Sustainable plant protection for increased food security in a changing climate

The global climate is changing. Rising temperatures in temperate regions are making headlines, but there are a host of changes that may have even greater impact on a global scale, particularly in regions where food security is already delicately balanced. Rising sea levels, changing patterns of rainfall, availability of water and increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are all likely to affect the biotic environment upon which we depend

In vitro clonal propagation of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis and its evaluation of genetic stability through RAPD markers

The Mucuna pruriens var. utilis is an important legume cover crop. Almost all the parts of the plant are reported to contain L-3,4-dihydroxy phenylalanine (L-Dopa). Here we report a rapid and reliable methodfor high fidelity micro-propagation. Auxiliary bud explants from 14-day-old seedlings were cultured on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of cytokinins. During the first culture on 3.5 M 6-benzylamino purine (BAP) maximum of 6.70 ± 1.15 shoots with an average shoot-length of 1.07 ± 0.21 cm were produced. The number of shoots increased up to 16.33 ± 0.58 recording average length of 1.16 ± 0.29 cm, when the intact shoots were subjected to re-culturing on the same hormonal medium. The shoots exhibited adequate elongation of 4.00 cm on 2.89 M gibberellic acid (GA3). The elongated shoots produced a maximum of 16.67 ± 2.89 roots on half-strength MS liquid medium supplemented with 16.20 ìM -naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The plantlets were acclimatized by transferring them first to peat moss: compost (1:1) mixture followed by sand: soil (1:1) mixture, recording 95% survival. The genetic fidelity of the regenerated shoots was confirmed using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis employing 15 operon primers. This system provides high fidelity micro-propagation system for efficient and rapid micro-propagation of this important greenmanure cover crop with medicinal properties

Identification of the orphan gene Prod 1 in basal and other salamander families.

The urodele amphibians (salamanders) are the only adult tetrapods able to regenerate the limb. It is unclear if this is an ancestral property that is retained in salamanders but lost in other tetrapods or if it evolved in salamanders. The three-finger protein Prod 1 is implicated in the mechanism of newt limb regeneration, and no orthologs have been found in other vertebrates, thus providing evidence for the second viewpoint. It has also been suggested that this protein could play a role in salamander-specific aspects of limb development. There are ten families of extant salamanders, and Prod 1 has only been identified in two of them to date. It is important to determine if it is present in other families and, particularly, the basal group of two families which diverged approximately 200 MYA

CLASSICAL ASHTAVAIDYAN AYURVEDIC THERAPY IN THE FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: CASE STUDY

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a systemic auto immune connective tissue disease that can affect any part of the body. The disease has no direct reference in Ayurvedic texts. Considering the symptomatology, it can be compared with Upadrava of Vatarakta. Methodology: In this study, 3 patients (age group between 15– 60 yrs) diagnosed SLE with the help of ACR criteria after assessing both objective and subjective parameters have undergone the prescribed classical Ayurvedic treatments, in both IP and OP level to evaluate its effect in the functional improvement. The study period was totally 57 days which included 21 days each at inpatient and outpatient basis and 15 days of follow up. Initially Sathaila Shastika Pinda Sweda was done for first 7 days followed by Takradhara for another 7 days. Consecutively Abhyanga with Pinda taila and Thalam with Amalaki were done for next 7 days. Then treatment was done on OP basis with internal medicines. Result: Results shows that the prescribed Ayurvedic treatments helped to control the progressive signs and symptoms. The quality of life and range of movements of the affected joints improved. Major difference showing a good improvement in carrying out the day today life activities was noted. Conclusion: Traditional Ashtavaidyan Ayurveda therapy is found effective in controlling the progressive symptoms of patients and improvement in functional ability of the patients with SLE. More over there was no adverse drug reaction recorded during as well there was significant change observed in liver and renal function tests. This indicates that the therapy is safe without producing any complication or side effects

Classical Ashtavaidyan Ayurvedic Therapy in the functional improvement of patients of Psoriatic Arthritis - An open label, single arm exploratory clinical study

