<smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"><smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"><smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"> Ethnomedicinal wisdom of tribals of Kinwat forest of Nanded district (Maharashtra) </smarttagtype></smarttagtype></smarttagtype>

254-257Ethnomedicinal applications of plants by tribals of Kinwat forest range of Nanded district of Maharashtra were assessed through a survey during 2006-2008. First hand information on ethnomedicinal preparations, dosage and their mode of administration was gathered from herbal practitioners of Gond, Kolam, Andh and Pradhan tribes. Hitherto unreported applications of 25 plant species belonging to 22 families and 25 genera are presented in this paper. The study has brought to light some interesting data on plants which may form a potential source of information for new bio- dynamic compounds of therapeutic value in phytochemical researches

Physical mapping of ribosomal DNA and genome size in diploid and polyploid North African Calligonum species (Polygonaceae)

38 p., tablas, gráf.Most Calligonum species are desert plants, characteristic of the Saharan bioclimatic region. All species karyologically analyzed until present have the basic chromosome number x = 9 and comprise diploids, triploids and tetraploids. The Tunisian flora comprises diploid Calligonum arich and C. azel, of restricted distribution, and the tetraploid C. comosum with wider distribution. Analyses of their karyotypes and polyploidisation-linked rDNA changes by orcein staining, fluorochrome banding with chromomycin A3 and fluorescent in situ hybridisation with 5S and 26S ribosomal DNA probes have been performed. We report the chromosome number for Calligonum arich (2n = 18) as well as the diploid level for C. comosum for the first time. Chromosome counts have also verified the earlier described tetraploid cytotype (2n = 36) of C. comosum. A general pattern of six GC-rich bands as well as two 35S sites and four 5S sites is described for Calligonum species at the diploid level although there is intraspecific variation regarding the site number in a second type of C. comosum, with one pair of 35S rDNA sites and two pairs of 5S rDNA sites. The tetraploid cytotype of C. comosum has undergone locus loss and genome downsizing. Genome size assessments confirmed previous data. Nonetheless, statistically significant differences were found depending on the type of tissue used for estimation. Measurements from seeds had always larger values than from leaves. The presence of cytosolic compounds in leaves, interfering with DNA staining, is discussed as a possible cause of the differences.This work was supported by the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica, government of Spain (CGL2010-22234-C02-01/BOS and CGL2010-22234-C02-02/BOS) and the Generalitat de Catalunya, government of Catalonia (‘‘Ajuts a grups de recerca consolidats’’, 2009SGR0439). SG and OH benefitted from Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contracts of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, government of Spain.Peer reviewe

Computational identification and comparative analysis of miRNAs in Wheat Group 7 Chromosomes

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of important biological elements that regulates gene expression by translational repression or transcript degradation both in plants and animals. The origin, distribution and evolution of the miRNA genes have been systematically studied in many model plants, but they are not well understood in wheat. In this study, we have systematically identified the miRNA precursors and mature miRNAs in wheat group 7 chromosomes by computational analysis in the isolated chromosome sequences. A total of 716 precursors belonging to 43 miRNA families were identified, of which 12 miRNAs families (27.91 %) were not reported in wheat. Further analysis found that there were less mature miRNAs but more miRNA precursors distributing on 7D compared to 7A and 7B, suggesting that wheat group 7 homoeologous chromosome eliminated some miRNA precursors with the potential to yield the same miRNA and formed a more precise regulatory network via the two hybridization events. The target genes of all the newly identified miRNAs were also predicted. The results of this study are beneficial to improve our understanding of the distribution of wheat miRNAs and its evolutionary role in polyploidisation