Changes In Genetic Make-up Research Articles

Transcriptional Factors Mediated Reprogramming to Pluripotency.

A unique kind of pluripotent cell, i.e., Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), now being targeted for iPSC synthesis, are produced by reprogramming animal and human differentiated cells (with no change in genetic makeup for the sake of high efficacy iPSCs formation). The conversion of specific cells to iPSCs has revolutionized stem cell research by making pluripotent cells more controllable for regenerative therapy. For the past 15 years, somatic cell reprogramming to pluripotency with force expression of specified factors has been a fascinating field of biomedical study. For that technological primary viewpoint reprogramming method, a cocktail of four transcription factors (TF) has required: Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), four-octamer binding protein 34 (OCT3/4), MYC and SOX2 (together referred to as OSKM) and host cells. IPS cells have great potential for future tissue replacement treatments because of their ability to self-renew and specialize in all adult cell types, although factor-mediated reprogramming mechanisms are still poorly understood medically. This technique has dramatically improved performance and efficiency, making it more useful in drug discovery, disease remodeling, and regenerative medicine. Moreover, in these four TF cocktails, more than 30 reprogramming combinations were proposed, but for reprogramming effectiveness, only a few numbers have been demonstrated for the somatic cells of humans and mice. Stoichiometry, a combination of reprogramming agents and chromatin remodeling compounds, impacts kinetics, quality, and efficiency in stem cell research.

Protease production and molecular characterization of a protease dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase gene from different strains of Sordaria fimicola.

The current research was designed to reach extracellular protease production potential in different strains of Sordaria fimicola which were previously obtained from Dr. Lamb (Imperial College, London) from North Facing Slope and South Facing Slope of Evolution Canyon. After initial and secondary screening, two hyper-producers strains S2 and N6 were selected for submerged fermentation and cultural conditions including temperature, pH, incubation period, inoculum size, substrate concentration, and different carbon and nitrogen sources were optimized for enzyme production. S2 strain showed maximum protease production of 3.291 U/mL after 14 days of incubation at 30 °C with 7 pH, 1% substrate concentration and 1 mL inoculum, While N6 strain showed maximum protease production of 1.929 U/mL under fermentation optimized conditions. Another aim of the present research was to underpin the biodiversity of genetics and post-translational modifications (PTMs) of protease DPAP (peptidyl-aminopeptidase) in Sordaria fimicola. Five polymorphic sites were observed in amino acid sequence of S. fimicola strains with reference to Neurospora crassa. PTMs prediction from bioinformatics tools predicted 38 phosphorylation sites on serine residues for protease peptidyl-aminopeptidase in S1 strain of S. fimicola while 45 phosphorylation sites on serine in N7 strain and 47 serine phosphorylation modifications were predicted in N. crassa. Current research gave an insight that change in genetic makeup effected PTMs which ultimately affected the production of protease enzyme in different strains of same organism (S. fimicola). The production and molecular data of the research revealed that environmental stress has strong effects on the specific genes through mutations which may cause genetic diversity. S. fimicola is non- pathogenic fungus and has a short life cycle. This fungus can be chosen to produce protease enzyme on a commercial scale.

Assessment of Hemoglobin Variants in Patients Receiving Health Care at the Ho Teaching Hospital: A Three-Year Retrospective Study.

