Promoter variants at AP2 box region of Hsp70.1 affect thermal stress response and milk production traits in Frieswal cross bred cattle

Heat shock proteins (Hsp) are known to play major role in protection of cells from thermal stress. Nucleotide polymorphisms within the promoter of Hsp affect degree of expression and inducibility of Hsp mRNA. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of polymorphism within promoter region on the cellular expression of Hsp70.1 mRNA and association of identified polymorphisms with the physiological parameters during summer stress and milk production traits in dairy cattle. Two hundred Frieswal cows were genotyped using double PCR-RFLP to identify deletion of cytosine within the Hsp70.1 promoter AP2 box at base position 895. Homozygous wild type genotypes (CC) were found in lower frequency (39.29, n = 78) than heterozygous cytosine deletion mutant genotypes (C −) (60.71, n = 122). In the observed physiological parameters (rectal temperature, respiration rate and heat tolerance coefficient), cows that were homozygous wild types had better significant (P < 0.05) summer tolerance than the heterozygous deletion genotypes. Cytosine deletion mutation in the promoter region negatively affected (P < 0.01) the expression of Hsp70.1 mRNA in peripheral bovine mononuclear cells (PBMC) subjected to in vitro heat stress. Further association of observed polymorphism with the milk production traits was significant as the heterozygous cytosine deletion cows had lower total milk yield, peak yield, yield at 300 days, protein% (P < 0.01) and fat% (P < 0.05) than the native wild type promoter cows. The results from the present study suggest that the promoter region of bovine hsp70.1 gene is polymorphic and may be useful in selection of dairy cows for relatively better thermotolerance and higher milk production.     

Antifungal activity of extracts of the lichens Parmelia reticulata,Ramalina roesleri,Usnea longissima and Stereocaulon himalayense

Antifungal activity of the hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous extracts of the lichens namely, Parmelia reticulata, Ramalina roesleri, Usnea longissima and Stereocaulon himalayense were evaluated against nine soil-borne pathogenic fungi namely Rhizoctonia bataticola, Sclerotium rolfsii, Alternaria alternata, Pythium debaryanum, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotina sclerotium and Pythium aphanidermatum by food poison technique. ED₅₀ (Effective dose for 50% of inhibition) was calculated using Probit analysis. Hexane and dichloromethane extracts from all the four lichen species were found most active against the test fungi while aqueous extract was found to be least effective against all the test pathogenic fungi. The highest inhibition was recorded with hexane extracts of P. reticulata, R. roesleri, U.longissima and S. himalayense against R. bataticola with ED₅₀ 25.1, 24.50, 18.91 and 51.36 μg ml^?1, respectively.     

Pair-preferences: a Quantitative Measure of Regularities in Protein Sequences

Abstract

We present here the results obtained by applying several different methods to quantitatively measure regularities in protein sequences based on pair-preferences. We have studied the distribution of amino acid residues, singly as well as in pairs in a large data base and have attempted this task. We confirmed the existence of well-defined pair-preferences in proteins which were shown to be remarkably absent in simulated random sequences of similar amino acid distribution. The analysis of the sequences from the SWISS-PROT data base using simple statistical tests, Fourier analysis, fractal analysis and statistical thermodynamical tests were used to derive parameters to define a natural sequence. As a consequence of the existence of pair-preferences, parameters like fractal dimension (D), spectral exponent (β), scaling parameter (H) and entropy (statistical) were found to be characteristic for natural sequences. For a reference state we chose a randomised state devoid of any pair-preference. The pair-preferences qualified well to be used as quantitative measures of regularities in protein sequences.     

Palynofacies and sedimentology-based high-resolution sequence stratigraphy of the lignite-bearing muddy coastal deposits (early Eocene) in the Vastan Lignite Mine, Gulf of Cambay, India

Geological records of early Paleogene warming are rare in low latitudinal regions. The Indian subcontinent preserves records of this global event on western and eastern margins. We attempt to decipher paleoenvironmental setup and facies architecture of the paleo-equatorial early Eocene succession at the Vastan Lignite Mine, Gulf of Cambay, western India. The Vastan lignite succession was deposited in a low-energy coastal marsh-bay complex receiving only fine-grained muddy sediments from the weathered Deccan Traps. The lower part of the Vastan lignite deposit, designated as “Vastan Succession A”, comprises four depositional facies representing distinct environments (open bay, restricted bay, creek and channel, and coastal marsh) and one diagenetic facies. Palynofacies analysis, backed by precise sedimentological framework, records changes in terrestrial supply and fluctuating marine characters of bay and marshes. Eleven Palyno-Units are identified in distinct lithofacies sequences stacked in shallowing-upward cycles representing five parasequences that constitute a Transgressive Systems Tract (TST) deposit. Each parasequence starts with a transgressive sheet deposit, followed by shallowing-upward bay fill-marsh deposits. In the vertical succession, each parasequence acquires increasing marine character, culminating in a maximum flooding surface (shell carbonate) that represents large-scale coastal onlap during early Ypresian time. The TST is followed by a Highstand Systems Tract deposit, which shows an erosional surface at the top of the upper lignite indicating Lowstand Systems Tract and a sequence boundary at ~52 Ma. The Vastan Succession A represents TST (3rd-order cycle) deposits with parasequences and hemicycles representing 4th- and 5th-order cycles. The study demonstrates sea level rise along the Indian western coastal margin in response to early Eocene warming between ~55 and ~52 Ma with maximum transgression at 53.7 Ma.     

