RECENT NEWS

Besides important articles and recent advances in the field of biotechnology, we shall publish news of participation of Bangladeshi Biotechnologists in  important meetings, conferences as  a speaker or an instructor in a seminar or workshop. The news may also relate to any new appointment which a Bangladeshi biotechnologist has accepted. Members are requested to send in such pieces of information for posting in the home page at aislam24@yahoo.com or abidur@iwate-u.ac.jp.
We shall flash in the home page the news of any new member joining GNOBB. 

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Crystal Structure of Arabidopsis RACK1A Unraveled : GNOBB member's Achievement

Aug.'08.We feel proud to announce that the following paper by Dr. Hemayet Ullah and 
his associates at the Howard University, Washington DC  has appeared online in  
Protein Sci. 2008 Aug 20. [Epub ahead of print]. Because of the significance of this 

finding, the picture of the crystal structure of this protein will feature in the 
cover page of the October issue of the journal. Read the abstract.
 

Ullah H, Scappini EL, Moon AF, Williams LV, Armstrong DL, Pedersen LC. Structure of a signal transduction regulator, RACK1, from Arabidopsis thaliana.

In collaboration with a NIH lab, Dr. Hemayet Ullah and his team have deduced the crystal structure of the Arabidopsis RACK1 protein. This is the very first report of a RACK1 structure. The structure will not only advance RACK1 mediated plant environmental stress signaling studies, but will also help  elucidate the structural basis of several neuropathologies in human as well. The Arabidopsis rack1a knock-out plants show drought resistance phenotype. Thus the structure will help investigate both physiological and structural basis of drought stress signaling pathways in plants.
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A Gene (S5) Identified in Rice to Overcome the Crossing Barrier between its 2 subspecies
Dhaka, 23rd Aug. '08. In an article captioned, “A triallelic system of S5 is a major regulator of the reproductive barrier and compatibility of indica–japonica hybrids in rice appeared in the 22^nd Aug. edition  of PNAS vol. 321:1072- 1075, Qifa Zhang, the leader of the team  of 20 scientists report that in rice they have cloned a gene called S5 that separates the two subspecies, indica and japonica. The two alleles in the two subspecies have been named, S5-i and S-j for indica and japonica, respectively. S5 encodes for an aspartic protease contributing to embryo sac fertility.  The aspartic protease in the two subspecies differs only in respect of two nucleotides. In their germplasm collection,  these researchers  discovered a special group, designated wide-compatibility varieties (WCVs). Both indica and japonica when hybridized with wide-compatibility vars. yield fertile hybrids. This discovery of S5 will open up a wide range of opportunity to rice breeders in combining desirable genes from the two subspecies which were not hitherto possible due to hybrid sterility. We hope that active rice breeders will be in the forefront to take advantage  of utilizing triallelic gene S5 in enhancing further productivity and other qualities in BD varieties. Read the article. Readers may be interested to know about Ph1 (homeologus pairing ) gene in hexaploid bread wheat which has the opposite effect compared to S5 in that the Ph1 gene prevents pairing between homeolgous chromosomes between A, B and D genomes. More about Ph1 gene..
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Bangladesh Biosafety Clearing House (BBCH): A National workshop
Dhaka the 27th Aug. '08. Bangladesh is a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The protocol was ratified it on February 5, 2004.  In pursuance of this protocol, as a signatory, the Bangladesh Biosafety Clearing House (BBCH) has been established as per Article 20 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The objective of the BBCH is to facilitate the exchange of scientific-, technical-, environmental- and legal information on living modified organisms (LMOs).

The Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) is an information exchange mechanism established to assist parties to implement its provisions and to facilitate sharing of information on, and experience with, LMOs.  As a part of this program, a  National Workshop on Cartagene protocol and Biosafety clearing House was organized by the Dept of Environment, Ministry of Environment and Forest and  held on Aug. 7 at the RDEC Conference room, LGED, Agargaon, Dhaka. Among the foreign  resource persons for this workshop were Dr. Monoranjan Hota  and Mr. Damir Amirov  (UNEP-GEP BCH Regional Advisors). Dr. Hota discussed about the relevant Cartagena protocol on Biosafety and the importance of Biosafety Clearing House and its operational mechanism, while Mr.  Amirov  dwelt upon the kind  of  information available in the Central portal of BCH.  The workshop was preceded by a  2-day training workshop for BCH stakeholders and was conducted by the above  two foreign experts.
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Bioavailable Calcium in Bioengineered Carrot
Dhaka 24^th Aug, ’08. In a recent  paper, “Nutritional impact of elevated calcium transport activity in carrots,” published in PNAS  (105:1431-5),   researchers led by J. Morris affiliated to Texas A&M University and  Baylor College of Medicine in Texas have reported that  the transgenic  carrot  they have engineered provides 41% more absorbable calcium compared to the controls where the mineral is poorly absorbed. In the bio-engineered carrot strain, Ca²⁺   moves more freely across the cell membrane as a result of  incorporation of a transgene, sCAX1.  The claim by these scientists is based on an experiment on 30 individuals, 15 men and 15 women between the ages of 21 and 29 where they were given GM  carrot and their urine tested to determine the rate of Ca²⁺ absorption.   It is still a long way to go before sufficiently calcium-rich GM carrot would be available in the market eliminating the need of extra Ca²⁺ intake. Read more in a related article, Biofortified and bioavailable: The gold standard for plant-based diets.

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Chromosomal architecture following Centromere Dysfunction in Fission Yeast Dhaka 24^th Aug, ’08. In a report published in the 22^nd Aug. ‘08 issue of Science, Ishii et al. at Kurume-, Osaka- and the  National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan reported the role of heterochromatin in chromosome reorganization after centromere dysfunction in fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe). It is a well established phenomenon that in Eukaryotes, centromeres are essential for equal chromosome separation during  the mitotic metaphase phase of cell division. However, little was known regarding the manner in which centromere dysfunction affects the chromosomal architecture. Ishii et al. showed that the conditional deletion of the centromere produces survivors carrying either a neo-centromere-acquired chromosome at the subtelomeric region or an acentric chromosome rescued by inter-telomere fusion with either of the remaining chromosomes. The group has also identified the role of RNAi in neo-centromere formation:  the ratio between newly formed neocentromere and those fused to the telomeres is considerably reduced by the inactivation of genes due to the formation of RNAi–dependent heterochromatin. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engg. and Biotech, DU.
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Methylene Blue may be a future cure  for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease
Dhaka 21^st Aug., 2008. In the March issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal (The FASEB Journal. 2008;22:703-712), researchers led by Hani Atamna reported the results of their study  that extremely small doses of methylene blue - a drug discovered  in 1891; i.e., more than a century ago slows or even may cure Alz­heim­er’s and Park­in­son’s dis­ease. The group affiliated to Chil­dren’s Hos­pi­tal & Re­search Cen­ter Oak­land, in Cal­i­for­nia studied the effect of  methylene blue on lab­ora­tory-cultured cells and mice and found that in low dosages the chemical slows down the senescence of mitochondria and enhances key mitochondrial biochemical pathways by acting specifically on an im­por­tant en­zyme called com­plex IV.  The main reason why further study  with this chemical discontinued  was its known adverse effect causing brain damage.  It is only recently that the above group discovered that in an extremely low dosage it proves efficacious in the treatment of both Alz­heim­er’s and Park­in­son’s dis­ease.

It’s a suitable area where research in BD should be initiated. The low-cost treatment with methylene blue will be like aspirin used for blood thinning for heart patients.
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40% Expansion of Facility for Research in Cold Spring Harbor Lab. Where are we?

Dhaka 31st July, ’08.  Situated in Long Island, USA, Cold Spring  Harbor Laboratory is  known to be one of the largest Mol. Biol. Lab in the world today; and yet to cope with modern trend of research expanding a galloping speed,  it embarked upon a project to expand its facility by 40%. The new venture will consist of six buildings in its Hillside campus with a total space of  100,000 sq. ft.  The focus on the type of research in the new complex will be on cancer, autism and schizophrenia to be carried out by 15 new faculty assisted by two hundred employees. GNOBB members: compare CSHL’s mission with ours. The  National Institute of Biotechnology building which was completed  a couple of years ago with a reasonably good facility is still struggling hard to be fully functional.  A few junior scientific officers working there are without pay since last January; moreover there are no senior scientists to guide and monitor their research. Pl. click here for  more.  
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Allerginicity Risk of Transgene Proteins Not Significant to Those Allergic to Known Allergens 