Background It is estimated that one out of every three Ghanaians has hemoglobin genotype mutation. This change in genetic make-up may result in genotypes such as HbAS, HbSS, and HbSC. Many children in low- and middle-income countries die even before they are diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD). In Africa, there are limited data on the incidence and prevalence of SCD and the Volta region of Ghana is no exception. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of SCD and to assess the hemoglobin variants among patients attending Ho Teaching Hospital. Methods A retrospective study design was used to extract information from the Hospital Administration and Management Systems (HAMS) on the hemoglobin electrophoresis results and corresponding full blood count results of the SCD and sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients as well as patients who were asked to do Hb electrophoresis irrespective of their sickling status. Data were collected for the period January 2016 to December 2018. Sickle cell disease status was determined using the Hb genotypes from the Hb electrophoresis results. The full blood count was used to categorize the severity of anemia based on the hemoglobin concentration in the SCA and SCD patients. Results A total of 1,523 subjects were included in the study of which the prevalence for sickle cell disease was 16.7%. The SCD genotypes included HbS (6.2%), HbSC (7.9%), and HbSF (2.6%). Hemoglobin C disease (HbCC) constituted 0.3% out of the total prevalence of SCD. The prevalence of anemia was 99.2%, with the severest form in HbS. Also, majority of the SCD patients had severe anemia. Difference in the severity of anemia was found to be significant among both male (P=0.006) and female (P=0.004) participants with SCD. Conclusion Patients receiving health care at the Ho Teaching Hospital had different hemoglobin variants with HbAS recording the highest prevalence. The high incidence of hemoglobin AS implies the possibility of having an increased population of individuals with sickle cell disease in future if measures are not put in place to improve screening, counseling, and education of the public about the health threat SCD poses.

EFFECT OF POLLUTED ENVIRONMENT ON GERMINATION OF BACILLUS SPORES

The environment is extremely variable, since temperature, pH and osmolarity change rapidly and alter morphogenetic pathway of bacteria. In addition the supply of nutrients usually undergoes drastic fluctuations. Those conditions cause defects/alteration on sporulation and germination of these spores by creating changes in genetic makeup. The work being discussed here address sporulation and germination of Bacillus spores, isolated from polluted and saline areas (soils, plants). Initially 20 spore forming bacterial strains were isolated All the germination defective spore forming strains belonged to family Bacillacea.

Molecular markers : An important tool to assess genetic fidelity in tissue culture grown long-term cultures of economically important fruit plants

India with its wide diversity in climate and soil is bestowed with a variety of ecosystems. It produces a large number of fruits commercially in various agroclimatic zones. India is the second largest producer of fruits with a production of 49 million tons and contributes 10 per cent share in global food production. India occupies first place in production of mango, banana, litchi, papaya, pomegranate and sapota (Anonymous, 2007). It has higher national average productivity in banana and sapota compared to world average productivity. India accounts for an area of 4.96 million hectare under fruit crops with a production of 49.29 million ton. Among states, Maharashtra ranks first in area and production of fruits and contributes 27 per cent and 21.5 per cent, respectively (Anonymous, 2007). Fruits occupy an important place in human diet as they provide a wide variety of nutrients essential for good health and happiness. Fruits contain carbohydrates (source of energy), minerals, dietary fibres, vitamins and some enzymes which are necessary not only for proper body functions but also for providing protection against diseases (Singh, 1969). The fruit plants are propagated both by sexual (seeds) and asexual (vegetative) methods. In sexual method the plants are raised from seeds producing seedlings. In asexual or vegetative propagation of plants, a vegetative part (leaf, stem or root) is placed in such an environment that it develops into a new plant. Conventionally, fruit plants are generally propagated by the vegetative or asexual methods. They involve no change in genetic makeup of the new plant. All the characteristics of the parent plant are reproduced in the daughter plants due to exact duplication of chromosomes during cell division. Thus, the plants are true-to type in growth, ripening, yield and fruit quality. The conventional methods of propagation are generally slow, labour intensive and requiring large number of propagules. Besides this, vegetatively propagated crops are often infested by pests and diseases which cause severe production loss. Most of the fruit plants are woody perennials and take several years to bear. Therefore, propagation of the Molecular markers : An important tool to assess genetic fidelity in tissue culture grown long-term cultures of economically important fruit plants

Fine-scale spatial and temporal population genetics ofAedes japonicus, a new US mosquito, reveal multiple introductions

