Genetic variation of esterase D (EsD) polymorphism in Indian populations

Data are presented on the phenotypes and gene frequencies of esterase D (EsD) polymorphism in various endogamous caste groups of Patiala and Faridkot districts of Punjab, north-west India. The frequency of the EsD2 allele in these groups varies from a minimum of 0.157 in Khatris to a maximum of 0.253 in Ramdasia Sikhs, a range quite typical of the north Indian populations. Examination of the available data on esterase D system in indigenous populations demonstrates the existence of a north-south cline in the distribution of the EsD2 allele in India.     

Genetic studies of Pangwalas, Transhumant and Settled Gaddis. 4. Colour blindness, mid-phalangeal hair, ear lobe attachment and behavioural traits

Frequency distributions of colour blindness, midphalangeal hair, ear lobe attachment, hand clasping, arm folding, leg folding and handedness are reported for different population groups from Himachal Pradesh, North India, namely Pangwalas, Transhumant Gaddis (Brahmans, Rajputs and Scheduled Castes) and Settled Gaddis (Brahmans, Rajputs and Schedules Castes). An attempt has been made to compare the results of the present study within and between these groups as well as with the results of other reports from different population groups of India and Asia.     

Adaptive associations between total body color dimorphism and climatic stress‐related traits in a stenothermal circumtropical Drosophila species

Abstract Low desiccation resistance of Drosophila ananassae reflects its rarity outside the humid tropics. However, the ability of this sensitive species to evolve under seasonally varying subtropical areas is largely unknown. D. ananassae flies are mostly lighter during the rainy season but darker and lighter flies occur in the autumn season in northern India. We tested the hypothesis whether seasonally varying alternative body color phenotypes of D. ananassae vary in their levels of environmental stress tolerances and mating behavior. Thus, we investigated D. ananassae flies collected during rainy and autumn seasons for changes in body melanization and their genetic basis, desiccation‐related traits, cold tolerance and mating propensity. On the basis of genetic crosses, we found total body color dimorphism consistent with a single gene model in both sexes of D. ananassae. A significant increase in the frequency of the dark morph was observed during the drier autumn season, and body color phenotypes showed significant deviations from Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium, which suggests climatic selection plays a role. Resistance to desiccation as well as cold stress were two‐ to three‐fold higher in the dark body color strain as compared with the light strain. On the basis of no‐choice mating experiments, we observed significantly higher assortative matings between dark morphs under desiccation or cold stress, and between light morphs under hot or higher humidity conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the ecological significance of seasonally varying total body color dimorphism in a tropical species, D. ananassae.     

Advancements in molecular design and bioprocessing of recombinant adeno-associated virus gene delivery vectors using the insect-cell baculovirus expression platform

Despite rapid progress in the field, scalable high-yield production of adeno-associated virus (AAV) is still one of the critical bottlenecks the manufacturing sector is facing. The insect cell-baculovirus expression vector system (IC-BEVS) has emerged as a mainstream platform for the scalable production of recombinant proteins with clinically approved products for human use. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the advancements in IC-BEVS for rAAV production. Since the first report of baculovirus-induced production of rAAV vector in insect cells in 2002, this platform has undergone significant improvements, including enhanced stability of Bac-vector expression and a reduced number of baculovirus-coinfections. The latter streamlining strategy led to the eventual development of the Two-Bac, One-Bac, and Mono-Bac systems. The one baculovirus system consisting of an inducible packaging insect cell line was further improved to enhance the AAV vector quality and potency. In parallel, the implementation of advanced manufacturing approaches and control of critical processing parameters have demonstrated promising results with process validation in large-scale bioreactor runs. Moreover, optimization of the molecular design of vectors to enable higher cell-specific yields of functional AAV particles combined with bioprocess intensification strategies may also contribute to addressing current and future manufacturing challenges.     

Utilization of cattle manure for single-cell protein production with Chaetomium cellulolyticum

Cattle manure has been used as a fermentation medium to cultivate Chaetomium cellulolyticum for single-cell protein (SCP) production. The full potentials of the inherent carbon and nitrogen components in the manure were not attained, possibly because of the recalcitrant forms of these components. Both acid- and alkali-pretreatments have been tried in order to decrease these recalcitrance effects; only the alkali-pretreatment produced significant improvements in the carbon utilization. Anaerobic pre-fermentation of the manure was found to be the most effective method of releasing the inherent manure nutrients, especially as non-carbon fermentation supplements, for the SCP production.     

Population genetics of the group specific component (Gc) and phosphoglucomutase (PGM1) studied by isoelectric focusing

For the determination of the group-specific component (Gc) and phosphoglucomutase (PGM1) phenotypes, isoelectric focusing was performed on two samples, one of Jat Sikh of northwest India, the other of northeast English. The subtype frequencies of these two systems do not differentiate the two populations sampled. Synthesis of the existing data shows distinct PGM1 and Gc subtype frequencies in various ethnic and racial groups. The anthropological implication of these subtype frequencies is discussed.     

The isolation and characterisation of guinea-pig polymorphonuclear leucocyte actin and myosin

The contractile proteins actin and myosin have been isolated from the soluble phase of guinea-pig polymorphonuclear leucocytes and partially characterised. Two forms of actin have been identified, designated 'Mg-actin' and 'KCl-actin'. They have different polymerising properties but their propensity to form synthetic homologous and heterologous actomyosins and to inhibit DNAase-1 does not significantly differ. Both show beta and gamma isoelectric forms in focusing gels and the Mg-actin accounts for about 5% of the soluble-phase protein and te KCl-actin around 2%. Leucocyte myosin has been isolated by affinity chromatography on N6-ADP-Sepharose with a good enrichment of both Ca2+-ATPase and the ATPase activity measured in the absence of Ca2+ or Mg2+ and in the presence of EDTA. This protein, too, has the capacity to form synthetic homologous and hybrid actomyosins with enhancement of the basal Mg2+-ATPase activity. The ratio of actin to myosin in the leucocyte calculated on a molar basis is well in excess of 100, a figure consistent with the findings from other non-muscle cells.     

A Novel Approach to Standard Techniques in the Assessment and Quantification of the Interventricular Systolic Relationship

A 51-year-old female undergoing an outpatient stress echocardiogram to evaluate atypical chest pain developed acute ST elevation in the anterior precordial leads on electrocardiogram following exercise. Echocardiography revealed a severe rise in pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) with marked right ventricular (RV) enlargement and interventricular septum flattening. Subsequently, cardiac catherization confirmed an exercise-induced elevation in PASP and diagnosed pulmonary arterial hypertension without evidence of coronary artery disease. This case suggests that an acute elevation in pulmonary artery pressure with RV dilation may be a potential cause of acute ST elevation during stress testing.