                                                                                                                                   JSPS RONPAKU Sandwich Ph.D. Program, 2009
Dhaka the 13^th Aug., ’08. The Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) RONPAKU has announced the award of 30 scholarships meant to do Ph.D. among students of Asian countries including Bangladesh.  The award is for a maximum period of five years within which period the researcher is expected complete his/her  Ph.D. It is a sandwich program in which the successful candidate will be required to carry out their dissertation research under the joint supervision of a Japanese advisor and an advisor in their home country. The researcher will spend a part of the year in a Japanese University under the guidance of a Japanese supervisor and a part in the home university under a local Ph.D. guide. The last date for submission of Application is 22^nd of August. Click here for more details .                                            .   __________________________________________________________________________       

 Launching of a New Subsection, “Molecular Biotechnology.”

Due to volume of scientific news, it was considered worthwhile to start subsections under different disciplines of biotechnology. Now the second subsection under the title, “Molecular Biotechnology”  is ready to be launched. The summary of a few of these write-ups mostly by Mr. Mahdi Moosa, an undergraduate in GEB, Dhaka University, have already appeared in GNOBB homepage.  According to the present arrangement, summaries of interesting articles on “Mol. Biotech.”  by GNOBB members or any student of this discipline will be on display for a month or so in GNOBB homepage and then transferred to this subsection. Pl. read Mahdi's introductory remarks.

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Crystal Structure of a Sodium Galactose Transporter, vSGLT, opens a new horizon in drug designing
Dhaka 11^th Aug. ’08. In a research article published online in Science in its 8^th August issue Faham et al. report the crystal structure of Sodium/Galactose symporter of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, vSGLT. Sodium glucose symporters play an important physiological role. These transmembrane symporters are present in the intestinal lumen, where they transport galactose using the energy of thermodynamically downhill sodium symport. The study of these symporters has revealed in-depth insights into a large family of transmembrane proteins, namely, Sodium Solute Symporters (SSS). SSSs cotransport Na⁺ with sugars, amino acids, inorganic ions, or vitamins, thereby playing a vital role in the pathology of various human diseases such as diabetes, congenital metabolic disorders of glucosegalactose malabsorption (GGM) and idide transport defect (ITD). Conformational knowledge of this symporter will pave the way of designing novel drugs targeting the SSS’s, which share similar structures with vSGLT.  Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Dept. of Genetic Engg. & Biotechnology, DU.
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Correcting b-thalassaemia through Lentivirus-mediated Gene Therapy
Dhaka 05^th August, ’08. b--thalassaemia is one of the major inherited haemoglobinopathies. This disease is caused by mutations in the gene b-globin. In a research article published 29^th July edition of  PNAS, Miccio et al. report a method of long term correction of b-thalassaemia through lentivirus-mediated gene delivery. Effective gene therapy for b-thalassaemia requires stable transfer of a functional b-globin gene into hematopoietic stem cells and its high and regulated hemoglobin expression in the erythroblastic progeny. The authors  have developed an erythroid specific lentiviral vector delivered expression system of b-globin gene from a minimal promoter/enhancer element containing two hypersensitive sites from the b-globin locus control region. Transplantation of transduced HSCs into thalaessemic mice led to a stable and long-term correction of anemia with all the red blood cells expressing the transgene. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engg. &  Biotech, DU.                                                                                                            _________________________________________________________

  An Open Source platform for building customized Zinc Finger Nucleases 

Dhaka 30^th July, ’08. Targeted DNA modification is the very first step of an efficient gene therapy. Present techniques rely on non-specific delivery by different viruses or delivery through homologous recombination (HR). Both of these processes are not much efficient. An alternative to this approach is introduction of Double Stranded Break (DSB) to targeted location of DNA. Repair of DSB by cellular mechanisms greatly increases both rate and efficiency of HR-mediated gene targeting with an exogenous DNA molecule. DSB can be introduced by engineered Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFN). In a paper describing this technique published 25^th July 2008 in Molecular Cell,  Maeder et al. describe an efficient and rapid method for ‘‘Open-Source’’ engineering of customized Zinc-Finger Nucleases for highly efficient gene modification through OPEN (Oligomerized Pool ENgineering) platform. Because OPEN is rapid, reliable, and publicly available, it will foster wider usage and  large scale applications of engineered zinc-finger technology. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engg and Biotech, DU.

