Responses of Corpuscles of Stannius to intra-peritoneal vitamin-D3 administration in teleost Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) reared in water with two different levels of calcium concentration

This study assessed the responses of vitamin-D₃ intraperitoneally injected to Rohu, Labeo rohita @ of 0 IU/kg bw (only solvent), 100 IU/kg bw and 500 IU/kg bw reared in 20 and 40 ppm of calcium (Ca) enriched water. The cellular changes in Corpuscles of Stannius (CS) gland, serum Ca, and inorganic phosphate (P_i) level were analysed up to the 60th day. Rohu administered with 100 IU/kg bw D₃ and exposed to 40 ppm Ca-rich water exhibited notable hyperplasia of CS compared with their control groups. Notable changes with high serum Ca level (13.87 ± 0.3 mg/dl) was detected on the 5th day in fish exposed to 40 ppm Ca-rich water, while related values attained (13.74 ± 0.1 mg/dl) only after 7 days in 20 ppm Ca-rich water of 500 IU/kg bw vitamin D₃ injection. Similarly, high serum P_i level (7.66 ± 0.2 mg/dl) in 40 ppm Ca injected with D₃ at 500 IU/kg bw. The results demonstrated that the Ca homeostasis of Labeo rohita is influenced by intra-peritoneal vitamin D₃. Progressive studies should be conducted by increasing the dose of vitamin D₃ to investigate optimum dose/supplement in feed for commercially important aquaculture teleost Labeo rohita for maximum and sustainable absorption of Ca from the variable water Calcium levels to maintain Ca²⁺ homeostasis.     

Assessment of genetic diversity and population structure in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) using hypervariable SSR markers

Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants - The present study investigates the genetic diversity and population structure among 42 diverse pomegranate genotypes using a set of twenty one class I...     

HY5 and ABI5 transcription factors physically interact to fine tune light and ABA signaling in Arabidopsis

Plant Molecular Biology - Cross-talk between light and ABA signaling is mediated by physical interaction between HY5 and ABI5 Arabidopsis. Plants undergo numerous transitions during their...     

Poly ethylene glycol mediated in vitro screening and physico-biochemical changes induced in mango callus due to moisture stress

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - A method for in vitro screening and selection of drought (moisture stress) tolerant mango calli was developed. Poly ethylene glycol (PEG) (Molecular...     

Assessment of yield enhancement in cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) by the pollinator sharing effect of magnetic bee-friendly plants in India

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that pollinator sharing among cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) and co-blooming magnetic bee-friendly plants facilitate higher productivity of cashew nuts. We examined the reproductive efficacy of cashew in three sites with distinct vegetation pattern (site I: sparsely distributed individuals, without association of co-blooming magnetic bee-friendly plant; site II: densely distributed individuals, without association of co-blooming magnetic bee-friendly plant; site III: densely distributed individuals, associated with co-blooming magnetic bee-friendly plants). Floral traits (including flowering time, flower architecture, number of flowers per panicle, hermaphrodite- male flower ratio, floral rewards, anthesis time and longevity of flower) does not differ among the study sites. According to the value of relative pollinator service (RPS), Apis dorsata was the primary pollinator of cashew and also shared by the co-blooming bee-friendly plants. The abundance of pollinators was the highest in site III and the lowest in site I. The nut yield was also significantly higher in site III cashew orchard which was in association with magnetic bee-friendly plants. Therefore, we can conclude that the association of co-blooming magnetic plants increased nut yield of cashew through the enhancement of pollinator's services.     

Evaluating the DNA barcodes for identification of butterflies from Western Himalayas,Uttarakhand, India

DNA barcodes in species tagging have become a popular tool for taking inventories of species from different groups worldwide. The present study aimed to generate DNA barcodes of butterfly species from the Western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India. The Indian Western Himalayan region (IWHR) has been explored to a limited extent about butterfly species’ diversity. However, the IWHR is prone to environmental change, and slight variations in climatic conditions can influence species diversity and change butterflies' range. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was first used to generate the DNA barcode for butterflies from this region on a broad scale. 28 morphologically identified species, consisting of 102 sequences, were finally grouped into 26 species, with only two species showing ambiguity in species identification. These species had < 3% sequence variations from their neighboring relatives, suggesting cryptic species diversity. Generated sequences were also compared with the GenBank data of conspecific geographical locations, which showed intraspecies variation ranging from 1.3% to 7.3%. It was also noted that butterfly species have both intra and interspecies sequence divergence. In the phylogenetic-based species identification, a total of 28 species belonging to 4 families of butterflies were successfully discriminated, and two species at the genus level, which had high intra-specific divergence (0.025), were considered. However, the high intra-species sequence divergence observed may represent the presence of hidden species.     

