Welcome to the 31st IUBS General Assembly and Conference on ...

The <strong>the</strong>rapeutic utility of most first‐line antimalarial
drugs has been compromised by <strong>the</strong> evolution of
resistance that is often associated with multiple amino
acid replacements in <strong>the</strong> target protein. Antifolate
antimalarials target <strong>the</strong> metabolic enzyme dihydrofolate
reductase (DHFR), part of a bifunctional enzyme needed
for <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sis of tetrahydrofolate used in purine <strong>and</strong>
amino acid biosyn<strong>the</strong>sis. We have studied evolutionary
pathways in <strong>the</strong> evolution of DHFR for resistance <strong>to</strong>
antifolates in <strong>the</strong> DHFR enzymes from
Plasmodiumfalciparum <strong>and</strong> P. vivax, <strong>the</strong> most widespread
<strong>and</strong> important malaria parasites in regard <strong>to</strong> public
health. Our approach is based on studies in which all
possible intermediates in <strong>the</strong> resistance pathway are
created by site‐directed mutagenesis <strong>and</strong> assayed for
<strong>the</strong>ir level of resistance. The resistance assays are carried
out in transgenic bacteria <strong>and</strong> yeast carrying <strong>the</strong> coding
sequence of <strong>the</strong> parasite DHFR. Evolutionary trajec<strong>to</strong>ries
are determined using probabilities of fixation based on
<strong>the</strong> relative levels of resistance. While different antifolates
target <strong>the</strong> active site of DHFR, <strong>the</strong> evolutionary l<strong>and</strong>scapes
for resistance are not congruent for different drugs. Nor
are <strong>the</strong> resistance l<strong>and</strong>scapes congruent for enzymes
from different species for <strong>the</strong> same drug. Our results bear
generally on mechanisms of protein evolution in
sequence space <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> ruggedness of evolutionary
l<strong>and</strong>scapes. They also help explain observed patterns of
DHFR polymorphism in natural populations <strong>and</strong> why <strong>the</strong>
most resistant forms of <strong>the</strong> parasite are confined <strong>to</strong> areas
of low malaria transmission. I will also describe <strong>the</strong>
‘morbidostat’, a new continuous‐culture device that
au<strong>to</strong>matically selects for ever‐increasing levels of
antibiotic resistance, <strong>and</strong> show how <strong>the</strong> morbidostat can
be used <strong>to</strong> measure <strong>the</strong> reproducibility of evolution in
sequence space.
Experiences in accessing biological
resources for non­commercial research:
results of an informal survey
Sylvia I MARTINEZ <strong>and</strong> Susette BIBER‐KLEMM
ABS program of <strong>the</strong> Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), Bern,
Switzerl<strong>and</strong>. Email: sylvia.martinez@unibas.ch;
Susette.Biber‐Klemm@unibas.ch
After <strong>the</strong> adoption of <strong>the</strong> Bonn Guidelines in 2002 <strong>the</strong>
Swiss Academy of Science conceptualised <strong>and</strong> started a
programme on ABS awareness raising <strong>and</strong> capacity
building for <strong>the</strong> scientific community in Switzerl<strong>and</strong>.
During <strong>the</strong> first years many researchers complained
about <strong>the</strong> additional ABS formalities <strong>and</strong> that access for
non‐commercial research was becoming increasingly
difficult, if not impossible. In order <strong>to</strong> clarify <strong>the</strong> type of
problems <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir causes, a small series of qualitative
interviews was carried out in 2009 with researchers
who at <strong>the</strong> time were knowledgeable about <strong>the</strong> ABS
principles. Even if not representative, <strong>the</strong> results show a
broad array of experiences, starting from relatively
smooth processing of <strong>the</strong> request <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> ab<strong>and</strong>onment
of <strong>the</strong> research project due <strong>to</strong> processing or transaction
fee difficulties.
Our talk will analyse <strong>the</strong> positive <strong>and</strong> negative fac<strong>to</strong>rs
that had an impact on ABS procedures <strong>and</strong> relations. It
<strong>the</strong>n deduces what avenues <strong>and</strong> openings are available
for users <strong>and</strong> providers of genetic resources <strong>to</strong> help
mitigating conceivable problems. A specific focus will be
put on <strong>the</strong> role of <strong>the</strong> respective research communities.
We finally present reflections regarding <strong>the</strong>
implementation of <strong>the</strong> Nagoya Pro<strong>to</strong>col at national levels.
Here suggestions of how <strong>the</strong> academic community can
contribute <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> creation of frameworks that
incorporate concerns of both, providers <strong>and</strong> academic
non‐commercial research users, are put up for
discussion.
Exploring <strong>the</strong> impact of <strong>the</strong>
‘roof­of­<strong>the</strong>­world’ on <strong>the</strong> diversification of
Sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asian l<strong>and</strong> plants
Harald SCHNEIDER
Institute of Botany,CAS, Beijing, China. Email:
h.schneider@nhm.ac.uk
Orogenic events in <strong>the</strong> earth his<strong>to</strong>ry, e.g. mountain
formation, likely had a profound impact on <strong>the</strong>
assembly of biological diversity. For example, recent
studies on <strong>the</strong> biodiversity of South America recovered
strong evidence that <strong>the</strong> Cenozoic rise of <strong>the</strong> Andeans
triggered <strong>the</strong> rapid diversification of many lineages of
vascular plants. However, relatively little attention has
been given on <strong>the</strong> effect of <strong>the</strong> formation of <strong>the</strong>
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