All About Dogs and their Genes

Gene makes racing dogs fast, study finds

   By Maggie Fox

WASHINGTON, May 2-2k7 (Reuters) A gene that helps control muscle development makes all the difference between an elite racing dog and a freak that is put down at birth, scientists reported.

   Racing whippets that carried one copy of the mutated gene were among the fastest runners, but those that carried two copies became unattractively bulky and were usually destroyed by breeders, the researchers said yesterday.

   The next step may be to look for this gene in human athletes to see if it helps explain what makes some competitors excel, said Dr Elaine Ostrander of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who led the study.

   The gene controls a muscle protein called myostatin.
   ”Our work is the first to link athletic performance to a
mutation in the myostatin gene and could have implications for competitive sports in dogs, horses and possibly even humans,” Ostrander said.

   Ostrander’s team has been studying dogs to find the genes for various traits and just last month reported that a gene called IGF1 was responsible for making small dogs small.

   They believe this has implications for differences in human size, as well.    While studying whippets, a small, very thin racing breed, they noticed ones that were big and bulky called ”bully” whippets.

   ”They were very, very heavily muscled,” Ostrander said. ”We were really struck by their remarkable physical appearance.”

   But breeders do not like them. ”The bottom line is, these dogs are not given a chance. When they are born, breeders in this community will describe their appearance as grotesque,” she said. Such whippets are usually put down immediately.

   The dogs resembled a breed of Belgian blue cattle and certain pigs, and Ostrander’s team knew that in livestock this muscling came from a mutation in the myostatin gene.    ”The same turns out to be true in whippets,” she said.

   GORGEOUS DOGS
   Ostrander’s team then looked at the parents of the mutant
whippets. ”They were absolutely gorgeous dogs,” she said.
   Well-muscled and sleek, they lacked the anorexic  appearance of most racing whippets, Ostrander said. It turned out the parents each had just one copy of the mutated genes, while their ”bully” offspring carried two copies.
   When they learned one of these parents was called ”Fast Eddie,” Ostrander’s team knew what to look for next.

   ”We wanted to know whether or not this was something that could explain racing speed,” she said. So her team visited a dog track and got DNA samples from the dogs.

   Racing whippets are classified as A, B, C or D, with A racers
being the fastest, Ostrander said.    They found the mutation in 12 of 41 dogs graded A or B racers, and in just one of the 43 dogs in the slowest racing grades, the researchers report in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS  Genetics.

   The gene, called MSTN, affects ”fast-twitch” muscle, which is linked to sprinting ability.    Tests of greyhounds, close relatives of whippets, did not find the gene, and Ostrander noted that in cattle with the mutation the lungs are abnormally small.

   She believes the gene may affect lung size and thus stamina, which would not matter for whippets, which run a short course. But this would be devastating to a greyhound bred to run longer  distances.

   Checks of other dog breeds such as Rottweilers, bulldogs and bull terriers found no evidence of the mutation.//eom//

Nature-friendly hybrid rice variety developed

Bangalore, Nov 26 (UNI) In what could be a major boon to the farmers, scientists at the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, have developed a nature-friendly hybrid variety of rice, which not only consumes substantially less water but can also take Indian farmers to the Credit Emission Reduction (CER) trade at the international arena.

  A team of agricultural scientists from the Department of Genetic and Plant Breeding of the UAS have developed ‘Aerobic Rice’ uuccessfully cross breeding a local variety and IR64 variety procured from the Institute of International Rice Research, Philippines.

  Aerobic rice consumed half the amount of water, had longer rots than the conventional variety that helped better absorption of water and facilitated better air ventilation. This special character of the new variety prevented the process of methanogenesis, in which green house gases were released due to decomposition of organic matter.

  Dr H E Shashidhar, Professor and Head, Department of Genetics and  Plant Breeding, informed UNI that usually methane was produced during flooded rice cultivation by the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in the soil, but the new variety’s lengthy roots, three times more than the conventional crop, helped to prevent the  process of methanogenesis without oxygen. It did not need flooding
of water at any stage, thereby avoiding the release of methane into the atmosphere.

  He said cultivation of paddy contributed to about 20 to 25 per cent of methane gases emitted into the atmosphere. The intensive use of Aerobic rice variety prevented the release of greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide. While the conventional rice crop needed about 5,000 litres per kg, the new variety needed only half of it.

