Animal Genetics & Molecular Biology Club- AGMBC

📣 New research alert 📣

Huge congratulations to Mahapara Tabassum and the incredible team at the Genetics and Molecular Biology branch on their latest publication! 🧬🎉

While we've long known the MGT1 DNA methyltransferase protects our nuclear DNA, Mahapara Tabassum and her team have uncovered the role of this enzyme within the mitochondria—the powerhouses of the cell.

🔍 Why this matters:
By studying yeast models (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), the team discovered that when the MGT1 gene is missing:

🧬 Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) becomes disorganized and elevated.

⏳ Cellular lifespan is significantly shortened.

🧫 Genomic instability increases, leading to faster cellular aging.

This work doesn't just stop at yeast; it suggests that similar mechanisms might exist in plants and higher eukaryotes, potentially shifting how we look at stress resilience and aging across species. 🌿🔬

Read more about the paper, link is given in the comments.

🔬 New Research Spotlight: Antidepressants & Locomotory Behavior 🧠

A huge shoutout to Aziz Barkat and the respected team for their 2025 study exploring the intersection of neuropharmacology and behavioral genetics! 👏✨

Understanding how antidepressants influence physical movement is vital for both human health and evolutionary biology. Using the Drosophila (fruit fly) model, this research investigated how these drugs impact everything from larval crawling to gene expression.

Key Takeaways:
📈Enhanced Reflexes: Drug-treated flies showed significantly higher activity in negative geotaxis assays.

🎯Targeted Effects: While upward mobility improved, the drug did not significantly alter horizontal larval crawling or overall growth dynamics.

🧬 Genetic Link: No significant change in TOR gene expression suggests the behavioral boost might be occurring through pathways independent of this major growth regulator.

This research provides a clearer window into how antidepressant compounds can influence motor coordination and instinctual behaviors, helping us better understand the physiological footprint of these widely used medications.

Read more: link in the comment box

🔬 New Research Alert: Breaking Barriers in Longevity Science! 🔬

Ever wondered how calorie restriction actually helps us live longer? While we know it works, the "how" is often a mystery—especially when it comes to our DNA's "gatekeepers" like the protein GCN5.

Research on the yeast model found something fascinating: even when GCN5 was missing, calorie restriction still worked its magic and extended their lifespan!

Key Takeaways:
🌱 Increased Lifespan: Calorie restriction significantly boosted survival even in mutants.
🔋 Mitochondrial Power: It improved respiratory efficiency and protected mitochondrial DNA from mutations.
🛡️ Stress Resilience: It triggered "backup" systems that helped cells survive oxidative stress.

Why it matters:
This research proves that there are powerful, alternative pathways to healthy aging that don't rely solely on traditional chromatin modifiers. This presents exciting new doors for treating aging and mitochondrial diseases in humans! 🧬

Molecular biology continues to show us just how adaptable and resilient life truly is. Congratulations to Setu Mallick and the respected team! 👏🌟

🔗Read the full paper: Link in the comment box

🎉 Another milestone for our branch!

We are thrilled to announce our latest publication: 🔬✨The first official report of the Crape Myrtle Aphid (Sarucallis kahawaluokalani) in Bangladesh 🇧🇩.

🧬🔎Using advanced DNA barcoding and PCR analysis, the team identified this invasive pest and mapped its endosymbiont community.

🌿These genetic insights are crucial for understanding the aphid’s survival and developing sustainable control measures for our urban ecosystems.

Proud of the team for pushing the boundaries of entomological research in Bangladesh 👏👏

Read the full paper: Link in the comment

Another achievement unlocked!!

New research on Labeo rohita (Rohu), the backbone of South Asian freshwater fisheries, has revealed that these fish carry a complex genetic history written into their DNA. By analyzing populations across 8 major rivers in India and Bangladesh, scientists have uncovered a "map" that could change how we conserve this species forever.

Here’s what you need to know:
🗺️ The East-West Divide
Contrary to what you might think, Rohu aren’t one big, uniform family. They are split into two distinct genetic clusters:
• Eastern Cluster: Ganga, Padma, Jamuna, and Halda.
• Western/Northern Cluster: Satluj, Rapti, Mahanadi, and Brahmaputra.
The big surprise? Even though the Ganga is in India, its Rohu are genetically "closer" to those in Bangladesh’s rivers than to other Indian rivers. This proves that historical river connections (hydrological connectivity) matter more than modern maps!

