Genomic regions responsible for accumulation of grain iron concentration (Fe), grain zinc concentration (Zn), grain protein content (PC) and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were investigated in 286 ...recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between an old Indian wheat variety WH542 and a synthetic derivative (Triticum dicoccon PI94624/Aegilops squarrosa 409//BCN). RILs were grown in six environments and evaluated for Fe, Zn, PC, and TKW. The population showed the continuous distribution for all the four traits, that for pooled Fe and PC was near normal, whereas, for pooled Zn, RILs exhibited positively skewed distribution. A genetic map spanning 2155.3cM was constructed using microsatellite markers covering the 21 chromosomes and used for QTL analysis. 16 quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified in this study. Four QTLs (QGFe.iari-2A, QGFe.iari-5A, QGFe.iari-7A and QGFe.iari-7B) for Fe, five QTLs (QGZn.iari-2A, QGZn.iari-4A, QGZn.iari-5A, QGZn.iari-7A and QGZn.iari-7B) for Zn, two QTLs (QGpc.iari-2A and QGpc.iari-3A) for PC, and five QTLs (QTkw.iari-1A, QTkw.iari-2A, QTkw.iari-2B, QTkw.iari-5B and QTkw.iari-7A) for TKW were identified. The QTLs together explained 20.0%, 32.0%, 24.1% and 32.3% phenotypic variation, respectively, for Fe, Zn, PC and TKW. QGpc.iari-2A was consistently expressed in all the six environments, whereas, QGFe.iari-7B and QGZn.iari-2A were identified in two environments each apart from pooled mean. QTkw.iari-2A and QTkw.iari-7A, respectively, were identified in four and three environments apart from pooled mean. A common region in the interval of Xgwm359-Xwmc407 on chromosome 2A was associated with Fe, Zn, and PC. One more QTL for TKW was identified on chromosome 2A but in a different chromosomal region (Xgwm382-Xgwm359). Two more regions on 5A (Xgwm126-Xgwm595) and 7A (Xbarc49-Xwmc525) were found to be associated with both Fe and Zn. A QTL for TKW was identified (Xwmc525-Xbarc222) in a different chromosomal region on the same chromosome (7A). This reflects at least a partly common genetic basis for the four traits. It is concluded that fine mapping of the regions of the three chromosomes of A genome involved in determining the accumulation of Fe, Zn, PC, and TKW in this mapping population may be rewarding.
Genome wide association study (GWAS) was conducted for 14 agronomic traits in wheat following widely used single locus single trait (SLST) approach, and two recent approaches viz. multi locus mixed ...model (MLMM), and multi-trait mixed model (MTMM). Association panel consisted of 230 diverse Indian bread wheat cultivars (released during 1910-2006 for commercial cultivation in different agro-climatic regions in India). Three years phenotypic data for 14 traits and genotyping data for 250 SSR markers (distributed across all the 21 wheat chromosomes) was utilized for GWAS. Using SLST, as many as 213 MTAs (p ≤ 0.05, 129 SSRs) were identified for 14 traits, however, only 10 MTAs (~9%; 10 out of 123 MTAs) qualified FDR criteria; these MTAs did not show any linkage drag. Interestingly, these genomic regions were coincident with the genomic regions that were already known to harbor QTLs for same or related agronomic traits. Using MLMM and MTMM, many more QTLs and markers were identified; 22 MTAs (19 QTLs, 21 markers) using MLMM, and 58 MTAs (29 QTLs, 40 markers) using MTMM were identified. In addition, 63 epistatic QTLs were also identified for 13 of the 14 traits, flag leaf length (FLL) being the only exception. Clearly, the power of association mapping improved due to MLMM and MTMM analyses. The epistatic interactions detected during the present study also provided better insight into genetic architecture of the 14 traits that were examined during the present study. Following eight wheat genotypes carried desirable alleles of QTLs for one or more traits, WH542, NI345, NI170, Sharbati Sonora, A90, HW1085, HYB11, and DWR39 (Pragati). These genotypes and the markers associated with important QTLs for major traits can be used in wheat improvement programs either using marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS) or pseudo-backcrossing method.
