Evaluation and identification of advanced lentil interspecific derivatives resulted in the development of early maturing, high yielding, and disease-resistant cultivars under Indian agro-ecological conditions.

The genetic base revealed by pedigree records of the majority of released cultivars appears to be narrow in major pulse crops, including lentils, because of the frequent use of the same parents and their derivatives in crop improvement programs. Therefore, corrective measures are needed to widen the genetic base by involving the genetic resources of a distinct gene pool. In this direction, rigorous efforts were made to introgress wild Lens taxa, L. culinaris ssp. orientalis, and L. ervoides into the backgrounds of cultivated varieties. Subsequently, genetic materials were advanced through the single seed descent method of breeding along with a rapid generation advancement (normal and off-season) approach. Two F10:11 interspecific derivatives of lentils were evaluated in augmented block design at two locations, viz. International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), India. The analysis of variance showed remarkable variability for all target characters at both locations. The heritability estimates were high, and correlation analysis exhibited a significant association between the majority of traits assessed at ICARDA and SKUAST, India. Further, SKUAST identified the most promising lines as "Jammu Lentil 144" and "Jammu Lentil 71." These derivatives were further validated separately for their agronomic potential and resistance against major biotic stresses. The results revealed that Jammu Lentil 144 and Jammu Lentil 71 produced 16.65 and 9.40% more seed yield than local and national checks, including earliness, by 25 and 15 days, respectively. These promising interspecific derivatives were also found to be resistant to fusarium wilt, root rot, pod borer, and aphid infestations. The standard agronomy of these cultivars has also been assessed consecutively for 2 years at SKUAST. Overall, the pre-breeding efforts have resulted in the development of early maturing, high-yielding, and disease-resistant lentil cultivars for the Jammu region of India.

Identification of promising chickpea interspecific derivatives for agro-morphological and major biotic traits.

The wild Cicer species is well-known for having climate-resilient and productivity-enhancing traits of interest. Therefore, wide hybridization could be used as a realistic strategy for introgressing prospective traits from wild species into the cultivated gene pool. The present study was, thus, undertaken to evaluate F7 chickpea interspecific derivatives derived from Cicer reticulatum Ladiz. and C. echinospermum P. H. Davis wild annual Cicer species. As a result, a set of six interspecific crosses were advanced using the single seed descent (SSD) method of breeding. The F7 generation of these crosses was assessed in two diverse agro-ecological regions of India. The data revealed a wide range of variation with respect to seed yield and its important component traits, which resulted in the identification of the most promising derivatives carrying desirable characters as indicated by range, mean, and coefficient of variation. Further, fruitful heterosis was also estimated as promising selection criteria for identifying superior lines for earliness and high seed yield, including resistance against prevailing stresses (ascochyta blight, botrytis gray mold, dry root rot, and fusarium wilt). The superior derivatives carrying putative characters could be recommended for further breeding and selection of genetic materials for developing suitable genotypes.

Agro-Morphological Characterization and Nutritional Profiling of Traditional Himalayan Crop Landraces for Their Promotion Toward Mainstream Agriculture.

The northwest Indian Himalayas are often regarded as a biological hotspot for the presence of rich agro-biodiversity harboring locally adapted traditional crop landraces facing utter neglect owing to modern agricultural systems promoting high-yielding varieties. Addressing this challenge requires extricating the potential of such cultivars in terms of agro-morphological and nutritional attributes. In this study, 29 traditional crop landraces of maize (11), paddy (07), finger millet (03), buckwheat (05), and naked barley (03) were characterized and evaluated for target traits of interest. In maize, Chitkanu emerged as an early maturing landrace (107 days) with high concentrations of zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and potassium (K), and Safed makki showed the highest 100-seed weight (28.20 g). Similarly, Bamkua dhan exhibited high concentrations of K and phosphorus (P), and Lamgudi dhan showed a high protein content (14.86 g/100 g) among paddy landraces. Ogla-I and Phapra-I showed high contents of protein (14.80 g/100 g) and flavonoids (20.50 mg/g) among buckwheat landraces, respectively, followed by Nei-I, which exhibited the highest protein content (15.66 g/100 g) among naked barley landraces. Most of the target traits varied significantly (p < 0.05) among evaluated samples, except those associated with finger millet landraces. The grouping pattern obtained by principal component analysis (PCA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) was congruent with the geographical relationship among the crop landraces. This study led to the identification of elite crop landraces having useful variations that could be exploited in plant breeding programs and biofortification strategies for future crop improvement. Our endeavor would aid in conserving the depleting Himalayan agro-biodiversity and promoting versatile traditional crops toward mainstream agriculture vis-à-vis future nutritional security.

