Ithaca (New York): According to new research, butterfly wing patterns follow a basic plan that is manipulated by non-coding regulatory DNA to create the diversity of wings seen in different species.
The study, "Deep cis-regulatory homology of the butterfly wing pattern ground plan," published in the journal science, explains how DNA that sits between genes - called 'junk' DNA or non-coding regulatory DNA - accommodates a basic plan conserved over tens to hundreds of millions of years while at the same time allowing wing patterns to evolve extremely quickly.
The research supports the idea that an ancient color pattern ground plan is already encoded in the genome and that non-coding regulatory DNA works like switches to turn up some patterns and turn down others.
"We are interested to know how the same gene can build these very different looking butterflies," said Anyi Mazo-Vargas, Ph.D. '20, the study's first author and a former graduate student in the lab of senior author, Robert Reed, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Mazo-Vargas is currently a postdoctoral researcher at George Washington University.
"We see that there's a very conserved group of switches [non-coding DNA] that are working in different positions and are activated and driving the gene," Mazo-Vargas said.
Previous work in Reed's lab has uncovered key color pattern genes: one (WntA) that controls stripes and another (Optix) that controls color and iridescence in butterfly wings. When the researchers disabled the Optix gene, the wings appeared black, and when the WntA gene was deleted, stripe patterns disappeared.
This study focused on the effect of non-coding DNA on the WntA gene. Specifically, the researchers ran experiments on 46 of these non-coding elements in five species of nymphalid butterflies, which is the largest family of butterflies.
In order for these non-coding regulatory elements to control genes, tightly wound coils of DNA become unspooled, a sign that a regulatory element is interacting with a gene to activate it, or in some cases, turn it off. In the study, the researchers used a technology called ATAC-seq to identify regions in the genome where this unraveling is occurring. Mazo-Vargas compared ATAC-seq profiles from the wings of five butterfly species, in order to identify genetic regions involved in wing pattern development. They were surprised to find that a large number of regulatory regions were shared across very different butterfly species.
Mazo-Vargas and colleagues then employed CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology to disable 46 regulatory elements one at a time, in order to see the effects on wing patterns when each of these non-coding DNA sequences were broken. When deleted, each non-coding element changed an aspect of the wing patterns of the butterflies.
The researchers found that across four of the species - Junonia coenia (buckeye), Vanessa cardui (painted lady), Heliconius himera and Agraulis vanillae (gulf fritillary) - each of these non-coding elements had similar functions with respect to the WntA gene, proving they were ancient and conserved, likely originating in a distant common ancestor.
They also found that D. plexippus (monarch) used different regulatory elements from the other four species to control its WntA gene, perhaps because it lost some of its genetic information over its history and had to reinvent its own regulatory system to develop its unique color patterns.
"We have progressively come to understand that most evolution occurs because of mutations in these non-coding regions," Reed said. "What I hope is that this paper will be a case study that shows how people can use this combination of ATAC-seq and CRISPR to begin to interrogate these interesting regions in their own study systems, whether they work on birds or flies or worms." —ANI

According to new research, butterfly wing patterns follow a basic plan that is manipulated by non-coding regulatory DNA to create the diversity of wings seen in different species.

