The C-C chemokines, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)1alpha and MIP1beta are potent chemoattractants for the monocytes, which form an important component of the stroma of tumor tissue and may regulate tumor growth and associated inflammation. We examined the role of MIP1alpha and MIP1beta in inducing the release of inflammatory cytokines and the generation of tumoricidal monocytes from the peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) of healthy women and patients with carcinoma of breast (CaBr). Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha release by the PBM was markedly stimulated by MIP1alpha in CaBr patients, but only marginally so in healthy women. In contrast, MIP1beta stimulated the release of these cytokines by the PBM of healthy women, but failed to do so in CaBr patients. MIP1alpha, but not MIP1beta, synergized with LPS in inducing the release of IL-1 from the PBM of both healthy women and CaBr patients. Both MIP1alpha and MIP1beta augmented respiratory bursts in PBM and generated tumoricidal PBM that killed T24 cells, MIP1alpha being more effective in CaBr patients and MIP1beta in healthy women. IFN-gamma co-stimulated and IL-4 suppressed MIP1alpha and beta-induced cytotoxicity in PBM. The synergy of IFN-gamma was more marked with MIP1alpha than with MIP1beta. The differential effects of MIP1alpha and MIP1beta on the PBM of healthy women and CaBr patients co-related with the levels of expression of CCR1 and CCR5 in these monocytes. The expression of CCR5 was higher than that of CCR1 in the PBM of healthy women and the PBM of the CaBr patients showed overexpression of CCR1 and downregulation of CCR5.

A diallel method was employed in which eight genotypically diverse lines of mungbean were crossed among themselves in all possible combinations excluding reciprocals. The mean square due to general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) were significant for all the characters except mean square due to (SCA) for clusters per plant and seed yield per plant indicating importance of both additive as well as non-additive gene action. The estimates of variances due to specific combining ability were higher than general combining ability for all the traits except days to 50 % flowering, primary branches per plant, clusters per plant and seed yield per plant pointed out to be the preponderance of non-additive gene effects in the expression of these characters. Whereas predictability ratios were greater than the value of 0.5 for days to 50 % flowering, primary branches per plant, clusters per plant and seed yield per plant indicating the predominance of additive gene action for these characters. However, predictability ratio exhibited less than 0.5 values for rest of the characters indicating the predominance of non-additive gene action. The good general combiners for seed yield per plant were BM-4, PDM-139, ML-131, and IPM 99-125. The best specific cross combinations wereRMG-344 x RMG-1045, RMG-1035 x RMG-1045 and BM-4 x PDM-139. showed the highest positive significant SCA effect for seed yield per plant. These cross combinations could be utilized for further use in breeding programme for improvement in yield of mungbean.

For combining ability analysis, a diallel method was employed in which eight genotypically diverse lines of green gram were crossed among themselves in all possible combinations excluding reciprocals. The analysis for combining ability revealed significant mean sum of squares of both general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for most of the characters which indicated the presence of both additive and non-additive gene actions. Higher magnitude of GCA effects than SCA effects were observed for days to secondary branches per plant, 100 seeds weight and seed yield per plant indicating predominance of these traits by additive gene effects. Higher magnitude of SCA effects than GCA effects were observed for characters pod length, seed protein content and seed methionine content pointed out to be the preponderance of non-additive gene effects in the expression of these characters. The good general combiner for seed yield was BM-4, whereas, IPM 99-125 was most promising for seed protein content and RMG-1045 for seed methionine content. The best specific cross combinations for seed yield and seed methionine content was BM-4 x PDM-139 and for seed protein content cross RMG-1035 x RMG-1045. These parents and cross combinations could be utilized for further breeding programme for improvement in yield and quality of mungbean.

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