Genetic Polymorphisms in VIR Genes among Indian Plasmodium vivax Populations

The vir genes are antigenic genes and are considered to be possible vaccine targets. Since India is highly endemic to Plasmodium vivax, we sequenced 5 different vir genes and investigated DNA sequence variations in 93 single-clonal P. vivax isolates. High variability was observed in all the 5 vir genes; the vir 1/9 gene was highly diverged across Indian populations. The patterns of genetic diversity do not follow geographical locations, as geographically distant populations were found to be genetically similar. The results in general present complex genetic diversity patterns in India, requiring further in-depth population genetic and functional studies.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine in a child, an accelerated clinical and radiologic response to steroid therapy

Ophthalmoplegic migraine is characterized by recurrent attacks of migraine-like headache with paresis of ocular cranial nerves. To date, the exact etiology of ophthalmoplegic migraine remains unknown. We report a 9-year-old girl with typical clinical features of ophthalmoplegic migraine. She presented to us shortly after onset of her fi fth episode. The initial episodes of opthalmoplegia used to last for about 2-3 months with gradual and complete recovery. Brain MRI with contrast study revealed a thickened, enhancing right oculomotor nerve in the cisternal segment during the acute phase of ophthalmoplegia. She was treated with steroid for two weeks as well as with divalproex sodium for prophylaxis of migraine. There was complete recovery of ophthalmoplegia after four weeks of treatment with complete resolution of third nerve enhancement on repeat imaging. There were no further episodes of ophthalmoplegia within a follow up period of one year. Steroid therapy may hasten the recovery of ophthalmoplegia and prophylactic treatment of migraine may reduce the episodes and severity of ophthalmoplegic migraine.

Complexity of rice Hsp100 gene family: lessons from rice genome sequence data.

Elucidation of genome sequence provides an excellent platform to understand detailed complexity of the various gene families. Hsp100 is an important family of chaperones in diverse living systems. There are eight putative gene loci encoding for Hsp100 proteins in Arabidopsis genome. In rice, two full-length Hsp100 cDNAs have been isolated and sequenced so far. Analysis of rice genomic sequence by in silico approach showed that two isolated rice Hsp100 cDNAs correspond to Os05g44340 and Os02g32520 genes in the rice genome database. There appears to be three additional proteins (encoded by Os03g31300, Os04g32560 and Os04g33210 gene loci) that are variably homologous to Os05g44340 and Os02g32520 throughout the entire amino acid sequence. The above five rice Hsp100 genes show significant similarities in the signature sequences known to be conserved among Hsp100 proteins. While Os05g44340 encodes cytoplasmic Hsp100 protein, those encoded by the other four genes are predicted to have chloroplast transit peptides.