Raffl,C.; Holderegger,R.; Parson,W.; Erschbaumer,B.; How does genetic diversity within populations of plants develop during primary succession on alpine glacier forelands? Theory predicts that pioneer populations are characterized by low genetic diversity due to founder effects and that genetic diversity increases within populations as they mature and recurrent gene flow occurs. However, few genetic studies have so far been carried out on plants on glacier forelands. In this study, we analysed the development of genetic diversity with time for populations of Trifolium pallescens along successional series (chronosequences) on three parallel glacier forelands in the European Alps, using neutral amplified fragment length polymorphism. [Read More]

Bandelt,H.J.; Parson,W.; Der populationsgenetische Aspekt der Nutzung mitochondrialer DNA in der Forensik und medizinischen Genetik bezieht sich implizit auf die gesamte Datengrundlage und die mtDNA Phylogenie, von der gezielt Teile ausgesondert werden in Hinblick auf die zu untersuchenden Fragestellungen. Wir heben besonders jene Aspekte hervor, die in der Vergangenheit bei vielen Untersuchungen nicht adäquat berücksichtigt wurden. The population genetic aspect in using mitochondrial DNA in forensic and medical genetics implicitly concerns the entire database and mtDNA phylogeny, from which parts are targeted according to the questions to be dealt with. [Read More]

Niederstätter,H.; Berger,B.; Erhart,D.; Parson,W.; A set of three recently described Y chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) was typed in a geographically well defined sample of 135 individuals from Tyrol (Austria). The SNPs U106, U152 and U198 define sub-clades of the haplogroup (hg) R1b, which is the most frequent hg in European populations. The derived states of U152 (defining hg R1b3h) U106 (R1b3i) and U198 (R1b3i1) were found within the Austrian R1b population sub-sample (n=42) in 9 (21. [Read More]

Lutz-Bonengel,S.; Sänger,T.; Parson,W.; Müller,H.; Ellwart,J.W.; Follo,M.; Bonengel,B.; Niederstätter,H.; Heinrich,M.; Schmidt,U.; The nature of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy is still unclear. It could either be caused by two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes coexisting within a single cell or by an admixture of homoplasmic cells, each of which contains only one type of mtDNA molecule. To address this question, single lymphocytes were separated by flow cytometry assisted cell sorting and analyzed by cycle sequencing or minisequencing. [Read More]

Rossmann,A.; Henderson,B.; Heidecker,B.; Seiler,R.; Fraedrich,G.; Singh,M.; Parson,W.; Keller,M.; Grubeck-Loebenstein,B.; Wick,G.; Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial, chronic-inflammatory disease for which the underlying cause remains unknown. It is also well documented that T-cells are among the first cells to migrate into the arterial intimal vessel layer, but their function there is still unexplained. Clinical and experimental data have provided evidence that atherosclerosis starts as an autoimmune reaction based on humoral and cellular immunity against a phylogenetically highly conserved stress protein, heat shock protein 60 (HSP60). [Read More]