translating genes for a better future | migc14

Translating Genes for A Better Future | MiGC14

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Item Page

Editorial Committee 3

Organising Committee 4

Message from the President of Genetics Society of Malaysia 5

Message from the Chairman of the Organizing Committee 6

PGM Book Prize Award 7

Congress Statement 13

Opening Ceremony 14

Congress in A Glance 15

Message from the Genetics Society of Malaysia 17

MiGC at A Glance 19

Scientific Program (Mendel/ Plenary/ Lead/ Oral) 20

List of Oral Presentations 31

List of Poster Presentations 34

Biodata of Invited speakers 37

Abstract of Invited speakers 65

Abstract of Oral Presentation 88

Abstract of Poster Presentation 114

Acknowledgement 152

List of MiGC14 Participants 159


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EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Professor Dr Abd Rahman Milan (PGM)

Professor Dr Zilfalil Alwi (USM)

Professor Dr Zarina Haji Dato’ Abdul Latiff (UKM)

Ts Dr Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme (UPM)

Dr Nik Norliza Nik Hassan (USM)

Ts Dr Nor’Aishah Hasan (UiTM)

Dr Nurul ‘Ain Abu Bakar (USM)

Assoc Prof Dr Azwang Awang (UMS)

Dr Nur Waliyuddin Hanis bin Zainal Abidin (USM)

Pn. Sharifah Azween Syed Omar (UKM)

Pn. Norunaluwar Jalil (UKM)

En. Abdul Halim Fikri Hashim (USM)

Pn. Che Nor Ayunni Che Zainul Bahri (USM)


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ORGANISING COMMITEE

Advisor Professor Dr Abd Rahman Milan (PGM)

Chairman Professor Dr Zilfalil Alwi (USM)

Co-Chairman Professor Dr Zarina Haji Dato’ Abdul Latiff (UKM)

Secretary Pn. Norunaluwar Jalil (UKM)

Vice-secretary Dr Sharifah Nany Rahayu Karmilla Syed Hassan (USM)

Treasurer Dr Wan Faiziah Wan Abdul Rahman (USM)

Vice-treasurer I (PGM) Pn. Sharifah Azween Syed Omar (UKM)

Vice-treasurer II (MyHVP) Pn. Che Nor Ayunni Che Zainul Bahri (USM)

Head of Secretariat & Registration Pn. Che Nor Ayunni Che Zainul Bahri (USM)

Secretariat & Registration

(Committee)

Dr Nik Norliza Nik Hassan (USM)

Dr Sharifah Nany Rahayu Karmilla Syed Hassan (USM)

Dr Nurul ‘Ain Abu Bakar (USM)

Head of Scientific Committee Ts Dr Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme (UPM)

Scientific Committee Professor Dr Abd Rahman Milan (PGM)

Professor Dr Zarina Abdul Latiff (UKM)

Professor Dr Zilfalil Alwi (USM)

Professor Dr Thong Meow Keong (UMMC)

Assoc Prof Dr Chan Soon Choy (Perdana University)

Assoc Prof Dr Norshariza Nordin (UPM)

Assoc Prof Ts Dr Shamsiah Abdullah (UiTM)

Assoc Prof Dr Zarina Zainuddin (IIUM)

Assoc Prof Dr Azwan Awang (UMS)

Dr Mohd. Din bin Amiruddin (MPOB)

Ts Dr Nor’Aishah Hasan (UiTM)

Dr Teoh Seong Lin (UKM)

Dr Hasnita Che Harun (UMK)

Dr Mamat Hamidi Kamalludin (UPM)

Dr Norwati Muhammad (FRIM)

Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Hasnain Md Hussain (UNIMAS)

Pn. Sharifah Azween Syed Omar (UKM)

Head of Publicity & Sponsorship Dr Nur Waliyuddin Hanis bin Zainal Abidin (USM)

Publicity & Sponsorship committee Assoc Prof Dr Azwan Awang (UMS)

Dr Wan Rohani Wan Taib (UNISZA)

Pn. Marini Marzuki (IMR)

Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Hasnain Md Hussain (UNIMAS)

Head of Technical & Graphic En. Abdul Halim Fikri Hashim (USM)

Technical & Graphic Committee En. Mohd Nasarulddin bin Yunus (USM)

En. Hisyam bin Yacob (USM)

En. Solahasni bin Abd. Aziz (USM)

En. Mohd Kamarulzaman bin Noh (USM)

En. Nasruddin Haji Zainal (USM)


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MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT

Genetics Society of Malaysia

Professor Dr. Abd Rahman Milan

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh and Salam Sejahtera.

On behalf of the Genetics Society of Malaysia it gives me great pleasure to host the 14th Malaysia

International Genetics Congress (MiGC14) on 15-17th March 2021. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, this

year congress will be held virtually. The theme of this year congress is `Translating Genes for A Better

Future’. The Society is indeed very honoured to organise this Congress with the collaboration of

Malaysian Node of Human Variome Project (MyHVP), and other key co-organisers, Universiti Sains

Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Perdana

University, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Islam

Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti

Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Forest Research Institute (FRIM) and

significant contributions by collaborators, sponsors and exhibitors, both from public and private sectors.

The Society strives to organise various activities towards fulfilling its primary objectives, namely to

develop and promote scientific knowledge on genetics, to create public awareness on its importance

and advancements, and to foster a strong relationship and understanding between scientists in genetics

and other fields. The first National Congress on Genetics was held 27 years ago, in 1994. This congress

will be the 14th edition of such congress. We hope you, members and non-members alike, will help us

to continue to make the congress as a major biennial scientific activity for the Society.

We have a hallmark legacy of getting a world-renowned geneticist to deliver the Mendel Lecture. The

14th Mendel Lecture will be delivered by Dr Nik Serena Nik Zainal, an eminent scientist from Department

of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge United Kingdom. Dr Nik Serena, who was born and raised

in Malaysia, was the recipient of Dr Joseph Steiner Cancer Research Prize 2019, which is commonly

dubbed the novel prize in cancer research.

The Society is considerably honoured to be the host to great minds in the diverse fields of genetics to

share their expertise and experience in their respective fields and we welcome and look forward to a

bigger participation in this Congress. I would like to thank the Organising Committee, under the

leadership of Prof. Zilfalil Alwi from Universiti Sains Malaysia for their hardwork and dedication I wish

this congress great success and may this congress mark the beginning of a new era of virtual conferences

for the society.

PROFESSOR DR ABD RAHMAN MILAN President Genetics Society of Malaysia


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MESSAGE FROM CHAIRMAN OF THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE

Professor Dr Zilfalil Alwi

Assalammu’alaikum wbrt dan salam sejahtera.

On behalf of the organising committee, it gives me great pleasure to warmly welcome you to the 14th

Malaysia International Genetics Congress (MiGC14) which will be held from 15th to 17th March 2021.

This virtual conference is jointly organised by the Genetics Society of Malaysia (PGM), the Malaysian

node of Human Variome Project (MyHVP), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), International Islamic

University (IIUM), Perdana University, Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti

Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), Forest Research Institute (FRIM) and

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).

The theme for this year’s congress is “Translating Genes for A Better Future”, which is currently an issue

of national interest. It is hoped that this congress will provide a platform for all the local and international

experts and delegates to promote the exchange and sharing of ideas, experience and expertise,

international professional linkages and networking, in addition to forging of friendship among

participants. We have put forward a thought-provoking scientific programme which will be presented

by distinguished experts from a variety of discipline. The congress will comprise of a Mendel lecture,

keynote lecture and six symposia which will cover topics on medicine and health sciences, food and

agriculture, forestry, conservation and biodiversity, genetics of COVID-19 infection; forum by three trans-

disciplinary experts, two technology talks, and oral/poster presentation sessions.

Special thanks and appreciation goes to all members of the organising committee who have worked

tirelessly in making this congress a success. I would like to convey my appreciation to all sponsors, invited

speakers, forum panellists, moderators, judges and also to all participants and individuals who have

contributed directly or indirectly to this congress. May the outcome of this virtual congress contribute

to our aspiration to advance genetics in this country and to produce a better future. Lastly, I do hope

this workshop will benefit everyone and achieve its objectives.

On behalf of the organising committee, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you an

enjoyable and fruitful time at this congress.

Warm regards,

PROFESSOR ZILFALIL ALWI

Chairman, MiGC14 Organising Committee


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PGM BOOK PRIZE AWARD

The PGM Book Prize is awarded to final year university students who have accomplished

outstanding final year project in the field of genetics. The award, which carries a gift voucher

worth RM500, is established to bring increasing recognition of the scholarly interests and to

promote the culture of research among students. Universities will be invited to submit their

nominations for the winners of the prize. At present, seven students have been awarded the

book prize from various universities since its establishment in 2011.

YEAW ZI XUAN

Bachelor of Science (Resource Biotechnology)

Faculty of Resource Science and Technology

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Yeaw Zi Xuan was born on 25th March 1997 in Klang, Selangor. She received her early

education in Banting, Selangor before migrating to Muar, Johor where she now resides.

Currently, she has been graduated from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, majors in Molecular

Biology and Genetics with a CGPA of 3.82. Genetics and Molecular Biology studies have

always been her passion ever since she was in high school. Her interest develops even

further in her undergraduate years, particularly in animal biotechnology, genetics, and

molecular biology. During her undergraduate years, she has received practical skills not

only in genetics and molecular biology, but also other techniques such as animal tissue

culture, cloning and bioinformatics. In addition, she has completed her industrial training

at Virology Laboratory, Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Center

(TIDREC), University of Malaya. She has also received Dean’s List Award for every semester

during her undergraduate years.


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MUTAGENESIS ANALYSIS OF ABCB4 GENE PROMOTER OF Danio rerio

Yeaw Zi Xuan and Chung Hung Hui

Zebrafish abcb4 gene is one the members of ABCB subfamily (MDR/TAP) in the ATP-binding

cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily. Zebrafish ahhh4 gene (orthologous to human

ABCB1 gene) serves primarily in multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanism by effluxing

chemotherapetitic agents, chemicals, xenobiotics, and numerous anti-cancer drugs out of

the cells. Due to it, MDR mechanism appears to be a major root in failing the chemotherapy

to huiiian malignancies. Therefore, this study aims to identify the specific transcription

factor binding sites (TFBS) within the promoter region of zebrafish abcb4 gene and

subsequently, to determine the functional involvement of these factors in abcb4 gene

expression and regulation via mutagenesis analysis. Firstly, primers were designed to target

and amplify the promoter region in the extracted zebrafish abch4 gene through gradient

PCR. The zebrafish ahch4 gene promoter was then cloned into pGL3.0 vector and sent for

sequencing. Wherewitli, the sequencing results revealed high similarity to zebrafish DNA

sequence from clone DKEY-24I24 in linkage group 16, indicating a successful cloning of

targeted gene. Thereafter, consensus sequence of zebrafish abcb4 gene promoter was

generated with the length of 1,392 bp which was close to its expected size while designing

primers (1,500 bp). By using MATCH tool, 155 binding sites were found within the zebrafish

nbcb4 gene promoter region. Among these TFBS detected, only AP-1 TFBS at 1,255 bp was

chosen to be mutated through site-directed mutagenesis. Mutagenic primers (forward

primer: 5’ GGG CAA GGC AGT ATA AAC GTG 3’ and reverse primer: 5’ TTA TGT TTC TAG

GGA TTA CGT CAC 3’) were then designed to substitute bases AGT within AP-1 TFBS into

bases GGG. Ergo, the targeted AP-1 TFBS was deleted after mutation was introduced. By

mutating AP-1 TFBS, the MDR phenomenon that driven by zebrafish ahcb4 gene can be

revealed, thus disclosing the development of tumor and malignancy in human. Withal, these

results may enlighten the future shidies or chemotherapy or cancer treatments in medical

field.


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THARINI A/P RAVINDRA KUMAR

Bachelor of Science (Genetics)

Faculty of Science

University of Malaya

Tharini a/p Ravindra Kumar was born on 26th December 1997 in Subang Jaya. She received

the entirety of her formal education in Subang Jaya, where she now resides. She has recently

graduated from the University of Malaya with a Bsc. in Genetics with a final CGPA of 3.84.

Her interest in genetics started before her undergraduate years, making it her goal to

pursue a Genetics degree at the University of Malaya. During her time formally studying

genetics, she developed a keen interest in epigenetics and developmental genetics. She

completed her industrial training at the Center of Biomedical Physics, Sunway University,

working on a colorectal cancer screening project during the duration. Besides being

awarded Best Oral Presentation for her final year project during the Institute of Biological

Sciences, UM Virtual Biosymposium 2020 for the Genetics and Molecular Biology

Programme, she received the Dean's List Award (GPA > 3.7) for six semesters.


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VALIDATION OF EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS ENCODED CIRCRNA CANDIDATES FROM

NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA CELL LINES

Tharini A/P Ravindra Kumar and Lim Yat Yuen

ABSTRACT

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a head and neck cancer that is endemic in certain

regions of Southern China and South East Asia. A factor that contributes to the

pathogenesis of NPC is the gamma herpesvirus Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Circular RNAs

(circRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that are characterized by its circular closed looped

structure compared to its linear counterpart. Cellular circRNAs have a variety of functions

namely in the regulation of gene function and expression. In recent years, viruses including

EBV have been reported to produce circRNAs in several EBV-associated diseases. However,

its expression in NPC remains largely unexplored. Previous in silico circRNA analysis of NPC

cell line and xenograft transcriptomes has identified three EBV genes (BHLF1, LF3 and

RPMS1) encoding circRNAs with the highest read counts. This study aims to validate and

compare the expression of these EBV encoded circRNA candidates in different NPC cell

lines. Divergent primers were designed to detect the backsplice junction of circRNAs

candidates using RT-PCR and follow by Sanger sequencing validation. The expression of

these candidate circRNA and its linear counterparts were then compared using semi-

quantitative RT-PCR in both latent and lytic state of different NPC cell lines. The results

show that in parallel to its linear counterpart, circBHLF1 level was up-regulated while

circRPMS1 were down-regulated upon lytic reactivation. In contrast, although LF3 mRNA is

expressed and increased upon lytic reactivation, the backsplice junction for circLF3 could

not be detected for neither lytic nor latent state. Further studies are required to verify the

predicted circLF3.


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NUR ADILA BINTI OTHMAN @ YAHAYA

Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biochemistry

Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science

Universiti Putra Malaysia

Nur Adila binti Othman @ Yahaya was born on 23rd April 1997 in Sik, Kedah. She received

early education in Sekolah Kebangsaan Sik and Sekolah Menegah Kebangsaan Sik until

2014. Next, she continued her study at Kedah Matriculation college for a year before

entering Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2016. She studied for four years in Bachelor of Science

in Biochemistry and finished her studies in August 2020 with CGPA 3.51. As for her final

year project, she was assigned under supervision of Assoc. Prof Dr Zetty Norhana Balia

Yusof in Plant Algae Biotechnology Biochemistry Laboratory with topic that related to

molecular work such as DNA extraction, RNA extraction and Polymerase Chain Reaction

(PCR). In addition, she had completed her industrial training in Malaysian Agricultural

Research and Development (MARDI) for 10 weeks with project that related to protein

analysis of Moringa seeds. Currently, she works as Data Entry Executive in Australian Clinical

Laboratory since September 2020 until now.


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DETERMINATION OF TRANSGENE STABILITY IN Nannochloropsis sp.

TRANSFORMED WITH IMMUNOGENIC PEPTIDE FOR VACCINATION

AGAINST VIBRIOSIS

Nur Adila Othman @ Yahaya and Zetty Norhana Balia Yusof

ABSTRACT

Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms that can be found in freshwater and also marine

systems. They are commonly used as feed for aquatic organisms and also livestock.

Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic organisms such as fish, prawns and others.