Plumbagin, an important phytochemical from the roots of the medicinal plant
Plumbago zeylanica
L. has shown many biological activities. The roots of this plant have been in use in the Indian system ...of medicine for more than twenty five centuries for treatments of various ailments. It has shown anticancer activities, however, the anticancer and anti-metastatic effects of plumbagin are largely unknown against cervical cancer cells. Herein, we investigated the molecular alterations associated with plumbagin-mediated inhibition of growth, survival and epithelial to mesenchymal transition of human cervical cancer SiHa and HeLa cells. Plumbagin (1-4 μM) caused a significant decrease in the cell viability and increased the cell death in SiHa and Hela cells after 24 and 48 h. Plumbagin also caused strong G2/M and S-G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in SiHa and HeLa cells, respectively which was accompanied by a decrease in the expression of cyclin and CDK levels. The expression levels of both mRNAs and proteins of cyclin B1, A and E2 and CDK 1 and 2 decreased after 24 and 48 h. Plumbagin strongly induced apoptosis along with increased ratio of Bax : Bcl2 and cleavage of caspase 3, 9, and PARP. Plumbagin caused a significant increase in reactive oxygen species generation which mediated cell death as it was attenuated by pre-treatment with
N
-acetyl cysteine. Additionally, we also report for the first time that plumbagin possesses an anti-metastatic effect at non-cytotoxic doses that was accompanied by the modulation of MMP-2, 9, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, β-catenin and vimentin. Taken together, our findings suggest that plumbagin has strong anticancer and anti-metastatic effects against human cervical cancer cells.
Proposed mechanism of action of plumbagin in human cervical carcinoma SiHa and HeLa cells.
The local convergence analysis of the multi-step seventh order method to solve nonlinear equations is presented in this paper. The point of this paper is that our proposed study requires a weak ...hypothesis where the Fréchet derivative of the nonlinear operator satisfies the ψ-continuity condition, which thereby extends the applicability of the method when both Lipschitz and Hölder conditions fail. The convergence in this study is considered under the hypotheses on the first-order derivative without involving derivatives of the higher-order. To find a subset of the original convergence domain, a strategy is devised here. As a result, the new Lipschitz constants are at least as tight as the old ones, allowing for a more precise convergence analysis in the local convergence case. Some concrete numerical examples showing the performance of the method over some existing schemes are presented in this article.
Drought is considered as a significant stress that hampers growth, development as well as productivity of wheat crop around the globe. The present investigation was performed to determine the changes ...induced by drought on morpho-physiology, antioxidative system, metabolism and yield parameters in wheat crop. The study also focussed on evaluating the effect of zinc-chitosan-salicylic acid (ZCS) nanoparticles in alleviating physiological and biochemical alterations and overcoming yield losses caused by drought. Drought was provided during the vegetative stage on four different varieties (two drought tolerant viz. C-306 and PBW-644 and two drought susceptible viz. HUW-322 and HUW-843) by withholding irrigation and maintaining moisture capacity of soil at 40%. ZCS nanoparticles were foliar sprayed on wheat at concentrations of 100, 200 and 400 mg L−1. Application of ZCS nanoparticles at 100 mg L−1 significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced relative water content (RWC), alleviated levels of antioxidative enzymes like superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and guaiacol peroxidase and metabolites like proline, ascorbate, malondialdehyde and flavanoid in wheat leaves subjected to drought. Drought recovery was noteworthy in tolerant as well as sensitive varieties. Water stress reduced grain yield / plant by nearly 45% in tolerant varieties and nearly 50% in sensitive varieties. Spray of the nanoparticles on wheat foliage incremented the yield to 63% and 41% in tolerant varieties and 50% and 46% in sensitive varieties. This study suggests an outstanding role of ZCS nanoparticles at a concentration of 100 mg L−1 in mitigation of ill effects of drought. These nanoparticles have the ability to improve osmotic status of plant, enhance synthesis of osmoprotectants, activate ROS scavenging enzymes for maintaining membrane integrity and cellular protection and promote yield increment during drought stress. This implicates its role in ensuring food security and sustainable agriculture with reduction in environmental pollution due to limited use of fertilizers.
In the literature, recently, some three-step schemes involving four function evaluations for the solution of multiple roots of nonlinear equations, whose multiplicity is not known in advance, are ...considered, but they do not agree with Kung–Traub’s conjecture. The present article is devoted to the study of an iterative scheme for approximating multiple roots with a convergence rate of eight, when the multiplicity is hidden, which agrees with Kung–Traub’s conjecture. The theoretical study of the convergence rate is investigated and demonstrated. A few nonlinear problems are presented to justify the theoretical study.
