national de la recherche agronomique (France) (2010) indicated that number of children who were overweight didn't change from 1997 to 2007. According to Ministry of Health in Russia, about 19.6% of boys and 5.5% of girls from 5 to 15 years old are overweight, while in Moscow number of children with a BMI above norm is 30% more than in other regions (Briz, 2008).These statistics suggest a joyless future. Taking into account that the chance that a child suffering from will continue this pathology in adulthood ranges from 20 to 50%, if is diagnosed before adolescence; if diagnosis of is made for a teenager, this probability varies from 50% to 70% (Branca, Nikogosian, & Lobstein, 2007, p. 23). We can suggest that level of diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis) associated with in adulthood will also increase, and they will be manifested at an increasingly early age (Prevention, depistage ...,2012).Studies that identify factors associated with show that a lack of physical activity and an unbalanced diet are main direct factors. Genetic factors are responsible for 1% to 6% of childhood (Klump, Kaye, & Strober, 2001). The economic and socioprofessional situation of parents is also associated with children's being overweight or obese, as are low income, poor social environment, and low parental education (Institut national de la recherche agronomique, 2010).Videogames in childhood: Do they matter?Videogames are based on approaches to play in human development. The effect of play on general child development is a running theme for some of most prominent educational psychologists. Play creates possibilities for children to (a) have social experiences and simulate alternative emotional states and feelings, which can then bring about resolution outside play context (Erikson, 1977), (b) reproduce real-life dilemmas and complicated situations and then work out perfect resolutions and overcome unpleasant feelings (Piaget, 1962), (c) have a basis for fostering development of social cognition (Piaget, 1962; Vygotsky, 19301934/1978).Today, games, gamifications, and videogames in particular have a primary role as media of human development. Previous decades saw an expanding role for new media in area of psychosocial development in childhood. As a medium for entertainment and education, videogames constitute a multi-billion-dollar industry. They are, for example, present in two of three U. …

Thinning Tall Spindle Apple Based on Estimations Made With a Hand-thinning Gauge

Trials were conducted in 2009 and 2010 to evaluate the use of a hand-thinning gauge [Equilifruit; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Montpelier, France] on three cultivars of apple (Malus ×domestica) trees trained to tall spindle. Hand-thinning treatments were applied after June drop to trees with supra-optimal crop loads. Three hand-thinning treatments were applied using the hand-thinning gauge: 1) thinning to ≈6 fruit/cm2 branch cross-sectional area (BCSA) (F value), 2) subtracting the delta value [Δ (an adjustment factor to increase or decrease the number of fruit per BCSA] from the F value (F − Δ), and 3) F − 2Δ. These treatments were compared with a control and a traditional hand-thinning heuristic of spacing a solitary fruit every 7 to 8 inches of branch length. Use of the hand-thinning gauge generally improved fruit weight and maintained whole tree yields when compared with the control. Hand-thinning based upon traditional fruit-spacing heuristics reduced crop density and increased final fruit weight of apple, but significant reductions in yield were observed in two of four studies when compared with the control. We find the hand-thinning gauge a useful tool in adjusting final crop load of apple.

Characterization of chlordecone-tolerant fungal populations isolated from long-term polluted tropical volcanic soil in the French West Indies

