Category Archives: DNA

The ocean might as well be Mars. Like astronomers grasping at ways to identify life on a distant planet, marine scientists have no easy method for detecting sea creatures presence in the vast watery realm.

Team members from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute collect water from Monterey Bay for eDNA analysis. (Image credit: Collin Closek)

An emerging technique analyzing DNA in skin, scales and feces animals leave behind has shown promise for revealing hidden ecosystems on land and in fresh water. But deep ocean environments have largely proven too complex for the approach. Now, Stanford scientists show progress in using this analysis to overcome complicated water movements and other obstacles to detect ocean animals in locations where the water can be more than 7,200 feet deep.

We want to know whats out there, said study lead author Elizabeth A. Andruszkiewicz, a graduate student in Stanfords Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Eventually, this technology may answer bigger questions, such as how communities of organisms have adapted to environmental changes over time.

Of the few previous environmental DNA, or eDNA, studies of ocean animals, all were done in relatively shallow nearshore environments. Most were done in controlled systems such as saltwater tanks, and few looked in real environments at questions of spatial distribution of eDNA.

The Stanford-led study also marks the first time the approach has been used in the deep waters of Monterey Bay, an important ecosystem in the California Current, which flows southward along the western coast of North America. In addition to being highly productive ecosystems, these areas have been the focus of relatively intensive ongoing research by institutions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (a partner in the study). The resulting archived water samples and long-term datasets present unique opportunities for eDNA analysis of ecological change over time.

Sampler device is deployed to collect water in Monterey Bay. (Image credit: Collin Closek)

Collecting eDNA is fairly straightforward a basic water sample does the trick and scientists can archive these samples for long periods by freezing them. The approach promises a faster, more comprehensive and less invasive way to measure abundance and distribution of organisms. It might also be able to detect invasive species or changes in the distribution of endangered species.

This could revolutionize the way we keep track of animals, said study co-author Alexandria Boehm, professor of civil and environmental engineering and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

The eDNA survey identified 72 species of vertebrates (marine fishes, mammals such as elephant seals, humpback whales, sharks and rockfishes) at study sites across 28 miles of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Scientists found DNA of some creatures, such as sunfishes, salmon, seahorses and mackerel sharks, only in locations where the water was less than 600 feet deep. DNA of other animals, such as dolphins and marine smelts, turned up only in waters more than 600 feet deep. The shallowest waters held the greatest biodiversity. Taken as a whole, the findings provide a proof of concept for eDNA as an ocean sleuthing tool.

It is a remarkably powerful way to answer a simple question: What species are present in space and time in our oceans? said co-author Barbara Block, the Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Professor in Marine Sciences at Stanford. It could change how we view our planets marine biodiversity.

DNA sequencing has driven unprecedented research and discovery in fields ranging from medical diagnosis to evolutionary biology.

Pacific white-sided dolphins accompany the NOAA ship Reuben Lasker off the coast of California in June 2016 during a cruise collecting water samples for environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. (Image credit: Collin Closek)

Preliminary studies have shown that eDNA sequencing can identify vertebrate species missed by traditional monitoring methods and can allow sampling in places inaccessible to traditional techniques such as dive surveys and fish trawls. The approach can also be used at finer resolutions, in terms of time and space, compared to traditional biomonitoring methods. This allows scientists to document changes in biodiversity over seasonal and annual cycles, as well as over different topographies.

Questions still remain about how to properly sample water for eDNA, and how to interpret sequencing results to avoid false positives and false negatives. Solving these and other challenges will bring into focus the next frontier for eDNA: counting actual numbers of sea animals and discerning their population-level identity, rather than just detecting their presence. Working with a team of geneticists, fish physiologists, oceanographers and engineers, Boehm and Block hope to realize that goal within 10 years.

