Characterization of Pre-Breeding Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Germplasm for Stripe Rust Resistance Using Field Phenotyping and Genotyping.

Wheat is highly affected by stripe rust disease, particularly under cooler environments, and the losses can reach up to 100 percent depending on the intensity of infection and the susceptibility of the genotype. The most effective method to manage this disease is the use of resistant varieties. In the present study, 192 wheat genotypes were evaluated for stripe rust resistance under field conditions and also in a laboratory using molecular markers. These lines included pre-breeding germplasm developed for rust resistance and some high-yielding commercially grown wheat varieties. Out of 192 genotypes, 53 were found to be resistant, and 29 showed moderate resistance reaction under field conditions, whereas the remaining genotypes were all either moderately susceptible or susceptible. Under controlled conditions, out of 109 genotypes, only 12 were found to be resistant to all the six virulent/pathogenic pathotypes. Additionally, a selection of 97 genotypes were found resistant in field screening and were subjected to molecular validation using the markers linked to major R-genes, viz., Yr5, Yr10, Yr15 and Yr17. Nine genotypes possessed the Yr5 gene, twelve had the Yr10 gene, fourteen had the Yr15 gene and thirty-two had the Yr17 gene. The resistance genes studied in the current study are effective in conferring resistance against stripe rust disease. The genotypes identified as resistant under both field and controlled conditions can be used as sources in stripe rust resistance breeding programs.

Application of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education: Current Scenario and Future Perspectives.

Introduction: Medical education is a lifetime learning process stretching from undergraduate to postgraduate, specialty training, and beyond. It also applies to various healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and other allied healthcare professionals. Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge the immense role of artificial intelligence in medical education in the current era of rapidly growing technology. Methods: High-quality data that met the study objectives were included. In addition, comprehensive investigations on articles available in reputable databases such as PubMed, Research Gate, PubMed central, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were considered for literature review. Results: Artificial intelligence has fixed various issues in education during the last decade, including language processing, reasoning, planning, and cognitive modelling. Conclusion: It can be used in medical education in the following forms: Virtual Inquiry System, Medical Distance Learning and Management, and Recording teaching videos in medical schools. It can also enhance the value of the non-analytical humanistic aspects of medicine. The goal of this review article was to present the implications of AI in medical education, now and in the coming years.

Gene expression of near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying blast resistance genes Pi9 and Pi54 in the background of rice cultivar Mushk Budji.

BACKGROUND: Kashmir valley, India is a homeland to rice landraces like Zag, Nunbeoul, Qadirbeigh, Kawkadur, Kamad, Mushk Budji, etc., generally characterized by short grains, aroma, earliness and cold tolerance. Mushk Budji is a commercially important speciality rice known for its taste and aroma, nonetheless, is extremely vulnerable to blast disease. Through the use of the marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) approach, a set of 24 Near-isogenic lines (NILs) was created, and the lines with the highest background genome recovery were chosen. The expression analysis was carried out for the component genes and other eight pathway genes related to blast resistance. RESULTS: The major blast resistance genes Pi9 (from IRBL-9W) and Pi54 (from DHMAS 70Q 164-1b) were incorporated following simultaneous-but-step-wise MABC. The NILs harbouring genes Pi9 + Pi54, Pi9 and Pi54 expressed resistance to isolate (Mo-nwi-kash-32) under controlled and natural field conditions. The loci controlling ETI (effector triggered immunity) included the gene Pi9 and showed 61.18 and 60.27 fold change in relative gene expression in Pi54 + Pi9 and Pi9 carrying NILs against RP Mushk Budji. Pi54 was up regulated and showed 41 and 21 fold change in relative gene expression for NIL-Pi54 + Pi9 and NIL-Pi54, respectively. Among the pathway genes, LOC_Os01g60600 (WRKY 108) recorded 8 and 7.5 fold up regulation in Pi9 and Pi54 NILs. CONCLUSION: The NILs showed recurrent parent genome recovery (RPG) per cent of 81.67 to 92.54 and were on par in performance to recurrent parent Mushk Budji. The lines were utilized to study the expression of the loci controlling WRKYs, peroxidases and chitinases that confer overall ETI response.

