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Journal of Environmental Health Science... Jun 2024More than 20 genetically modified (GM) food crops including rice have been approved in many countries. GM rice and derived products have not yet been approved in India...
PURPOSE
More than 20 genetically modified (GM) food crops including rice have been approved in many countries. GM rice and derived products have not yet been approved in India so they are considered as unauthorized genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country. Therefore it is important to track whether the rice containing food items, available in the marketplace are GMO-free.
METHODS
A pilot study was conducted to check the GM status of 30 samples of packed rice grains and processed food products with rice as an ingredient, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting 35 S promoter (), nopaline synthase terminator (), phosphinothricin-N-acetyltransferase () and gene, which could cover screening for all the globally approved GM rice events.
RESULTS
Based on the results, none of the samples tested were found positive for , , and .
CONCLUSION
The unauthorized presence of GM rice ingredients was not detected in the samples tested. Such studies may further be conducted for the testing of GM ingredients derived from cereals other than rice in the food products imported from the country where GM events of respective cereal crop are approved, as a part of regulatory requirement.
PubMed: 38887773
DOI: 10.1007/s40201-024-00892-3 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Although kratom use has been part of life for centuries in Southeast Asia, the availability and use of kratom in the United States (US) increased substantially since the... (Review)
Review
Although kratom use has been part of life for centuries in Southeast Asia, the availability and use of kratom in the United States (US) increased substantially since the early 2000s when there was little information on kratom pharmacology, use patterns, and effects, all critical to guiding regulation and policy. Here we provide a synthesis of research with several hundred English-language papers published in the past 5 years drawing from basic research, epidemiological and surveillance data, and recent clinical research. This review of available literature aims to provide an integrated update regarding our current understanding of kratom's benefits, risks, pharmacology, and epidemiology, which may inform United States-based kratom regulation. Recent surveillance indicates there are likely several million past-year kratom consumers, though estimates vary widely. Even without precise prevalence data, kratom use is no longer a niche, with millions of United States adults using it for myriad reasons. Despite its botanical origins in the coffee tree family and its polypharmacy, kratom is popularly characterized as an opioid with presumed opioid-system-based risks for addiction or overdose. Neuropharmacology, toxicology, and epidemiology studies show that kratom is more accurately characterized as a substance with diverse and complex pharmacology. Taken together the work reviewed here provides a foundation for future scientific studies, as well as a guide for ongoing efforts to regulate kratom. This work also informs much-needed federal oversight, including by the United States Food and Drug Administration. We conclude with recommendations for kratom regulation and research priorities needed to address current policy and knowledge gaps around this increasingly used botanical product.
PubMed: 38887550
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1403140 -
Horticulture Research Jun 2024Cupressaceae is a conifer family rich in plants of horticultural importance, including , , , and , yet genomic surveys are lacking for this family. , one of the many...
Cupressaceae is a conifer family rich in plants of horticultural importance, including , , , and , yet genomic surveys are lacking for this family. , one of the many rare conifers that are threatened by climate change and anthropogenic habitat fragmentation, plays an ever-increasing role in ecotourism in Tibet. To infer how past climate change has shaped the population evolution of this species, we generated a chromosome-scale genome (10.92 Gb) and compared the species' population history and genetic load with that of a widespread close relative, . Our demographic analyses, based on 83 re-sequenced individuals from multiple populations of the two species, revealed a sharp decline of population sizes during the first part of the Quaternary. However, populations of then started to recover, while populations continued to decrease until recently. The total genomic diversity of is smaller than that of , but contrary to expectations, has fewer highly and mildly deleterious mutations than , and simulations and statistical tests support purifying selection during prolonged inbreeding as the explanation. Our results highlight the evolutionary consequences of decreased population size on the genetic burden of a long-lived endangered conifer with large genome size and suggest that genetic purging deserves more attention in conservation management.
PubMed: 38883334
DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae108 -
Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences Apr 2024The metabolism of glucose is carefully regulated by several chemical elements and plays a critical part in preserving cellular energy balance. Our study investigates...
AIM
The metabolism of glucose is carefully regulated by several chemical elements and plays a critical part in preserving cellular energy balance. Our study investigates possible connections between the essential proteins CYTIP, C1QL3, and CYBB, which are involved in the metabolism of glucose, and pelargonidin, a naturally occurring plant chemical. The underlying mechanisms of pelargonidin's anti-diabetic effects are still unknown.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We examine the binding affinities and possible binding sites between pelargonidin and C1QL3/CYBB AND CYTIP using molecular docking simulations. The results demonstrate favorable docking scores and potential binding sites, suggesting the formation of stable complexes between pelargonidin and the target proteins.
RESULTS
This finding means that pelargonidin may modulate the function of C1QL3 and CYBB, CYTIP consequently influencing glucose metabolism.