Mr.Shashidhar said the UAS scientists were currently engaged in conducting field trials of the new variety at six places –Bangalore, Chhattisgarh, Cuttack, Faizalabad, Coimbatore and Hazaribagh and would be commercially made available next year. The UAS had developed six varieties of Aerobic rice, which could be sown directly in the field and needed no transplantation. The new variety gave yield on par with the traditional varieties and would be ready for harvesting between 120 and 130 days.

  He said that after developing the new variety, scientists were now involved in exploration of drawing carbon credits and entering the over 100 billion US Dollar CER Trade at the global level.

Entering CER trade involved a laborious exercise and a dedicated mechanism needed to be created for the purpose. The department had approached the Union Environment and Forests Ministry to take the process forward and get the Carbon Credit Certificates for contributing to reduction in emission of greenhouses gases, which caused global warming, he added.

  He said Indian farmers, facing a crisis now, would not only
benefit from the use of the new variety, but could also earn foreign xchange by selling carbon credit certificates for contributing to eduction in global warming. ”Concerted efforts by NGOs, Government agencies and the farming community can go a long way in achieving the goal.” //EOM//
Posted by Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna

It is our Indian Halwa

By   Archana Devraj

Kochi(India),Nov 24,2k6: After ‘basmati rice’ and ‘Darjeeling tea’, it is the turn of the famous ‘Kozhikode Halwa’ from Kerala to seek protection under the Geographical Indications(GI) status, which grants legal recognition to a particular region’s claim to a locally produced product.

The Kerala Government is seriously considering moving an application with the GI Registry, Chennai, to grant the GI status to the ‘Kozhikode Halwa’, a speciality sweet-meat made in the northern district of Kozhikode, senior district officials told UNI here.

”The proposal is under the serious consideration of the Government and the application regarding this will be moved after a month-long ‘Malabar Shopping Festival’ concludes on January 20,” they said.

In fact, one of the main events of the month-long fiesta, to be held in Kozhikode, is a ‘halwa festival’.

”We want to create a buzz around the Kozhikode halwa and then move the application for GI status after the festival concludes,” Kozhikode District Collector A Jayathilak said.

A known delicacy of Kozhikode, the black or brown coloured ‘halwa’, made of flour, ghee, molasses and nuts, is one of the hot selling items on the city’s famous ‘Sweet-meat Street’ (SM Street).

Stating that Kozhikode had been associated with the ‘halwa’ for more than 200 years, Dr Jayathilak said that there were families which had been involved in its making for generations.

He said ”there might be so-called halwas being produced all over the place now. But, the sweet-meat is traditionally a delicacy from Kozhikode and we would like the world to recognise this.”

Getting the GI status would be a big step-up for the ‘humble halwa’, putting it in the big league of international branding. Besides ensuring quality control and promoting its export potential, acquisition of the GI status for the ‘Kozhikode Halwa’ could also work wonders for putting Kozhikode on the tourism map of Kerala, he added.

In fact, with almost every second shop on the SM Street stocking the delicacy and hundreds of units engaged in its manufacture, the District Industries Centre has also taken up the ‘halwa units’ for development under the ”industrial cluster” approach of the State Government.

According to available information, the Kerala Government had sanctioned Rs 16 lakh some time ago to develop a food cluster in Kozhikode district. The Olavanna area in the district had been identified for the ‘halwa cluster’, where the units could share the raw material and marketing channels besides setting up common effluent treatment plants.

In fact, a common brand name under which the ‘Kozhikode Halwa’ could be exported was also being explored, officials said.

A Consortium had already been registered under the name of ”Kozhikode Halwa Consortium Pvt. Ltd.’ by 38 local ‘halwa’ manufacturers. The main purpose of the consortium was to standardise the product and upgrade the manufacturing technology.

”An MoU for technical assistance has been signed by the State Government with the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, for ensuring product standardisation and quality control,” the officials added.

As a WTO member country and signatory to TRIPS, India had passed the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act in 1999.

Under the Act, goods such as agri-foods, natural products, food, industrial designs and handicrafts, were generally linked to a specific region and were considered to be the common inheritance of the people of the area, who have developed it down the ages. The law protects these traditional practitioners or producers against misappropriation and unfair competition.