Additional authors on Biomonitoring of marine vertebrates in Monterey Bay using eDNA metabarcoding, published in PLOS ONE, are Lauren M. Sassoubre, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford; Hilary A. Starks of Stanfords Center for Ocean Solutions; and Francisco P. Chavez of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

The research was supported by a gift from the Seaver Institute to the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environments Environmental Venture Projects program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

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DNA left by ocean animals provides rare glimpse of marine ecosystems, Stanford researchers say - Stanford University News

June 13, 2017 Rif1 is shepherding DNA ends. Crystal structure of the conserved N-terminal domain of Rif1 reveals an extraordinarily elongated shape resembling a shepherds crook. Within the hook, Rif1 contains a DNA binding domain forming a protective sheath. This activity of Rif1 underpins telomere homeostasis, checkpoint suppression at chromosome ends, and DNA double-strand break repair, a function now identified as conserved in eukaryotes. The molecular gating of DNA ends offers a unified mechanism for the diverse genome stability functions of Rif1. Credit: Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

All cells are confronted with DNA damage, for example by exposure of the skin to UV rays, chemical byproducts of nerve cells consuming sugar, or immune cells destroying bacteria. If these DNA lesions are not - or badly - repaired, they may initiate tumor formation. Thankfully, cells have evolved an elaborate control system to correct these DNA anomalies. Uli Rass and Nico Thom at the FMI, together with colleagues at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), have now discovered the key role of a protein called Rif1 in the protection, stabilization and repair of damaged DNA. This study, published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, uncovers a DNA maintenance function likely to be present in all eukaryotes because the region of Rif1 that enables the formation of a protective sheath around DNA lesions is similar in humans and yeast.

A multi-faceted protein

Cells have developed a complex control system to repair the DNA breaks that occur every day. This system includes patrolling proteins, molecules that set off an alarm, as well as damage-repairing enzymes. The teams of Nicolas Thom and Ulrich Rass at the FMI and the group of David Shore at UNIGE are interested in a protein called Rif1. Rif1 is involved in many processes, some of which are related to DNA replication and repair. Certain activities of Rif1, a protein present in both humans and yeast, vary from one type of organism to another, while others remain similar. It was not clear why that was the case.

The scientists thus examined the molecular structure of Rif1. "This protein is made of divergent functional elements depending on the species studied, which may explain the diversity of its activities. But there is also a common part whose function was hitherto unknown", says Stefano Mattarocci, co-first author of the study and member of the Geneva group.

A ubiquitous repair module

By studying the 3-D structure of this common region, the biologists have discovered that it is intimately involved in the protection and the repair of deteriorated DNA. "This region of Rif1 binds to the damaged strands and then recruits more Rif1 proteins that assemble to form a protective sheath around the weakened segment", notes Julia Reinert, co-first author and member of the Basel team.

This molecular plaster gates access of repair enzymes to the protected strands, while restricting access of enzymes responsible for degrading the ends of damaged DNA. All eukaryotes, that is to say organisms whose cells have a nucleus, appear to benefit from the sheath formed by Rif1, since the protective region of this protein is similar in humans and yeast.

This study has revealed the molecular mechanism allowing Rif1 to preserve the integrity of the genome. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how cells avoid the accumulation of DNA lesions, which would otherwise lead to senescence, cell death, or cancer.

Explore further: The proteins ensuring genome protection

More information: Stefano Mattarocci et al. Rif1 maintains telomeres and mediates DNA repair by encasing DNA ends, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3420

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have discovered the crucial role of two proteins in developing a cell 'anti-enzyme shield'. This protection system, which operates at the level of molecular ...

A group from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, discovers a key factor that curbs the undesirable triggering of DNA replication.

(Phys.org) A team of scientists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research and the University of Geneva has functionally dissected the molecular processes that ensure the stability of chromosomes. They ...

Drexel University and Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have discovered how the Rad52 protein is a crucial player in RNA-dependent DNA repair. The results of their study, published today in Molecular Cell, reveal ...

A research group from the University of Seville has revealed the role that the protein Rrm3 plays in the repair of breaks that occur during the replication of DNA, by using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. ...

An international collaboration between Osaka University and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in Switzerland is investigating the repair process of a serious form of DNA damage that can lead to ...

Male birds tend to be better singers than femalesbut does the basis for this difference lie in the brain or in the syrinx, the bird equivalent of our larynx? The researchers behind a new study from The Auk: Ornithological ...

Animals living in areas where conditions are ideal for their species have less chance of evolving to cope with climate change, new research suggests.

The arrangement of the photoreceptors in our eyes allows us to detect socially significant color variation better than other types of color vision, a team of researchers has found. Specifically, our color vision is superior ...

