PpASCL,the Physcomitrella patens Anther-Specific Chalcone Synthase-Like Enzyme Implicated in Sporopollenin Biosynthesis,Is Needed for Integrity of the Moss Spore Wall and Spore Viability

Sporopollenin is the main constituent of the exine layer of spore and pollen walls. The anther-specific chalcone synthase-like (ASCL) enzyme of Physcomitrella patens, PpASCL, has previously been implicated in the biosynthesis of sporopollenin, the main constituent of exine and perine, the two outermost layers of the moss spore cell wall. We made targeted knockouts of the corresponding gene, PpASCL, and phenotypically characterized ascl sporophytes and spores at different developmental stages. Ascl plants developed normally until late in sporophytic development, when the spores produced were structurally aberrant and inviable. The development of the ascl spore cell wall appeared to be arrested early in microspore development, resulting in small, collapsed spores with altered surface morphology. The typical stratification of the spore cell wall was absent with only an abnormal perine recognisable above an amorphous layer possibly representing remnants of compromised intine and/or exine. Equivalent resistance of the spore walls of ascl mutants and the control strain to acetolysis suggests the presence of chemically inert, defective sporopollenin in the mutants. Anatomical abnormalities of late-stage ascl sporophytes include a persistent large columella and an air space incompletely filled with spores. Our results indicate that the evolutionarily conserved PpASCL gene is needed for proper construction of the spore wall and for normal maturation and viability of moss spores.     

Development of ARMS-PCR assay for genotyping of Pro12Ala SNP of PPARG gene: a cost effective way for case–control studies of type 2 diabetes in developing countries

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a prevalent metabolic disorder across the globe. Research is underway on various aspects including genetics to understand and control the global epidemic of diabetes. Recently, several SNPs in various genes have been associated with T2D. These association studies are mainly carried out in the developed countries through Genome Wide Association Scans, with follow-up replication/validation studies by high-throughput genotyping techniques (e.g. Taqman Technology). Although, similar studies could be conducted in developing countries, however, the limiting factors are the associated cost and expertise. These factors hamper research into the genetic association and replication studies from low-income countries to figure out the role of putatively associated SNPs in diabetes. Although, there are several SNP detection methods (e.g. Taqman assay, Dot-blot, PCR-RFLP, DGGE, SSCP) but these are either expensive or labor intensive or less sensitive. Hence, our aim was to develop a low-cost method for the validation of PPARG (Pro12Ala, CCA>GCA) SNP (rs1801282) for its association with T2D. Here, we developed a cost-effective and rapid amplification refractory mutation specific-PCR (ARMS-PCR) method for this SNP detection. We successfully genotyped PPARG SNPs (Pro12Ala) in human samples and the validity of this method was confirmed by DNA sequencing of a few representative samples for the three different genotypes. Furthermore, ARMS-PCR was applied to T2D patients and control samples for the screening of this SNP.     

Trichogramma zahiri (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) an egg parasitoid of the rice hispa Dicladispa armigera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Bangladesh

Trichogramma zahiri Polaszek sp. n. is described from Bangladesh. It has been collected at several localities from the major pest of rice Dicladispa armigera (Olivier) on which it has an important controlling impact. Trichogramma zahiri is compared with known Trichogramma species from the region, and diagnostic differences are presented. Data on developmental period, adult longevity, egg-laying frequency, host egg age preference and seasonal parasitism rate are presented and discussed. Other records of parasitoids of D. armigera are briefly reviewed and discussed.     