While the Act does not provide for individual ownership, any association of producers or any organisation or authority representing the interest of the producers can apply for registration in accordance with the provision of the Act.//eom//

Posted by Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna 

Computerised Rice Grading-Boon to Exporters

 Chandigarh, Nov 8 (UNI) The tedious, laborious and error-prone  system of rice-grading would soon be a thing of past with the path-breaking computerised classification system developed by scientists here.  
   The server-based analytical instrument with complete ‘knowledge and data’ could provide world-class sample testing over the internet, leading to ‘uniform procurement specifications and testing’, which would also be a boon for exporters.
   The device, developed by Central Scientific Instruments
Organisation (CSIO) here, ”could provide transparency in the
procurement process and could be useful for food procuring and marketing agencies, rice shellers, grain marchants and exporters,” the CSIO Director Dr Pawan Kapur told UNI.
   The rice grading, which would take into account the colour, shape  and size of each grain, would be most useful in meeting the export  requirements which seek absolute rice dimensions and accumulative stringent percentages in broken and undesirable items.
   Project Head, Dr H K Sardana said the system meets export or superior quality requirements, including the moisture test. It could detect undesirable elements like foreign matter, broken, damaged, discoloured, chalky and red grains and could differentiate between various varieties mixed together.
   In addition, the system could provide grain-wise measurements and histogram, he said.
   Moreover, the whole process of classification of rice sample
takes only one or two minutes in comparision to hours that it takes  to manually and visually check the grains as per BIS standards.
   The system could be customised to suit export requirements and BIS standards including annual relaxations applicable to farmers during adverse weather conditions.  
   About the other benefits of the sorting machines, he explained that it could work even at sheller’s level for inspection while milling.
   A prototype unit of the system was successfully tested by
Markfed, as per the standard requirements of the BIS and FCI, Mr Sardana said.
   For remote sample submission,  people living even in remote areas could be connected to the system through internet and could submit the sample at their scanner for obtaining certified statistical
report.
   The new system would also turn out to be much cost-effective as BIS, as a central agency, could provide the on-line grading service to distant clients, he said. //EOM//

Pozted by: Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna.

DNA Barcoding of Indigenous Fish Species

Lucknow, Nov 8 (UNI) National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow has undertaken an ambitious and advanced programme of developing DNA bar coding of indigenous fish species.
   The project will greatly help in the identification of fish
species, patenting of marine fauna and specialised research thereon.
   NBFGR has been recognised as a nodal organization under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi for undertaking advanced research programmes on exotic fish and quarantine.
   Bureau Director W S Lakra informed that the DNA bar coding of about 50 fish species had already been developed and research was on for other several varieties.
   Dr Lakra was addressing the nine-day ‘Symposium and Training Programme on Fish Biotechnology’, which was inaugurated yesterday.
   Leading Australian marine scientist Dr R D Ward — who is also Co-Chairman, Global Programme, DNA Bar Coding of Fish — emphasised its importance towards the documentation, characterisation and conservation of aquatic bio-diversity.
   Further, Dr Lakra informed regarding the recent development of  vital diagnostic tools such as monoclonal antibiotics, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), DNA finger printing and gene probes etc.
   He stressed the need for developing such diagnostic tools for all the major fish diseases, that cause huge economic losses to farmers.
   Lucknow Biotechnology Park Director P K Seth said fish were  good indicators of water quality. ”Marine biotechnology has tremendous potential towards improving production of food and ornamental fish, besides production of pharmaceuticals from fish.
   National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) Director Rakesh Tuli emphasised the need to undertake intensive research on production of transgenic fish with respect to improvement of economically important traits and production of stress-resistant fish.
   Fish and aquatic fauna constitute nearly 20 per cent — at Rs 7,200 crore — of India’s total agricultural exports annually.
   The annual fish production currently stands at 64 lakh tonnes, Dr S Ayyappan, Deputy Director General (Fisheries), ICAR had told UNI in an earlier interview.
   The per capita consumption of fish in India is 9 kgs/per year compared to 12 kgs/per year globally. The country stands second in aqua-culture and third overall in fish production in the world.
   ”India is home to about 2,400 fish species. Fisheries can play a vital role in maintaining the ‘food and nutritional’ security of the country,” Dr Ayyappan, who is also the Chief Executive, National Fisheries Development Board, observed.//EOM//

Posted by: Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna

Indian scientists find medicinal plant unseen for 115 years

NEW DELHI: Indian scientists working in a tropical forest in the country’s remote northeast have found a rare medicinal plant last seen 115 years ago, a scientific journal reported.

