Molecular Characterization and SNP Detection of CD14 Gene of Crossbred Cattle

CD14 is an important molecule for innate immunity that can act against a wide range of pathogens. The present paper has characterized CD14 gene of crossbred (CB) cattle (Bos indicus×Bos taurus). Cloning and sequence analysis of CD14 cDNA revealed 1119 nucleotide long open reading frame encoding 373 amino acids protein and 20 amino acids signal peptide. CB cattle CD14 gene exhibited a high percentage of nucleotide identity (59.3–98.1%) with the corresponding mammalian homologs. Cattle and buffalo appear to have diverged from a common ancestor in phylogenetic analysis. 25 SNPs with 17 amino acid changes were newly reported and the site for mutational hot-spot was detected in CB cattle CD14 gene. Non-synonymous substitutions exceeding synonymous substitutions indicate the evolution of this protein through positive selection among domestic animals. Predicted protein structures obtained from deduced amino acid sequence indicated CB cattle CD14 molecule to be a receptor with horse shoe-shaped structure. The sites for LPS binding, LPS signalling, leucine-rich repeats, putative N-linked glycosylation, O-linked glycosylation, glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol anchor, disulphide bridges, alpha helix, beta strand, leucine rich nuclear export signal, leucine zipper and domain linker were predicted. Most of leucine and cysteine residues remain conserved across the species

Cloning and characterization of DGAT1 gene of Riverine buffalo

The present study was carried out to characterize the DGAT1 gene of Riverine buffalo. Total RNA was extracted from the mammary tissue of buffalo and DGAT1cDNA were synthesized by RT-PCR, then cloned using pDRIVE cloning vector and sequenced. The sequencing revealed that the size of DGAT1 gene was 1470 bp with GC content of 62.30%. The gene encoded for 489 amino acid precursors and that it possessed 32 amino acids signal peptide. The similarity of buffalo DGAT1 mRNA sequence with that of cattle, pig, monkey, human, mice and rat were determined as 98.4, 90.7, 85.4, 85.0, 77.4 and 77.1%, respectively. Phylogenetic tree constructed from the derived DGAT1 protein sequences of 15 different species illustrated a unique branches for mammals, fly, nematode and plants. Among mammals, cattle and buffalo grouped together, whereas swine formed another group in the same branch. Four motifs were predicted in buffalo DGAT1 peptide sequence, one N-linked glycosylation site (246th position), two putative tyrosine phosphorylation site (316 and 261), one putative diacylglycerol binding site (382–392 amino acid position) and a conserved domain MBOAT (membrane bound acyl transferase from 150 to 474 amino acids) with a histidine as an active residue

Seleksi Kultivar Kentang (Solanum tuberosum L.) Berdasarkan Penampilan Karakter Agronomis di Dataran Medium Kabupaten Garut

Penanaman kentang pada kawasan dataran medium akan dihadapkan dengan masalah cekaman lingkungan terutama suhu tinggi (heat stress) yang menyebabkan adanya perubahan penampilan sebagai respons terhadap cekaman. Adanya perbedaan respons diantara kultivar menunjukkan tingkat adaptasi yang beragam. Sebuah penelitian yang bertujuan untuk menyeleksi kultivar kentang berdasarkan penampilan karakter agronomis di dataran medium Kabupaten Garut sebagai langkah awal seleksi dan evaluasi materi genetik potensial dalam pengembangan kultivar kentang adaptif dataran medium Kabupaten Garut. Percobaan telah dilaksanakan pada bulan Juli sampai Oktober 2018 di Tarogong Kaler Kabupaten Garut dengan ketinggian 732 meter di atas permukaan laut (m dpl). Percobaan disusun dalam Rancangan Acak Kelompok dengan menggunakan 15 kultivar kentang sebagai perlakuan dan diulang sebanyak tiga kali. Kultivar-kultivar yang digunakan terdiri dari 14 kultivar uji yaitu 1) Andina, 2) Sangkuriang, 3) Cipanas, 4) AR-08, 5) Amabile, 6) Atlantik Malang, 7) Dayang Sumbi, 8) GM-05, 9) Merbabu-17, 10) Vernei, 11) Tedzo MZ, 12) Median, 13) Erika, dan 14) Granola, serta 1 kultivar pembanding yaitu Olimpus. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terseleksi sejumlah kultivar kentang yang memiliki penampilan agronomis lebih baik dibandingkan dengan kultivar pembanding diantaranya 2 kultivar berdasarkan tinggi tanaman, 2 kultivar berdasarkan luas daun, 5 kultivar berdasarkan jumlah umbi per tanaman dan 10 kultivar berdasarkan diameter umbi. Kultivar GM-05 dan Vernei memiliki kemampuan adaptasi yang baik pada kawasan dataran medium Kabupaten Garut berdasarkan karakter tinggi tanaman, luas daun dan jumlah umbi per tanaman. Kata Kunci: Solanum tuberosum L.; karakter agronomis; heat stress; dataran mediu

Does environmental archaeology need an ethical promise?

Environmental catastrophes represent profound challenges faced by societies today. Numerous scholars in the climate sciences and the humanities have argued for a greater ethical engagement with these pressing issues. At the same time, several disciplines concerned with hazards are moving towards formalized ethical codes or promises that not only guide the dissemination of data but oblige scientists to relate to fundamentally political issues. This article couples a survey of the recent environmental ethics literature with two case studies of how past natural hazards have affected vulnerable societies in Europe's prehistory. We ask whether cases of past calamities and their societal effects should play a greater role in public debates and whether archaeologists working with past environmental hazards should be more outspoken in their ethical considerations. We offer no firm answers, but suggest that archaeologists engage with debates in human-environment relations at this interface between politics, public affairs and science