Background: Arthritis and various musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of disability in persons between 18 to 65 years of age. Psoriatic arthritis simulates Ayurvedic descriptions of the clinical syndrome - Vatarakta. The study has been designed to evaluate the effectiveness of classical Ashtavaidyan methods of Ayurvedic intervention in the management of psoriatic arthritis and to assess the safety of the therapy. Methodology: Diagnosed cases of psoriatic arthritis (n=30) (20-60 yrs) have undergone the prescribed classical Ashtavaidyan Ayurvedic therapies. The total study period was 57 days which included 21 days each at inpatient and outpatient basis and 15 days of follow up. Initially modified Takradhara was performed along with internal medications for first 14 days; later same internal medication was continued with Sarvanga Abhyanga (therapeutic massage) with Pinda Taila and Vajraka Ghrita in 3:1 ratio externally and Amalaki Thalam for next 7 days. Same internal medicines and oil application were continued for next 21 days as outpatient. Results: The response to treatment was assessed periodically with respective parameters and showed highly significant improvement (P<0.001). There was significant reduction in PASI score and also significant changes in functional parameters related to psoriatic arthritis evaluated by using the visual analogue pain scale, DAS score, disability index scores and SF-36 (quality of life Index). The laboratory parameters used to evaluate the liver and renal functions did not show any significant changes that indicate the prescribed treatment is safe. Conclusion: Traditional Ashtavaidyan Ayurveda therapy is effective in reducing the skin lesions and improving functional ability in Vatarakta vis-à-vis psoriatic arthritis over a period of 42 days. Moreover, there was no adverse drug reaction recorded as well no significant change observed in liver and renal function tests

Mechanism of Action of Secreted Newt Anterior Gradient Protein

Anterior gradient (AG) proteins have a thioredoxin fold and are targeted to the secretory pathway where they may act in the ER, as well as after secretion into the extracellular space. A newt member of the family (nAG) was previously identified as interacting with the GPI-anchored salamander-specific three-finger protein called Prod1. Expression of nAG has been implicated in the nerve dependence of limb regeneration in salamanders, and nAG acted as a growth factor for cultured newt limb blastemal (progenitor) cells, but the mechanism of action was not understood. Here we show that addition of a peptide antibody to Prod1 specifically inhibit the proliferation of blastema cells, suggesting that Prod1 acts as a cell surface receptor for secreted nAG, leading to S phase entry. Mutation of the single cysteine residue in the canonical active site of nAG to alanine or serine leads to protein degradation, but addition of residues at the C terminus stabilises the secreted protein. The mutation of the cysteine residue led to no detectable activity on S phase entry in cultured newt limb blastemal cells. In addition, our phylogenetic analyses have identified a new Caudata AG protein called AG4. A comparison of the AG proteins in a cell culture assay indicates that nAG secretion is significantly higher than AGR2 or AG4, suggesting that this property may vary in different members of the family

Identification of miR-379/miR-656 (C14MC) cluster downregulation and associated epigenetic and transcription regulatory mechanism in oligodendrogliomas

Introduction Although role of individual microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of gliomas has been well studied, their role as a clustered remains unexplored in gliomas. Methods In this study, we performed the expression analysis of miR-379/miR-656 miRNA-cluster (C14MC) in oligodendrogliomas (ODGs) and also investigated the mechanism underlying modulation of this cluster. Results We identified significant downregulation of majority of the miRNAs from this cluster in ODGs. Further data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) also confirmed the global downregulation of C14MC. Furthermore, we observed that its regulation is maintained by transcription factor MEF2. In addition, epigenetic machinery involving DNA and histone-methylation are also involved in its regulation, which is acting independently or in synergy. The post- transcriptionally regulatory network of this cluster showed enrichment of key cancer-related biological processes such as cell adhesion and migration. Also, there was enrichment of several cancer related pathways viz PIK3 signaling pathway and glioma pathways. Survival analysis demonstrated association of C14MC (miR-487b and miR-409-3p) with poor progression free survival in ODGs. Conclusion Our work demonstrates tumor-suppressive role of C14MC and its role in pathogenesis of ODGs and therefore could be relevant for the development of new therapeutic strategies

