Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of cleistanthin B in normal and tumour cells

Cleistanthin B, one of the toxic constituents of Cleistanthus collinus, was found to be cytotoxic to normal and tumour cells. In comparison with normal cells, tumour cells were sensitive to lower doses of toxin. The 50% growth inhibition (GI50) values for normal cell lines were from 2 × 10-5 to 4.7 × 10-4 M and for tumour cells the values ranged from 1.6 × l0-6 to 4 × l0-5 M. Short exposure (30 min) of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to cleistanthin B at 1-6 μg/ml resulted in extensive chromatid and isochromatid breaks and gaps. However there was no significant increase in cell death and DNA strand breaks in cells treated under the above conditions. Cleistanthin B induced micronucleus formation in cultured lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. CHO cells treated with high doses of cleistanthin B showed a decrease in cell viability and a concomitant increase in DNA strand-breaks. The cell death appears to be due to apoptosis since nucleosome-like ladders were observed in the treated cells when the DNA was electrophorized in agarose gels

Agrobacterium mediated Transformation of rice, var. Pusa Basmati-1

The present study was aimed at the Agrobacterium mediated transformation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) variety Pusa Basmati-1 .Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 harboring the binary vector (pIG121) that carries the genes for ß-glucuronidase and hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) was used for transformation. Co-cultured calli were undergone for GUS histochemical analysis of transformed calli and followed by molecular analysis by using PCR to confirm the presence of transgenes

Genotoxicity of the herbicide butachlor in cultured human lymphocytes

Butachlor, a pre-emergence herbicide was investigated for its ability to induce sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and chromosome aberrations (CA) in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes were treated with three different concentrations (5, 10 and 20 μg/ml) of butachlor for 24, 48 and 72 h. Our results indicate a dose-dependent increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations at 24, 48 and 72 h of treatment with butachlor. No SCE was promoted by butachlor

Prikaz heteroseksualnih četvorki u azijskoga vodenoga bivola

The birth of live heterosexual quadruplets (three females and one male) in a river buffalo is a very rare event and hence it is documented. The cytogenetic study revealed the female calves and the dam exhibited 2n = 50, XX chromosome complement and the male calf exhibited 2n = 50, XY chromosome complement and this proves that the female calves are not freemartins, that in buffaloes the heifer calves born with bull calves need not always be freemartins.Rođenje živih heteroseksualnih četvorki (tri ženska i jedan muški mladunac) u azijskoga vodenoga bivola događa se vrlo rijetko. Citogenetska istraživanja pokazala su da su ženska telad i majka imali 2n = 50, XX kromosoma, a muško tele 2n = 50, XY kromosoma. To pokazuje da u ženske teladi nije bio izražen frimartinizam te da bivolske junice oteljene zajedno s bivolima nisu uvijek nužno frimartine