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The experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Salna, Gazipur during 2015 using twenty promising genotypes (AA21 to AA40) of green amaranth in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications to study the variability, genetic parameters, association of yield related morphological traits to foliage yield and to find out the direct and indirect effects of components characters towards foliage yield. The significant analysis of variance revealed wide range of variability among the twenty genotypes of green amaranth. Except for stem diameter, foliage yield and all the yield contributing morphological traits had high heritability including high genetic advance in percent of mean, high to moderate genotypic and phenotypic variances and coefficient of variations with minimum differences of PCV and GCA indicated that the traits were governed by additive gene actions and had a great scope of selection for the improvement of green amaranth. Correlation study revealed that total biomass and shoot weight showed significant association with foliage yield per m2. Hence, selection based on total biomass and shoot weight could remarkably improve the foliage yield of green amaranth. However, the path coefficient analysis revealed that shoot weight had the highest positive direct effect (1.19) with significant genotypic correlation on foliage yield. It indicated that direct selection based on shoot weight would be effective for the improvement of foliage yield of green amaranth. Mean performance study revealed that the genotypes, such as AA21, AA22, AA24, AA25, AA27, AA28, AA31, AA36 and AA39 had high foliage yields including most of the yield related morphological traits over the grand mean. These genotype could be selected as high yielding varieties or parental lines for future breeding program.

Interleukin 12 (IL-12) has a key function in promoting Th1 immune response in the gastrointestinal mucosa. Although cytokine gene polymorphisms are associated with increased risk of gastric cancer (GC), studies on different geographic regions and ethnic groups are not able to draw a consistent result. The current case-control study aims to find out an association between a functional IL-12B rs3212227 polymorphism and the susceptibility and clinical features of the study groups, which are GC, Helicobacter pylori-infected and H. pylori-uninfected intestinal metaplasia (IM). In this study, IL-12B rs3212227 polymorphism was genotyped in 35 GC cases, 25 H. pylori-infected IM patients, 25 H. pylori-uninfected IM patients, and 25 control subjects. PCR-RFLP analysis was performed to find out and compare the polymorphism profiles of case biopsies. There was statistical significance in genotype distributions and allelic frequencies in GC patients with proximal arrest in stomach (p=0.042). The rs3212227 genotypes and allelic frequencies were not correlated with any of the study groups (p>0.05). Other clinical features examined in the GC patients were also not correlated with the rs3212227 genotypes and allelic frequencies (p>0.05). Current findings suggest that IL-12B rs3212227 polymorphism may play a role in GC development.

Climate changes are one of the crucial issues of modern agriculture. These changes imply the increase in average temperatures and the frequent occurrence of temperature extremes. Such conditions are stressful to maize concerning the expression of its traits. This paper presents the analysis of the maize yield concerning the yield components, morphological and chemical traits under various agroecological conditions. The objective of the study was to evaluate variability of grain yield (GY) and yield components (ear length, EL and number of kernel rows, NKR), morphological traits (plant height, PH and ear height, EH), as well as chemical traits (the whole plant dry matter, PDM and the ear dry matter, EDM), and the effect of the environment on the intensity of expression of these traits. Fifteen genotypes developed by crossing of six inbred lines were used as a material in the study carried out during the two-year period in one location. Obtained results indicate that traits were more pronounced in maize hybrids than in the parental components including the lower variability of the traits expression. NKR did not affect the yield unlike the EL, whose coefficient of determination was R2 = 0.600 in both production years. The environmental effect was high for all traits except NKR. PDM and EDM were closely related to PH and EH, but they also depended on the EL and the NKR. Variations in meteorological conditions have a significant impact on the final goal of the production, the yield. Prevailing agro-ecological conditions should be a major guideline in planning the crop production and selecting the genetic material.

The article is dealing with evaluation of four fruit maturity stages of 6 selected clones (LKL-3, LKL-14, LKL-19, LKL-33, LKL-96 and LKL-103) of Lonicera kamtschatica (Sevast.) Pojark in relation to total polyphenols, flavonoids content and antioxidant activity of berries. The experiment in 5 replications of each clones has been established in the conditions of Botanical Garden in Nitra (Slovak republic)in 2016. The results of analyses proved that in respect of the total polyphenols content (TPC), the content of flavonoids (FC) and the antioxidant activity the most valuable clones at the stage of full ripened fruit were following: LKL-14 ( 8.77; 2.57 g/kg FW; 9.07 g/kg), LKL-33 (6.77; 2.84 g/kg FW; 9.16 g/kg) and LKL -3 (8.19; 2.61 g/kg FW; 8.94 g/kg). The results of statistical analyses by one-way analysis of variance proved significant differences among assayed clones in total flavonoids and antioxidant activity of fruit but no differences among content of total polyphenols and assayed stages of fruit maturity., TBU in Zlin [IGA/FT/2019/004, IGA/FT/2020/010], IGA/FT/2019/004, IGA/FT/2020/010

Stress induced by high temperature represents a major constraint over wheat production in many production areas. Here, the comprehensive coverage of the wheat genome achievable using single nucleotide polymorphism markers was exploited to carry out a genetic analysis targeting yield components in plants exposed to high temperature stress. The mapping population was a set of doubled haploid lines derived from a cross between the cultivars Yecora Rojo and Ksu106. Both of the parental cultivars and their derived population were tested in the field in two locations over two consecutive seasons; at each site, two sowing dates were included, with the later sowing intended to ensure that the plants were exposed to high temperature stress during the grain filling period. Composite interval mapping detected 93 quantitative trait loci influencing grain yield and some related traits, along with 20 loci associated with a ?heat susceptibility index? (HSI). The loci were distributed over all 21 of the wheat chromosomes. Some of these loci were of large enough effect to be considered as candidates for the marker-assisted breeding of high temperature tolerance in wheat.

The genus Plantago L. is a cosmopolitan genus with more than 200 species and has the greatest dispersal rate in tropical and subtropical regions. The taxonomy of the genus Plantago is controversial at the section and subgenus levels. Therefore, we attempt to determine the relationships among 20 species of this genus for the first time in Iran using both morphological and molecular data. ISSR marker and morphological characteristics were used to examine relationships among different species and compare the results with different classifications. The molecular study of Plantago species showed that ISSR marker is not a good marker at the section and subgenus levels, but is a good marker at the species level and it can identify different genetic groups. Morphological study showed that according to Rahn's taxonomy, the studied species should be in 4 subgenera, but section Albicans is in need of taxonomic revision.

Phenotyping of native cultivars is becoming more essential, as they are an important for breeders as a genetic source for breeding. The variability of morphological properties plays critical role in melon breeding. In this paper various machine learning approaches were implemented to identify melon accession classes. A field experiment was conducted in Zahak Agriculture station to differentiate 144 melon accessions based on 14 traits. For this, Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and Classification And Regression Trees (CART) were compared. The most commonly used performance values comprise overall accuracy, kappa value, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) and Area Under Curve (AUC) were performed to identify accuracy of the models. The results showed the best performance for CART than others. The AUC and kappa value were 0.85 and 0.80 and fruit weight was the most important trait that affecting diversity in melon accessions. Regarding to these results Classification And Regression Trees (CART) is reliable for identification of melon accessions classes.

