Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is one of the most important fiber and oil crop
plants cultivated since ancient time. The flax seeds contain high amount of
omega- 3-fatty acids and biologically active lignans. In spite of economic
importance of cultivated flax, no information is available on its genetic
variability and population structure in Iran. Therefore, we used six
inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP) markers and 15 combined
IRAP markers to reveal within and among population genetic diversity in this
crop plant. We used 30 randomly selected plants in three geographical
populations for present investigation. AMOVA test produced significant
genetic difference (PhiPT = 0.40, P = 0.010) among the studied populations
and also revealed that, 40% of total genetic variability was due to within
population diversity while, 60% was due to among population genetic
differentiation. Gst (0.78, P = 0.001), Hedrick, standardised fixation index
(G'st = 0.83, P = 0.001), revealed that the studied populations are
genetically differentiated. STRUCTURE plot based on admixture model revealed
that the studied populations differed extensively in their genetic content,
but some degree of shared alleles occurred between them. Some adaptive IRAP
loci were identified by LFMM analysis. These loci were private alleles
restricted to geographical populations. Data obtained may be used in breeding
and hybridization program of flax in the country.
The genus Linum L. (Linaceae) has more than 200 species. These species have agricultural, industrial, and medicinal importance. Domestication and continuous selection reduce genetic diversity of plants and in order to develop new and improved varieties, we should utilize all available genetic diversity in that crop and its wild relatives. The cultivated flax (L. usitatissimum L.) is an important crop plant and is being evaluated as a crop platform for the production of bio-industrial and nutraceutical products. In present study, we studied 230 plants of 23 populations in four Linum species namely, pale flax (L. bienne Mill.), cultivated flax (L. usitatissimum L.), and two wild relatives, L. austriacum L. and L. album L. The objective of this study was to investigate population genetic structure and genetic variability within each species using SSR and EST-SSR markers.The low degree of genetic variability was obtained in these species. AMOVA revealed significant genetic difference among species and populations. The significant correlation was observed between genetic and geographical distances the studied species. Evanno test and K-Means clustering revealed genetic fragmentation in the studied Linum species. Networking and STRUCTURE analysis revealed genetic affinity of the populations. The population assignment test revealed absence of gene flow or the occurrence of very limited gene flow among populations.
Despite various efforts to produce potent recombinant bio-adhesive proteins for medical purposes, efficient production of a safe and feasible bio-glue is not yet a commercial reality due to the weak properties or low expression levels. Here, a feasible expression system has been developed to produce strong recombinant fusion bioinspired protein using mussel foot protein 3 and 5 (Mfps) along with gas vesicle protein A (GvpA) of Anabaena flos-aquae, and a curli protein CsgA from E. coli, expressed under the control of alcohol oxidase (AOX1) promoter for high-level production in yeast P. pastoris using pPICZα vector. Purified chimeric proteins were first evaluated using western blotting, and their remaining dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) was measured in the modified proteins by NBT assay. We further elucidated the mechanistic properties of obtained adhesive protein assembly in various pH levels based on its different subunits using atomic force microscopy (AFM) when adsorbed onto the mica surface. We found that both combinational structural features of subunits and post-translational changes during expression in yeast host have led to potent adherence due to higher DOPA residues specially in acidic condition and tetrad complex which is higher than that of earlier reports in prokaryotic systems. We believe that our obtained chimeric protein resulted from the fusion of GvpA and CsgA proteins with DOPA-containing Mfp proteins, expressed in the methylotrophic yeast, P. pastoris, not only presents a candidate for future biomedical applications but also provides novel biological clues used for high-performance bioinspired biomaterial designation.
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