Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum): From population genetics to functional genomics

Tribolium castaneum is a small and low maintenance beetle that has emerged as a most suitable insect model for studying developmental biology and functional genetic analysis. Diverse population genetic studies have been conducted using Tribolium as the principal model to establish basic facts and principles of inbreeding experiments and response to the selection and other quantitative genetics fundamentals. The advanced molecular genetic studies presently focused on the use of Tribolium as a typical invertebrate model for higher diploid eukaryotes. After a whole genome sequencing of Tribolium, many areas of functional genomics were unraveled, which enabled the use of it in many technical approaches of genomics. The present text reviews the use of Tribolium in techniques such as RNAi, transgenic studies, immune priming, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, gene sequencing for characterization of microRNAs, and gene editing using engineered endonuclease. In contrast to Drosophila, the T. castaneum holds a robust systemic RNAi response, which makes it an excellent model for comparative functional genetic studies

Relative expression of oxytocin receptor gene in buffalo endometrium in late luteal phase and pregnancy stages

Molecular level information related to buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) reproduction and related genes is not present at appropriate level. If such exploration is made in the form of comparison between expression of genes is made between non-pregnant and pregnant phase, it may be helpful to aid manipulate the reproduction. Hence, the present study was carried out to reveal mRNA quantitative real time expression of oxytocin receptor (OTR) mRNA. IFN-τ is considered as the substance of maternal recognition of pregnancy and shut down the probable mechanisms which lead to luteolysis. Such mechanism includes shutting down of OTR. Therefore, relative expression of OTR was studied in endometrial tissue of three groups. The groups were non-pregnant late luteal phase, pregnancy stage I (pregnancy of 42 days of pregnancy). With designed primer and GAPDH as house-keeping gene, relative mRNA expression was measured in Real-time PCR. After statistical analysis of results, the gene found to be expressed in all three stages with non-significant difference

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in toll-like receptor genes and case-control association studies with bovine tuberculosis

Aim: Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 genes play critical roles in host recognition of Mycobacterium bovis infection and initiation of innate and adaptive immune response. The present study was aimed at exploring the association of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR2 and TLR4 genes with susceptibility/resistance against bovine tuberculosis (bTB) infection in cattle. Materials and Methods: A case-control resource population of 35 positive and 45 negative animals was developed after screening with single intradermal tuberculin test for bTB. Resource population was screened for SNPs in TLR2 and TLR4 genes using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The PROC LOGISTIC procedure of SAS 9.3 was used to find an association of allelic and genotypic frequencies with bTB. Results: In TLR2 gene, two of SNPs under study (rs55617172 and rs68268253) revealed polymorphism while in the case of TLR4 gene all four SNPs under investigation (rs8193041, rs207836014, rs8193060, and rs8193069) were found to be polymorphic in case-control population. SNP locus rs55617172 in TLR2 gene was found significantly (p<0.01) associated with susceptibility/resistance to TB in cattle. Conclusion: These findings indicate the presence of SNPs in TLR2 and TLR4 genes in our resource population. Upon validation in independent, large resource population and following biological characterization, SNP rs55617172 can be incorporated in marker panel for selection of animals with greater resistance to bTB

