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The prevailing situation of the World is challenging due to COVID-19 pandemic that is caused by SARS-CoV2. Objectives: To combat with this emerging pandemic by reducing disease severity and infection, the need of hour is to develop an effective vaccine and antiviral candidates as therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV2. Methods: This study was developed for the identification of potential anti-viral agents, from Ocimum basilicum against RdRp of SARS-CoV2. In this concern, nevadensin, ursolic acid, β-Sesquiphellandren, apigenin, nerolidol, nonyl acetate and geranyl acetate were screened out of fifty-seven compounds from Ocimum basilicum based on their best docking scores. The docking results were also compared with already clinically used drugs (Remdesivir and Ribavirin) against the RdRp of SARS-CoV2. Molecular docking was performed using MOE software. The ADMET analysis and drug likeliness were also performed for all screened compounds by using admetSAR, pkCSM and SwissADME. Results: Cumulatively, the optimum binding energies of screened compounds indicated their potential for drug development against SARS-CoV2. It appears promising that nevadensin exhibited a good docking score and high binding affinity towards RdRp of SARS-CoV2. Therefore, it may represent the potential to inhibit COVID-19. Conclusion: Hence, Ocimum basilicum nutraceuticals could be effective therapeutic candidates for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

Here we evaluate the accuracy of prediction for eye, hair and skin pigmentation in a dataset of > 6500 individuals from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil (including genome-wide SNP data and quantitative/categorical pigmentation phenotypes - the CANDELA dataset CAN). We evaluated accuracy in relation to different analytical methods and various phenotypic predictors. As expected from statistical principles, we observe that quantitative traits are more sensitive to changes in the prediction models than categorical traits. We find that Random Forest or Linear Regression are generally the best performing methods. We also compare the prediction accuracy of SNP sets defined in the CAN dataset (including 56, 101 and 120 SNPs for eye, hair and skin colour prediction, respectively) to the well-established HIrisPlex-S SNP set (including 6, 22 and 36 SNPs for eye, hair and skin colour prediction respectively). When training prediction models on the CAN data, we observe remarkably similar performances for HIrisPlex-S and the larger CAN SNP sets for the prediction of hair (categorical) and eye (both categorical and quantitative), while the CAN sets outperform HIrisPlex-S for quantitative, but not for categorical skin pigmentation prediction. The performance of HIrisPlex-S, when models are trained in a world-wide sample (although consisting of 80% Europeans, https://hirisplex.erasmusmc.nl), is lower relative to training in the CAN data (particularly for hair and skin colour). Altogether, our observations are consistent with common variation of eye and hair colour having a relatively simple genetic architecture, which is well captured by HIrisPlex-S, even in admixed Latin Americans (with partial European ancestry). By contrast, since skin pigmentation is a more polygenic trait, accuracy is more sensitive to prediction SNP set size, although here this effect was only apparent for a quantitative measure of skin pigmentation. Our results support the use of HIrisPlex-S in the prediction of categorical pigmentation traits for forensic purposes in Latin America, while illustrating the impact of training datasets on its accuracy. Fil: Palmal, Sagnik. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Aix-Marseille Université; Francia Fil: Kaustubh Adhikari. The Open University; Reino Unido. University College London; Estados Unidos Fil: Mendoza Revilla, Javier. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Perú. Institut Pasteur de Paris.; Francia Fil: Fuentes Guajardo, Macarena. Universidad de Tarapacá; Chile Fil: Silva de Cerqueira, Caio Cesar. Scientific Police of São Paulo State; Brasil Fil: Bonfante, Betty. Aix-Marseille Université; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Chacón Duque, Juan Camilo. Natural History Museum; Reino Unido Fil: Sohail, Anood. Kinnaird College for Women. Department of Biotechnology; Pakistán Fil: Hurtadeo, Malena. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Perú Fil: Villegas, Valeria. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Perú Fil: Granja, Vanessa. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Perú Fil: Jaramillo, Claudia. Kinnaird College for Women. Department of Biotechnology; Pakistán. Universidad de Antioquia; Colombia Fil: Arias, Williams. Universidad de Antioquia; Colombia Fil: Barquera Lozano, Rodrigo. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia; México. Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Department of Archaeogenetics; Alemania Fil: Everardo Martínez, Paola. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia; México Fil: Gómez Valdés, Jorge. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia; México Fil: Villamil Ramirez, Hugo. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Hünemeier, Tábita. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Ramallo, Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; Argentina. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil Fil: Parolin, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; Argentina Fil: Gonzalez, Rolando Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; Argentina Fil: Schüler-Faccini, Lavinia. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre; Brasil Fil: Bortolini, María Cátira. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil Fil: Acuña Alonzo, Victor. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia; México. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil Fil: Canizales Quinteros, Samuel. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Gallo, Carla. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Perú Fil: Poletti, Giovanni. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Perú Fil: Bedoya, Gabriel. Universidad de Antioquia; Colombia Fil: Rothhammer, Francisco. Universidad de Tarapacá; Chile. Universidad de Chile; Chile Fil: Balding, David. University College London; Reino Unido. University of Melbourne; Australia Fil: Faux, Pierre. Aix-Marseille Université; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Ruiz Linares, Andrés. Aix-Marseille Université; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. University College London; Reino Unido. Fudan University; República de China

