Vallant,S.; Niederstätter,H.; Berger,B.; Lentner,R.; Parson,W.; Noninvasive sampling, for example, of droppings or feathers, is a promising approach for molecular genetic studies on endangered and elusive animal species. Yet, such specimens are known for containing only minute amounts of DNA, resulting in lower typing success rates relative to analyses on fresh tissues such as muscle or blood. Furthermore, artefactual signals as well as contamination are more likely to occur when DNA is limited. [Read More]

Köcher,S.; Müller,P.; Berger,B.; Bodner,M.; Parson,W.; Roewer,L.; Willuweit,S.; DNASeqExConsortium; The implementation of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) in forensic science revealed the advantages of the new method compared to the forensic benchmark in DNA-STR analysis, the capillary-electrophoresis (CE): Sequence information and the possibility to multiplex hundreds of markers in one multiplex PCR increase the discrimination power of a forensic (STR-) profile. The EU funded project DNASeqEx (DNA-STR Massive Sequencing & International Information Exchange) aims to evaluate MPS-based materials in their respective developmental stages using the two established platforms MiSeq FGx (Illumina) and Ion S5 (Thermo Fisher Scientific). [Read More]

vanNuijs,A.L.N.; Lai,F.Y.; Been,F.; Andres-Costa,M.J.; Barron,L.; Baz-Lomba,J.A.; Berset,J.; Benaglia,L.; Bijlsma,L.; Burgard,D.; Castiglioni,S.; Christophoridis,C.; Covaci,A.; deVoogt,P.; Emke,E.; Fatta-Kassinos,D.; Fick,J.; Hernandez,F.; Gerber,C.; González-Mariño,I.; Grabic,R.; Gunnar,T.; Kannan,K.; Karolak,S.; Kasprzyk-Hordern,B.; Kokot,Z.; Krizman-Matasic,I.; Li,A.; Li,X.; Löve,A.S.C.; LopezdeAlda,M.; McCall,A.; Meyer,M.R.; Oberacher,H.; O’Brien,J.; Quintana,J.B.; Reid,M.; Schneider,S.; SadlerSimoes,S.; Thomaidis,N.S.; Thomas,K.; Yargeau,V.; Ort,C.; Thirty-seven laboratories from 25 countries present the development of an inter-laboratory testing scheme for the analysis of seven illicit drug residues in standard solutions, tap- and wastewater. Almost 10 000 concentration values were evaluated: triplicates of up to five samples and 26 laboratories per year. [Read More]

Gerner,R.R.; Klepsch,V.; Macheiner,S.; Arnhard,K.; Adolph,T.E.; Grander,C.; Wieser,V.; Pfister,A.; Moser,P.; Hermann-Kleiter,N.; Baier,G.; Oberacher,H.; Tilg,H.; Moschen,A.R.; OBJECTIVE: Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT, also referred to as pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor or visfatin) is critically required for the maintenance of cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) supply catalysing the rate-limiting step of the NAD salvage pathway. NAMPT is strongly upregulated in inflammation including IBD and counteracts an increased cellular NAD turnover mediated by NAD-depleting enzymes. These constitute an important mechanistic link between inflammatory, metabolic and transcriptional pathways and NAD metabolism. [Read More]

Huber,N.; Parson,W.; Dür,A.; Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation is being reported relative to the corrected version of the first sequenced human mitochondrial genome. A review of the existing literature across disciplines that employ mtDNA demonstrates that insertions and deletions are not reported in a standardized way. This may lead to false exclusions of identical sequences, unidentified matches in missing persons mtDNA databases, biased mtDNA database frequency estimates and overestimation of the genetic evidence. [Read More]