Outcomes of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Receiving Renin Angiotensin System Blockers and Calcium Channel Blockers.

INTRODUCTION: Use of certain antihypertensive medications has been an area of interest during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several hypotheses have been developed regarding the effects of renin-angiotensin system blockers as well as calcium channel blockers in those infected with COVID-19. We seek to determine the association between exposure to ACEI, ARB, and CCB and outcomes in those admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 infection. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 841 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection at the University of Chicago Medical Center between March 25 and June 22, 2020. Out of these 841, 453 patients had a personal history of hypertension. For the first part, we evaluated primary outcomes of in-hospital mortality and ICU admission in hospitalized COVID-19 patients based on their exposure to particular medications regardless of a personal history of hypertension and compared them with those who were not on these medications. For the second part, we evaluated the aforementioned outcomes in 453 patients with a personal history of hypertension based on their medication exposure. Secondary outcomes of length of stay, readmission rate, and new-onset dialysis requirement were also compared across the study groups. RESULTS: Out of 841 patients, 111 (13.19%) were on ACEI/ARB (median age: 66.1, SD 15.4; 52.25% females) and 730 (86.80%) were not on them (median age: 56.6, SD 20.3; 50.14% females), while 277 (32.93%) used CCB (median age: 64.6, SD 15.2; 57.04% females) and 564 (67.06%) did not use CCB (median age: 54.6, SD 21.2; 47.16% females). After adjusting for demographics and covariates, neither ACEI/ARB nor CCB exposure was associated with any effect on mortality, but ACEI/ARB exposure was associated with 42% reduction in risk of ICU admissions (OR 0.58, 95% CI [0.35, 0.95], p value 0.03). In addition, combined use of ACEI/ARB and CCB was associated with statistically significant (45%) reduction in ICU admission (OR 0.55, 95% CI [0.32, 0.94], p value 0.029). Out of 453 patients with a personal history of hypertension, 85 (18.76%) were taking ACEI/ARB (median age 65, SD 15.6; 56.47% females) and 368 (81.24%) were not on ACEI/ARB (median age 62.8, SD 16.4; 54.89% females), while 208 (45.92%) out of 453 were on CCB (median age 65; SD 14.8; 60.1% females) and 245 (54.08%) were not on CCB (median age 61.7, SD 17.3; 51.02% females). In the fully adjusted model in this group, ACEI use was associated with 71% reduction in in-house mortality (OR 0.29, 95% CI [0.09, 0.93], p value 0.03). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Among all hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection, exposure to ACEI/ARB, as well as combined exposure to ACEI/ARB and CCB, were associated with reduced incidence of ICU admissions. In those admitted patients who had a personal history of hypertension, there was a trend towards reduced in-hospital mortality in those exposed to ACEI.

