Mass rearing of Spalgis epius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), a potential predator of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

Spalgis epius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) has been recorded as a potential predator of various species of mealybug crop pests worldwide. We describe the mass rearing of S. epius, as no information on this topic is available. Outdoor nylon tent cages of different dimensions were provided to achieve mating and oviposition as S. epius adults did not mate in the laboratory cages. Adults mated only in the tent cage (6×6×10 m) placed over a native tree (9 m height). The presence of a tree canopy inside the cage is essential to achieve courtship and mating. Gravid females of S. epius deposited eggs on the mealybug-infested pumpkins inside the different sized nylon cages with or without a bush/tree. Spalgis epius eggs were maintained on mealybug-infested pumpkins in the laboratory and developmental stages of the predator were reared. Adults fed on various diets laid significantly higher number of eggs than those of starved individuals. Spalgis epius with a life cycle completed in 21.2 days and 55.7 larvae, could be reared on a single mealybug-infested pumpkin.     

Gold nanoparticles-based colorimetric assay for rapid detection of Salmonella species in food samples

A rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method was developed for detection of foodborne pathogens, particularly Salmonella species. The method utilizes single stranded DNA (ssDNA) probes and non-functionalized gold nanoparticles to provide a colorimetric assay for the detection of PCR amplified DNA. Different food samples were tested with the PCR-based colorimetric assay parallel with the conventional culture method. The sensitivity and specificity of colorimetric assay was 89.15 and 99.04% respectively with reference to conventional culture method. The total time required to detect the Salmonella spp. present in food samples by the developed method is less than 8 h, including 6 h incubation. It was observed that the colorimetric assay was 10 times more sensitive than gel-based detection with the same concentration of DNA used for analysis.     

AUTOBA: Automation of backbone assignment from HN(C)N suite of experiments

Development of efficient strategies and automation represent important milestones of progress in rapid structure determination efforts in proteomics research. In this context, we present here an efficient algorithm named as AUTOBA (Automatic Backbone Assignment) designed to automate the assignment protocol based on HN(C)N suite of experiments. Depending upon the spectral dispersion, the user can record 2D or 3D versions of the experiments for assignment. The algorithm uses as inputs: (i) protein primary sequence and (ii) peak-lists from user defined HN(C)N suite of experiments. In the end, one gets H^N, ¹⁵N, C^α and C′ assignments (in common BMRB format) for the individual residues along the polypeptide chain. The success of the algorithm has been demonstrated, not only with experimental spectra recorded on two small globular proteins: ubiquitin (76 aa) and M-crystallin (85 aa), but also with simulated spectra of 27 other proteins using assignment data from the BMRB.     

Modulation of PPAR subtype selectivity. Part 2: Transforming PPARα/γ dual agonist into α selective PPAR agonist through bioisosteric modification

A novel series of oxime containing benzyl-1,3-dioxane-r-2-carboxylic acid derivatives (6a-k) were designed as selective PPARα agonists, through bioisosteric modification in the lipophilic tail region of PPARα/γ dual agonist. Some of the test compounds (6a, 6b, 6c and 6f) showed high selectivity towards PPARα over PPARγ in vitro. Further, highly potent and selective PPARα agonist 6c exhibited significant antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activity in vivo, along with its improved pharmacokinetic profile. Favorable in-silico interaction of 6c with PPARα binding pocket correlate its in vitro selectivity profile toward PPARα over PPARγ. Together, these results confirm discovery of novel series of oxime based selective PPARα agonists for the safe and effective treatment of various metabolic disorders.     

Diagnosis of early stage ovarian cancer by 1H NMR metabonomics of serum explored by use of a microflow NMR probe

We show that (1)H NMR based metabonomicsof serum allows the diagnosis of early stage I/II epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) required for successful treatment. Because patient specimens are highly precious, we conducted an exploratory study using a microflow probe requiring only 20 μL of serum. By use of logistic regression on principal components (PCs) of the NMR profiles, we built a 4-variable model for early stage EOC prediction (training set: 69 EOC specimens, 84 healthy controls; test set: 40 EOC, 44 controls) with operating characteristics estimated for the test set at 80% specificity [95% confidence interval (CI): 65-90%], 63% sensitivity (95% CI: 46-77%), and an area under the Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve (AUC) of 0.796. Independent validation (50 EOC, 50 controls) of the model yielded 95% specificity (95% CI: 86-99.5%), 68% sensitivity (95% CI: 53-80%) and an AUC of 0.949. A test on cancer type specificity showed that women diseased with renal cell carcinoma were not incorrectly diagnosed with EOC, indicating that metabonomics bears significant potential for cancer type-specific diagnosis. Our model can potentially be applied for women at high risk for EOC, and our study promises to contribute to developing a screening protocol for the general population.     

Technology and data-intensive science in the beginning of the 21st century

This article is a summary of the technology issues and challenges of data-intensive science and cloud computing as discussed in the Data-Intensive Science (DIS) workshop in Seattle, September 19-20, 2010.     

Genome-Wide Comparative in silico Analysis of Calcium Transporters of Rice and Sorghum

The mechanism of calcium uptake, translocation and accumulation in Poaceae has not yet been fully understood. To address this issue, we conducted genome-wide comparative in silico analysis of the calcium (Ca2+) transporter gene family of two crop species, rice and sorghum. Gene annotation, identification of upstream cis-acting ele- ments, phylogenetic tree construction and syntenic mapping of the gene family were performed using several bio- informatics tools. A total of 31 Ca2+ transporters, distributed on 9 out of 12 chromosomes, were predicted from rice genome, while 28 Ca2+ transporters predicted from sorghum are distributed on all the chromosomes except chromosome 10 (Chr 10). Interestingly, most of the genes on Chr 1 and Chr 3 show an inverse syntenic relation- ship between rice and sorghum. Multiple sequence alignment and motif analysis of these transporter proteins re- vealed high conservation between the two species. Phylogenetic tree could very well identify the subclasses of channels, ATPases and exchangers among the gene family. The in silico cis-regulatory element analysis suggested diverse functions associated with light, stress and hormone responsiveness as well as endosperm- and meris- tem-specific gene expression. Further experiments are warranted to validate the in silico analysis of the predicted transporter gene family and elucidate the functions of Ca2+ transporters in various biological processes.