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Biofortification of grain iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in cereals is a cost-effective method to address micronutrient deficiencies. Six metal homeostasis genes (YSL15, NAS2, FRO7, IREG, ZIP2 and VIT1) were pyramided in the wheat cultivar 'PBW343 LrYr' to enhance the content of Fe and Zn in the grain. The crosses of twenty pre-bred wheat-Aegilops genotypes with varying combinations of these genes resulted in the production of 1245 F1 seeds, out of which 680 were germinated. The selection of 103 F1 plants was achieved through the use of ITAP markers and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) to screen for metal homeostasis genes and grain Fe and Zn content respectively. The 151 plants were selected from 103 F2 progeny and these plants were further whittled down to 83 in F3 and 76 in F4, with a final selection of 12 progeny that exhibited a variety of combinations of the six alleles. It is important to note that derivatives such as 'EU19144-500-477' and 'EU19144-506-503' exhibited high grain Fe and Zn contents without a yield penalty. The genes FRO7, IREG and ZIP2 exhibited the significant increase in grain Fe (140.61%) and Zn (122.75%) in the derivative 'EU19144-506-502'. The number of tillers, grain Fe, grain Zn and flag leaf Zn content were negatively correlated with thousand grain weight, while seeds per spike and plant height were positively correlated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtilisin-like serine proteases (SBT), a serine proteolytic enzymes play an important role in plant growth function and during different stresses responses. The systematic analysis of the SBT gene family in Musa acuminate (MaSBT) has been done and their responses to abiotic stresses in banana variety cv. G-9 were also analyzed. Total of 67 MaSBT genes were identified and based on phylogeny these were grouped into five districted subgroups. Cis-acting element analysis indicated that almost all MaSBT promoters contain regulatory elementary related to growth and development, hormonal regulation, and stress responses. The gene structure and domain analysis showed a maximum of seventeen exons and four functional domains in MaSBT. The 42 orthologous genes, 07 MaSBT paralogous genes were also identified through synteny analysis. The Ka/Ks study indicated that four MaSBT paralogous gene pairs were tandemly duplicated, while the other three were segmental duplications. Further, the expression pattern via RNA-seq data revealed that MaSBTs exhibited differential expression specifically in response to the abiotic stress of low nitrogen. and also during the flowering time. The MaSBT-1.7 gene was found involved in the response to salt stress and flowering. These findings establish a cornerstone for future research on banana's salt stress mechanism. The study offers valuable insights into SBT encoding genes, shedding light on their roles in growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study we aimed to characterize the interspecific hybrids made between Triticum aestivum cv. Pavon monosomic for chromosome 5B with different accessions of Aegilops kotschyi (UUSS) and Aegilops peregrina (UUSS) at cytological, molecular and morphological basis. Molecular analysis using Ph1 locus specific dominant marker and cytological analysis clearly differentiated between F hybrids (ABDUS) with and without 5B chromosome. Plants without chromosome 5B showed stunted and bushy growth habit with reduced height and more number of tillers per plant while those with 5B plants showed normal growth. Agreement of morphological observations with the cytological and molecular results indicates that the morphological characteristics could also be used to screen plants without 5B chromosome. The results clearly demonstrated that the absence of chromosome 5B through the use of Pavon monosomic for chromosome 5B can be an efficient way to induce homoeologous pairing between chromosomes of wheat and Aegilops species for precise introgression of useful variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the recent decades, awareness towards the role of essential fatty acids in human health and disease prevention has been unremittingly increasing among people. Fish, fish oils and some vegetable oils are rich sources of essential fatty acids. Many studies have positively correlated essential fatty acids with reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, infant development, cancer prevention, optimal brain and vision functioning, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and neurological/neuropsychiatric disorders. Beneficial effects may be mediated through several different mechanisms, including alteration in cell membrane composition, gene expression or eicosanoid production. However, the mechanisms whereby essential fatty acids affect gene expression are complex and involve multiple processes. Further understanding of the molecular aspects of essential fatty acids will be the key to devising novel approaches to the treatment and prevention of many diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]