Using high magnification imaging, a team of researchers has identified several never before seen structures on bacteria that represent molecular machinery. The research is published this week in the Journal of Bacteriology, ...

UNC School of Medicine researchers have cracked a long-standing mystery about an important enzyme found in virtually all organisms other than bacteria. The basic science finding may have implications for understanding cancer ...

One of the main types of fossil used to understand the first flowering plants (angiosperms) are charred flowers. These charcoals were produced in ancient wildfires, and they provide some evidence for the types of plants that ...

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A molecular plaster to repair DNA - Phys.Org

You've probably heard how companies like Ancestry.com or 23-and-me can use your DNA to tell you where you came from. Now for the first time in our area, police are using similar technology to tell us what a suspect might look like.

Scott Broom, WUSA 5:57 PM. EDT June 12, 2017

GAITHERSBURG, MD (WUSA9) - For the first time, police in the D.C. area are turning to a new DNA analytic system that helps them predict who a suspect may be.

"DNA was considered to be just a fingerprint for a very long time," said EllenGraytakofParabonNanolabs, the Northern Virginia-based company that is offering DNA analytics to investigators nationwide. "What this can do is actually tell those investigators something they couldn't have known."

Montgomery County Police are hoping the technology will help them solve the 1992 murder ofJamesEssel, who was the operator of the Sugarloaf Mountain Market in Comas before he was stabbed to death in the store.

PREVIOUS:PhotoDNAmay have tracked alleged child pornographer

For years detectives have had the description of a possible suspect vehicle, but had no idea what the person driving might have looked like.

Scientists used DNA collected from the scene to create a composite of who the person might be.

In the case of theEssenmurder, the DNA shows the suspect is likely to be a Latino man with a medium dark skin color, brown eyes, and black hair. The technology also predicts key features of the suspect's facial structure.

PREVIOUS:DNA test tells you which workout, diet is perfect for you

In concept, the technology is similar to commercial DNA analysis performed by companies like Ancestry.com or23andMethat help customers learn more about their heritage and health backgrounds. However theParabonsystem provides much more detailed analysis, including predictions about facial features and shape.

2017 WUSA-TV

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New DNA analysis now predicts who killer might be - W*USA 9

The Rev. Canon Cindy Voorhees, left, leads a St. James the Great Episcopal Church service inside a community room at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Rev. Canon Cindy Voorhees leads a St. James the Great Episcopal Church service inside a community room at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Lissa Schairer, right, asks a question during a Q and A regarding DNA testing to determine racial background at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Genealogist Colleen Greene answers questions regarding DNA testing to determine racial background at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Rev. Canon Cindy Voorhees greets parishioners at the end of church service at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Genealogist Colleen Greene answers questions regarding DNA testing to determine racial background at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Genealogist Colleen Greene speaks about DNA testing to determine racial background at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Genealogist Colleen Greene speaks about DNA testing to determine racial background at the Newport Beach City Hall on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Lissa Schairer says shed rather be white in America because its easier.

The Newport Beach residents sister, who lives in Maryland, adopted two children from Haiti. Schairer says her black niece, a teenager, was recently detained by a police officer on a sidewalk as she was waiting for her mother to pick her up from a mall outing with friends.

The officer let her go only after my sister, who is white, came and vouched for my niece, she said. White privilege is real and Ive seen it in my own family.

Schairer is one of the members of St. James the Great Episcopal Church an overwhelmingly Caucasian congregation in Newport Beach who participated in a Race Project spearheaded by the pastor, the Rev. Canon Cindy Voorhees.

It wasnt just about watching movies such as Moonlight, Fences or Im Not Your Negro.They wanted it to be more than that, Voorhees said.

So in May, several of them, including Schairer, took a trip to The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. They also took DNA tests to learn more about their own race and ethnicity.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, a group of church members met with Colleen Greene, genealogist and academic librarian at Cal State Fullerton, who helped them make sense of their test results.

For the purpose of the project, church members took what is known as an autosomal DNA test, which tests DNA from the nucleus of the cell to trace all ancestral lines going back up to about 1,000 years, to provide a percentage breakdown of ethnicities and world regions from where ones ancestors might have come. The test also provides a list of other people who might share common ancestors within the past six generations.

