Delineation of genes for a major QTL governing heat stress tolerance in chickpea.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a cool season grain legume experiencing severe yield loss during heat stress due to the intensifying climate changes and its associated gradual increase of mean temperature. Hence, understanding the genetic architecture regulating heat stress tolerance has emerged as an important trait to be addressed for enhancing yield and productivity of chickpea under heat stress. The present study is intended to identify the major genomic region(s) governing heat stress tolerance in chickpea. For this, an integrated genomics-assisted breeding strategy involving NGS-based high-resolution QTL-seq assay, QTL region-specific association analysis and molecular haplotyping was deployed in a population of 206 mapping individuals and a diversity panel of 217 germplasm accessions of chickpea. This combinatorial strategy delineated a major 156.8 kb QTL genomic region, which was subsequently narrowed-down to a functional candidate gene CaHSFA5 and its natural alleles associated strongly with heat stress tolerance in chickpea. Superior natural alleles and haplotypes delineated from the CaHSFA5 gene have functional significance in regulating heat stress tolerance in chickpea. Histochemical staining, interaction studies along with differential expression profiling of CaHSFA5 and ROS scavenging genes suggest a cross talk between CaHSFA5 with ROS homeostasis pertaining to heat stress tolerance in chickpea. Heterologous gene expression followed by heat stress screening further validated the functional significance of CaHSFA5 for heat stress tolerance. The salient outcomes obtained here can have potential to accelerate multiple translational genomic analysis including marker-assisted breeding and gene editing in order to develop high-yielding heat stress tolerant chickpea varieties.

Unilateral Enlarged Right Accessory Axillary Breast Tissue in a Male: A Case Report.

Accessory breast tissue, associated with polymastia and polythelia, presents challenges and concerns, particularly when patients fear malignancy. While occurring in 1-6% of cases, accessory breasts, often located bilaterally in the axillae, necessitate careful examination. We report a 35-year-old male with painful axillary swelling who underwent high-resolution ultrasonography (HR-USG) and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), revealing proper axillary breast tissue. Subsequent excision biopsy confirmed accessory axillary breast without malignancy. In conclusion, surgical removal of accessory axillary breasts is advisable, addressing cosmetic concerns and minimizing cancer risks.

Cytological, transcriptome and miRNome temporal landscapes decode enhancement of rice grain size.

BACKGROUND: Rice grain size (GS) is an essential agronomic trait. Though several genes and miRNA modules influencing GS are known and seed development transcriptomes analyzed, a comprehensive compendium connecting all possible players is lacking. This study utilizes two contrasting GS indica rice genotypes (small-grained SN and large-grained LGR). Rice seed development involves five stages (S1-S5). Comparative transcriptome and miRNome atlases, substantiated with morphological and cytological studies, from S1-S5 stages and flag leaf have been analyzed to identify GS proponents. RESULTS: Histology shows prolonged endosperm development and cell enlargement in LGR. Stand-alone and comparative RNAseq analyses manifest S3 (5-10 days after pollination) stage as crucial for GS enhancement, coherently with cell cycle, endoreduplication, and programmed cell death participating genes. Seed storage protein and carbohydrate accumulation, cytologically and by RNAseq, is shown to be delayed in LGR. Fourteen transcription factor families influence GS. Pathway genes for four phytohormones display opposite patterns of higher expression. A total of 186 genes generated from the transcriptome analyses are located within GS trait-related QTLs deciphered by a cross between SN and LGR. Fourteen miRNA families express specifically in SN or LGR seeds. Eight miRNA-target modules display contrasting expressions amongst SN and LGR, while 26 (SN) and 43 (LGR) modules are differentially expressed in all stages. CONCLUSIONS: Integration of all analyses concludes in a "Domino effect" model for GS regulation highlighting chronology and fruition of each event. This study delineates the essence of GS regulation, providing scope for future exploits. The rice grain development database (RGDD) ( www.nipgr.ac.in/RGDD/index.php ; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7762870 ) has been developed for easy access of data generated in this paper.