in Silico Microsatellite Development in Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)

Microsatellites are an important class of molecular markers having wide application in genetic research. Development of microsatellites using conventional methods is laborious and expensive. Alternatively, in silicoapproach can be followed to detect simple sequence repeats (SSRs) from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) available in public biological databases. The in silico developed EST-SSRs have been found to be transferrable across species and genera. A study was undertaken to mine simple sequence repeats (SSRs) from the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of arum lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica, belongs to the family Araceae. A total of 4283 ESTs of Zantedeschia aethiopica, downloaded from dbEST of NCBI, were pre-processed and subjected to clustering and assembly. In all, 1968 clusters (800 contigs and 1168 singletons) were obtained, resulting in 54 % reduction in ESTs. In addition, 1936 SSRs were obtained, which included 617 mono, 101 di-, 201 tri-, 80 tetra-, 23 penta- and 898 hexa-nucleotide repeats. The plant has an abundance of 0.70 SSRs/ kb. We designed 1091 primers for these SSRs. A few in silico designed SSR primers were tested for polymorphism in Anthurium, belonging to the Araceae family, resulting in 40% amplification success

The impact of point mutations in the human androgen receptor : classification of mutations on the basis of transcriptional activity

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The role of the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, in protecting against age-related macular degeneration: A review based on controversial evidence

PURPOSE: A review of the role of the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, and their function in altering the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: Medline and Embase search. RESULTS: Recent evidence introduces the possibility that lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids found in a variety of fruits and vegetables may protect against the common eye disease of macular degeneration. This potential and the lack to slow the progression of macular degeneration, has fueled high public interest in the health benefits of these carotenoids and prompted their inclusion in various supplements. The body of evidence supporting a role in this disease ranges from basic studies in experimental animals to various other clinical and epidemiological studies. Whilst some epidemiological studies suggest a beneficial role for carotenoids in the prevention of AMD, others are found to be unrelated to it. Results of some clinical studies indicate that the risk for AMD is reduced when levels of the carotenoids are elevated in the serum or diet, but this correlation is not observed in other studies. Published data concerning the toxicity of the carotenoids or the optimum dosage of these supplements is lacking. CONCLUSION: An intake of dietary supplied nutrients rich in the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, appears to be beneficial in protecting retinal tissues, but this is not proven. Until scientifically sound knowledge is available we recommend for patients judged to be at risk for AMD to: alter their diet to more dark green leafy vegetables, wear UV protective lenses and a hat when outdoors. Future investigations on the role of nutrition, light exposure, genetics, and combinations of photodynamic therapy with intravitreal steroid (triamcinolone-acetonide) injections hold potential for future treatment possibilities

Optical Absorption and EPR Studies on Enargite

The behaviour of transition metal ions in enargite has been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance and absorption spectroscopy in the UV–VIS and near-IR regions. The ground state of Cu(II) ions in enargite is confirmed as 2B1g since g11>g⊥ (2.54>2.11). Three characteristic bands observed in the optical absorption spectra at 8275, 13105 and 18420 cm−1 are assigned to the transitions, 2B1g→2A1g, 2B1g→2B2 and 2B1g→2Eg, respectively, of Cu(II) ion in the tetragonal field. The presence of Fe(II) bands is an evidence for iron impurities in the mineral