ANNUAL REPORT - Department of Biotechnology

similarity with the already reported Penaeus
monodon Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone 1
precursor gene complete cds. Primers for amplifying
CDS of GIH gene were designed from the conserved
region of the available GIH gene sequence of
Lobsters and Metapenaeus sp. Total RNA isolation
from the eyestalk of shrimp was standardized and
the method yielded sufficient amount of good quality
total RNA for further purification and analysis.
Patents
a. PAT/4.9.2/06052: Biocontrol of luminous bacteria
in shrimp hatcheries using bacteriophages
b. PAT/4.9.15/06053: Oligonucleotide probe for
detection and enumeration of Vibrio spp. in
aquaculture systems
Technologies transferred
- Technology for Biocontrol of luminous bacteria in
shrimp hatcheries has been transferred to
Mangalore Biotech Laboratory
Seribiotechnology
A programme on application of biotechnology for
improving the productivity and enhancing the quality
of silk alongwith the improvement of host-plants
continued during the year. A brainstorming session
on application of biotechnology for tasar culture was
organized in collaboration with Central Silk Board
(CSB) during November 17-18, 2006 at Central
Tasar Researh and Training Institute, Ranchi.
Significant achievements during the year are
summarized below:-
Development of better races of silkworm for
increased productivity
Lysozyme-like proteins (LLPs) identified in Bombyx
mori and Antheraea mylitta exhibited a broadspectrum
anti-bacterial activity jointly at Centre for
DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD),
Hyderabad and National Institute of Immunology
(NII), New Delhi. Phylogenetic analysis clustered
LLPs with some uncharacterized lysozyme-like
DBT Annual Report 2006-07
94
proteins from Anopheles and Drosophila and not with
the classical lysozymes. At the Central Sericultural
Germplasm Resource Centre (CSGRC), Hosur work
has been carried out to identify variable regions
existing in the diapause (NB4D 2)
and non-diapause
(Pure Mysore) silkworm (B. mori) races and to corelate
with diapause gene expression. High
homology percentage between the diapause and the
non-diapause indicates that there is no difference in
the genomic organization of the diapause gene in
both silkworm races. Expression pattern of the
diapause related genes is being studied.
A network project involving five institutions: CDFD,
Hyderabad; Seribiotech Research Laboratory,
Bangalore; Central Sericultural Research and
Training Institute, Mysore; Andhra Pradesh State
Sericulture Research and Development Institute
(APSSR&DI), Hindupur; and Karnataka State
Sericulture Research and Development Institute,
Bangalore continued with a view to identify
baculovirus resistant strains and DNA markers linked
to baculovirus resistance in silkworm (Bombyx mori).
Screening of silkworm germplasm for baculovirus
resistance has resulted in identification of three
strains each of bivoltine and multivoltine. Out of
these, most resistant strain has been used as a donor
parent to cross with the most susceptible strain to
raise a mapping population, which is being used to
map the markers that are polymorphic between
parental strains. In a collaborative project at the
University of Delhi, Delhi and Central Muga Eri
Research & Training Institute, Jorhat, morphometric
data were collected, compiled for 14 populations of
muga silkworm (Antheraea assama) and maintained
at Jorhat, Assam. Seventeen microsatellite primers
provided by CDFD, Hyderabad and other repetitive
sequence derived primers were successfully tested
by PCR with A. assama DNA. A distinct polymorphic
band of 1.4 kbp size was successfully cloned and
sequenced from A. assama. Work is underway to
screen population with more molecular markers and
statistically analyze data for population genetic
diversity.
Studies have been continued on genetic analysis of