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Heat shock proteins regulate the physiological mechanism of heat stress adaptation at cellular level. The present investigation was carried out to analyse the HSP70 gene regulation in various growth stage in ruminants in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The relationship between HSP gene expression and thermotolerance in age-specific manner in ruminants has not been analysed. Therefore m-RNA HSP70 expression level was examined in different age groups of Jamunpari goat during hot climatic conditions. The experiment was carried out in 32 animals of Jamunapari goat belonging to the age groups of 3-months, 9-months, 12-months, and adults (2–3 year). Total RNA was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The physiological response such as rectal temperature (RT), respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) was used as indicator to heat stress. Temperature Humidity Index (THI) was used as an indicator of severity of environmental stress. The THI range varied from 82.00–92.08 during experimental period. The m-RNA HSP70 expression level at 9-month age of animals was up-regulated and significantly higher than other age groups. It was observed that the level of HSP70 transcripts in PBMCs was highest at 9-month age group, and age-related decline in HSP70 expression was observed in adult age. Based on the physiological response, the contrasting heat-stress phenotypes were recognised as heat stress susceptible (HSS) and heat stress tolerant (HST) individuals and the expression of m-RNA HSP70 was analysed at different ages in response to chronic heat stress. The differential mRNA expression of HSS individuals at 3 and 9-month of age showed the highest fold expression than HST. Age and phenotype had significant effect ( p  < 0.01) on the crossing point (CP) value. The m-RNA HSP70 gene expression in different age groups was correlated with heat stress tolerance and this could be used as biomarker for breeders to analyse the HSP response in -vivo in ruminants.

Goat milk is a source of nutrition in difficult areas and has lesser allerginicity than cow milk. It is leading in the area for nutraceutical formulation and drug development using goat mammary gland as a bioreactor. Post translational modifications of a protein regulate protein function, biological activity, stabilization and interactions. The protein variants of goat milk from 10 breeds were studied for the post translational modifications by combining highly sensitive 2DE and Q-Exactive LC-MS/MS. Here we observed high levels of post translational modifications in 201 peptides of 120 goat milk proteins. The phosphosites observed for CSN2, CSN1S1, CSN1S2, CSN3 were 11P, 13P, 17P and 6P, respectively in 105 casein phosphopeptides. Whey proteins BLG and LALBA showed 19 and 4 phosphosites respectively. Post translational modification was observed in 45 low abundant non-casein milk proteins mainly associated with signal transduction, immune system, developmental biology and metabolism pathways. P asp is reported for the first time in 47 sites. The rare conserved peptide sequence of (SSSEE) was observed in αS1 and αS2 casein. The functional roles of identified phosphopeptides included anti-microbial, DPP-IV inhibitory, anti-inflammatory and ACE inhibitory. This is first report from tropics, investigating post translational modifications in casein and non-casein goat milk proteins and studies their interactions.

Indian blackberry ( Syzygium cumini ) is an excellent source of antioxidants and anthocyanins. The fruit juice can be concentrated by membrane filtration for use as nutritional supplements. The juice was extracted and clarified by ultrafiltration (50 kDa) and concentrated by nano-filtration (300 Da). Physicochemical properties of permeate and retentate were analysed. Protein, polyphenol and antioxidant contents were determined by spectrophotometric method. Anthocyanidins were quantified by RP-HPLC-photodiode array detector method. The nano-filtered concentrate had various anthocyanidins such as cyanidin chloride (5.9 mg/10 g), malvidin chloride (20.8 mg/10 g) and delphinidin chloride (3.6 mg/10 g). Rejection rates of protein, polyphenol and antioxidants for ultra- and nano-filtered permeates were 48%, 22.3%, 51% and 63%, 74%, 40%, respectively. The particle size distribution of the concentrated juice followed a parabolic curve justifying proper filtration. The results suggest possible use of the fruit juice concentrate in beverage and pharmaceutical industry.