This study hypothesized that genetic polymorphisms of different genes could modulate the lifespan and muscle health or sarcopenia. We investigated the possible associations between longevity and the common genetic variation polymorphism such as rs713598, rs7903146, rs9939609, rs35874116, rs2274333, rs7792845, rs35744813 in a population of 360 Italian elderly aged 65- 100 years. The polymorphism rs9939609, of the FTO gene, shows an association (p< 0.001) with longevity. In particular, the frequency of T/T homozygotes increases gradually from 35% in subjects aged 65-80 ys up to 80% in centenarians. The polymorphism of rs2274333 (CA6) gene shows that A/G frequency increases continuously through older classes reaching the 80% in (95-100) (p trend

SSR markers are considered to be the most ideal marker for genetic studies because they are multi-allelic, abundant, randomly and widely distributed throughout the genome, co-dominant that could differentiate plants with homozygous or heterozygous alleles, simple to assay, highly reliable, reproducible. Microsatellite markers are highly polymorphic and informative and could be successfully used for genome analysis in black gram & green gram. Microsatellite markers were used to evaluate genetic diversity in 17 indigenous cultivars of pulse crops (11 cultivars of green gram and 6 cultivars of black gram respectively). They are subjected to variability analysis with 26 microsatellite markers for identification efficient primers to conclude the nature of molecular diversity present among the pulses. The SSR primer G228 showed 63.63% of polymorphism followed by MB-SSR 238 (45.45%) and G006 (36.36%). The 12 microsatellite markers produced 15.90 % polymorphism with banding ranged up to 7 with an average of 2.3 polymorphic banding patterns per SSR primer. Similarly for black gram, three random microsatellite primers G006 (50%) and G166 and G204 (33.33%) revealed considerable DNA polymorphism. The 14 random SSR primers produced 8.33% of polymorphism with banding ranged up to three with an average of 1.28 polymorphic banding pattern per SSR primer. The Distinguish Power (D), Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) value and Marker Index (MI) values revealed some SSR primers like G006, G204 and G166 can alone amplified distinct banding pattern, where as a combination of (G228+G006), (G228+G304) for green gram and the combination (G006+G166) can be used for black gram for ascertaining genetic diversity at any stage of crop growth period for green gram or black gram. From the present study we can conclude that selective microsatellite markers are highly polymorphic, informative and easily reproducible, which can be successfully used either as single or with combination for molecular characterization of crop species belonging to Vigna species.

Except agronomic important traits, great diversity in sunflower is present in morphological traits which are very useful in breeding studies. The main objective of the paper was to determine genetic diversity among the 110 inbred lines in the collection of Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad (IFVCNS) by screening 34 morphological traits according to a list of descriptors of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) as to conduct the Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability Test (DUS). The diversity of morphological traits was estimated by Shannon diversity index (H?) and the diversity of sunflower inbred lines was performed by homogeneity analysis (HOMALS) as well as discriminatory power of the traits. The values of the traits in Shannon diversity index were the highest (H?=0.99) for height of the tip of the blade compared to insertion of petiole and bract position, while branching, head shape and seed color showed low diversity (H?>0.1). The uniformity of inbred lines distribution determined discriminative power of descriptors. Disk flower anthocyanin coloration of stigma, hypocotyl anthocyanin coloration and intensity, leaf blistering, leaf serration, seed stripes on and between the margins showed the strongest discriminatory power. According to these six traits, the collection of inbred lines was divided into two main groups and three subgroups which better explained the relationships among the various inbred lines. Inbred lines showed the great variability of morphological traits in the whole collection and also among the inbred lines from the same type of use.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L. P. Beauv.) is a very important crop in the arid and semi-arid areas. In the present study, five advanced lines and one commercial check (Bastan) were tested across12 (six locations and two years) environments. An attempt was made to identify superior line(s) with emphasis on high forage yield potential and yield stability over multi-environment trials using GGE biplot analysis. The study was conducted using a randomized complete block design with four replications. Combined analysis of variance for forage yield showed that the genotypes, environments, and the interaction effects were highly significant (P ? 0.01). The environment, genotype and interaction effects accounted for 76.38%, 6.97% and 8.92% of the total forage yield variation, respectively. GGE biplot analysis showed that G5 has both high forage yield and stability across the studied environments and E3 and E4 were high-yielding environments in this study. Which-won-where study partitioned the testing locations into two mega-environments with G5 and G3 as winning genotypes in the first and second mega-environment, respectively. According to discriminate ability and representativeness, the E4 and E12 environments were perfect environments. Overall, existence of extensive crossover interaction clearly suggested that efforts are necessary to identify location-specific genotypes over multi-environment trials for release of new varieties.

In this study, genetic variation and phylogenetic analysis of 13 populations of 6 species belonging to Conringia genus spreading in Turkey were performed using RAPD markers. Genomic DNA isolation from the leaves of the Conringia plant samples was performed via using a commercial kit. Seven RAPD primers were used to identify the genetic diversity between the populations. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed using DNA samples and primers. PCR products were resolved using agarose gel electrophoresis and visualized under UV light. All gel images were analyzed, and the absence and presence of polymorphic bands were scored. The total of 34 DNA bands were detected by seven RAPD primers. PAUP 4.0b10 analysis program was used to calculate phylogenetic tree and genetic distances between the species. The phylogenetic tree was obtained using the UPGMA algorithm and it was composed of two clades. According to the PAUP analysis, the species having the closest distance between each other are C. planisiliqua (Ankara-AyaĢ) and C. planisiliqua (Ankara-Nallihan) with the value of 0.000 and those having the longest distance are C. grandiflora (Akseki Cukurkoy) and C. orientalis (Elazig-Baskil) with the value of 0.6000. The results suggest that the RAPD markers are useful tools to demonstrate the genetic relationships between populations of the Conringia species.

