Key results in 2021

With the first successful Phase III trials for the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infections, it is reasonable to expect that the number of indications for microbiotherapy (fecal microbiota transplantation) will increase considerably, requiring at the same time standardized procedures for using stabilized grafts.

The evolutionary history of the genus Gallus, which contains the hen, has been the subject of numerous studies that have resulted in incompatible phylogenetic trees. The genus consists of 4 wild species of Roosters: the Wild or Golden Rooster (Gallus gallus, Southeast Asia), the Sonnerat Rooster (Gallus sonneratii, India), the Lafayette Rooster (Gallus lafayettii, Sri Lanka) and the Java Rooster (Gallus varius, Indonesia). Previous studies suggest that the ancestral connection concerns either the Wild Rooster (Scenario A) or the Rooster of Java (Scenario B). However, they suffer from limitations: often only one bird per species, few genes, etc.

Improvements in ex situ storage of genetic and reproductive materials offer an alternative for endangered livestock breed conservation, but collections should be optimized cost-effectively to avoid duplication, and with reference to the sustainability of in situ breeds.

The objective of this study was to review the quality management procedures of livestock gene banks around the world to identify the general strengths and weaknesses of quality control.

The sequencing of the entire genome changes the game in all areas of genetics: selection, biodiversity, deciphering the genotype-phenotype relationship. The concept of the "1000 Genomes" project, tested in cattle, consists of pooling sequence data obtained by different partners to facilitate the extraction of information answering different research questions. The conditions for its implementation in hens are presented here in a national and international context.

An international study involving CIRAD and INRA, published in the journal Nature on 7 February 2018, is revolutionizing the botanical classifications of citrus fruits.

Genetic Resources is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research, analysis and brief communications on plant, animal and forest genetic resources, serving stakeholders within and between different fields.