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GM Crop Put to an Altogether Different Use to Clear Land Mines

Dhaka the 29^th July, 2008. South African scientists from the University of Stellenbosch have bio-engineered a tobacco strain that turns red when it grows near a land mine. Many of the war-ravaged countries such as Angola, Afghanistan, Burundi, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chechnya, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal and Sri Lanka are filled with land mines endangering the lives of those who live nearby. At present endangering their lives only explosive experts can clear these areas at an exorbitant cost  aided by sniffer dogs. Using the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, a tiny weed, scientists developed a technology  called ‘RedDetect’.  Upon exposure of its roots to the byproducts of land mines such as nitrogen dioxide leaching from the soil,  the tiny herb turns autumnal red  from its natural green color. Since the weed is too small to be detected from a distance, scientists have developed this GM tobacco strain,  large enough to overcome the sighting problem. The SA Univ. and  a Danish Biotech firm will be jointly undertaking biosafety trials in the affected countries before it is marketed to make the war wrecked regions much safer to live at a fraction of  the present cost. Read More in the original article.

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Seminar on Bioinformatics on the 5th august at 9 a.m. at COE, Dhaka University

Dhaka 27^th July, ’08. Sponsored by Bangladesh Academy of of Sciences, the long awaited seminar on bioinformarics has finally been fixed to be held at the Centre of Excellence, Dhaka University on the 5^th of August at 9 in the morning. The key speakers in the seminars are Dr. Dr. Hasan Jamil, Associate Professor  at  the Department of Computer Science, Wayne  State University, USA who is already here and Dr. Abdur Rahman Sikder, who came here  from Berkeley quite some time back to explore the possibility of establishing a bioinformatics Institute. The added attraction of this program is the noted speaker, Professor Animesh Ray, a pioneer whose unique contribution has ushered a new era in mol biotech, namely Systems Biology.

The consensus to be arrived at the end of the seminar will form  the nucleus around which the structure of the proposed Center of Bioinformatics will be built up on a solid footing with a brilliant prospect of future expansion. Read more to know about the detailed program.

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No Impact of Seminars W/o Dialog Between Scientists & Policy Makers 
Dhaka 5th August, 08. While recording appreciation for the speakers who spoke on the Bioinformatics Seminar on the 5th of August, the three discussants, Dr. Shah M. Faruque, Prof. Zeba Seraj  and Pof. Ahmad S. Islam pointed out that unless we can convince the policy makers and the administrators, both biotechnology and bioinformatrics in particiular and science in general would not strike firm roots; and progress in the scientific world of the country will not take place with the same space as in other prospering developing countries. One way to do it is to explain these emerging scientific disciplines to nonscientists that take decisions at the national level in a simple and attractive way portraying the scenario in a business like manner showing both investments and  returns and the economic impact BD would derive from such frontiers of  knowledge. Without this endeavor, there will be satus quo  in our pursuit of S&T, no matter how many seminars and symposia are held.  GNOBB moderator made a clarion call to young graduates to start a campaign toward breaking this inertia as they did to liberate the country from the yoke of the Pakistan Army Junta.                                                                                        ______________________________________________________________________ 
MS in Biotechnology in BRAC University

The 9^th  International Congress on Cell Biology
Dhaka, Aug. 1^st, 2008. The 9^th  International Congress on Cell Biology (ICCB) will be held October 7 through 10^th, 2008 at COEX, Seoul, Korea. The Korean Society for Molecular & Cellular Biology and the Asia-Pacific International Molecular  Biology Network  are holding their 20^th  and the 11^th Annual Conference jointly with ICCB. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31^st of August. Click here to read the whole program>>>
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Seminar on Systems Biology in BRAC University Concluded
Dhaka, 30^th July, 2008. The audience comprising the Vice Chancellor Jamilur Reza Choudhury, Dr. Abed Chaudhury, Prof. Naiyyum Choudhury, Professor Haseena Khan, Prof. Ahmad Islam among others was captivated by the lecture delivered by Prof. Animesh Ray on, “The New Biology: the Network Metaphor.”  He started his talk on drawing a line of distinction between Engineering and pure science. He traced the history that led to the establishment of the new discipline  called “Systems Biology,” where three disciplines, namely, Engineering, Computer Science and Biology have integrated allowing us to understand the complex phenomena of biology such as the multitude of genes that trigger vegetative phase of yeast to that of sporulation. Aided by complex algorithm, latest technique of molecular biology and  sophisticated engineering design their team has now turned their attention from mice to the genes that are directly involved in causing diseases related to hypertension, diabetes. Although a long way to go they appear on the right track and they hope to find solution for the efficacious treatment of such metabolic disorders in the not too distant a future.                                 ____________________________________________________________
Seminar on Biotechnology on 30^th July at BRAC University 