Evidence had grown ever stronger that pesticides can cause epigenetic modifications such as changing the expression of noncoding RNAs which have positive associations with incidence of cancer. Upregulation of two oncogenic long non coding RNAs, HOX antisense intergenic RNA and H19, enhances breast cancer. This study was conducted to investigate and compare the effect of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (proven to cause breast cancer) with two commonly used pesticides named benomyl and diazinon (suspected of developing breast cancer) on the expression level of HOX antisense intergenic RNA and H19. Mice were intragastrically exposed to 7,12-dimethylbenzathracene, diazinon and benomyl for 60 days. The expression level of H19 and HOX antisense intergenic RNA were measured by Real-Time PCR. The findings revealed that the expression of long non coding RNAs in pesticides and 7,12-dimethylbenzathracene treated mice were significantly higher than untreated control. This study, for the first time, has demonstrated that diazinon and benomyl pesticides could cause upregulation of both oncogenic H19 and HOX antisense intergenic RNA. Since 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene induced breast tumors, similar results of all three experimental groups could be a testimony to the carcinogenicity of these pesticides and provides support for the importance of these noncoding RNAs as a target for therapeutic intervention in breast cancer.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are DNA instability factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The aims of this study were to evaluate cytogenetic alterations in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes (PBL) in two groups of RA patients: the early and the long-term RA group; and to examine potential of concomitant treatment with Methotrexate (MTX) and Dry olive leaf extract (DOLE) against cytogenetic damage in RA patients after a 3-weeks treatment. A total of 32 RA patients and 10healthy individuals were included. RA patients were equally divided into four groups: two groups with early phase RA (one treated with MTX alone, the other in combination with DOLE); and two long-term phase RA groups (group with active disease and group with low disease activity)-both treated with MTX and DOLE combination. PBL cultures were screened for chromosome aberrations and micronuclei frequencies. Significantly increased frequencies of micronuclei were shown in active phase RA disease (both early and long-term) but not in the group with low disease activity, as compared to controls. Chromosome aberrations were detected for all 4 RA groups. The highest frequencies of micronuclei and chromosome aberrations were found in the long-termactive RA group. After 3 weeks-treatment, there were no significant decrease of the micronuclei frequencies compared to baseline, although they were reduced in all RA groups, except for the group with the long-term active disease. High level of cytogenetic damage in RA patients was concordant with duration and activity of the RA disease. At 3 weeks of therapy, neither the combined treatment (MTX+DOLE), nor MTX alone did not affect the frequency of micronuclei formation. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. OI 173034]

The autochthonous local genotypes of sweet cherries, which represent a very important genetic potential for future breeding programs. Understanding of the molecular basis biodiversity is one of the most important factors for the proper conservation, management and use of plant genetic resources. This paper investigate the genetic variability of 14 genotypes of sweet cherries using 26 SSR markers. The study included eight autochthonous genotypes of sweet cherry taken from four different location and six virus-free reference varieties of sweet cherry. The average genetic distance between them was 0.43. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eight. The minimum number of two alleles of polymorphic loci showed EMPa003 and EMPa002, while the highest number of eight loci alleles had PceGA34 and UDP97-402. Results of genetic analysis that were done show that between autochthonous genotypes of sweet cherries ?Biljur-Bjelica?, ?Barevka? and ?Aslamka? (Kriskovci) there was no difference, it is to have the same genetic profil, which indicates that is the synonym, it is the same identity group. Also the autochthonous genotype ?Crveni Hrust? and ?Nordwunder? cultivar had the same SSR profile on microsatellite loci tested. The remaining autochthonous genotypes of sweet cherry had a unique genetic profile.

In this study, QTLs controlling traits related to crop and grain yield were mapped using 140 recombinant inbred lines (F9 and F10) along with 4 control genotypes in anaugment experiment based on a randomized complete block design in 2consecutive years. Population linkage map was consisted of 170 SSR3 / 2132 centimorgan (cM) markers of rice genome, and mean distance between adjacent markers was equal to 12.47 centimorgan (cM). Composite Interval Mapping analysis was done for studying number of days to flowering in the first year, a QTL was identified on chromosome 3 and in the second year, three QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2, 3, and 7, which were common on chromosome 3 in both years. Regarding plant height in the first and second years, a QTL was mapped on chromosome 1, which was similar in both years. In terms of number of tillers in the first year, four QTLs were identified on chromosomes 4 and 12 and in the second year two QTLs were identified on chromosomes 11 and 12, and regarding panicle length in the first year, one QTL was identified on chromosome 6 and in the second year two QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2 and 4, and in terms of flag leaf length in the first year, two QTLs were identified on chromosomes 6 and 7 and in the second year two QTLs were identified on chromosome 7.With respect to flag leaf width in the first year, two QTLs were identified on chromosomes 1and 3, and in the second year, one QTL was identified on chromosome 11, and in relation to Panicle exertion in the first year, three QTLs were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, and 8, and in the second year, two QTLs were identified on chromosomes 1 and 2.In regard to yield in the first year, one QTL was identified on chromosome 2 and in the second year, two QTLs were identified on chromosome 2. Also, clusters of genes were identified by Interval Mapping in the population with respect to different traits on chromosomes 1 (two cases) and 12 (one case).

The ornamentally important genus Adonis L. (Ranunculaceae) consists of about 30 species. In Iran, 8 species are recognized. The new classification system recognizes two subgenera, six sections, and six series for Adonis. The species differentiation within the genus is controversial due to morphological overlaps in different species and extensive morphological variation. Therefore, the aims of present study were: 1- Species delimitation within the Sect. Adonis based on morphological and molecular evidences and, 2- Studying the species relationship based on molecular phylogeny. Multivariate analyses of morphological and molecular (ITS and ISSR) data differentiated the Adonis species. PCA biplot analysis of morphological characters revealed morphological characters such as leaf arrangement; leaf length, flower diameter, petal length and width, calyx length, and pedicel length are of taxonomic implication in Adonis. Bayesian tree of ITS sequences revealed that the sect. Adonis is differentiated from the sect. Adonanthe. Based on ITS data, A. microcarpa showed close affinity to A. scrobiculata, while A. aestivalis, A. icrocarpa and A.dentata were close to each other.

It is estimated that about 15% of couples concern with the inability to conceive after 1 year of unprotected intercourse. Genetic and environmental factors play important roles in male infertility. MTHFR (Methylene Tetrahydro Folate Reductase) is encoded by a gene which maps to human chromosome 1p36.22. The c.677C>T mutation causes an amino - acid change of Alanine to Valine (Ala222Val) in exon 4 which is related to oligospermia and azoospermia. Our purpose was to investigate the association of rs1801133 in MTHFR gene with azoospermia and also genetic diversity of some Iranian folks. Peripheral blood samples of 100 men suffered from azoospermia and 55 controls collected from Infertility Clinic of Jihad-university of Qom. DNA was extracted by salting-out method and SNP-Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP technique and sequencing. Furthermore, statistical and population genetics analysis were done. The rs1801133 showed no significant relation with azoospermia according to statistical analysis. Furthermore, population genetics analysis showed that there is no genetic differentiation between Turk and Fars ethnics and case and control individuals. MTHFR studied SNP has no significant relation with azoospermia infertility, although further studies on more samples are demanded.

Turkey is one of the main genetic origins of figs (Ficus ssp.). The study was carried out to determine the phenotypic variation of fig genotypes grown in Tarsus, Mersin, in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. In the study, 24 female fig genotypes selected from Tarsus were investigated based on plant and fruit quality characteristics. Only Haziran ?nciri ripened the breba (first) crop and the other genotypes ripened the main crop. The fruit weight of the fig genotypes ranged between 22.37 g and 90.16 g, total soluble solids content (TSS) ranged between 12.6 and 25.0% and TSS/acidity ranged between 29.2 and 161.5. From the plant and fruit characteristics, 26 out of 45 attributes were determined to be more appropriate in the identification and discrimination of the fig genotypes in the research area. Siyah ?ncir6, Bardak1, Sar? ?ncir1 and Siyah ?ncir3 genotypes were the highest in overall quality parameters. The results showed that the measured plant and fruit characteristics of the fig genotypes have significant phenotypic variations.

