The mitochondrial genome of the Cinnamon Bittern, Ixobrychus cinnamomeus (Pelecaniformes: Ardeidae): sequence, structure and phylogenetic analysis

Ixobrychus cinnamomeus is a member of the large wading bird family, known as Ardeidae. In the present study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of I. cinnamomeus for use in future phylogenetic analysis. This circular mitochondrial genome is 17,180 bp in length and composed of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes and one putative control region. Three conserved domains and a minisatellite of 17 nucleotides with 22 tandem repeats were detected at the end of the control region. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using the nucleotide and corresponding amino acid datasets of 12 concatenated protein-coding genes from the mitochondrial genome. Using maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods, the monophyly of Ciconiidae, Ardeidae and Threskiornithidae were confirmed; however, the monophyly of traditional Ciconiiformes and Pelecaniformes failed to be recovered. Although further studies are recommended to clarify relationships among and within the orders of Ciconiiformes, Pelecaniformes, Suliformes and Phaethontiformes, our results provide preliminary exploratory results that can be useful in the current understanding of avian phylogenetics.     

Raf kinases: function, regulation and role in human cancer

The Ras-Raf-MAPK pathway regulates diverse physiological processes by transmitting signals from membrane based receptors to various nuclear, cytoplasmic and membrane-bound targets, coordinating a large variety of cellular responses. Function of Raf family kinases has been shown to play a role during organism development, cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation and differentiation, cell survival and apoptosis and many other cellular and physiological processes. Aberrations along the Ras-Raf-MAPK pathway play an integral role in various biological processes concerning human health and disease. Overexpression or activation of the pathway components is a common indicator in proliferative diseases such as cancer and contributes to tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. In this review, we focus on the physiological roles of Raf kinases in normal and disease conditions, specifically cancer, and the current thoughts on Raf regulation.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1,2,3-triazole derivatives as anti-tubercular agents

A library of seventeen novel 1,2,3-triazole derivatives were efficiently synthesized in excellent yields by the popular ‘click chemistry’ approach and evaluated in vitro for their anti-tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra (ATCC 25177 strain). Among the series, six compounds exhibited significant activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 3.12 to 0.78 μg/mL and along with no significant cytotoxicity against MBMDMQs (mouse bone marrow derived macrophages). Molecular docking of the target compounds into the active site of DprE1 (Decaprenylphosphoryl-β-d-ribose-2′-epimerase) enzyme revealed noteworthy information on the plausible binding interactions.     

Thiophene containing triarylmethanes as antitubercular agents

A new series of thiophene containing triarylmethane derivatives were synthesized from the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of diarylcarbinols followed by incorporation of amino alkyl chains. These were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37R(v) and showed the activity in the range of 3.12-12.5 microg/mL in vitro.     

Synthesis and evaluation of antitubercular activity of glycosyl thio- and sulfonyl acetamide derivatives

A series of glycosyl thioacetamide and glycosyl sulfonyl acetamide derivatives have been prepared following a convenient reaction protocol and evaluated for their antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv. Amongst 32 compounds evaluated 3 compounds were effective in inhibiting mycobacterial growth at MIC of 6.25 μg/mL, 6 compounds at MIC of 3.125 μg/mL and 1 compound at MIC of 1.56 μg/mL. All active compounds were found nontoxic in Vero cell lines and mice bone marrow macrophages.     

Genome-wide SNP typing reveals signatures of population history

Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have become a popular technology for disease-association studies, but they also have potential for studying the genetic differentiation of human populations. Application of the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Mapping 500K Array Set to a population of 102 individuals representing the major ethnic groups in the United States (African, Asian, European, and Hispanic) revealed patterns of gene diversity and genetic distance that reflected population history. We analyzed allelic frequencies at 388,654 autosomal SNP sites that showed some variation in our study population and 10% or fewer missing values. Despite the small size (23-31 individuals) of each subpopulation, there were no fixed differences at any site between any two subpopulations. As expected from the African origin of modern humans, greater gene diversity was seen in Africans than in either Asians or Europeans, and the genetic distance between the Asian and the European populations was significantly lower than that between either of these two populations and Africans. Principal components analysis applied to a correlation matrix among individuals was able to separate completely the major continental groups of humans (Africans, Asians, and Europeans), while Hispanics overlapped all three of these groups. Genes containing two or more markers with extraordinarily high genetic distance between subpopulations were identified as candidate genes for health differences between subpopulations. The results show that, even with modest sample sizes, genome-wide SNP genotyping technologies have great promise for capturing signatures of gene frequency difference between human subpopulations, with applications in areas as diverse as forensics and the study of ethnic health disparities.     

Search of antitubercular activities in tetrahydroacridines: synthesis and biological evaluation

A series of 9-substituted tetrahydroacridines were synthesized by nucleophilic substitution of chloro group with different nucleophiles in 9-chlorotetrahydroacridine (2). The latter could be obtained by POCl(3) mediated cyclization of the intermediate enamine, which in turn, was prepared by acid catalyzed condensation of anthranilic acid and cyclohexanone. Most of the compounds on antitubercular evaluation against M. tuberculosis H37 Rv and H37 Ra strains exhibited potent activities with MIC 6.125-0.78 microg/mL comparable to the standard drugs.