UVA Generates Pyrimidine Dimers in DNA Directly

There is increasing evidence that UVA radiation, which makes up ∼95% of the solar UV light reaching the Earth's surface and is also commonly used for cosmetic purposes, is genotoxic. However, in contrast to UVC and UVB, the mechanisms by which UVA produces various DNA lesions are still unclear. In addition, the relative amounts of various types of UVA lesions and their mutagenic significance are also a subject of debate. Here, we exploit atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of individual DNA molecules, alone and in complexes with a suite of DNA repair enzymes and antibodies, to directly quantify UVA damage and reexamine its basic mechanisms at a single-molecule level. By combining the activity of endonuclease IV and T4 endonuclease V on highly purified and UVA-irradiated pUC18 plasmids, we show by direct AFM imaging that UVA produces a significant amount of abasic sites and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs). However, we find that only ∼60% of the T4 endonuclease V-sensitive sites, which are commonly counted as CPDs, are true CPDs; the other 40% are abasic sites. Most importantly, our results obtained by AFM imaging of highly purified native and synthetic DNA using T4 endonuclease V, photolyase, and anti-CPD antibodies strongly suggest that CPDs are produced by UVA directly. Thus, our observations contradict the predominant view that as-yet-unidentified photosensitizers are required to transfer the energy of UVA to DNA to produce CPDs. Our results may help to resolve the long-standing controversy about the origin of UVA-produced CPDs in DNA.     

Impact of methionine oxidation as an initial event on the pathway of human prion protein conversion

Prion diseases comprise a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the autocatalytic conversion of the cellular prion protein PrP^C into the infectious misfolded isoform PrP^Sc. Increasing evidence supports a specific role of oxidative stress in the onset of pathogenesis. Although the associated molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated in detail, several studies currently suggest that methionine oxidation already detected in misfolded PrP^Sc destabilizes the native PrP fold as an early event in the conversion pathway. To obtain more insights about the specific impact of surface-exposed methionine residues on the oxidative-induced conversion of human PrP we designed, produced, and comparatively investigated two new pseudosulfoxidation mutants of human PrP 121–231 that comprises the well-folded C-terminal domain. Applying circular dichroism spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering techniques we showed that pseudosulfoxidation of all surface exposed Met residues formed a monomeric molten globule-like species with striking similarities to misfolding intermediates recently reported by other groups. However, individual pseudosulfoxidation at the polymorphic M129 site did not significantly contribute to the structural destabilization. Further metal-induced oxidation of the partly unfolded pseudosulfoxidation mutant resulted in the formation of an oligomeric state that shares a comparable size and stability with PrP oligomers detected after the application of different other triggers for structural conversion, indicating a generic misfolding pathway of PrP. The obtained results highlight the specific importance of methionine oxidation at surface exposed residues for PrP misfolding, strongly supporting the hypothesis that increased oxidative stress could be one causative event for sporadic prion diseases and other neurodegenerative disorders.     

Identification,validation and high-throughput genotyping of transcribed gene SNPs in cassava

The availability of genomic resources can facilitate progress in plant breeding through the application of advanced molecular technologies for crop improvement. This is particularly important in the case of less researched crops such as cassava, a staple and food security crop for more than 800 million people. Here, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from five drought stressed and well-watered cassava varieties. Two cDNA libraries were developed: one from root tissue (CASR), the other from leaf, stem and stem meristem tissue (CASL). Sequencing generated 706 contigs and 3,430 singletons. These sequences were combined with those from two other EST sequencing initiatives and filtered based on the sequence quality. Quality sequences were aligned using CAP3 and embedded in a Windows browser called HarvEST:Cassava which is made available. HarvEST:Cassava consists of a Unigene set of 22,903 quality sequences. A total of 2,954 putative SNPs were identified. Of these 1,536 SNPs from 1,170 contigs and 53 cassava genotypes were selected for SNP validation using Illumina’s GoldenGate assay. As a result 1,190 SNPs were validated technically and biologically. The location of validated SNPs on scaffolds of the cassava genome sequence (v.4.1) is provided. A diversity assessment of 53 cassava varieties reveals some sub-structure based on the geographical origin, greater diversity in the Americas as opposed to Africa, and similar levels of diversity in West Africa and southern, eastern and central Africa. The resources presented allow for improved genetic dissection of economically important traits and the application of modern genomics-based approaches to cassava breeding and conservation.     