Researchers Find How 'Junk' DNA Can Build Different Looking Butterfly Wings

New Delhi: Increased consumption of junk foods and less physical activity is the main reason why school children are seeing a spike in heart attacks, said doctors here on Monday.
Several recent media reports have shown kids as young as 10-year-olds dying due to heart attacks.
"Fast food culture is growing up in our country as a whole, which I believe is the main reason behind such conditions," Dr Neeraj Aggarwal, a paediatric cardiologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told IANS.
"The number of heart attacks in children is not very high. But, due to increased obesity and sedentary lifestyles, the risk of suffering from a heart attack has spiked," added Dr Amit Misri, Associate Director, Pediatrics Cardiology, Paediatrics, Medanta, Gurugram
The doctors lamented the drastic change in children's lifestyles -- children prefer playing online games instead of engaging in physical activity. They tend to take the elevator rather than the stairs.
They consume food from outside instead of home food which is balanced. Their food choices veer towards those which contain carbohydrates and fats - all providing the child energy which/he is not physically expending.
So, all these leads to obesity which increases the risk and possible incidence of heart attacks, Dr Misri said.
Dr Aggarwal said bad lifestyle is causing tiredness, high blood pressure as well as diabetes among the kids, all which are again risk factors for heart attacks.
Numerous studies have documented the ill effects of consumption of ultra processed foods which have a high and sugar salt content.
In addition the health experts also mentioned congenital problems in some kids, which can lead to sudden cardiac death in patients.
"These patients are prone to having arrhythmias which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Of late we have seen that the children who were diagnosed with Covid also might have a small risk of blocked coronary arteries which over a period of time can cause cardiac death," Dr Misri told IANS.
Secondary infections like Covid, dengue and malaria all can increase risk for heart failure in children as they cause damage to the heart muscle, said Dr Aggarwal.
Apart from that there are some genetic or syndrome disorders. Like the Marfan syndrome whereby the arteries of the body are dilated, and they have a propensity to suddenly rupture which can be a cause of sudden cardiac death.
Substance abuse by teenagers, the use of supplements when using the gym, dieting and exercising to extremes - these can also cause heart attacks.
How can we prevent this?
A lifestyle change with proper exercise, balanced food which is less on sugars, carbohydrates, fats, more of protein intake of fresh fruits or home-cooked is of utmost importance, the health experts noted.
Children should be encouraged to engage in physical activities for 30 minutes to one hour daily. These include sports like swimming, cycling, any sort of activity that increases the output or consumes more of energy that is first. Dr Aggarwal said that besides parents, school and teachers can also play a significant role in helping children cut down on sedentary lifestyle and inculcate healthy habits
"School plays a major role, it can restrict junk food in its canteens. Avoid junk food. Even a healthy looking juice is loaded with sugars. Foods high in carbohydrate; maggi, cold drinks, shouldn't be allowed in school canteens," he said.
Teachers should also be educated and made aware of the harm of eating unhealthy foods, who can then in turn educate children, the doctor said. —IANS

Increased consumption of junk foods and less physical activity is the main reason why school children are seeing a spike in heart attacks

Doctors Blame Junk Food For Rising Heart Problems Among School-Going Kids

Washington: A new technique, described in the journal Science boosts financial incentives for plastic recycling and makes it possible to recycle new kinds of plastic. According to researchers' estimates, the conventional production of these industrial chemicals would result in a 60 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The new method depends on a few methods for chemical processing that are already in use. The first is pyrolysis, which involves heating plastics to high temperatures without any oxygen present. Pyrolysis oil, a liquid mixture of different compounds, is the end result. The primary component of modern chemicals and polymers, such as different kinds of polyesters, surfactants, alcohols, and carboxylic acids, olefins, are a major component of pyrolysis oil. Chemical producers currently subject petroleum to extremely high heat and pressure to produce olefins through energy-intensive processes like steam cracking. In this new method, the UW-Madison team extracts olefins from pyrolysis oil and uses them in homogenous hydroformylation catalysis, a significantly less energy-intensive chemical process. Olefins are transformed through this process into aldehydes, which can subsequently be reduced into significant industrial alcohols. “These products can be used to make a wide range of materials that are of higher value,” said George Huber, a professor of chemical and biological engineering who led the work alongside postdoctoral researcher Houqian Li and PhD student Jiayang Wu. These higher-value materials include ingredients used to make soaps and cleaners, as well as other more useful polymers. “We’re really excited about the implications of this technology,” said Huber, who also directs the Department of Energy-funded Center for the Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics. “It’s a platform technology to upgrade plastic waste using hydroformylation chemistry.” The recycling industry could adopt the process soon; in recent years, at least 10 large chemical companies have built or announced plans for facilities to produce pyrolysis oils from waste plastics. Many of them run the pyrolysis oil through steam crackers to produce low-value compounds. The new chemical recycling technique could provide a more sustainable and lucrative way to use those oils. “Currently, these companies don’t have a really good approach to upgrade the pyrolysis oil,” said Li. “In this case, we can get high-value alcohols worth $1,200 to $6,000 per ton from waste plastics, which are only worth about $100 per ton. In addition, this process uses existing technology and techniques. It’s relatively easy to scale up.” The study was a collaborative effort across a few different UW–Madison departments, Huber says. Clark Landis, chair of the Department of Chemistry and a world expert on hydroformylation, suggested the possibility of applying the technique to pyrolysis oils. Chemical and biological engineering Professor Manos Mavarikakis used advanced modelling to provide molecular-level insight into the chemical processes. And chemical and biological engineering Professor Victor Zavala provided help analyzing the economics of the technique and the life cycle of plastic waste. “There are so many different products and so many routes we can pursue with this platform technology,” said Huber. “There’s a huge market for the products we’re making. I think it really could change the plastic recycling industry.” —ANI

