Two cases with pycnodysostosis in a family: a case report

Pycnodysostosis (Greek, pycnos - density, dys - defect, ostosis - bone) is a rare inherited disorder of the bone, first described by Maroteaux and Lamy. Pycnodysostosis is an autosomal recessive disorder, with incidence estimated to be 1.7 per 1 million births. Clinical presentation of this disorder include short stature, dolichocephalic skull, frontal bossing, obtuse mandibular angle, dysplastic clavicles, and short hands and feet, diffuse osteosclerosis, acro-osteolysis along with the finger and nail abnormalities. The main oral aspects are midfacial hypoplasia, a grooved palate, and dental abnormalities include double row of teeth, delayed eruption of permanent dentition, multiple caries. Pathological fractures of the bones occur due to sclerosis. Radiologically, skull bones appear thickened with open fontanels which look like 'lakes of bones', hypoplasia of facial bones, generalized osteosclerosis, open fontanels and cranial sutures, non pneumotization of paranasal sinuses, and fractures commonly in lower limbs.

Suppressors of RNA silencing encoded by tomato leaf curl betasatellites.

Virus encoded RNA-silencing suppressors (RSSs) are the key components evolved by the viruses to counter RNA-silencing defense of plants. Whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses infecting tomato crop code for five different proteins, ORF AC4, ORF AC2 and ORF AV2 in DNA-A component, ORF BV1 in DNA-B and ORF βC1 in satellite DNA β which are predicted to function as silencing suppressors. In the present study suppressor function of ORF βC1 of three betasatellites Tomato leaf curl Bangalore betasatellite ToLCBB-[IN:Hess:08], Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite CLCuMB–[IN:Sri:02] and Luffa leaf distortion betasatellite LuLDB-[IN:Lu:04] were examined. Agroinfiltration of GFP-silenced Nicotiana tabaccum cv. Xanthi with the cells expressing βC1 protein resulted in reversal of silenced GFP expression. GFP-siRNA level was more than 50-fold lower compared to silenced plants in plants infiltrated with βC1 gene from ToLCBB. However, in the case of 35S-βC1 CLCuMB and 35S-βC1 LuLDB construct, although GFP was expressed, siRNA level was not reduced, indicating that the step at which βC1 interfere in RNA-silencing pathway is different.