However, nowadays the higher rate of diseases occurring in aquaculture is causing a huge

loss in the economy. Vibriosis is one of the common diseases caused by Gram-negative

bacteria from the genus Vibrio. To treat vibriosis, vaccination has been proven to be the

most effective treatment as it can avoid the risk of drugs or antibiotics resistance. This study

focused on the use of microalga, Nannochloropsis sp. as a vaccine carrier. This microalga is

one of the highly utilised species for fish feed. Transgenic Nannochloropsis sp. harbouring

an outer membrane protein kinase (OmpK) gene fragment of the Vibrio species namely V1,

V2, CV1, CV2, CPV1 and CPV2 were utilised in this study. This study aims to determine the

stability of heterologous gene in transgenic Nannochloropsis sp. Apart from that,

transcriptomics of the transgenic Nannochloropsis sp. will also be investigated for the

expression of the heterologous gene. DNA and RNA from the Nannochloropsis sp.

transgenic lines were extracted and were subjected to PCR for amplification of OmpK. Based

on the results obtained, the OmpK genes were successfully amplified and expressed up to

the fifth generation (F5). For V1, V2, CV1 and CV2 the gene was present and expressed in

fourth-generation (F4) and fifth-generation (F5) but CPV1 and CPV2 the OmpK genes were

present up to F4. Further optimization of transfection of Nannochloropsis sp. should be

done as the stability is only up to the F5. Therefore, from the results obtained, we can

conclude that Nannochloropsis sp. is suitable to be used as a vaccine carrier and can help

to treat the vibriosis disease via oral vaccination.


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CONGRESS STATEMENT

Genetics is a rapidly advancing field, and the impacts of Research and Development in

genetics have significantly enhanced human life and health quality, food security, and

environment sustainability. The emergence of pandemic COVID-19 has further proven the

significant strength and contribution of genetics in understanding the genetics aspect of

the virus and the infected host. In this 14th Malaysia International Genetics Congress

(MiGC14) with the theme of “Translating Genes for A Better Future”, we bring the Genetics

of COVID-19 Infection Symposium to show the importance of genetics field in enhancing

human health and quality. This 3-day virtual meeting will also address the latest issues and

breakthroughs in genetics worldwide, which the topics presented in the meeting are related

to Medicine and Health Sciences, Food and Agriculture, and Forestry, Conservation and

Biodiversity. The MiGC14 has successfully invited more than 24 invited speakers that are

well-known in their field, therefore, we hope participants can benefit from the interesting

line up of the very interesting topics on different aspects of genetics to be delivered by

scientists from Malaysia and abroad.


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OPENING CEREMONY

15 March 2021 (Monday)

Time Welcoming and Opening Ceremony

Emcee:

Dr Muhammad Aidil Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA

9:00AM-9:05AM Lagu Negaraku

Recitation of Doa

9:05AM-9:10AM Welcoming Speech by YBhg Prof Dr Zilfalil Alwi

Chairman of the Organizing Committee

14th Malaysia International Genetics Congress (MiGC14)

9:10AM-9:15AM Opening Speech by YBhg Prof Dr Abd Rahman Milan

President, Genetics Society of Malaysia

9:15AM-9:30AM PGM Book Prize Award

Launching of TPGM11

Multimedia Presentation (Analisa Resources Sdn Bhd)

Multimedia Presentation (Research Instrument Sdn Bhd)

17 March 2021 (Wednesday)

Time Closing Ceremony

Emcee:

Dr Muhammad Aidil Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA

3:45PM-4:15PM Presentation of Awards

Best Oral Presentation Award

Best Poster Presentation Award

4:15PM-4:30PM Closing Ceremony by YBhg Prof Dr Zarina Abdul Latiff

Co-chairman of the Organizing Committee

14th Malaysia International Genetics Congress (MiGC14)

4:30PM-4:45PM Photo Session for All Conference Participants


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CONGRESS AT A GLANCE

15 MARCH 2021 (MONDAY)

Time Event

8:00-9:00 Registration

9:00-9:30 OPENING CEREMONY

9:30-10:30 MENDEL LECTURE

10:30-11:30 KEYNOTE

SYMPOSIUM 1

11:30 – 12:00 TRACK 1: Plenary 1- Medicine & Health Sciences

12:00- 12:30 TRACK 2: Plenary 2- Food & Agriculture

14:00-14:30 TECHNOLOGY TALK 1

SYMPOSIUM 2

TRACK 1 TRACK 2 TRACK 3

Medicine & Health

Sciences

Food & Agriculture

Forestry, Conservation &

Biodiversity

14:30-16:29 Lead Paper

(LM1) Oral

(OM1 – OM6)

Lead Paper

(LF1) Oral

(OF1 – OF6)

Lead Paper

(LB1) Oral

(OB1 – OB6)

POSTER VIEWING

16 MARCH 2021 (TUESDAY)

SYMPOSIUM 3

9:00- 9:30 TRACK 1: Plenary 3- Medicine & Health Sciences

9:30- 10:00 TRACK 2: Plenary 4- Food & Agriculture

10:00-10:30 TRACK 3: Plenary 5- Forestry, Conservation & Biodiversity

SYMPOSIUM 4

10:30-11:00 Genetics of COVID-19 Infection

Plenary 6


LC1-LC5

12:35-12:50 OC1

12:35-14:00 POSTER VIEWING

14:00-15:30 MEET THE EXPERTS SESSION:

CAREER PATHWAYS IN GENETICS


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15:30-17:00 26th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (for PGM Members)


17 MARCH 2021 (WEDNESDAY)

SYMPOSIUM 5

9:00-9:30 Track 1

Plenary 7: Medicine & Health Sciences

9:30-10:00 TRACK 3

Plenary 8: Forestry, Conservation & Biodiversity

10:00-10:30 TECHNOLOGY TALK 2

SYMPOSIUM 6

TRACK 1 TRACK 2 TRACK 3

Medicine & Health

Sciences

Food & Agriculture

Forestry, Conservation &

Biodiversity


(LM2)

Lead Paper

(LF2)

Lead Paper

(LB2)

10:50-11:50 SYMPOSIUM 7

OB7-OB10


SYMPOSIUM 8

14:00-14:30 TRACK 2

Plenary 9: Food & Agriculture

14:30-15:00 TRACK 3

Plenary 10: Forestry, Conservation & Biodiversity

15:00-15:45 OB11-OB12

OM7

15:45-16:45 CLOSING CEREMONY


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PERSATUAN GENETIK MALAYSIA (GENETICS SOCIETY OF MALAYSIA)

Persatuan Genetik Malaysia

Persatuan Genetik Malaysia (PGM) or Genetics Society of Malaysia was established in 29th

January 1994 as a professional body representing geneticists in Malaysia. The society was

formed to promote scientific knowledge in the fields of genetics the following objectives:

to develop and promote scientific knowledge on genetics,

to create public awareness on the importance and advancement of genetics and allied

disciplines,

to enhance the role and contribution of scientists involved in genetics and allied

disciplines,

to foster better relationship and understanding among scientists in genetics and allied

disciplines.

Since its founding, the Society has grown significantly in terms of membership. Today, the

Society has more than 1094 members, comprising 191 life members, 511 ordinary

members, 381 student members and 11 associate members. The Society is an adhering

body to the International Genetics Federation (IGF) and Confederation of Scientific and

Technological Associations in Malaysia (COSTAM).

The Society aims to be a platform for Malaysian scientists to nurture greater networking

and exchange of ideas, experiences and disseminating the latest development and

advancements in genetics among researchers locally and internationally via its numerous

activities that include conferences, seminars, workshops, meetings, special lectures and

educational visits. These are often organized in collaboration with universities and research

institutions. The biennial Malaysia International Genetics Congress (MiGC), the annual

International Plant Breeding Conference (IPBC) and the PGM Seminar series are among of

its highflying activities. To acknowledge the outstanding contribution of members and non-

members alike, PGM has established its’ own scientific publication namely A Practical

Compendium and TPGM [Transactions of the Persatuan Genetik Malaysia (or Genetics

Society of Malaysia)].

To commemorate the society’s, PGM has launched its interactive website. More information

and updates on activities and publication of PGM can be obtained at www.pgm-my.org.

The society is at its present height as a result of the dedication, commitment and hard work

of its members and the council members. The present elected council members (2019-

2021) are:

http://www.pgm-my.org/


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President : Professor Dr Abd Rahman Milan (PGM)

Vice President : Assoc Prof Dr Nor Shariza Nordin (UPM)

Honorary Secretary : Ts Dr Nor’Aishah Hasan (UiTM)

Deputy Secrecatry : Ts Dr Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme (UPM)

Treasurer : Madam Sharifah Azween Syed Omar (UKM)

Committee Members : Professor Dr Thong Meow Keong (UM)

: Professor Dr Zilfalil Alwi (USM)

: Prof Dr Zarina Abdul Latiff (UKM)

: Assoc Prof Dr Chan Soon Choy (Perdana University)

: Dr Norwati Muhammad (FRIM)

: Assoc Prof Ts Dr Shamsiah Abdullah (UiTM)

: Dr Mohd Din Amiruddin (MPOB)

: Assoc Prof Dr Zarina Zainuddin (IIUM)

Auditors : Dr Ahmad Tarmidi Sailan (UKM)

: Dr Radha Kodiappan (Perdana University)


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MiGC14 AT A GLANCE

MISSION

Implementing the National Biotechnology Policy via genomics and molecular biology

research for development of home-grown technologies in selected niches of industrial

and healthcare biotechnology.

VISION

A premier network-based institute in genome research for knowledge generation,

innovation and technology transfer for economic development.

OBJECTIVES

To develop and promote scientific knowledge of genetics

To create public awareness of the importance and advances in the field of genetics

To enhance the role and contribution of scientists involved in the field of genetics

To improve the relationship and understanding between scientists in the field of

genetics

To discuss problems and issues arising in the field of genetics and allied scientific

disciplines

To provide encouragement and up-to-date information to researchers to explore

and share knowledge regarding the field of genetics that is unknown to others


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SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME (MENDEL, PLENARY, LEAD & ORAL)

15 MARCH 2021 (MONDAY)

Time Event

9:00-9:30

Emcee: Dr Muhammad Aidil Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA

WELCOMING & OPENING CEREMONY

Lagu Negaraku

Recitation of Doa

Welcoming speech

YBhg Prof Dr Zilfalil Alwi

Chairman of the Organizing Committee

14th Malaysia International Genetic Congress (MiGC14)

Opening Speech

YBhg Prof Dr Abd Rahman Milan

President, Genetics Society of Malaysia

PGM Book Prize Award

Launching of TPGM 11

Multimedia Presentation

9:30-10:30 Chairperson: Prof Dr Abd Rahman Milan,


MENDEL LECTURE

Dr Nik Serena Nik Zainal

University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

‘Harnessing the Value of Whole Genome Sequencing in the

Management of Human Cancer’


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10:30-11:30

Chairperson: Prof Dr Zilfalil Alwi, Universiti Sains Malaysia

KEYNOTE

Datuk Dr Hishamshah Bin Mohd Ibrahim

Deputy Director General of Health,

(Research & Technical Support)

Ministry of Health, Malaysia

‘The Genetics of the Malaysian COVID-19 Pandemic’

SYMPOSIUM 1

Chairperson: Prof Dr Zarina Abdul Latiff, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

11:30-12:00 TRACK 1


Prof Dr Sok Ching Cheong, University of Malaya, Malaysia

‘Identification of the Genetic Vulnerability of Oral Cancers using

CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing’

12:00-12:30 TRACK 2


Prof Dr Wendy Harwood, John Innes Centre, United Kingdom

‘Advances in Genome Editing in Cereal Crops’

TECHNOLOGY TALK 1

Chairperson: Dr. Muhammad Aidil Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA

14:00-14:30

Vanitha Palaeya

Associate Sales Development Manager, QIAGEN Malaysia

Analisa Resources (M) Sdn Bhd

‘QIAcuity: The Future is Digital’


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SYMPOSIUM 2

TRACK 1

Medicine & Health

Sciences

Chairperson:

Assoc Prof Dr

Norshariza Nordin,

University Putra

Malaysia

TRACK 2

Food & Agriculture

Chairperson:

Dr Mohd Din

Amiruddin,

Malaysian Palm Oil

Board

TRACK3

Forestry,

Conservation &

Biodiversity

Chairperson:

Assoc Prof Ts Dr

Shamsiah

Abdullah,

Universiti

Teknologi MARA

14:30-14:50 Lead Paper (LM1) Lead Paper (LF1) Lead Paper (LB1)

Assoc Prof Dr

Noorazmi

Shaharuddin,

Universiti Putra

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘Biochemical

Evaluation of

Zingiberaceae sp

and

Transcriptomics

Analysis of UV-

irradiated Human

Fibroblast Cells for

Anti-aging Effect’

Dr Dheeraj Rathore

Teagasc, Ireland

‘Ensifer Mediated

Transformation for

Plant Genetic

Improvement’

Dr Zulkifli Yaakub,

Malaysian Palm

Oil Board,

Malaysia

‘Creating A

Sustainable Oil

Palm Genetic

Resource’

14:50- 15:05 OM1

Rifhan Azwani

Mazlan

University Malaya

Medical Centre, Kuala

Lumpur Malaysia

‘Non-directiveness in

Genetic Counselling

in Prenatal Diagnosis

and Termination of

Pregnancy’

OF1

Izwan Bharudin

Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘Mating-Type Genes in

Ganoderma boninense’

OB1

Salmah Yaakop

Universiti

Kebangsaan

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘New Insight into

Distribution of Pest,

Metisa plana

(Lepidoptera:

Psychidae) in the

West Coast of

Peninsular Malaysia


23

using Three

Molecular Markers

Towards Its

Management

Strategy’

15:05 – 15:20

OM2

Jonathan Jun-Yong

Lim

Nara Institute of

Science and

Technology, Japan

‘Investigation of

CRISPR-Cas9 as a

Novel Method to

Generate Organ-

Deficient Mouse

Model’

OF2

Aliif Ihsaan Akmal

Shukri

Universiti Teknologi

MARA, Malaysia

‘Genetic Diversity of

Malaysia Yielding Rice

Accession Based on

Agro-morphological

Traits’

OB2

Juanita Joseph

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah, Malaysia

‘Genetic Techniques

as a Tool in

Understanding the

Biology of Marine

Turtles for Better

Conservation

Management in

Malaysia’

15:20 – 15:35 OM3

Izzah Syahira Omar

Universiti Sains

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘A Study on Rapidly

Mutating Y-Str

Among Male

Monozygotic Twins’

OF3

Hazel Marie Kugan

University of Malaya,

Malaysia

‘Progress in Pulse

Crop Genetics for a

Sustainable Food

Future’

OB3

Muhd Nazmi Amir

Mazlan

Universiti

Kebangsaan

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘Phylogenetic

Relationship of Red

Junglefowl (Gallus

gallus) in Peninsular

Malaysia’

15:35 – 15:50 OM4

Chai Teng Chear

Institute for Medical

Research, Malaysia

‘The Structural

Impact of NLRC4

Q657L Mutation

Associated with

Spontaneous

Inflammasome

OF4

Norzulaiha Binti

Abd. Karim

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah, Malaysia

‘Inhibitory Properties

of Single Chain 2S

Albumin Seed

Storage Protein from

Theobroma cacao’

OB4

Johan Ariff Mohtar

Universiti Malaysia

Perlis, Malaysia

‘Molecular

Identification of

Cave-Dwelling

Spiders

Indigenous to Gua

Kelam, Perlis State


24

Activation using

Computational

Approaches’

Park’

15:50 – 16:05 OM5

Sweta Raikundalia

Universiti Sains

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘MIR-32-5P

Controls Cell

Apoptosis, Cell

Cycle Progression

and Wound Repair

by Regulating

Choline Kinase

Alpha Gene

Expression’

OF5

Rafida Razali

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah, Malaysia

‘Production, Catalytic

and Structural

Properties of Codon-

optimized

Recombinant

Bromelain from MD2

Pineapple’

OB5

Qi Luan Lim

Kyoto University,

Japan

‘Genetic Diversity and

Phylogenetic

Relationship of

Malayan Tapir

(Tapirus indicus)

Populations in the

Malay Peninsula

Based on the

Mitochondrial Control

Region’

16:05 – 16:20 OM6

Adiratna Mat

Ripen

Institute for

Medical Research

‘Concordance and

Discordance

between Whole-

Exome

Sequencing

Findings and

Clinical Diagnoses

for Inborn Errors

of Immunity’

OF6

Azzreena Mohamad

Azzeme

Universiti Putra

Malaysia

‘Phenolics and Their

Actions in Regulating

Expression of Browning

Associated Genes and

Vegetative Growth of In

Vitro Banana’

OB6

Muhammad Fadli

Bin Mazlan


MARA, Malaysia

‘Sequence Analysis of

Civet Species using

Cytochrome’


16 MARCH 2021 (TUESDAY)

SYMPOSIUM 3

Chairperson: Assoc Prof Dr Zarina Zainuddin, International Islamic University

Malaysia

9:00-9:30 TRACK 1


Prof Dr Johan den Dunnen, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC),


25

Netherland

‘For A Better Future – Share What You Know!’