Dhaka 27th July, ’08. Prof. Naiyyum Choudhury, Coordinator, Biotechnology Program at BRAC University informs GNOBB   that the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at his University has arranged a seminar captioned, “The New Biology: the Network Metaphor,” to be held on Wednesday the 30 July 2008 at 4:00 PM in UB 104. The speaker, Dr. Animesh Ray,  Professor in Systems Biology, Keck Graduate Institute, at Claremont, USA is a celebrity in Modern Biotechnology. Prof. Ray and his associates discovered a new genetic

pathway for specifying ovule development in flowering plants. Subsequently, they cloned and patented a gene named DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1) that controls the production of micro RNA in flowering plants.Their unique contribution has elucidated our understanding as to how  a large number of genes control essential plant development and its various functions such as flowering and embryogenesis, including the role of RNA silencing to plant development.

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 Nuclear RNA interference: A long Sought Proof unraveled 

Dhaka 27^th July, '08. In a research article published online 25^th July of Science, Guang et al. report nuclear localization of RNAi and its mechanism. Small regulatory RNAs (siRNAs, miRNAs) regulate gene expression through RNAi. It was thought that this process can be carried out in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, but hitherto there was no evidence for nucleus being the location.  Guang et al. report the role of NRDE-3 (Nuclear RNAi Defective), an argounate protein. In the absence of regulatory RNAs, this protein resides in the cytoplasm of Caenorhabditis elegans. But upon binding to regulatory RNAs like siRNAs, NRDE-3 moves to the nucleus where it breaks down the RNA molecules which have significant sequence complementarity.

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Heartiest Congratulations to Dr. Mottaleb  et al. for their recent publication 

Dhaka 24^th July, 2008. GNOBB heartily congratulate Dr. Mottaleb and his associates for their recent publication in the J. Environment Science.  

M. A. Mottaleb (2008)  Biological transformation, kinetics and dose-response assessments of bound musk ketone hemoglobin adducts in rainbow trout as biomarkers of environmental exposure. J. Environ. Sci 20 (7), 878-884. 

The research was designed to analyze the exposure of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic organisms such as fish.  The biotransformation, dose-response etc. assessments were made.  It has been proved that biotransformation of nitro musk (a fragrance ingredient) could be found in fish blood through hemoglobin adducts and could be used as biomarker of exposure.  In Bangladesh, pharmaceutical and other industrial companies are polluting water environment through discharging their wastes continuously;  as a result aquatic organisms are at risk in their own environment.  Since human consumes fish regularly through diet, consequently human and other fish-eating animals  are continuously facing health hazard. Because PPCPs form metabolites through enzymatic nitro-reduction or breakdown in living beings.

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Promising Results on a Trial Using a Herbal Drug to Treat AIDS Patients

An Iran-made herbal drug for AIDS has been tested on over 200 patients and has shown promising results in improving the condition.
Reported to be more efficient when used in HIV positive patients with CD4 below 350, Immuno-Modulator Drug (IMOD) prevents entry into advanced stages of AIDS and can be taken along with other anti-retroviral drugs.
The herbal medication has shown to effectively control the multiplication of the HIV virus in a 90-day treatment course by increasing the number of CD4 cells, the deficiency of which leads to the appearance of AIDS symptoms and related infections. Click here to Read More…

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An Unexpected Finding  in Medical Science: Correlation breaks down between abundance of mosquitoes and Dengue Fever at a certain level.
Dhaka, 23^rd July, ’08. One of the main strategies of preventing vector-borne diseases is to reduce the number of vector itself.  However, this generalization does not hold good always such as in dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). In an article published online in the 16^th July issue of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Thammapalo et al.  have shown that in DHF infection up to a certain level, there is a correlation between the number of  Ades mosquitoes and the incidence of Dengue fever-infected people. Beyond that threshold value, the correlation breaks down; i.e., the increased number of Ades mosquitoes over a threshold actually reduces the incidence of DHF as observed in the Dengue endemic region of Thailand. The authors explain the phenomenon: an increased number of Ades mosquitoes, creates a greater chance of secondary Dengue infection which provides cross-seroprotection through seroconversion. Click here to read more

Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engg & Biotech, DU.                                     __________________________________________________

Comments by GNOBB member by Dr. Sultanul Aziz 

The logic given in this note is well known in Medical science. However, beyond Dengue fever or similarly immunologically primed individuals, there are organisms that confers short term immunity or in other words the immunicty acquired against a natural infection fades away in a matter of months which brings in additional variables in the equation. Perhaps a field of mathematical modelling awaits for bioinformatics input for each variety of each serotype in order that we can predict the effect of each antigen on human (not to exclude the veterinary world) individuals who themselves have varied capacity to produce antibodies against specific antigens.

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An Interesting Article on Transgenic Papaya in Plant Physiology
July 21st, '08. GNOBB readers specially those in doing work in GM crops and biosafety issues may be interested to read the following article which has been published in one of the recent issues of Plant Physiology. The full length article is available free online just a click away from the reader. Some important information about nutritive value of papaya fruit is that it supplies two of the three essential micronutrients, namely iron and vitamin A. A 100-g serving daily of ripe papaya supplies vitamin C and vitamin A in sufficient quantities to overcome micronutrient deficiencies. Here is a lesson to be learned by Bangladeshis which can be summed up by the statement of Dr. M. Abdul Momin, working in On-Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Pabna, "Here people cannot afford vanity." 

Forbidden Fruit: Transgenic Papaya in Thailand by Sarah Nell Davidson.

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Further Progress toward Promoting Bioinformatics Facility in Bangladesh

Dhaka 18^th July, ’08. Dr. A.R. Sikder is here in Dhaka toward promoting Bioinformatics Facility in Bangladesh.  He has already met  Prof. A. F. M. Yusuf Haider (Pro-VC, DU), Dr. Yousuf  M. Islam (Computer Science and Engineering,  Daffodil International University), Prof.  Syed Saleheen Qadri (Director, Centre of Excellence DU), Dr Lutfar Rahman (Executive Director, Bangladesh Institute Health Science, Hospital at Dar-es Salaam), Mr. M Fazlur Rahman (MD, Ahsania Mission Cancer Hospital), Prof. Haseena Khan (Department of Biochemistry & Mol. Biol. DU), Dr. Jesmin (Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, DU), and Dr. Nasimul Noman (DU) in the last couple of weeks and had fruitful discussion on the issue. There was a positive response wherever  Dr. Sikder visited to explore the possibility of establishing an Institute of Bioinformatics. His future schedule includes meeting with High Officials at BIRDEM and ICDDR,B and Professor Shamsher Ali, President of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. Read More.....
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Another Journal,  'BMC Pl Biology' of High Impact Factor by BioMed Central

Dhaka 20th July, '08. BMC Plant Biology is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in multidisciplinary areas of plant development such as at cellular-, tissue-, orgnismal-,  and functional level. The present issue has 30 research articles of which 20 have been borrowed from other related journals. They are all open access articles that will greatly help research students of developing countries carry out research programs in various important plants such as rice, Arabidopsis.  It is indexed by PubMed, MEDLINE, BIOSIS, CAS, Thomson Reuters (ISI) and Google Scholar. It has just received its first Impact Factor - an impressive 3.23; it is now ranked 18th of 152 in the field of Plant Sciences in the Journal Citation Report.
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Regulation of translation through non-canonical upstream ORF (uORF)
Dhaka 20^th July, ’08. In an article published 22^nd July, 2008 in PNAS USA, Ivanov et al. report the role of non-canonical upstream ORF (uORF) in translational regulation of mammals. There are several regulatory routes in Eukaryotic gene expression, many being discovered, while others remain to be unraveled. Recently various studies have revealed the role of upstream ORFs (uORF) which serve as an additional regulatory route. These uORFs show inhibitory effects in translation. Previously it was assumed that uORFs use AUG as their sole start codon but Ivanov et al. report that ornithine decarboxylase homologues in mammals have non-canonical evolutionarily conserved start codons as uORFs, the main one being AUU which serves as an autoregulatory circuit. Their study also illustrates the role of polyamine level as a new translation regulation device. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engg & Biotech, DU. 
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Hair follicles of mammalian skin: Mechanism of adult stem cell morphogenesis
Dhaka 17^th July, ’08. In an article published July 2008 in Cell Stem Cell, Nowak et al. report the mechanism of stem cell development and morphogenesis in the early stages of  growth of mammalian skin. Adult stem cells (SCs), present in specific niches, maintain tissues during normal homeostasis and wound repair. The origin and the organizational pattern of  adult SCs within a niche remains largely unknown. The study of the above authors unveils that the progeny of Sox9-expressing cells develop into adult SCs in earliest stages of hair follicle morphogenesis. Furthermore, they have shown that early SCs can contribute to all skin epithelial lineages; and in their absence, the normal morphogenesis of HFs and SCs is blocked, severely compromising epidermal wound repair process. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, DU
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Contents of the June Issue of PTC&B Are Available online

