Importance of Evidence of DNA in Perspective of Islamic Jurisprudence

DNA or Genetic fingerprinting technology is the topic of the day. It has revolutionized the forensic science. Islamic Jurisprudence has its own procedure and priorities of evidences, which mainly depend upon eyewitness, personal evidence and testimony. It was introduced in 1984. It is used in the identification of parentage, forensic sciences, treatment and diagnosis of diseases. The sequence of base pairs varies from person to person and the relativity of persons is identified by identifying the matching of base pairs. The Contemporary International Institutions of Collective Ijtih฀d have launched heavy discussions on this new evidence and reviewed relevant serious law making efforts based on it, which results in very valuable Fat฀w฀ and resolutions, regarding the use of DNA techniques, as evidence in criminal cases and its limitations and scope in Islamic Jurisprudence. This article discusses and concludes that the genetic fingerprinting technique should be used for the attestation of the cases related to it, along with the traditional way to acquire evidences, even though, it does not have self-sustaining priority, but depends upon other evidences for making a judicial verdict. Like other forensic evidences, it has also errors and intervening factors that limit its accuracy. Therefore, the decisions of crimes liable to ฀ud฀d, Qi฀฀฀ and Diyyat should not depend only upon DNA fingerprinting. Thus, we can say that in the absence of stipulated evidences, rebuking punishment may be sentenced on the basis the evidence of DNA.

Cloning and Expression Studies on Abiotic Stress Tolerance Gene S in Solanum Tuberosum L .

The three dehydrin genes of Eucalyptus species, the dehydrin-1 (EgDHN-1), dehydrin-2 (EgDHN-2) and dehydrin-10 (EgDHN-10) were isolated from local Eucalyptus globulus species for transformation in different varieties of potato for developing abiotic stress tolerance. These three lysine rich dehydrin genes of Eucalyptus have not been reported earlier to be manipulated for genetic engineering or for transformation into a crop plant. The genes were amplified from DNA as well as mRNA (through cDNA). The amplified genes were cloned in TA cloning vector. Cloned dehydrin genes were sequenced and detailed in silico analyses were conducted. Complete sequence of EgDHN-10 gene was obtained from DNA including introns. Coding sequence from its mRNA was also complete and found 92% similar with EgDHN-10 of Eucalyptus globulus after DNA BLAST analyses. The sequencing data of other genes obtained incomplete that showed 99% and 98% homology, after DNA BLAST analyses, with Predicted Eucalyptus grandis Rab18 gene and Eucalyptus globulus EgDHN-1 gene respectively. 297bp long sequence of EgDHN-10 that codes for mature peptide was further sub-cloned in E. coli expression vector pET30a. The sequence was submitted to the NCBI (MG948256.1) and it had extra integration of five electrically charged amino acids (two positively charged Histidine, one negatively charged Glutamate, and two negatively charged Aspartate residues) and one Lysine (K). The presence of one extra K residue is very important for enhanced stress tolerance activity of the transformed dehydrin protein due to its role in functions of K-segments. Presence of more charged amino acids in the binding surface of dehydrin protein enhances its capability to bind with other macromolecules, reactive oxygen species and free metal ions.IPTG induced successful expression of EgDHN-10, cloned in pET30a, was detected in E. coli BL21 ii DE3 strain by protein dot blot analysis. After getting excellent expression of Eucalyptus globulus EgDHN-10 gene outside Eucalyptus cell’s environment, the gene was sub-cloned in pCAMBIA 1301 plant binary vector and transformed into Agrobacterium tumefascience. The nodal regions of three potato cultivars, the Cardinal, Sante and Lady Rosetta, were infected with transformed Agrobacterium (through co-cultivation) carrying EgDHN-10. Putative transgenic plants were first screened by GUS assay and PCR. The successful integration of EgDHN-10 gene in potato genome was confirmed by DNA dot blot analysis. The EgDHN-10 gene’s expression was confirmed from potato mRNA by PCR and real time quantitative PCR. In some plants up to 12 folds DHN 10 expression was observed through qPCR. The acquired abiotic stress tolerance was quantified in stressed transformed potato plants by ion leakage assay (ILA) of cell rupture to select the stable transgenic plants. The stress tolerant transformed plants of Cardinal, Sante and Lady Rosetta were maintained in plant tissue culture setup and pots. The transgenic Sante variety was multiplied and maintained in CAMB trial field in an experiment of growth promoting effect of biofertilizer on trial field plants. The stress tolerant Sante plants showed significant difference over control plants in studied plant growth parameters like plant height, maximum root length, number of roots and number of multiple shoots formation, number and weight of tuber formation.