G-box-binding factors are plant transcription factors, involved in a wide range of biological processes including abiotic stress responses. In this study, we analyzed the expression of during salt stress in two contrasting spp. genotypes, and . Two-day-old seedlings were exposed to NaCl stress under two different conditions. One set was exposed to 100 mM NaCl before transferring to 250 mM (induction stress), while another set was transferred directly to 250 mM (shock stress). During early induction stress, was up-regulated in when compared to. We cloned full-length from these two genotypes, and analyzed the sequences. Our analysis indicated the presence of transcript variants, which are designated as and variant retained introns, which lead to the generation of premature termination codon. transcript levels were not significantly different at 12-h of induction stress in and. At 24-h of shock stress, was up-regulated in both genotypes and the transcript was more in. Since, and are predicted to be splice variants, we examined expression pattern of , a splicing factor and component of the spliceosome. In induction stress, was up-regulated at 12- and 24-h in when compared to. On the contrary, at 24-h shock stress, was down-regulated in when compared to . It is possible that expression was increased in during induction stress for accurate splicing that could aid in tolerance. This is the first report on splice variant and the variant could have specific functions linked to stress tolerance in rice.

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DNA methylation is known to regulate gene expression when plants are exposed to abiotic stress such as drought. Therefore, insight into DNA methylation pattern would be useful for a better understanding of the expression profile of genes associated with drought adaptation. In the present study, we attempted to analyse the DNA methylation pattern at the whole-genome level and the expression of a few drought-responsive genes in rice under different regimes of soil water status, i.e. puddled, 100 and 60% field capacities (FC). The methylation-sensitive randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis was employed to identify DNA methylation pattern. We observed an increase in DNA methylation at 60% FC, and reduced methylation under 100% FC compared to puddled condition. The genes such as protein phosphatases (PP2C) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) having CpG islands in their promoter region had lower expression level under 100 and 60% FC compared to puddled conditions. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and RNA helicase 25 (RH25), with no CpG islands in their promoter region, exhibited enhanced expression compared to puddled plants. In rice, increased DNA methylation seems to be an important mechanism associated with drought responses, which probably regulates the methylation-sensitive gene expression. The drought-induced changes in DNA methylation would contribute for epigenetic mechanism. The study provided evidence to argue that drought-induced increased methylation might be one of the major mechanisms associated with acclimation responses in field crops like rice.

Context: The study involves the evaluation of two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques one of which has been endorsed by the WHO for their diagnostic capabilities. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of GeneXpert mycobacterium tuberculosis/Rifampin (MTB/RIF) and mycoreal PCR techniques in the diagnosis of endometrial tuberculosis (TB) considering culture as the gold standard. Settings and Design: A retrospective study conducted at Gunasheela surgical and maternity hospital. Patients who attended the outpatient department between January 2013 and August 2016, satisfying the eligibility criteria, were included in the study. Methodology: Women included in the study underwent endometrial pipelle sampling premenstrually after ruling out pregnancy in that cycle. Endometrial samples were tested for TB by Mycoreal PCR, Gene Xpert and BACTEC culture. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using the R software version 3.6.1. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of test were calculated. Results: A total of 3229 samples were analyzed, of which 1754 were evaluated by Mycoreal TB PCR and 1475 were evaluated by Gene Xpert MTB/RIF assay. The sensitivity of mycoreal TB PCR technique was 34.78%, specificity was 99.08%, PPV was 33.33%, NPV was 99.13%, and accuracy was 98.23%. The sensitivity of GeneXpert MTB/RIF technique was 6.90%, specificity was 99.79%, PPV was 40.00%, NPV was 98.16%, and accuracy was 97.97%. Conclusions: MYCOREAL seemed to be more sensitive than Gene Xpert (MTB/RIF) considering culture as the gold standard in the diagnosis of endometrial TB.

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