RESUMEN
Background: Zinc is an essential micronutrient, a vital stabiliser and a cofactor in many enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and phospholipase C and also acts as an antioxidant by protecting the sulfhydryl groups of different proteins and enzymes against free radicals. It is unclear if serum zinc levels are correlated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its pathophysiology, although relation between diabetes and insulin resistance has been established. Aims: This study aimed to investigate circulating serum zinc levels in PCOS subjects compared with non-PCOS subjects. Settings and Design: In this cohort study, PCOS subjects were compared with normal subjects aged between 18 and 35. Materials and Methods: All the included subjects underwent measurement of anthropometric parameters, fasting insulin, luteinising hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, prolactin, progesterone, oestrogen and serum zinc levels. These values were taken on days 2-5 of the menstrual cycle. Statistical Analysis Used: Univariate analysis and linear regression were performed for serum zinc levels and fasting insulin levels in PCOS subjects and non-PCOS subjects using SPSS (version 21) and Microsoft Excel (2019). Results: Serum zinc levels in the PCOS group were lower than in the control group (P = 0.012). Fasting insulin levels in the PCOS group were higher than in non-PCOS subjects (P = 0.001). We found a negative correlation between zinc and fasting insulin (r = -0.580, P < 0.0001) in the normal group and (r = -0.332, P = 0.019) in the PCOS group. A positive correlation was found between body mass index (BMI) and fasting insulin levels in both the PCOS group (r = 0.227, P = 0.112) and normals (r = 0.612, P < 0.0001). A negative statistically significant correlation between BMI and zinc in both the PCOS group (r = -0.378, P = 0.007) and the non-PCOS group (r = -0.7452, P < 0.0001) was seen. Conclusion: The data suggest that serum zinc levels were found to be lower in PCOS subjects as compared to normal controls and evaluation of these levels may indicate that zinc has a vital role in PCOS pathophysiology.
RESUMEN
Different cis acting elements of gamma kafirin gene from Sorghum bicolor var. M 35-1 were amplified and cloned using different combination of the primers. The amplified promoter was replaced with CaMV35S promoter of vector pCMBIA-1304 and resultant vector contained beta-glucuronidase (gus) gene under the control of amplified gamma-kafirin promoter. The resulting fusants were then transformed in to different explants of sorghum via particle bombardment. The regulation of uid gene expression was analyzed to find out the minimum required 5' regulatory sequence and cis acting elements for the efficient expression. However no gus expression was detected in leaves of micropropagated plants, scutellum and calli at any stage of growth. The expression of gus, with pKaf gus-P4 gene construct, was detected in immature embryos and endosperm 20 days after pollination (DAP). The result suggest that at least three motifs (two GCN4 and one prolamin box) besides TATA and CATC boxes are required for the efficient expression of the kafirin gene of sorghum. The study shows that PCR based isolation of different motifs and regions can be used as an alternate to deletion analysis for observing the role of various motifs and their importance in the gene expression and regulation.
