Pearl millet as a postrainy cool season crop: case studies from Gujarat and Maharashtra, India

Case studies of winter season (rabi) pearl millet cultivation conducted in 2007–09 in Junagadh, Gujarat, and Jalgaon, Maharashtra states of India showed increasing interest of farmers in this cropping system because of the importance of the crop in sustaining farmers’ household requirements of nutritious food and fodder. A major constraint faced by farmers in these areas is the changing growing conditions such as low temperature of 10–15°C, which reduces plant growth, delays maturity, and leads to a reduced biomass yield. The existence of genetic variation for this trait can effectively address this issue. The farmers’ practice of adjusting sowing time largely overcomes the problem of poor seed setting at low temperature. However, genetic improvement of this trait is needed to allow flexible sowing time. Employing other cultural management practices, such as crop rotation juxtaposed with the adherence to a cropping calendar of pearl millet, yields economic benefits to farmers. Results showed that winter season pearl millet cultivation resulted in a benefit-cost ratio of 3.62 in Junagadh and 3.12 in Jalgaon. These attributes of pearl millet combined with high water-use efficiency under water limiting environments make it a potential replacement crop in the global scenario of climate change with bright prospect for developing hybrids suited to winter season environments

Elongated Polyproline Motifs Facilitate Enamel Evolution through Matrix Subunit Compaction

Vertebrate body designs rely on hydroxyapatite as the principal mineral component of relatively light-weight, articulated endoskeletons and sophisticated tooth-bearing jaws, facilitating rapid movement and efficient predation. Biological mineralization and skeletal growth are frequently accomplished through proteins containing polyproline repeat elements. Through their well-defined yet mobile and flexible structure polyproline-rich proteins control mineral shape and contribute many other biological functions including Alzheimer's amyloid aggregation and prolamine plant storage. In the present study we have hypothesized that polyproline repeat proteins exert their control over biological events such as mineral growth, plaque aggregation, or viscous adhesion by altering the length of their central repeat domain, resulting in dramatic changes in supramolecular assembly dimensions. In order to test our hypothesis, we have used the vertebrate mineralization protein amelogenin as an exemplar and determined the biological effect of the four-fold increased polyproline tandem repeat length in the amphibian/mammalian transition. To study the effect of polyproline repeat length on matrix assembly, protein structure, and apatite crystal growth, we have measured supramolecular assembly dimensions in various vertebrates using atomic force microscopy, tested the effect of protein assemblies on crystal growth by electron microscopy, generated a transgenic mouse model to examine the effect of an abbreviated polyproline sequence on crystal growth, and determined the structure of polyproline repeat elements using 3D NMR. Our study shows that an increase in PXX/PXQ tandem repeat motif length results (i) in a compaction of protein matrix subunit dimensions, (ii) reduced conformational variability, (iii) an increase in polyproline II helices, and (iv) promotion of apatite crystal length. Together, these findings establish a direct relationship between polyproline tandem repeat fragment assemblies and the evolution and the design of vertebrate mineralized tissue microstructures. Our findings reveal that in the greater context of chordate evolution, the biological control of apatite growth by polyproline-based matrix assemblies provides a molecular basis for the evolution of the vertebrate body plan.</p

β-catenin Initiates Tooth Neogenesis in Adult Rodent Incisors

β-catenin signaling is required for embryonic tooth morphogenesis and promotes continuous tooth development when activated in embryos. To determine whether activation of this pathway in the adult oral cavity could promote tooth development, we induced mutation of epithelial β-catenin to a stabilized form in adult mice. This caused increased proliferation of the incisor tooth cervical loop, outpouching of incisor epithelium, abnormal morphology of the epithelial-mesenchymal junction, and enhanced expression of genes associated with embryonic tooth development. Ectopic dental-like structures were formed from the incisor region following implantation into immunodeficient mice. Thus, forced activation of β-catenin signaling can initiate an embryonic-like program of tooth development in adult rodent incisor teeth

Seed parent breeding efficiency of three diverse cytoplasmic-nuclear male-sterility systems in pearl millet

