The capsule polysaccharide locus (cps) is the site of the capsule biosynthesis gene cluster in encapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae. A set of pneumococcal samples and non-pneumococcal streptococci from Denmark, the Gambia, the Netherlands, Thailand, the UK and the USA were sequenced at the cps locus to elucidate serologically mistyped or non-typable isolates. We identified a novel serotype 33B...

The evolution of multicellularity was one of the key innovations in the history of life on Earth. Virtually all morphological and ecological diversity in macro-organisms builds upon the evolutionary potential associated with multicellularity. We examined the potential for ecological diversity to rapidly arise following transitions to multicellularity. Replicate microcosms containing the yeast S...

Having knowledge about genetic relationships among accessions is necessary for developing breeding strategies to produce improved cultivars. In present study, genetic diversity and inter-relationship among 29 genotypes of citrus were comparatively analyzed using morphological and RAPD markers. Significant variability was observed among citrus genotypes for 61 quantitative and qualitative morpho...

Approximately 7000 marine zooplanktonic species have been described so far for the World Ocean; in the South Atlantic the presence of 40% of these has been confirmed, and an additional 20–30% are expected to be recorded in the future. The overall number of described species is very low when compared with other communities, and yet it may not be too far from the final, complete inventory. Very a...

Punctuated antigenic change is believed to be a key element in the evolution of influenza A; clusters of antigenically similar strains predominate worldwide for several years until an antigenically distant mutant emerges and instigates a selective sweep. It is thought that a region of East-Southeast Asia with year-round transmission acts as a source of antigenic diversity for influenza A and se...

The vertebrate retina uses diverse neuronal cell types arrayed into complex neural circuits to extract, process, and relay information from the visual scene to the higher order processing centers of the brain. Amacrine cells, a class of interneurons, are thought to mediate much of the processing of the visual signal that occurs within the retina. Although amacrine cells display extensive morpho...

Molecular diversity of surface receptors has been hypothesized to provide a mechanism for selective synaptic connectivity. Neurexins are highly diversified receptors that drive the morphological and functional differentiation of synapses. Using a single cDNA sequencing approach, we detected 1,364 unique neurexin-α and 37 neurexin-β mRNAs produced by alternative splicing of neurexin pre-mRNAs. T...

Powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe necator, is one of the most economically damaging diseases of grapevine throughout the world. This is the first molecular biology study on this fungus in Iran. The aims of the present study were (a) to analyse genetic diversity between isolates of E. necator fungus in four main grape production regions in Iran, i. e., Qazvin, Alamoot, Takestan and Shahriar and ...

having knowledge about genetic relationships among accessions is necessary for developing breeding strategies to produce improved cultivars. in present study, genetic diversity and inter-relationship among 29 genotypes of citrus were comparatively analyzed using morphological and rapd markers. significant variability was observed among citrus genotypes for 61 quantitative and qualitative morpho...