Tea and coffee consumption in relation to vitamin D and calcium levels in Saudi adolescents

Background Coffee and tea consumption was hypothesized to interact with variants of vitamin D-receptor polymorphisms, but limited evidence exists. Here we determine for the first time whether increased coffee and tea consumption affects circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in a cohort of Saudi adolescents. Methods A total of 330 randomly selected Saudi adolescents were included. Anthropometrics were recorded and fasting blood samples were analyzed for routine analysis of fasting glucose, lipid levels, calcium, albumin and phosphorous. Frequency of coffee and tea intake was noted. 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Improved lipid profiles were observed in both boys and girls, as demonstrated by increased levels of HDL-cholesterol, even after controlling for age and BMI, among those consuming 9–12 cups of coffee/week. Vitamin D levels were significantly highest among those consuming 9–12 cups of tea/week in all subjects (p-value 0.009) independent of age, gender, BMI, physical activity and sun exposure. Conclusion This study suggests a link between tea consumption and vitamin D levels in a cohort of Saudi adolescents, independent of age, BMI, gender, physical activity and sun exposure. These findings should be confirmed prospectively

Lower bounds on multiple sequence alignment using exact 3-way alignment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple sequence alignment is fundamental. Exponential growth in computation time appears to be inevitable when an optimal alignment is required for many sequences. Exact costs of optimum alignments are therefore rarely computed. Consequently much effort has been invested in algorithms for alignment that are heuristic, or explore a restricted class of solutions. These give an upper bound on the alignment cost, but it is equally important to determine the quality of the solution obtained. In the absence of an optimal alignment with which to compare, lower bounds may be calculated to assess the quality of the alignment. As more effort is invested in improving upper bounds (alignment algorithms), it is therefore important to improve lower bounds as well. Although numerous cost metrics can be used to determine the quality of an alignment, many are based on sum-of-pairs (SP) measures and their generalizations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two standard and two new methods are considered for using exact 2-way and 3-way alignments to compute lower bounds on total SP alignment cost; one new method fares well with respect to accuracy, while the other reduces the computation time. The first employs exhaustive computation of exact 3-way alignments, while the second employs an efficient heuristic to compute a much smaller number of exact 3-way alignments. Calculating all 3-way alignments exactly and computing their average improves lower bounds on sum of SP cost in <it>v</it>-way alignments. However judicious selection of a subset of all 3-way alignments can yield a further improvement with minimal additional effort. On the other hand, a simple heuristic to select a random subset of 3-way alignments (a random packing) yields accuracy comparable to averaging all 3-way alignments with substantially less computational effort.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Calculation of lower bounds on SP cost (and thus the quality of an alignment) can be improved by employing a mixture of 3-way and 2-way alignments.</p

Microguards and micromessengers of the genome

The regulation of gene expression is of fundamental importance to maintain organismal function and integrity and requires a multifaceted and highly ordered sequence of events. The cyclic nature of gene expression is known as ‘transcription dynamics’. Disruption or perturbation of these dynamics can result in significant fitness costs arising from genome instability, accelerated ageing and disease. We review recent research that supports the idea that an important new role for small RNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), is in protecting the genome against short-term transcriptional fluctuations, in a process we term ‘microguarding’. An additional emerging role for miRNAs is as ‘micromessengers’—through alteration of gene expression in target cells to which they are trafficked within microvesicles. We describe the scant but emerging evidence that miRNAs can be moved between different cells, individuals and even species, to exert biologically significant responses. With these two new roles, miRNAs have the potential to protect against deleterious gene expression variation from perturbation and to themselves perturb the expression of genes in target cells. These interactions between cells will frequently be subject to conflicts of interest when they occur between unrelated cells that lack a coincidence of fitness interests. Hence, there is the potential for miRNAs to represent both a means to resolve conflicts of interest, as well as instigate them. We conclude by exploring this conflict hypothesis, by describing some of the initial evidence consistent with it and proposing new ideas for future research into this exciting topic