Determination of genetic variability of Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties using microsatellite markers

The microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker analysis was done to determine the allelic diversity and relationship among thirty-five Asian cultivars of rice including 19 aromatic, 13 nonaromaticand 3 japonica type cultivars. A total of 144 alleles were detected at the 32 SSR loci, of which 141 (98%) were polymorphic. The number of alleles generated by each marker ranged from 2 to 13 with an average of 4.5 alleles per marker. The size of smallest and largest allele ranged from 8(RM122) to as high as 71 (RM302). Polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged between 0.157 (RM19, RM55) and 0.897 (RM70), with an average of 0.603 per marker. Basmati rice varieties amplified different alleles at 15 of the SSR loci than those in the japonica and/ or indica rice varieties. A number of SSRs were identified that could be utilized to differentiate between basmati and other non-basmati rice varieties. The RM252 and RM310 showed a clear differentiation of japonica cultivarsfrom other ones. Pair-wise Nei and Li’s similarity coefficients ranged from 0.19 to 0.90. The dendrogram based on the cluster analysis by microsatellite polymorphism, grouped 35 rice cultivars into two major groups effectively differentiating the tall, late maturing and slender aromatic cultivars from the short statured, early, short bold and long bold non-aromatic cultivars. These results could be useful for monitoring purity, genotype identification and for plant variety protection

Maspin is a tumour suppressor that inhibits breast cancer tumour metastasis in vivo

Maspin is a member of the serpin family of serine proteases and functions as a tumour suppressor. A study using a new syngeneic mouse model for breast cancer suggests that maspin can inhibit metastasis in vivo

Orally available Mn porphyrins with superoxide dismutase and catalase activities

Superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetics, such as salen Mn complexes and certain metalloporphyrins, catalytically neutralize reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many serious diseases. Both classes of mimetic are protective in animal models of oxidative stress. However, only AEOL11207 and EUK-418, two uncharged Mn porphyrins, have been shown to be orally bioavailable. In this study, EUK-418 and several new analogs (the EUK-400 series) were synthesized and shown to exhibit superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities in vitro. Some also protected PC12 cells against staurosporine-induced cell death. All EUK-400 compounds were stable in simulated gastric fluid, and most were substantially more lipophilic than the salen Mn complexes EUK-189 and EUK-207, which lack oral activity. Pharmacokinetics studies demonstrate the presence of all EUK-400 series compounds in the plasma of rats after oral administration. These EUK-400 series compounds are potential oral therapeutic agents for cellular damage caused by oxidative stress