Study of Fatal Firearm Cases in Allahabad Region, India

Abstract This study was done to assess the pattern of firearm injuries in Allahabad amongst medicolegal autopsies in the mortuary of Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, MotiLal Nehru Medical College, India. It was a descriptive study including fatal cases of firearm injury which underwent autopsy from 1st of January 2015 to 30th July 2016. The demographic information regarding the victims was obtained from the inquest report, person accompanying the victim, their friends and relatives. Autopsy reports were also used to gather additional information. Parameters studied included age and sex of the victim, site of firearm injury and manner of death. In our study, out of 4,445 autopsies, 63 were cases of firearm injury. From these cases, 58 were homicidal, 3 were suicidal, and 1 was accidental. The results show that the age group most commonly affected was 31-40 years (26.98%). Male to female ratio was 6.9:1. The most common targeted part of the body was the chest (61.0%)

SMAR1 and Cux/CDP modulate chromatin and act as negative regulators of the TCRβ enhancer (Eβ)

Chromatin modulation at various cis-acting elements is critical for V(D)J recombination during T and B cell development. MARβ, a matrix-associated region (MAR) located upstream of the T cell receptor β (TCRβ) enhancer (Eβ), serves a crucial role in silencing Eβ-mediated TCR activation. By DNaseI hypersensitivity assays, we show here that overexpression of the MAR binding proteins SMAR1 and Cux/CDP modulate the chromatin structure at MARβ. We further demonstrate that the silencer function of MARβ is mediated independently by SMAR1 and Cux/CDP as judged by their ability to repress Eβ-dependent reporter gene expression. Moreover, the repressor activity of SMAR1 is strongly enhanced in the presence of Cux/CDP. These two proteins physically interact with each other and colocalize within the perinuclear region through a SMAR1 domain required for repression. The repression domain of SMAR1 is separate from the MARβ binding domain and contains a nuclear localization signal and an arginine–serine (RS)-rich domain, characteristic of pre-mRNA splicing regulators. Our data suggest that at the double positive stage of T cell development, cis-acting MARβ elements recruit the strong negative regulators Cux and SMAR1 to control Eβ-mediated recombination and transcription

Tumor suppressor SMAR1 activates and stabilizes p53 through its arginine-serine-rich motif

Various stresses and DNA-damaging agents trigger transcriptional activity of p53 by post-translational modifications, making it a global regulatory switch that controls cell proliferation and apoptosis. Earlier we have shown that the novel MAR-associated protein SMAR1 interacts with p53. Here we delineate the minimal domain of SMAR1 (the arginine-serine-rich domain) that is phosphorylated by protein kinase C family proteins and is responsible for p53 interaction, activation, and stabilization within the nucleus. SMAR1-mediated stabilization of p53 is brought about by inhibiting Mdm2-mediated degradation of p53. We also demonstrate that this arginine-serine (RS)-rich domain triggers the various cell cycle modulating proteins that decide cell fate. Furthermore, phenotypic knock-down experiments using small interfering RNA showed that SMAR1 is required for activation and nuclear retention of p53. The level of phosphorylated p53 was significantly increased in the thymus of SMAR1 transgenic mice, showing in vivo significance of SMAR1 expression. This is the first report that demonstrates the mechanism of action of the MAR-binding protein SMAR1 in modulating the activity of p53, often referred to as the "guardian of the genome.

Effect of ABA and GA on <i>CsPSY</i> and <i>CsUGT</i> promoter activity.

<p>For qualitative analysis, ABA and GA treated <b>(Up) <i>CsPSYp</i> (Down) <i>CsUGTp</i></b> transformed <i>Crocus</i> calli were separately subjected to histochemical GUS staining.</p

Histochemical analysis of GUS activity.

<p><b>(Up)</b>—For qualitative analysis, infiltrated tobacco leaves (with respective construct) and <b>(Down)</b> transformed <i>Crocus</i> calli (with respective construct) were separately subjected to histochemical GUS staining.</p

Elucidation and functional characterization of <i>CsPSY</i> and <i>CsUGT</i> promoters in <i>Crocus sativus</i> L. - Fig 1

<p><b>A. The 5’ upstream promoter sequences of the <i>CsPSY</i> gene</b>. Some important <i>cis</i>-regulatory elements present in <i>CsPSYp</i> are highlighted in different color. Putative TATA box and transcription start sites are shown in red color. <b>1B. The 5’ upstream promoter sequences of the <i>CsUGT</i> gene</b>. Some important <i>cis</i>-regulatory elements present in <i>CsUGTp</i> are highlighted in different color. Putative TATA box and transcription start sites are shown in red color.</p

Relative expression of <i>CsPSY</i> and <i>CsUGT</i> after ABA and GA treatment.

<p>qRT-PCR analysis of <b><i>CsPSY</i></b> and <b><i>CsUGT</i></b> transcripts in ABA and GA treated flowers and leaves of <i>C</i>.<i>sativus</i> at 12 and 24 hrs post treatment.</p

Predicted <i>cis</i>-regulatory elements in <i>CsUGT</i> promoter.

<p>Predicted <i>cis</i>-regulatory elements in <i>CsUGT</i> promoter.</p

Elucidation and functional characterization of <i>CsPSY</i> and <i>CsUGT</i> promoters in <i>Crocus sativus</i> L.

<div><p>The dried stigmas of <i>Crocus sativus</i> constitute the saffron, which is considered to be the costliest spice of the world. Saffron is valuable for its constituents, which are mainly apocarotenoids. In order to enhance the production of apocarotenoids, it is imperative to understand the regulation of apocarotenoid biosynthetic pathway. In <i>C</i>. <i>sativus</i>, although the pathway has been elucidated, the information regarding the regulation of the pathwaygenes is scanty. During the present investigation, the characterization of promoters regulating the expression of two important genes i.e. <i>CsPSY</i> and <i>CsUGT</i> was performed. We successfully cloned the promoters of both the genes, which were functionally characterized in <i>Crocus sativus</i> and <i>Nicotiana tabaccum</i>. <i>In silico</i> analysis of the promoters demonstrated the presence of several important <i>cis</i> regulatory elements responding tolight, hormonesand interaction with transcription factors (TFs). Further analysis suggested the regulation of <i>CsPSY</i> promoter by Abscisic acid (ABA) and that of <i>CsUGT</i> by Gibberellic acid (GA). In addition, we also observed ABA and GA mediated modulation in the expression of significant TFs and <i>CsPSY</i> and <i>CsUGT</i> transcripts. Overall, the study addresses issues related to regulation of key genes of apocarotenoid pathway in <i>C</i>.<i>sativus</i>.</p></div