This study aimed to evaluate the genetic potential of the Jamunapari goat and formulate a selection strategy for improving lactation traits. The data set included 4049 phenotypic records for across parity milk yield at 90 days (MY90), 140 days (MY140), total milk yield (TMY), and lactation length (LL) obtained from the progeny of 83 sires and 1643 dams between the period 1990 and 2019. Animal model employing average information restricted maximum likelihood (AIREML) was used to estimate genetic parameters for milk yield traits and LL. The direct additive heritability estimates for across parity lactation traits that used repeatability model were 0.10 ± 0.03, 0.08 ± 0.03, and 0.12 ± 0.02 for MY90, MY140, and TMY, respectively, while it was low for LL (0.06 ± 0.02). The repeatability estimates were moderate ranging from 0.17 to 0.22 for milk yield traits and LL, indicating persistent performance over the parities. Animal permanent environment influence (c2) was significant in milk yield attributes, whereas direct maternal genetic effects were absent. As the early selection criteria based on first parity records are essential, we analyzed the data for the first parity separately and obtained moderate h2 estimates, viz., 0.26 ± 0.05, 0.16 ± 0.06, and 0.25 ± 0.06 for MY90, MY140, and TMY, respectively. These estimates augur further scope of selection in Jamunapari goats for higher milk yield. High and positive genetic correlation of MY90 with MY140 (0.97 ± 0.01) and TMY (0.91 ± 0.05) revealed the scope of using MY90 as the selection criterion. Based on these results, we recommend use of first parity MY90 as a single trait selection criterion for genetic improvement of all lactation traits in Jamunapari goat.

We report the magnetic domain structure, and electrical and magnetoresistance properties of laser ablated Co40Fe40B20 (CoFeB) (6 to 36 nm) thin films deposited on SiO2 / Si(001) substrates. Magnetic force microscopy performed on annealed CoFeB thin films revealed larger magnetic domains, which are formed due to strong exchange coupling between the grains. The temperature-dependent sheet resistance of as-deposited thin films revealed that the observed non-metallic behavior is due to intragrain-tunneling and SiO2 inclusions in the amorphous matrix. The metallic behavior of annealed CoFeB thin films is due to electron scattering from grain boundaries and granularity correlated to the formation of nano-crystallites. Thickness and field-dependent magneto-transport studies show higher magnetoresistance values for thinner annealed CoFeB films due to more scattering events upon crystallization, which is consistent with the granular nature of the annealed thin films.

It has been established that the synthesis of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is temperature-dependent. The Hsp70 response is considered as a cellular thermometer in response to heat stress and other stimuli. The variation in Hsp70 gene expression has been positively correlated with thermotolerance in Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, rodents and human. Goats have a wide range of ecological adaptability due to their anatomical and physiological characteristics; however, the productivity of the individual declines during thermal stress. The present study was carried out to analyze the expression of heat shock proteins in different tissues and to contrast heat stress phenotypes in response to chronic heat stress. The investigation has been carried out in Jamunapari, Barbari, Jakhrana and Sirohi goats. These breeds differ in size, coat colour and production performance. The heat stress assessment in goats was carried out at a temperature humidity index (THI) ranging from 85.36-89.80 over the period. Phenotyping for heat stress susceptibility was carried out by combining respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR). Based on the distribution of RR and HR over the breeds in the population, individual animals were recognized as heat stress-susceptible (HSS) and heat stresstolerant (HST). Based on their physiological responses, the selected animals were slaughtered for tissue collection during peak heat stress periods. The tissue samples from different organs such as liver, spleen, heart, testis, brain and lungs were collected and stored at -70 °C for future use. Hsp70 concentrations were analyzed from tissue extract with ELISA. mRNA expression levels were evaluated using the SYBR green method. Kidney, liver and heart had 1.5-2.0-fold higher Hsp70 concentrations as compared to other organs in the tissue extracts. Similarly, the gene expression pattern of Hsp70 in different organs indicated that the liver, spleen, brain and kidney exhibited 5.94, 4.96, 5.29 and 2.63-fold higher expression than control. Liver and brain tissues showed the highest gene expression at mRNA levels as compared to kidney, spleen and heart. HST individuals had higher levels of mRNA level expression than HSS individuals in all breeds. The Sirohi breed showed the highest (6.3-fold) mRNA expression levels as compared to the other three breeds, indicating the better heat stress regulation activity in the breed.

We have investigated the space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) in two different metal–insulator–metal junctions of the form: Au/BaTiO 3 (BTO)/Nb:SrTiO 3 (Nb:STO) and Au/BTO/La 0.67 Ca 0.33 MnO 3 (LCMO) at various temperatures. The SCLC model has been employed to determine various parameters relevant to the charge conduction in these systems. While the trap density increases with decreasing temperature, the ratio of free to trapped carriers ( θ ) reduces for both the junctions, which can be understood as the thermally activated process. The extracted activation energies of 0.071 eV for Au/BTO/Nb:STO and 0.154 eV for Au/BTO/LCMO indicate the presence of shallow trap level. Moreover, the Fermi level at thermal equilibrium approaches the intrinsic limit with increasing temperature. Comparing both the junctions, we observe lower θ and deeper trap level in BTO/LCMO junction.

