Globally, wheat is the major source of staple food, protein, and basic calories for most of the human population. Strategies must be adopted for sustainable wheat crop production to fill the ...ever-increasing food demand. Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses involved in plant growth retardation and grain yield reduction. In plants, calcineurin-B-like proteins form a complicated network with the target kinase CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) in response to intracellular calcium signaling as a consequence of abiotic stresses. The
gene has been identified in
and found to be significantly upregulated under salinity stress. In this study, the
gene was cloned in two different plant expression vectors, i.e.,
having a
promoter and
having a
constitutive promoter transformed through the
-mediated transformation protocol, in the local wheat cultivar
. Based on their ability to tolerate different levels of salt stress (0, 50, 100, and 200 mM), the transgenic wheat lines
,
, and
expressing
under the
promoter and
,
, and
expressing the same gene under the
promoter performed better at 100 mM of salinity stress as compared with the wild type. The
overexpressing transgenic wheat lines were further investigated for their K
retention ability in root tissues by utilizing the microelectrode ion flux estimation technique. It has been demonstrated that after 10 min of 100 mM NaCl application, more K
ions were retained in the
overexpressing transgenic wheat lines than in the wild type. Moreover, it could be concluded that
functions as a positive elicitor in sequestering Na
ions into the cell vacuole and retaining more cellular K
under salt stress to maintain ionic homeostasis.
Modern wheat shows phenomenal evolutional success and adaptability to a range of environments owing to polyploidization; however, during its hybridization process a major genetic gain has been ...overlooked. Recently, Gaurav et al. emphasized harnessing genetic diversity from wheat wild progenitor Aegilops tauschii for the improvement of hexaploid wheat through introgression or transgenesis.
The first generation transgenic crops used strong constitutive promoters for transgene expression. However, tissue-specific expression is desirable for more precise targeting of transgenes. Moreover, ...piercing/sucking insects, which are generally resistant to insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins, have emerged as a major pests since the introduction of transgenic crops expressing these toxins. Phloem-specific promoters isolated from Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) were used for the expression of two insecticidal proteins, Hadronyche versuta (Blue Mountains funnel-web spider) neurotoxin (Hvt) and onion leaf lectin, in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). Here we demonstrate that transgenic plants expressing Hvt alone or in combination with onion leaf lectin are resistant to Phenacoccus solenopsis (cotton mealybug), Myzus persicae (green peach aphids) and Bemisia tabaci (silver leaf whitefly). The expression of both proteins under different phloem-specific promoters resulted in close to 100% mortality and provided more rapid protection than Hvt alone. Our results suggest the employment of the Hvt and onion leaf lectin transgenic constructs at the commercial level will reduce the use of chemical pesticides for control of hemipteran insect pests.
The ensuing heat stress drastically affects wheat plant growth and development, consequently compromising its grain yield. There are many thermoregulatory processes/mechanisms mediated by ion ...channels, lipids, and lipid-modifying enzymes that occur in the plasma membrane and the chloroplast. With the onset of abiotic or biotic stresses, phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), as a signaling enzyme, hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP
2
) to generate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP
3
) and diacylglycerol (DAG) which is further phosphorylated into phosphatidic acid (PA) as a secondary messenger and is involved in multiple processes. In the current study, a phospholipase C (PLC) signaling pathway was investigated in spring wheat (
Triticum aestivum
L.) and evaluated its four
AtPLC5
overexpressed (OE)/transgenic lines under heat and osmotic stresses through
32
P
i
radioactive labeling. Naturally, the wheat harbors only a small amount of PIP
2
. However, with the sudden increase in temperature (40°C), PIP
2
levels start to rise within 7.5 min in a time-dependent manner in wild-type (
Wt
) wheat. While the Phosphatidic acid (PA) level also elevated up to 1.6-fold upon exposing wild-type wheat to heat stress (40°C). However, at the anthesis stage, a significant increase of ∼4.5-folds in PIP
2
level was observed within 30 min at 40°C in
AtPLC5
over-expressed wheat lines. Significant differences in PIP
2
level were observed in
Wt
and
AtPLC5-OE
lines when treated with 1200 mM sorbitol solution. It is assumed that the phenomenon might be a result of the activation of PLC/DGK pathways. Together, these results indicate that heat stress and osmotic stress activate several lipid responses in wild-type and transgenic wheat and can explain heat and osmotic stress tolerance in the wheat plant.
