The role of transcription factor dFoxO in regulating tracheal terminal cell plasticity of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Plasticity is a fundamental biological process that ensures that individuals' morphology, behavior, and physiology adapt to match their environment. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate trait plasticity is important because knowledge of how phenotypic plasticity is regulated has significant consequences for the study of diseases that result from changes in plasticity. Reduced O2 levels—or hypoxia, can lead to irreversible cellular damage in organisms, and therefore, organisms have evolved adaptive responses to compensate for the lack of O2. Drosophila melanogaster is highly resistant to oxygen deficiency and its respiratory (tracheal) system has features in common with the vertebrate vascular system. The tracheal terminal cells (TTCs) are plastic in nature, and they respond to hypoxia and different dietary conditions by sprouting out new branches, a process that can be compared to angiogenesis in mammals. Here we elucidate the role of the transcription factor, Forkhead box protein O(dFoxO) in regulating TTC plasticity. Deregulation of FoxO activity in the TTCs achieved by deficiency and overexpression of FoxO led to the loss of plasticity of the terminal cells. However, partial reduction of expression of FoxO via RNAi led to hyperbranching phenotype, suggesting that FoxO need to be expressed at a physiologically relevant level to maintain plasticity of the terminal cells. Suppressing JNK activity in the terminal cells did not affect the plasticity of the terminal cells, suggesting that the FoxO regulation in the terminal cells is independent of JNK activity. On the other hand, the induced release of Insulin from the insulin producing cells positively regulated the terminal branching, implying dFoxO might be regulated via IIS signaling

Incidence of gastro-intestinal strongylosis during monsoon seasons in native goat breeds of Kerala

Gastro-intestinal strongylosis is a major parasitic infection in caprine causing reduced performance, irreversible damage and death, which eventually leads to huge economic loss to the producers. The use of anthelmintics as a simple, effective and quick control method against the parasitism by the farmers has been rampant since decades. But its indiscriminate and undue usage invariably paved way to the development of anthelmintic resistance in parasites. It is high time that control strategies are designed so as to utilise chemotherapy appropriately at the time that coincide with heavy incidence of strongylosis. In the present study, a total of 109 goats, comprising of 58 Malabari and 51 Attappady Black goats from an organised farm were screened for the incidence for strongyle infection. The infection was found to be very high throughout the monsoon seasons in Kerala (June to October) with 94.86 ±1.47 per cent. Majority of the animals exhibited very heavy infection with faecal egg count of (FEC) >1500 during the study period. On coproculture, Haemonchus contortus was found to be the most predominant strongyle followed by Oesophagostomum spp. and Trichostrongylus spp