58,524 research outputs found
Comparative BAC-based mapping in the white-throated sparrow, a novel behavioral genomics model, using interspecies overgo hybridization
No full textBACKGROUND
The genomics era has produced an arsenal of resources from sequenced organisms allowing researchers to target species that do not have comparable mapping and sequence information. These new "non-model" organisms offer unique opportunities to examine environmental effects on genomic patterns and processes. Here we use comparative mapping as a first step in characterizing the genome organization of a novel animal model, the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), which occurs as white or tan morphs that exhibit alternative behaviors and physiology. Morph is determined by the presence or absence of a complex chromosomal rearrangement. This species is an ideal model for behavioral genomics because the association between genotype and phenotype is absolute, making it possible to identify the genomic bases of phenotypic variation.
FINDINGS
We initiated a genomic study in this species by characterizing the white-throated sparrow BAC library via filter hybridization with overgo probes designed for the chicken, turkey, and zebra finch. Cross-species hybridization resulted in 640 positive sparrow BACs assigned to 77 chicken loci across almost all macro-and microchromosomes, with a focus on the chromosomes associated with morph. Out of 216 overgos, 36% of the probes hybridized successfully, with an average number of 3.0 positive sparrow BACs per overgo.
CONCLUSIONS
These data will be utilized for determining chromosomal architecture and for fine-scale mapping of candidate genes associated with phenotypic differences. Our research confirms the utility of interspecies hybridization for developing comparative maps in other non-model organisms
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Globalising human resource management: examining the role of networks
No full textHR sourcing and sharing : strategies, drivers, success factors and implications for HR
No full textThis paper identifies the core strategies pursued as firms make choices about sourcing and shoring of HR services. It draws attention to a range of variables that need to be measured to assess the effectiveness of these sourcing and shoring strategies. It presents a review of the business drivers for human resource outsourcing and identifies the strategic outcomes that should be used to determine success in this. A range of readiness factors are identified and included in Appendix 1. In order to help HR practitioners plan for their own approach, the paper also considers how the market for sourcing and shoring options is developing by analysing some data on the volume and scale of contemporary deals. This analysis is used to identify useful avenues of research that might help explain international differences in the HRO market. Finally, some future developments and challenges for HR functions are signalled by analysing both vendor strategies and issues for the retained HR business
The value of avian genomics to the conservation of wildlife
No full textBackground: Genomic studies in non-domestic avian models, such as the California condor and white-throated sparrow, can lead to more comprehensive conservation plans and provide clues for understanding mechanisms affecting genetic variation, adaptation and evolution.
Developing genomic tools and resources including genomic libraries and a genetic map of the California condor is a prerequisite for identification of candidate loci for a heritable embryonic lethal condition. The white-throated sparrow exhibits a stable genetic polymorphism (i.e. chromosomal rearrangements) associated with variation in morphology, physiology, and behavior (e.g., aggression, social behavior, sexual behavior, parental care). In this paper we outline the utility of these species as well as report on recent advances in the study of their genomes.
Results: Genotyping of the condor resource population at 17 microsatellite loci provided a better assessment of the current population's genetic variation. Specific New World vulture repeats were found in the condor genome. Using condor BAC library and clones, chicken-condor comparative maps were generated. A condor fibroblast cell line transcriptome was characterized using the 454 sequencing technology.
Our karyotypic analyses of the sparrow in combination with other studies indicate that the rearrangements in both chromosomes 2(m) and 3(a) are complex and likely involve multiple inversions, interchromosomal linkage, and pleiotropy. At least a portion of the rearrangement in chromosome 2(m) existed in the common ancestor of the four North American species of Zonotrichia, but not in the one South American species, and that the 2(m) form, originally thought to be the derived condition, might actually be the ancestral one.
Conclusion: Mining and characterization of candidate loci in the California condor using molecular genetic and genomic techniques as well as linkage and comparative genomic mapping will eventually enable the identification of carriers of the chondrodystrophy allele, resulting in improved genetic management of this disease.
In the white-throated sparrow, genomic studies, combined with ecological data, will help elucidate the basis of genic selection in a natural population. Morphs of the sparrow provide us with a unique opportunity to study intraspecific genomic differences, which have resulted from two separate yet linked evolutionary trajectories. Such results can transform our understanding of evolutionary and conservation biology
Globalizing the HR architecture : the challenges facing corporate HQ and international mobility functions
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