In the given study, we investigate the three-step NTS’s ball convergence for solving nonlinear operator equations with a convergence order of five in a Banach setting. A nonlinear operator’s ...first-order derivative is assumed to meet the generalized Lipschitz condition, also known as the κ-average condition. Furthermore, several theorems on the convergence of the same method in Banach spaces are developed with the conditions that the derivative of the operators must satisfy the radius or center-Lipschitz condition with a weak κ-average and that κ is a positive integrable but not necessarily non-decreasing function. This novel approach allows for a more precise convergence analysis even without the requirement for new circumstances. As a result, we broaden the applicability of iterative approaches. The theoretical results are supported further by illuminating examples. The convergence theorem investigates the location of the solution ϵ* and the existence of it. In the end, we achieve weaker sufficient convergence criteria and more specific knowledge on the position of the ϵ* than previous efforts requiring the same computational effort. We obtain the convergence theorems as well as some novel results by applying the results to some specific functions for κ(u). Numerical tests are carried out to corroborate the hypotheses established in this work.
Micronutrient and protein malnutrition is recognized among the major global health issues. Genetic biofortification is a cost-effective and sustainable strategy to tackle malnutrition. Genomic ...regions governing grain iron concentration (GFeC), grain zinc concentration (GZnC), grain protein content (GPC), and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were investigated in a set of 163 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between cultivated wheat variety WH542 and a synthetic derivative (
Triticum dicoccon
PI94624/
Aegilops tauschii
409//BCN). The RIL population was genotyped using 100 simple-sequence repeat (SSR) and 736 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and phenotyped in six environments. The constructed genetic map had a total genetic length of 7,057 cM. A total of 21 novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified in 13 chromosomes representing all three genomes of wheat. The trait-wise highest number of QTL was identified for GPC (10 QTL), followed by GZnC (six QTL), GFeC (three QTL), and TKW (two QTL). Four novel stable QTL (
QGFe.iari-7D.1, QGFe.iari-7D.2, QGPC.iari-7D.2
, and
QTkw.iari-7D
) were identified in two or more environments. Two novel pleiotropic genomic regions falling between
Xgwm350–AX-94958668
and
Xwmc550–Xgwm350
in chromosome 7D harboring co-localized QTL governing two or more traits were also identified. The identified novel QTL, particularly stable and co-localized QTL, will be validated to estimate their effects on different genetic backgrounds for subsequent use in marker-assisted selection (MAS). Best QTL combinations were identified by the estimation of additive effects of the stable QTL for GFeC, GZnC, and GPC. A total of 11 RILs (eight for GZnC and three for GPC) having favorable QTL combinations identified in this study can be used as potential donors to develop bread wheat varieties with enhanced micronutrients and protein.
Teosinte is the closest wild ancestor of maize and is used as a valuable resource for taxonomical, evolutionary and genetic architectural studies of maize. Teosinte is also a repository of numerous ...diverse alleles for complex traits, including nutritional value and stress adaptation. Accessions including teosintes, maize inbred lines and coix were investigated for kernel protein and its association with DNA markers. The proposed investigation assumed that wild accessions had different genic/allelic content and consequently expression profile than modern maize because of the domestication syndrome and bottleneck effects. Total protein content in hard stony fruit case teosinte accessions were assessed from kernels with and without seed coats, while protein content from coix and maize lines was evaluated from kernels only. The accessions were also subjected to molecular profiling using 84 SSR markers, and obtained genotypic data were used for population structure and association analysis. The results emphasize that teosintes have higher protein content (18.5% to 26.29%), followed by coix (18.26%), and the least among maize lines (9% to 11%). Among teosintes, without-seed-coat samples had 3–6% higher protein content than with-seed-coat samples. When compared to other teosinte species, Z. mays subsp. mexicana accessions showed higher protein content, ranging from 18.62% to 26.29%. All evaluated accessions were divided into four subpopulations with K = 4, and seven significant (p < 0.01) marker–trait associations were seen with umc1294, umc1171, phi091, umc2182 and bnlg292 markers, which are distributed across chromosomes 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9, respectively. We have observed that the wild relatives carry protein content-enhancing alleles and can be used as productive donor parents in pre-breeding efforts to increase the protein content of maize.
A novel local and semi-local convergence theorem for the four-step nonlinear scheme is presented. Earlier studies on local convergence were conducted without particular assumption on Lipschitz ...constant. In first part, the main local convergence theorems with a weak ϰ-average (assuming it as a positively integrable function and dropping the essential property of ND) are obtained. In comparison to previous research, in another part, we employ majorizing sequences that are more accurate in their precision along with the certain form of ϰ average Lipschitz criteria. A finer local and semi-local convergence criteria, boosting its utility, by relaxing the assumptions is derived. Applications in engineering to a variety of specific cases, such as object motion governed by a system of differential equations, are illustrated.
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