Characterization of Brassica napus (Canola) Germplasm Based on Microsatellite Markers

Brassica napus L. is a major oilseed crop all over the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of B. napus germplasm by using simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. In the current study, ten SSR markers were used for studying genetic diversity of ten Brassica cultivars. Out of 110 total bands, 68 bands were polymorphic with 52.11% average polymorphism. Mean value of Nei’s genetic diversity and Polymorphism Information Content was 1.7, and 0.2630, respectively. These mean values show that there are moderate allelic differences between Brassica cultivars. The Nei’s genetic distance among various cultivars was 0.3281 and 0.125 which showed that germplasm of Brassica cultivars are different from each other, which is probably due to anthropogenic interventions and environmental factors. Thus, genetically different lines identified in this study could be employed in breeding programmes to develop higher-quality canola inbred varieties in future.

Effect of Protein Diet on Growth Performance and Body Composition of Labeo rohita Reared in Glass Tank

Fish is used as a great source of food and the quality of its meat can be indicated by fat and protein contents as well as low quantity of water in fish meat. Therefore, the present study was performed for improvement in weight, feed-conversion ratio, protein-efficiency ratio, and growth. The experiment was performed at commercial level in field (pond) and the influence of fish meal protein on growth of Labeo rohita was investigated in 60 days culture trials. 90 fingerlings (Size: 4.97 to 6.04; Weight: 4.15 to 4.20) were maintained in well aerated 280 L three glass tanks in triplicate. These glass tanks were named as T1, T2 and T3. T1 was consisted of 30% crude protein with control diet containing proteins, fats vitamins and fibres, T2 consisted of 35% protein with control diet, while T3 consisted of only control diet (rice polish). The fish were fed 4% percent of their body weight twice a day at twelve hours interval for 60 days. There was a significant increase (p<0.05) in body weight, feed-conversion ratio, protein-efficiency ratio, and gross fish production of fish having 35% fish meal protein with control diet (T2) when compared with 30% fish meal protein with control diet T1 and control diet T3. These findings suggest that 35% fishmeal protein appear to be sufficient for obtaining optimum growth in fish.

Temporal Evolution of Organochlorine Pesticides Residues in Kola Nuts (Cola nitida Vent Nuts. Schott & Endl.) Processing in Eastern of Côte d’Ivoire

Aims: The objective of this study is to monitor the evolution of organochlorine residues levels in kola nuts collected from various actors in the eastern producing region of Côte d'Ivoire. Study Design: Kola nuts samples were collected from farmers, collectors and urban stores in the Eastern of Côte d’Ivoire. Place and Duration of Study: Health Department of Hydrology Health and Toxicology, Training and Research Unit of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, running 2016-2019. Methodology: A total of 225 samples were analyzed using Gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (Agilent 7010B Triple Quadrupole GC/MS System). Results: Data showed that all 21 pesticides analyzed were detected in kola nuts samples. Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference in OCPs sub-group used by actors during the three-crop studied. The mean levels of HCHs, DDTs and cyclodienes were ranged from 5±1– 136.67±77.3 µg/kg FW, 5±1 – 116.67±63.2 µg/kg FW and 5±1 - 145±63.2 µg/kg FW, respectively. Otherwise, farmer’s levels of OCPs were lower than those detected in kola nuts from collectors and urban stores samples. Thus, compared to the MRL set by the World Health Organization/Food and Agricultural Organization, the farmer’s samples are lower than limits fixed, unlike the contents registered with collectors and urban stores. In the latter, nearly 80% to 100% of kola nuts collected are contaminated with hexachlorinated residues (HCHs) and heptachlor. Conclusion: There is the need to keep monitoring ecotoxicological chemical substances in kola nuts produced in Côte d’Ivoire and take steps that ensure health safety of end users. Care should be taken since residues could pose chronic health risk for adults and children.

