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Nepal borders India in the south and China in the north. Four distinct indigenous domestic sheep breeds, i.e. Bhyanglung in the alpine region, Baruwal in the high hills, Kage in the mid hills and Lampuchhre in the low lands are distributed in the country. In this study, the mitochondrial DNA control region of 111 sheep from these four breeds was directly sequenced to determine their genetic variations and phylogenetic relationships. High mitochondrial DNA diversity among these breeds was observed and all haplotypes were classified into three haplogroups (A to C). Among the four breeds, three residing in middle to high hills had all three haplogroups while Lampuchhre sheep in low land only carried haplogroups A and B. This study revealed that a south-western route of gene flow in sheep might have come from China to India via Nepal. It can be concluded that these indigenous sheep breeds have isolated breeding paths. Lack of crossbreeding among Nepalese sheep breeds is unique, and it is important for the decision making on utilization and conservation of Nepalese sheep genetic resources. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 26 (4): 632 – 641 (2015)

A total of 1178 individuals of nearly complete sampling of 49 populations belong to 14 most popular Indonesian indigenous chicken breeds, geographically localized in different islands, were genotyped using 20 microsatellite DNA markers to investigate their molecular diversity and genetic relationship. In total, 259 alleles were observed among 49 populations of Indonesian indigenous chickens across 20 loci. The mean number of alleles (MNA) per locus ranged from 4.20 to 7.60. The observed (HO) and expected heterozygosity (HE) values averaged over loci varied from 0.50 to 0.67 and from 0.55 to 0.72, respectively, and they displayed a similar distribution pattern to that observed for MNA across the populations. The results indicated that there was rich and unique genetic diversity among most of the populations. The presence of significantly positive FIS values (P < 0.05), suggested the occurrence of inbreeding within most of these populations, leading to partition genetic diversity among the major islands. Some localized chicken populations have developed a distinct genetic background due to historical trading and long term geographic isolation. On the other hand, a few populations kept in urban areas may have been genetically introgressed with commercial chicken breeds/lines to some extent, forming different genetic structure. These findings will serve as scientific basis for the development of rational policies to sustainably conserve and utilize these unique Indonesian indigenous chicken genetic resources. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 26 (4): 642 – 654 (2015)

Highly efficient mechanisms regulate intracellular calcium (Ca2+) levels. The recent discovery of new components linking intracellular Ca2+ stores to plasma membrane Ca2+ entry channels has brought new insight into the understanding of Ca2+ homeostasis. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) was identified as a Ca2+ sensor essential for Ca2+ store depletion-triggered Ca2+ influx. Orai1 was recognized as being an essential component for the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. Together, these proteins participate in store-operated Ca2+ channel function. Defective regulation of intracellular Ca2+ is a hallmark of several diseases. In this review, we focus on Ca2+ regulation by the STIM1/Orai1 pathway and review evidence that implicates STIM1/Orai1 in several pathological conditions including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, among others.

Highly efficient mechanisms regulate intracellular calcium (Ca2+) levels. The recent discovery of new components linking intracellular Ca2+ stores to plasma membrane Ca2+ entry channels has brought new insight into the understanding of Ca2+ homeostasis. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) was identified as a Ca2+ sensor essential for Ca2+ store depletion-triggered Ca2+ influx. Orai1 was recognized as being an essential component for the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. Together, these proteins participate in store-operated Ca2+ channel function. Defective regulation of intracellular Ca2+ is a hallmark of several diseases. In this review, we focus on Ca2+ regulation by the STIM1/Orai1 pathway and review evidence that implicates STIM1/Orai1 in several pathological conditions including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, among others.