The newly introduced mosquito Aedes japonicus has expanded from its original range in Northeastern Asia to 29 US states (including Hawaii) plus Canada and northern Europe. Our objectives were to test an earlier hypothesis of multiple introductions of this species to the Northeastern US and evaluate putative temporal changes in genetic makeup. Using a panel of seven microsatellite loci, we confirmed the existence of two abundant genetic forms in specimens originally collected in 1999-2000 (F(ST) value based on microsatellite data = 0.26) that matches the disjunctive distribution of mitochondrial haplotypes. To examine the distribution of the two genetic 'types' across Pennsylvania we created a fine-scale genetic map of Ae. japonicus using 439 specimens collected from 54 Pennsylvania counties in 2002-2003. We also made direct comparisons between collections in 1999-2000 and new collections made in 2004-2005 obtained from the same areas in the northeastern US. We observed that the strong association between mtDNA haplotype and microsatellite signature seen in 1999-2000 had weakened significantly by 2002 across Pennsylvania, a trend continued to some extent in 2004-2005 in PA, NJ, and NY, indicating that once easily distinguishable separate introductions are merging. The two expanding genetic forms create a complex correlation between spatial and genetic distances. The existence of multiple introductions would be obscured without sampling early and across time with highly polymorphic molecular markers. Our results provide a high-resolution analysis of the spatial and temporal dynamics of a newly introduced disease vector and argue that successive introductions may be a common pattern for invasive mosquitoes.

Microenvironment driven invasion: a multiscale multimodel investigation.

Cancer is a complex, multiscale process, in which genetic mutations occurring at a subcellular level manifest themselves as functional and morphological changes at the cellular and tissue scale. The importance of interactions between tumour cells and their microenvironment is currently of great interest in experimental as well as computational modelling. Both the immediate microenvironment (e.g. cell-cell signalling or cell-matrix interactions) and the extended microenvironment (e.g. nutrient supply or a host tissue structure) are thought to play crucial roles in both tumour progression and suppression. In this paper we focus on tumour invasion, as defined by the emergence of a fingering morphology, which has previously been shown to be dependent upon harsh microenvironmental conditions. Using three different modelling approaches at two different spatial scales we examine the impact of nutrient availability as a driving force for invasion. Specifically we investigate how cell metabolism (the intrinsic rate of nutrient consumption and cell resistance to starvation) influences the growing tumour. We also discuss how dynamical changes in genetic makeup and morphological characteristics, of the tumour population, are driven by extreme changes in nutrient supply during tumour development. The simulation results indicate that aggressive phenotypes produce tumour fingering in poor nutrient, but not rich, microenvironments. The implication of these results is that an invasive outcome appears to be co-dependent upon the evolutionary dynamics of the tumour population driven by the microenvironment.

Genetic Robustness and Adaptability of Viruses

Biodiversity reflects billions of years of adaptation through natural selection, whereby environments help to determine which genetic variants in a population persist. This process leads some individuals in a population to possess traits that prove beneficial in a particular niche and can help to distinguish them from other organisms residing there or elsewhere. Although evolution is defined as the change in genetic makeup of a population through time, natural selection acts on phenotypes. That is, natural selection leads indirectly to changes in gene frequencies by acting on the phenotypes that genes produce.

Environmental effects of genotoxins (eco-genotoxicology).

Genotoxic chemicals can damage the genetic material of humans as well as that of organisms living in the environment. With respect to adverse effects, alterations induced in the germ line, leading to alterations in the genetic make-up of populations, are of primary concern in ecosystems, because somatic changes, even if they lead to a loss of individuals, will not be critical in populations with a large reproductive surplus. This is different in human toxicology where genetic alterations in germ cells as well as in somatic cells of any individual are of concern. Increased frequencies of mutations and related genetic alterations in the gene pools of individual species or populations in ecosystems have to be judged against the background of spontaneous mutations that have enabled species to survive and adapt in changing environments since the beginning of life on our planet, and which have played an important role as the substrate for evolutionary developments. Examples of the selection of altered phenotypes (and genotypes) in response to environmental pollution and environmental stress are melanism in moth populations, metal resistance in plants, insecticide resistance in insects and malaria resistance in humans. Pollution, in general, can represent a stress factor selectively leading to a change in genetic make-up. In addition, environmental genotoxins can directly alter gene pools. A change in the genetic constitution may be advantageous for certain populations living in stressful conditions, but may present a disadvantage for others, including man.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)