First report on C-banding and fluorescent banding in species of Dieuches (Rhyparochrominae: Lygaeidae: Heteroptera)

Although the karyotypes of twelve species of Dieuches Dohrn, 1860 belonging to Rhyparochrominae have been described so far, there is no information about heterochromatin and its characterization in terms of base composition for any of the species. In the present paper, C-banding and fluorescent banding have been applied for the first time to three species of Dieuches : D. uniguttatus, D. insignis (2n = 12 = 8A + 2m + XY) and D. coloratus (2n = 14 = 10A + 2m + XY). Dieuches uniguttatus and D. insignis show distinct terminal C-bands along with a few interstitial bands in all the autosomal bivalents, whereas in D. coloratus , one autosomal pair is almost completely heterochromatic, three show C-positive bands while one is totally euchromatic. The sex chromosomes too show heterogeneity in distribution of C-heterochromatin among three Dieuches species. Characterization of heterochromatin in D. uniguttatus and D. insignis using DAPI/CMA₃ staining reveals that in D. uniguttatus , C- heterochromatin blocks of all the autosomal bivalents, which are predominantly A–T rich, whereas in D. insignis , these are rich both in A–T and G–C. In D. uniguttatus, sex chromosomes X and Y have localized G–C rich regions whereas in D. insignis , these are scattered in X and absent in Y. As variations in the heterochromatin represent the main source of karyological differentiation among and within species, it seems that there occurred extensive redistribution of heterochromatin within the complement as the three species evolved. There is need for cytological details of more species to understand evolutionary aspects in the genus Dieuches .     

Embryological studies in some grasses and their taxonomic significance

BHANWRA, R. K., KAUR, N., KAUR, N. & GARG, A., 1991. Embryological studies in some grasses and their taxonomic significance. The species investigated are Lolium multiftorum Lam (tribe Poeae), Rostraria cristata (Linn.) Tzevlev (tribe Aveneae), Cenchrus setigerus Vahl, Digitaria abludens (Roem. et Schult.) Veld, and D. ciliaris (Retz.) Koel (tribe Paniceae). Apart from the number of microsporocytes in a median longitudinal section of each anther lobe, microsporogenesis and male gametophyte development are similar. However, members of subfamilies Pooideae and Panicoideae show marked differences in structure of the ovary, ovule and post-fertilization development. Lolium multiftorum and R. cristata vary in the structure of the dorsal ovary wall, degree of curvature in the megagemetophyte in relation to the longtitudinal axis of the ovule, and structure of the pericarp. Cenchrus setigerus is an aposporic apomict and differs markedly from species of Digitaria in this respect, in the extent of development of the inner integument and in the constitution of the dorsal ovary wall. The two species of Digitaria show minor embryological differences.     

Effect of Cytokinin and Moisture Stress on Cell Expansion Growth of Etiolated Cotyledons of Sponge-gourd (Luffa cylindrica) Roxb.

Cell enlargement was studied in the isolated cotyledons of sponge-gourd(Luffa cylindrica) to evaluate the effects of benzyladenineand moisture stress, singly and in combination, on the componentsof cell-expansion growth in darkness. In cytokinin-treated cotyledons,growth at the maximum elongation phase was found to be closelyrelated to a distinct acidification of the incubation medium,increase in cell-wall extensibility and a drop in turgor pressure.Benzyladenine proved antagonistic to moisture stress which inhibitedgrowth of the cotyledons by restricting proton extrusion aswell as cell-wall extensibility. The results of the presentinvestigations are consistent with the ‘acid growth’theory, and provide the experimental evidence that cytokinin,contrary to moisture stress, accelerates cell expansion in thedark by an acid-growth mechanism. Cucurbits, cell enlargement, cell-wall extensibility, acid growth     

Genome size and chromosome number in the New Zealand species of Schoenus (Cyperaceae)

Schoenus (Cyperaceae) has holocentric chromosomes. Chromosome numbers were counted and nuclear DNA amounts were measured for all the New Zealand species of the genus. Chromosome numbers ranged from 2n = 8 to c. 2n = 90. Two chromosome races, with 2n = 28 and 2n = 56, were found in S. pauciflorus. Flow cytometry using propidium iodide‐stained nuclei was used to measure genome size. A 14.8‐fold variation in 2C DNA content was found, with values ranging from 1.33 to 19.71 pg/2C nucleus. Phylogenetic trees based on sequence variation in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the 45S ribosomal DNA locus were constructed using several phylogenetic models to reveal possible evolutionary relationships among the New Zealand Schoenus spp. and a sample of Australian Schoenus spp. Analysis revealed heterogeneity of chromosome number, size and DNA C value within clades. Meiosis in four species showed only bivalent formation at metaphase I. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 169 , 555–564.     