The investigation was carried out to analyse the genetic polymorphism and gene expression of ATP1A1 gene in four different Indian goat breeds by using high resolution melting (HRM) and real time-PCR. ATPase is electro-genic ion pump which is maintains the balance of sodium and potassium ions in animal cells. The transport of Na+& K+ is variable at cellular level during extreme hot period. Therefore, susceptible and tolerant animals were selected based on the physiological responses during hot period. Blood samples were collected from individuals, DNA was isolated. The 300 bp fragment of ATP1A1 gene was amplified by PCR and HRM genotyping was performed. The melting curves were analysed, differential temperature-shift plot showed three different genotypes in all the analysed samples. Out of the 135 samples, the distribution percentages were 55.56% (AA/blue), 33.33% (AC/red) and 11.11% (CC/green). The sequence variation revealed a SNP at 143rd position (A>C). The nucleotide diversity was 0.695 ± 0.403, 0.732 ± 0.424, 0.662 ± 0.433 and 0.687 ± 0.398 in Barbari, Jamunapari, Jakharna and Sirohi, respectively. The respiration rate (RR) was significantly different (P < 0.05) between AA and AC (t = 1.875, df = 38) genotype and heart rate (HR) was significantly different (P < 0.05) between AA and CC genotype. The relative expression pattern of ATP1A1 in SNP variants and non-variants animal tissues showed 19.09 and 6.93 fold higher than control (non-variant), respectively. Jamunapari showed higher fold value of ATP1A1 gene in comparison to Barbari, Jakharna and Sirohi. However, the heat stress-susceptible phenotype had significantly higher gene expression than stress-tolerant in all the breeds. The variation may be used as a marker for selection on the basis of physiological parameters and expression of ATP1A1 gene in goats indicating the specificity of expression in each tissue.

Scopolamine is a pharmaceutically important tropane alkaloid which is used therapeutically in the form of an anesthetic and antispasmodic drug. The present study demonstrates enhanced scopolamine production from transgenic hairy root clones of Duboisia leichhardtii wherein the expression of quinolinate phosphoribosyl transferase ( QPT ) gene was silenced using the QPT - RNAi construct under the control of CaMV 35 S promoter. The RNAi hairy roots clones viz . P4, P7, P8, and P12 showed the enhanced synthesis of scopolamine with significant inhibition of nicotine biosynthesis. Optimization of culture duration in combination with methyl jasmonate elicitor in different concentrations (50 µM-200 µM) was carried out. Maximum synthesis of scopolamine had obtained from HR clones P7 (8.84 ± 0.117 mg/gm) on the 30 th day of cultivation. Conspicuously, elicitation with wound-associated hormone methyl jasmonate enhanced the yield of scopolamine 2.2 fold (19.344 ± 0.275 mg/gm) compared to the culture lacking the elicitor. The transgenic hairy roots cultures established with RNAi mediated silencing of quinolinate phosphoribosyl transferase gene provides an alternative approach to increase the yield of scopolamine in fulfilling the demand of this secondary metabolite.

Jamunapari, a dairy goat breed of India, has been gradually declining in numbers in its home tract over the years. We have analysed genetic variation and population history in Jamunapari goats based on 17 microsatellite loci, 2 milk protein loci, mitochondrial hypervariable region I (HVRI) sequencing, and three Y-chromosomal gene sequencing. We used the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mismatch distribution, microsatellite data, and bottleneck tests to infer the population history and demography. The mean number of alleles per locus was 9.0 indicating that the allelic variation was high in all the loci and the mean heterozygosity was 0.769 at nuclear loci. Although the population size is smaller than 8,000 individuals, the amount of variability both in terms of allelic richness and gene diversity was high in all the microsatellite loci except ILST 005. The gene diversity and effective number of alleles at milk protein loci were higher than the 10 other Indian goat breeds that they were compared to. Mismatch analysis was carried out and the analysis revealed that the population curve was unimodal indicating the expansion of population. The genetic diversity of Y-chromosome genes was low in the present study. The observed mean M ratio in the population was above the critical significance value (Mc) and close to one indicating that it has maintained a slowly changing population size. The mode-shift test did not detect any distortion of allele frequency and the heterozygosity excess method showed that there was no significant departure from mutation-drift equilibrium detected in the population. However, the effects of genetic bottlenecks were observed in some loci due to decreased heterozygosity and lower level of M ratio. There were two observed genetic subdivisions in the population supporting the observations of farmers in different areas. This base line information on genetic diversity, bottleneck analysis, and mismatch analysis was obtained to assist the conservation decision and management of the breed.