CONCLUSION
This study provides a foundation for future experimental investigations to validate the predicted interactions and explore the mechanisms through which pelargonidin affects glucose metabolism. Understanding these molecular interactions could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for glucose metabolism and its related disorders.
PubMed: 38882825
DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_590_23 -
Nature Communications Jun 2024Intron retention (IR) is the most common alternative splicing event in Arabidopsis. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated the major role of IR in gene...
Intron retention (IR) is the most common alternative splicing event in Arabidopsis. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated the major role of IR in gene expression regulation. The impacts of IR on plant growth and development and response to environments remain underexplored. Here, we found that IR functions directly in gene expression regulation on a genome-wide scale through the detainment of intron-retained transcripts (IRTs) in the nucleus. Nuclear-retained IRTs can be kept away from translation through this mechanism. COP1-dependent light modulation of the IRTs of light signaling genes, such as PIF4, RVE1, and ABA3, contribute to seedling morphological development in response to changing light conditions. Furthermore, light-induced IR changes are under the control of the spliceosome, and in part through COP1-dependent ubiquitination and degradation of DCS1, a plant-specific spliceosomal component. Our data suggest that light regulates the activity of the spliceosome and the consequent IRT nucleus detainment to modulate photomorphogenesis through COP1.
Topics: Arabidopsis Proteins; Arabidopsis; Introns; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Spliceosomes; Light; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Cell Nucleus; Seedlings; Alternative Splicing; Ubiquitination
PubMed: 38879536
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49571-9 -
Plant Methods Jun 2024Image-based crop growth modeling can substantially contribute to precision agriculture by revealing spatial crop development over time, which allows an early and...
BACKGROUND
Image-based crop growth modeling can substantially contribute to precision agriculture by revealing spatial crop development over time, which allows an early and location-specific estimation of relevant future plant traits, such as leaf area or biomass. A prerequisite for realistic and sharp crop image generation is the integration of multiple growth-influencing conditions in a model, such as an image of an initial growth stage, the associated growth time, and further information about the field treatment. While image-based models provide more flexibility for crop growth modeling than process-based models, there is still a significant research gap in the comprehensive integration of various growth-influencing conditions. Further exploration and investigation are needed to address this gap.
METHODS
We present a two-stage framework consisting first of an image generation model and second of a growth estimation model, independently trained. The image generation model is a conditional Wasserstein generative adversarial network (CWGAN). In the generator of this model, conditional batch normalization (CBN) is used to integrate conditions of different types along with the input image. This allows the model to generate time-varying artificial images dependent on multiple influencing factors. These images are used by the second part of the framework for plant phenotyping by deriving plant-specific traits and comparing them with those of non-artificial (real) reference images. In addition, image quality is evaluated using multi-scale structural similarity (MS-SSIM), learned perceptual image patch similarity (LPIPS), and Fréchet inception distance (FID). During inference, the framework allows image generation for any combination of conditions used in training; we call this generation data-driven crop growth simulation.
RESULTS
Experiments are performed on three datasets of different complexity. These datasets include the laboratory plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) and crops grown under real field conditions, namely cauliflower (GrowliFlower) and crop mixtures consisting of faba bean and spring wheat (MixedCrop). In all cases, the framework allows realistic, sharp image generations with a slight loss of quality from short-term to long-term predictions. For MixedCrop grown under varying treatments (different cultivars, sowing densities), the results show that adding these treatment information increases the generation quality and phenotyping accuracy measured by the estimated biomass. Simulations of varying growth-influencing conditions performed with the trained framework provide valuable insights into how such factors relate to crop appearances, which is particularly useful in complex, less explored crop mixture systems. Further results show that adding process-based simulated biomass as a condition increases the accuracy of the derived phenotypic traits from the predicted images. This demonstrates the potential of our framework to serve as an interface between a data-driven and a process-based crop growth model.
CONCLUSION
The realistic generation and simulation of future plant appearances is adequately feasible by multi-conditional CWGAN. The presented framework complements process-based models and overcomes their limitations, such as the reliance on assumptions and the low exact field-localization specificity, by realistic visualizations of the spatial crop development that directly lead to a high explainability of the model predictions.
PubMed: 38879522
DOI: 10.1186/s13007-024-01205-3 -
Journal of Thermal Biology May 2024Life history traits have been studied under various environmental factors, but the ability to combine them into a simple function to assess pest response to climate is...