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) hybrids, grown widely in India and to some extent in the US, are all based on an A1 CMS source, leaving the pearl millet hybrids vulnerable to potential disease or insect pest epidemics. A comparison of this CMS system with two additional CMS systems (A4 and A5) in the present study based on isonuclear A-lines (seed parents) and their isonuclear hybrids showed that A-lines with the A4 cytoplasm had much fewer pollen shedders and much reduced selfed seed set in visually assessed non-shedding plants as compared to those with the A1 cytoplasm. A-lines with the A5 cytoplasm had neither any pollen shedders nor did they set any seed when selfed. This showed that the A5 CMS system imparts complete and most stable male sterility, followed by the A4 and A1 CMS systems. The frequency of maintainers, averaged across a diverse range of 26 populations, was highest for the A5 CMS system (98%), followed by the A4 (59%) and the A1 (34%) system indicating the greatest prospects for genetic diversiWcation of A-lines lies with the A5 cytoplasm, and the least with the A1 cytoplasm. Mean grain yield of hybrids with the A1 cytoplasm was 5% more than the A4-system hybrids, while there was no diVerence between the mean grain yield of hybrids based on A1 and A5 CMS systems. Based on these results, it is suggested that seed parents breeding eYciency will be the greatest with the A5 CMS system, followed by the A4 CMS system, and least with the currently commercial A1 CMS system

Mechanical stretch increases CCN2/CTGF expression in anterior cruciate ligament-derived cells

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-to-bone interface serves to minimize the stress concentrations that would arise between two different tissues. Mechanical stretch plays an important role in maintaining cell-specific features by inducing CCN family 2/connective tissue growth factor (CCN2/CTGF). We previously reported that cyclic tensile strain (CTS) stimulates alpha 1(I) collagen (COL1A1) expression in human ACL-derived cells. However, the biological function and stress-related response of CCN2/CTGF were still unclear in ACL fibroblasts. In the present study, CCN2/CTGF was observed in ACL-to-bone interface, but was not in the midsubstance region by immunohistochemical analyses. CTS treatments induced higher increase of CCN2/CTGF expression and secretion in interface cells compared with midsubstance cells. COL1A1 expression was not influenced by CCN2/CTGF treatment in interface cells despite CCN2/CTGF stimulated COL1A1 expression in midsubstance cells. However, CCN2/CTGF stimulated the proliferation of interface cells. Our results suggest that distinct biological function of stretch-induced CCN2/CTGF might regulate region-specific phenotypes of ACL-derived cells

Evaluation and identification of promising pearl millet germplasm for grain and fodder traits

Results are presented of experiments aiming to evaluate and characterize available germplasm lines, landraces and core collection lines of pearl millet and to exploit genetic variability so as to identify promising germplasm lines for metric traits for utilization in different breeding programmes and develop early and high-yielding potential hybrids/open-pollinated cultivars for grain and fodder in drier areas of India. The materials consisted of 2375 germplasm accessions, 180 landraces and 504 core collection lines. The germplasm lines and landraces were evaluated during the 2006 rainy season in Mandor, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The accessions were sown in 22 blocks. Each block consisted of 120 accessions and 4 controls (J 2405, J 2340, NMP 24 and PP 29). The pearl millet core collection was also evaluated during the 2006 rainy season at 3 locations, i.e. AICPMIP, Mandor, Jodhpur; Agricultural Research Station, Rajasthan Agricultural University, Durgapura, Jaipur, Rajasthan; and Millet Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Jamnagar, Gujarat. The core collection accessions were accommodated in 19 blocks. Each block consisted of 27 test accessions and 3 controls, namely IP 17862 (ICTP 8203), IP 22281 (Raj 171) (grain type) and IP 3616 (fodder type). After every 9 test accessions, one of the 3 controls was sown. Observations were recorded on morphological/metric traits, i.e. vigour, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, productive tillers per plant, total tillers per plant, nodes per plant, sheath length, blade length and width, panicle exsertion, length, thickness and density, bristle length, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, grain yield potential, green fodder yield, green fodder yield potential, and overall plant aspect

Computed tomographic analysis of the quality of trunk muscles in asymptomatic and symptomatic lumbar discectomy patients