The prevailing situation of the world is challenging due to COVID-19 pandemic that is caused by SARS-CoV2. To combat with this emerging pandemic by reducing disease severity and infection, the need of hour is to develop an effective vaccine and antiviral candidates as therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV2. This study was developed for the identification of potential anti-viral agents, from Ocimum basilicum against RdRp of SARS-CoV2. In this concern, nevadensin, ursolic acid, β-Sesquiphellandren, apigenin, nerolidol, nonyl acetate and geranyl acetate were screened out of fifty-seven compounds from Ocimum basilicum based on their best docking scores. The docking results were also compared with already clinically used drugs (Remdesivir and Ribavirin) against RdRp of SARS-CoV2. Molecular docking was performed using MOE software. The ADMET analysis and drug likeliness were also performed for all screened compounds by using admetSAR, pkCSM and SwissADME. Cumulatively, the optimum binding energies of screened compounds indicated their potential for drug development against SARS-CoV2. It appears promising that nevadensin exhibited a good docking score and high binding affinity towards RdRp of SARS-CoV2. Therefore, it may represent the potential to inhibit COVID-19. Hence, Ocimum basilicum nutraceuticals could be effective therapeutic candidates for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

We report an evaluation of prediction accuracy for eye, hair and skin pigmentation based on genomic and phenotypic data for over 6,500 admixed Latin Americans (the CANDELA dataset). We examined the impact on prediction accuracy of three main factors: (i) The methods of prediction, including classical statistical methods and machine learning approaches, (ii) The inclusion of non-genetic predictors, continental genetic ancestry and pigmentation SNPs in the prediction models, and (iii) Compared two sets of pigmentation SNPs: the commonly-used HIrisPlex-S set (developed in Europeans) and novel SNP sets we defined here based on genome-wide association results in the CANDELA sample. We find that Random Forest or regression are globally the best performing methods. Although continental genetic ancestry has substantial power for prediction of pigmentation in Latin Americans, the inclusion of pigmentation SNPs increases prediction accuracy considerably, particularly for skin color. For hair and eye color, HIrisPlex-S has a similar performance to the CANDELA-specific prediction SNP sets. However, for skin pigmentation the performance of HIrisPlex-S is markedly lower than the SNP set defined here, including predictions in an independent dataset of Native American data. These results reflect the relatively high variation in hair and eye color among Europeans for whom HIrisPlex-S was developed, whereas their variation in skin pigmentation is comparatively lower. Furthermore, we show that the dataset used in the training of prediction models strongly impacts on the portability of these models across Europeans and Native Americans.

Axons contain a smooth tubular endoplasmic reticulum (ER) network that is thought to be continuous with ER throughout the neuron; the mechanisms that form this axonal network are unknown. Mutations affecting reticulon or REEP proteins, with intramembrane hairpin domains that model ER membranes, cause an axon degenerative disease, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). We show that Drosophila axons have a dynamic axonal ER network, which these proteins help to model. Loss of HSP hairpin proteins causes ER sheet expansion, partial loss of ER from distal motor axons, and occasional discontinuities in axonal ER. Ultrastructural analysis reveals an extensive ER network in axons, which shows larger and fewer tubules in larvae that lack reticulon and REEP proteins, consistent with loss of membrane curvature. Therefore HSP hairpin-containing proteins are required for shaping and continuity of axonal ER, thus suggesting roles for ER modeling in axon maintenance and function. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23882.001, eLife digest The way we move – from simple motions like reaching out to grab something, to playing the piano or dancing – is coordinated in our brain. These processes involve many regions and steps, in which nerve cells transport signals along projections known as axons. Axons rely on sophisticated ‘engineering’ to work properly over long distances and are vulnerable to diseases that disrupt their engineering. For example, in genetic diseases called ‘hereditary spastic paraplegias’, damages to the ‘distal’ end of axons – the end furthest from the nerve cell body – cause paralysis of the lower body. Axons have several internal structures that make sure everything works properly. One of these structures is the endoplasmic reticulum, which is a network of tubular membranes that runs lengthwise along the axon. It is known that spastic paraplegias are sometimes caused by mutations affecting proteins that help to build and shape the endoplasmic reticulum, for example, the proteins of the reticulon and REEP families. However, until now it was not known how the ER forms its network in the axons and if this is influenced by these proteins. To see whether reticulons and REEPs affect the shape of the endoplasmic reticulum, Yalçιn et al. used healthy fruit fly larvae, and genetically modified ones that lacked the proteins. The results show that in healthy flies, the tubular network runs continuously along the axons. When either reticulon or REEP proteins were removed, the distal axons contained less endoplasmic reticulum. In mutant fly larvae that lacked both protein families, the endoplasmic reticulum was more interrupted and contained more gaps than in normal larvae. Using high-magnification electron microscopy confirmed these findings, and showed that the tubules of the endoplasmic reticulum in mutant axons were larger, but fewer. A next step will be to test whether these mutations also affect how the axons work and communicate over long distances. A better knowledge of the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in axons will help us to understand how damages to it could affect hereditary spastic paraplegias and other degenerative conditions. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23882.002