Long-term outcomes of sinus node modification in patients with severely symptomatic drug-refractory inappropriate sinus tachycardia: a single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of sinus node modification (SNM) in treating patients with severely symptomatic drug-refractory inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST). METHODS: The study included 39 patients with symptomatic drug-refractory IST who have undergone SNM at Saint Louis University Hospital. Data was reviewed retrospectively. Recurrence of symptoms was assessed at 3-6-month follow-up intervals. RESULTS: The mean age of our cohort was 31.5 ± 11. The mean HR at diagnosis was 135 ± 25.4 beats per minute (BPM). Thirty-seven of 39 (94.8%) patients had complete resolution of symptoms. Of these 37 patients, 16 required 1 SNM, 17 patients required 2 SNM, and 4 patients required 3 SNM in order to achieve complete symptom resolution. Mean HR post-procedure was 78.6 ± 12.3 BPM. Thirteen of 39 patients required rate control medication post-procedure, all of whom were prescribed beta-blockers. Patients were followed every 3 to 6 months with a mean follow-up duration of 62.3 ± 42.9 months from the patient's last SNM procedure. Thirteen of those 37 patients (35.1%) developed intermittent symptomatic bradycardia requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. Two of the 39 patients had phrenic nerve injury, and 6 patients had post-procedure pericarditis. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides additional information to the limited dataset available in the literature and shows that SNM might provide patients with long-term symptomatic relief bearing in mind the potential increased risk for the need for permanent pacing.

Genome-wide Identification and Characterization of Heat Shock Protein Family Reveals Role in Development and Stress Conditions in Triticum aestivum L.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) have a significant role in protein folding and are considered as prominent candidates for development of heat-tolerant crops. Understanding of wheat HSPs has great importance since wheat is severely affected by heat stress, particularly during the grain filling stage. In the present study, efforts were made to identify HSPs in wheat and to understand their role during plant development and under different stress conditions. HSPs in wheat genome were first identified by using Position-Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSMs) of known HSP domains and then also confirmed by sequence homology with already known HSPs. Collectively, 753 TaHSPs including 169 TaSHSP, 273 TaHSP40, 95 TaHSP60, 114 TaHSP70, 18 TaHSP90 and 84 TaHSP100 were identified in the wheat genome. Compared with other grass species, number of HSPs in wheat was relatively high probably due to the higher ploidy level. Large number of tandem duplication was identified in TaHSPs, especially TaSHSPs. The TaHSP genes showed random distribution on chromosomes, however, there were more TaHSPs in B and D sub-genomes as compared to the A sub-genome. Extensive computational analysis was performed using the available genomic resources to understand gene structure, gene expression and phylogentic relationship of TaHSPs. Interestingly, apart from high expression under heat stress, high expression of TaSHSP was also observed during seed development. The study provided a list of candidate HSP genes for improving thermo tolerance during developmental stages and also for understanding the seed development process in bread wheat.

Evaluation and identification of wild lentil accessions for enhancing genetic gains of cultivated varieties.

Domesticated lentil has a relatively narrow genetic base globally and most released varieties are susceptible to severe biotic and abiotic stresses. The crop wild relatives could provide new traits of interest for tailoring novel germplasm and cultivated lentil improvement. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate wild lentil accessions for identification of economically viable agro-morphological traits and resistance against major biotic stresses. The study has revealed substantial variations in seed yield and its important component characters. Further, the diversity analysis of wild accessions showed two major clusters which were bifurcated into sub-clusters, thereby suggesting their wider genetic divergence. However, principal component analysis exhibited that seed yield plant-1, number of seeds plant-1, number of pods plant-1, harvest index and biological yield plant-1 contributed significantly to the total genetic variation assessed in wild lentil taxa. Moreover, some of the wild accessions collected from Syria and Turkey regions showed resistance against more than one disease indicating rich diversity of lentil genetic resources. The identification of most promising genotypes carrying resistance against major biotic stresses could be utilized in the cultivated or susceptible varieties of lentil for enhancing genetic gains. The study has also identified some trait specific accessions, which could also be taken into the consideration while planning distant hybridization in lentil.

