ISAJ Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 2 (September 2016)

From the Editor’s Desk

Greetings and a warm welcome to the Second Issue of ISAJ Newsletter!

We sincerely apologize for the delay in coming up with the present issue after successfully launching the first issue in March 2016. We wish to thank you all our esteemed readers for your generous support and valuable feedback on the inaugural issue. Your appreciation means a lot to us, and it will go a long way toward motivating us to move forward and do our best.

In this issue, you will get three technical contributions by our community members under the section titles: “Research Updates”, “Research Spotlights”, and “From the Pen of Young Mind”.

Research Updates: Climate Prediction and Application Studies at JAMSTEC

By Dr. Satyaban B. Ratna, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

Weather and climate forecasts on timescales of days to seasons are very important to reduce vulnerability to extreme floods and droughts. Our research group in Application Laboratory of JAMSTEC has been involved with research on seasonal climate forecasts for the last few decades.

Key Research Areas

Tropical air-sea coupled climate phenomena such as El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), ENSO Modoki, Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), subtropical Indian Ocean dipole, Ningaloo Niño, California Niño and Dakar Niño have significant impacts on our society. We are trying to predict such climate modes because accurate predictions and dissemination of predicted information are important to mitigate influences of extreme weather and climate events.

The SINTEX-F Model

We have been investigating oceanic and atmospheric processes responsible for climate and ocean variations, mostly using a high-resolution coupled model (SINTEX-F) and other available observations. The SINTEX-F model has been known to predict IOD, ENSO and other climate modes on long lead-times. Our seasonal predictions are generated every month and made available on the JAMSTEC website.

Societal Applications

Recently we have started to use seasonal forecasts for societal applications in different socioeconomic sectors:

• Agriculture: Cultivation and harvesting planning
• Health: Disease control (malaria, cholera, dengue)
• Water Resources: Water management and drought/flood warnings
• Regional Scale: Using downscaling approach with regional climate models at higher spatial resolution (up to 5km)

Research Spotlights: Genomic Medicine - Ultra-small siRNA-caplet for Delivery Application

By Dr. PK Hashim, The University of Tokyo

Disaster diseases such as cancer affect millions of people worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths in 2012. Traditional chemotherapy has limitations including undesired side effects. Genomic medicine using gene fragments (e.g., siRNA) as pharmaceutical agents offers an excellent alternative with 100% efficiency while avoiding undesired targets.

Innovation in Delivery Systems

We present the construction of a siRNA/carrier conjugate smaller than 10 nm using a polymer chemistry approach. A water-soluble Gu+ monomer bearing two thiol termini undergoes disulfide polymerization upon oxidation in the presence of a siRNA-template to form polymer-siRNA complexes (siRNA-nanocaplet).

Key Findings

• Uniform size confirmed by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS)
• Stable against serum proteins
• Efficient cellular uptake demonstrated through confocal laser scanning microscopy
• Successful gene suppression in Hep3B cells without notable toxicity
• Selective accumulation in kidney upon in vivo administration, suggesting potential for treating renal diseases

From the Pen of Young Mind: Engineering Sheath Blight Resistance in Rice (Oryza sativa)

By Ambika K. Dudhate, The University of Tokyo

Sheath blight is a fungal disease of intensive rice production caused by R. solani, reducing crop yield by 5-8%. Only partial genetic resistance has been reported so far, and traditional breeding is laborious and complicated by cross-ability barriers.

Genetic Engineering Approach

This study analyzed the role of two transcription factors:

1. OsPFT1 (Phytochrome and Flowering Time 1): Mediator complex in disease resistance
2. OsMYC: A negative transcription factor against defense-related pathways

Results

• OsPFT1 Overexpression: Generated 16 putative transgenic plants; two out of three events showed enhanced resistance
• OsMYC Silencing: Generated 21 putative transgenic plants showing enhanced resistance compared to control plants
• PCR analysis confirmed successful transgene integration
• Bioassays demonstrated significant improvement in sheath blight resistance

This genetic engineering approach offers a promising alternative to traditional breeding and fungicide use, addressing both environmental and health concerns while improving crop yields.

Funding Opportunities

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India announces various funding schemes:

• Early Career Research Award (September 1-30)
• National Post Doctoral Fellowship (October 1-31)
• Extra Mural Research Funding (November 1 - December 31)

For more details: http://serbonline.in/SERB/HomePage.do