Somatic embryogenesis (SE) can be readily induced in leaf explants of the Jemalong 2HA genotype of the model legume Medicago truncatula by auxin and cytokinin, but rarely in wild-type Jemalong. ...Gibberellic acid (GA), a hormone not included in the medium, appears to act in Arabidopsis as a repressor of the embryonic state such that low ABA (abscisic acid): GA ratios will inhibit SE. It was important to evaluate the GA effect in M. truncatula in order to formulate generic SE mechanisms, given the Arabidopsis information. It was surprising to find that low ABA:GA ratios in M. truncatula acted synergistically to stimulate SE. The unusual synergism between GA and ABA in inducing SE has utility in improving SE for regeneration and transformation in M. truncatula. Expression of genes previously shown to be important in M. truncatula SE was not increased. In investigating genes previously studied in GA investigations of Arabidopsis SE, there was increased expression of GA2ox and decreased expression of PICKLE, a negative regulator of SE in Arabidopsis. We suggest that in M. truncatula there are different ABA:GA ratios required for down-regulating the PICKLE gene, a repressor of the embryonic state. In M. truncatula it is a low ABA:GA ratio while in Arabidopsis it is a high ABA:GA ratio. In different species the expression of key genes is probably related to differences in how the hormone networks optimise their expression.
Tocopherol and sterol are non-dietary functional molecules in sunflower oil, which act as antioxidants, reduce cholesterol and improve immunity against diseases. The present study was designed to ...determine tocopherol and sterol contents in 13 high and two low oleic acid sunflower hybrids across two seasons (spring and autumn) and four locations under subtropical conditions of Pakistan with contrasting reproductive phase temperatures. The results showed that tocopherol and sterol contents varied across the seasons and locations. Autumn planting produced high tocopherol content. Moreover, locations under high temperature during reproductive phase negatively affected the sterol and tocopherol contents. High oleic acid hybrids yielded 38% higher tocopherol content than low oleic acid hybrids. High oleic acid hybrids produced higher sterol contents at all locations and seasons. Hybrids such as H4 and H5 are considered stable due to comparatively close values of tocopherol and sterol contents across the four locations when compared with standard checks and other hybrids during spring season as indicated from various stability parameters. Hybrids H8, H4 and H5 also manifested higher magnitude of heterosis for tocopherol and sterol contents that may be due to overdominance gene action. Breeding lines such as B.116.P, B.112.P and RH.365 were positive combiners for the investigated traits, thus likely carrying positive alleles for both tocopherol and sterol traits.
Background
Hexaploid bread wheat underwent a series of polyploidization events through interspecific hybridizations that conferred adaptive plasticity and resulted in duplication and ...neofunctionalization of major agronomic genes. The genetic architecture of polyploid wheat not only confers adaptive plasticity but also offers huge genetic diversity. However, the contribution of different gene copies (homeologs) encoded from different subgenomes (A, B, D) at different growth stages remained unexplored.
Methods
In this study, hybrid of elite cultivars of wheat were developed via reciprocal crosses (cytoplasm swapping) and phenotypically evaluated. We assessed differential expression profiles of yield-related negative regulators in these cultivars and their F1 hybrids and identified various
cis
-regulatory signatures by employing bioinformatics tools. Furthermore, the preferential expression patterns of the syntenic triads encoded from A, B, and D subgenomes were assessed to decipher their functional redundancy at six different growth stages.
Results
Hybrid progenies showed better heterosis such as up to 17% increase in the average number of grains and up to 50% increase in average thousand grains weight as compared to mid-parents. Based on the expression profiling, our results indicated significant dynamic transcriptional expression patterns, portraying the different homeolog-dominance at the same stage in the different cultivars and their hybrids. Albeit belonging to same syntenic triads, a dynamic trend was observed in the regulatory signatures of these genes that might be influencing their expression profiles.