Background: No consensus exists on how rehabilitation programs for lumbar discectomy patients with persistent complaints after surgery should be composed. A better understanding of normal and abnormal postoperative trunk muscle condition might help direct the treatment goals. Methods: A three-dimensional CT scan of the lumbar spine was obtained in 18 symptomatic and 18 asymptomatic patients who had undergone a lumbar discectomy 42 months to 83 months (median 63 months) previously. The psoas muscle (PS), the paraspinal muscle mass (PA) and the multifidus muscle (MF) were outlined at the L3, L4 and L5 level. Of these muscles, fat free Cross Sectional Area (CSA) and fat CSA were determined. CSA of the lumbar erector spinae (LES = longissimus thoracis + iliocostalis lumborum) was calculated by subtracting MF CSA from PA CSA. Mean muscle CSA of the left and right sides was calculated at each level. To normalize the data for interpersonal comparison, the mean CSA was divided by the CSA of the L3 vertebral body (mCSA = normalized fat-free muscle CSA; fCSA = normalized fat CSA). Differences in CSA between the pain group and the pain free group were examined using a General Linear Model (GLM). Three levels were examined to investigate the possible role of the level of operation. Results: In lumbar discectomy patients with pain, the mCSA of the MF was significantly smaller than in pain-free subjects (p = 0.009) independently of the level. The mCSA of the LES was significantly smaller in pain patients, but only on the L3 slice (p = 0.018). No significant difference in mCSA of the PS was found between pain patients and pain-free patients (p = 0.462). The fCSA of the MF (p = 0.186) and of the LES (p = 0.256) were not significantly different between both populations. However, the fCSA of the PS was significantly larger in pain patients than in pain-free patients. (p = 0.012). The level of operation was never a significant factor. Conclusions: CT comparison of MF, LES and PS muscle condition between lumbar discectomy patients without pain and patients with protracted postoperative pain showed a smaller fat-free muscle CSA of the MF at all levels examined, a smaller fat-free muscle CSA of the LES at the L3 level, and more fat in the PS in patients with pain. The level of operation was not found to be of importance. The present results suggest a general lumbar muscle dysfunction in the pain group, in particular of the deep stabilizing muscle system

Are MRI-defined fat infiltrations in the multifidus muscles associated with low back pain?

BACKGROUND: Because training of the lumbar muscles is a commonly recommended intervention in low back pain (LBP), it is important to clarify whether lumbar muscle atrophy is related to LBP. Fat infiltration seems to be a late stage of muscular degeneration, and can be measured in a non-invasive manner using magnetic resonance imaging. The purpose of this study was to investigate if fat infiltration in the lumbar multifidus muscles (LMM) is associated with LBP in adults and adolescents. METHODS: In total, 412 adults (40-year-olds) and 442 adolescents (13-year-olds) from the general Danish population participated in this cross-sectional cohort study. People with LBP were identified through questionnaires. Using MRI, fat infiltration of the LMM was visually graded as none, slight or severe. Odds ratios were calculated for both age groups, taking into account sex, body composition and leisure time physical activity for both groups, and physical workload (in adults only) or daily bicycling (in adolescents only). RESULTS: Fat infiltration was noted in 81% of the adults but only 14% of the adolescents. In the adults, severe fat infiltration was strongly associated with ever having had LBP (OR 9.2; 95% CI 2.0–43.2), and with having LBP in the past year (OR 4.1; 1.5–11.2), but there was no such association in adolescents. None of the investigated moderating factors had an obvious effect on the OR in the adults. CONCLUSION: Fat infiltration in the LMM is strongly associated with LBP in adults only. However, it will be necessary to quantify these measurements objectively and to investigate the direction of this link longitudinally in order to determine if the abnormal muscle is the cause of LBP or vice versa

Elongated Polyproline Motifs Facilitate Enamel Evolution through Matrix Subunit Compaction

How does proline-repeat motif length in the proteins of teeth and bones relate to the evolution of vertebrates? Counterintuitively, longer repeat stretches are associated with smaller aggregated subunits within a supramolecular matrix, resulting in enhanced crystal length in mammalian versus amphibian tooth enamel