Life history traits have been studied under various environmental factors, but the ability to combine them into a simple function to assess pest response to climate is still lacking complete understanding. This study proposed a risk index derived by combining development, mortality, and fertility rates from a stage-structured dynamic mathematical model. The first part presents the theoretical framework behind the risk index. The second part of the study is concerned with the application of the index in two case studies of major economic pest: the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) and the spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), pests of rice crops and soft fruits, respectively. The mathematical calculations provided a single function composed of the main thermal biodemographic rates. This function has a threshold value that determines the possibility of population increase as a function of temperature. The tests carried out on the two pest species showed the capability of the index to describe the range of favourable conditions. With this approach, we were able to identify areas where pests are tolerant to climatic conditions and to project them on a geospatial risk map. The theoretical background developed here provided a tool for understanding the biogeography of Nilaparvata lugens and Drosophila suzukii. It is flexible enough to deal with mathematically simple (N. lugens) and complex (D. Suzukii) case studies of crop insect pests. It produces biologically sound indices that behave like thermal performance curves. These theoretical results also provide a reasonable basis for addressing the challenge of pest management in the context of seasonal weather variations and climate change. This may help to improve monitoring and design management strategies to limit the spread of pests in invaded areas, as some non-invaded areas may be suitable for the species to develop.
Topics: Animals; Hemiptera; Drosophila; Temperature; Risk Assessment; Models, Biological
PubMed: 38878392
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103886 -
Molecular Plant Jun 2024Maize develops separate ear and tassel inflorescences with initially similar morphology but ultimately different architecture and sexuality. The detailed regulatory...
Maize develops separate ear and tassel inflorescences with initially similar morphology but ultimately different architecture and sexuality. The detailed regulatory mechanisms underlying these changes still remain largely unclear. In this study, through analyzing the time-course meristem transcriptomes and floret single-cell transcriptomes of ear and tassel, we revealed the regulatory dynamics and pathways underlying inflorescence development and sex differentiation. We identified 16 diverse gene clusters with differential spatiotemporal expression patterns and revealed biased regulation of redox, programmed cell death, and hormone signals during meristem differentiation between ear and tassel. Notably, based on their dynamic expression patterns, we revealed the roles of two RNA-binding proteins in regulating inflorescence meristem activity and axillary meristem formation. Moreover, using the transcriptional profiles of 53 910 single cells, we uncovered the cellular heterogeneity between ear and tassel florets. We found that multiple signals associated with either enhanced cell death or reduced growth are responsible for tassel pistil suppression, while part of the gibberellic acid signal may act non-cell-autonomously to regulate ear stamen arrest during sex differentiation. We further showed that the pistil-protection gene SILKLESS 1 (SK1) functions antagonistically to the known pistil-suppression genes through regulating common molecular pathways, and constructed a regulatory network for pistil-fate determination. Collectively, our study provides a deep understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying inflorescence development and sex differentiation in maize, laying the foundation for identifying new regulators and pathways for maize hybrid breeding and improvement.
PubMed: 38877701
DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2024.06.007 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2024The resistance of to clubroot, a major disease of Brassicaceae caused by the obligate protist , is controlled in part by epigenetic factors. The detection of some of...
The resistance of to clubroot, a major disease of Brassicaceae caused by the obligate protist , is controlled in part by epigenetic factors. The detection of some of these epigenetic quantitative trait loci (QTL) has been shown to depend on experimental conditions. The aim of the present study was to assess whether and how temperature and/or soil water availability influenced both the detection and the extent of the effect of response QTL. The epigenetic recombinant inbred line (epiRIL) population, derived from the cross between and Col-0 (partially resistant and susceptible to clubroot, respectively), was phenotyped for response to under four abiotic conditions including standard conditions, a 5°C temperature increase, drought, and flooding. The abiotic constraints tested had a significant impact on both the leaf growth of the epiRIL population and the outcome of the epiRIL-pathogen interaction. Linkage analysis led to the detection of a total of 31 QTL, 18 of which were specific to one abiotic condition and 13 common to at least two environments. EpiRIL showed significant plasticity under epigenetic control, which appeared to be specific to the traits evaluated and to the abiotic conditions. These results highlight that the environment can affect the epigenetic architecture of plant growth and immune responses and advance our understanding of the epigenetic factors underlying plasticity in response to climate change.
PubMed: 38872892
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1245545 -
Journal of Arthropod-borne Diseases Dec 2023Kerman Province is one of the endemic foci of scorpionism in southeastern Iran. Totally 17 species are reported for Kerman Province fauna. The current study seeks to...
BACKGROUND
Kerman Province is one of the endemic foci of scorpionism in southeastern Iran. Totally 17 species are reported for Kerman Province fauna. The current study seeks to determine the fauna of medically important scorpions in northern parts of this province.
METHODS
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2019 to March 2021. The specimens were captured from different areas, by rock-rolling during day and using Ultraviolet light at night. The specimens were preserved in ethanol (80%) and then identified using reliable identification keys for scorpions.
RESULTS
Totally, 499 specimens were captured from eight cities in northern Kerman. In total, 11 species belonging to three families were identified. sp. is reported for the first time from Kerman Province. sp., cf. , and cf. , were the lowest in frequency of occurrence, against as the highest frequency.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study are useful for the preparation of regional or monovalent antivenom for the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute. Additionally, the obtained data are useful for the effective planning of scorpion control programs in the northern parts of Kerman Province, Iran.
PubMed: 38868675
DOI: 10.18502/jad.v17i4.15295