9:30-10:00 TRACK 2


Dr Brande Wulff, John Innes Centre, UK

‘Sustainable Control of Disease Resistance-The Case for GM Wheat’

10:00-10:30 TRACK 3

Plenary 5: Forestry, Conservation & Biodversity

Dr Kevin Ng Kit Siong, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Malaysia

‘The genome of Shorea leprosula (Dipterocarpaceae) Highlights the

Ecological Relevance of Drought in Aseasonal Tropical Rainforests’

SYMPOSIUM 4

Genetics of COVID-19 Infection

Chairperson: Prof Dr Thong Meow Keong, University of Malaya

10:30- 11:00

Plenary 6

Professor Dr. Wang Linfa, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

‘COVID-19: From Virus Origin to Vaccine’

11:00-11:20

Lead Paper

LC1

Professor Datuk Awang Bulgiba, University of Malaya, Malaysia

‘COVID-19 Pandemic Containment Measures in Malaysia’

11:20- 11:40

LC2

Mr. Mohd Noor Mat Isa, Malaysia Genome Institute, Malaysia

‘The Genomic Surveillance of Malaysia SARS-CoV-2 Virus

11:40-12:00

LC3

Dr. Rozainanee Mohd Zain, Institute for Medical Research, Malaysia


26

‘COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing in Malaysia’

12:00-12:20

LC4

Dr. Hajar Fauzan Ahmad, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

‘Remote Sequencing Strategy: Decoding D614g Mutation of SARS-CoV-2

Virus Isolated from Pahang, Malaysia Cases’

12:20-12:35

LC5

Dr. Abdelazeem Elhabyan, Arizona State University, United States

‘Genetics of Severe COVID-19’

12:35-12:50 OC1

Saidatul Wahidah Maisin

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

‘Development of RT-PCR for Detection Of COVID-19 from Saliva in

Accordance to ISO 17025:2015: A Quality Practice And Trust In Results’


MEET THE EXPERTS SESSION:

CAREER PATHWAYS IN GENETICS

Moderator:

Dr Norwati Muhammad

Deputy Director General (Research)

Forest Research Institute Malaysia

14:00-15:30 Panelist 1 Panelist 2 Panelist 3

Mrs. Yoon Sook

Yee

President, Genetics

Counseling Society

Malaysia

Professor Dr Abd

Rahman Milan

President, Genetics

Society of Malaysia

Professor Dr

Ariff Omar

Former President,

Malaysia Society

of Animal

Production

15:30- 17:00 26th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (for PGM Members)



27

17 MARCH 2021 (WEDNESDAY)

SYMPOSIUM 5

Chairperson: Assoc Prof Dr Chan Soon Choy, Perdana University

9:00-9:30 TRACK 1


Professor Datin Dr Norlinah Mohamed Ibrahim, Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘Could Gene Therapies be the Long-Awaited Hope for

Neurodegenerative Diseases?’

9:30-10:00 TRACK 3

Plenary 8: Forestry, Conversation & Biodiversity

Prof Dato’ Dr Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah, Universiti Malaysia

Terengganu

‘Greater Kenyir Landscapes and Biodiversity Bank’

TECHNOLOGY TALK 2

Chairperson: Dr Muhamad Aidil Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA

10:00-10:30 Dr Zuwei Qian

Pacific Bioscience sponsored by Research Instruments Sdn Bhd.

‘PacBio’s HiFi Sequencing: Advancing Genomics for A Better Future’

SYMPOSIUM 6

TRACK1

Medicine & Health

Sciences

Chairperson:

Pn. Sharifah

Azween, Universiti

Kebangsaan

TRACK 2

Food & Agriculture

Chairperson:

Assoc Prof Dr

Azwan Awang,

TRACK3

Forestry,

Conservation &

Biodiversity

Chairperson:

Dr Nor’Aishah

Hasan, Universiti

Teknologi MARA


28

Malaysia, Malaysia Universiti Malaysia

Sabah, Malaysia

10:30-10:50 Lead Paper (LM2) Lead Paper (LF2) Lead Paper (LB2)

Associate Prof Dr

Norlelawati A.

Talib

International

Islamic University

Malaysia, Malaysia

‘Molecular Genetics

Testing for Cancers

in Diagnostic

Laboratory:

SASMEC@IIUM

experiences’

Mohd Hafiz Abdul

Rahman

Institut Biodiversiti

Veterinar

Kebangsaan,

Malaysia

‘Redevelopment of

Mafriwal Cattle

Breed for Milk

Production in

Malaysia’

Assoc Prof Dr

Potjamarn

Suraninpong

Walailak

University,

Thailand

‘Phylogenetic

analysis of

Nepenthes in

Thailand’

SYMPOSIUM 7

Chairperson: Dr Hasnita Che Hassan, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan

10:50 – 11:05 OB7

Merrie Corette Charles

Management & Science University, Malaysia

‘Molecular Method for Sex Identification of Pheasants (Argusianus argus

and Polyplectron malacense) from Non-invasively Collected Samples using

Three Independent Primer Sets’

11:05 – 11:20 OB8

Bak Zaibah binti Fazal

Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

‘Screening, Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria Producing

Thermostable α-Amylases from Sabah Hot Springs’

11:20 – 11:35 OB9

Muhd Amsyari Morni

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak,

Malaysia

‘Assessing the Genetic Diversity Within Crocidura monticola Species

Complex (Soricidae: Crocidurinae) Using mtDNA Cytochrome b Sequences’


29

11:35 – 11:50 OB10

Nurshafrina Aida binti Yahya

Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

‘Genome Analysis of Thermoflavifilum aggregans and Characterization of its

Cellulase Degrading Enzyme’

11:50 – 14:00

POSTER VIEWING

SYMPOSIUM 8

Chairperson:

Dr. Mamat Hamidi Kamalludin, Universiti Putra Malaysia

14:00 – 14:30 TRACK 2 Food & Agriculture

Plenary 9: Dr. Bjoern Petersen

Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut

Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Germany

‘Applications of Genome Editing in Farm Animals’

14:30 – 15:00 TRACK 3 Forestry, Conservation & Biodiversity

Plenary 10: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia

‘Evolution and Biogeography of Southeast Asian Roundleaf Bats’

15:00 – 15:15 OB11

Julius William-Dee


Malaysia

‘Phylogeography of the Bornean Shrew (Family Soricidae: Crocidura foetida)

Inferred from Cytochrome B Gene Sequences and Cranio-dental Data’

15:15 – 15:30 OB12

Nor Al-Shuhadah Binti Sabarudin


Malaysia

‘Genetic, Morphology and Echolocation Variation within Bamboo Bats in


30

Malaysia’

15:30 - 15:45 OM7

Hasif Adli Zakariah

University of Malaya, Malaysia

‘Association analysis of a GSTP1 functional polymorphism with

methamphetamine dependence and associated symptoms in a multiethnic

Malaysia population’

15:45 – 16:45 CLOSING CEREMONY

Emcee:

Dr. Muhammad Aidil Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA


31

LIST OF ORAL PRESENTATIONS

ORAL

ID

PRESENTER PAPER TITLE

Track 1: Medicine and Health Sciences

OM1 Rifhan Azwani Mazlan

University Malaya

Medical Centre

Non-directiveness in Genetic Counselling in Prenatal

Diagnosis and Termination of Pregnancy

OM2 Jonathan Jun-Yong Lim

Nara Institute of Science

and Technology

Investigation of CRISPR-Cas9 as A Novel Method to

Generate Organ-Deficient Mouse Model

OM3 Izzah Syahira Omar

Universiti Sains Malaysia

A Study on Rapidly Mutating Y-Str Among Male

Monozygotic Twins

OM4 Chai Teng Chear

National Institutes of

Health

The Structural Impact of NLRC4 Q657L Mutation

Associated with Spontaneous Inflammasome Activation

Using Computational Approaches

OM5 Sweta Raikundalia


MIR-32-5P Controls Cell Apoptosis, Cell Cycle Progression

and Wound Repair by Regulating Choline Kinase Alpha

Gene Expression

OM6 Adiratna Mat Ripen


Research

Concordance and Discordance between Whole-Exome

Sequencing Findings and Clinical Diagnoses for Inborn

Errors of Immunity

OM7 Hasif Adli Zakariah


Association analysis of a GSTP1 Functional Polymorphism

Findings with Methamphetamine Dependence and

Associated Symptoms in Ammultiethnic Malaysian

Population

Track 2: Food & Agriculture

OF1 Izwan Bharudin


Malaysia

Mating-Type Genes in Ganoderma boninense

OF2 Aliif Ihsaan Akmal Shukri


MARA

Genetic Diversity of Malaysia Yielding Rice Accession

Based on Agro-Morphological Traits

OF3 Hazel Marie Kugan


Progress in Pulse Crop Genetics for a Sustainable Food

Future

OF4 Norzulaiha Binti Abd.

Karim

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah

Inhibitory Properties of Single Chain 2S Albumin Seed

Storage Protein from Theobroma cacao

OF5 Rafida Razali

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah, Malaysia

Production, Catalytic and Structural Properties of Codon-

optimized Recombinant Bromelain from MD2 Pineapple

OF6 Azzreena Mohamad Phenolics and Their Actions in Regulating Expression of


32

Azzeme


Browning Associated Genes and Vegetative Growth of In

Vitro Banana

Track 3: Forestry, Conservation & Biodiversity

OB1 Salmah Yaakop


Malaysia

New Insight into Distribution of Pest, Metisa Plana

(Lepidoptera: Psychidae) in The West Coast of Peninsular

Malaysia Using Three Molecular Markers Towards Its

Management Strategy

OB2 Juanita Joseph

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah

Genetic Techniques as a Tool in Understanding the

Biology of Marine Turtles for Better Conservation

Management in Malaysia

OB3 Muhd Nazmi Amir

Mazlan


Malaysia

Phylogenetic Relationship of Red Junglefowl (Gallus

gallus) in Peninsular Malaysia

OB4 Johan Ariff Mohtar

Universiti Malaysia Perlis

Molecular Identification of Cave-Dwelling Spiders

Indigenous to Gua Kelam, Perlis State Park

OB5 Qi Luan Lim


Genetic Diversity and Phylogenetic Relationship of

Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) Populations in the Malay

Peninsula based on the Mitochondrial Control Region

OB6 Muhammad Fadli Bin

Mazlan


MARA

Sequence Analysis of Civet Species Using Cytochrome

OB7 Merrie Corette Charles

Management and

Science University

Molecular Method for Sex Identification of Pheasants

(Argusianus argus and Polyplectron malacense) from Non-

Invasively Collected Samples using Three Independent

Primer Sets

OB8 Bak Zaibah binti Fazal

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah

Screening, Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria

Producing Thermostable α-Amylases from Sabah Hot

Springs

OB9 Muhd Amsyari Morni

Universiti Malaysia

Sarawak

Assessing The Genetic Diversity Within Crocidura

monticola Species Complex (Soricidae: Crocidurinae)

using mtDNA Cytochrome b Sequences

OB10 Nurshafrina Aida binti

Yahya

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah

Genome Analysis of Thermoflavifilum aggregans and

Characterization of its Cellulase Degrading Enzyme

OB11 Julius William-Dee

Universiti Malaysia

Sarawak

Phylogeography of the Bornean Shrew (Family Soricidae:

Crocidura foetida) Inferred from Cytochrome B Gene

Sequences and Cranio-dental Data

OB12 Nor Al-Shuhadah Binti

Sabarudin

Universiti Malaysia

Genetic, Morphology and Echolocation Variation within

Bamboo Bats in Malaysia


33

Sarawak

Genetics of COVID-19 Infection

OC1 Saidatul Wahidah Maisin

Universiti Malaysia

Sabah

Development of RT-PCR for Detection Of COVID-19 from

Saliva in Accordance to ISO 17025:2015: A Quality

Practice And Trust In Results


34

LIST OF POSTER PRESENTATIONS

POSTER

ID

PRESENTER PAPER TITLE

Track 1: Medicine and Health Sciences

PM1 Rhanye Mac Guad

Universiti Malaya

Association of Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-10

Gene Polymorphism with Dengue in Sabah Population

PM2 Nur Nashyiroh Mastor


Whole genome sequencing of an Enterococcus faecalis Isolate

from A Patient with Cholecystitis in A Tertiary Hospital in Kota

Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

PM3 Latifah Ibrahim

National Institutes of

Health

Endpoint PCR Assay for Rapid Detection of Leptospira Strains

from Digestive Tract Samples from Cockroaches

PM4 Nazmul Huda Syed


MicroRNA Microarray Expression Profiling in Tears of

Children with Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis

PM5 Siti Aishah Abdul Wahab


Research

Characterization of G6PC Mutations in 12 Patients with

Glycogen Storage Disease 1a

PM6 Muttiah Barathan


Hyperforin Induces Cell Death in Triple Negative Breast

Carcinoma Cells and Upregulates Pro-Apoptotic Genes

PM7 Affandi Omar

National Institute of

Health

Lysosomal Acid Lipase Activity in Leucocytes Using 4-

Methylumbelliferyl Palmitate for Diagnosis of Wolman

Disease and Cholesteryl Ester Storage Disease

PM8 Fatimah Diana Amin

Nordin


Health

Distribution of Neuraminidase Activity in Fibroblasts from

Postmortem Samples

PM9 Lua Seok Hian


Health

Two Novel Mutations in Bscl2 and Agpat2 Genes Identified in

Three Malaysian Families with Berardinelli-Seip Congenital

Lipodystrophy

PM10 Kalidasan Vasodavan


Investigating the Antiviral Activity of CRISPR-Mediated

Upregulation of Schalfen 11 (SLFN11) Against HIV-1 Infected

Cells

PM11 Yusnita Yakob


Research

Laboratory Diagnosis of The Five Common Spinocerebellar

Ataxias (Type 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7) in Institute for Medical Research

(IMR): Malaysia Experience

PM12 Nor Azimah Abdul Azize


Research

FGFR2 Gene Mutations in Malaysian Patients with Associated

Clinical Features of Apert Syndrome and Crouzon Syndrome

PM13 Ilia Nazihah Mohamad

Ayob


Health

Characterization of Six Novel Mutations in ALPL Gene of

Three Unrelated Malaysian Families with Hypophosphatasia

PM14 Mohd Farid Baharin


Research

STAT3 Gain of Function Mutation Presenting as

Lymphoproliferative Syndrome


35

PM15 Nur Hafiza Binti Md Yusop

Department of Chemistry

Malaysia Johor State

Study of DNA Degradation in Time-Bound Bone Powder

Specimen

PM16 Norashareena Mohamed

Shakrin


Health Malaysia

Determination of 5- Methyltetrahydrofolate in Cerebrospinal

Fluid (CSF) by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with

Fluorescense Detection for Diagnosis of Dihydropteridine

Reductase Deficiency

PM17 Ernie Zuraida Ali


Health Malaysia

Detection of Mutations in katG and inhA gene of

Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Malaysia Clinical Isolates

PM18 Wan Dalila Wan Chik


Research

Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis Diseases with STAT1

Gain-Of-Function Mutation

PM19 Lee Ping Chin


Prevalence of Thalassemia in Southeast Asia

PM20 Norshariza Nordin


Prospective Paracrine Mediation of Brain Derived

Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) on Neurogenic Enhancement of

Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells (AFSCs) Treated with Centella

asiatica

PM21 Nadia Iryani Najri


Preliminary Data on The Expression Profiles of Micrornas in

Dengue Patients Infected with Denv-1 Serotype

Track 2: Food & Agriculture

PF1 Nor Farah Nadirah Ahmad

Noruddin

Universiti Teknologi MARA

Agro-Morphological Characterization Of

M1V3 Generations of Local Taro Variety (Colocasia Esculenta

L. Wangi) Mutant Lines

PF2 Mohd. Hafiz Bin Abd.