The insecticide chlordecone is a contaminant found in most of the banana plantations in the French West Indies. This study aims to search for fungal populations able to grow on it. An Andosol heavily contaminated with chlordecone, perfused for 1 year in a soil-charcoal system, was used to conduct enrichment cultures. A total of 103 fungal strains able to grow on chlordecone-mineral salt medium were isolated, purified, and deposited in the MIAE collection (Microorganismes d'Intérêt Agro-Environnemental, UMR Agroécologie, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Dijon, France). Internal transcribed spacer sequencing revealed that all isolated strains belonged to the Ascomycota phylum and gathered in 11 genera: Metacordyceps, Cordyceps, Pochonia, Acremonium, Fusarium, Paecilomyces, Ophiocordyceps, Purpureocillium, Bionectria, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Among predominant species, only one isolate, Fusarium oxysporum MIAE01197, was able to grow in a liquid culture medium that contained chlordecone as sole carbon source. Chlordecone increased F. oxysporum MIAE01197 growth rate, attesting for its tolerance to this organochlorine. Moreover, F. oxysporum MIAE01197 exhibited a higher EC50 value than the reference strain F. oxysporum MIAE00047. This further suggests its adaptation to chlordecone tolerance up to 29.2 mg l(-1). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that 40 % of chlordecone was dissipated in F. oxysporum MIAE01197 suspension culture. No chlordecone metabolite was detected by GC-MS. However, weak amount of (14)CO2 evolved from (14)C10-chlordecone and (14)C10-metabolites were observed. Sorption of (14)C10-chlordecone onto fungal biomass followed a linear relationship (r (2) = 0.99) suggesting that it may also account for chlordecone dissipation in F. oxysporum MIAE01197 culture.

Histopathological atlas and proposed classification for melanocytic lesions in Tyr::NRasQ61K; Cdkn2a−/− transgenic mice

Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-188431doi:10.1111/pcmr.12115View record in Web of Science Record created on 2013-09-09, modified on 2017-05-12

Estimation of genetic parameters and genetic gains for reproductive traits and body weight of D’man ewes

The current study consisted of genetic analysis for reproductive performance and body weight using from 2003 to 2863 records of 1018 D’man ewes born from 136 sires and 468 dams. Data were collected from 1988 till 2009 in the Errachidia Experimental Station (ESE) of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. Conception rate (CR), litter size at birth (LSB), litter size at weaning (LSW), litter weight at birth (LWB), litter weight at weaning (LWW), gestation length (GL) and ewe's body weight (EBW) averaged 94.4%, 2.38 lambs, 2.03 lambs, 6.23kg, 39.6kg, 149.9 days and 44.8kg, respectively. The analysis of variance showed that LWB and EBW were influenced by age of ewe, parity and period of lambing. Also, period of lambing had significant effects on all studied traits. However, age of the ewe did not affect LSB and LWW. Genetic parameters and genetic trends for reproductive traits and EBW, estimated through REML and BLUP procedures using a repeatability animal model including additive genetic and permanent environment effects, in addition to fixed effects, resulted in heritability estimates of 0.09, 0.11, 0.10, 0.10, 0, 0.22 and 0.44 and repeatability estimates of 0.19, 0.13, 0.16, 0.10, 0, 0.26 and 0.62 for LSB, LSW, LWB, LWW, CR, GL and EBW, respectively. Genetic correlations among traits ranged from −0.21 and 0.93 and phenotypic correlations varied from −0.07 to 0.82. Estimated annual genetic progress was very small; 0.0009 lambs for LSB and −0.0078kg for EBW. The study concluded that the actual genetic parameter estimates could be used in a breeding program to improve the productivity of D’man ewes and to make significant genetic progress.

Dynamic monitoring of physical models beach morphodynamics and sediment transport using X-ray CT scanning technique

ABSTRACT Yamada, F., Tateyama, R., Tsujimoto, G., Suenaga, S., Long, B. and Pilot, C. 2013. Dynamic monitoring of physical models beach morphology and sediment transport using X-ray CT scanning technique A medical X-ray CT scanner was applied to dynamic measurements of beach profile changes, sedimentary structures, and sediment transport processes during wave actions in the laboratory experiments. An acrylic flume 7 m long and with an inner rectangular cross-section of 0.3 m × 0.3 m passes through the mobile gantry of a medical X-ray CT-scanner. The experiments were conducted at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) at the University of Quebec from August 18 to October 16, 2011. The flume was filled with Ottawa sand (d50 = 0.147 mm) with uniform slope of 1/15. The water depth over a horizontal bed is 0.2 m. Regular waves were used with wave height of 4.0 cm and wave period of 0.7 s. In order to measure the cross-shore evolutions both of beach profiles and sediment transport process, th...

