First report on the molecular prevalence of Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp) in goats the cause of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in Balochistan province of Pakistan

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp) is a disease of goats which causes high morbidity and mortality and is reported in many countries of the world. There are probably no reports on the molecular prevalence of Mccp, Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc) and Mycoplasma putrefaciens (Mp) in Balochistan and any other part of Pakistan. Thirty goats (n = 30) with marked respiratory symptoms were selected and procured from forty goat flocks in Pishin district of Balochistan in 2008. The genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the lung samples (n = 30) of the slaughtered goats was purified and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for the presence of Mycoplasma mycoides cluster members and Mp. The PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) was also used to further confirm the Mccp. Of the thirty lung samples 17 (56.67%) were positive for the molecular prevalence of Mcc, Mccp and Mp. In total the molecular prevalence was observed as 17.65% for Mccp (n = 3), 70.59% for Mcc (n = 12) and 11.76% for Mp (n = 2). The RFLP profile has also validated the PCR results of Mccp by yielding two bands of 190 and 126 bp. The results of PCR-RFLP coupled with the presence of fibrinous pleuropneumonia and pleurisy during postmortem of goats (n = 3) strongly indicated the prevalence of CCPP in this part of world. Moreover the prevalence of Mcc and Mp is also alarming in the study area. We report for the very first time the molecular prevalence of Mcc, Mccp, and Mp in the lung tissues of goats in the Pishin district of Balochistan, Pakistan.     

Multifaceted Strategies Used by Root-Knot Nematodes to Parasitize Plants-A Review

Root-knot nematodes being omnipresent in agricultural and horticultural soils are tallied among the most important economic pathogens around the world. For successful parasitism, these nematodes use various strategies to control and manipulate the host plant’s cell machinery. These strategies include the molecular mimicry of some host genes by some nematode secreted effector proteins, secretion of cell wall digesting enzymes and other effector proteins that are responsible for the suppression of defence by the host plant. All these secretions which are released through the stylet, contribute to the formation of specialized feeding sites or giant cells. The effector proteins interfere with the normal physiology, cytology and biochemistry of the host plant. The present review brings novel insights by summarizing some novel effectors that have been discovered recently like MgPDI, MiMIF, MiIDL1, MiISE6, Mg16820, etc. It also discusses some novel mechanisms through which these effector proteins target different pathways of host plants and thus facilitate nematode parasitism.     

Genetic variability of NaCl tolerance in tomato

Cultivation of crops in soils with high salt (NaCl) content can affect plant development. We examined the morphological and physiological mechanisms of salt tolerance in tomato. The responses of 72 accessions of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to salinity were compared by measuring shoot and root lengths, and fresh shoot and root weights relative to those of controls (plants grown in normal salt levels). All traits were reduced at the seedling stage when salinity levels were increased. The accession x salinity interaction was significant for all traits. Root length had higher heritability than other traits and was used as a selection criterion to identify salt-tolerant and -non-tolerant accessions. On the basis of root length, accessions LA2661, CLN2498A, CLN1621L, BL1176, 6233, and 17870 were considered to be more tolerant than accessions 17902, LO2875 and LO4360. The degree of salt tolerance was checked by analyzing K+ and Na+ concentrations and K+/Na+ ratio in tissues of plants treated with 10 and 15 dS/m salinity levels. Tolerance of these accessions to salinity was most associated with low accumulation of Na+ and higher K+/Na+ ratios.     

The novel heterozygous Thr377Arg MYOC mutation causes severe Juvenile Open Angle Glaucoma in a large Pakistani family

Glaucoma is one of the major causes of blindness worldwide with characteristic optic disc changes and elevated intraocular pressure. It is subcategorized into Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) and Juvenile Open Angle Glaucoma (JOAG) depending upon age of the disease onset. Myocilin (MYOC) is the frequently mutated gene in familial cases of glaucoma. MYOC mutations show variable phenotype and penetrance. This study was aimed to identify disease causing mutation in 8 affected of a consanguineous family diagnosed with severe form of Juvenile Open Angle Glaucoma. Homozygosity mapping with four microsatellite markers and subsequent direct sequencing of MYOC revealed a novel heterozygous transition c.1130 C>G, substituting Threonine in to Arginine at codon 377 (p.Thr377Arg) of MYOC. This mutation was segregating with phenotype in all affected and was not found in control subjects. Ophthalmological findings revealed JOAG with severe and rapidly progressive phenotype. The age of onset was in the first decade of life and maximum Intra Ocular Pressure (IOP) recorded was 25 mm Hg. Bioinformatic tools predicted C to G transition at c.1130 as pathogenic and no structural changes were predicted in protein. This is the first report of novel MYOC mutation from Pakistan; segregating as autosomal dominant trait in large family diagnosed with JOAG. Identification of novel disease causing allele in MYOC indicates genetic heterogeneity of the population. This finding will help to provide genetic counseling to the affected family and carriers of this mutation may be advised for early therapeutic intervention to avoid irreversible visual loss.     

Heavy metal accumulation in the leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Potamogeton natans</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratophyllum demersum</Emphasis> in a Himalayan RAMSAR site: management implications

Heavy metals have detrimental impacts on the health of organisms including human beings. Wetlands are economical, natural alternatives for the removal of heavy metals from the environment and macrophytes play a pivotal role in this direction, though they vary in their potential to do so. Heavy metal accumulation capability of two dominant species (Ceratophyllum demersum and Potamogeton natans) in a Kashmir Himalayan Ramsar site was studied. The accumulation of the different metals in P. natans was in the order of Al > Mn > Pb > Cu > Zn > Ni > Co > Cr > Cd, while in C. demersum it was Al > Mn > Zn > Co > Cu > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd. In C. demersum the highest bioconcentration factor (BCF) was obtained for Co (3616) and Mn (3589) while in P. natans the highest BCF corresponded to Cd (1027). Overall Potamogeton–Ceratophyllum combination may provide a useful mix for Co, Mn and Cd removal from contaminated sites. The management implications of these results are briefly discussed.