Identification of Lens Cultivars in Market by Molecular Tools: DNA Barcoding and SSRs

Substitution of plant cultivars of high commercial value with a cheaper, lower-quality one is a common fraud committed against consumers and producers. Since it is one of the most widely grown legumes, lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) are a suitable for such frauds. This study aimed to identify lentil cultivars which are registered and authorized in the market in Turkey by using current molecular methods. For this purpose, 26 lentil cultivars were analyzed for 15 SSR markers and 2 DNA barcode loci (trnH-psbA and matK). A high allele diversity was observed by 12 scorable SSR markers, and the average number of alleles was determined to be 16. One of the important findings was the presence of “cultivar-specific alleles” that can be used to identify each cultivar in the lentil market in Turkey. At least one “cultivar-specific allele” was obtained for each cultivar. The lentil cultivars were analyzed in terms of 2 DNA barcode regions as trnH-psbA and matK. Sequences that could identify 14 of the 26 cultivars were obtained. While the rate of the intra-species variation for the trnH-psbA region was observed to be low, a higher rate was found for matK. Nevertheless, it was observed that intra-species discrimination can be made more effective when both loci are used together. We expect that the results of this study, especially the cultivar-specific SSR alleles and DNA barcoding sequence data may be used routinely to identify on production and packaged products that are commercially available in markets.

Description of a new species of queenfish, Scomberoides pelagicus from Indian seas

Aim: The study was carried out to ascertain whether morphotype of Scomberoides commersonnianus (Talang queenfish) existing along the Indian coast is a new species or not. Methodology: Talang queenfish and the morphotype were tested for their uniqueness using systematic and molecular tools. The morphometric and meristic details including otolith morphometry were analysed and compared for taxonomic divergence and Cytochrome Oxidase I and Cytochrome b gene sequences for quantifying genetic divergences. Results: The systematic analysis indicated significant morphometric differences between both. The otolith morphometry and phylogeny also confirmed the divergence between them, and qualified the morphotype as an independent species status and named Scomberoides pelagicus sp. nov. Interpretation: The new species is distinct by deep ovate body, concave dorsal head profile, anal fin origin anterior to second dorsal fin and pelvic to pectoral fin, helical arrangement of body scale and stout and less numerous gill rakers on the first gill arch. The phylogeny as on Cytochrome b and Cytochrome Oxidase 1 sequences are very distinct, with 11.2% and 2.0% divergence respectively. Their known distributional range are peninsular region of Indian coast, Malaysian region of the South China Sea and Manila Bay, Philippines.

Endospanin Is a Candidate for Regulating Leptin Sensitivity

The hypothesis advanced is that endospanin, a highly conserved vesicle traffic protein in vertebrates, regulates leptin sensitivity in bone signaling. The effects of leptin on bones are well-studied but without consensus on whether the increases in leptin signaling stimulate bone gain or loss. The bone response may depend on leptin sensitivity, and endospanin is an established modulator of leptin sensitivity. An argument is advanced to develop zebrafish models for specific leptin signaling pathways. Zebrafish have well-developed molecular tools (e.g., CRISPR) and the advantage of non-destructive sampling of bones in the form of scales. Using these tools, experiments are described to substantiate the role of endospanin in zebrafish bone dynamics.

A bifunctional chemical signature enabling RNA 4-thiouridine enrichment sequencing with single-base resolution

Both sequence enrichment and base resolution is essential for accurate sequencing analysis of low-abundance RNA. Yet it is hindered by the lack of molecular tools. Here we report a bifunctional...