Background: Assessment of genetic diversity of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp (cowpea) accessions using informative molecular markers is imperative for their genetic improvement and conservation. Use of efficacious molecular markers to obtain the required knowledge of the genetic diversity within the local and regional germplasm collections can enhance the overall effectiveness of cowpea improvement programs, hence, the comparative assessment of Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and Start codon targeted (SCoT) markers in genetic diversity of V. unguiculata accessions from different regions in Nigeria. Comparative analysis of the genetic diversity of eighteen accessions from different locations in Nigeria was investigated using ISSR and SCoT markers. DNA extraction was done using Zymogen Kit according to its manufacturer's instructions followed by amplifications with ISSR and SCoT and agarose gel electrophoresis. The reproducible bands were scored for analyses of dendrograms, principal component analysis, genetic diversity, allele frequency, polymorphic information content, and population structure.

Background Cancer chemotherapy is difficult because current medications for the treatment of cancer have been linked to a slew of side effects; as a result, researchers are tasked with developing greener cancer chemotherapies. Moringa oleifera has been reported with several bioactive compounds which confirm its application for various ailments by traditional practitioners. In this study, we aim to prospect the therapeutic potentials of M. oleifera phytocompounds against cancer proliferation as a step towards drug discovery using a computational approach. Target proteins: dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and B-Cell Lymphoid-2 (BCL-2), were retrieved from the RCSB PDB web server. Sixteen and five phytocompounds previously reported in M. oleifera leaves (ML) and seeds (MS), respectively, by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were synthesized and used in the molecular docking study. For accurate prediction of binding sites of the target proteins; standard inhibitors, Methotrexate (MTX) for DHFR, and Venetoclax (VTC) for BCL-2, were docked together with the test compounds. We further predicted the ADMET profile of the potential inhibitors for an insight into their chance of success as candidates in drug discovery. Results Results for the binding affinities, docking poses, and the interactions showed that ML2, ML4-6, ML8-15, and MS1-5 are potential inhibitors of DHFR and BCL-2, respectively. In the ADMET profile, ML2 and ML4 showed the best drug-likeness by non-violation of Lipski Rule of Five. ML4-6, ML8, ML11, ML14-15, and MS1, MS3-5 exhibit high GI absorption; ML2, ML4-6, ML8, MS1, and MS5 are blood–brain barrier permeants. ML2, ML4, ML9, ML13, and MS2 do not interfere with any of the CYP450 isoforms. The toxicity profile showed that all the potential inhibitors are non-carcinogenic and non-hERG I (human ether-a-go-go related gene I) inhibitors. ML4, ML11, and MS4 are hepatotoxic and ML7, ML10, and MS4 are hERG II inhibitors. A plethora of insights on the toxic endpoints and lethal concentration values showed that ML5, ML13, and MS2 are comparatively less lethal than other potential inhibitors. Conclusion This study has demonstrated that M. oleifera phytocompounds are potential inhibitors of the disease proteins involved in cancer proliferation, thus, an invaluable step toward the discovery of cancer chemotherapy with lesser limitations.

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Varietal variability in seed contents of 6 antinutritional factors (ANFs) of importance in cowpea was studied using 104 accessions. The aim of the study was to help broaden the selection guide for cowpea lines for consumption especially for individuals who depend largely on cowpea for protein and for selection of cultivars with intrinsic potentials to resist insect pest infestation for cultivation by farmers. The Phytic acid content varied from 2.58-3.91 with a mean value of 3.09 ± 0.24 mg/g; Oxalate ranged from 0.57-0.99 with a mean of 0.78 ± 0.08 mg/g; Trypsin inhibitor ranged from 14.98-27.93 with an average of 21.39 ± 2.41 TIU/mg; Hemagglutinin varied very widely from 5.10-83.00 with a mean of 63.92 ± 10.72 HU/mg; Tannin varied from 2.14-4.21 with a mean of 3.08 ± 0.54 mg/g; whereas Cyanogenic glycoside ranged from 370.0-402.0 with an average value of 388.63 ± 8.48 mg/kg. We report here a very high degree of variability in all the ANFs among the accessions (p < 0.0001), suggesting ample opportunities-to select cultivars of choice for consumption, for genetic improvement of the crop, and for possible presence of accessions with natural ability to resist pest attack.

Background Identification of high resolving DNA-based markers is of paramount importance to unlock the potential of genetic diversity and selection of unique accessions of Capsicum annuum L., within Cross River and Ebonyi States of Nigeria, for breeding and conservation. Therefore, we comparatively explored the effectiveness of start codon targeted (SCoT) and directed amplified minisatellite DNA (DAMD) markers for diversity analysis of the accessions. Fifteen accessions were collected for DNA extraction and amplifications with the markers. Results Dendrograms from SCoT and DAMD categorized the accessions into five and three genetic groups, respectively, while the principal component analysis identified five genetic clusters, each from the markers. The average values of allele, gene diversity and polymorphic information content detected with SCoT and DAMD demonstrate that the two markers were effective and efficient, especially, SCoT in genetic diversity study of the accessions of pepper. Number of polymorphic loci (NPL) and percentage polymorphic loci (PPL) from SCoT (NPL = 64, PPL = 80.00–95.73%) and DAMD (NPL = 56, PPL = 53.33–86.67%) were high, but higher in SCoT markers. Other effective genetic parameters (effective number of alleles, Nei’s genetic diversity and Shannon’s information indices) identified with the two marker systems elucidated the allelic richness, rich genetic diversity within the populations and informative nature of the markers, especially SCoT. The intraspecific genetic diversity, interspecific genetic diversity, and coefficient of differentiation obtained with SCoT and DAMD further exposed the genetic structure with more genetic divergence within than among the populations of the accessions. Estimate of gene flow from the SCoT markers was 3.8375 and 0.6.2042 for the DAMD markers. The estimate of gene flow values from the markers indicated extensiveness with SCoT (Nm = 3.8375) and extremely extensive with DAMD (Nm = 6.2042) among the populations. Conclusion This study shows that SCoT markers may be more useful and informative than DAMD in measuring genetic diversity and differentiation of the accessions of the genus Capsicum. Genetic parameters obtained with SCoT showed that the accessions from Cross River were more genetically diverse than the ones from Ebonyi State. Therefore, SCoT may be a preferred marker in evaluating genetic diversity for improvement and conservation of this spicy crop, C. capsicum.