Patent foramen ovale prevalence in atrial fibrillation patients and its clinical significance; A single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been reported in 25-30% of the general population. The most commonly used test for detecting PFO is a contrast enhanced transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). PFO presence can be confirmed during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedure by passing the transseptal catheter assembly through the foramen ovale, crossing the septum from the right to the left atrium without using a trans-septal needle for puncture. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data from a cohort of 178 patients with AF who underwent PVI at Saint Louis University. Pre-PVI procedure, scheduled TEE reports were reviewed to assess for the presence of PFO and the PVI procedure reports were reviewed for confirmation. RESULTS: Records of 178 patients (55.6% male, mean population age 60.4 ±â€¯11.8) were reviewed. 102 of 178 patients had a PFO detected during the PVI procedure. This translates into a 57.3% prevalence of PFO in AF patients. Out of the 178 patients, 75 patients had a pre-PVI procedure TEE for whom PFO presence was reported in 18.7%. The sensitivity and specificity of TEE in detection of PFO were 36.8% and 100%, respectively. There was no statistically significant association between stroke and PFO diagnosed during PVI (RR 1.07; 95% CI, 0.53-2.19; P = 0.805). CONCLUSIONS: Our study reports a PFO prevalence of 18.7% using a pre-procedure TEE and 56.6% during the PVI procedure in AF patients. Given that TEE is the gold standard for detection of PFO, our study suggests that the prevalence of PFO may be underestimated in our AF population.

Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Secondary to Exogenous Triiodothyronine Use in a Young Non-athlete Weightlifter.

Heart failure (HF) is a common cardiovascular disorder and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. HF is usually detected in the elderly population, in particular, in patients with coronary artery disease, valvular disease, myocarditis, and hypertension. Acute decompensated HF in previously healthy young patients should raise suspicion for other rare etiologies. We report a case of a 28-year-old male presenting with acutely decompensated HF secondary to performance-enhancing drugs (PED). The use of non-regulated, non-approved PED has become a world-wide health problem with patients often unaware of the potentially serious and fatal side effects.

Transgressive segregations for agronomic improvement using interspecific crosses between C. arietinum L. x C. reticulatum Ladiz. and C. arietinum L. x C. echinospermum Davis species.

The wild species of chickpea have tremendous potential for enhancing genetic gains of cultigen and have resistant accessions against major biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, two wild annual accessions, one each of C. reticulatum Ladiz. (ILWC 229) and C. echinospermum Davis (ILWC 246) were assessed for their agro-morphological features and hybridized with different cultivated varieties (BGD 72, PBG 5, ICKG 96029, Pusa 372 and JG 11) of chickpea. Fertile F1 plants were developed as revealed by their normal meiotic chromosomal configuration including high pollen stainability percentage and seed set. The effect of genetic and non-genetic factors on crossability performance with respect to pod and seed set was also evident under two growing conditions of North-Western Indian Himalayas. The segregation analysis using F2 phenotypic ratio of some distinct morphological (plant growth habit, stem pigmentation at seedling stage and testa texture) characters indicated their monogenic inheritance pattern. The study would also be useful to chickpea breeders to identify true to type interspecific plants. Further, the F1, F2 and F3 generations of all seven crosses along with parents were evaluated under natural field condition to determine the extent of variability created into the cultivated background of chickpea. There was a wide range of variation in F3 population against cold stress, suggesting selection of tolerant recombinant lines at an early stage. We also studied fruitful heterosis (%) as a useful approach, instead of residual heterosis to identify better performing transgressive segregants. The values of most of the interspecific crosses for important traits assessed in F2 and F3 generations were higher than that of better parent, suggesting isolation of inbred vigour for pod numbers and earliness. The results indicated that wild Cicer annual accessions of C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum species can be exploited after proper screening for traits of interest for diversification of cultivated gene pool and subsequent use in chickpea improvement.

A Simplified Fe-Based PhotoATRP Using Only Monomers and Solvent.

A photoinduced atom transfer radical polymerization (photoATRP) of methacrylates is investigated using air-stable FeBr3 as catalyst in the absence of conventional ATRP initiators, additional ligands, reducing agents, and/or radical initiators. The ATRP alkyl halide initiator is formed in situ via photoreduction of FeBr3 by methacrylate monomers. The kinetics of the polymerization display a linear semilogarithmic plot after several hours of induction period. The molecular weight can be modulated by additions of different amounts of FeBr3 , and polymers have narrow molecular weight distributions. Thus, FeBr3 acts as deactivator, as well as a source of activator FeBr2 and initiator. This method features a temporal control, and can provide various polymethacrylates with high chain end functionality.

