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Despite strong evidence of an inheritable component of muscle phenotypes, little progress has been made in identifying the specific genetic factors involved in the development of sarcopenia. Even rarer are studies that focus on predicting the risk of sarcopenia based on a genetic risk score. In the present study, we tested the single and combined effect of seven candidate gene variants on the risk of sarcopenia. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes were genotyped using the KASP assay. We examined 190 older adults that were classified as non-sarcopenic or sarcopenic according to the diagnostic criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Sarcopenia was associated with Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, Alpha-actinin-3, and Nuclear respiratory factor 2 genotypes. The combined effect of all three polymorphisms explained 39% of the interindividual variation in sarcopenia risk. Our results suggest that the single and combined effect of Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, Alpha-actinin-3, and Nuclear respiratory factor 2 polymorphism is associated with sarcopenia risk in older adults. Nowadays, as the population is getting older and older, great efforts are being made to research the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of sarcopenia. At the same time, small progress has been made in understanding the genetic etiology of sarcopenia. Given the importance of research on this disease, further genetic studies are needed to better understand the genetic risk underlying sarcopenia. We believe that this small-scale study will help to demonstrate that there is still much to be discovered in this field.

The distribution of the endangered glacial relict subspecies, the Pannonian root vole Alexandromys oeconomus mehelyi Éhik, 1928, is restricted to scattered localities in south-western Slovakia, which belong to the north-eastern zone of its range. Human-induced changes and fragmentation of the landscape have led to the gradual loss of suitable habitats and threaten its long-term survival. The study area in the Danubian Lowland is characterised by small habitat fragments and temporal fluctuations of the habitat area. Root voles were sampled at nine sites to study the level of genetic variability and structure of local subpopulations by scoring 13 microsatellite loci in 69 individuals. Genetic differentiation varied amongst local populations and we did not find a significant isolation-by-distance pattern. Bayesian clustering analysis suggested that dispersal effectively prevents marked genetic subdivision between studied habitat fragments. Significant pairwise differentiation between some subpopulations, however, may be the result of putatively suppressed gene flow. Low genetic diversity in the recent populations probably reflects the isolated location of the study area in the agricultural landscape, suggesting that long-term survival may not be assured. In order to maintain genetic diversity, it is essential to preserve (or even restore) habitats and ensure the possibility of gene flow; habitat protection is, therefore, recommended. Continuous assessment is necessary for effective conservation management and to predict the long-term survival chances of the Pannonian root vole in the study area.

Habitat fragmentation and loss have contributed significantly to the demographic decline of European wildcat populations and hybridization with domestic cats poses a threat to the loss of genetic purity of the species. In this study we used microsatellite markers to analyse genetic variation and structure of the wildcat populations from the area between the Dinaric Alps and the Scardo-Pindic mountains in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and North Macedonia. We also investigated hybridisation between populations of wildcats and domestic cats in the area. One hundred and thirteen samples from free-leaving European wildcats and thirty-two samples from domestic cats were analysed. Allelic richness across populations ranged from 3.61 to 3.98. The observed Ho values ranged between 0.57 and 0.71. The global FST value for the four populations was 0.080 (95% CI 0.056–0.109) and differed significantly from zero (P < 0.001). The highest FST value was observed between the populations North Macedonia and Slovenia and the lowest between Slovenia and Croatia. We also found a signal for the existence of isolation by distance between populations. Our results showed that wildcats are divided in two genetic clusters largely consistent with a geographic division into a genetically diverse northern group (Slovenia, Croatia) and genetically eroded south-eastern group (Serbia, N. Macedonia). Hybridisation rate between wildcats and domestic cats varied between 13% and 52% across the regions.