Assessment of genetic variability among rabbit breeds by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR

[EN] Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was employed to assess the genetic variation and phylogenetic relationship among three broiler rabbit breeds. Ten individuals from each rabbit breed viz. White Giant (WG), Soviet Chinchilla (SC) and Grey Giant (GG) was taken for the study. Initially, 40 RAPD primers were screened, of which six primers were found polymorphic and they were further utilized to assess the genetic variability among these breeds. The band sharing frequencies (BSF) were computed within and between breeds. The overall BSF value within breed was highest in WG (0.846±0.02) and GG (0.846±0.01), while lowest in SC (0.818±0.02). However, between breeds, BSF value was found higher in SC-GG (0.805± 0.01) followed by WG-SC (0.792±0.02) and WG-GG (0.790±0.02). Overall, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in BSF values within and between breeds. The BSF value indicated low genetic variability within the breed as compared to between breeds. The Nei's genetic distance (D) was found highest between WG-GG (D=0.1605) followed by WG-SC (D=0.1403) and SC-GG (D=0.1295). The phylogenetic relationship among breeds was analyzed and dendrogram revealed that SC and GG are more closer, while WG-GG are distant to each other. The study suggests that RAPD can be successfully utilized for detecting genetic variation among rabbit breeds.Rangoju, P.; Kumar, S.; Kolte, A.; Gulyani, R.; Singh, V. (2007). Assessment of genetic variability among rabbit breeds by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR. World Rabbit Science. 15(1):3-8. doi:10.4995/wrs.2007.6113815

Parenthood and pregnancy in Australians receiving treatment for end-stage kidney disease: protocol of a national study of perinatal and parental outcomes through population record linkage.

INTRODUCTION:Achieving parenthood is challenging in individuals receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT; dialysis or kidney transplantation) for end-stage kidney disease. Decision-making regarding parenthood in RRT recipients should be underpinned by robust data, yet there is limited data on parental factors that drive adverse health outcomes. Therefore, we aim to investigate the perinatal risks and outcomes in parents receiving RRT. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:This is a multijurisdictional probabilistic data linkage study of perinatal, hospital, birth, death and renal registers from 1991 to 2013 from New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. This study includes all babies born ≥20 weeks' gestation or 400 g birth weight captured through mandated data collection in the perinatal data sets. Through linkage with the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) registry, babies exposed to RRT (and their parents) will be compared with babies who have not been exposed to RRT (and their parents) to determine obstetric and fetal outcomes, birth rates and fertility rates. One of the novel aspects of this study is the method that will be used to link fathers receiving RRT to the mothers and their babies within the perinatal data sets, using the birth register, enabling the identification of family units. The linked data set will be used to validate the parenthood events directly reported to ANZDATA. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethics approval was obtained from Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC) and Aboriginal HREC in each jurisdiction. Findings of this study will be disseminated at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals in tabular and aggregated forms. De-identified data will be presented and individual patients will not be identified. We will aim to present findings to relevant stakeholders (eg, patients, clinicians and policymakers) to maximise translational impact of research findings

Effect of two doses of progesterone on estrus response and fertility in acycling crossbred Bharat Merino ewes in a semi-arid tropical environment

Abstract The ef®cacy of two doses of progesterone (P4), i.e. 350 and 300 mg was evaluated in acycling crossbred ewes (50) during the autumn breeding season. Ewes were treated with intravaginal progesterone sponges with either 350 mg or 300 mg for 12 days. At standing estrus, ewes were hand mated (three cycles). Progesterone (350 mg) gave a better (P<0.05) estrus response (75%), compared to 300 mg dose (42%). Ewes treated with 350 mg P4 also showed better (P<0.05) synchronization response (93%) than those treated with 300 mg (56%) at 72 h after sponge removal. Lower doses of progesterone (300 mg) signi®cantly delayed (P<0.01) the onset of estrus. However, dose had no signi®cant in¯uence(P>0.05) on estrus length, conception rate and the proportion of ewes lambing at term. This study indicates that dose of progesterone may have an effect on estrus exhibition and response time without altering the conception rate and lambing in acycling crossbred Bharat Merino ewes during the major breeding season in a semi-arid tropical environment.