📉 The Ganga’s Hidden Crisis
While the Ganga still has plenty of fish, their genetic diversity is alarmingly low. Think of it like a library losing its unique books—eventually, only copies of the same book remain.
• Why? Decades of unregulated hatchery stocking (releasing farm-bred fish) have "diluted" the natural gene pool.
• The Result: Genetic erosion, making the population less resilient to diseases and climate change.
In contrast, the Satluj population is a genetic treasure chest! Having been isolated in the Indus basin for a long time, it represents a unique lineage that must be protected.

🌟 A "Star-Like" History
The research used a Haplotype Network—a way to visualize DNA relationships—and found a "star-like" pattern. This suggests that Rohu populations underwent a massive boom (demographic expansion) in the past, spreading out across the subcontinent.
However, the study also found Isolation-by-Distance (IBD). As river branches get further apart and disconnected, gene flow drops, and fish become more distinct.

🛡️ How Do We Save the Rohu?
A "one-size-fits-all" management plan won't work. The researchers are calling for:
1. Separate Management Units (MUs): Protecting the Eastern and Western clusters as different groups.
2. Hatchery Reform: Using local, wild-caught fish for breeding instead of the same tired hatchery lines.
3. Cross-Border Teamwork: India and Bangladesh must work together to keep the Ganga-Padma-Jamuna corridor open and healthy.
The Bottom Line: To keep Rohu on our plates and in our rivers for generations to come, we must protect their genetic integrity today!

🇧🇩 New Species Alert in Bangladesh!
Entomologists have confirmed the first country record of the planthopper species, Pyrops viridirostris, in Bangladesh!

🔷Species: Pyrops viridirostris (a lanternfly in the family Fulgoridae).

🔷Location: Photographed during a survey in Madhutila Eco Park, Sherpur District.

🔷Identification: The species was identified based on its characteristic physical features, including:

1. The cephalic area being black with several white spots.
2. The color of the cephalic horn being greenish.
3. The forewings (tegmina) being dark brown with numerous small, scattered, thin layers of white area and a distinctive "X"-shaped marking made of white spots posteriorly.

🔷Significance: This insect was previously only known from Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. This discovery is the first documentation of the species in Bangladesh and highlights the poorly studied status of the country's planthopper diversity.

For years, genetics research has worked to map the genes behind depression, a condition known to affect women at nearly twice the rate of men. A recent, powerful study has finally provided a clear genetic reason for this stark difference.
• ⌛Gender Disparity: The study confirmed that females are twice as likely to suffer from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in their lifetime as males.
• 🥂Shared Variants: The analysis identified 7,111 causal variants for MDD in males, and all of these were shared with females.
• 🌺Female-Specific Risk: Researchers found an additional 6,133 variants unique to MDD in females, with zero unique variants identified in males. This higher burden of genetic risk helps explain the difference in prevalence.
• ❤️Metabolic Link: The genetic changes associated with depression in women were found to significantly overlap with those linked to metabolic traits (such as weight changes or altered energy levels), providing genetic evidence for how depression symptoms can differ between the sexes.
• 🌿Nature vs. Nurture: The DNA changes identified are genetic differences people are born with and are not caused by life experiences, emphasizing a biological basis for the disparity.

Read more:
Study provides genetic evidence why women possibly twice at risk of depression than men - The Hindu

Study provides genetic evidence why women possibly twice at risk of depression than men Study identifies 6,000 gene variants causing depression in women, doubling risk compared to men, with genetic factors playing significant role.

We’re thrilled to share that our branch has another feather in its cap 🎉 — a review article has just been published in Biology Bulletin (Springer Nature Link)

The paper, “Insights into the Structural and Functional Properties of Actin Isoforms in Different Model Organisms”, explores the fascinating roles of actin isoforms (Alpha, Beta & Gamma) across different organisms — from shaping cells to driving vital life processes.

