The postnatal histology of the epididymis in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).

The epididymis of buffalo is differentiated into 6 regions. The head represents the first 3 regions, the body the 4th region and the tail the 5th and 6th region. At 3-30 weeks, the epithelium is simple high columnar with few basal cells in region I, simple low columnar with few basal cells in region II, pseudostratified low columnar in regions III, IV, V, and pseudostratified low columar in region VI. As age advances, the epithelium increases in height and shows a tendency toward advanced pseudostratification. The basal cells are greater in number in regions III, IV and V than in the other regions of the epididymis. The epithelial cells contain stereocilia in region I at 3 weeks and regions III, IV and V at 30 weeks, whereas they are absent in regions II and VI. The tubules in region I are the smallest in diameter while the tubules in region VI have the largest diameter.     

Conformational microheterogeneity in a DNA double helix: structure of restriction endonuclease Bam H1 recognition site

Structural studies using 500 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy on Bam H1 recognition site d(GGATCC)2 in solution at 19 degrees is reported. The resonances from the sugar ring and base protons have been assigned from the 2D-COSY and NOESY spectra. Analyses of the NOESY cross-peaks between the base protons H8/H6 and sugar protons H2'/H2", H3' reveal that the nucleotide units G2, A3 and C6 adopt (C3'-endo, chi = 200 degrees-220 degrees) conformation while G1, T4 and C5 exhibit (C2'-endo, chi = 240 degrees-260 degrees) conformation. NMR data clearly suggest that the two strands of d(GGATCC)2 are conformationally equivalent and there is a structural two-fold between the two A-T pairs. The above information and the NOESY data are used to generate a structural model of d(GGATCC)2. The important features are: (i) G1-G2 stack, the site of cleavage, shows an alternation in sugar pucker i.e. C2'-endo, C3'-endo as in a B-A junction, (ii) G2-A3 stack adopts a mini A-DNA, both the sugars being C3'-endo, (iii) A3-T4 stack, the site of two-fold, displays an A-B junction with alternation in sugar pucker as C3'-endo, C2'-endo, (iv) T4-C5 stack adopts a mini B-DNA both the sugars being C2'-endo and (v) C5-C6 stack exhibits a B-A junction with C2'-endo, C3'-endo sugar puckers. Thus, our studies demonstrate that conformational microheterogeneity with a structural two fold, is present in the Bam H1 recognition site.     

Program and Abstracts of the 16th Transgenic Technology Meeting (TT2020)

The world stands at a new threshold today. As a planet, we face various challenges, and the key one is how to continue to produce enough food, feed, fiber, and fuel to support the burgeoning population. In the past, plant breeding and the ability to genetically engineer crops contributed to increasing food production. However, both approaches rely on random mixing or integration of genes, and the process can be unpredictable and time-consuming. Given the challenge of limited availability of natural resources and changing environmental conditions, the need to rapidly and precisely improve crops has become urgent. The discovery of CRISPR-associated endonucleases offers a precise yet versatile platform for rapid crop improvement. This review summarizes a brief history of the discovery of CRISPR-associated nucleases and their application in genome editing of various plant species. Also provided is an overview of several new endonucleases reported recently, which can be utilized for editing of specific genes in plants through various forms of DNA sequence alteration. Genome editing, with its ever-expanding toolset, increased efficiency, and its potential integration with the emerging synthetic biology approaches hold promise for efficient crop improvement to meet the challenge of supporting the needs of future generations.

     

Growth and alkaloid production along with expression profiles of biosynthetic pathway genes in two contrasting morphotypes of prickly and prickleless Solanum viarum Dunal

Protoplasma - Growth and production kinetics of three important glycoalkaloids viz. α-solanine, solanidine, and solasodine in two contrasting prickly and prickleless plants of Solanum viarum...     

Promising Polyphenols in Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics

Neurochemical Research - Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a slow progressive, second most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons from the nigrostriatal...     

Left-Handed Intercalated DNA Double Helix: Rendezvous of Ethidium and Actinomycin D in the Z-Helical Conformation Space

Abstract

It is now very well recognized that the DNA double helix is conformationally pluralistic and that this flexibility is derived from internal motions due to backbone torsions. But what is less apparent is that such internal motions can occur in a correlated fashion and express themselves in a wide variety of structural motifs and phenomena. For example, flexibility inherent in the DNA molecule can lead to a family of Z-DNA, LZ1 and LZ2 being the two extremes and correlated internal motion can cause LZ1?LZ2 transition. More interestingly, such motions manifest themselves as breathing modes on the DNA lattice resulting in the sequence specific intercalation sites. Following a detailed stereochemical analyses we observed that the intercalation site for ethidium is located at the dCpdG sequence of the intercalated LZ1 helix (LZ1*) while that for actinomycin D is located at the dGpdC sequence of the intercalated LZ2 helix (LZ2*). From the stereochemistry of the drug binding we make experimentally testable predictions which are in fact supported by a few recent experimental studies. These studies also show that a left-handed intercalated B-DNA model is a viable intermediate in the Z to B transition which can hold the drug with binding energy comparable to that of the intercalated right-handed B-DNA.     

Self-Association of Puromycin as studied by Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Abstract

The self-association of puromycin has been studied using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The concentration, temperature and pH dependence studies of the proton chemical shifts of the adenine protons indicate that puromycin in aqueous solution at pD 7.4 self associates predominantly through adenine-adenine interaction. At this pD, the amino group of the aminoacyl segment of puromycin has been demonstrated to exist in a equilibrium blend of protonated and non-protonated forms. At pD 2.6, PM is found to exist predominantly in the monomeric from in which the methyl groups of the 6N-dimethyladenine are found to be non-equivalent due to hindered rotation about the C6-N6 bond.     

Role of Bacterial Communities in the Natural Suppression of Rhizoctonia solani Bare Patch Disease of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Rhizoctonia bare patch and root rot disease of wheat, caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8, develops as distinct patches of stunted plants and limits the yield of direct-seeded (no-till) wheat in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. At the site of a long-term cropping systems study near Ritzville, WA, a decline in Rhizoctonia patch disease was observed over an 11-year period. Bacterial communities from bulk and rhizosphere soil of plants from inside the patches, outside the patches, and recovered patches were analyzed by using pyrosequencing with primers designed for 16S rRNA. Taxa in the class Acidobacteria and the genus Gemmatimonas were found at higher frequencies in the rhizosphere of healthy plants outside the patches than in that of diseased plants from inside the patches. Dyella and Acidobacteria subgroup Gp7 were found at higher frequencies in recovered patches. Chitinophaga, Pedobacter, Oxalobacteriaceae (Duganella and Massilia), and Chyseobacterium were found at higher frequencies in the rhizosphere of diseased plants from inside the patches. For selected taxa, trends were validated by quantitative PCR (qPCR), and observed shifts of frequencies in the rhizosphere over time were duplicated in cycling experiments in the greenhouse that involved successive plantings of wheat in Rhizoctonia-inoculated soil. Chryseobacterium soldanellicola was isolated from the rhizosphere inside the patches and exhibited significant antagonism against R. solani AG-8 in vitro and in greenhouse tests. In conclusion, we identified novel bacterial taxa that respond to conditions affecting bare patch disease symptoms and that may be involved in suppression of Rhizoctonia root rot and bare batch disease.