Wahab

Malaysian Agricultural

Research and

Development Institute

Multivariate Analysis of Biometric Traits in Male Katjang-Boer

Crossbred Goat

PF3 Nik Siti Mariani W Hamat

Universiti Malaysia

Kelantan

Effect of Organic Selenium Supplementation on the Sperm

Quality of Matured Boer Bucks

PF4 Faiz Ahmad


Malaysia

Survival Rate Under Submergence Stress and Molecular

Genotyping of New Rice Mutant Varieties NMR 151 and NMR

152 Using SSR Marker Linked to SUB1 Gene

PF5 Musherah Binti Khusaini


Development of Visual Detection Method for Detection of

White Spot Syndrome Virus

PF6 Norziha Abdullah

Malaysian Palm Oil Board

Performance of Selfed and Reciprocal Intercrossed Oil Palm

Deli Ulu Remis Progenies Based on Selected Agronomic Traits

PF7 Khairul Nizam Bin Sehat


Identification of MicroRNA in Pineapple via High-Throughput

Sequencing

PF8 Eric Tzyy Jiann Chong


Transformation of Sabah Traditional Rice for Combating Blast

Disease

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/8904_2012_202



36

PF9 Nor’Aishah Hasan


Genetic Analysis of Yield and Yield Contributing Traits in Rice

(Oryza sativa L.) BC2F3 Population Derived from MR264 × PS2

PF10 Joanna Ling Siaw Jing


Assessing Farm Animals Susceptibility towards SARS-CoV-

2 through Proteomics - A proposal

PF11 Nurazalia Mohamad Ali


Preparation of Protein Extraction from Metroxylon sagu Rottb.

soft shoot base tissue for Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis

Analysis

PF12 Siti Norvahida Hisham


Malaysia

The Effect of Drought Stress on Agronomical and

Physiological Traits of Malaysian Rice Varieties

PF13 Siti Nurdiyana Yusof


Malaysia

Polymorphism Survey Between Mahsuri Mutant and Tetep

using SSR Markers

PF14 M. Asyraf Md. Hatta

Universiti Putrs Malayia

Extensive Genetic Variation at The Sr22 Wheat Stem Rust

Resistance Gene Locus in The Grasses Revealed Through

Evolutionary Genomics and Functional Analyses

Track 3: Forestry, Conservation & Biodiversity

PB1 Munirah Adibah Kamarul

Zaman


Alkaloid Production in Callus of Polyalthia bullata and Its

Potential in Metabolic Engineering

PB2 Siti Nurhafizah Ramli


Elicitation Effect on Alkaloid Production in Polyalthia bullata

Callus at Different Growth Incubation Time

PB3 Nurfazlinyana

Normanshah


Mutation Induction of Spathoglottis plicata by Chemical

Mutagen


37

BIODATA OF MENDEL LECTURE

Nik Serena Nik Zainal

University of Cambridge

United Kingdom

Email: [email protected]

Serena is a CRUK Advanced Clinician Scientist and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics in

Cambridge, UK. Serena went to the UK as a PETRONAS scholar from Malaysia in 1993, obtaining

a First in Physiology at University of Cambridge before completing her medical degree in 2000.

She trained as a physician and specialized in Clinical Genetics. She undertook a PhD at the

Wellcome Sanger Institute in 2009 pioneering exploration of breast cancers through whole

genome sequencing (WGS). Serena demonstrated how detailed downstream analyses of all

mutations present in WGS breast cancers could reveal mutational signatures, imprints left by

mutagenic processes that have occurred through cancer development. She also identified a

novel phenomenon of localised hypermutation termed 'kataegis' and developed the principles

of using digital next-generation sequencing data to obtain phylogenetic information in a single

cancer sample. Serena continues to explore large cancer datasets using computational

approaches while investigating biological underpinnings of mutational signatures through cell-

based model systems. She led a clinical project, Insignia recruiting patients with DNA

repair/replication defects, aging syndromes and neurodegeneration, and is particularly focused

on advancing the field of mutational signatures into the clinical domain. Her team were

awarded the prestigious Dr Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award in 2019 for their efforts in

WGS and in pushing the clinical translational agenda of mutational signatures.

mailto:[email protected]


38

BIODATA OF KEYNOTE SPEAKER


Deputy Director General of Health




Dr Hishamshah Ibrahim is currently the Deputy Director General of Health (Research and

Technical Support) Ministry of Health, Malaysia. He is also a Senior Consultant Paediatrician

and Consultant Paediatric Haematologist and Oncologist where his clinical responsibilities and

research interest include childhood malignancies, stem cell transplantation, haematological

disorders and infections in the immunocompromised. He received his professional degrees

from the National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) and his paediatric

career has spanned positions in Malaysia, Australia, and the United States of America. Besides

formerly heading the Paediatric Department, he was also the Ministry’s National Head of

Paediatric Services charged among others with the clinical administration, training, planning

and development of the paediatric clinical services for the whole country. He was also an

honorary lecturer and research supervisor for several post-graduate medical programmes of

several universities and allied-health training programmes and has published numerous articles

in peer-reviewed medical journals, book chapters and other medical papers. He is active in

both industry and investigator-initiated research and has participated in presentations at

medical conferences in Malaysia and internationally. He is an active member of several

Professional Medical societies and non-governmental organisations, including serving for

many years as past President of the Malaysian Society of Paediatric Haematology and

Oncology (MASPHO).



39

BIODATA OF INVITED SPEAKERS

PLENARY 1

Sok Ching Cheong



Professor Cheong is the Head of the Translational Cancer Biology Research Unit at Cancer

Research Malaysia. Her team’s focus on the improvement of head and neck cancer

management and survival through the understanding of genetic alterations that occur in

these cancers, and by building innovative tools that will enable early detection and

development of novel treatment approaches. A major focus the team is in drug

development and include the following research areas: 1) the development of

immunotherapy 2) drug repurposing and 3) the use CRISPR-Cas9 essential screens to

identify novel targets for head and neck cancer. She received grants from national and

international funding bodies and her work has received several national and international

scientific awards. Professor Cheong is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM),

a Fellow of the International Academy of Oral Oncology (IAOO) and a Fellow of the Union

for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the current Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali Professorial

Chair. She is the Co-Chair of The World Academy of Sciences Young Affiliate Network

(TYAN), and an honorary member of the Young Scientist Network (YSN) of the Academy of

Sciences Malaysia.



40

PLENARY 2

Wendy Harwood

John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK


Wendy is Head of the Crop Transformation Group at the John Innes Centre, Norwich where

she also manages the BRACT Crop Transformation / Genome Editing Platform. She gained

a BSc in Biological Sciences from King’s College, University of London and a PhD in Plant

Biotechnology from the John Innes Institute / University of East Anglia. Wendy’s expertise

includes genetic modification (GM) technologies in a range of crop species and more

recently, the development and application of genome editing technologies in crops. She

lectures at both the Universities of East Anglia and Cambridge; holds an Honorary

Readership at the University of East Anglia and a Visiting Professorship for Senior

International Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Wendy is active in public

engagement, communicating a complex area of science to different audiences through a

range of media.



41

PLENARY 3

Johan T den Dunnen

Human Genetics & Clinical Genetics

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)

Leiden, Nederland


Johan den Dunnen is professor of Medical Genomics at the Leiden University Medical

Center, Leiden (Nederland). He is an expert in genome technology, molecular genetics and

diagnosis of inherited disease. He initiated the Leiden Genome Technology Center (LGTC),

a facility supporting innovative and high-throughput DNA and RNA analysis in research and

diagnosis). He started his career to work on Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy

(DMD/BMD) for which his group developed several new diagnostic tests and he is the

inventor of the antisense-oligonucleotide based “exon skipping” technology for the

treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other diseases. He also active for several

international organisations (incl. Global Variome, the Human Genome Variation Society, the

Human Genome Organisation, the European Society of Human Genetics) and the driving

force behind the HGVS nomenclature, the international standard for the description of

variants in DNA, RNA and protein sequences. As initiator of the “Leiden Open-source

Variation Database (LOVD)” he is passionate to convince people to share data on genes,

variants and phenotypes. He leads the LOVD project and currently acts as database

manager for Global Variome of the “Global Variome shared LOVD” databases

(databases.lovd.nl/shared).



42

PLENARY 4

Brande Wulff

Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, UK


Brande is a molecular plant pathologist and geneticist. He uses high throughput DNA

sequencing and bioinformatics to identify genes restricting major diseases of wheat. His

long-term aim is to use cloned genes from wild ancestors of wheat to engineer durable

resistance to these diseases in cultivated wheat. Brande works in the John Innes Centre, UK,

a centre for research and training in plant and microbial sciences.



43

PLENARY 5

Kevin Kit Siong Ng

Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Malaysia


In 1999, Dr Kevin obtained BSc (Hons) degree from the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS),

majoring in Conservation Biology. In 2004, he Obtained PhD degree from the University of

Malaya (UM) under Prof. Dr. Koh Chong Lek (UM) and Dr. Lee Soon Leong (FRIM) in the

field of population genetics. His PhD focused on the spatial structure and impact of logging

on genetic diversity of selected tropical timber species. Dr Kevin was a postdoctoral

research fellow at the Evolutionary and Ecological Genomics Lab (Prof. Dr. Kentaro Shimizu),

University of Zurich, Switzerland. Research focused on the genomics study of Shorea (2011

to 2013). Presently, he is a senior researcher at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM).

His research interest focuses on the use genomic data of tropical timber trees to study

patterns of genetic variation within and between species and use these data to learn more

about the histories and processes that have shaped these patterns. This includes

understanding how changing environments or human-mediated factors are influencing

populations, in particular the patterns of adaptive variation in natural populations of

tropical timber trees.



44

PLENARY 6

Linfa Wang

Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases

Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore


Professor Linfa Wang is a professor in the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases at

Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. He is an international leader in the field of emerging

zoonotic viruses and virus-host interaction. His current research focuses on why bats are

such an important reservoir for emerging viruses and on how we can learn from bats to

make us more resilience to infection and diseases in general. He is a member of the WHO

SARS Scientific Research Advisory Committee and played a key role in identification of bats

as the natural host of SARS-like viruses. Currently, he is serving on multiple WHO

committees for COVID-19, including the WHO IHR Emergency Committee. Prof Wang has

more than 400 scientific publications, including papers in Science, Nature and Lancet. He is

currently the Editor-in-Chief for the open access Virology Journal. In 2010, Prof Wang was

elected to the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.



45

PLENARY 7

Norlinah Mohamed Ibrahim

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia


Professor Dr Norlinah Mohamed Ibrahim is a Professor of Neurology in UKM Medical

Center, Malaysia, with fellowship training in movement disorders and Parkinson’s

disease from the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London in 2007. She is currently

the Lead for Neurosciences and Mental Health Research, of Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia. She currently serves as a Steering Committee member for Lancet -WHO for

Stroke in Low to Middle Income Countries and Task Force member for Movement

Disorders Society Asian-Oceanic Section. She is the recipient of High Impact Grant in

2012 and 2019, Research Award in 2016, and Anugerah Bitara, UKM (2016) for

outstanding contribution to research and publications. She was the recipient of the

Distinguished Graduate Award by the Medical Graduate Alumni of University College

Dublin for the year 2018. She has received Excellence Service Awards from the Faculty

of Medicine in 2010 and 2019. She has published in many high impact journals and is

an active researcher in the field of movement disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Ataxia and

Stroke which included clinical, genetics and translational research. She is currently

involved in international genetic collaboration study in Parkinson’s disease, and is

leading a clinical trial on Spinocerebellar Ataxia. She has peer reviewed for numerous

journals and has been invited to deliver many talks in her field.



46

PLENARY 8

Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah

Fellow Academy of Science Malaysia


Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah (aka Taj), PhD, is a professor and was the former Director of

the Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia

Terengganu; and former Dean of Foundation Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. He

has conducted extensive fieldworks since 1977 in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand with

a broad interest in biodiversity, biogeography, molecular ecology, mammalogy,

protected area and wildlife conservation and livelihoods of Orang Asli. Recently, he

received the best zoological and ecotourism book awards in the Malaysia National Book

Award in 2017 and 2019 respectively. He has published over 100 indexed journal

manuscripts and co-edited ten books, two of which by Springer Nature Publisher and

NOVA Publisher New York. Currently, he is an active researcher affiliated to the

Academy of Sciences Malaysia of which he is a fellow since 2013, and a newfound hobby

as a socio-environmental YouTuber in Taj Abdullah Channel. Received DIMP datukship

from HRH Sultan of Pahang in 2013. He can be contacted at [email protected].



47

PLENARY 9

Bjoern Petersen

Institute of Farm Animal Genetics

Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Mariensee, Germany


I was born in Hamburg on the October, 7th 1975 and studied Veterinary Medicine at the

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation from 1997-2002. After receiving

my approbation, I started my doctorate study at the Institute of Farm Animal Genetics in

Mariensee. During my study, we established a pig cloning protocol and performed targeted

genetic modifications of the porcine genome by somatic cell nuclear transfer and

homologous recombination. I received my doctor degree in 2004 and since then worked as

member of the permanent staff at the Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-

Institut in Mariensee. My main research topic is the use of DNA Endonucleases such as Zinc-

Finger Nucleases, TALENs and CRISPR/Cas to alter the genome of livestock species, in order

to address future challenges in animal breeding. Current projects are focused on

Xenotransplantation, Polled Cattle, Genome Sexing by CRISPR/Cas and disease resistance.



48

PLENARY 10

Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan

Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak,

94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.


Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan is an associate professor in zoology at the Faculty of Resource

Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. He received his Ph.D. from the Texas

Tech University USA on his research on the systematics and molecular evolution of

Southeast Asian bats. His lab is currently working on the evolution of several groups of bats,

rodents, shrews, and primates. The lab study multiple genetic transmission lines, including

paternal, maternal and autosomal markers, as well as behavioral characteristics (such as

echolocation) and geometric morphometric technique to identify the taxonomic unit. They

hope this will better understand the mode and tempo of mammalian diversification in

Southeast Asia. The lab is keen to move forward with the advancement of the genomic field

by incorporating bioinformatics to utilize natural history collection better. The lab has also

now embarked on metagenomics studies on several mammalian species to learn about the

different factors that shaped mammalian microbial diversity, critical to mammalian diversity.



49

BIODATA OF INVITED SPEAKERS FOR LEAD PAPERS

Noor Azmi Shaharuddin

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences,

Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.