The objective of this study was to identify the intron A sequence (between exons 1 and 2) of pPAG2-L, novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and mutations (InDels) within intron A in the crossbreed (Landrace x Large White), Hirshmann hybrid and Duroc pigs. Genomic templates were isolated from leukocytes, amplified, and the gel-out were purified and then sequenced. Positive amplification control included CH242-60C13 BAC clone (Duroc) containing pPAG1-L and pPAG2-L. This is the first report that describes the 1093-bp intron A sequence from the pPAG2-L (Acc. No. KF471015; GenBank), which increased general knowledge of the porcine genome. Novel SNPs/InDels were identified within the intron A of the pPAG2-L in the crossbreeds (72), Duroc (45) and Hirshmann hybrids (17). This is a pioneer study describing identification of the intron A and SNPs/InDels in crossbreeds that provides a novel major pattern that represents a large portion of the genetic variation within the porcine genome. This information should be valuable when genotyping (coding and noncoding regions) multiparous sows from many breeds, in which reproductive phenotypes are known.

The genus Inula belongs to family Asteraceae and it is medicinally important because it possesses cytotoxic, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this research was to explore antioxidant and anti-urease activities of fifteen Inula taxa in Turkey. Ethanol extracts of Inula taxa were obtained by Soxhlet extraction. Antioxidant activity was determined through total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and copper reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) analyses. The highest total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity were found in I. orientalis (158.54?0.002 ?g GAE/mL) and I. macrocephala (189.16?0.002 ?g AAE/mL). CUPRAC activity increases with the increasing concentration of the extracts and the standard. Moreover, all the tested plants exhibited better anti-urease activity than standard thiourea except for I. anatolica and I. thapsoides subsp. thapsoides. Results obtained from this study demonstrate that Inula species might be utilized as a probable natural source in the pharmaceutical and food industries but further and more specific studies are needed to determine active antioxidative and anti-urease compounds in the extracts.

Catharanthus roseus L. (G) Don, commonly known as Madagascar periwinkle, is an important medicinal plant receiving much attention from researchers. This plant is a rich source of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs). The gamma radiation and somaclonal variation may provide suitable methods for genetic changes to increase medicinal components of C. roseus. In the present study, 30 and 60 (Gy) gamma rays were irradiated on seeds. C. roseus seeds were cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium in three different groups, 0 Gy (control) 30, and 60 Gy gamma irradiations. Morphological characteristics of regenerated plantlets were measured for surface area of leaves, stem length, root length, and fresh weight. The genetic variations were evaluated using nine inter-simple sequence repeats and 25 sequences related amplified polymorphism markers. Morphological results showed a significant difference between studied groups in leaf surface and twisted leaf in 60 Gy irradiated plantlets. The analysis of molecular variance revealed the significant genetic difference among groups. STRUCTURE analysis showed genetic variability both within and among groups. Using the NJ tree analysis, the plants studied were categorized into three distinct groups, which were supported by principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). In conclusion, gamma irradiation produced morphological and genetic changes in C. roseus regenerated in vitro plantlets providing to be a suitable method for further mutation breeding in periwinkle.

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 is one of the strongest known genetic factors associated with the development of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but approximately 10% of AS patients are HLA-B27 negative. The aim of this study was to compare clinical features and response to tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor (TNF-? inhibitor) therapy in HLA-B27 positive and negative patients with AS. This retrospective analysis included AS patients treated with TNF-? inhibitor for at least 12 weeks in two referral centers for biologic therapy in Vojvodina province, Serbia. Clinical and demographic parameters were compared between HLA-B27 positive and negative patients. Data from 59 patients (59.32% male) were collected: 49 (83.05%) were HLA-B27 positive and 10 (16.95%) HLA-B27 negative. HLA-B27-positive patients showed higher family aggregation (49% vs. 10%; p=0.033) compared with those who were HLA-B27 negative. In contrast, HLA-B27 negative patients showed a higher prevalence of peripheral arthritis (49% vs. 90%; p =0.032) and longer diagnosis delay (8.42 vs. 5.73 years; p=0.016) but there were no differences regarding dactylitis, enthesitis, uveitis or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Also, no differences were observed between HLA-B27-positive and negative patients regarding disease activity prior to TNF-?-inhibitor therapy. All 59 patients who participated in the study has been administered at least one TNF-? inhibitor. The mean age at introduction of TNF-? inhibitor as well as mean disease duration from diagnosis until start of TNF-? inhibitor were similar between groups. HLA-B27 positive patients had a significantly longer drug survival time for first biologics (49.06?29.22 months), whereas HLA-B27 negative received it for 24.8?12.25 months (p

The classical paradigm of autoimmune pathogenesis involving specific genetic makeup and exposure to environmental triggers has been challenged recently by the addition of a third element, the loss of intestinal barrier function. Regardless of HLA B27 phenotype or gastrointestinal symptoms, evidence of ileitis, ileocolitis or colitis exists in patients with spondyloarthropathy. The FUT2 secretory gene is a strong candidate for Crohn's susceptibility by shaping the functional states of mucosal microbiota and may thus have influence on the release of zonulin, the main regulator of gut permeability. Gram negative bacteria precipitate and may be involved in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthropathies. Susceptibility to many infectious agents is associated with ABO blood group or secretor state. Patients who cannot secrete ABO and Lewis blood group antigens into body fluids, an ability controlled by a single gene on chromosome 19, are known to be at increased risk of certain autoimmune diseases associated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) markers. Lewis (Le) blood group phenotype can be used to infer secretor status. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution of secretor state and Lewis blood group phenotype in patients with seronegative spondyloarthropathies and healthy control subjects. Hundred and ten (110) patients with seronegative spondyloarthropathies (58 females and 52 males) and 103 control (74 males and 29 females) subjects participated in this study. Samples of saliva and blood were subjected to haemagglutination inhibition tests for determination of secretor status and Lewis phenotype. A total of 92(84%) patients and 92 (89%) control subjects were secretors while 18 (16%) patients and 11 (11%) control subjects were non-secretors. There was no statistically significant difference (?2 1,461 p

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) was one of the earliest domesticated plant species. Biological classification (taxonomy or systematization) manifests evolutional relationships between taxons according to trait similarities. When it comes to taxonomy, hemp is one of the most controversial plant species due to significant effects of environmental conditions on hemp phenology and expression of quantitative traits as well as different levels of gender expression observed in hemp plants. Controversial taxonomy of hemp has gone through several phases throughout history. The attitude on the number of species within the genus Cannabis and the criteria used in taxonomic units division were under dispute. Initially focused on morphological characteristics and geographical origin, the approach was greatly amended by the development of molecular and biochemical techniques. The main cause of taxonomic uncertainties is the inbreeding ability of all wild Cannabis populations, resulting in continual variability of quantitative traits. The aim of the paper is to review the history of Cannabis classification including different approaches to this scientific issue.

The present study was undertaken for allele mining of genes governing grain dimensions viz., grain length, grain width, grain thickness, grain size and grain weight. The molecular markers linked to the reported genes for these traits were used to screen 124 diverse rice genotypes. Thirty-two molecular markers used in this study produced a total of 86 alleles among 124 rice genotypes. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 4 with an average of 2.58 alleles per locus. A dendrogram consisting of 124 rice genotypes revealed that all the genotypes can be divided into two groups. An analysis of the model-based population structure using simple sequence repeats (SSRs) covering all 12 chromosomes provided evidence of a significant population structure in the rice genotypes. The novel alleles identified in the study could be of great value for development of consumer-targeted rice varieties.