Greene said the tests are pretty accurate.

The only area where they may not be as accurate is in determining the geographic region the ancestors may have come from because it doesnt take migration into account, she said.

Greene said she was intrigued by the church groups eagerness to take the DNA test.

This is something thats extremely rare for a church to do, she said.

Voorhees agreed its not commonly done. But, she said, her congregation wanted to venture into this uncharted territory to better understand how race and ethnicity help shape identities and sensibilities.

We asked ourselves how we could do something as a community, Voorhees said. How do we expose ourselves to what is going on around us in terms of racial tension?

The DNA test results didnt shock members, but there were a few surprises.

Schairers test showed she was mostly of European descent, but that some of her ancestors may have come from the Iberian Peninsula, which encompasses Spain and Portugal.

And she wasnt the only one who came away with unexpected information.

Megan Doherty of Irvine said she found out from her DNA test that she wasnt as Irish as she had thought. The test indicated she was mostly Ulster Irish, from the Ulster province north of Ireland.

Voorhees, herself, was a little surprised when she found out shewas more than 85 percent English and 8 percent Middle Eastern.

My family has always identified itself as German, she said. So, that was interesting.

Greene said it is common for most American families to identify with a certain ethnicity or country. But their DNA may tell a different story.

You inherit differentpieces of your DNA, she said. While you might know for a fact that one of your ancestors was English or German, you may have none of that in you.

David Stockmans test results showed DNA that was mostly European, but the Newport Beach resident said he has always empathized with African-Americans because he lived in Washington, D.C., grew up in Detroit and even lived through a race riot there.

Its heartbreaking that the issue of race is tearing our country apart, he said.

Voorhees said the churchs Race Project was in part a response to several fatal police shootings around the country and the killing of police officers in Dallas, which brought the issue of race relations to the fore.

Schairer said what the DNA test and the project taught her is that human beings have more in common than they realize.

Our genes are 99.5 percent the same the difference is only in that 0.5 percent, she said. I can see how interconnected we all are. So all these tensions and all this hatred it just doesnt make any sense.

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Newport Beach church members test their DNA as part of 'Race Project' - OCRegister

Pacific Standard

Can the Law Enforcement's DNA Database Tell Police Your Medical Information? Pacific Standard Despite what procedural dramas might lead you to believe, the DNA that police collect at crime scenes can't tell you anything about the characteristics of the person who left it behind. If police have a database of suspects' DNA, then they can match a ...

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Can the Law Enforcement's DNA Database Tell Police Your Medical Information? - Pacific Standard

BBC News

Mum Danielle Morris who faked DNA paternity test jailed BBC News A woman who faked a paternity test to fool an ex-partner into believing he was her baby's father has been jailed. Danielle Morris, from Seaforth, Merseyside, initially told Jamie Somers in May 2014 that he was not the father, but later changed her story. Woman who faked DNA paternity test to trick ex-lover into believing he was baby's father jailed for 12 monthsMirror.co.uk all 2 news articles »

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Mum Danielle Morris who faked DNA paternity test jailed - BBC News

It has been well documented that mutations in proteins of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway underlie a variety of cancers. This genetic proofreading pathway helps to maintain genomic stability by rectifying post-replication errors that often arise between DNA base pairs. This repair pathway is so influential for cells' genetic fidelity that three investigators won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work to understand the molecular mechanisms that control this pathway.

Now, a team of scientists at the Johns Hopkins BloombergKimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and other institutions has just reported on their findings of an expanded, three-year clinical trial of 86 patients with colorectal and 11 other kinds of cancer that have MMR genetic defects. The investigators found that half of the patients responded to an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab (Keytruda)a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor inhibitorand that patient immune responses closely aligned with mutations found in their cancers. Findings from the study were published recently in Science in an article entitled Mismatch-Repair Deficiency Predicts Response of Solid Tumors to PD-1 Blockade.

"Our study results may lead to a new standard-of-care that includes MMR deficiency testing to help identify a wider group of patients who have failed other therapies but may benefit from immunotherapy drugs." explained lead study investigator Dung Le, M.D., associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins BloombergKimmel Institute.