Conclusion
These findings can substantially contribute and provide insights for the selective introduction of better cultivars into traditional and hybrid breeding programs which can be harnessed for the improvement of future wheat.
To assess the virucidal effect of povidone iodine (PVP-I) on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) located in the nasopharynx and suitable dose-formulation for nasal ...application were the purpose of this clinical trial. This single-center, open-label randomized clinical trial with a 7-arm parallel-group design was conducted in Dhaka Medical College (DMC) Hospital. A total of 189 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed SARS CoV-2 positive cases aged 12–90 years with symptoms was sequentially enrolled following randomization. Nasopharyngeal clearance of SARS-CoV-2 was tested against PVP-I nasal irrigation (NI) at diluted concentrations of 0.4%, 0.5% and 0.6%, and PVP-I nasal spray (NS) at diluted concentrations of 0.5% and 0.6%. All groups were compared to the corresponding controls (distilled water). Written informed consent was ensured before participation. All procedures were conducted in after ethical clearance from the Ethical Review Board and in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Viral clearance in a repeat RT-PCR (qualitative) was the primary outcome, and occurrence of any adverse event following administration of testing drug was considered as the secondary outcome. Analysis was performed using SPSS (Version 26). All cases were randomized into seven groups and each group consists of 27-patient. Mean age of the cases 43.98 ± 12.67 years (SD). All strength of NI were effective in nasopharyngeal clearance compared to the control (0.4%,
p
= 0.006; 0.5%,
p
< 0.001; and 0.6%,
p
= 0.018). Similarly, all strength of the NS is also effective than control (0.5%,
p
= < 0.001; and 0.6%,
p
≤ 0.001). Highest nasopharyngeal clearance was observed in patients using 0.5% NI (
n
= 25, 92.6%,
p
= 0.018). Nasal irritation was the single most adverse event recorded in this trial and found in two patients using 0.4%, and 0.6% PVP-I NI, respectively. Both PVP-I NS and NI are effective for nasopharyngeal clearance
in-vivo
. However, further community trials are needed to repurpose these solutions as preventive agents against SARS-CoV2.
Ethical clearance memo no
ERC-DMC/ECC/2020/93.
Trial registration NCT Identifier number
NCT04549376.
Background
Epistaxis is defined as bleeding that originates from the nasal cavity. Considered as one of the most common ENT emergencies, epistaxis is estimated to account for 0.5% of all emergency ...department visits and up to one-third of all otolaryngology-related emergency department encounters. Nasal bleeding is the most common ENT emergency in the USA. According to the site of bleeding, it can be divided into anterior or posterior. The prevalence of epistaxis was noted to be 35.5% among the children of the participants in a survey conducted in Saudi Arabia in 2019. A cross-sectional study done in Saudi Arabia found that 27% of the participants experienced nasal bleeding. However, the Saudi population’s knowledge about emergency epistaxis management is inadequate. Increased awareness and education about first aid management of epistaxis can improve knowledge and recall among the general population. On the other hand, a study conducted in 2020 showed good knowledge among the Saudi Arabian population about epistaxis management. In most of the cases, epistaxis occurs in an out-of-the-hospital setting. Thus, it is very important for the general population to understand and know some first aid measures for epistaxis.
Objective
To assess the level of awareness regarding epistaxis first aid management at schools in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia.
Results
A total of 75.9% of the teachers in this study correctly reported that they would apply nasal compression in case of a nosebleed. When asked how they would try to stop the bleeding, 58.1% reported that they would keep the head tilted forward and 55.8% stated that they could put ice on the head or nose. Overall, 53.7% knew that they should go to the emergency in case the nosebleed continued for more than 10 min. Only 49.5% reported that they would block the nose with tissue or gauze, and 11.9% knew the compression time to be 6–10 min. A total of 61(15.5%) teachers in this study had good awareness regarding the first aid of epistaxis, while 333 (84.5%) had poor awareness levels.
Conclusion
Nearly two thirds of the teachers were knowledgeable regarding epistaxis and its management, despite the fact that less than half of them had not attended any training or courses in related areas. The lowest awareness was regarding the method and duration of nasal compression. Higher awareness was observed among young male teachers, those teaching scientific subjects, and those who had received information.
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