Comparative transcriptomics unravels new genes imparting scab resistance in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.).

Apple scab is caused by an ascomycete fungus, Venturia inaequalis (Cke.) Wint., which is one of the most severe disease of apple (Malus × Domestica Borkh.) worldwide. The disease results in 30-40% fruit loss annually and even complete loss in some places. Owing to the evolving susceptibility of resistant apple genotypes harboring R-genes to new variants of V. inaequalis, a comparative transcriptome analysis using Illumina (HiSeq) platform of three scab-resistant (Florina, Prima, and White Dotted Red) and three susceptible (Ambri, Vista Bella, and Red Delicious) apple genotypes was carried out to mine new scab resistance genes. The study led to the identification of 822 differentially expressed genes in the tested scab-resistant and scab-susceptible apple genotypes. The most upregulated genes uniformly expressed in resistant varieties compared to susceptible ones were those coding for 17.3 kDa class II heat shock protein-like, chaperone protein ClpB1, glutathione S-transferase L3-like protein, B3 domain-containing protein At3g18960-like, transcription factor bHLH7, zinc finger MYM-type protein 1-like, and nine uncharacterized proteins, besides three lncRNAs. The genes that were downregulated in susceptible and upregulated in resistant cultivars were those coding for non-specific lipid transfer protein GPI-anchored 1, rust resistance kinase Lr10-like, disease resistance protein RPS6-like, and many uncharacterized proteins. DESeq2 analysis too revealed 20 DEGs that were upregulated in scab-resistant cultivars. Furthermore, a total of 361 genes were significantly upregulated in scab-susceptible variety, while 461 were found downregulated (P value < 0.05 and Log2 (FC) > 1). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were related to various pathways, i.e., metabolic, protein processing, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, plant hormone signal transduction, autophagy, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, plant-pathogen interaction, lipid metabolism, and protein modification pathways. Real-time expression of a set of selected twelve DEGs further validated the results obtained from RNA-seq. Overall, these findings lay the foundation for investigating the genetic basis of apple scab resistance and defense pathways that might have a plausible role in governing scab resistance in apple against V. inaequalis.

SNPs in Mammary Gland Epithelial Cells Unraveling Potential Difference in Milk Production Between Jersey and Kashmiri Cattle Using RNA Sequencing.

Deep RNA sequencing experiment was employed to detect putative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in mammary epithelial cells between two diverse cattle breeds (Jersey and Kashmiri) to understand the variations in the coding regions that reflect differences in milk production traits. The low milk-producing Kashmiri cattle are being replaced by crossbreeding practices with Jersey cattle with the aim of improving milk production. However, crossbred animals are prone to infections and various other diseases resulting in unsustainable milk production. In this study, we tend to identify high-impact SNPs from Jersey and Kashmiri cows (utilizing RNA-Seq data) to delineate key pathways mediating milk production traits in both breeds. A total of 607 (442 SNPs and 169 INDELs) and 684 (464 SNPs and 220 INDELs) high-impact variants were found specific to Jersey and Kashmir cattle, respectively. Based on our results, we conclude that in Jersey cattle, genes with high-impact SNPs were enriched in nucleotide excision repair pathway, ABC transporter, and metabolic pathways like glycerolipid metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and amino acid synthesis (glycine, serine, and threonine). Whereas, in Kashmiri cattle, the most enriched pathways include endocytosis pathway, innate immunity pathway, antigen processing pathway, insulin resistance pathway, and signaling pathways like TGF beta and AMPK which could be a possible defense mechanism against mammary gland infections. A varied set of SNPs in both breeds, suggests a clear differentiation at the genomic level; further analysis of high-impact SNPs are required to delineate their effect on these pathways.

Identification of potential key genes and pathways associated with the Pashmina fiber initiation using RNA-Seq and integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Pashmina goat (Capra hircus) is an economically important livestock species, which habitats the cold arid desert of the Ladakh region (India), and produces a princely animal fiber called Pashmina. The Pashmina goat has a double coat fleece as an adaptation to the very harsh cold winters the outer long coarse hair (guard hair) produced from primary hair follicles and the inner fine Pashmina fiber produced from secondary hair follicles. Pashmina fiber undergoes a circannual and synchronized growth cycle. In the present study, we analyzed transcriptome profiles from 10 different Pashmina goats during anagen and telogen to delineate genes and signaling pathways regulating active (anagen) and regressive (telogen) phases of the follicle growth. During anagen, 150 genes were expressed at significantly higher levels with log (FC) > 2 and padj < 0.05. The RNA seq results were subjected to qRT-PCR validation. Among the nine genes selected, the expression of HAS1, TRIB2, P2RX1. PRG4, CNR2, and MMP25 were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the anagen phase, whereas MC4R, GIPC2, and CDO1 were significantly expressed (p < 0.05) in the telogen phase which supports and validates the gene expression pattern from the RNA-sequencing. Differentially expressed genes revealed that Pashmina fiber initiation is largely controlled by signaling pathways like Wnt, NF-Kappa, JAK-STAT, Hippo, MAPK, Calcium, and PI3K-Akt. Expression of genes from the Integrin family, Cell adhesion molecules, and ECM-receptors were observed to be at much higher levels during anagen. We identified key genes (IL36RN, IGF2, ITGAV, ITGA5, ITCCR7, CXCL5, C3, CCL19, and CXCR3) and a collagen cluster which might be tightly correlated with anagen-induction. The regulatory network suggests the potential role of RUNX3, NR2F1/2, and GATA family transcription factors in anagen-initiation and maintaining fiber quality in Pashmina goats.

Vitamin D fortification of foods in India: present and past scenario.

India is a densely populated country known for its traditional, cultural and lingual diversity. In India Deficiency of vitamin D is seen in both the genders and among all the age groups. Micronutrient deficiencies are steadily adding to the increasing burden of health related co-morbidities with low dietary calcium and magnesium intake in Indian population. Despite lots of sunshine, vitamin D insufficiency is widespread in India according to the age and regions (50-90%). In order to increase vitamin D intake with normal diet, the food industry will have to find a more effective strategy to improve general health conditions. The breadth of widely used foods, including milk, cheese, margarine, dairy products, and various breakfast drinks, can improve the condition of vitamin D deficiency in Asian countries such as India. The requirements for calculating the necessary micronutrients and vitamin D fortification of foods and drinks, successful strategies should be developed and emphasized. There is need to improve the effectiveness of various fruit drinks through fortification of vitamin D, which can reduce vitamin D deficiency in the general population as well as in different age groups.