In the current study, 86 adult men and women with 12 cancer types were recruited to the clinical trial at six U.S. hospitals. All the patients tested positive for MMR defects and had failed to respond to at least one prior therapy. They received pembrolizumab intravenously every two weeks for up to two years. After a median follow-up of 12.5 months, imaging scans showed that tumors shrunk by at least 30% in 46 of the 86 patients (53%). Amazingly, the tumors completely disappeared in 18 of the 46 patients.

Twenty-one of the 40 patients with colorectal cancer (52%) and 25 of 46 patients with cancers (54%) in other organs, such as the pancreas, ampullary, cholangiocarcinoma, gastric, endometrial, neuroendocrine, prostate, small intestine, and unknown primary, responded to the drug.

In all, 66 of 86 (77%) had at least some degree of disease control, including those who had partial responses (meaning their cancers shrunk by at least 30% in diameter) and complete responses (meaning no radiologic evidence of the tumor). This also included those whose tumors did not grow but remained stable. At one year after the start of therapy, 65 of the 86 patients (76%) were alive, and 55 of the 86 (64%) were alive at two years.

At the time the report was generated, 18 patients were taken off therapy after two years of treatment. Eleven patients have been off immunotherapy for a median of 8.3 months, and none have shown evidence of a cancer recurrence. The remaining patients had some residual disease, were taken off therapy at two years (some because of side effects), and after an average of 7.6 months, none of these patients has had evidence of disease progression.

The median point of survival without disease progression and overall survival has not yet been reached. However, the scientists estimate that disease-free survival at one and two years is 64% and 53%, respectively. Without immunotherapy, patients with advanced, treatment-refractory cancers can expect to live less than six months.

"We still do not understand why only half of the patients in the study responded, and half did not," noted study co-author Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Johns Hopkins BloombergKimmel Institute. "But in testing for MMR deficiency, we essentially married genetic biomarkers with an immunotherapy drug to find patients we thought would be more likely to respond to this increasingly used drug, and we believe it's a terrific example of the future of precision immunotherapy. The hope is that other immunotherapy drugs can be aligned with genetic factors to further increase success."

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Immunotherapy Response Predicted by DNA Repair Deficiencies - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

WABASHA A DNA match from a sexual encounter last summer resulted in criminal charges against a Zumbrota man.

Cole Alexander Muenkel, 21, will make his initial appearance June 21 in Wabasha County District Court, where he faces one count each of first-, second- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. All are felonies.

He remains free in lieu of $25,000 conditional bail.

The charges stem from an alleged incident Aug. 7 at an underage drinking party.

A girl at the party passed out on the tailgate of a truck, the complaint says, and someone took a photo of her with several males around her, including Muenkel. He can be seen holding a canned beverage in his hand; the victim said Muenkel gave her alcohol to drink, the document says.

The girl woke up in the back seat of the truck some time later to find Muenkel on top of her, sexually assaulting her, court documents say.

He eventually left the back seat; after a few minutes, he came back, picked the girl up and moved her to her car, the report says.

The teenager went with her mother to the hospital, where a sex assault kit and exam were completed. The victim had been physically injured, the complaint says, including bruising on her leg, a blood clot, redness and a genital injury.

Muenkel denied the assault, and told authorities the girl was making it up. He also initially denied bringing alcohol, then allegedly admitted he'd brought some but not for the girl.

Muenkel told investigators he'd put the girl in the back seat because he was cold outside, but said he sat in the front seat. He also denied drinking, acknowledging that he was on probation for driving while impaired.

The samples collected from the victim by the hospital staff were sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, along with a sample from Muenkel.

According to the court document, an analysis of the samples shows that DNA from a sample from the victim's vagina matches the known DNA sample of Muenkel with a 99.99 percent certainty.

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Man charged with sexual assault after DNA match - Post-Bulletin

Published: Mon, June 12, 2017 @ 12:00 a.m.

By ALISSA WIDMAN NEESE

Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium polar bear cubs arent just cute and cuddly.

