New Breeding Paradigms to Enhance Jute (Corchorus spp.) Production and Their Achievements | Chapter 4 | Agricultural Sciences: Techniques and Innovations Vol. 4

 

Jute (Corchorus capsularis and Corchorus olitorius), often known as the "golden fibre," is an essential natural bast fibre crop that is important for the environment and economy, especially in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Although it is valuable but it has its own difficulties like biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as the requirement for higher fibre yield and quality to stay competitive. The history of jute, its geographical distribution, important breeding goals, such as increasing fibre yield, improving fibre quality and creating resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses like drought and waterlogging, are all covered in this chapter. Numerous successful jute varieties such as JRC 321, JRC 212, etc., have been developed with the help of conventional breeding techniques, which include mass selection, pedigree selection, bulk breeding, hybridisation, and mutation breeding. The emphasis is then shifted to more recent developments, such as the introduction of unique traits through genetic engineering, the use of molecular markers (such as SSRs and SNPs) for marker-assisted selection, and the potential uses of genomics, bioinformatics and breakthrough tools like CRISPR gene editing. The chapter also covers some of the achievements of jute improvement- from developing high-yielding, pest-resistant varieties to developing varieties that can withstand drought, waterlogging and other climate challenges.  In order to secure the sustainable and competitive future of this vital fibre crop, the chapter concludes by describing future directions of jute breeding, mainly focusing on developing climate-resilient varieties, improving fibre and implementing innovative methods like genomic selection and the study of wild relatives. The blend of traditional breeding methods and newer breeding advancements is shaping a stronger, more sustainable future for this crop.

Author(s) Details

Kumar Aryan
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, Assam, India.

 

Bhaswati Saikia
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, Assam, India.

 

Meghali Kutum
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, Assam, India.

 

R G Phukan
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, Assam, India.

 

P K Goswami
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, Assam, India.

 

G C Bora
Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, Assam, India.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/asti/v4/6117

Unravelling Cancer Genetics: Key Mechanisms, Hereditary Syndromes, and Therapeutic Advances | Chapter 7 | Achievements and Challenges of Medicine and Medical Science Vol. 5

 

Background: The field of cancer genetics has experienced unprecedented advancements over the past few decades, transforming the understanding of cancer biology and revolutionizing therapeutic approaches. This review aims to synthesize recent developments in cancer genetics, highlighting key discoveries, technological innovations, and their implications for precision oncology.

Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted, focusing on studies published in reputable journals. Key areas explored include the genetic basis of cancer, advances in genomic technologies, major cancer genomics projects, integration of genomics in therapeutics, immunotherapy, liquid biopsies, and the challenges and future directions in the field.

Results: Significant progress has been made in identifying oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and DNA repair mechanisms that drive cancer initiation and progression. Technological innovations such as next-generation sequencing, single-cell sequencing, and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing have enabled comprehensive analyses of cancer genomes and functional validation of genetic alterations. Large-scale projects like The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) have provided invaluable genomic data resources. Integration of genomics into therapeutics has led to the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies, improving patient outcomes. Liquid biopsies utilizing circulating tumor DNA offer non-invasive diagnostic and monitoring tools. However, challenges such as tumor heterogeneity, drug resistance, data integration, and ethical considerations persist.

Conclusion: Advances in cancer genetics have significantly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer and have led to the development of personalized therapeutic strategies. Ongoing research and technological innovations are essential to address current challenges and to further improve cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.

 

Author(s)details:-

 

Dr. Nandhini Balunathan, Ph.D (Assistant Professor [Human Genetics])
Department of Human Genetics, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (Deemed to be University), No.1 Ramachandra Nagar, Porur, Chennai - 600 116, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Please See the book here :-  https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/acmms/v5/3594

Assessment and Analyses of Homing Endonucleases and Mechanism of Action of CRISPR-Cas9 HNH Endonucleases | Chapter 3 | Current Advances in Chemistry and Biochemistry Vol. 1

Objective: To study various HNH endonucleases from different sources, including CRISPR-Cas9 protein HNH endonuclease regions, for their conserved motifs, metal binding sites and catalytic amino acids, and to propose a plausible mechanism of action for HNH endonucleases using CRISPR-Cas9 Streptococcus pyogenes as the model enzyme.

Design of the study: Multiple sequence analysis (MSA) was studied for homing endonucleases like CRISPR-Cas9 using Clustal Omega. Other biochemical data available on the CRISPR-Cas9 device, Site-directed mutagenesis (SDM) and X-ray crystallographic data, were also analyzed.

Location and Period of Study: School of Biotechnology, University of Madurai Kamaraj, Madurai, India, 2007 to 2013.

Methodology: Bioinformatics, biochemistry, SDM and X-ray crystallographic data were used for study of HNH endonucleases from various organisms, including CRISPR-Cas9 enzymes. For protein sequence analysis of various HNH endonucleases from different sources, the advanced version of Clustal Omega was used. In order to confirm the possible amino acids involved in the active sites and catalysis, the conserved motifs found by the bioinformatics study were further studied with the data already available from biochemical and SDM and X-ray crystallographic studies of this group of enzymes.

Results: Various forms of homing endonucleases from different sources, including CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme HNH endonuclease regions, exhibit different catalytic regions and metal-binding sites. HNH endonuclease domains are also present in the group I and group II introns of DNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase genes, respectively. However, in all studied homing endonucleases, the catalytic amino acid, i.e. the proton acceptor histidine (His), is completely retained. A plausible mechanism of action for HNH endonucleases is proposed from these results, using CRISPR-Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes as the model enzyme.In addition, MSA of different homing endonucleases from various species also showed several highly conserved motifs among them. However, only around the active site regions did some of the HNH endonucleases show consensus. Either -DH—-N or -HH—N forms are grouped out of the catalytic amino acids known from them. There are at least two types of sites known for metal binding and they bind to Mg2+ or Zn2+ or both. Enzyme CRISPR-Cas9 from S. Pyogenes belongs to the -DH-based HNH endonucleases and has a metal binding site of the-DxD-type where it may bind to a catalytic Mg2+ ion. One or two invariant Zn binding CxxC/ CxxxC motifs are found in the other HNH enzymes.

Conclusions: The enzymes of CRISPR-Cas9 are found to be -DH-type where metal-binding is likely to include the first D and the second invariant H acts as the acceptor of protons. By interacting with the nucleotide at the catalytic site, the N in-HNH- Cas9 confers specificity. In this interaction, the nucleophile causing catalysis is seen as a metal-bound water molecule. Homing endonucleases can be used as novel DNA binding and cleaving reagents for a range of applications for genome editing and applications for genome editing have already been identified in zinc finger nucleases.

Author (s) Details

Dr. Peramachi Palanivelu
Department of Molecular Microbiology, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai – 625 021, India (Retd.).

View Book :- https://stm.bookpi.org/CACB-V1/issue/view/12