Mechanism of Photoinduced Metal-Free Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization: Experimental and Computational Studies.

Photoinduced metal-free atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate was investigated using several phenothiazine derivatives and other related compounds as photoredox catalysts. The experiments show that all selected catalysts can be involved in the activation step, but not all of them participated efficiently in the deactivation step. The redox properties and the stability of radical cations derived from the catalysts were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry. Laser flash photolysis (LFP) was used to determine the lifetime and activity of photoexcited catalysts. Kinetic analysis of the activation reaction according to dissociative electron-transfer (DET) theory suggests that the activation occurs only with an excited state of catalyst. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the structures and stabilities of the radical cation intermediates as well as the reaction energy profiles of deactivation pathways with different photoredox catalysts. Both experiments and calculations suggest that the activation process undergoes a DET mechanism, while an associative electron transfer involving a termolecular encounter (the exact reverse of DET pathway) is favored in the deactivation process. This detailed study provides a deeper understanding of the chemical processes of metal-free ATRP that can aid the design of better catalytic systems. Additionally, this work elucidates several important common pathways involved in synthetically useful organic reactions catalyzed by photoredox catalysts.

Molecular dissection of pathway components unravel atisine biosynthesis in a non-toxic Aconitum species, A. heterophyllum Wall.

Aconitum heterophyllum is an important component for various herbal drug formulations due to the occurrence of non-toxic aconites including marker compound, atisine. Despite huge pharmacological potential, the reprogramming of aconites production is limited due to lack of understanding on their biosynthesis. To address this problem, we have proposed here the complete atisine biosynthetic pathway for the first time connecting glycolysis, MVA/MEP, serine biosynthesis and diterpene biosynthetic pathways. The transcript profiling revealed phosphorylated pathway as a major contributor towards serine production in addition to repertoire of genes in glycolysis (G6PI, PFK, ALD and ENO), serine biosynthesis (PGDH and PSAT) and diterpene biosynthesis (KO and KH) sharing a similar pattern of expression (2-4-folds) in roots compared to shoots vis-à-vis atisine content (0-0.37 %). Quantification of steviol and comparative analysis of shortlisted genes between roots of high (0.37 %) vs low (0.14 %) atisine content accessions further confirmed the route of atisine biosynthesis. The results showed 6-fold increase in steviol content and 3-62-fold up-regulation of all the selected genes in roots of high content accession ascertaining their association towards atisine production. Moreover, significant positive correlations were observed between selected genes suggesting their co-expression and crucial role in atisine biosynthesis. This study, thus, offers unprecedented opportunities to explore the selected candidate genes for enhanced production of atisine in cultivated plant cells.

Transcriptome-wide mining suggests conglomerate of genes associated with tuberous root growth and development in Aconitum heterophyllum Wall.

Tuberous roots of Aconitum heterophyllum constitute storage organ for secondary metabolites, however, molecular components contributing to their formation are not known. The transcriptomes of A. heterophyllum were analyzed to identify possible genes associated with tuberous root development by taking clues from genes implicated in other plant species. Out of 18 genes, eight genes encoding GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMPase), SHAGGY, Expansin, RING-box protein 1 (RBX1), SRF receptor kinase (SRF), ß-amylase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and Auxin responsive factor 2 (ARF2) showed higher transcript abundance in roots (13-171 folds) compared to shoots. Comparative expression analysis of those genes between tuberous root developmental stages showed 11-97 folds increase in transcripts in fully developed roots compared to young rootlets, thereby implying their association in biosynthesis, accumulation and storage of primary metabolites towards root biomass. Cluster analysis revealed a positive correlation with the gene expression data for different stages of tuberous root formation in A. heterophyllum. The outcome of this study can be useful in genetic improvement of A. heterophyllum for root biomass yield.

