Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study on grapevine was to genetically characterise, validate and map the reported fungal disease resistance genes of Pölöskei Muskotály (PM), Kishmish Vatkana (KV) and Villard Blanc (VB) in South Africa using QTL analysis. These fungal resistant parents were crossed with other varieties that have desirable fruit qualities in an effort to combine fungal disease resistance with desirable fruit qualities in a single variety. The genetic basis of PM’s resistance to downy and powdery mildew has not been investigated before. It does however have VB in its pedigree so the assumption was made that the same QTL/genes present in VB contribute to this resistance. KV’s resistance to powdery mildew reportedly originates from the REN1 gene located on chromosome 13. VB’s powdery and downy mildew resistance is conferred by QTL present on chromosome 15 and chromosome 18 respectively and has been reported in numerous studies. The study populations comprised of 124 F1 PM x Regal Seedless plants, 16 F1 PM x G4-3418 plants, 14 F1 PM x Sunred Seedless plants, 158 F1 Sunred Seedless x KV plants and 250 F1 VB x G1-6604 plants. DNA was extracted from the leaves and all plants were screened using microsatellite markers. Phenotypic evaluations of downy and/or powdery mildew resistance were performed on the appropriate populations. The molecular data was used to generate linkage maps and combined with phenotypic data to perform QTL analysis. From the molecular data generated for the three PM populations it was determined that the F1 progeny inherited almost exclusively maternal alleles, and could not be used in a mapping study. These populations were eliminated from the study and PM will be used as a pollen donor in future. Molecular data from the Sunred Seedless x KV cross was used to generate a linkage map for chromosome 13 comprising eight markers and spanning 45.6 cM. When combined with the data from two powdery mildew phenotypic screens a QTL peak spanning the REN1 gene on chromosome 13 of KV was identified. This locus explains between 44.8% and 57.7% of the phenotypic variance observed. The molecular data from the VB x G1-6604 cross was used to generate partial linkage maps for chromosome 15 and 18. Eleven markers were mapped on chromosome 15 spanning 56.4 cM, and ten markers were mapped on chromosome 18 spanning 101.8 cM. When the chromosome 15 linkage map was combined with the data from two powdery mildew phenotypic screens a QTL associated with powdery mildew resistance was identified on chromosome 15 that explains between 18.9% and 23.9% of the phenotypic variance observed. Likewise a QTL associated with downy mildew resistance was identified on chromosome 18 when the chromosome 18 linkage map was combined with data from two downy mildew phenotypic screens. This QTL explains between 19.1% and 21.2% of the phenotypic variance observed. This study succeeded in genetically characterising the fungal disease resistance genes of two different sources of grapevine and provided exclusionary information on a third resistance source for future breeding applications. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie in wingerd was om die genetiese komponent van die swamweerstandsgene van Pölöskei Muskotály (PM), Kishmish Vatkana (KV) and Villard Blanc (VB) in Suid-Afrika te karakteriseer en die teenwoordigheid daarvan te bevestig deur ʼn Kwantitatiewe Eienskap Lokus (KEL) benadering te volg. In ʼn poging om swamweerstand en goeie vrugeienskappe te kombineer in ʼn enkel variëteit is die weerstandige variëteite met vatbare variëteite gekruis wat goeie vrugeienskappe besit. Die genetiese basis van PM se weerstand teen donsskimmel en witroes is nog nie vantevore bestudeer nie. VB is een van sy voorgeslagte en daar is aangeneem dat dieselfde KEL/gene waarskynlik verantwoordelik is vir die weerstand. Dit is gerapporteer dat KV se witroesweerstand afkomstig is van die REN1 geen op chromosoom 13. Vele publikasies rapporteer VB se weerstand teen witroes en donsskimmel Beide die witroes- en donsskimmelweerstand word oorgedra deur KEL teenwoordig op chromosome 15 en 18 onderskeidelik. Die populasies gebruik in hierdie studie het bestaan uit 124 F1 PM x Regal Seedless plante, 16 F1 PM x G4-3418 plante, 14 F1 PM x Sunred Seedless, 158 F1 Sunred Seedless x KV plante en 250 F1 VB x G1-6604 plante onderskeidelik. Blare is versamel vir DNS isolasie en genotipering met mikrosatellietmerkers. Al drie populasies se weerstand teen donsskimmel en/of witroes is fenotipies geëvalueer. Die molekulêre data is gebruik om genetiese koppelingskaarte op te stel en gekombineer met die fenotipiese data om KEL analise uit te voer. Die molekulêre data van die drie PM populasies het daarop gedui dat die F1 nageslag amper uitsluitlik moederlike allele geërf het en kon gevolglik nie gebruik word in die studie nie. Die PM populasies is uitgesluit uit hierdie studie en PM sal voortaan as stuifmeelskenker gebruik word. Molekulêre data van die Sunred Seedless