Pedigree analysis of vitiligo: Further support for multilocus involvement

Vitiligo is a dermatological disorder in man that shows familial aggregation. We performed segregation analysis on data pertaining to vitiligo on members of 147 pedigrees each ascertained through a single proband, and tested various non-genetic, and one-locus and two-locus genetic models. Non-genetic and one-locus genetic models were rejected in favour of a two-locus model postulating epistatic interaction of recessive alleles in the aetiology of vitiligo. The present results show that vitiligo is not a single-locus disorder and substantiate our earlier inference, drawn on the basis of nuclear-family data, of multilocus involvement in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.     

Structure of the carbazole alkaloid isomurrayazoline from Murraya koenigii

The structure of a new hexacyclic carbazole alkaloid from Murraya koenigii has been shown to be 9a,10,11,12,13,13a-hexahydro-5,9,9,12-tetramethyl-1     

Statistical analysis of family data on complex disorders in man

A genetic model is discussed for recessively inherited disorders that do not follow a single-locus Mendelian pattern of inheritance. Further complexity arising from variable age of onset is also discussed. Methods of statistical analysis of family data using the likelihood principle are described for such complex disorders. The methods are exemplified using data on families of prelingual deafness and vitiligo.     

Loading and bioavailability of iron in cereal grains

Cereal plants take up iron from the soil via a phytosiderophore-mediated chelation system. Following root absorption, iron is transported through the xylem and phloem of the plant with the help of a variety of efflux and influx transporters belonging to the Zrt Irt-like protein (ZIP) and yellow stripe-like (YSL) protein families. Iron-regulated transporter1, a member of the ZIP family, mobilises ferrous [Fe(II)] ions, while several YSL family members such as YSL2, YSL15 and YSL18 can transport both ferric [Fe(II)] and ferrous [F`III)] ions into developing grains via chelation with mugineic acid or its derivatives. The iron is accumulated largely in the outer aleurone layer and embryo of the grains, which are removed during milling, leaving behind consumable endosperm that contains a very low amount of iron. This review highlights the uptake, transport and loading mechanisms for iron in cereal grains and provides an overview of strategies adopted for developing highly iron-enriched grains.