The fifth Japanese meeting on biological function and evolution through interactions between hosts and transposable elements

The fifth Japanese meeting on host–transposon interactions, titled “Biological Function and Evolution through Interactions between Hosts and Transposable Elements (TEs),” was held online on August 26–27, 2021. The meeting was supported by National Institute of Genetics and aimed to bring together researchers studying the diverse roles of TEs in genome function and evolution, as well as host defense systems against TE mobility by chromatin and RNA modifications and protein-protein interactions. Here, we present the highlights of the talks.

Origin and formation of Yaponesians based on genome sequences

The ebb and flow of human migration across the planet can nowadays be probed with advanced archaeology, linguistics, anthropology and genomics. Together, these can provide a convincing picture of the various divergences and convergences of different human populations across vast areas. It is now possible to better understand how, why and where a particular group or society arose. Professor Naruya Saitou of the Population Genetics Laboratory at the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima has dedicated his career to the synthesis of these disciplines. The current focus of his research is on understanding the origins and formation of the Yaponesian people. This broad term was coined by writer Toshio Shimao in 1960s to encompass the diverse peoples of the Japanese Archipelago over its many thousands of years of inhabitation. Saitou's research is helping to uncover Japan's ancient past.

Fascist Labscapes: Geneticists, Wheat, and the Landscapes of Fascism in Italy and Portugal

This paper explores the role of scientists in the building of fascist regimes in Italy and Portugal by focusing on plant geneticists' participation in the Italian and Portuguese wheat wars for bread self-sufficiency. It looks closely at the work undertaken by Nazareno Strampelli at the National Institute of Genetics for Grain Cultivation (Italy) and by Antóónio Sousa da Cââmara at the National Agronomic Experiment Station (Portugal), both of whom took wheat as their prime experimental object of genetics research. The main argument is that the production of standardized organisms——the breeder's elite seeds——in laboratory spaces is deeply entangled with their circulation through extended distribution networks that allowed for their massive presence in Italian and Portuguese landscapes such as the Po Valley and the Alentejo. The narrative pays particular attention to the historical development of fascist regimes in the two countries, advancing the argument that breeders' artifacts were key components of the institutionalization of the new political regimes.

Erratum

In Takahata & Slatkin (Genetical Research 1983, 42, 257–265), two sentences should be read as:but, in contrast, the configuration of the genome and the mode of transmission both make a large difference (on page 257, lines 11–12 up)Contribution no. 1528 from the National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuokaken 411, Japan (on page 264, above REFERENCES).