Parenthood and pregnancy in Australians receiving treatment for end-stage kidney disease: protocol of a national study of perinatal and parental outcomes through population record linkage.

Introduction Achieving parenthood is challenging in individuals receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT; dialysis or kidney transplantation) for end-stage kidney disease. Decision-making regarding parenthood in RRT recipients should be underpinned by robust data, yet there is limited data on parental factors that drive adverse health outcomes. Therefore, we aim to investigate the perinatal risks and outcomes in parents receiving RRT. Methods and analysis This is a multijurisdictional probabilistic data linkage study of perinatal, hospital, birth, death and renal registers from 1991 to 2013 from New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. This study includes all babies born ≥20 weeks’ gestation or 400 g birth weight captured through mandated data collection in the perinatal data sets. Through linkage with the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) registry, babies exposed to RRT (and their parents) will be compared with babies who have not been exposed to RRT (and their parents) to determine obstetric and fetal outcomes, birth rates and fertility rates. One of the novel aspects of this study is the method that will be used to link fathers receiving RRT to the mothers and their babies within the perinatal data sets, using the birth register, enabling the identification of family units. The linked data set will be used to validate the parenthood events directly reported to ANZDATA. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was obtained from Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC) and Aboriginal HREC in each jurisdiction. Findings of this study will be disseminated at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals in tabular and aggregated forms. De-identified data will be presented and individual patients will not be identified. We will aim to present findings to relevant stakeholders (eg, patients, clinicians and policymakers) to maximise translational impact of research findings.Erandi Hewawasam, Aarti Gulyani, Christopher E Davies, Elizabeth Sullivan, Sally Wark, Philip A Clayton, Stephen P McDonald, Shilpanjali Jesudaso

FMRP Interacts with C/D Box snoRNA in the Nucleus and Regulates Ribosomal RNA Methylation

Summary: FMRP is an RNA-binding protein that is known to localize in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. Here, we have identified an interaction of FMRP with a specific set of C/D box snoRNAs in the nucleus. C/D box snoRNAs guide 2’O methylations of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) on defined sites, and this modification regulates rRNA folding and assembly of ribosomes. 2’O methylation of rRNA is partial on several sites in human embryonic stem cells, which results in ribosomes with differential methylation patterns. FMRP-snoRNA interaction affects rRNA methylation on several of these sites, and in the absence of FMRP, differential methylation pattern of rRNA is significantly altered. We found that FMRP recognizes ribosomes carrying specific methylation patterns on rRNA and the recognition of methylation pattern by FMRP may potentially determine the translation status of its target mRNAs. Thus, FMRP integrates its function in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm. : Molecular Interaction; Stem Cells Research; Omics Subject Areas: Molecular Interaction, Stem Cells Research, Omic

Anchored Design of Protein-Protein Interfaces

Few existing protein-protein interface design methods allow for extensive backbone rearrangements during the design process. There is also a dichotomy between redesign methods, which take advantage of the native interface, and de novo methods, which produce novel binders.Here, we propose a new method for designing novel protein reagents that combines advantages of redesign and de novo methods and allows for extensive backbone motion. This method requires a bound structure of a target and one of its natural binding partners. A key interaction in this interface, the anchor, is computationally grafted out of the partner and into a surface loop on the design scaffold. The design scaffold's surface is then redesigned with backbone flexibility to create a new binding partner for the target. Careful choice of a scaffold will bring experimentally desirable characteristics into the new complex. The use of an anchor both expedites the design process and ensures that binding proceeds against a known location on the target. The use of surface loops on the scaffold allows for flexible-backbone redesign to properly search conformational space.This protocol was implemented within the Rosetta3 software suite. To demonstrate and evaluate this protocol, we have developed a benchmarking set of structures from the PDB with loop-mediated interfaces. This protocol can recover the correct loop-mediated interface in 15 out of 16 tested structures, using only a single residue as an anchor