Divergence of water balance mechanisms in two sibling species (Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster): effects of growth temperatures

Drosophila simulans is more abundant under colder and drier montane habitats in the western Himalayas as compared to its sibling D. melanogaster but the mechanistic bases of such climatic adaptations are largely unknown. Previous studies have described D. simulans as a desiccation sensitive species which is inconsistent with its occurrence in temperate regions. We tested the hypothesis whether developmental plasticity of cuticular traits confers adaptive changes in water balance-related traits in the sibling species D. simulans and D. melanogaster. Our results are interesting in several respects. First, D. simulans grown at 15 °C possesses a high level of desiccation resistance in larvae (~39 h) and in adults (~86 h) whereas the corresponding values are quite low at 25 °C (larvae ~7 h; adults ~13 h). Interestingly, cuticular lipid mass was threefold higher in D. simulans grown at 15 °C as compared with 25 °C while there was no change in cuticular lipid mass in D. melanogaster. Second, developmental plasticity of body melanisation was evident in both species. Drosophila simulans showed higher melanisation at 15 °C as compared with D. melanogaster while the reverse trend was observed at 25 °C. Third, changes in water balance-related traits (bulk water, hemolymph and dehydration tolerance) showed superiority of D. simulans at 15 °C but of D. melanogaster at 25 °C growth temperature. Rate of carbohydrate utilization under desiccation stress did not differ at 15 °C in both the species. Fourth, effects of developmental plasticity on cuticular traits correspond with changes in the cuticular water loss i.e. water loss rates were higher at 25 °C as compared with 15 °C. Thus, D. simulans grown under cooler temperature was more desiccation tolerant than D. melanogaster. Finally, desiccation acclimation capacity of larvae and adults is higher for D. simulans reared at 15 °C but quite low at 25 °C. Thus, D. simulans and D. melanogaster have evolved different strategies of water conservation consistent with their adaptations to dry and wet habitats in the western Himalayas. Our results suggest that D. simulans from lowland localities seems vulnerable due to limited acclimation potential in the context of global climatic change in the western Himalayas. Finally, this is the first report on higher desiccation resistance of D. simulans due to developmental plasticity of both the cuticular traits (body melanisation and epicuticular lipid mass) when grown at 15 °C, which is consistent with its abundance in temperate regions.     

Exercise Protects against Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance through Downregulation of Protein Kinase Cβ in Mice

Physical exercise is an important and effective therapy for diabetes. However, its underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Protein kinase Cβ (PKCβ) has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance, but the role of PKCβ in exercise-induced improvements in insulin resistance is completely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the involvement of PKCβ in exercise-attenuated insulin resistance in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. PKCβ^-/- and wild-type mice were fed a HFD with or without exercise training. PKC protein expression, body and tissue weight change, glucose and insulin tolerance, metabolic rate, mitochondria size and number, adipose inflammation, and AKT activation were determined to evaluate insulin sensitivity and metabolic changes after intervention. PKCβ expression decreased in both skeletal muscle and liver tissue after exercise. Exercise and PKCβ deficiency can alleviate HFD-induced insulin resistance, as evidenced by improved insulin tolerance. In addition, fat accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by HFD were also ameliorated by both exercise and PKCβ deficiency. On the other hand, exercise had little effect on PKCβ^-/- mice. Further, our data indicated improved activation of AKT, the downstream signal molecule of insulin, in skeletal muscle and liver of exercised mice, whereas PKCβ deficiency blunted the difference between sedentary and exercised mice. These results suggest that downregulation of PKCβ contributes to exercise-induced improvement of insulin resistance in HFD-fed mice.     

Anti-tubercular agents. Part 8: Synthesis,antibacterial and antitubercular activity of 5-nitrofuran based 1,2,3-triazoles

A series of 5-nitrofuran–triazole conjugates were synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. All the compounds exhibited promising inhibition towards Gram-positive pathogenic strains, while mild inhibitory effects were observed towards Gram-negative bacterial strains. Some of the compounds 8a, 8b, 8e, 8f, 8h are most active among the series exhibiting MIC value of 1.17 μg/ml against different bacterial strains. The bactericidal activity is found to be in accordance with the bacterial growth inhibition data. Compound 8e was found to be equipotent to the standard drug Ciprofloxacin displaying MBC value of 1.17 μg/ml against the bacterial strain Bacillus subtilis. The compounds have also demonstrated promising antibacterial activity against the resistant strain MRSA and were found to be effective inhibitors of biofilm formation. The compound 8b exhibited excellent anti-biofilm activity with IC₅₀ value as low as 0.8 μg/ml. These conjugates were also screened for antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv strain. Compound 8e showed promising antitubercular activity with MIC value of 0.25 μg/ml. Most of these compounds are less toxic to normal mammalian cells than the widely used antibacterial drug Ciprofloxacin.     

Comparative computational analysis of ADP Glucose Pyrophosphorylase in plants

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), a key enzyme involved in higher plant starch biosynthesis, is composed of pairs of large (LS) and small subunits (SS). Ample evidence has shown that the AGPase catalyzes the rate limiting step in starch biosynthesis in higher plants. In this study, we compiled detailed comparative information about ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase in selected plants by analyzing their structural features e.g. amino acid content, physico-chemical properties, secondary structural features and phylogenetic classification. Functional analysis of these proteins includes identification of important 10 to 20 amino acids long motifs arise because specific residues and regions proved to be important for the biological function of a group of proteins, which are conserved in both structure and sequence during evolution. Phylogenetic analysis depicts two main clusters. Cluster I encompasses large subunits (LS) while cluster II contains small subunits (SS).