Dhaka 14th July, '08. The present issue  now available online has 11 articles of which seven are plant tissue culture related and three on molecular biology. We have introduced a new feature, "News and Views".  The article in this category is by a GNOBB member, Dr. Abdur Rahman Sikder. Hope others will follow his example.  Read the contents and the titles of the articles by clicking here.

This is the 18th year since the publication of Plant Tissue Culture & Biotechnology.   Browsers all over the world including the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world view this journal. The World Map provided by site meter  (Click here to see the site meter recording the last 100 hits) will corroborate the statement.

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  Increasing the efficiency of RNAi (RNA interference) mediated knockdown
Dhaka 13^th July, ’08. In a research article published in 8^th July issue of PNAS (USA), Diederichs et al. report an novel method of increasing efficiency of RNAi mediated knockdown. One of the major problems with using RNAi is its variable efficiency and specificity. This complicates studies targeting individual genes and significantly impairs large-scale screens using genome-wide knockdown libraries. Diederichs et al. have shown that co-expression of Argonaute-2 protein along with interfering RNA gives uniform and highly specific target gene suppression. This observation has immediate applications for optimal design of RNAi strategies.Please click here for the article. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, DU..                      _________________________________________________________________
Lateral Gene Transfer in Eukaryotes 
Dhaka 13^th July, ’08. In a research article published online 9^th July  in PLoS ONE, Graham et el. report the event of Lateral Gene Transfer (LGT) in Eukaryotes. LGT has been a well-documented event in bacteria and viruses, but thus far this phenomenon has not been recorded in Eukaryotes. Here, Graham et al. provide the first such evidence for LGT in vertebrates. Fishes living in cold water produce an endogenous antifreeze protein encoded by a specific gene. The endogenous antifreeze protein allows fishes of different taxa to survive in cold water such as in the arctic ocean.. Until now, scientists believed that that these AFP proteins have evolved independently in different phylogenetic lineages, while some underwent convergent evolution. The isolated occurrence of three very similar type II AFPs in three distantly related fish species (herring, smelt and sea raven) cannot explain this unique event to be independent of one another.  The study of Graham et al.  suggests LGT to be  the possible mechanism accounting for the origin of the type two AFPs in the three different fish species that were investigated by these authors.Please click here for the article. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, DU.
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G8 Leaders Exhort Accelerated Nutrition-Rich Food Production by Agric. Biotech. Dhaka 11th July, '08. G8 leaders have reached  consensus that they would work as partners to establish a global network of high-level experts on food and agriculture that would provide science-based analysis, and highlight needs and future risks of developing countries. The countries forming the Group of eight are: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United States and the United Kingdom. Read the official document by clicking here.
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Integrative genome analysis of somatic cell reporgramming
Dhaka 10^th July, ’08. In a research article published online 3^rd July edition of Nature, Mikkelsen et al. report integrative genome analysis of somatic cell reprogramming. The generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from the somatic tissue is a fascinating avenue of current research due to its immense therapeutic potential. Ectopic expression of certain transcription factors can re-programme somatic cells into pluripotent state albeit at low efficiency. The mechanism and nature of molecular changes underlying the process of direct reprogramming was hitherto mostly unknown. To address this issue Mikkelsen et al. carried out integrative genomic analysis of reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts and B lymphocytes. Their study reveals the underlying reasons behind the low efficiency of direct reprogramming.  Besides their study also demonstrates that RNA inhibition of some other transcription factors can facilitate reprogramming and treatment with DNA methyltransferase inhibitors can improve the overall efficiency of the reprogramming process. Summarized by Mahdi Moosa, Genetic Engg. & Biotechnology, DU.                              
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The Future of Bioinformatics  in Bangladesh: Opinion  by Dr. Haris
Dhaka, the 30^th of May, ’08. We are at crossroads trying our best to decide whether the proposed  Bioinformatics Institute should  be (i)  an independent institute both resident and affiliating; (ii) a part of the National Institute of Biotechnology; or (ii) be established in a public or private university. GNOBB member Dr. Parvez Haris, currently at De Montfort University, UK and an expert in bioinformatics and proteomics has written a thought-provoking reply to Dr. Abdur Rahman Sikder, who can be credited to open once again the issue, initiated originally by Dr. Haris six years back (2002). Dr. Haris describes his sad experience that despite the initial enthusiasm shown by Prof. Jamilur Reza Choudhury and Prof. Zafar Iqbal, the future of bioinformatics is still uncertain in that courses in this discipline have not been launched neither in any public nor in any private university. Pl read the comments  and express yours by clicking here. Read more about what other members say about the Institute.