Lactobacillus-Made Anti-Inflammatories Eyed as IBD Therapy

Arming probiotic bacteria with genes encoding anti-inflammatory proteins is a promising and a potentially long-term, cost-effective therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to Nathalie Vergnolle at the Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP) and Philippe Langella at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in Toulouse and Jouy-en-Josas Cedex, respectively. Details appear in the October 31, 2012 Science Translational Medicine (4: DOI: 10.1126/ scitranslmed.3004212).

International Congress on Transposable Elements (ICTE) 2012 in Saint Malo and the sea of TE stories

An international conference on Transposable Elements (TEs) was held 21–24 April 2012 in Saint Malo, France. Organized by the French Transposition Community (GDR Elements Génétiques Mobiles et Génomes, CNRS) and the French Society of Genetics (SFG), the conference’s goal was to bring together researchers from around the world who study transposition in diverse organisms using multiple experimental approaches. The meeting drew more than 217 attendees and most contributed through poster presentations (117), invited talks and short talks selected from poster abstracts (48 in total). The talks were organized into four scientific sessions, focused on: impact of TEs on genomes, control of transposition, evolution of TEs and mechanisms of transposition. Here, we present highlights from the talks given during the platform sessions. The conference was sponsored by Alliance pour les sciences de la vie et de la santé (Aviesan), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), Université de Perpignan, Université de Rennes 1, Région Bretagne and Mobile DNA.Chair of the organization committeeJean-Marc DeragonOrganizersAbdelkader Ainouche, Mireille Bétermier, Mick Chandler, Richard Cordaux, Gaël Cristofari, Jean-Marc Deragon, Pascale Lesage, Didier Mazel, Olivier Panaud, Hadi Quesneville, Chantal Vaury, Cristina Vieira and Clémentine Vitte

Response to ‘Comments on “Combining spatial transition probabilities for stochastic simulation of categorical fields” with communications on some issues related to Markov chain geostatistics’

Li and Zhang (2012b, Comments on ‘Combining spatial transition probabilities for stochastic simulation of categorical fields’ with communications on some issues related to Markov chain geostatics) raised a series of comments on our recent paper (Cao, G., Kyriakidis, P.C., and Goodchild, M.F., 2011. Combining spatial transition probabilities for stochastic simulation of categorical fields. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 25 (11), 1773–1791), which include a notation error in the model equation provided for the Markov chain random field (MCRF) or spatial Markov chain model (SMC), originally proposed by Li (2007b, Markov chain random fields for estimation of categorical variables. Mathematical Geology, 39 (3), 321–335), and followed by Allard et al. (2011, An efficient maximum entropy approach for categorical variable prediction. European Journal of Soil Science, 62, 381–393) about the misinterpretation of MCRF (or SMC) as a simplified form of the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME)-based approach, the so-called Markovian-type categorical prediction (MCP) (Allard, D., D'Or, D., and Froideveaux, R., 2009. Estimating and simulating spatial categorical data using an efficient maximum entropy approach. Avignon: Unite Biostatisque et Processus Spatiaux Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique. Technical Report No. 37; Allard, D., D'Or, D., and Froideveaux, R., 2011. An efficient maximum entropy approach for categorical variable prediction. European Journal of Soil Science, 62, 381–393). Li and Zhang (2012b, Comments on ‘Combining spatial transition probabilities for stochastic simulation of categorial fields’ with communication on some issues related to Markov chain geostatistics. International Journal of Geographical Information Science) also raised concerns regarding several statements Cao et al. (2011, Combining spatial transition probabilities for stochastic simulation of categorical fields. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 25 (11), 1773–1791) had made, which mainly include connections between permanence of ratios and conditional independence, connections between MCRF and Bayesian networks and transiograms as spatial continuity measures. In this response, all of the comments and concerns will be addressed, while also communicating with Li and other colleagues on general topics in Markov chain geostatistics.