Noor Azmi Shaharuddin is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of

Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra

Malaysia (UPM). He obtained his degrees from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (BSc.

and MSc.) and the University of Nottingham, UK (PhD). Before joining UPM in 2011, he

was employed as a Research Officer with Malaysian Palm Oil Board. His research involves

investigating the relationships between plants and their environments. The main focus is

on genomics and transcriptomics with an emphasis on plant molecular events during

stresses. In UPM he teaches introductory-level comprehensive biochemistry courses as

well as post-graduate courses. In addition to teaching and completing his own research,

Noor Azmi also supervises a number of undergraduate and postgraduate students, both

within UPM and in other universities. He is also an academic advisor to students in the

Faculty. His hobbies include fishing and soccer.



50

Norlelawati A. Talib

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre@ International Islamic University Malaysia

(SASMEC@IIUM)

International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia


Dr. Norlelawati A Talib obtained her MD(UKM) in 1996, Master of Pathology

(Haematology) (USM) in 2004, and a Ph.D. degree from the IIUM in 2014. She had a short

research attachment in genetics at Kobe University, Japan (2003) and Otago University,

New Zealand (2007-2008). She is currently the Head, Department of Pathology and

Laboratory Medicine, Kulliyyah of Medicine and Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre@

International Islamic University Malaysia (SASMEC@IIUM). She is also the leader of the

Medical Genetic Unit of the department. Her research interest includes epigenetic of

complex diseases and molecular diagnostic.



51

Dheeraj Rathore

Crop Science Department, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow R93 XE12, Ireland


Dheeraj Rathore studied Agricultural science in India. He completed an MSc in plant

genetics and crop improvement at the John Innes Centre, UK. He carried out his doctoral

studies in the group of Dr. Ewen Mullins at Teagasc in collaboration with Prof. Fiona

Doohan at the University College Dublin. He has worked as postdoctoral fellow on EU

funded Best for Soil project to develop an online decision-making tool to assist farmers

with crop rotations to improve soil health in Europe. He is now working in the

department of Crop Science at Teagasc, Agriculture and Food development authority in

Ireland with main interest in developing and innovating novel technologies to assist

plant breeding, enhance disease resistance and reducing chemical inputs in disease/pest

control strategies for sustainable agricultural production.



52

Mohd Hafiz A.R.

Institut Biodiversiti Veterinar Kebangsaan (IBVK), Bukit Dinding, 27000 Jerantut, Pahang


Mr. Mohd Hafiz obtained Bachelor of Science (Genetics) from University Malaya, Kuala

Lumpur in 1995. He took a master’s degree in information management at University

Technology of MARA in 1998. He worked as Editor in multimedia company for several years

before continuing as Research Officer in Department of Veterinary Services in 2005.

Currently he is stationed at Institut Biodiversiti Veterinar Kebangsaan (IBVK), Jerantut,

Pahang and involved in conventional breeding of livestock.



53

Zulkifli Yaakub

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi,

43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.


Dr Zulkifli Yaakub is a Head of MPOB Kluang Research Station. He is also a group leader of

Molecular Breeding at MPOB. He obtained his Msc degree in Genetic Engineering and

Biology Molecule from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2006 and his PhD degree in Genetics

from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2013. He has involved in breeding oil palm research

since 2005, in which his research involved the evaluation of field experiment and usage of

molecular tools to select new oil palm seed varieties and elite palms for cloning. His

research interest includes i) investigating the diversity and relationship between oil palm

germplasm using molecular markers, ii) breeding selection for commercial oil palm clonal

seeds production, iii) genetic mapping and quantitative trait locus (QTL), iv) evaluation,

selection, and utilization of oil palm germplasm, and iv) cryopreservation, DNA banking,

seed garden and exotic palms.



54

Suraninpong, P

School of Agricultural Technology and food industry, Walailak University, 222

Thaiburi, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160


Assoc. Prof. Dr. Potjamarn Suraninpong studied Agricultural Science (Agronomy) at

Kasetsart University. Then, she completed her Master of Science in Plant Science at Price of

Songkla University, Thailand. She carried out her Ph.D. dissertation at Suranaree University,

Thailand, which the research project was in collaboration with University of Illinois, USA. At

present, she is working at the Department of Plant Science in the School of Agricultural

Technology and Food Industry at Walailak University, Thailand. Her expertise is in tissue

culture and mutation induction of Anthurium and Spathoglottis. Currently, she is involved

in surveying and identification of nepenthes in Thailand for conservation. She is also

involved in genes identification and molecular marker development of drought and

flooding for oil palm breeding in Thailand.



55

Datuk Prof. Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud

Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine

Faculty of Medicine



He was the first Malaysian doctor to gain a PhD in Health Informatics, Datuk Prof Dr Awang

Bulgiba Awang Mahmud is currently Secretary-General for the Academy of Sciences

Malaysia (Malaysia’s foremost science think tank), Council Member for the Academy of

Medicine Malaysia, Chair of Malaysia’s Public Health NSR Specialty Sub-Committee and

President of APACPH-KL (the Malaysian chapter for the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium

for Public Health). He was Project Director for Malaysia’s National Policy on Science,

Technology and Innovation (NPSTI) 2021-2030. Prof Awang Bulgiba is also the first public

health medicine specialist in Malaysia to hold these 4 fellowships simultaneously (FFPH,

FPHMM, FAMM and FASc). He currently leads a national taskforce called CEASe (COVID-19

Epidemiological Analysis and Strategies) and the Independent COVID-19 Vaccinations

Advisory Committee. Prof Awang Bulgiba is very active in research and has published more

than 100 Web of Science-indexed journal articles.



56

Hj. Mohd Noor bin Hj. Mat Isa

Scientist & Head of Advanced Genomics & Bioinformatics Division

Malaysia Genome Institute


Mohd Noor is a scientist at Malaysia Genome Institute and also served as head of Advanced

Genomics & Bioinformatics Division with specialisation in genome informatics and

molecular biology. He works on various genome projects involved in whole genome

sequencing analysis, such as animal genome, plant genome, microbial genome and

metagenomics. Among the projects he involved is the rapid whole genome sequencing of

the coronavirus genome during the SARS outbreak on year 2003. His team managed to

sequence and annotates two coronaviruses within 6 days. He also previously involved in

genome sequencing of 2 kelah fish and 26 Malaysian genomes from various major ethnics

in Malaysia. He already sequenced more than 20 bacterial genomes and metagenomes

from various populations. Currently he is working on 5 species of Rafflesia, 3 Iguanas, 2

crabs and 2 stingless bee genomes. Lately, he actively works on the SARS-CoV-2 genome

sequencing from local patient samples and coordinating the development of Malaysia

SARS-CoV-2 genomics surveillance database.



57

Rozainanee Mohd Zain

Virology Unit

Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur


Rozainanee graduated as Medical Doctor in 2001 from University of Western Australia,

Australia and obtained her Master of Pathology (Medical Microbiology) from Universiti

Kebangsaaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2010. She did her internship at Pusat Perubatan UKM

(PPUKM) and had served as Medical Officer in PPUKM before joining the Institute for

Medical Research (IMR) in November 2003. At the IMR, she has involved with various

virology diagnostic services and the investigation of many outbreaks and has conducted

many researches. Her main research interests include vaccine, emerging viruses, re-

emerging viruses, viral hepatitis and HIV. She has published scientific papers in the peer

review journals and presented in many various local and international scientific meetings

and conferences. Apart from her involvement in diagnostic work and research, she is a

biosafety officer and a member of the Institutional Biosafety and Biosecurity Committees at

the Institute for Medical Research and actively involved in many biosafety and biosecurity

activities and meetings nationally and internationally.



58

Hajar Fauzan Ahmad

Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia


Hajar Fauzan is a Senior Lecturer from Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia who specialized

in microbial genomics studies. Recently, he has successfully unraveled the mystery of the

origin of the SARS-CoV-2 strain virus with mutations on D614G among Malaysian through

advanced sequencing methods, which have been recognized by international bodies such

as WHO and GISAID. He has a PhD in Food Microbiology and Fermentations from University

of Copenhagen, Denmark where he focused on decoding gut microbiome among the

elderly Danes. He passed his Phd without correction for a thesis entitled The Gut

Microbiome of Older Danish Adults – with Particular Focus on the Gut Mycobiome under

supervision of Prof Dennis Sandris Nielsen. He did a stint of research attachment at REGA

Institute, KU Leuven Belgium, working closely under Prof Karoline Faust’s tutelage where he

developed strong interest in exploring complex microbial networks via genomics data

mining. Beside running collaborative study on microbiome for obesity, autoimmunity and

breast cancer, he is currently focusing on characterisation the microbiota community and

diversity in animal models. The microbial communities will be determined using NGS-based

(amplicon, metagenome, WGS etc), applying state-of-the-art bioinformatics approaches

and statistics for genomics data analyses.



59

Abdelazeem Elhabyan

Arizona State University, United States


Abdelazeem Elhabyan graduated from medical school with an excellent and honor degree

in 2018. In 2020, he graduated with master’s degree in biomedical diagnostics from Arizona

State University USA with full scholarship from AGFE (GPA 4.0/4.0 Summa cum laude). He

received the Arab Youth Research Award 2020 from the Arab Youth Center UAE for his

research in medical education. He was trained by NHS and Genomics England to be a leader

in Genomic Medicine in the Arab region and was invited by Genomics England to curate

genes related to COVID-19 severe disease in humans. He is the founder of the following

initiatives: Genomisr initiative for education of medical doctors in applications of genomics

in medicine, Galaxyproject Arabic community for genomics and clinical research school.

Abdelazeem is interested in biomedical research in general and clinical research in

particular.



60

Technology Talk Speaker

Technology Talk 1

Vanitha Palaeya

Associate Sales Development Manager

QIAGEN Malaysia

Vanitha is the Associate Sales Development Manager for dPCR and Foundation portfolio in

QIAGEN for SEA region. In her current role, she is responsible for developing and

implementing portfolio growth strategies according to market conditions, customer needs

and QIAGEN objectives. Vanitha has been with QIAGEN for 6 years and she served Malaysia

market as a Senior Sales Application Specialist prior to her current role. She has 5 years of

research experience in molecular biology, biomarker discovery, and molecular genetics.

Vanitha received her Masters in Medical Science from University of Malaya in 2014.


61

Technology Talk 2

Dr Zuwei Qian

Director of Marketing

Asia Pacific, Pacific Bioscience

Dr. Zuwei Qian is Director of Marketing, Asia Pacific, with PacBio. Prior to joining PacBio he

was Director of Sales – Single Cell Proteomics, for Asia Pacific with Fluidigm

Corporation. Before Fluidigm he worked for PacBio in various capacities ranging from

applications support in US to sales channel management in China for 3 years. Before

starting his commercial career in the sequencing industry Zuwei spent 10 years at Affymetrix

in a range of management roles first in R&D and later on in field support and field

marketing in Asia Pacific. Before joining Affymetrix he held team leader positions at

companies such as AlphaGene Inc and Genome Therapeutics (now Agencourt) working on

microarray applications in the field of drug discovery. Zuwei was a Life Sciences Research

Foundation post-doctoral fellow with 2017 Nobel Laureate Michael Rosbash at Howard

Hughes Medical Institute. He received his Ph.D. degree from Rutgers University in the field

of molecular genetics and microbiology.


62

MEET THE EXPERT’S SESSIONS: CAREER PATHWAYS IN GENETICS

Panelist 1

Ms Yoon Sook-Yee

President

Genetics Counseling Society Malaysia

Ms Yoon Sook-Yee, a graduate from the University of Cambridge has been involved in the

Malaysian Breast Cancer (MyBrCA) and the Malaysian Ovarian Cancer (MyOvCa) research

project in CARIF since 2003. She is one of the two certified Genetic Counsellors in Malaysia

and is accredited by the Human Genetics Society Australasia (FHGSA). She is a consultant

Genetic Counsellor with Cancer Research Malaysia and was the Principal Investigator for a

nationwide study on the Mainstreaming of Genetic Counselling and Genetic Testing for

Ovarian Cancer Patients in Malaysia also known as the MaGiC Study. Ms Yoon is currently

the President of the Genetic Counselling Society Malaysia Malaysia and through the society,

aims to increase the awareness of genetic tests and genetic counselling in Malaysia.


63

Panelist 2

Professor Dr Abd Rahman Milan

President


Professor Dr. Abd Rahman Milan graduated from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia with

Bachelor Degree in Agriculture and a Master Degree in Horticulture Breeding from

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United State of America and a PhD in Molecular

Genetics from De Montfort University, United Kingdom. He started his career as a Research

Officer at MARDI, under Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry since 1983. He has

more than 30 years’ experience in research management of tropical fruits especially in the

field of genetic diversity and breeding of tropical fruits. After 30 years in MARDI, he joined

Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Sandakan Campus. His

expertise is in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology of Tropical Fruits Crops. At international

level, he was a country representative in The Society for the Advancement of Breeding

Research in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO) and The International Society for Horticultural

Science (ISHS). At national level, he is a Panel member of Genetic Modification Advisory

Committee (GMAC) under Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Panel

member of Higher Institution Centre of Excellent (HICOE) under Ministry of Education. He

is a Life member of Genetics Society of Malaysia since 1994 and President of Genetics

Society of Malaysia from 2017-2021.


64

Panelist 3

Professor Dr Mohamed Ariff Omar

Former President

Malaysian Society of Animal Production Animal Genetics

Professor Dr Mohamed Ariff Omar, formerly appointed as Research Officer and Director of

Livestock Research Centre of MARDI (1975 - 2005) and Professor at Department of Pre-

Clinical Veterinary Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Universiti Putra Malaysia (2008

- 2017). He was Editor in Chief of Malaysian Journal of Animal Science (2011 - 2019) and

President of Malaysian Society of Animal Production (1994 - 1998). Academic qualifications

include B.S. 1973. Louisiana State University, USA (Animal Science), M.S. 1974. Oklahoma

State University, USA (Animal Breeding) and Ph.D. 1984. Texas A&M University, USA (Animal

Breeding and Genetics).

Research interests are in breed development for ruminant livestock species, sustainable

livestock production systems, and disease resistance in indigenous breeds of livestock.

Among the research highlights are development of Brakmas, a beef cattle composite breed

in 2000 and establishment of rearing protocols for beef cattle in integrated beef cattle-oil

palm system for cow-calf production. He authoured and co-authoured 38 articles in

national and international journals and conference proceedings between 2008 to 2017. He

acted as co-supervisor and member of Supervisory Committees of a number of Master of

Science and PhD students between 2009 to 2017 while at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Universiti Putra Malaysia.


65

ABSTRACT OF MENDEL LECTURE

HARNESSING THE VALUE OF WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF

HUMAN CANCER

Nik Serena Nik Zainal

University of Cambridge

United Kingdom


It took more than 1,000 scientists ten years and ~USD2.7billion to sequence the 3Gb genome

within the Human Genome Project. Today, it is possible to sequence the whole human genome

in a day for under USD500. This remarkable increase in speed and scale of sequencing permits

investigation of diseases defined by mutagenesis, such as cancer, to be explored

comprehensively by reading the entire cancer genome of each patient as a matter of course.

For four decades, cancer scientists have sought driver mutations, those recurrent mutations

that are causative of carcinogenesis. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) however reveals all

substitution, indel and rearrangement drivers, including gene-fusion events and copy number

aberrations (amplifications and homozygous deletions) in one experiment. Additionally, the

totality of mutagenesis can expose patterns of mutagenesis, or mutational signatures, imprints

of DNA damage and repair processes that had occurred through tumorigenesis. In this lecture,

I will describe the concept of mutational signatures derived from WGS cancers. I will explain

how we use machine-learning methods to develop clinical algorithms in order to help with

cancer genome interpretation. The rate-limiting step in cancer genomics today, is not the

ability to perform WGS. It is the substantial expertise required to analyze and clinically interpret

the data in a useful way, that remains the hurdle between genomic technology and the clinical

context. I will describe how my team are making particular efforts to minimize these hurdles in

the pursuit of personalized medicine.