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Not AvailableLivestock is an integral component of agriculture in India and help to improve food and nutritional security, generate income, employment, act as a cushion against crop failure, and contribute to foreign exchange through export of livestock products. The livestock sector is both expanding and adapting to changing economic, technological, and environmental factors. In this context, the institute has been serving as the national hub for research to develop important veterinary diagnostics, vaccines and biological products for successful control and management of major livestock and poultry diseases and raise the productivity of the livestock species. In addition, the institute contributes to the development of trained human resource through quality education at the post-graduation level. The ICAR-IVRI, since its establishment in 1889, has been a torch-bearer for advanced scientific and technological research, education and extension activities in Veterinary Science in India. Since its inception, the institute has laid a balanced emphasis on the pursuit of basic, applied, and translational research in veterinary science. Frontier areas of research include development of new generation vaccines, nanotechnology-based diagnostics and biosensors, host-pathogen interaction, advanced clinical research and therapeutics including ethno-veterinary medicine, antimicrobial peptides, clinical applications of stem cells; rumen microbiology, genetic studies on livestock health and production, augmentation of reproductive efficiency, cancer biology etc. The institute actively pursues a policy of true academic freedom in all the areas of its activities. The faculty, numbering about 236, is active in a broad spectrum of research and maintains a high annual publication output. Serving as a national centre for excellence in R&D in veterinary science, the institute has handled 163 research projects, including 79 institute-funded and 84 externally-funded projects during the year. The faculty of the Institute continues to attract a large number of research projects funded by various agencies, including the ICAR; Department of Science and Technology (DST); Department of Biotechnology (DBT); DBT - BBSRC; Dept of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; CSIR; ICMR; CZA, Ministry of Environment and Forests; UPCAR; Ministry of food Processing and Industries etc. The research accomplishments of the scientists and students are reflected in 405 quality research papers besides several books, invited paper/lectures, training manual/compendia, monographs and extension bulletins. It is noteworthy to mention that the scientists of the institute have been publishing in international journals of repute and this has brought more visibility to the research output. Research publication trend analysis revealed that since 2013-14, the total impact factor from research publications in peer reviewed journals has jumped from 231.56 to 350. In pursuance to the identified thrust areas of research, and targets set by the GoS and the Council; the institute continued research to develop Thermotolerant FMD vaccine and other new generation vaccines with long duration immunity, combination vaccines to save cost of vaccination and diagnosis, etc. The products ready for transfer include: the Subviral particle-based vaccine against Gumboro diseases of poultry (the first recombinant vaccine for livestock/poultry in the country to reach to the farmers in very near future), improved PPR diagnostic kit, serodiagnostic kits for bluetongue disease of sheep and Japanese encephalitis of pigs. Institute-industry interface meetings were organized to popularize the developed technologies and their transfer to interested manufacturers in the country. The Institute has been encouraging its faculty and students to protect their intellectual property, and convert the results of some of their scientific investigations to practice via technology transfer and entrepreneurship development. During this reporting period, the institute generated revenue to the tune of Rs. 92.25 lakh from sale of technologies and royalties accrued from technologies transferred in the preceding years. The Institute IPR portfolio includes grant of two patents, one design registration, four copy rights and filing of one new patent during the reporting period. On the basis of All India Entrance Examination, 181 students (98 M.V.Sc. and 83 Ph.D.) were admitted to post-graduate programmes of the Deemed University during the academic year and currently, a total of 243 M.V.Sc. and 406 Ph.D. students are on roll. The Division of Physiology & Climatology as well as Division of Nutrition – functioning as Centres for Advanced Faculty Training recognized by ICAR –contributed to the capacity building of faculties in the SAUs and Veterinary Universities. The institute also conducted several in-house training to upgrade the skills of scientists, students and all categories of technical and administrative staff. The institute also strengthened its linkages with various SAUs / Veterinary universities such as Assam Agricultural University (Jorhat), Kamdhenu University (Gandhinagar, Gujarat), Chhattishgarh Kamdhenu University (Durg), Rajasthan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (Bikaner), Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University (Nagpur), and Bihar Agriculture Sciences University (Patna). This is expected to raise the standard of higher education across the NARS system. The post graduate students are being encouraged to take up twinning PG program at reputed foreign universities for advanced research exposures. The farmer welfare schemes of the government were implemented through organizing Sankalp Se Siddhi, Sansad Adarsha Gram Yojana and Farm Women Day. Several other important extension activities were carried out at the headquarter, campuses and regional stations of the institute in the form of Kisan Melas, exhibitions, animal health and infertility camps, soil health camps, awareness camps on hygiene and zoonoses, Jai Kisan Jai Vigyan week and Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav programme, etc. Further, the institute has organized training courses to farmers/farmwomen in Precision Livestock Farming, Dairy and Animal Husbandry and Unnat Pashupalan. Rural youth were trained and assisted for establishing entrepreneurship Tribal families were assisted for establishment of piggery, poultry and goatry. More than 2000 farm families benefitted under the Tribal sub-plan program (TSP) being implemented in Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. A number of mobile apps are being developed and some have been released for use by the stakeholders. The use of such user-friendly apps will certainly enhance the spread of developed technologies among the farming community.Not Availabl