Morphological and molecular divergence of Indian hill trout,Barilius bendelisis (Hamilton, 1822) stocks from different Rivers in Indo‐Burma biodiversity hotspot: Does river altitude and Dam play a role?

The present study explains the intraspecific variation in Indian Hill trout (Barilius bendelisis) on the basis of image based truss network system and D‐loop region of mtDNA. A total of 210 samples were collected from three different rivers (Teesta, Kameng and Myntudu River) of North East India in Indo‐Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. By using the software applications (tpsDig version 2.1 and PAST), a total of 25 morphometric measurements were generated from 10 landmarks. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Factor Analysis (FA) and Discriminate Function Analysis (DFA) showed, out of the total variations, factor 1 explained 46.74% while factor 2 and factor 3 explained 27.14% and 11.92%, respectively. Using these variables 83.33% of the cross‐validated specimens were classified into distinct groups. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) and pairwise Fst value for D‐loop region of mtDNA also showed high to medium level of genetic variation among the stocks and within the stocks. We conclude that the observed discrete stocks might be the result of changing environmental conditions in different rivers of the hotspot as the rivers are present at different altitudinal labels. It is also believed that the variation might be due to the construction of barrages across the river which hinder the mixing among the stocks.     

Amelioration of cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration by catechin hydrate in rat model of streptozotocin-induced experimental dementia of Alzheimer’s type

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting in cognitive decline and enhancement of oxidative loads in the brain. Flavonoids have been considered to exert human health benefits by anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study is aimed to elucidate the neuroprotective effect of catechin hydrate (CH), a natural flavanoid with potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (ICV-STZ) induced neuronal loss and memory impairment. To test this hypothesis, male Wistar rats were pretreated with CH (10 and 20 mg/kg bwt) orally once daily for 21 days and then bilaterally injected with ICV-STZ (3 mg/kg bwt), while sham group rats receive the same volume of vehicle. After 2 weeks of ICV-STZ infusion, rats were tested for cognitive performance using Morris water maze (MWM) test and then sacrifice for biochemical and histopathological assays. CH was found to be successful in upregulating the antioxidant status and prevented the memory loss. The expression of choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) was decreased in ICV-STZ group and CH pretreatment increases the expression of ChAT. Moreover, inflammatory mediators like TNF-α, IL-1β levels and expression of iNOS were significantly attenuated by CH pretreatment. The study suggests that CH is effective in preventing memory loss, ameliorating the oxidative stress and might be beneficial for the treatment of sporadic dementia of Alzheimer’s type (SDAT).     

Identification and characterization of endoglucanases for fungicidal activity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anabaena laxa</Emphasis> (Cyanobacteria)

A cyanobacterial strain (Anabaena laxa RPAN8) exhibiting fungicidal activity and β-1,3 and 1,4 endoglucanase activities was selected for identifying the gene(s) involved. Functional analyses of the genomic library revealed that four clones (8, 64, 116, and 248) of RPAN8 exhibited fungicidal activity and induced structural deformities in the cell wall of the growing mycelia of Pythium aphanidermatum. Higher expression of fungicidal and β-1,4 endoglucanase activities, along with low expression of β-1,3 endoglucanase activity, was recorded in two E. coli clones (8 and 64). Clones 8 and 64 exhibited identical sequences while clones 116 and 248 were also similar. Bioinformatic analyses were undertaken only for the two non-identical clones 8 and 116 which showed open reading frames (ORFs) of 348 (end 1) and 656 amino acid residues (end 2), respectively. The amino acid sequence analyses revealed that the end 1 encoding endoglucanases belonged to peptidase M20 family while end 2 showed significant similarities with several known genes. The putative promoters and ribosomal binding sites were identified and amino acid exchanges were observed in both end 1 and 2. The presence of signal peptides of 24 and 20 amino acid residues respectively revealed the secretory nature of these proteins.     

Role of Se(VI) in counteracting oxidative damage in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica juncea</Emphasis> L. under Cr(VI) stress

Chromium (Cr) is considered to be one of the major environmental hazards and poses a threat to both plant and animal health. Selenium (Se), however, has been recognized as an essential micronutrient in plants. To understand the role of Se(VI) in oxidative stress management and regulation of antioxidative defence mechanism against heavy metal stress, the seedlings of Brassica juncea L. were raised in Petri plates containing nutrient media supplemented with only with Se(VI) and Cr(VI), or their combination. It was observed that of Cr(VI) causes an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the seedlings leading to oxidative stress. Histological studies using confocal and visible microscopy confirmed the biochemical results. Supplementation of up to 4 µM of Se(VI) to media containing 300 µM of Cr(VI) reduced the contents of ROS and increased enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in the seedlings. At a concentration of 6 µM, however, Se(VI) was toxic. The results suggested that at appropriate concentrations, the exogenous application of Se(VI) enabled the B. juncea seedlings to counteract the effects of Cr(VI), thereby increasing the resistance of plants.     