The purpose of this report is to comment the results from long-term growth hormone (GH) treatment of Bulgarian patients suffering from rare genetic disease-Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) with reference to the age, body composition, complications and genetic etiology. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA with post hoc Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's multiple comparison tests. In 90% of the patients maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) was found to be the cause of the disease. No cases due to imprinting defects are found. The BMI data shows no statistically significant difference between BMI at diagnosis (21.850), at the beginning of the GH therapy (21.852) and current BMI (24.09) - measured under the GH background. Early GH treatment allows to overcome arising obstacles in time and to improve the quality of life for PWS children and their families. During the fourteen years study period only ten patients were diagnosed with the disease. Ninety percent (n=9) of the children were found to be with maternal UPD (mUPD) and only one case was due to deletion in 15q11-13. These results are in agreement with other studies in the field which shows the need for reassessment and new robust statistical analysis of the frequency of genetic mechanisms for PWS.

The androgenic parameters were investigated by in vitro anther culture (AC) on nine F2-5 breeding combinations of winter wheat (Triticum aestivium L.). Each combination produced embryo-like structures (ELS), green plantlets, albino plantlets, transplanted plantlets and acclimatized plantlets, with respect to the number of anthers in AC. The number of AC-derived ELS was between 11.73 and 52.76 ELS/100 anthers with the mean of 26.22 ELS/100 anthers, out of which the number of regenerated green plantlets varied from 3.20 to 26.40 green plantlets/100 anthers and the mean was 9.76 green plantlets/100 anthers, while the number of transplanted plantlets ranged from 2.16 to 21.77 transplanted plantlets/100 anthers. Furthermore, the number of albinos/100 anthers was mitigated and varied between 0.72 and 6.20 albinos/100 anthers. We also studied the number of green and albino plantlets per 100 ELS. The rate of green plantlets per 100 ELS ranged between 14.81% and 64.01%, with the overall mean 33.59%, while the rate of albinos per 100 ELS ranged from 4.82% to 20.70% with the overall mean 11.93%. In our experiment, the rate of acclimatized plantlets (70.15-91.57%) depended mostly on the combination. This study asserted the importance of AC method in wheat for in vitro production of green plants. Although albinism was found in each combination, it did not hinder the production of green plantlets. The satisfying results were achieved in green plantlets production compared to the previously published data, but further improvement will be needed continuously, experiment by experiment. The generated acclimatized plantlets will be used in the wheat breeding program as doubled haploid (DH) lines.

Erodium (Geranaiceae) species are distributed in different habitats of Iran. Some species are of medicinal importance while some are well known weeds. In arid and semi-arid regions, E. cicutarium has had some importance as a forage plant and is an important grazing plant and source of protein supplements to straw for ruminants in semi deserts and wastelands of the Middle East. There is no information on its population genetic structure, genetic diversity, and morphological variability in Iran. Due to the medicinal importance of this species, a genetic variability and populations’ structure study is performed studying 15 geographical populations of E. cicutarium Therefore, we used six inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP) markers and 15 combined IRAP markers to reveal within and among population genetic diversity in this plant. AMOVA test produced significant genetic difference (PhiPT = 0.39, P = 0.010) among the studied populations and also revealed that, 55% of total genetic variability was due to within population diversity while, 45% was due to among population genetic differentiation. Mantel test showed positive significant correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance of the studied populations. Networking, STRUCTURE analyses and population assignment test revealed some degree of gene flow among these populations. PCoA plot of populations based on morphological characters was in agreement with MDS plot of molecular data. These results indicated that geographical populations of E. cicutarium are well differentiated both in genetic content as well as morphological characteristics. Consensus tree based on morphological and genetic data separated some of these populations from the others suggesting the existence of ecotypes within this species. This article has been corrected. Link to the correction 10.2298/GENSR2102927E

In the process of cabbage breeding and seed production, one of the most important characteristics is the time of flowering. In order to investigate the influence of genotype, season and term of sowing on the flowering process, as well as the genetic control of this trait, an experiment was conducted with three genotypes of cabbage N, B and Scc of different geographical origin and different vegetation length, as well as three new F1 hybrids N x Scc , B x Scc and B x N obtained by hybridization between genotypes. The experiment was conducted during three temperature different seasons S1, S2 and S3 (average cold, cold and warm seasons), in three different sowing terms: August 15 (I), September 1 (II) and September 15 (III). During the winter period favorable for vernalization, two treatments with 300 ppm GA3 were performed. A statistically significant influence of all examined factors: genotype, year, sowing term and gibberellin GA3 treatment, on flowering time was determined. AMMI analysis determined the degree of adaptability of genotypes depending on the growing season, sowing terms and GA3 treatment for the trait time of flowering. The highest stability based on ASV values for flowering time was shown by hybrid BxN and its parental component genotypes B and N, while the hybrid Scc x B proved to be the most unstable in terms of flowering time. The pattern of relative expression of the most important flower repressor BoFLC2 gene showed a certain correlation with the flowering time of genotypes. The lowest quantitative expression of this gene was found in genotype B and it had the earliest flowering in all seasons, while genotype N had the highest relative expression of the BoFLC2 locus and the latest flowering.

Seventy diverse genotypes were evaluated for drought stress for morphological (shoot and root length, fresh and dry shoot weight, fresh and dry root weight) and physiological traits (stomatal conductance, photosynthesis and transpiration rate) to increase the area under arid and semi-arid climatic condition to overcome the deficiency of edible oil. All genotypes varied significantly for all evaluated traits. High variability for photosynthesis rate and lower for transpiration rate but highly significant. Genotypic variance and its coefficient are almost higher for all characters then environmental variance and its coefficient. Additive gene action was found for stomatal conductance and fresh root weight, good characters for selection having high heritability with increased genetic advance used to find out drought tolerating genotypes. Genotypes ORI 29 and ORI 30 performed better in normal and drought stress condition can be used further breeding programme as a drought tolerant material. In PCA, genotypes ORI 30, ORI 27, ORI 38 and ORI 105 expressed maximum diversity can be used in further hybrid programme.

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the rootstock effects on the fruit and seed yield and leaf nutrient contents of pepper, four pepper inbred lines (ER? 1227 and ER? 462: Long fruited green pepper type; 21 H-1-2 and 33 H-3-1: Bell shaped pepper type) were grafted onto two pepper rootstock genotypes (46 KB F1 and Scarface F1). The non-grafted scion genotypes were used as control plants. Between grafted and non-grafted plants significant (p

Several approaches have been proposed, in the past, for the development of hybrid wheat varieties. Nevertheless, common wheat hybrids today account for less than 1% of the world's wheat production. The reason for the limited success of hybrid wheat varieties is the fact that to date, a simple and efficient system for the production of hybrid seed has not been developed. A two-line system using photoperiod-sensitive cytoplasmic male sterility (PCMS) caused by Aegilops crassa Boiss. cytoplasm seems to be very promising way to produce hybrid wheat seed on large scale. Non-desirable side effects of PCMS system are the unreliable sterility of the male sterile lines under different latitudes. Therefore, we tried to connect male sterility system based on Ae. crassa cytoplasm with chemical induction of male sterility. The presented results reveal that the majority of male sterility genes are conserved in the Ae. crassa cytoplasm and that their effects can be promoted by chemical signals, such as synthetic auxins (e.g., 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). Our research work represents the development of a novel male sterility system which is controlled by chemical signals (e.g., synthetic auxins and their pro-herbicide analogues) and mediated by Ae. crassa cytoplasm.