Microsatellite Analysis of Genetic Population Structure of Zebu Cattle (Bos indicus) Breeds from North-Western Region of India

The present study aims to understand the existing genetic diversity and structure of six native cattle breeds (Rathi, Tharparkar, Nagori, Mewati, Gir, and Kankrej) adapted to the north-western arid and semi-arid region of India based on microsatellite loci. Various diversity estimates, mean number of alleles (12.84); effective number of alleles (5.02); gene diversity (0.769), and observed heterozygosity (0.667) reflected the existence of substantial within-breed diversity in all the investigated cattle breeds. Mean estimates of F-statistics: F_IT = 0.144 ± 0.023, F_IS = 0.071 ± 0.021, and F_ST = 0.078 ± 0.014 were significantly different from zero (P < 0.05). The interbreed relationships indicated moderate level of breed differentiation between the six cattle breeds with least differentiation between Kankrej-Mewati pair. The phylogeny structuring further supported close grouping of Kankrej and Mewati breeds. Correspondence analysis plotted Rathi, Tharparkar, and Gir individuals into three separate areas of multivariate space; whereas, Kankrej, Mewati, and Nagori cattle showed low breed specific clustering. This reflected the existence of discrete genetic structure for Tharparkar, Rathi, and Gir, the prominent dairy breeds of the region; whereas, admixture was observed for Kankrej, Mewati, and Nagori individuals.     

Survivability of parthenogenetic embryos following in vivo transfer in naturally synchronized Capra hircus

The present study was conducted to see the in vivo developmental potency of caprine parthenogenetic embryos generated in a modified way. The good quality caprine oocytes were matured in presence of cytochalasin B (CCB) and then activated by 7% ethanol followed by 2 mM 6-dimethyl amino purine (6-DMAP) and embryo development was recorded. Early stage parthenogenetic embryos (two to four cells) were surgically transferred in recipients (10). The pregnancy diagnosis was done by nonreturn to oestrus, ultrasonography (USG), and progesterone estimation. The levels of progesterone were above normal values (1 ng/ml) of pregnancy and fall below the level of pregnancy just before retuned to oestrus. Progesterone profile revealed that out of ten recipients (G1–G10), four goats (G1, G2, G3, and G5) returned to oestrus after 43?±?7.29 (Mean?±?SE) d of embryo transfer and six goats (G4, G6, G7, G8, G9, and G10) did not return to cycle even after 70 d of embryo transfer. In three recipients (G4, G5, and G6), the USG on day 40 revealed that there was fluid filled uterine body with solid fetus-like structure. These might be dead fetus and had started resorption. The progesterone profile also corroborated the assumption of pregnancy in these animals. Authors believe that this may be the first report on in vivo diploid parthenogenetic embryo development in caprine species.     

MODEL DEVELOPMENT AND PROCESS OPTIMIZATION FOR SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF POLYPHENOLS FROM RED GRAPES USING BOX–BEHNKEN DESIGN

The objective of the present study is to find out the optimum extraction conditions for extraction of polyphenols from red grapes using Box–Behnken design. Red grapes polyphenols were extracted using acid–ethanol solvent at various extraction temperature (40–60°C), extraction time (20–100 min) and different solid–liquid ratio (1:5–1:15 g:ml). The effect (main and interactive) of extraction conditions on total anthocyanin, phenolic and flavonoid content were studied using Box–Behnken design (three factors at three levels). The results showed that the contribution of the quadratic model was significant for all the responses. Second-order mathematical regression models were developed and were found to fit well with observed data. Derringer's desirability function methodology was performed to find out the optimal conditions based on both individual and combinations of all responses (extraction temperature: 57°C, time: 61 min, and solid–liquid ratio: 1:8.7 g:ml) were established. At this optimal condition, the anthocyanin yield, total phenolic and flavonoid content were 73.92 mg/100 g, 221.4 mg GAE/100 g, and 79.08 mg CE/100 g, respectively. A desirability value of 0.902 was achieved at this point.