x KV kruising is gebruik om ʼn koppelingskaart vir chromosoom 13 op te stel wat 45.6 cM lank is en agt merkers bevat. Die KEL analise van die koppelingskaart en twee fenotipiese datastelle vir witroes het ʼn KEL piek geïdentifiseer wat oor die lengte van die REN1 geen-interval strek. Hierdie lokus is verantwoordelik vir 44.8% tot 57.7% van die fenotipiese variasie wat waargeneem word. Molekulêre data van die VB x G1-6604 kruising is gebruik om gedeeltelike koppelingskaarte vir chromosome 15 en 18 op te stel. Elf merkers karteer op die chromosoom 15 kaart van 56.4 cM en tien merkers karteer op die chromosoom 18 kaart van 101.8 cM. KEL analise van chromosoom 15 se koppelingskaart en twee witroes fenotipiese datastelle het ʼn KEL geïdentifiseer wat 18.9% tot 23.9% van die fenotipiese variasie verduidelik. ʼn KEL is ook op chromosoom 18 geïdentifiseer wat 19.1% tot 21.2% van die fenotipiese variasie verduidelik met die gekombineerde analise van chromosoom 18 se koppelingskaart en twee donsskimmel fenotipiese datastelle. Hierdie studie het die genetiese komponent van die swamweerstandsgene van twee Vitis variëteite suksesvol gekarakteriseer en bevestig. Waardevolle telingsinligting oor die derde variëteit is ook onthul.

Alpacas were first introduced into South Africa during the year 2000. They are valuable because of the fine quality wool they produce which has much better insulation properties than that of merino wool fibres. Alpacas are also used to act as guards of sheep herds against predators. During 2008, blood samples from an alpaca that died acutely with severe lung oedema, respiratory distress and froth exuding from the nose were received at Elsenburg Veterinary Laboratory. The alpaca was from a herd of 23 alpacas of a British veterinarian in the Montagu district in the western Cape. Virus isolation attempts on the blood produced infrequent embryo mortalities. Embryonated chicken egg (ECE) material was send to the Virology Department at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI). A bluetongue virus (BTV) PCR performed at the diagnostic PCR laboratory at OVI on the ECE material was positive. Further intra-venous (IV) inoculations in ECE produced embryo mortalities on two consecutive days, the 8th and 9th November. The dead embryos were harvested separately and named and treated as two separate virus samples, Alp8 and Alp9 which were further passaged on baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. The BTV virus neutralisation tests (VNT) performed at the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) Laboratory on both Alp8 and Alp9 were negative. Because of the close serological relationship between BTV and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), an EHDV VNT was also performed and was also negative. In the light of the negative VNT and the positive BTV PCR results, more in-depth molecular analyses were performed. RNA was purified from tissue culture material and agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) performed. Both Alp8 and Alp9 had a typical orbiviral electrophoretic profile, but their respective profiles were different. A sequence-independent reverse transcriptase PCR amplification method generated ample complementary DNA (cDNA) of both samples for sequencing. Sanger sequencing was used to partially sequence genome segments 5 (NS1) and 2 (VP2). BLAST analysis of the partial information of the genome segments 5 (NS1) of Alp8 confirmed it as being a BTV and Alp9 as being an EHDV. BLAST analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence generated of VP2 of both Alp8 and Alp9 established that these samples were possibly new serotypes of BTV and EHDV respectively. The complete genome of both Alp8 and Alp9 was sequenced with next generation 454 Pyrosequencing. This confirmed the partial sequencing results. BLAST analysis of the complete sequence of S2 (VP2) of Alp8 showed that it has 73 % nucleotide and 77 % deduced amino acid identity to BTV15. In contrast the nucleic acid sequence of genome segment S2 (VP2) of Alp9 had no nucleotide sequence identity to any virus, but its deduced amino acid sequence had 71 % amino acid identity to EHDV2. Hyper immune guinea pig (GP) serum prepared against the putative new BT (Alp8) and EHD (Alp9) virus serotypes were tested for serological cross-reactivity against the 24 OIE reference antigen strains of BTV and the 8 OIE reference antigen strains of EHDV. Alp8 had a neutralising antibody (NAb) titre of > 32 against BTV15. Alp9 did not cross react with any of the OIE BTV and EHDV strains. Six out of the remaining 22 alpacas on the farm had NAbs to a greater or lesser extend against Alp8 (BTV) and Alp9 (EHDV) viruses, which confirmed that the viruses were also present in other alpacas in the herd. Very few cases of EHDV in alpacas have ever been reported in literature. A small scale pilot vector susceptibility study showed that vector competence of C. imicola for both Alp8 and Alp9 was low, below 2 %. The fact that neutralising