MicroRNA Profiling in Prostate Cancer - The Diagnostic Potential of Urinary miR-205 and miR-214

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common type of cancer in men in the United States, which disproportionately affects African American descents. While metastasis is the most common cause of death among PCa patients, no specific markers have been assigned to severity and ethnic biasness of the disease. MicroRNAs represent a promising new class of biomarkers owing to their inherent stability and resilience. In the present study, we investigated potential miRNAs that can be used as biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets and can provide insight into the severity and ethnic biasness of PCa. PCR array was performed in FFPE PCa tissues (5 Caucasian American and 5 African American) and selected differentially expressed miRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR, in 40 (15 CA and 25 AA) paired PCa and adjacent normal tissues. Significantly deregulated miRNAs were also analyzed in urine samples to explore their potential as non-invasive biomarker for PCa. Out of 8 miRNAs selected for validation from PCR array data, miR-205 (p<0.0001), mir-214 (p<0.0001), miR-221(p<0.001) and miR-99b (p<0.0001) were significantly downregulated in PCa tissues. ROC curve shows that all four miRNAs successfully discriminated between PCa and adjacent normal tissues. MiR-99b showed significant down regulation (p<0.01) in AA PCa tissues as compared to CA PCa tissues and might be related to the aggressiveness associated with AA population. In urine, miR-205 (p<0.05) and miR-214 (p<0.05) were significantly downregulated in PCa patients and can discriminate PCa patients from healthy individuals with 89% sensitivity and 80% specificity. In conclusion, present study showed that miR-205 and miR-214 are downregulated in PCa and may serve as potential non-invasive molecular biomarker for PCa.     

Nitroimidazole-based inhibitors DTP338 and DTP348 are safe for zebrafish embryos and efficiently inhibit the activity of human CA IX in Xenopus oocytes

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX is a hypoxia inducible enzyme that is highly expressed in solid tumours. Therefore, it has been considered as an anticancer target using specific chemical inhibitors. The nitroimidazoles DTP338 and DTP348 have been shown to inhibit CA IX in nanomolar range in vitro and reduce extracellular acidification in hypoxia, and impair tumour growth. We screened these compounds for toxicity using zebrafish embryos and measured their in vivo effects on human CA IX in Xenopus oocytes. In the toxicity screening, the LD₅₀ for both compounds was 3.5?mM. Neither compound showed apparent toxicity below 300?µM concentration. Above this concentration, both compounds altered the movement of zebrafish larvae. The IC₅₀ was 0.14?±?0.02?µM for DTP338 and 19.26?±?1.97?µM for DTP348, suggesting that these compounds efficiently inhibit CA IX in vivo. Our results suggest that these compounds can be developed as drugs for cancer therapy.     

Occurrence of B-chromosomes in diploid Allium stracheyi Baker and their elimination in polyploids

Summary In a population of Allium stracheyi Baker (2n=14) growing in Darjeeling both diploids and polyploids occur. The diploids contain B-chromosomes varying from 2–10 in number. Polyploids are conspicuous by absence of B-chromosomes. These in diploids are found in the pollen mother cells and also in the pollen, and some are provided with subterminal constriction.Diploid individuals when brought from Darjeeling to Calcutta (i. e. from temperate to tropical regions) became polyploid within a month and the B-chromosomes were simultaneously lost. In order to confirm this unexpected result, the transfer experiment has been repeated thrice with fresh collections in each case and selection of diploid bulbs after cytological observation. In all cases the result has been the same. In rare cases one or two B-chromosomes were found in the polyploid cells which might represent intermediate steps of the disappearance.B-chromosomes in diploids possibly help the individual to compete with polyploids by enlarging the adaptive capacity.The sudden polyploidisation by transfer from the mountains to the plains might have been the result of a shock due to the temperature difference. The high temperature may be deleterious for the reproduction of B-chromosomes, and their degeneration products possibly contribute to cytoplasmic changes and the spindle disturbances which effect polyploidisation.