Photoinduced Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization with ppm-Level Cu Catalyst by Visible Light in Aqueous Media.

Photoinduced ATRP was successfully performed in aqueous media. Polymerization of oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether methacrylate (OEOMA) in the presence of CuBr2 catalyst and tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine ligand when irradiated with visible light of 392 nm wavelength at 0.9 mW/cm(2) intensity was well controlled. Linear semi-logarithmic kinetic plots and molecular weights increasing with conversion were observed. Polymers of OEOMA were synthesized with low dispersity (Mw/Mn = 1.12) using only 22 ppm of copper catalyst in the presence of excess bromide anions in highly diluted (90% v/v) aqueous media. The effects of copper concentration, salt, and targeted degrees of polymerization were investigated. The polymerization could be directly regulated by external stimulation, i.e., switching the irradiation on/off, with a good retention of chain-end functionality, as proved by clean chain extension of the OEOMA polymers. This new system could enable applications for controlled aqueous radical polymerization due to its low catalyst loading in the absence of any other chemicals.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) transcriptomes reveal association of multiple genes and pathways contributing to secondary metabolites accumulation in tuberous roots of Aconitum heterophyllum Wall.

MAIN CONCLUSION: The transcriptomes of Aconitum heterophyllum were assembled and characterized for the first time to decipher molecular components contributing to biosynthesis and accumulation of metabolites in tuberous roots. Aconitum heterophyllum Wall., popularly known as Atis, is a high-value medicinal herb of North-Western Himalayas. No information exists as of today on genetic factors contributing to the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites accumulating in tuberous roots, thereby, limiting genetic interventions towards genetic improvement of A. heterophyllum. Illumina paired-end sequencing followed by de novo assembly yielded 75,548 transcripts for root transcriptome and 39,100 transcripts for shoot transcriptome with minimum length of 200 bp. Biological role analysis of root versus shoot transcriptomes assigned 27,596 and 16,604 root transcripts; 12,340 and 9398 shoot transcripts into gene ontology and clusters of orthologous group, respectively. KEGG pathway mapping assigned 37 and 31 transcripts onto starch-sucrose metabolism while 329 and 341 KEGG orthologies associated with transcripts were found to be involved in biosynthesis of various secondary metabolites for root and shoot transcriptomes, respectively. In silico expression profiling of the mevalonate/2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (non-mevalonate) pathway genes for aconites biosynthesis revealed 4 genes HMGR (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase), MVK (mevalonate kinase), MVDD (mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase) and HDS (1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl 4-diphosphate synthase) with higher expression in root transcriptome compared to shoot transcriptome suggesting their key role in biosynthesis of aconite alkaloids. Five genes, GMPase (geranyl diphosphate mannose pyrophosphorylase), SHAGGY, RBX1 (RING-box protein 1), SRF receptor kinases and ß-amylase, implicated in tuberous root formation in other plant species showed higher levels of expression in tuberous roots compared to shoots. A total of 15,487 transcription factors belonging to bHLH, MYB, bZIP families and 399 ABC transporters which regulate biosynthesis and accumulation of bioactive compounds were identified in root and shoot transcriptomes. The expression of 5 ABC transporters involved in tuberous root development was validated by quantitative PCR analysis. Network connectivity diagrams were drawn for starch-sucrose metabolism and isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis associated with tuberous root growth and secondary metabolism, respectively, in root transcriptome of A. heterophyllum. The current endeavor will be of practical importance in planning a suitable genetic intervention strategy for the improvement of A. heterophyllum.

Multiple genes of mevalonate and non-mevalonate pathways contribute to high aconites content in an endangered medicinal herb, Aconitum heterophyllum Wall.