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Long way to go for to catch up with the biotech progress of the contemporary world
Dhaka June 2^nd, ’08. Soon after his arrival in Dhaka, the moderator contacted Mr. Wahid-uz-Zaman, Secretary, the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology to inquire about the fate of his SOS message emailed to him on the 10^th of May regarding  the implementation of recommendations adopted at the International Biotech Conference held in April, 2007. He pursued the matter and now  the SOS letter is in the hands of the Secretary, MoSICT. To read the letter addressed to the Secretary click here. The moderator can be contacted at 8802-989-5831/8802-988-1470. The moderator takes the opportunity of appealing to members to offer suggestions as to how to speed up the process for the Government to take a favorable decision on the recommendations. In this connection, a special request is made to local members to  volunteer their service to accompany the moderator and Dr. Sultanul Aziz to meet the concerned officials after an appointment is made. It does NOT need to be overemphasized that  there will be an inordinate delay unless a decision is  made in our favor at least two months before the general election.
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An Institute of Bioinformatics Planned in Bangladesh
Austin May 8, 2008. Sometimes things move faster beyond expectation. Only yesterday morning, GNOBB member Dr. Abdur  Sikder, currently employed as a Visiting Scholar in the University of California at Berkeley sought GNOBB’s help to establish an Institute of Bioinformatics in Bangladesh with an independent existence but working closely with Universities and/or other educational and pharmaceutical institutions.  He has already registered a domain name Biobd.org and posted news on the proposed Institute outlining its objectives.  The letter was responded to promptly offering GNOBB’s support and it was also forwarded  to eight Forum members who are working in different areas of bioinformatics collected from GNOBB's database and a few others in BD and abroad. Dr. Sikder was requested to write an article on Bioinformatics and its importance in Bangladesh . In record time i.e., within 24 hours he submitted an article on the subject entitled, Bioinformatics in Bangladesh: an optimistic view. Pl. click here to read the interesting article. Pl. send your comments also. 
Comments: Dr. Jesmin (GEB, DU), Dr. Hasan Jamil, Associate Professor, Computer Science (CS), Wayne University, USA, Dr. Nasimul Noman, CS, DU., Professor Ahmed Azad and Azad-Sikder. Bioinformatics is a means to an end - Azad
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Visits of Expatriates to BD:  When will be your next visit to BD?

Austin, April 30, 2008. GNOBB member, Dr. Abu B. Siddique, Senior Research Scientist, Johnson and Johnson Co. Pennsylvania wrote to GNOBB that during his visit to BD in the first week of  July, he will be happy to give a talk on any of the following topics. His field of specialization is immunology and toxicology related fields. The topics he has chosen are as follows: 1) Safety assessment of vaccines and biologics; b) Drug development from start to finish: c) State-of-the-art immunological techniques used for safety assessment during the pre-clinical and clinical studies. Click here to read the highlights of the talk he is expected to present. He is already scheduled to address the scientists at BIRDEM. More.... Those of you who are planning to visit BD within the next 12 months, pl fill in the online  participation form  (click the words in black bold) available on the right hand column of the homepage under the heading, "Participation of BB during their visit to Bangladesh."

Click here to read  Dr Zaheed Husain's message in response to the above news. Dr Siddique has been invited to speak at a number of institutions indicating fulfillment of GNOBB's objective of creating interaction between NEB's and Bangladeshi Biotech commu