Registration of ‘Chakkouf’ Lentil in Morocco

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris) is one of the oldest food legumes and is the third most important one in Morocco. It provides a valuable and balanced protein source in the human diet and plays an important role in cropping systems because of its ability to fix nitrogen. The productivity of the crop suffers because of numerous biotic and abiotic factors. High‐yielding cultivars with improved characteristics are needed to increase lentil production and profitability. ‘Chakkouf’ (Reg. No. CV‐34, PI 663991) lentil was developed using both modified pedigree and bulk methods by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Morocco in collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Tested as ILL 6001‐81, Chakkouf was approved for release in 2009 by the Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires, Morocco. Chakkouf is a selection from an advanced F6 line, FLIP 86‐15L, which was derived from a cross of ‘Precoz’ (ILL 4605; PI 515969) with ‘Laird’ (ILL 4349; PI 471916). Chakkouf is an early‐flowering (∼88 d), early‐maturing (∼139 d), and high‐yielding (∼40% over the local check variety ‘L24’) lentil cultivar with high zinc (62 mg kg−1) and iron (76.7 mg kg−1) in the seeds. Chakkouf showed good agronomic performance under drought conditions and wide adaptation for the Moroccan semiarid environments. Chakkouf showed field resistance for rust [caused by Uromyces viciae‐fabae (Pers.) J. Schröt] and Ascochyta blight (caused by Ascochyta fabae Speg. f. sp. lentis) during the years of evaluation in replicated yield trials in all experimental stations. Chakkouf offers the producer an economic advantage in cropping systems where it is planted as a rainfed crop in moisture‐deficient soils, usually in rotation with cereals.

The root‐knot nematode resistance N‐gene co‐localizes in the Me‐genes cluster on the pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) P9 chromosome

With 3 figures and 3 tablesAbstractRoot‐knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are major plant pathogens, affecting several solanaceous crops worldwide including pepper (Capsicum spp.). Owing to the drastic reduction in the use of most nematicides, breeding for root‐knot nematode resistance is a major challenge for pepper breeders. In pepper, resistance to this pathogen is dominant and controlled by several Me‐genes, which were mapped on the pepper P9 chromosome using PCR‐based markers, and by the N‐gene which was shown to be linked to Me3 using allelism tests. In this study, we developed PCR‐based markers and showed that the N‐gene colocalized in the Me‐genes cluster on the P9 chromosome on pepper reference maps using carthagene software (INRA: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Toulouse, France). N was mapped at 7 cM from Me1 and 2 cM from Me3 which is confirmed to be allelic to Me7 according to allelism resistance tests. The tightly linked markers to Me and N‐genes will be very useful for the marker‐assisted selection of nematodes resistance in pepper and to study the durability of these R‐genes, alone or pyramided in different genetic backgrounds.

Registration of ‘Kharoba’: A Bread Wheat Cultivar Developed through Doubled Haploid Breeding

‘Kharoba’ (Reg. No. CV‐1068, PI 664028), a hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar developed using doubled haploid technology by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Morocco, and tested as 00DHBW300, was approved for release in 2010 by the Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires (ONSSA), Morocco. Kharoba was selected from the doubled haploids derived from the cross ‘Altar 84’/Aegilops squarrosa 221//‘Pastor’/3/k134(6)/‘Veery’//‘Bobwhite’/‘Pavon’/4/‘Tilila’. Kharoba is a widely adapted, high‐yielding, short, erect cultivar having good end‐use qualities. Kharoba is resistant to leaf rust (caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks.), yellow rust (caused by P. striiformis Westend f. sp. tritici), the Hessian fly [Mayetiola destructor (Say)], and Fusarium head blight (caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe [teleomorph Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch]). Kharoba has been released for cultivation under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Kharoba is the first bread wheat cultivar developed through doubled haploid breeding in Morocco.