66

ABSTRACT OF KEYNOTE LECTURE

THE GENETICS OF THE MALAYSIAN COVID-19 PANDEMIC


Deputy Director General of Health




2020 was a watershed period for the world. In late 2019, an outbreak of an unidentified

infection was unfolding in Wuhan, China and it rapidly spread to spark new epicentres

worldwide by travelers. By the 11th of March 2020, WHO had declared an ongoing pandemic

by a novel virus designated SARS-CoV2. About 2 months earlier, Chinese scientists had shared

the whole genome sequence of the Wuhan strain enabling scientists elsewhere to design

molecular diagnostics and develop vaccines using the mRNA platform. The initial alarm had

transformed into a public health disaster unprecedented in magnitude with a huge toll on lives

and livelihood. The world in dire straits galvanized governments and societies turning to

science and genetics for solution. Malaysia had its fair share of past corona virus pandemics

from the likes of SARS-CoV & MERS-CoV and was ranked 18th on pandemic preparedness.

However, previous playbook was not applicable and novel strategies were adapted as we learn

more about this formidable adversary. Nonetheless the fundamental knowledge and

application of the science of genetics had given us hope of quelling this year long pandemic.

And as the virus mutates, lessons learned, and insights gained from genetics should place us

in good stead to handle the next one coming.



67

ABSTRACT OF INVITED SPEAKERS

PLENARY 1

IDENTIFICATION OF THE GENETIC VULNERABILITIES OF ORAL CANCERS USING

CRISPR/CAS9 GENE EDITING

Sok Ching Cheong



The cancer genome has been characterized to unprecedented depth, and such information is

impacting our understanding of drug response and how we select patients for cancer

treatment. In head and neck cancer however, the presence of oncogenic addition and

mutational biomarkers have not been obvious making the identification of therapeutic targets

and drug development challenging. Using CRISPR/Cas9 essential screens on a unique panel of

cell lines, we identified genetic vulnerabilities in head and neck cancers. We showed that some

previously reported cancer genes did not appear to be essential, whilst the identification of

genes with readily available drugs revealing drug repositioning opportunities. I will talk about

identifying potential therapies for head and neck cancer through integration of genomics

information and discuss how CRISPR/Cas9 technologies can be used to improve our

understanding of cancer genes and pathways. Finally, I will share information on the resources

in the public domain that we can leverage upon to understand more about the cancers we

work on.



68

PLENARY 2

ADVANCES IN GENOME EDITING OF CEREAL CROPS

Wendy Harwood

John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK


Genome editing technologies, particularly those based on the use of CRISPR / Cas9, are

revolutionising crop research and hold huge promise for contributing to the development of

improved crops. They allow the efficient generation of targeted mutations which can be

indistinguishable from mutations that occur naturally or have been induced by mutation

breeding techniques. They also allow for more complex targeted genome modifications,

including the insertion of a repair template sequence at a specific genomic location. To benefit

from new genome editing tools, efficient systems are required to deliver the editing

components to plant cells. Improvements in crop transformation systems therefore lead to

increased genome editing efficiencies and an example of a highly efficient wheat

transformation system will be described. Examples of genome editing to ‘knock out’ the

function of single and multiple target genes will be described in wheat. The more challenging

application of gene targeting, or ‘knock-in’, will then be considered, with an example given of

successful gene targeting in barley. There is huge interest in establishing efficient gene

targeting in crops to allow allele replacements as well as stacking of desired genes at a single

locus. Gene targeting however requires use of the cell’s homology directed repair pathway that

is rare in plants compared to the non-homologous end joining pathway that leads to efficient

knock outs. Gene targeting therefore remains very inefficient. Our work compared a strategy

where the repair template to be inserted was included within a viral replicon, to a strategy

without the viral replicon. The results highlighted some of the issues caused by the presence

of high copy numbers of the repair template and provide guidance for future gene targeting

in cereal crops.



69

PLENARY 3

FOR A BETTER FUTURE - SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW!

Johan T den Dunnen

Human Genetics & Clinical Genetics

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)

Leiden, Nederland


DNA diagnostics is based on sharing data on genes, variants and phenotypes. Without

sharing we can not perform reliable DNA-based diagnostics. Furthermore, when we do not

share, we do not offer optimal care to the patients and their families. Seems obvious. The

principle not only holds for “Medicine & Health Sciences” but also for “Food & Agriculture”,

and “Forestry, Conservation & Biodiversity”. When genetics is applied, findings should be

shared publicly to prevent others perform similar tests and spend money to discover what

others have already found. Sharing is essential to ensure you get value for money. One

would therefore expect that sharing is the standard, that funders demand public sharing,

that to run a qualified laboratory it is mandatory to share your genetic findings, to share all

variants identified. Unfortunately, reality is different and sharing is not the standard. Is your

lab different? Do you already share your data? For “Medicine & Health Sciences” one

consequence of the reluctancy to share is that for many variants we do not have enough

information to evaluate the variant's functional consequences and classify it as either

disease-associated (pathogenic) or not associated (benign), the famous VUS problem

(variant of unknown significance). When faced with a VUS there are a range of options to

try, incl. using bioinformatic tools to predict the functional consequences, performing in

vitro assays, analysis of patient-derived cells, generating animal models, etc. All steps which

are either very costly or at best only give a predicted effect. The best evidence for the

consequences of a variant comes from observations of the same variant in additional

individuals. Comes from the cheapest solution of the problem, comes from sharing data.



70

PLENARY 4

SUSTAINABLE CONTROL OF DISEASE RESISTANCE – THE CASE FOR GM WHEAT

Brande Wulff

Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK


Worldwide, crop yields are reduced by 20 to 30% every year due to pest and disease.

Protecting crops with pesticides is expensive, environmentally unfriendly and unsustainable.

The wild relatives of crops represent a treasure trove of genetic resistance, however,

introducing this resistance into our elite crops through traditional breeding is like crossing

a racehorse with a donkey; it takes many years to combine the best of both worlds.

However, if we could clone disease resistance genes from the wild relatives, then these

could be delivered as transgenes into their domesticated brethren. A stack of multiple

resistance genes holds great promise for long-lasting, i.e. durable disease resistance. Faced

with this task, we have developed fast, new and efficient methods for gene discovery and

cloning which use mutant and natural populations followed by sequence alignment to

locate genes [1-4]. We also developed a method for halving the generation time of wheat

and other crops, in a controlled environment, dramatically speeding up capabilities for

research and breeding purposes [5]. Our focus is on wheat and its major diseases. Our long-

term aim is to engineer pyramids of resistance genes against major diseases of wheat [6-

7]. I will present our enabling technologies and a roadmap for sustainable, disease resistant

GM wheat.



71

PLENARY 5

THE GENOME OF Shorea leprosula (DIPTEROCARPACEAE) HIGHLIGHTS THE

ECOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF DROUGHT IN ASEASONAL TROPICAL RAINFORESTS

Kevin Kit Siong Ng1,2, Masaki J. Kobayashi2,3,4,, Jeffrey A. Fawcett5,6, Chin Hong Ng1, Lee

Hong Tnah1, Chai Ting Lee1, Michael J. O'Brien2,3,7, Mohd Noor Mat Isa8, Soon Leong Lee1

& Kentaro K. Shimizu2,3

1Genetics Laboratory, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Selangor,

Malaysia.

2Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich,

Zurich, Switzerland.

3URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

4Forestry Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS),

Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

5Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University

for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan.

6RIKEN iTHEMS, Wako, Saitama, Japan.

7Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n., E-

28933 Móstoles, Spain.

8Malaysia Genome Institute, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.


Dipterocarpaceae, which consists of more than 500 species, dominate the Asian tropical

rainforest by its subfamily Dipterocarpoideae also known as the Asian dipterocarps. We

present the genome sequence of an ecologically and economically important Asian

dipterocarp, Shorea leprosula a tall emergent tree species. Our assembled genome contains

43,868 reliable and high confidence protein-coding genes. Many of these protein-coding

genes had similar paralogous genes and the Ks distribution for the paralogous gene pairs

suggested a whole-genome duplication event. Transcriptome data from seven different

genera of the Asian dipterocarps independently supported that the whole-genome

duplication (WGD) occurred in the ancestor of these dipterocarps around the period close

to the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event when several other plant species also

underwent a WGD. The gene ontology enrichment test revealed that a large number of

drought response genes retained their paralogous pairs after the duplication event.

Differential expression analysis from drought experiment further confirmed the function of

the drought responsive genes. The retention of duplicated drought response genes in Asian

dipterocarps after WGD may explain their current distributions in the seasonal and

aseasonal tropics.



72

PLENARY 6

COVID-19: FROM VIRUS ORIGIN TO VACCINE

Linfa Wang

Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases

Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore


2020 was supposed to be The Year of Rat, but the COVID-19 pandemic transformed it into

“The Year of Bat” due to the suspected bat origin of the causative agent, SARS-CoV-2. In

the last 25 years, we have had multiple zoonotic diseases outbreaks caused by bat-borne

viruses or probable bat viruses: Hendra in Australia (first detected in 1994), Nipah in

Malaysia/Singapore (1998/9), SARS (2002/3), MERS (2012), large scale Ebola virus outbreak

(2014) and the Covid-19 pandemic (2019/20). In this presentation, I will summarise the

current knowledge of SARS-CoV-2: from virus origin to vaccine development. I will also

provide the latest discoveries from our studies which may provide an insight into bat’s

ability to act as an exceptional virus reservoir in hosting viruses without suffering diseases

as other mammals do.



73

PLENARY 7

COULD GENE THERAPIES BE THE LONG AWAITED HOPE FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE

DISEASES?

Norlinah Mohamed Ibrahim

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia


Neurodegenerative diseases afflict 2% of the population, typically with insidious onset in

adulthood, with variable rates of progression. It leads to progressive neuronal death, with

characteristic clinical, pathological and histological hallmarks. Pathological abnormalities

and neuronal loss occur in the preclinical phase and patients manifest clinically when

substantial neuronal degeneration has occurred. Previous treatment strategies were mainly

developed for symptom control, without altering the natural course of the disease

Advancement in the field of genetics with cutting edge technologies such as GWAS has led

to new discoveries and understanding of the pathophysiology of complex and common

neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, both of

which have complex genetic inheritance. Monogenic forms of AD and PD are phenotypically

similar to sporadic diseases and share common biochemical pathways that lead to selective

neuronal cell death. For a clinician, these genetic discoveries can be quite overwhelming,

but offers renewed hope into future therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases

through gene therapies. However, gene therapies in multifactorial neurodegenerative

diseases are challenging, as the central nervous system has complex networks, and the

neurodegenerative process may not be homogenous with non-linear progression.

Furthermore, the presence of blood-brain barrier makes the brain less accessible to direct

gene therapies. Despite this, advances in genetic therapies have led to the approval of

gene-based therapies in three neurological conditions: SMA, DMD and Familial Amyloid

Polyneuropathy. Gene therapies can be targeted to restore the expression of protein

product in loss of function (gene reconstitution or replacement), whereas in toxic gain of

function, gene therapy is targeted to reduce the expression of mutant protein (gene

silencing) such as Spinocerebellar Ataxia 3. Genome editing tools and vector platforms

provide direct, precise and permanent correction of genetic defect, whereas indirect gene

therapies compensate for the effects of mutations and pathomechanisms. Examples of

indirect gene therapies include: 1. RNA interference by Antisense oligonucleotide or small

interfering RNAs (siRNA) which manipulate splicing of target mRNA, 2. Splice modification

by a small molecule to include or exclude selected exon and 3. Viral vector therapy – viral

delivery exogenous DNA carrying of healthy copy of regulatory RNA to ensure healthy

target mRNA. Translational studies investigating the efficacy of viral vector therapies in

multifactorial neurodegenerative disease such as PD, ALS and Alzheimers disease, are

underway with promising results.



74

PLENARY 8

BIODIVERSITY, SUSTAINABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY OF TASIK KENYIR

Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah

Fellow Academy of Science Malaysia


The Greater Tasik Kenyir rich in biodiversity is situated on the east coast state of

Terengganu, Malaysia. Its open doors to many studies on terrestrial biodiversity dated back

to the 1970s to 1990s, the data and information gathered are however far from adequate.

Since 2014, we have established a group of 16 members, who are based at the Institute of

Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, to

study on the diversity of selected flora (wooden tree) and fauna (insects, herpetofauna, birds

and mammals) from the upper reaches of Tasik Kenyir, Tasik Berombak to the wetlands of

Setiu and off coast islands of Terengganu. The data collection is costly, tedious and parts

of the data have been presented as theses and published in several scientific journals. In

this paper, we report our findings that could facilitate the state government to improve on

wildlife conservation and gazetting additional protected areas, uncover long lost

indigenous knowledge and further promote sustainability livelihood of Semoq Beri Orang

Asli. We observed 811 species of fauna in the Greater Kenyir followed by 58 species in Setiu

and 64 in off coast islands of Terengganu. The taxonomy of species of primates needs

further validation. The Orang Asli societal wellbeing must be further developed for long

term sustainability. We also strongly believe that our data have added to the present

knowledge of the rich biodiversity landscapes in Terengganu. We further discussed the

biodiversity status of this valuable yet fragile ecosystems, the gaps in knowledge and

suggest ways forward for the next generations to safeguarding the natural capital of our

country.



75

PLENARY 9

APPLICATIONS OF GENOME EDITING IN FARM ANIMALS

Bjoern Petersen

Institute of Farm Animal Genetics

Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Mariensee, Germany


In the last decade, the scientific community has witnessed the blooming of targeted

genome editing tools and their application in a broad variety of mammals. The clustered

regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas 9 system (CRISPR/Cas9) has become

the golden standard as genome editing tool and a variety of modifications of the

CRISPR/Cas system led to higher specificity, less off-targets and novel applications to

modify the genome of farm animals. Genome editors can be used to efficiently modify the

genome of farm animals to address urgent animal welfare issues associated with modern

livestock farming such as dehorning, surgical castration and resistance against severe

pathogens. Horned cattle pose an increased risk of injury for each other as well as for the

farmers. Dehorning without anesthesia is associated with stress and pain for the calves and

raises concerns regarding animal welfare. Naturally occurring structural variants causing

polledness are known for most beef cattle but are rarely distributed within the dairy cattle

population (<5% of all individuals). We isolated the Polled Celtic variant from the genome

of an Angus cow and integrated it into the genome of fibroblasts taken from a horned

Holstein Friesian bull with a high genetic merit using the CRISPR/Cas12a system (formerly

Cpf1). Modified fibroblasts served as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to

produce genetically modified embryos which were transferred into synchronized recipients.

One pregnancy was allowed to go to term and delivered one calf with a polled phenotype

which died shortly after birth. In conclusion, we successfully demonstrated the practical

application of the CRISPR/Cas12a system in farm animals to address a welfare issue

associated with livestock farming.



76

PLENARY 10

EVOLUTION AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN BATS

Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan et al.

Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak,

94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia


The Roundleaf bats, genus Hipposideros, are an exemplar lineage, being understudied,

broadly distributed throughout Southeast Asia's biodiversity hotspots, and cryptic genetic

diversity has previously been identified through mitochondrial sequence analysis. The

taxonomic description of biodiversity is essential for conservation decisions. Yet, this

description invariably relies on accepting genetic divergence thresholds, which are

strengthened by corroboration from different forms of biological data. To provide a robust

dataset for informed biodiversity assignment, we used a combination of bat echolocation

call, mitochondrial cytochrome-b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit-2 sequence, nuclear

AFLPs, and a combination of phylogenetic and biogeographic tools. Together, these data

were used to characterise Roundleaf bats biodiversity and explore the utility of coalescent

stochastic modeling in identifying "species level lineages" compared to those identified

following proposed mammalian percent divergence thresholds. The nuclear DNA

phylogeny identified 27 lineages out of the 34 lineages with > 5% divergence in mtDNA.