Mapping of quantitative trait loci for scab resistance in apple (Malus × domestica) variety, Shireen.

BACKGROUND: Scab caused by Venturia inaequalis (Cke.) Wint. is the most important fungal disease of apple. Fungicide application is a widely practiced method of disease control. However, the use of chemicals is costintensive, tedious, and ecologically unsafe. The development of genetic resistance and the breeding of resistant cultivars is the most reliable and safest option. One such source of scab resistance happens to be the variety 'Shireen', released from SKUAST-Kashmir. However, to date, the nature of resistance and its genetic control have not been characterized. Objective This research aimed to elucidate the genetic basis of scab resistance in Shireen. METHODS: Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to apple scab disease was performed using an F1 cross developed between the susceptible cultivar 'StarKrimson' and the resistant cultivar 'Shireen'. The population was evaluated for two consecutive years. Further, six candidate genes were analyzed via quantitative real-time PCR, to determine their expression level in response to the pathogen infestation. RESULTS: Genotyping and disease phenotyping of populations led us to identify two quantitative trait loci (QTLs), namely qRVI.SS-LG2.2019 and qRVI.SS-LG8.2019 on chromosomes 2 and 8 with LOD-values of 7.67 and 4.99 respectively, and six potential CDGs for the polygenic resistance in 'Shireen'. The genomic region corresponding to the mapped QTLs in LG 2 and LG 8 of 'Shireen' was examined for candidate genes possibly related to scab resistance using in silico analysis. CONCLUSION: The QTLs mapped in the genetic background of Shireen are the novel QTLs and may be transferred to desirable genetic backgrounds and provide opportunities for isolation and cloning of genes apart from their utility to achieve durable resistance to scab.

Improved protocol for efficacious in vitro androgenesis and development of doubled haploids in temperate japonica rice.

DH (Doubled haploid) is the immortal mapping population and an outcome of single meiotic cycle, contributed from male partner. An improved procedure was developed for high frequency androgenesis in japonica genotypes, K-332 and GS-88 and their F1s. A total of 207 fertile, green, di-haploid plants were generated from K-332 × GS-88 hybrids using the improved anther culture protocol. The investigation was carried out to evaluate callus induction potential and regeneration response for the genotypes and the derived F1s on N6 media and modified N6 media (N6M). Whereas, N6 failed to induce callusing, agarose solidified N6M media supplemented with 4% maltose, growth regulators; NAA (2 mg/l), 2, 4-D (0.5 mg/l), Kinetin (0.5 mg/l), and silver nitrate induced high calli percentage of 27.6% in F1s, 9.5% and 6.7% in GS-88 and K-332 respectively. Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 3% sucrose, and the hormonal combination BAP (2 mg/l), Kinetin (1 mg/l) and NAA (1 mg/l) induced high green shoot regeneration rates (0-60.0%). The effect of cold pre-treatment at 4°C and the stage of anther collection and their interaction was studied. The effect of cold pre-treatment (CP) of collected boots at 4°C (for CP2: 2, CP4: 4, CP6: 6 and CP8: 8 days) at different stages of panicle emergence (BES4-6: 4-6, BES7-10: 7-10, BES11-13: 11-13, BES>13: more than 13 inches was worked out in relation to the effect on response of calli induction, albino regeneration, green plant regeneration and number of shoots/green calli. CP referred to the number of days for which the collected boots were incubated before they were inoculated. BES was the length (inches) between flag leaf and penultimate leaf at the time of boot collection. We concluded that CP6 and BES7-10 showed better response to callus proliferation and regeneration of plantlets across genotypes. The appropriate pre-treatment, stage of anther collection and favourable media composition resulted in high calli induction and green plant regeneration rates in recalcitrant japonica genotypes. The modified N6 media resulted into efficient callus induction and is expected to be useful for studies which aim at rapid generation of mapping populations for genetic studies.

