Comparative genomic analysis reveals evolutionary and structural attributes of MCM gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa.

The mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) family, a large and functionally diverse protein family belonging to the AAA+ superfamily, is essential for DNA replication in all eukaryotic organisms. The MCM 2-7 form a hetero-hexameric complex which serves as licensing factor necessary to ensure the proper genomic DNA replication during the S phase of cell cycle. MCM 8-10 are also associated with the DNA replication process though their roles are particularly unclear. In this study, we report an extensive in silico analysis of MCM gene family (MCM 2-10) in Arabidopsis and rice. Comparative analysis of genomic distribution across eukaryotes revealed conservation of core MCMs 2-7 while MCMs 8-10 are absent in some taxa. Domain architecture analysis underlined MCM 2-10 subfamily specific features. Phylogenetic analyses clustered MCMs into 9 clades as per their subfamily. Duplication events are prominent in plant MCM family, however no duplications are observed in Arabidopsis and rice MCMs. Synteny analysis among Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Glycine max and Zea mays MCMs demonstrated orthologous relationships and duplication events. Further, estimation of synonymous and non-synonymous substitution rates illustrated evolution of MCM family under strong constraints. Expression profiling using available microarray data and qRT-PCR revealed differential expression under various stress conditions, hinting at their potential use to develop stress resilient crops. Homology modeling of Arabidopsis and rice MCM 2-7 and detailed comparison with yeast MCMs identified conservation of eukaryotic specific insertions and extensions as compared to archeal MCMs. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed an extensive network of putative interacting partners mainly involved in DNA replication and repair. The present study provides novel insights into the MCM family in Arabidopsis and rice and identifies unique features, thus opening new perspectives for further targeted analyses.

Ecological variations and role of heat shock protein in Artemisia judaica L. in response to temperature regimes of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Artemisia judaica L. (Compositae) are shrubby herbs growing wildly in Tabuk region and distributed in the desert regions. This region is characterized by extremely variable environmental conditions where the temperature varies from extreme low to extreme high. These temperature regimes have a profound effect on morphology, growth physiology and biochemistry of the plants. The plant samples were collected from Tabuk-Jordan road (760 m above sea level) in the month of January, April, July and October 2013 to evaluate the effect of temperature dynamics on A. judaica L. in four different seasons. Physiological, biochemical alterations and heat shock proteins (HSPs) were studied during these seasons in order to evaluate the environmental adaptation and stress tolerance in response to temperature variations. Plant growth parameters showed a significant increase in height, fresh and dry matter accumulation, total chlorophyll, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, artemisinin and leaf relative water contents investigated in the month of April and October. Growth of plant was suppressed and an active role of carbonic anhydrase (CA), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was observed to cope with the extreme low temperature in January and extreme high temperature in July 2013. However, the plants collected in October and April did not show a statistical difference. Inductions in the expression of HSP90 were recorded in all the plants collected during April and October 2013 with no statistically significant difference. Therefore, based on the results it is recommended that during April and October the environmental conditions are best suitable for growth, development and medicinal use of Artemisia.

Role of DNA barcoding in marine biodiversity assessment and conservation: An update.

More than two third area of our planet is covered by oceans and assessment of marine biodiversity is a challenging task. With the increasing global population, there is a tendency to exploit marine resources for food, energy and other requirements. This puts pressure on the fragile marine environment and necessitates sustainable conservation efforts. Marine species identification using traditional taxonomical methods is often burdened with taxonomic controversies. Here we discuss the comparatively new concept of DNA barcoding and its significance in marine perspective. This molecular technique can be useful in the assessment of cryptic species which is widespread in marine environment and linking the different life cycle stages to the adult which is difficult to accomplish in the marine ecosystem. Other advantages of DNA barcoding include authentication and safety assessment of seafood, wildlife forensics, conservation genetics and detection of invasive alien species (IAS). Global DNA barcoding efforts in the marine habitat include MarBOL, CeDAMar, CMarZ, SHARK-BOL, etc. An overview on DNA barcoding of different marine groups ranging from the microbes to mammals is revealed. In conjugation with newer and faster techniques like high-throughput sequencing, DNA barcoding can serve as an effective modern tool in marine biodiversity assessment and conservation.

Piriformospora indica: Potential and Significance in Plant Stress Tolerance.

Owing to its exceptional ability to efficiently promote plant growth, protection and stress tolerance, a mycorrhiza like endophytic Agaricomycetes fungus Piriformospora indica has received a great attention over the last few decades. P. indica is an axenically cultiviable fungus which exhibits its versatility for colonizing/hosting a broad range of plant species through directly manipulating plant hormone-signaling pathway during the course of mutualism. P. indica-root colonization leads to a better plant performance in all respect, including enhanced root proliferation by indole-3-acetic acid production which in turn results into better nutrient-acquisition and subsequently to improved crop growth and productivity. Additionally, P. indica can induce both local and systemic resistance to fungal and viral plant diseases through signal transduction. P. indica-mediated stimulation in antioxidant defense system components and expressing stress-related genes can confer crop/plant stress tolerance. Therefore, P. indica can biotize micropropagated plantlets and also help these plants to overcome transplantation shock. Nevertheless, it can also be involved in a more complex symbiotic relationship, such as tripartite symbiosis and can enhance population dynamic of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. In brief, P. indica can be utilized as a plant promoter, bio-fertilizer, bioprotector, bioregulator, and biotization agent. The outcome of the recent literature appraised herein will help us to understand the physiological and molecular bases of mechanisms underlying P. indica-crop plant mutual relationship. Together, the discussion will be functional to comprehend the usefulness of crop plant-P. indica association in both achieving new insights into crop protection/improvement as well as in sustainable agriculture production.

Recent incidence and descriptive epidemiological survey of breast cancer in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To review and analyze the pattern of breast cancer (BC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: A retrospective review of BC among female patients was conducted at the Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia from January 1990 to December 2014. This report contains information obtained from the Saudi Cancer Registry and from King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. RESULTS: The number of women with BC increased steadily from 1990-2010. On the basis of the number of cases, the percentage distribution of BC appears to be increasing. There were 1152 female BC cases in 2008 in comparison with 1308 in 2009, and 1473 in 2010. Breast cancer ranked first among females accounting for 27.4% of all newly diagnosed female cancers (5378) in the year 2010. The average age at the diagnosis of BC was 48; weighted average was 49.8, and range 43-52. CONCLUSION: Among Saudi patients, there was a significant increase in the number of cases of BC, which occurs at an earlier age than in western countries. Continued vigilance, mammographic screening, and patient education are needed to establish early diagnosis and perform optimal treatment.

Phytochemical, antioxidant and mineral composition of hydroalcoholic extract of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) leaves.

The phytochemical, antioxidant and mineral composition of hydroalcoholic extract of leaves of Cichorium intybus L., was determined. The leaves were found to possess comparatively higher values of total flavonoids, total phenolic acids. The phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, in the leaves of the plant. The leaf extract was found to show comparatively low value of IC50 for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) inhibition. The IC50 value of chicory leaves extract was found to be 67.2 ± 2.6 µg/ml. The extracts were found to contain high amount of mineral elements especially Mg and Zn. Due to good phytochemical and antioxidant composition, C. intybus L., leaves would be an important candidate in pharmaceutical formulations and play an important role in improving the human health by participating in the antioxidant defense system against free radical generation.