Echolocation data supported mitochondrial clades for which maternal and nuclear

phylogenies were discordant; these phylogenetic contrasts describe recent gene flow

among islands during the last glacial maximum. Biogeographic reconstructions of

Roundleaf bats suggest the Southeast Asian lineages studied here originated on the Sunda

Shelf ~19.2 mya and subsequently diversified into adjacent regions. Species identification

using coalescent stochastic modeling and the proposed mammalian percent divergence

threshold of > 5% were concordant. The combined information from these decision-

making criteria and data types employed, indicate the number of unrecognised species in

Southeast Asian Roundleaf bats is about half of that currently described.

.



77

ABSTRACT FOR LEAD PAPERS

LM1

BIOCHEMICAL EVALUATIONS OF Zingiberaceae Sp. AND TRANSCRIPTOMICS ANALYSIS

OF UV-IRRADIATED HUMAN FIBROBLAST CELLS FOR ANTI-AGING EFFECT

Akinola Adekoya Alafiatayo, a, d, Kok-Song Lai b, Syahida Ahmad a, Maziah Mahmooda and Noor

Azmi Shaharuddin a, c*

1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra

Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. 2Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences,

Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. 3Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang,

Selangor, Malaysia. 4Discipline of Genetics, Craig L. Dobbin Genetics Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial

University of Newfoundland, Canada


Skin aging is the gradual building up of molecular damages due to the vulnerability of the

skin to external damaging factors such as solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A therapeutic

approach to the management of skin aging is to induce the proliferation of dermal

fibroblast cells to produce procollagen and subsequent inhibition of extracellular

degrading enzymes. Zingiberaceae family is plant species endowed with great

antioxidative properties and are widely distributed in the tropics especially Southeast Asia.

Ten selected indigenous Zingiberaceae plants were screened for their anti-wrinkle

potentials via the proliferation of UV irradiated normal human adult fibroblast cells. Based

on the preliminary screening, C. xanthorrhiza and C. longa showed the most potent

extracts. C. xanthorrhiza was found to contain more linoleic fatty acid in its oil. C.

xanthorrhiza was also found to be the best inhibitor of collagenase and hyaluronidase

activities. Furthermore, extracts of C. xanthorrhiza promoted the proliferation of UV

irradiated fibroblast cells at post extract treatment. The RNA-Sequencing produced about

80 million reads in both UV irradiated and UV irradiated treated samples and 2007 genes

were found to be up-regulated and 2791 genes down-regulated in UV-irradiated human

dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. Extract of C. xanthorrhiza-treated UV- irradiated HDF cells

yielded 2284 up-regulated genes and 2968 down-regulated genes and about 19000

transcripts were reported as novel. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)

pathways enrichment analysis implicated cancer and cytokine-cytokine receptor

interaction in UV-irradiated HDF cells leading to induction of cell apoptosis. The Real-Time

qPCR gene expression profiling confirmed the expression of selected significantly

differentially expressed genes to be in the same trend as obtained in the RNA-Seq analysis.

Thus, these set of confirmed genes were concluded to be potential candidates for

biomarkers development for diagnostic, personalize and precise treatment of UV-induced

premature aging.



78

LM2

MOLECULAR GENETIC TESTING FOR CANCERS IN DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY:

SASMEC@IIUM EXPERIENCE

Norlelawati A. Talib

Department of Pathologyan and Laboratory Medicine

Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre@ International Islamic University Malaysia (SASMEC@IIUM)

International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia


There are multiple applications of molecular genetic testing in cancers. The presence of

specific genetic markers is essential for diagnostic and prognostic criteria of salient

haematological malignancies. Molecular profiling is also crucial for patients with

haematology and metastatic solid-malignant tumours as targeted new agents hinge on the

underlying molecular basis. Genetic mutation analysis is becoming routine for the diagnosis

of hereditary cancer syndromes and could also be the tool for screening healthy carriers of

cancer-predisposing mutations. The clinical diagnostic laboratory had previously hesitated

to embark on molecular diagnostics since the methods were labor-intensive, expensive, and

the processes required highly knowledgeable scientists. Providing diagnostic molecular

genetic testing now seems inevitable due to its monumental importance in the diagnostic-

therapeutic decision. Furthermore, some new diagnostic methods have become faster and

simpler. In response to this, the diagnostic laboratory and the pathologists must be efficient

in playing their role as decision-makers since inaccuracies in the test process may result in

incorrect treatment decisions. The laboratory staff must perform quality processes to

minimize inconsistency in molecular methods, thus ensure correct reporting. This

presentation addresses the challenges of bringing molecular genetic tests in-house, their

feasibility, cost, and appropriateness, plus the future development of comprehensive

genomic profiling and the roles of a molecular pathologist.



79

LF1

ENSIFER MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION (EMT) TECHNOLOGY FOR PLANT GENETIC

IMPROVEMENT

Rathore DS1*, Govindan AK1,2, Zuniga-Sotto E1, Gelvin SB3, Lapham R3, David Fitzpatrick

D4, Doohan F2, Mullins E1 1Crop Science Department, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow R93 XE12, Ireland

2School of Biology and Environmental Science, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland 3Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

4Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Ireland


Ensifer adhaerens OV14, a plant associated bacterium, underpins the successful plant

transformation protocol, termed Ensifer-mediated transformation (EMT). The adaptability

and efficiency of EMT technology to stably transform both monocot and dicot plants has

been demonstrated previously, and the host range of EMT is continuously expanding across

a diverse range of crop species. The whole genome has been sequenced to provide insight

into the genetic constitution of bacterium E. adhaerens OV14. Moreover, two separate RNA-

seq based studies have been performed to (i) elucidate the transcriptional response of

plants to EMT versus AMT and (ii) understand the genetic mechanism of T-DNA transfer in

E. adhaerens OV14. In regards to the former, of interest is the fact that the plant’s response

to EMT induced only 431 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) while AMT induced 1906

DEGs, suggesting OV14 does not elicit a strong host response compared to the standard

AMT process. On the other hand, profiling the transcriptional activity of E. adhaerens OV14

identified 2333 key DEG’s involved in the T-DNA transfer process. Together, these results

provide possibilities of further research focused on improving the efficacy and applicability

of EMT.



80

LF2

REDEVELOPMENT OF MAFRIWAL CATTLE BREED FOR MILK PRODUCTION IN

MALAYSIA

Mohd Hafiz A.R.1*, Suriaty R.1 and Saifullizam A.K.2

1 Institut Biodiversiti Veterinar Kebangsaan (IBVK), Bukit Dinding, 27000 Jerantut, Pahang

2 Bahagian Pembangunan Genetik dan Teknologi Penternakan, Jabatan Perkhidmatan

Veterinar Malaysia, 62630 Putrajaya


The dairy industry requires a large population of cattle for raw milk production targeted

but Malaysia is experiencing shortages of dairy cattle with good genetic material. Thus,

Malaysia embarked aggressively on the development of local dairy cattle in 1980’s with the

breeding of local Sahiwal-Friesian breed called Mafriwal. It was developed by considering

local environmental factors that have optimal milk production traits. However, the

requirement of Malaysian farmers has been changed and the farmers need the dairy cattle

which can produce more milk to cater the need of dairy industry. With the current shortage

of suitable dairy breed in this country, Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has taken

an action to redevelop the new Mafriwal cattle with the improved production traits such as

milk production without sacrificing the adaptation of the breed to the tropical environment.

The preliminary result of growth performance for new Mafriwal 2.0 is very encouraging;

however more time is needed to collect enough data to evaluate the reproductive

performance.



81

LB1

CREATING A SUSTAINABLE OIL PALM GENETIC RESOURCE

Zulkifli Yaakub*, Norziha Abdullah, Marhalil Marjuni, Suzana Mustafa, Fatin Mohd Nasir,

Wan Nor Salmiah Tun Mohd Salim, Mohd Din Amiruddin and Meilina Ong Abdullah

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi,

43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.


Malaysia currently has the largest oil palm germplasm collection in the world. Since 1973,

Malaysia has collected germplasms of Elaeis guineensis from 11 countries and 8 for E.

oleifera. The key objectives for these collections were as a means to broaden the genetic

base of the current oil palm breeding materials, and to ensure the conservation of a wide

range of oil palm genetic resources for posterity. The ability to effectively mine the data

through leveraging our rich germplasm resource has resulted in the development of

MPOB’s Palm Series (PS). The interesting attributes gave rose to 14 PSs which were

introduced and transferred to the industry. At present, the germplasm collections are

maintained in the form of a field genebank to safeguard the long-term interest of the

Malaysian oil palm industry. For conservation purposes, the major challenges faced with oil

palm field genebanks are their need for vast land and high maintenance cost. To address

this, molecular markers (SSR and SNP) coupled with principal component analysis (PCA)

were utilized to study the genetic diversity of these germplasms to establish core collections

(i.e. germplasm with minimal duplication genetically and with maximal genetic diversity).

The estimated genetic distance determined using both approaches are useful in developing

appropriate sampling strategies for conservation. Such information enables breeders to

identify redundancies within the collection without compromising existing genetic diversity,

and subsequently develop optimal sampling strategies for field conservation. In addition to

field conservation, cryopreservation is also conducted to study the impact of long-term

storage of oil palm tissues at ultra-low temperatures in liquid nitrogen (-196°C).

Cryopreservation requires limited space, less maintenance while protecting tissues from

contamination. To date, a total of 68,000 embryo samples from oil palm germplasm have

been cryopreserved. Apart from the above approaches, DNA banking of the germplasm

resource has been one of the key strategies to preserving the oil palm genetic diversity. It

is intended to serve as a repository for oil palm genetic information and to be made readily

available for molecular applications that is rapidly advancing in the field of molecular

biology. Out of a total of 5,210 spear leaf samples, DNA have been extracted for 4,637

samples. In addition, the ability to link specific markers with phenotypic data enables

marker-assisted-selection (MAS) to be executed as the more reliable DNA-based method

to speed up genetic improvement compared to conventional breeding. Quantitative trait

loci mapping studies also identified some QTL-associated desirable traits such as height,

compactness, oil composition and bunch characters. This will boost future data-driven

discoveries whilst providing solutions to the industry to create a more sustainable practise

through smart agriculture.



82

LB2

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF NEPENTHES IN THAILAND

Nuanlaong, S.1, Wuthisuthimethavee, S.

1 and Suraninpong, P.1*

1School of Agricultural Technology and food industry, Walailak University, 222 Thaiburi,

Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160


\

Plants in the genus Nepenthes, a carnivorous prominent plant, widely distributed in

Southeast Asia. Due to morphological similarity, it is difficult to classify or describe genetic

relationships among this pitcher plant. This study used molecular biological techniques for

identification and annotation genetic relationship of nepenthes distributed in Thailand. By

using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) marker, 13 Nepenthes species

dispersed throughout Thailand were analyzed. All of the 12 primers screened produced

highly reproducible AFLP bands with 100% polymorphism. The number of AFLP fragments

generated per primer ranged from 103 to 153 with fragment sizes varying from 100 to 500

bp. A total of 1,461 discernible DNA fragments were detected, of which 73.79% were

polymorphic and 26.21% were monomorphic. Nepenthes samples formed a tight cluster in

six groups. The dendrogram constructed from AFLP analysis successfully separated the

Nepenthes samples individually by geographical area and species. By using Internal

Transcribed Spacer Nuclear Ribosomal DNA (ITS) marker, nucleotide analysis of 13 species,

2 sub-species and 2 unknown samples of nepenthes distributed in Thailand in combination

with fifty-one Nepenthes taxa from NCBI database and Dionaea muscipula (an out group)

were used. The phylogenetic tree could be separated nepenthes into 9 monophyletic clades

following biogeographic distribution of those species. The result also verified N. mirabilis

var. globosa as a subspecies of N. mirabilis. The 2 unknown species had a genetic

relationship closely related to Thorelii aggregate group. However, ITS gene could not

classify Thorelii aggregate group as a result of the limitations of the ITS gene. Nepenthes

species collected from related ecological habitats appeared in the same groups and differed

from the others. The results of this study clearly explain the relationship of Nepenthes

species growing in Thailand.


83

LC1

COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTAINMENT MEASURES IN MALAYSIA

Datuk Prof. Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud

Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine

Faculty of Medicine



The first COVID-19 wave in Malaysia started on 25 January 2020 and died down within 2

months. During the initial stages, Malaysia’s approach was more relaxed and centred

around trying to contain the epidemic without alarming the population. Hence there were

no restrictions placed on the population and the public health response was to treat this

just like any other outbreak – contact tracing, quarantine and isolation of positive cases. It

was felt that these measures were adequate at that time. However, this proved to be

inadequate when the second COVID-19 wave hit the country. On 18 March 2020, Malaysia

imposed its first ever Movement Control Order (MCO) to contain a second COVID-19 wave.

As cases declined, the MCO was replaced with a Conditional MCO (CMCO) on 4 May 2020,

which was then in turn replaced with the Recovery MCO (RMCO) on 10 June 2020. However,

cases spiked again in September 2020 and various forms of MCO were imposed in various

localities and for varying periods of time. The third wave has proved to be a real challenge

for Malaysia as it struggled to contain spikes in various parts of the country. The COVID-19

pandemic has forced the country to confront the tremendous tasks that lie ahead it tries to

recover the ground and the time that was lost during the pandemic. Malaysia needs to

maintain a strong health system, socially responsible population and good governance in

order to achieve the right balance between public health action, economic survival and

social equilibrium.



84

LC2

THE GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE OF MALAYSIA SARS-CoV-2 VIRUS

Hj. Mohd Noor bin Hj. Mat Isa

Scientist & Head of Advanced Genomics & Bioinformatics Division

Malaysia Genome Institute


Viruses are constantly changing, and this includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes

COVID-19. These genetic variations occur over time and can lead to the emergence of new

variants that may have different characteristics. Genome sequencing allows scientists to

identify SARS-CoV-2 and monitor how it changes over time into new variants, understand

how these changes affect the characteristics of the virus, and use this information to predict

how it might impact health. For example, some variant viruses are of particular concern

because they spread easier, cause more severe disease, or may escape the body’s immune

response. Mass production of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence will improve our

understanding of which variants are circulating in the country, how quickly variants emerge,

and which variants are the most important to characterize and track in terms of health. This

talk will discuss further genomics surveillance efforts in our country and what are the

findings that we found so far.



85

LC3

COVID-19 DIAGNOSTIC TESTING IN MALAYSIA

Rozainanee Mohd Zain

Virology Unit

Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur


Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the novel human

coronavirus responsible for the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. SARS-CoV-

2, previously known as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) causes a wide range of

symptoms in patients, from asymptomatic to respiratory symptoms with pneumonia and

selected organ failures as the severe complications. As off a second week of January 2021,

more than 90 million cases have been confirmed with close to two million deaths due to

COVID-19 have been reported globally, with the number of cases will be increasing each

day. Accurate detection of infection with SARS-CoV-2 is depicted as a very crucial

component in treating the individual patient and containing spread of the virus in the

community. Currently, various testing modalities are available for COVID-19 with the

molecular testing (RT-PCR) remains as the reference standard for detection of infection with

SARS-CoV-2 in many countries worldwide. Meanwhile, SARS-CoV-2 antigen and serology

tests have also been used in various settings and for various reasons. Thus, various available

diagnostic platforms used in diagnosing COVID-19 to be described and their uses to be

outlined.