Introgression of a leaf rust resistance gene from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegilops caudata</Emphasis> to bread wheat

Rusts are the most important biotic constraints limiting wheat productivity worldwide. Deployment of cultivars with broad spectrum rust resistance is the only environmentally viable option to combat these diseases. Identification and introgression of novel sources of resistance is a continuous process to combat the ever evolving pathogens. The germplasm of nonprogenitor Aegilops species with substantial amount of variability has been exploited to a limited extent. In the present investigation introgression, inheritance and molecular mapping of a leaf rust resistance gene of Ae. caudata (CC) acc. pau3556 in cultivated wheat were undertaken. An F(2) population derived from the cross of Triticum aestivum cv. WL711 - Ae. caudata introgression line T291-2 with wheat cultivar PBW343 segregated for a single dominant leaf rust resistance gene at the seedling and adult plant stages. Progeny testing in F(3) confirmed the introgression of a single gene for leaf rust resistance. Bulked segregant analysis using polymorphic D-genome-specific SSR markers and the cosegregation of the 5DS anchored markers (Xcfd18, Xcfd78, Xfd81 and Xcfd189) with the rust resistance in the F(2) population mapped the leaf rust resistance gene (LrAC) on the short arm of wheat chromosome 5D. Genetic complementation and the linked molecular markers revealed that LrAC is a novel homoeoallele of an orthologue Lr57 already introgressed from the 5M chromosome of Ae. geniculata on 5DS of wheat.     

Effects of DL-Alpha-Difluoromethylornithine on Leishmania donovani Promastigotes1

ABSTRACT. Alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, has been demonstrated to be an effective agent against a variety of parasitic protozoa but not against Leishmania spp. In this report, we show that Leishmania donovani promastigotes in continuous culture are sensitive to the growth inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of DFMO. Incubation of the promastigotes with DFMO obliterates intracellular putrescine pools and depletes spermidine concentrations, which correlates with the onset of growth inhibition. The effects of DFMO on the growth and the intracellular polyamine pools can be reversed completely by the addition of 10 μM putrescine to the culture medium. These results suggest that the treatment of leishmaniasis may be amenable to chemotherapeutic manipulation by DFMO.     

Cytogenetic analysis in couples with recurrent miscarriages: a retrospective study from Punjab,north India

Human reproduction is considered as the most inefficient event as ～15–20% of human pregnancies end in miscarriage and in the product of miscarriages, chromosomal anomalies are a common occurrence. The aim of the present retrospective study was to assess the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in couples with recurrent miscarriages in the region of Punjab and to compare with worldwide frequencies. In this study, a total of 440 cases were referred between the period 1995–2015. After lymphocyte culturing, giemsa–trypsin banding was done for each case to assess the chromosomal anomalies. The frequency of chromosomal aberrations among couples was found to be 3.41% in our study. Among these aberrations, balanced reciprocal translocations formed the largest group with 60% anomalies. We would conclude that clinicians should understand the importance of chromosomal analysis in these couples and refer them for karyotyping after two miscarriages to rule out the possible genetic cause of recurrent miscarriages.     

Role of habitat and great oxidation event on the occurrence of three multisubunit inorganic carbon-uptake systems in cyanobacteria

The oxygenase reaction catalyzed by RuBisCO became an issue only after the evolution of the oxygenic photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. Several strategies were developed by autotrophic organisms as an evolutionary response to increase oxygen levels to help RuBisCO maximize its net carboxylation rate. One of the crucial advancements in this context was the development of more efficient inorganic carbon transporters which could help in increasing the influx of inorganic carbon (Ci) at the site of CO₂ fixation. We conducted a survey to find out the genes coding for cyanobacterial Ci transporters in 40 cyanobacterial phyla with respect to transporters present in Gloeobacter violaceous PCC 7421, an early-diverging cyanobacterium. An attempt was also made to correlate the prevalence of the kind of transporter present in the species with its habitat. Basically, two types of cyanobacterial inorganic carbon transporters exist, i.e. bicarbonate transporters and CO₂-uptake systems. The transporters also show variation in context to their structure as some exist as single subunit proteins (BicA and SbtA), while others exist as multisubunit proteins (namely BCT1, NdhI₃ and NdhI₄). The phylogeny and distribution of the former have been extensively studied and the present analysis provides an insight into the latter ones. The in silico analysis of the genes under study revealed that their distribution was greatly influenced by the habitat and major environmental changes such as the great oxidation event (GOE) in the course of their evolution.