Theyre also helping the federal government fight crimes against their wild relatives in the Arctic, thanks to advancements in forensic science and DNA testing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Forensic Laboratory in Oregon often relies on zoos to maintain its database of DNA samples from protected animal species. But when the Columbus Zoo sent DNA from its six polar bears to the lab in March, it came with payoffs for both parties including a confirmation of whether the zoos three newest cubs are male or female.

The labs scientists analyze evidence during investigations of violations of federal wildlife protection laws, including poaching, illegal trading of animals, theft of rare plants and creating products from endangered species.

For example, the lab could use DNA to identify a decaying carcass as a protected animal or confirm that a business is selling items made with bald eagle feathers or elephant ivory.

Scientists are trying to perfect a new, more accurate DNA test for bears and benefited from the Columbus Zoos controlled samples from a known family of animals. The reference data illustrate how genetic patterns change in a population over time. It could someday pin down criminals who harm polar bears, which are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, on which the bears are listed as threatened.

Only an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears are living in the wild, and there are just 40 or so bears in 27 U.S. zoos that are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Our polar bear database is fairly small, so the more samples we can get, the better, senior forensic scientist Mary Burnham Curtis said.

The zoo, meanwhile, was seeking a noninvasive way to determine the sexes of its baby bears. Because the 6-month-old animals are being raised by their mothers and not hand-reared by zookeepers, staffers would have had to put them under anesthesia to examine their genitals and make an official determination.

That seemed like an unnecessary risk for something that was just curiosity, not critical, said Randy Junge, the zoos vice president of animal health.

Luckily, we were able to help each other out.

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DNA from zoo's polar bears used in fight against poaching - Youngstown Vindicator

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium polar bear cubs arent just cute and cuddly.

Theyre also helping the federal government fight crimes against their wild relatives in the Arctic, thanks to advancements in forensic science and DNA testing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Forensic Laboratory in Oregon often relies on zoos to maintain its database of DNA samples from protected animal species. But when the Columbus Zoo sent DNA from its six polar bears to the lab in March, it came with payoffs for both parties - including a confirmation of whether the zoos three newest cubs are male or female.

The labs scientists analyze evidence during investigations of violations of federal wildlife protection laws, including poaching, illegal trading of animals, theft of rare plants and creating products from endangered species.

For example, the lab could use DNA to identify a decaying carcass as a protected animal or confirm that a business is selling items made with bald eagle feathers or elephant ivory.

Scientists are trying to perfect a new, more accurate DNA test for bears and benefited from the Columbus Zoos controlled samples from a known family of animals. The reference data illustrate how genetic patterns change in a population over time. It could someday pin down criminals who harm polar bears, which are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, on which the bears are listed as threatened.

Only an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears are living in the wild, and there are just 40 or so bears in 27 U.S. zoos that are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Our polar bear database is fairly small, so the more samples we can get, the better, senior forensic scientist Mary Burnham Curtis said.

The zoo, meanwhile, was seeking a non-invasive way to determine the sexes of its baby bears. Because the 6-month-old animals are being raised by their mothers and not hand-reared by zookeepers, staffers would have had to put them under anesthesia to examine their genitals and make an official determination.

That seemed like an unnecessary risk for something that was just curiosity, not critical, said Randy Junge, the zoos vice president of animal health.

Luckily, we were able to help each other out.

Junge sent emails to diagnostic labs across the country seeking options, including the Fish and Wildlife forensic lab. Zoos work with the lab frequently to provide DNA samples to use as reference data - the Columbus Zoo has provided samples of rhinoceros horn in the past, for example - and some zoos serve as holding facilities for living animals that are considered evidence in ongoing criminal investigations.

Although the lab doesnt perform sex determination tests as a service to the public, its scientists are usually willing to work with zoos that provide DNA samples, Curtis said.

Columbus Zoo staff provided hair clippings and saliva swabs from all six of its bears.

Ultimately, test results confirmed what keepers suspected based on their observations: mother bear Ananas cub is female and mother bear Auroras twin cubs are male and female.

Ananas cub was recently named Amelia Gray in an online naming contest. The twins were named Nuniq and Neva by zoo staff. Nuniq is a derivative of Nanuq, the name of all three cubs father, who died in late April from liver cancer at age 29.

___

Online: http://bit.ly/2qXhiiR

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DNA from zoo's polar bears used in fight against poaching - Washington Times