Evaluation of genetic diversity is the key principal for plant breeding, providing an opportunity to discover novel characters and alleles for breeders. In the present study, 69 durum wheat genotypes were investigated for genetic diversity using several CAAT box-derived polymorphism (CBDP) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Twelve CBDP and sixteen ISSR primers amplified a total of 115 and 160 polymorphic fragments with a mean of 9.58 and 10 fragments per primer, respectively. CBDP primers showed the higher mean values for informativeness parameters such as polymorphic information content (PIC), resolving power (Rp) and marker index (MI) in comparison with ISSR primers. The results of analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that the highest proportion of genetic variance referred within populations. Furthermore, CBDP primers indicated high values for all genetic parameters. Besides, the highest values of genetic parameters including number of observed (Na) and effective alleles (Ne), Shannon?s information index (I) and Nei?s gene diversity (He) were estimated for Iranian durum wheat landraces. Cluster analysis based on each molecular technique classified all durum wheat genotypes into three main groups, so that the results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) supported the grouping patterns. As a result, the grouping pattern observed by ISSR primers was clearer than CBDP primers and grouped all samples based on their origins. However, Mantel?s coefficient correlation test illustrated the higher positive correlation (0.54) between both marker techniques. Hence, the use of these markers in combination with each other to evaluate the genetic diversity is recommended.

Morphology and ultrastructure of pollen grains were studied in 13 Oblaĉinska sour cherry clones in three years using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All studied clones had isopolar, radially symmetric and tricolpate pollen grains. Length and width of pollen grains varied in a range of 50.03-55.97 μm and 25.16-28.37 μm respectively. Pollen shape in all the studied clones was identified as prolate. The smallest colpus length was found in the clone 8 (43.73 μm), and the highest in the clone 3 (49.16 μm). The highest colpus and mesocolpium width had the clone 3 (1.73 μm; 14.87 μm) and the lowest had the clone 7 (1.46 μm; 13.78 μm). All studied clones had striate exine ornamentation. Number of ridges per 100 μm2 of the exine surface was the highest in the clone 11 (16.7) and lowest in the clone 2 (14.1). Ridge and furrow width ranged from 0.46 to 0.61 μm and from 0.45 to 0.59 μm, respectively. The clones have been classified into three clusters based on all studied properties. Pollen grains examination by SEM indicated that several morphological parameters (pollen size and exine characteristics) can be used to distinguish Oblaĉinska sour cherry clones. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR 31063]

The aim of our study was to evaluate the morphogenetic variability as a marker of smoking dependency in adult smokers versus controls and to investigate the presence and the degree of morphogenetic variability difference between male and female smokers versus same gender controls. The cross-sectional study evaluated 241 smokers and 185 nonsmoker individuals as controls. We analyzed 17 homozygous recessive characteristics (HRC). There was a significant difference in the individual variations of 17 HRCs between the controls and smokers (??2=61.400, p

Almohisen A. Ibrahem (2020). Genetic variability and population structure of Saudi Arabia bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by microsatellite markers- Genetika, Vol 52, No.3, 943-956. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop. Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure in local landraces would improve the wheat breeding program by more efficient use of genetic materials and management of genetic variation. To address this challenge, a set of thirteen Saudi Arabia wheat landraces was used to assess population structure and genetic diversity. Thirteen landraces were genotyped using eighteen microsatellite markers which revealed a clear polymorphism among these genotypes. In total, 136 alleles from a set of eighteen simple sequence repeats (SSRs) loci on a panel of thirteen wheat landraces were detected. All SSRs loci showed a wide range of allele numbers extended from 3 to 11 alleles with an average of 7.5. Genetic diversity, polymorphism information content and minor allele frequency ranged from 0.26 to 0.50, 0.23 to 0.37 and 0.15 to 0.46 with an average 0.43, 0.33 and 0.34, respectively. The results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) agreed with the structure analysis. Structure grouped the thirteen landraces into three clear subpopulations. The fixation index (Fst), a measure of population substructure, was 0.217, 0.432 and 0.541 for G2, G1, and G3, respectively. Furthermore, analysis of molecular variance recognized 35% variance among and 65% within populations. The present study showed a high genetic diversity between landraces which can be exploited to produce new bread wheat cultivars.

Crop cultivation under the open-field conditions depends on a variety of biotic and abiotic factors which cause plant stress and deterioration. Due to high soil salinity, some soils can be an unfavourable growing environment for most plants. As a low productivity soil type, solonetz soils are a stressful growing environment, causing plant deterioration. Plants have developed a complex antioxidative defense system as a precaution against oxidative stress caused by high soil salinity. The trial was set up on a halomorphic soil type-solonetz. The research included ten cultivars, one local population of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum L.) and one cultivar of triticale (Triticosecale W.). The activity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in plant antioxidative defense system was detected during the trial, as well as lipid peroxidation. The analysis of biochemical markers was done in the flowering stage, and then in the milk maturity phase. Research results of the tested components revealed the highest stress tolerance exhibited by genotypes Banatka and Bankut 1205. Understanding the process of oxygen radical production by the plant tissue contributes to breeding wheat cultivars for better stress tolerance. Selection of genotypes better adapted to growing conditions in solonetz soils could facilitate a more economically justifiable wheat production, and promote utilization of the lower-quality soil types in agriculture.

Myostatin is a protein translated by the the MSTN gene (also known as GDF8), is responsible for limiting muscle growth and strength. In thoroughbred horse (Equus Caballus), limited studies have been designed to examine the variants in the coding region of MSTN gene. However, no data is available regarding the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the MSTN about racing performance in thoroughbred horses of Pakistan. In this study blood samples of fifteen Pakistani thoroughbred horses were collected from Race Club Lahore and immediately transferred into the ice box. The DNA was extracted by using phenol-chloroform method. Primers were designed for the amplification of all exons of the MSTN gene. The amplified PCR products were precipitated and sequenced for the identification of SNPs. SNPs were identified by visualizing the peaks of sequenced data by using Chromas Software. Phylogenetic analysis of MSTN gene in Pak-thoroughbred with racing species and some breeds of horses like Marwari Indian breed, Sindhi breed, Kathlawari breed, Italian breed and Chines breed was done separately by using MEGA 6 software. The analysis of identified SNPs were carried out by software SNPator. The sequenced data with altered protein was published in GenBank with accession number MN604194. Results have shown a total of 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms through Blast with reference sequences. Two SNPs were found in exon 2 at position of 2406 (C/T) and 2408 (C/T) respectively. One SNP (T/C) was detected in exon 3 at the position of 4661. In conclusion, Pak-thoroughbred horse population has 3 polymorphisms in their coding region which can be used as a biological marker for athletic abilities in Pak- thoroughbred.