antibodies to Alp8 and Alp9 were detected in other alpacas in the herd raises the question as to whether there are other Culicoides species circulating in the area that could vector the viruses. In conclusion, the results from the serological and virological analyses as well as the nucleic acid sequence data of the genomes of two virus samples, Alp8 and Alp9, from an alpaca that died in the Montagu district in the western Cape identified Alp9 as a definite new serotype of EHDV and Alp8 as a possible new serotype of BTV most closely related to BTV15. / MSc (Biochemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Alpacas were first introduced into South Africa during the year 2000. They are valuable because of the fine quality wool they produce which has much better insulation properties than that of merino wool fibres. Alpacas are also used to act as guards of sheep herds against predators. During 2008, blood samples from an alpaca that died acutely with severe lung oedema, respiratory distress and froth exuding from the nose were received at Elsenburg Veterinary Laboratory. The alpaca was from a herd of 23 alpacas of a British veterinarian in the Montagu district in the western Cape. Virus isolation attempts on the blood produced infrequent embryo mortalities. Embryonated chicken egg (ECE) material was send to the Virology Department at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI). A bluetongue virus (BTV) PCR performed at the diagnostic PCR laboratory at OVI on the ECE material was positive. Further intra-venous (IV) inoculations in ECE produced embryo mortalities on two consecutive days, the 8th and 9th November. The dead embryos were harvested separately and named and treated as two separate virus samples, Alp8 and Alp9 which were further passaged on baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. The BTV virus neutralisation tests (VNT) performed at the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) Laboratory on both Alp8 and Alp9 were negative. Because of the close serological relationship between BTV and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), an EHDV VNT was also performed and was also negative. In the light of the negative VNT and the positive BTV PCR results, more in-depth molecular analyses were performed. RNA was purified from tissue culture material and agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) performed. Both Alp8 and Alp9 had a typical orbiviral electrophoretic profile, but their respective profiles were different. A sequence-independent reverse transcriptase PCR amplification method generated ample complementary DNA (cDNA) of both samples for sequencing. Sanger sequencing was used to partially sequence genome segments 5 (NS1) and 2 (VP2). BLAST analysis of the partial information of the genome segments 5 (NS1) of Alp8 confirmed it as being a BTV and Alp9 as being an EHDV. BLAST analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence generated of VP2 of both Alp8 and Alp9 established that these samples were possibly new serotypes of BTV and EHDV respectively. The complete genome of both Alp8 and Alp9 was sequenced with next generation 454 Pyrosequencing. This confirmed the partial sequencing results. BLAST analysis of the complete sequence of S2 (VP2) of Alp8 showed that it has 73 % nucleotide and 77 % deduced amino acid identity to BTV15. In contrast the nucleic acid sequence of genome segment S2 (VP2) of Alp9 had no nucleotide sequence identity to any virus, but its deduced amino acid sequence had 71 % amino acid identity to EHDV2. Hyper immune guinea pig (GP) serum prepared against the putative new BT (Alp8) and EHD (Alp9) virus serotypes were tested for serological cross-reactivity against the 24 OIE reference antigen strains of BTV and the 8 OIE reference antigen strains of EHDV. Alp8 had a neutralising antibody (NAb) titre of > 32 against BTV15. Alp9 did not cross react with any of the OIE BTV and EHDV strains. Six out of the remaining 22 alpacas on the farm had NAbs to a greater or lesser extend against Alp8 (BTV) and Alp9 (EHDV) viruses, which confirmed that the viruses were also present in other alpacas in the herd. Very few cases of EHDV in alpacas have ever been reported in literature. A small scale pilot vector susceptibility study showed that vector competence of C. imicola for both Alp8 and Alp9 was low, below 2 %. The fact that neutralising antibodies to Alp8 and Alp9 were detected in other alpacas in the herd raises the question as to whether there are other Culicoides species circulating in the area that could vector the viruses. In conclusion, the results from the serological and virological analyses as well as the nucleic acid sequence data of the genomes of two virus samples, Alp8 and Alp9, from an alpaca that died in the Montagu district in the western Cape identified Alp9 as a definite new serotype of EHDV and Alp8 as a possible new serotype of BTV most closely related to BTV15. / MSc (Biochemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014