A huge shout-out to Ummay Sumaya Wafa 👏👏 for her hard work and dedication in making this possible! At the same time, heartfelt thanks to all the co-authors for their valuable dedication and contribution behind this success. Of course, this success also reflects the continuous support and guidance of our amazing teachers 🙌. Their commitment keeps pushing our Genetics & Molecular Biotechnology branch forward.

🔗 Check out the article here: link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1062359024613417

💡 Want to make your research journey easier?
👨‍💻 Ready to explore the power of R programming?

We are thrilled to share that AGMBC is a proud partner of the upcoming Introductory Workshop on R Programming 📊✨. This event will guide students and researchers into the essentials of data analysis using R.

📅 Date: 1st September, 2025 (Monday)
🕑 Time: 2 PM
📍 Venue: [Add if applicable]

💻 Must bring your Laptop
🌐 Keep data or internet pack ready

🔗 Registration Link: https://forms.gle/4EeLLRDKiHoWZSAp6

📌 Workshop Highlights:

Installing R & RStudio

Package installation

Data handling (importing, sorting, grouping)

Descriptive statistics

T-test & ANOVA

Data visualization (scatterplot, boxplot, heatmap)

Access to code source

👨‍🏫 Instructors:

Seam Ferdous Emon (18-q9, Zoology)

Md. Zafrul Islam (18-19, Fisheries)

🤝 Partners: বিজ্ঞান আড্ডা, and AGMBC

We are especially proud that our very own Club President, Seam Ferdous Emon,will be one of the instructors for this session! 🎉

👉 Whether you’re just starting with coding or aiming to sharpen your research skills, this workshop is the perfect opportunity. Don’t miss it! 🚀

The Animal Genetics and Molecular Biology Club (AGMBC) proudly organized a hands-on workshop on “Introduction to GIS for Molecular Biologists” at the Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, on 20th August 2025.

Under the guidance of mentor Azizul Islam Barkat (Ecologist, CEGIS), participants explored how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be applied in molecular biology research to analyze spatial patterns and strengthen biological insights.

💻 Students actively engaged in practical sessions, learning the complete process step by step — from understanding GIS fundamentals to applying tools in real-world biological contexts.

🎓 The workshop concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony, celebrating the achievements of all participants. The energy, curiosity, and enthusiasm of the students made this event a huge success!

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the mentor, Aziz Barkat ,participants, and everyone who contributed to making this program impactful. 🙌

✨ Stay tuned for more exciting initiatives from AGMBC!

Write a literature review plagarism free!!

Follow this steps to make your literature review plagarism free within 3hours.

📌STEP 1: Collect papers → Research Rabbit App (free)
Research Rabbit lets you discover studies and visualize the connection between them.
Search the topic you need articles for in the app and create a collection.
It will automatically make connections between the articles & suggest papers based on your selections.

📌STEP 2: Writing a literature review can feel daunting for the first time.
But it is a skill that is developed with practice and time! So keep reading & writing!
The above steps will ensure you do a literature review that is both thorough and plaigiarism-free.

📌STEP 3: Skim, annotate & extract information → Zotero (free)
After collecting the literature on Zotero, quickly read the abstract and decide which ones are important/relevant.

📌STEP 4: Find full-text PDFs
Obtain full-text of your articles using your university's journal access, unpaywall, or sci-hub
Zotero's Scihub plugin lets you find all free articles automatically.

📌STEP 5: Now skim through the full text of your chosen papers & use Zotero's annotate tool to highlight the most essential details you find.
You can also categorize the articles and assign a color to each paper in Zotero.
I use Zotero's annotate and send-to-note feature to create themes.
I first create a title for a note and then highlight the text I found interesting in each article's PDF, right-click, and select "add to note."

📌STEP 6: Rewrite and paraphrase –manually OR using ChatGPT
Once you have identified your themes, connect the dots by grouping and summarizing ideas. This is when you should use ChatGPT
Paraphrase manually by using synonyms, alternate sentence patterns, and simplifying ideas.

📌STEP 7: Cite articles used → Zotero (Important)
Every idea, concept, or detail you used from an article must be cited! If employing exact text, use quotation marks and cite!
Zotero lets you choose the appropriate style, such as APA, Vancouver, and others!

Full credit: Asad Naveed and CC: Bashar Gulumbe

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