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Key messageWe propose the MADS-box transcription factor SVP-A1 as a promising candidate gene for the elongated glume locus P2, which maps to chromosome 6A instead of the previously proposed chromosome 7B. In rice and wheat, glume and floral organ length are positively correlated with grain size, making them an important target to increase grain size and potentially yield. The wheat subspecies Triticum ispahanicum is known to develop elongated glumes and floral organs as well as long grains. These multiple phenotypic effects are controlled by the P2 locus, which was previously mapped to wheat chromosome 7B. Using three mapping populations, we show that the long glume locus P2 does not map to chromosome 7B, but instead maps to a 1.68 Mbp interval on chromosome 6A. Within this interval, we identified SVP-A1, a MADS box transcription factor which is the direct ortholog of the maize gene underlying the 'pod corn' Tunicate locus and is a paralog to the T. polonicum elongated glume P1 gene. In T. ispahanicum, we identified a unique allele which has a 482-bp deletion in the SVP-A1 promoter and is associated with ectopic and higher expression of SVP-A1 in the elongated glumes and floral organs. We used near-isogenic lines (NILs) to show that P2 has a consistent positive effect on the length of glume, lemma, palea, spike and grain. Based on the mapping data, natural variation, biological function of SVP genes in cereals and expression analyses, we propose the MADS-box transcription factor SVP-A1 as a promising candidate for P2.

We report our case of ligament reconstruction for treatment of proximal tibiofibular joint disorder using a semitendinosus tendon graft. A 21-year-old male college soccer player with no remarkable history of injury had been suffering from pain at the lateral aspect of the left knee when playing soccer. At another hospital, the patient was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus injury and cartilage injury of the external condyle of the tibia and underwent partial resection of the meniscus and bone drilling. However, his symptoms continued, and he was referred to our institution. Instability of the left proximal tibiofibular joint and pain were noted during weight-bearing dorsiflexion of the ankle. We diagnosed the case as a proximal tibiofibular joint disorder and surgically treated it by dissecting the proximal portion of the semitendinosus tendon, creating one transfibular and two transtibial tunnels, and then reconstructing the proximal tibiofibular ligament using the harvested semitendinosus tendon graft. The patient was allowed to run at postoperative 2 months, with no pain occurring while squatting at postoperative 3 months, subsequently resuming soccer at postoperative 8 months. The proximal tibiofibular joint disorder is a relatively rare pathology, and diagnosis and conservative treatment are often difficult. Although various surgical treatments are known, the clinical outcome of our case has been successful after reconstructing the anterior and posterior proximal tibiofibular ligaments using a semitendinosus tendon graft.

Introduction: Rotator cuff tear with delamination is considered a risk factor for postoperative retear. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes between three repair procedures for large or massive rotator cuff tears with delamination: conventional en masse suture bridge (EMSB), double-layer suture bridge (DLSB), and the combination of DLSB with modified Debyere-Patte (DLSB + DP). Methods: 53 shoulders of 52 patients who had massive rotator cuff tears with delamination were categorized into three groups: EMSB (18 shoulders), DLSB (24 shoulders), and DLSB + DP (11 shoulders). The mean postoperative follow-up period was 34.6 months. Pre- and postoperative evaluations included a range of motion (ROM), Constant scores, global fatty degeneration (GFDI), and tendon integrity according to Sugaya’s classification by magnetic resonance images (MRI). Results: In all groups, ROM significantly improved after the procedures. Mean constant scores significantly improved: from 45.5 to 77.4 after EMSB, from 45.5 to 87.6 after DLSB, and from 46.3 to 88.0 after DLSB + DP. Significant differences were noted in postoperative Constant scores (p = 0.018: DLSB vs. EMSB, and p = 0.045: DLSB + DP vs. EMSB). The Constant pain scores were better for DLSB + DP than for EMSB (p = 0.012). Global fatty degeneration index (GFDI) with DLSB + DP was significantly higher than that for either EMSB or DLSB, indicating significant preoperative fatty degeneration for DLSB + DP. Retear occurred in 27.8% of the EMSB group, 12.5% of the DLSB group, and 9.1% of the DLSB + DP group. Discussion: Comparisons of the three groups demonstrated that DLSB and DLSB + DP achieved better clinical outcomes than EMSB for the repair of large or massive rotator cuff tears. DLSB + DP is useful for massive rotator cuff tears with severe fatty degeneration or for cases where the presence of excessive tension is anticipated when repairing the torn cuff.

Background: The behavior of host and graft cells during the healing process after autologous tendon graft has not been elucidated. Hypothesis: Host cells will integrate into the bone-tendon interface and contribute to cellular repopulation of the graft. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Twelve-week-old, genetically identical, female green fluorescent protein transgenic rats (n = 20) and wild-type rats (n = 20) were used. The rats were divided into 2 experimental groups. In group A, the Achilles tendons of wild-type rats were harvested and transplanted into the transcondylar femoral bone tunnels of green fluorescent protein rats. In group B, the Achilles tendons of green fluorescent protein rats were transplanted into a transcondylar femoral bone tunnel of wild-type rats. Immediately after transplantation (time zero) and at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the transplantation, distal femoral epiphyses were harvested and cut into 14-µm serial sagittal frozen sections. The sections were examined with a confocal laser-scanning microscope to quantify green fluorescent protein-positive cell survival. Results: At time zero, only host cells in group A and only graft cells in group B demonstrated green fluorescent protein signals. At 1 week in group A, many green fluorescent protein-positive cells were found in the graft. In group B, a few green fluorescent protein-positive cells were found in the graft. At 2 and 4 weeks in group A, many green fluorescent protein-positive cells were detected in the graft, but green fluorescent protein-positive cells had disappeared completely in group B. Conclusion: Host cells, rather than graft cells, contribute to repair of the bone-tendon interface and the remodeling of grafts after simulated autologous tendon graft. Keywords: ligament; transplantation; anterior cruciate ligament (ACL); transgenic animal; green fluorescent protein (GFP), Fixed into bone tunnels, autologous hamstring tendon grafts, which are reported to be superior to bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts in terms of donor site morbidity, (4,6) have been widely used for [...]

This study evaluates the potential of flow cytometry for chromosome sorting in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum Desf. var. durum, 2n = 4x = 28). Histograms of fluorescence intensity (flow karyotypes) obtained after the analysis of DAPI-stained chromosomes consisted of three peaks. Of these, one represented chromosome 3B, a small peak corresponded to chromosomes 1A and 6A, and a large peak represented the remaining 11 chromosomes. Chromosomes sorted onto microscope slides were identified after fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with probes for GAA microsatellite, pSc119.2, and Afa repeats. Genomic distribution of these sequences was determined for the first time in durum wheat and a molecular karyotype has been developed for this crop. Flow karyotyping in double-ditelosomic lines of durum wheat revealed that the lines facilitated sorting of any arm of the wheat A- and B-genome chromosomes. Compared to hexaploid wheat, flow karyotype of durum wheat is less complex. This property results in better discrimination of telosomes and high purities in sorted fractions, ranging from 90 to 98%. We have demonstrated that large insert libraries can be created from DNA purified using flow cytometry. This study considerably expands the potential of flow cytogenetics for use in wheat genomics and opens the possibility of sequencing the genome of this important crop one chromosome arm at a time.