Aconitum heterophyllum Wall, popularly known as Atis or Patis, is an important medicinal herb of North-Western and Eastern Himalayas. No information exists on molecular aspects of aconites biosynthesis, including atisine- the major chemical constituent of A. heterophyllum. Atisine content ranged from 0.14% to 0.37% and total alkaloids (aconites) from 0.20% to 2.49% among 14 accessions of A. heterophyllum. Two accessions contained the highest atisine content with 0.30% and 0.37% as well as the highest alkaloids content with 2.22% and 2.49%, respectively. No atisine was detected in leaves and shoots of A. heterophyllum, thereby, suggesting that the biosynthesis and accumulation of aconite alkaloids occur mainly in roots. Quantitative expression analysis of 15 genes of MVA/MEP pathways in roots versus shoots, differing for atisine content (0-2.2 folds) showed 11-100 folds increase in transcript amounts of 4 genes of MVA pathway; HMGS, HMGR, PMK, IPPI, and 4 genes of MEP pathway; DXPS, ISPD, HDS, GDPS, respectively. The overall expression of 8 genes decreased to 5-12 folds after comparative expression analysis between roots of high (0.37%) versus low (0.14%) atisine content accessions, but their relative transcript amounts remained higher in high content accessions, thereby implying their role in atisine biosynthesis and accumulation. PCA analysis revealed a positive correlation between MVA/MEP pathways genes and alkaloids content. The current study provides first report wherein partial sequences of 15 genes of MVA/MEP pathways have been cloned and studied for their possible role in aconites biosynthesis. The outcome of study has potential applications in the genetic improvement of A. heterophyllum.

Mining whole genomes and transcriptomes of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) and Castor bean (Ricinus communis) for NBS-LRR genes and defense response associated transcription factors.

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) and Castor bean (Ricinus communis) are oilseed crops of family Euphorbiaceae with the potential of producing high quality biodiesel and having industrial value. Both the bioenergy plants are becoming susceptible to various biotic stresses directly affecting the oil quality and content. No report exists as of today on analysis of Nucleotide Binding Site-Leucine Rich Repeat (NBS-LRR) gene repertoire and defense response transcription factors in both the plant species. In silico analysis of whole genomes and transcriptomes identified 47 new NBS-LRR genes in both the species and 122 and 318 defense response related transcription factors in Jatropha and Castor bean, respectively. The identified NBS-LRR genes and defense response transcription factors were mapped onto the respective genomes. Common and unique NBS-LRR genes and defense related transcription factors were identified in both the plant species. All NBS-LRR genes in both the species were characterized into Toll/interleukin-1 receptor NBS-LRRs (TNLs) and coiled-coil NBS-LRRs (CNLs), position on contigs, gene clusters and motifs and domains distribution. Transcript abundance or expression values were measured for all NBS-LRR genes and defense response transcription factors, suggesting their functional role. The current study provides a repertoire of NBS-LRR genes and transcription factors which can be used in not only dissecting the molecular basis of disease resistance phenotype but also in developing disease resistant genotypes in Jatropha and Castor bean through transgenic or molecular breeding approaches.

Effect of salicylic acid on the activity of PAL and PHB geranyltransferase and shikonin derivatives production in cell suspension cultures of Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst--a medicinally important plant species.

Cell suspension cultures of Arnebia euchroma were established from the friable callus on liquid Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (10.0 µM) and indole-3-butyric acid (5.0 µM). Salicylic acid was used to study its effect on the enzymes which participate in shikonin biosynthesis with respect to metabolite (shikonin) content in the cell suspension culture of A. euchroma. In our study, phenylalanine ammonia lyase and PHB geranyltransferase were selected from the entire biosynthetic pathway. Results showed that phenylalanine ammonia lyase is responsible for growth and PHB geranyltransferase for metabolite production. Salicylic acid exhibited an inverse relationship with the metabolite content (shikonin); salicylic acid (100 µM) completely inhibited shikonin biosynthesis. The results presented in the current study can be successfully employed for the metabolic engineering of its biosynthetic pathway for the enhancement of shikonin, which will not only help in meeting its industrial demand but also lead to the conservation of species in its natural habitat.