A new technique, described in the journal Science boosts financial incentives for plastic recycling 

New Recycling Method To Market 'Junk' Plastic Waste

New Delhi: India is seeing a significant rise in cases of non communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension among children. Health experts on Monday blamed the surge on ever-increasing consumption of junk food that is loaded with excess and unhealthy sugar, salt and fat. Speaking to IANS, Dr Sathya Sriram, CEO - Preventive Health, Apollo, shared that among Indian children there has been a notable increase in obesity, pre-diabetes, fatty liver disease, and hypertension -- “with obesity cases tripling and hypertension quadrupling in the past five years”. These diseases, which were till a decade ago, largely associated with adulthood, are now increasing “in an age group we have never considered in the past. At Apollo, we have observed that the rate of incidence of NCDs (diabetes, obesity, hypertension, etc.) has nearly doubled in children between 5-17 years of age over the past decade”. Dr Sriram noted that 5-17 years is an age group where there should ‘technically and historically’ not be a growing impact of lifestyle diseases. However Apollo’s data, based on an analysis of nearly 10,000 screenings across walk-ins and campus outreach, showed 17 per cent prediabetes cases -- projecting a potentially early onset of diabetes as they step into adulthood. The incidence of diabetes was also found to have doubled in these ages over the past 5 years -- from 1.37 per cent in 2018 to 3.68 per cent in 2023 across a nearly similar sample size, as indicated by HbA1C levels. Similarly, the data also showed hypertension cases in children as young as 7-year-olds, which is roughly 6 per cent of those screened, Dr Sriram said. A sedentary lifestyle and genetic predisposition are important risk factors. But, Dr Arun Gupta, a paediatrician and Convener of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) -- a national think-tank on nutrition, blames the surge on rising childhood obesity, majorly caused by the increased consumption of junk or ultra processed foods (UPF). “Obesity is a precursor for the non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancer,” he told IANS. He cited the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) 3,4 and 5, which shows obesity is quickly rising in children and adult men and women. This can also be seen in the context of the growth of the ultra processed food industry in India, said Dr Gupta. A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report showed that in India, the UPF industry grew at a compound annual growth rate of 13.37 per cent in terms of retail sales value between 2011 and 2021. It is expected that UPF would expand more quickly than staple foods. The doctor added that even the families are not bothered about what the children are eating. “For example, biscuits are a very common junk food. While it seems unharmful, it contains salt, sugar and fats more than the WHO recommendations for daily intake. Lack of awareness on the risk it poses can explain why its consumption is rising among kids,” he told IANS. Dr Sriram also highlighted the rise of mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression in children, which is further intensified by social and environmental factors. “Lifestyle shifts towards greater screen time are not only leading to orthopaedic issues but also contributing to learning problems in children,” he told IANS. “Beyond non-communicable diseases and early mental health issues, a variety of conditions including vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, functional changes, and vision and hearing problems are important factors that can share a child’s future health. "These conditions, if unmanaged, can lead to serious complications and affect life quality and longevity,” Dr Sriram said. Dr Gupta called for “strict and clear regulation” on UPFs. “It would be a good step if children are encouraged to eat real food in their school canteen,” he said, noting that it will then also be extended at family level. Dr Sriram advised parents to make health check-ups a routine part of children, instead of waiting for illness. “These check-ups are essential not just for disease prevention but also for ensuring your child's overall well-being and peak performance in all areas of life,” he said. —IANS

India is seeing a significant rise in cases of non communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension among children

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Researchers Find How 'Junk' DNA Can Build Different Looking Butterfly Wings

Inam Ansari

The Hawk

Tag : Junk

Researchers Find How 'Junk' DNA Can Build Different Looking Butterfly Wings

Inam Ansari

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