We report the chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) obtained by next-generation sequencing technology and compared this with the previously reported common buckwheat (F. esculentum ssp. ancestrale) cp genome. The cp genome of F. tataricum has a total sequence length of 159,272 bp, which is 327 bp shorter than the common buckwheat cp genome. The cp gene cont...

To test the hypothesis that alterations in regulatory regions of the insulin gene occur in a subset of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), the promoter region was studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification directly from genomic DNA, followed by high-resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. By using this method a previ...

Tnr1 (235 bp long) is a transposable element in rice. Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) done with a primer(s) that hybridizes to terminal inverted repeat sequences (TIRs) of Tnr1 detected new Tnr1 members with one or two insertions in rice genomes. Six identified insertion sequences (Tnr4, Tnr5, Tnr11, Tnr12, Tnr13 and RIRE9) did not have extensive homology to known transposable elements, rathe...

Background: Cytokines are cell signaling molecules which upon release by cells facilitate the recruitment of immune-modulatory cells towards the sites of inflammation. Genetic variations in cytokine genes are shown to regulate their production and affect the risk of infectious as well as autoimmune diseases. Intron-3 of interleukin-4 gene (IL-4) harbors 70-bp variable number of tandem repeats (...

The exact role of dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) in the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder type 1 (BD) is not understood. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the possible association between 30, 40 and 63 bp variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms of DAT1 gene and the risk of type 1 (BD) in a sample of Iranian population. This case-control study was performed on 152 BD patient...

Astaxanthin, a high-value ketocarotenoid is mainly used in fish aquaculture. It also has potential in human health due to its higher antioxidant capacity than beta-carotene and vitamin E. The unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis is known to accumulate astaxanthin in response to environmental stresses, such as high light intensity and salt stress. Carotenoid hydroxylase plays a key rol...

One major very highly repeated (VHR) DNA (approximately 7 X 10(6) copies/genome; repeat unit = 156 base pairs (bp)), a family of three minor VHR DNAs (approximately 2.8 X 10(6) copies/genome; repeat units = 71-74 bp), and a number of trace components account for almost 30% of the genome of a hermit crab. The repeat units of the three minor variants are defined by identical 14-bp G + C-rich inve...

We have identified and determined the sequence and organization of a new rat satellite DNA in Rattus rattus, the roof rat. This satellite DNA, which we call R. rattus satellite I', consists of tandem arrays of a 185 base pair (bp) repeat unit that we call a'. a' is 86% homologous to a 185 bp portion of the 370 bp repeat unit of the previously described rat satellite [Pech et al. (1979) Nucleic ...