An EST-derived SNP and SSR genetic linkage map of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the most important food security crops in the tropics and increasingly being adopted for agro-industrial processing. Genetic improvement of cassava can be enhanced through marker-assisted breeding. For this, appropriate genomic tools are required to dissect the genetic architecture of economically important traits. Here, a genome-wide SNP-based genetic map of cassava anchored in SSRs is presented. An outbreeder full-sib (F1) family was genotyped on two independent SNP assay platforms: an array of 1,536 SNPs on Illumina's GoldenGate platform was used to genotype a first batch of 60 F1. Of the 1,358 successfully converted SNPs, 600 which were polymorphic in at least one of the parents and was subsequently converted to KBiosciences' KASPar assay platform for genotyping 70 additional F1. High-precision genotyping of 163 informative SSRs using capillary electrophoresis was also carried out. Linkage analysis resulted in a final linkage map of 1,837 centi-Morgans (cM) containing 568 markers (434 SNPs and 134 SSRs) distributed across 19 linkage groups. The average distance between adjacent markers was 3.4?cM. About 94.2% of the mapped SNPs and SSRs have also been localized on scaffolds of version 4.1 assembly of the cassava draft genome sequence. This more saturated genetic linkage map of cassava that combines SSR and SNP markers should find several applications in the improvement of cassava including aligning scaffolds of the cassava genome sequence, genetic analyses of important agro-morphological traits, studying the linkage disequilibrium landscape and comparative genomics.     

Central Muscarinic Cholinergic Activation Alters Interaction between Splenic Dendritic Cell and CD4+CD25- T Cells in Experimental Colitis

Background

The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) is based on vagus nerve (VN) activity that regulates macrophage and dendritic cell responses in the spleen through alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a7nAChR) signaling. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients present dysautonomia with decreased vagus nerve activity, dendritic cell and T cell over-activation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether central activation of the CAP alters the function of dendritic cells (DCs) and sequential CD4⁺/CD25⁻T cell activation in the context of experimental colitis.

Methods

The dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid model of experimental colitis in C57BL/6 mice was used. Central, intracerebroventricular infusion of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist McN-A-343 was used to activate CAP and vagus nerve and/or splenic nerve transection were performed. In addition, the role of α7nAChR signaling and the NF-kB pathway was studied. Serum amyloid protein (SAP)-A, colonic tissue cytokines, IL-12p70 and IL-23 in isolated splenic DCs, and cytokines levels in DC-CD4⁺CD25⁻T cell co-culture were determined.

Results

McN-A-343 treatment reduced colonic inflammation associated with decreased pro-inflammatory Th1/Th17 colonic and splenic cytokine secretion. Splenic DCs cytokine release was modulated through α7nAChR and the NF-kB signaling pathways. Cholinergic activation resulted in decreased CD4⁺CD25⁻T cell priming. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of central cholinergic activation was abolished in mice with vagotomy or splenic neurectomy.

Conclusions

Suppression of splenic immune cell activation and altered interaction between DCs and T cells are important aspects of the beneficial effect of brain activation of the CAP in experimental colitis. These findings may lead to improved therapeutic strategies in the treatment of IBD.     

The Cassava Source–Sink project: opportunities and challenges for crop improvement by metabolic engineering

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the important staple foods in Sub‐Saharan Africa. It produces starchy storage roots that provide food and income for several hundred million people, mainly in tropical agriculture zones. Increasing cassava storage root and starch yield is one of the major breeding targets with respect to securing the future food supply for the growing population of Sub‐Saharan Africa. The Cassava Source–Sink (CASS) project aims to increase cassava storage root and starch yield by strategically integrating approaches from different disciplines. We present our perspective and progress on cassava as an applied research organism and provide insight into the CASS strategy, which can serve as a blueprint for the improvement of other root and tuber crops. Extensive profiling of different field‐grown cassava genotypes generates information for leaf, phloem, and root metabolic and physiological processes that are relevant for biotechnological improvements. A multi‐national pipeline for genetic engineering of cassava plants covers all steps from gene discovery, cloning, transformation, molecular and biochemical characterization, confined field trials, and phenotyping of the seasonal dynamics of shoot traits under field conditions. Together, the CASS project generates comprehensive data to facilitate conventional breeding strategies for high‐yielding cassava genotypes. It also builds the foundation for genome‐scale metabolic modelling aiming to predict targets and bottlenecks in metabolic pathways. This information is used to engineer cassava genotypes with improved source–sink relations and increased yield potential.