Poplar Allene Oxide Synthase 1 Gene Promoter Drives Rapid and Localized Expression by Wounding

Promoters play critical roles in controlling the transcription of genes and are important as tools to drive heterologous expression for biotechnological applications. In addition to core transcription factor-binding motifs that assist in the binding of RNA polymerases, there are specific nucleotide sequences in a promoter region to allow regulation of gene expression. The allene oxide synthase (AOS) gene family are cytochrome P450s that are responsive to a variety of environmental stress, making them good candidates for the discovery of inducible promoters. Populus AOS homologs separate phylogenetically into two clades. Based on the 19 promoter motifs with significant abundance differences between the two clades, Clade I AOS genes are likely more responsive to hormones, salt, and pathogen, whereas clade II homologs are likely inducible by water stress. In this study, an upstream promoter from a Clade I poplar AOS encoding gene (AOS1) was cloned and used to drive the expression of a ß-glucuronidase (GUS) gene in Arabidopsis. AOS is an essential enzyme in the lipoxygenase pathway that is responsible for the production of many non-volatile oxylipins in plants, including the jasmonates, which are regulatory phytohormones coordinating a variety of biological and stress response functions. Consistent with AOS transcript expression patterns, we found that the poplar AOS1 promoter drives rapid and localized expression by wounding. The study provides insight on the responsive elements in the poplar AOS promoters, but more importantly identifies a strong wound-inducible and localized promoter for future applications.

Risk Factors for Spoilage of Groundnut Seeds in Shops during Marketing

Post-harvest storage of oilseeds, particularly groundnut, is a real problem for farmers and traders whose stocks are subject to attacks by pests and fungal contaminants in the shops. In order to find alternative solutions to this problem, a survey was conducted in Côte d’Ivoire, specifically in the markets of the communes Abobo, Adjamé and Yopougon in city of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The objective of this work is to evaluate the main risk factors for spoilage of groundnut seeds sold during storage in the Abidjan markets. To this end, a survey was conducted among 75 groundnut seeds sellers in the three aforementioned communes of Abidjan and identified the main risk factors favorable to spoilage of groundnut seeds sold during storage. The lack of exact knowledge of the origin of the groundnut seeds sold (92 to 100%), the storage of groundnut seeds in polyethylene bags (84 to 100%), the lack of knowledge of spoilage (28 to 44%), the long periods of sale (22.2 to 86.7%), moisture (0 to 72.2%) and insect pests (5.6 to 20%° were identified as the main factors of these risk of spoilage.

Anti-bacterial Effect of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Onion, Garlic and Cinnamon on Xanthomonas Species

Onion (Allium cepa), garlic (Allium sativum) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) are edible herbs but they contain many chemicals which can be used as medicine. These herbs also contain many antibiotic molecules that are capable to inhibit or reduce growth of many types of microbes including bacteria. Due to the development of resistance of bacteria against synthetic antibiotic now there is a need to have natural antibiotic which must be harmless, cheap and easily available. To know the effectiveness of garlic, onion, and cinnamon on disease causing bacteria such as Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, extracts of each sample was made in water and ethanol. Antibacterial potential of plant extracts was observed at two different stages: at the time of inoculation and after growth of pathogen on media. Results showed extracts applied on all the bacteria before growth inhibited maximum bacterial growth as compared to applied after growth. Moreover, cinnamon extract in ethanol effectively control bacterial growth than onion and garlic extracts. Maximum inhibition zone was shown by ethanolic extract of cinnamon before growth of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (7.333 mm), Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum (7.83 mm) and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (5.1 mm). After 24 hours, maximum growth of Xanthomonas oryzae and Xanthomonas axonopodis was inhibited by ethanolic extracts of cinnamon (2.82 and 3.35 mm, respectively) while Xanthomonas campestris was inhibited by ethanolic extract of onion (6.55 mm). Extract diluted from 66mg/ml to 0.01mg/ml showed different minimum inhibitory concentration against pathogens. As concentration decreases inhibition of bacteria also decreases. Ethanolic extracts of cinnamon showed maximum MIC against Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum (3.5 mm to 1.5 mm) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (5 mm to 2 mm) while for Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri ethanolic extract of garlic (3 mm to 1 mm) was effective ranging between 66mg/ml to 33 mg/ml. This study highlighted that natural products possess ability to inhibit pathogenic bacterial growth and would also be helpful in medicinal field for further study.