The species Cannabis sativa L. has recently witnessed a resurgence of interest all over the world due to its multipurpose applications and the scientific confirmation of its pharmacological properties. Genotypes with high cannabinoid content are appreciated in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to their therapeutic potential. These genotypes, with predominantly high cannabidiol (CBD) content, are the subject of research and breeding in several programs, but to date, little data is published on the in vitro tissue culture of cannabis. Our study focused on the establishment of an efficient micropropagation method for two high-CBD breeding lines (MX-CBD-11 and MX-CBD-707) as the basis for advanced biotechnological breeding approaches. The results demonstrated that the in vitro culture of medical cannabis can be initiated on different culture media, that cultured plants can be successfully acclimatized, and that nodal position, and especially the genotype, have a significant influence on the success of shoot culture establishment. They showed that the published tissue culture media optimized for one high-THC strain of Mexican cannabis are not as efficient for other genotypes of (medical) cannabis. We complemented this research with a genetic study of 95 plants of the two breeding lines with 16 microsatellite (SSR) markers which clustered the plants based on breeding line. The results demonstrated that only 8 markers are needed for discrimination of all analyzed plants and their usefulness for clonal identification.

The genus Cousinia Cass. of the tribe Cardueae with about 700 species is one of the most diverse genera in Central and SW Asia following Senecio and Vernonia. The section Cynaroideae with 89 species is the largest section of the genus. Cousinia calocephala is the only endemic species of the section distributed in 14 provinces of Iran from Alborz to Zagros mountains. In present study 65 plant specimens of 13 geographical populations of C. calocephala were investigated based on the morphological and genetic (ISSR) data. ANOVA test revealed a significant morphological difference among the studied populations. Similarly, AMOVA test yielded a significant genetic difference between the studied populations, suggesting that the studied populations are morphologically and genetically differentiated. AMOVA test revealed that 94% of the total genetic difference was due to inter-populations genetic differences, while 6% was due to within-species genetic variability. The discriminating power of ISSR loci as determined by Gst against Nm analysis, revealed that almost all ISSR loci have an excellent discriminating power. Thus, ISSR markers are efficient in differentiating of the studied C. calocephala populations. The mantel test, revealed a significant positive correlation between genetic and morphological distance and geographical distance of the studied populations. Genetic analysis results revealed that along with genetic drift, low level of gene flow and migration, adaptive loci also helped populations diverge and adapt these populations to their local condition. Thus, we have three different groups which can be considered as three ecotypes for C. calocephala based on the morphological and genetic data.

The high diversity of Citrus genotypes can increase the probability of identifying new genetic makeups and even desirable traits. Hence, 76 genotypes with unknown origin and 34 known cultivars from several Citrus species were analyzed by SSR and AFLP markers. Overall, 326 alleles and 545 polymorphic bands were respectively scored for 28 SSR loci and 25 AFLP primer-enzyme combinations. The results of various analyses accomplished with SSR markers were in agreement with AFLP. Accordingly, the true species of citron, mandarin, and pummelo were nested into separate groups. In the studied germplasm, we succeeded in tracking three cryptic origin genomes (2 in SSR and 1 in AFLP analysis) which were distinct from 3 true species, and, interestingly, they contributed to the genetic composition of some control cultivars. The results suggested that the interspecific hybridization and genetic introgression were the main determinants of the Citrus genotypes genetic composition. Hereupon, the share of citron in 36%, mandarin in 34%, and pummelo in 22% of selected accessions estimated more than 50%. Despite the controversy about the origin of lemon and sour orange, the results of different grouping methods suggested that lemon had more affinity with lime, and the genetic contribution of mandarin in sour orange was stronger than that of pummelo.

Yield and quality attributes of 13 bread wheat cultivars registered for Thrace region in 2018 and 5 standard bread wheat cultivars were determined and compared in this study. Tested cultivars are originated from Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Austria and Ukraine. Experiments were conducted in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 growing seasons. Since the locations were not equally distributed to growing seasons, statistical analyses for yield and other parameters were performed through assuming each location as an environment. Therefore, assessments were made over 7 environments. Environment (E) explained 54.9% of the total variation (E+G+GEI), genotype (G) and genotype ? environment interaction (GEI) generated 25.6% and 19.5%, respectively. GGE (Genotype + Genotype by environment interaction) biplot analysis was able to explain 78.51% of variation in grain yield. Trial environments gathered under 3 mega-environments. Of the cultivars registered in 2018, Adali, Bc Anica, Topkapi, FDL Miranda, Otilia, ZT Ziyade, Viktoria and Dragana had values larger than the average and thus they had the largest PC1 (Principal component 1) scores. Tested cultivars were also assessed based on vector lengths to average environment coordinate (AEC). Adali cultivar with a high PC1 score and the closest position to AEC apsis was found to be quite prominent for grain yield. In environment-focused assessments, E3, E4 and E5 had the closest position to ideal environment circle. With regard to physical quality attributes, Pehlivan, Bojana and Adali cultivars had high performance values. The cultivar Bojana, Topkapi and Iveta had protein contents above 15%. For Zeleny sedimentation values, Krasunia odes?ka had the best performance.

Serbian spruce (Picea omorika /Panc./ Purkyne) is rare and endangered tertiary relict and endemic species in the Balkan Peninsula. Its natural distribution is fragmented and restricted to western Serbia and eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, mainly in the canyon of middle course of the Drina river. Since the mid-19th century, the number and size of populations have been steadily decreasing accompanied by a decline in the number of mature individuals, endangering natural regeneration is endangered. The objective of this study is to determine variability within Serbian spruce (Picea omorika /Panc./ Purkyne) natural population in the canyon of the Milesevka river on the basis of morphological and anatomical characteristics of needles and, thus, to broaden knowledge on this rare and endangered species. Twigs with needles collected from all mature individuals that represent the population were used as material for the study. The following morphological and anatomical characteristics were measured: NL- needle length; NH - needle height; NW - needle width; CT+EH - cuticle + epidermis height; HH - hypodermis height; VB - vascular bundle diameter; No of SC - number of resin channels; SC diameter - resin channel diameter. The average values of the measured characteristics are: needle length 13.23 mm; needle width 1239.93 ?m; needle height 608.63 ?m; cuticle + epidermis height 11.49; hypodermis height 17.59 ?m; vascular bundle diameter 220.64 ?m; number of resin channels 0.74; resin channel diameter 52.36 ?m. The characteristics with the highest variability are as follows: number of resin channels (161.64%); resin channel diameter (25.35%); hypodermis height (20.79%), while the needle width is a characteristic with the lowest variability (6.39%). The results of the analysis of variance showed very high statistical differences within population for all studied characteristics (p

Arsenic is a metallic element commonly found in soil, water and plants, and thereby can easily enter the food chain. When arsenic enters the body through food consumption, it subsequently passes into the cells through water channels (AQP) and glucose transporters (GLUT), where it may exert a various metabolic alterations including genotoxicity, which may finally promote carcinogenesis. However, there are human populations showing a reduced adverse effects of arsenic. This is mainly due to a natural selection caused by a long-term environmental exposure to a large doses of arsenic. Aquaporins AQP3, AQP7, AQP9, AQP10 and glucose transporters SLC2A1 (GLUT1), SLC2A4 (GLUT4) are considered as the candidate genes associated with resistance to arsenic in the carcinogenesis process as they are closely related to the occurrence of a various types of cancers, while their products are associated with arsenic transport.

