Laboratory of Molecular & Conservation Genetics, GVISH, Amravati

17/07/2020

Our recently published article entitled “MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF A RODENT FROM MELGHAT TIGER RESERVE IN CENTRAL INDIA: A PROBABLE NEW SPECIES OR NEW GENUS” came out from the Laboratory of Molecular & Conservation Genetics (LMCG), GVISH, Amravati. This study resolves the phylogeny of enigmatic road-kill rodent from the Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati, in central India. In this study, we sequenced one nuclear (IRBP) and a mitochondrial gene (Cytochrome b) gene. We used robust and widely used Bayesian Clustering method to investigate the genetic affinities of this rodent with others. The Bayesian Inferred (BI) phylogenetic trees revealed it to be a murid, showing genetic affinities to the genus Millardia by clustering with M. kathleenae and M. meltada in a monophyletic clade. But the genetic distance estimation for both mitochondrial and nuclear genes also exhibited significant differences with the known Millardia species. Thus, the possibility of a new species of genus Millardia, or even a new genus in the family Muridae in the unexplored region of Central India cannot be ruled out.

16/05/2020

International E-Conference on "Strategies and Challenges in Higher Education during COVID-19 Lockdown Period in India with reference to World" Organized By G...

11/12/2018

Dr. Mumtaz Baig, Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology and Group Leader, Laboratory of Molecular and Conservation Genetics, GVISH, Amravati, in association with Professor Jeremy Searle of prestigious 14th ranked Cornell University; the USA in the world deciphered the origin of black rat. This breakthrough research has been published in prestigious journal, Biological Invasion published by Nature-Springer. The duo compared the DNA of black rats from India, Eurasia, Americas, and Australia and provided genetic evidence in support of dispersal of the black rat “Out of India”. Through DNA, the researcher shows how black rat moved out of India by ship routes from ancient Indus valley, to Arabian Peninsula and to Europe and to Americas. The research is of great significance for the bio-medical, archeological and genetic fields. Director of the Institute Dr. S. G. Gupta lauded the efforts of Dr. Baig and co-researchers.

03/10/2018

22/09/2018

One more publication from LMCG. Heartily congratulations to the Group Leader, Dr. Mumtaz Baig and Dr. Jeremy Searle...
Origin of the unwelcome companion, black rat (Rattus rattus) debunked:
Our recent groundbreaking study just published in the prestigious journal Biological Invasion (Springer-Nature) as a part of Dr. Mumtaz Baig's postdoctoral stint at Cornell University USA. This study deals with the black rat, world's number one invasive species. Earlier genetic and paleontological study provides evidence that black rat also called as house rat originated in India and get dispersed to all major continents such as Europe, Arabian Peninsula, Africa, Americas and Australia via Sea route. But how and when rats started living with human and how they evolved was not known. In this first-ever phylogeographic study, we collected samples of house rat from 18 localities and sequenced two mitochondrial loci namely Cytb and D-loop and compared them with entire available sequences in the GenBank. Our study provides interesting findings such as (i) black rat living along the East coast and in Gangetic region are the ancestral population (ii) tendency of commensalism (living with the human) originated for the first time in rat inhabiting north-west of the Indian subcontinent which in our analyses point towards Indus Valley (iii) Ancient link between Indus Valley and Mesopotamia (iii) Medieval trade links with Oman (Arabian Peninsula) and Surat (Gujarat). Though our study shows that commensal species such as rat can be used as a proxy to know our own past but can also be used as a model to understand the effect of human-induced environmental changes on the genome of their fellow companions

13/05/2018

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-dairy-research/article/new-allele-of-the-kappacasein-gene-in-local-zebu-cattle-breeds/40140BCDFCD650D9447533E5AD203386

A new allele of the kappa-casein gene in local zebu cattle breeds - Volume 85 Issue 1 - Tauseef Ahmad, Ashwin Atkulwar, Sameera Farah, Vijendra Singh, Mumtaz Baig