Effects of AtSPS on the Growth and Development of Arabidopsis thaliana under Abiotic Stress

Aims: SPS (Sucrose phosphate synthase) participates in plant growth and yield formation, and plays an important role in plant stress resistance. This study used T-DNA insertion mutant of AtSPS in Arabidopsis as test material. The growth indexes and soluble sugar contents of Arabidopsis thaliana under salt stress, osmotic stress and low temperature stress were determined, which laid the foundation for further understanding the mechanism of SPS in plant growth and development and abiotic stress resistance. Study Design: In order to analyze the mechanism of SPS in plant growth and development and abiotic stress resistance, this study used T-DNA insertion mutant of AtSPS in Arabidopsis as test material. The growth indexes and soluble sugar contents of Arabidopsis thaliana under salt stress, osmotic stress and low temperature stress were determined. Place and Duration of Study: College of Biological Science and Technology, between December 2020 and May 2021. Methodology: The contents of soluble sugar in tomato fruits were measured with HPLC (High performance liquid chromatography). The growth indexes were determined. Results: The results showed that AtSPS played positive regulation roles in seed germination and seedling growth of Arabidopsis thaliana. However, under abiotic stress conditions, AtSPS mutant increased the contents of soluble sugar, suggesting that Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings might improve resistance through osmotic regulating substances. Conclusion: AtSPS played positive regulation roles in seed germination and seedling growth of Arabidopsis. Meanwhile, AtSPS mutant increased the contents of soluble sugar to increase resistance of Arabidopsis under abiotic stresses, and the growth and development were blocked, suggesting that SPS was negative regulatory element to resist abiotic stress.

A Study on the Transcriptional Profile of NOS2 and IFN-γ Genes in River Buffalo with Endometritis

Background and Aim: Uterine lumen contamination with bacteria is ubiquitous in buffalo after parturition. Nearly one-third of these infected animals develop endometritis which leads to reduced fertility. The present study aimed to evaluate the expressions of IFN-γ and NOS2 genes in uterine tissue of buffaloes with endometritis and comparing them with those in healthy animals using RT-qPCR Materials and Methods: Uterine samples were collected from 50 apparently healthy and 50 clinically infected buffaloes. RNA was extracted from the collected buffalo's uteri and cDNA was synthesized from extracted RNA. Quantitative Real Time PCR technique was performed using this synthesized cDNA. Results: Apparent up-regulation of both genes mRNA expression was recorded in endometritis-infected animals with 8.3-folds for IFN-γ and 9.99-folds for NOS2 (P<0.001). Conclusion: The upregulation of IFN-γ and NOS2 expression in the uterine tissue of endometritis-infected buffaloes can be used as a scale for measuring the efficiency of drugs used for endometritis treatment.

Callus Culture as an Alternative Source of Secondary Metabolites in Curtailing Malaria Epidemic

Malaria remains a threat to public healthcare system. In 2018, more than 200 million people were exposed to this disease globally. There have been reports of drug-resistance in the recommended therapy in some endemic regions. This called for relentless efforts in the search for potential antimalarial compounds. An in vitro culture technique has emerged as a promising option for sustainable and industrial propagation of plant bioactive compounds with wide range of medicinal properties. The demand for these invaluable metabolites is witnessing a continuous increase as a folk medicine, hence, endangering their existence in natural habitats. Besides its use in natural form, the nature’s gift to humans seems to be restricted and limited by environmental conditions. An in vitro culture approach remains the most viable and sustainable alternative for the endangered plant species. Here, we present some plant species reported to have potential antimalarial activities and recommend further study through callus culture induction against malaria.

Structural Modelling and in-silico characterization of a Novel Thermophilic β-amylase from Clostridium thermosulfuregenes

β-amylase is a hydrolytic enzyme that is involved in breaking down starch and producing energy. Since the discovery of β-amylase, it has been applied in various applications especially in the food industry. In this study, a novel β-amylase from Clostridium thermosuluregen, a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium that ferments its extracellular emulsion to ethanol at 62 ℃ was modelled and studied using bioinformatics tools and compared with B. cereus β-amylases that functions at mesophilic conditions. The results showed that the overall structural conformations, secondary structures, and important residues involved in active and binding sites were identified in both proteins. The results revealed that the modelled β-amylase of C. thermosulfuregen is very similar with respect to the global conformation, location of active and binding sites. Both proteins showed identical structural domains with the thermophilic variant possessing a high percentage of hydrophobic amino acid residues, polar amino acid residues, and differences in secondary composition such as loops and beta sheets as the potential evolutionary thermal adaptations that make it stable enzyme that functions up to 70 ℃. The results suggest that the thermal stability are not dependent on one single unique mechanism and may use one or a combination of the mechanisms to sustain its structural conformation at a higher operating temperature. Overall, considering the common properties of this modelled protein with the β-amylase of B. cereus, it can be assumed that if the β-amylase of C. thermosulfuregen were expressed in-vitro, it would produce a stable protein that possesses the hydrolysis function for C. thermosulfuregen to break down the starch and sugar formation.