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) describes the phenotype of the most common sex chromosome abnormality in humans (1/600 newborn males). The most widespread karyotype in affected patients is 47,XXY, but various others have been described. The aim of this study was to examine the karyotypes of a group of patients suspected of having Klinefelter's syndrome. Between January 1993 and April 2018 104 adult KS patients were evaluated. Cytogenetic analysis was carried out on metaphases obtained from phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes using a standard procedure. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was performed on peripheral blood specimens. Vysis CEP X/Y- alpha satellite DNA probes were used to detect X and Y chromosomes. We identified KS presenting the ?standard? or 47,XXY karyotype in eighty three (80%) patients, while five (5%) KS patients showed the mosaic karyotype 47,XXY/46,XY and three (3%) patients had the mosaic karyotype 47,XXY/46,XX. In six (6%) cases KS patients with the ?standard? karyotype also had autosomal chromosomal abnormalities, while numerical sex chromosome abnormalities, with karyotypes 48,XXYY occurred in two (2%) subjects, 47,XYY in three (3%) and 47,XYY/46,XY in two (2%) individuals. Thus, most of our KS patients had the 'standard', 47,XXY karyotype, but some men formed a group of patients with a diversity of other karyotypes. These disparate chromosomal variants may have different physical and mental implications for the general symptomatology of KS. Therefore, it is important to determine the nature of the karyotype of every male with clinical characteristics of KS in very early childhood in order to initiate an adequate, personalized, medical approach.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, is a serious pest of agricultural resources. Despite its economic importance, the population genetic structure of this species is still poorly investigated at micro-geographical level, especially from eastern Mediterranean basin. Knowledge about the genetic structure of C. capitata populations is a necessary requisite for understanding population history of the species and designing successful regional eradication programs. In the current study, the inter-simple sequences repeat (ISSR) markers were employed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of seven natural populations of C. capitata that were collected from different regions of Turkey. Low to moderate levels of genetic diversity were observed. The estimated values for gene flow (Nm) and coefficient of genetic differentiation among populations (GST) were 3.07 and 0.14, respectively. The results of Principle Component Analysis (PCoA) and Unweighted Pair Group Arithmetic Mean Analysis (UPGMA) tend to be uniform in whole, the Antalya populations was clearly separated from the rest. Local environmental conditions, such as differences in pest control management strategies, agricultural practices, microclimates and human mediated transportations might be important factors in shaping the genetic structure of this species in Antalya. This paper provides useful data for understanding population genetic structure of C. capitata populations in eastern Mediterranean basin and development of effective regional pest management strategies. © Serbian Genetics Society. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This paper has been granted (Project Grant Number: 17 / 275) by the Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Research Projects Coordination Office. The authors also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers and the subject editor for their suggestions that have improved the manuscript.

In potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L. 2n=4x=48) both the general combining ability (GCA) effects of parents and specific combining ability (SCA) of crosses are important in conditioning traits of economic importance. The objective of this study was to determine the combining abilities for tuber yield and its components on seven high-yielding commercial cultivars of potato and advanced potato clones. Significant differences were found between the parents in the all of traits that are associated with high genetic diversity between parents. GCA for tuber form, length of stolon and number of tuber per plant were high and for stem height, tuber skin appearance and eye dept were low. Heritability estimated from 49 percent in the number of stem to 84 percent in tuber skin appearance. Both heritability and genetic advance as percent of mean estimates were high for tuber yield, tuber form, length of stolon, tuber size, and number of tuber per plant and tuber size uniformity. AS10, AS12, AS14 and UT43 clones was best general combiner for the tuber yield, tuber size uniformity, eye depth, tuber dry matter and length of stolon. The SCA effects were the highest in the cross Savalan?UT43, Luca?AS20, Stbr2?Savalan and Picasso?HS in the traits were considered. Savalan and UT43 parents used in the crosses also have high GCA in studied traits. Finally results showed that Savalan, UT43, AS10, AS12 and AS14 in the studied traits was the high GCA and better than other parents.

Genetic changes in DNA repair genes, such as X-ray cross-complementing group1 (XRCC1), can cause modifications in the capacity of damaged DNA repair and affect the risk of cancer. Several mutations in TP53, which is a tumor suppressor gene, have been associated with breast cancer. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the association of genetic variation in XRCC1rs25487 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with TP53 mutation and breast cancer risk. In this research, 200 breast cancer women and 200 controls from the Iranian-Azeri population, Iran, were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted from the whole blood of controls patients. PCR-RFLP was carried out to genotype all participants for XRCC1rs25487SNP. Determination of possible mutations of TP53 in exons 5,6,7, and 8 were performed on 30 cancerous breast tissues through sequencing the amplified fragments. Our results of the case-control study indicated that the GA genotype of XRCC1 gene in rs25487polymorphism has a significantly risk effect on the breast cancer in the dominant genetic model (OR: 1.580, 95% CI: (1.025-2.436); p-value =0.049) and also GA genotype of XRCC1 gene in rs25487polymorphism has a protective effect on breast cancer in overdominant genetic model (OR: 0.591, 95% CI (0.395-0.886), p-value = 0.014). Furthermore, genotypes of this SNP did not associate with the clinical specifications of the patients and P53 mutation status. Sequencing results showed the mutational spectrum of P53 in the studied cases. According to the results of this study, in some of the genetic models, XRCC1SNP appears to be a modulator of breast cancer risk in Iranian East-Azerbaijan women. However, there was no correlation between XRCC1SNP and TP53 mutation status of the tumor.

Seed oil contents, fatty acid compositions and mineral contents of twenty Onobrychis viciifolia genotypes (sainfoin) were investigated in this study. The fatty acid composition of O. viciifolia genotypes had different saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. For saturated fatty acids, O. viciifolia genotypes contained palmitic and stearic acids as the major component and contained small amount of myristic and arachidic acids. The major unsaturated fatty acids were identified as oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. Total saturated fatty acids contents varied between 10.50 and 14.28% and total unsaturated fatty acid contents varied between 85.72 and 89.50%. Co, Mn, Fe, Cu, Ni and Zn were detected in crop seeds in different amounts. The proximate analysis indicated that seed Co contents varied between 13.53 and 114.83 ppm, Mn contents between 28.14 and 97.20 ppm, Fe contents between 113.7 and 277.7 ppm, Cu contents between 7.19 and 12.24 ppm, Ni contents between 1.14 and 19.73 ppm and Zn contents between 26.03 and 52.39 ppm, respectively. The result of this study suggest that further studies are obligatory to invigorate in terms of animal nutrition and phytochemicals of O. viciifolia.