The botanists were working in the Upper Subansiri district of Arunchal Pradesh, an Indian state that borders China, when they found a specimen of “Begonia Tessaricarpa,” according to this month’s issue of Current Science, an Indian journal. The journal did not say when they found the plant.

The herbaceous plant was once regarded as having medicinal properties by the region’s ethnic tribes, and reportedly was used to treat stomach aches and dehydration. It’s juices were also reportedly used to ward off leeches.

The plant was first listed in scientific literature by British scientist C. B. Clarke in 1879 and 1890, but had not been seen since, the journal reported.

“This species is still surviving in a few pockets of Arunachal Pradesh and was found growing in damp rocky places,” the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Kumar Ambarish of the Botanical Survey of India as saying.

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the journal’s report.

Posted by: Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna

Reading Device for the Blind from CSIO Scientists

 ”Reading eyes” device to make reading easy for blind

Chandigarh, Aug 6-2k6 (UNI) A hand-held reading device that works like ”reading eyes” promises to open the floodgates of knowledge for the visually impaired to keep pace with information explosion.

The hand-held step-scanning (HHSS) developed for the first time in the world by scientists of Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) will vastly expand the scope for visually challenged persons to read as it eliminates the need to convert the text into braille.

CSIO director Dr Pawan Kapur told UNI the portible scanner, with no moving parts, provides convenience and control in the hand of a visually-impaired person. The device can be attached to a desktop computer and can be used as a portable text reader if connected with a laptop computer.

Dr Kapur said the easy-to-operate device has a single button control embossed prominently along with eight other buttons to adjust the functions like volume, speed, rewind and pause as per the requirements of the user.

The director said traditionally, visually impaired and blind rely only on Braille for learning and education. Braille, comprising of a rectangular six-dot cell, is embossed onto thick paper and read with the fingers.

As separate Braille codes are needed for advanced courses of mathematics, science and computers, the books not only become bulky but also confusing for the reader.

Moreover, teachers and books of braille are in short supply. With this device, a large number of visually impaired people would get equal opportunities to read any printed material by converting the text into speech, he said.

HHSS project leader Dr H K Sardana said the device, which took over two years to develop, had been patented in India and application for the same has been filed in the US, the UK, China and some other countries.

Dr Sardana informed that step-scanning technique permits continuity by automatic removal of overlap to provide seamless output and all the errors due to hand movements are handled automatically.

Dr Sardana said device which can read only English text at present, can be further updated to suit any language in the world written horizontally.

At present, Centre for Design for Advance Commputing CDAC, Noida is working on Hindi version and West Bengal government’s Industrial Corporation is working on developing Optical Character Reading (OCR) in Bangla, he said.

He explained the device consists of a pair of imaging modules for acquiring a panoramic image of the book or document over which it is placed and the stereo vision camera generates data in an audible manner to help the visually impaired persons.

While a page may be covered in only two or three steps from top to bottom and new-page detection is automatically handled when the search fails in the current scan, he added.

”It only takes a few minutes of operational training to use the device,” he said. He explained the device could be used for various types of reading needs, like addresses, reading on an envelope or visiting cards and bar code reading.

Dr Sardana said the team is working to install a biscuit-shaped computer on the device to make it pocket-friendly or mobile shaped. About the future modifications, Dr Sardana said, the device with this technique could further be used to convert text to soft braille for tactile reading of the document.

So far, the other devices available in the market work on a sweeping action over the area of interest and there is no apparatus designed for reading by people without sight at their own pace and control. Also their sizes are either too big or too small for the visually impaired persons to handle.

 Some hand-held, mouse-like devices scan a small intended area by sweeping motion. All these devices have moving parts and can only be used by sighted people for scanning accurately over the text to be read. //EOM//

Posted by: Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna

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