Noradrenergic modulation of masseter muscle activity during natural rapid eye movement sleep requires glutamatergic signalling at the trigeminal motor nucleus.

Noradrenergic neurotransmission in the brainstem is closely coupled to changes in muscle activity across the sleep-wake cycle, and noradrenaline is considered to be a key excitatory neuromodulator that reinforces the arousal-related stimulus on motoneurons to drive movement. However, it is unknown if α-1 noradrenoceptor activation increases motoneuron responsiveness to excitatory glutamate (AMPA) receptor-mediated inputs during natural behaviour. We studied the effects of noradrenaline on AMPA receptor-mediated motor activity at the motoneuron level in freely behaving rats, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a period during which both AMPA receptor-triggered muscle twitches and periods of muscle quiescence in which AMPA drive is silent are exhibited. Male rats were subjected to electromyography and electroencephalography recording to monitor sleep and waking behaviour. The implantation of a cannula into the trigeminal motor nucleus of the brainstem allowed us to perfuse noradrenergic and glutamatergic drugs by reverse microdialysis, and thus to use masseter muscle activity as an index of motoneuronal output. We found that endogenous excitation of both α-1 noradrenoceptor and AMPA receptors during waking are coupled to motor activity; however, REM sleep exhibits an absence of endogenous α-1 noradrenoceptor activity. Importantly, exogenous α-1 noradrenoceptor stimulation cannot reverse the muscle twitch suppression induced by AMPA receptor blockade and nor can it elevate muscle activity during quiet REM, a phase when endogenous AMPA receptor activity is subthreshold. We conclude that the presence of an endogenous glutamatergic drive is necessary for noradrenaline to trigger muscle activity at the level of the motoneuron in an animal behaving naturally.

Noradrenaline triggers muscle tone by amplifying glutamate-driven excitation of somatic motoneurones in anaesthetized rats.

Postural muscle tone is potently suppressed during sleep and cataplexy. Since brainstem noradrenergic cell discharge activity is tightly coupled with state-dependent changes in muscle activity, it is assumed that noradrenergic drive on to somatic motoneurones modulates basal muscle tone. However, it has never been determined whether noradrenergic neurotransmission acts to directly regulate motoneurone activity or whether it functions to modulate prevailing synaptic activity. This is an important distinction because noradrenaline regulates cell excitability by both directly depolarizing neurones and by indirectly potentiating glutamate-mediated excitation. We used reverse-microdialysis, electrophysiology, neuro-pharmacological and histological techniques in anaesthetized rats to determine whether strengthening noradrenergic drive (via exogenous noradrenaline application) on to trigeminal motoneurones affects masseter muscle tone by increasing spontaneous motoneurone activity or whether it acts to amplify prevailing glutamate-driven excitation. Although noradrenaline is hypothesized to modulate motor activity, we found that direct stimulation of trigeminal motoneurones by alpha(1)-adrenoceptor activation had no direct effect on basal masseter tone. However, when glutamate-driven excitation was increased at the trigeminal motor pool by either endogenous glutamate release (induced by the monosynaptic masseteric reflex) or exogenous AMPA application, noradrenaline triggered a potent increase in basal masseter tone. The stimulatory effects of noradrenaline were unmasked and rapidly switched on only in the presence of glutamatergic transmission. Blockade of AMPA receptors abolished this excitatory effect, indicating that noradrenergic drive requires ongoing glutamatergic activity. Our data indicate that exogenous noradrenergic drive does not directly affect spontaneous motoneurone discharge activity in anaesthetized rats; rather, it triggers postural muscle tone by amplifying prevailing glutamate-driven excitation.