86

LC4

REMOTE SEQUENCING STRATEGY: DECODING D614G MUTATION OF SARS-COV-2

VIRUS ISOLATED FROM PAHANG, MALAYSIA CASES

Hajar Fauzan Ahmad

Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia


SARS-CoV-2 is a very transmissible and pathogenic coronavirus which entered Malaysia in

January 2020. There are several problems arising during this pandemic which are shortage

of reagents and expertise in diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and the mutation of the virus. Ergo,

the sample from Malaysia is still under-sequenced, thus, lacking clarity of the circulating

strain in Malaysia lead to deadlock in understanding the virus behavior, especially during

early phase of Covid-19 pandemic. The purposes of this study are to investigate the genome

identity of circulating COVID-19 strains in Pahang and to understand disease epidemiology

during the pandemic in Malaysia. In this study, we leveraged high-throughput sequencing

analysis via Illumina iSeq 100 System and MinION Oxford Nanopore Technologies for the

whole genome sequencing and implemented state-of-art bioinformatic techniques for the

analysis. Here we reported that the virus with D614G mutation in Spike protein has been

circulated in a few states of Malaysia before the Sivagangga cluster is announced in Kedah

in July 2020. This includes our virus sample isolated in April 2020 from asymptomatic patient

in Pahang. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, we discovered the origin of our sample

Pahang/IIUM91distantly correlated to the virus possibly contributed to Sivagangga cluster.

Here we have generated 3D structure of Pahang/IIUM91 Spike protein. Hence, more

research should be established to learn the behavior of this virus.



87

LC5

GENETICS OF SEVERE COVID-19

Abdelazeem Elhabyan

Arizona State University, United States


SARS-CoV-2 is an emergent viral infection that caused a pandemic with around 15% of

cases having severe infections and a mortality rate of around 3%. It is believed that a

significant proportion of COVID-19 severe disease is attributed to dysregulation of the

immune system with inflammasome activation and cytokine storm. Different Genetic

studies proved the relationship between severe viral infections and specific genetic

mutations or SNPs using GWAS and case-report research design. We systematically

reviewed those studies including COVID-19 genetics studies to understand the

susceptibility of some people to severe COVID-19. We aimed to generate a gene list that

could explain severe COVID-19 which will help in therapeutic decisions, ICU admissions,

case-report study design, vaccine prioritization, and finding new therapeutic targets. This

gene list will also help investigators of case-report studies to focus on specific genes to find

new targets explaining severe COVID-19 more easily. Additionally, it will help to design

gene panels for COVID-19 to predict severe disease and will help us in the meta-analysis of

different GWAS studies. Our gene list includes around 40 genes. Some of them were related

to TLR pathways, C-lectin pathway, and inflammasome activation. We did pathway and

network analysis to check the common pathways and to further extend our candidate list

to around 60 genes. Finally, we identified possible drug targets including IL-18, CCR1, CCR9,

and EndoU. IL-18 is the end product of inflammasome activation and is responsible for

increasing the production of IL-8 and IL-32 with subsequent IL-1β and TNF-α release. IL-

18BP is a normal protein found in our body that inactivates IL-18 and prevents its over

activation. IL-18 blood level is correlated with several autoimmune and inflammatory

diseases including severe COVID-19. Recombinant IL-18BP is a new possible therapeutic

option for COVID-19 which is not registered in any clinical trial to date.



88

ABSTRACT FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS

OM1

NON-DIRECTIVENESS IN GENETIC COUNSELLING IN PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS AND

TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY

Rifhan Azwani Mazlan, Tae Sok Kun, Nur Emylia Jamaludin and Meow-Keong Thong

Medical Genetics Unit, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Introduction: Genetic counselling (GC) plays a major role in facilitating decision making in

prenatal diagnosis (PD) or termination of a pregnancy (TOP). Religious, legal, social and

personal belief are among concerns raised by individuals who are considering it. Objective:

We present a case series pertaining to PD and TOP among couples who had a history of a

previous child with a life-limiting or serious genetic condition and how non-directive GC

assisted them in attaining an informed decision. Results: Four clients received GC and

concerns were addressed throughout the sessions. P1, parents of a child with spinal muscular

atrophy opted for TOP without PD despite offering them the test. This pregnancy was

unplanned and they wish to focus on the treatment of their affected child. P2, parents of a

child with Gaucher disease (GD), decided to have the test to eliminate the uncertainty about

the unborn child being unhealthy. It would be mentally challenging for them as the disease

has a poor prognosis without treatment. The fetus was affected with GD and TOP was

performed. P3 proceeded with PD because the past experience of losing a child with non-

ketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) was devastating. The unborn child was unaffected with NKH

and the pregnancy continued normally. P4 wanted to be tested because the anxiety of having

another child with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. However, they changed their minds after

facing hardship to travel to the hospital during the Movement Control Order. They believed

this was God’s plan and they should accept it. Conclusion: Parents felt overwhelmed and

distressed when confronted with the possible risk of having another affected offspring. By

providing them with GC, they were given various reproductive options and had a better

understanding of their emotional needs and felt supported in their decision regarding their

reproductive choices.

Keywords: Genetic counselling; termination of pregnancy; prenatal diagnosis


89

OM2

INVESTIGATION OF CRISPR-Cas9 AS A NOVEL METHOD TO GENERATE ORGAN-DEFICIENT

MOUSE MODEL

Jonathan Jun-Yong Lim, Shunsuke Yuri and Ayako Isotani

Laboratory of Organ Developmental Engineering, Division of Biological Science, Nara Institute of

Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan

Introduction: The number of transplantable organs available are far lesser compared to that

of patients-in-waiting, which leads to many deaths annually. The harvest of transplantable

human organs generated from interspecies animal has been considered as one of the solutions

through blastocyst complementation technique, by using an organ-deficient blastocyst to

generate the organ-of-interest. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be injected into the organ-

deficient blastocyst and generate organs solely of stem cell-origin. However, the production of

organ-deficient blastocyst is a major setback due to the unavailability and unviability of such

animals. Objectives: This study aimed to generate organ-deficient blastocyst through a novel

CRISPR-Cas9 strategy, using specially designed guide RNA (sgRNAms) to induce cell death.

Upon expression of Cas9 under an organ-specific promoter, coupled with the constitutive

expression of sgRNAms, cell death was hypothesized to occur in cells of targeted organ.

Expression of Cas9 under the thymus organogenesis master regulator, Foxn1, will then allow

thymic epithelial cells to be depleted, thus producing thymus-deficient mouse model.

Methods: Cas9 and sgRNAms were knocked-in at Foxn1 and Rosa26 loci respectively in mouse

ESCs, which were subsequently injected into eight-cell stage wild type mouse embryos.

Chimeric mice obtained were mated to obtain F1 progenies. Mice with Foxn1Cas9;Rosa26sgRNAms

genotype were analyzed for the feasibility of the novel system in generating thymus-deficient

animals. Results: In vitro experiments showed that almost no living cells of Rosa26sgRNAms were

detected upon transient expression of Cas9, showing the feasibility of the strategy. In vivo

experiments showed that although the thymus of Foxn1Cas9;Rosa26sgRNAms were smaller

compared to wild type control, thymocyte and splenocyte analysis from the mutant mouse

showed no significant defects in thymus function. Conclusion: This strategy was still imperfect

to obtain a thymus-deficient mouse model. Further methods are required to perfect the

strategy.

Keywords: CRISPR-Cas9; organ-deficient animals; Foxn1; cell death


90

OM3

A STUDY ON RAPIDLY MUTATING Y-STR AMONG MALE MONOZYGOTIC TWINS

Omar Izzah Syahira1, Zainuddin Zafarina2 and Hanis Z.A. NurWaliyuddin1

1School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia. 2Analytical Biochemistry Research Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, USM, Penang,

Malaysia.

The introduction of rapidly mutating Y-STR (RM Y-STR) with high mutation rates with than 1 x 10-2 has provided high discriminatory power for distinguishing related male individuals. Hence, the aim of this study is to challenge the high discrimination power of RM Y-STR markers in differentiating male monozygotic (MZ) twins. Two unrelated pairs of male MZ twin were recruited in this study. The DNA collection kit was delivered to the participants’ house for them to perform self-buccal swabbing using cotton swabs with a clear instruction given. DNA samples were extracted and purified using GeneJETTM Genomic DNA Purification Kit, amplified with four selected markers: DYS526ab, DYS570, DYS576 and DYS612 and sequenced using capillary electrophoresis. Allele assignments were done manually. All four loci were produced completely match profiles between MZ twins. More twin individuals should be included with more RM-Y-STR loci should be should tested. Hence, RM Y-STRs are good DNA markers to individualise related individuals, however, these markers are still difficult to differentiate the most challenging sample of MZ twins.

Keywords: Forensics; Genetics; Rapidly Mutating Y-STR


91

OM4

THE STRUCTURAL IMPACT OF NLRC4 Q657L MUTATION ASSOCIATED WITH

SPONTANEOUS INFLAMMASOME ACTIVATION USING COMPUTATIONAL

APPROACHES

Chai Teng Chear1,2, Adiratna Mat Ripen1 and Saharuddin Bin Mohamad2,3

1Primary Immunodeficiency Unit, Allergy and Immunology Research Centre, Institute for

Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. 2Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3Centre of Research in Systems Biology, Structural Bioinformatics and Human Digital Imaging

(CRYSTAL), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The NLR family caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 4 (NLRC4) plays an important role

in the innate inflammatory response. Mutations in NLRC4 have been reported to cause

autoinflammatory disorder (AID). We report a twelve-year-old girl with recurrent fever, skin

erythema, and inflammatory arthritis. Whole exome sequencing and subsequent Sanger

sequencing confirmed a heterozygous missense mutation in NLRC4 (c.1970A>T, p.Q657L). This

variant occurred in a highly conserved residue in the leucine-rich repeats (LRR) domain, which was

predicted to be damaging by in silico prediction tools. However, the exact molecular mechanism

of Q657L mutation causing inflammasome activation remains elusive. Therefore, human full-

length NLRC4 structure of the resting and activated state were homology modelled. The Q657L

mutant structures of both states were generated using computational mutagenesis. All structures

were subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the structural and dynamics

changes of NLRC4 protein due to Q657L mutation. The MD simulation results revealed the

mutation might affect the conformational and dynamics changes in the mutant structures of the

resting and activated state. These changes might disturb the autoinhibitory mechanism required

to prevent inflammasome activation in the resting state. In the activated state, the MD simulation

results also suggested that the mutant structure might favour oligomerization. Therefore, these

findings demonstrated the structural impact of Q657L mutation in the NLRC4 inflammasome

activation.

Keywords: NLRC4, inflammasome, Q657L mutation, homology modelling, molecular dynamics


92

OM5

MIR-32-5P CONTROLS CELL APOPTOSIS, CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION AND WOUND REPAIR BY

REGULATING CHOLINE KINASE ALPHA GENE EXPRESSION

Sweta Raikundalia1, Ling Ling Few1 and Wei Cun See Too1

1School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan,

Malaysia.

MicroRNAs, 18-22 nucleotide, small RNA molecules, are posttranscriptional regulators of gene

expression. Dysregulation of miRNAs is a common cause of carcinogenesis. miRNAs function by

binding onto 3’ untranslated region of target gene thereby inducing its translational repression.

TargetScan, a miRNA target prediction tool, predicted miR-32-5p as a potential regulator of

choline kinase alpha (chka) gene. chka has a predominant role in cancer onset and progression

along with its catalytic activity in CDP-choline pathway. Overexpression of choline kinase alpha is

a clinical feature of several cancer types including the breast, cervical and liver sort. miR-32-5p

expression levels are reported to be lowered in MCF7, HeLa and HepG2. Drawing hypothesis from

this, that miR-32-5p and chka share an inverse relationship thereby modulating genetic outcome

was tested in laboratory. miR-32-5p presented a strong in-silico interaction with chka releasing

free energy (MFE) lower than -1.00kcal/mol. This miRNA: mRNA interaction was experimentally

validated by luciferase assay. The effect of miR-32-5p transfection on chka mRNA and protein

levels was determined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)

and western blot analysis. Cellular functions impacted by miR-32-5p mediated differential chka

expression were studied by performing cell apoptosis assay, cell cycle assay and wound healing

assay. ~60% downregulation in chka expression was achieved in miR-32-5p treated cells when

compared with negative control. Increased cellular apoptosis, G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and

decelerated wound repair indicative of lowered cell migration rate were significant consequences

of miR-32-5p triggered reduction of chka levels that favoured decline in multiplication of cancer

cells. miR-32-5p facilitated anti-cancer effects resonate with those resulted from inhibition of

choline kinase enzyme activity or siRNA knockdown of chka gene expression. Data collected so far

demonstrate a budding outlook in chka oriented cancer research and emphasize on potential use

of miR-32-5p as biomarker for cancer detection and anti-cancer therapies.

Keywords: Cancer, Choline Kinase Alpha (chka), gene regulation, microRNAs, miR-32-5p


93

OM6

CONCORDANCE AND DISCORDANCE BETWEEN WHOLE-EXOME SEQUENCING FINDINGS

AND CLINICAL DIAGNOSES FOR INBORN ERRORS OF IMMUNITY

Adiratna Mat Ripen1, Chai Teng Chear1, Mohd Farid Baharin1, Mei Yee Chiow2, Kah Kee Tan3,

Saharuddin Bin Mohamad2,4

1Primary Immunodeficiency Unit, Allergy and Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Medical

Research, Ministry of Health, Selangor, Malaysia 2Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3Pediatric Department, Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital, Ministry of Health, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia 4Centre of Research in Systems Biology, Structural Bioinformatics and Human Digital Imaging


Monogenic defects affecting the normal development and function of immune system may result

in primary immunodeficiencies, also known as inborn errors of immunity (IEI). These diseases were

characterised by an increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, autoimmunity, autoinflammatory

diseases, allergy and malignancy. Generally, IEI were diagnosed based on the clinical and

immunological abnormalities. However, they were often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed due to

the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. To enhance the diagnostic probability of IEI, next-

generation sequencing was progressively adopted. Due to the ability to screen the protein-coding

regions, whole-exome sequencing (WES) is ideal for the diagnosis of clinically diverse IEI as

compared to targeted gene panel. Here, we report the genetic diagnosis for two IEI patients using

WES. Laboratory screening on the lymphocyte subsets, serum immunoglobulins and complements

was performed. In-house bioinformatics processing pipeline and variant filtration strategy were

used to identify the causative genetic mutations, followed by variant validation via Sanger

sequencing. Patient 1 presented with persistent cough since the age of 18 months. Tuberculosis

workup and Mantoux test yielded negative results. She was initially diagnosed with combined

variable immunodeficiency by the clinician. This diagnosis was confirmed when WES identified a

pathogenic gain-of-function mutation (c.2974G>A, p.E992K) in PIK3CD. With the definitive

diagnosis, future intervention and monitoring can be planned appropriately. Contrastingly, patient

2 was provisionally diagnosed with Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease considering

his recurrent tuberculosis. WES revealed a hemizygous splice site variant (c.854+2T>C) in IL2RG

that results in severe combined immunodeficiency. Consequently, he will be planned for a bone

marrow transplant which is vital for the reconstitution of immune system. This study demonstrated

the clinical utility of WES in diagnosing IEI, enabling the patients to receive improved therapeutic

treatments and disease surveillance. Such study is essential for the future development of precision

medicine that targets specific impaired immune component.

Keywords: Inborn errors of immunity; whole-exome sequencing; genetic diagnosis; treatment;

surveillance


94

OM7

ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS OF A GSTP1 FUNCTIONAL POLYMORPHISM WITH

METHAMPHETAMINE DEPENDENCE AND ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS IN A MULTIETHNIC

MALAYSIAN POPULATION

Hasif Adli Zakariah1, Nik Nur Syaheerah binti Nik Abdul Rahman1, Wu Yuan Seng2, Rusdi

Abdul Rashid3, Sim Maw Shin1

1Department of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Malaya, 50603

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Biosciences and Nursing,

MAHSA University, 42610 Jenjarom, Selangor, Malaysia 3Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia.

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive psychostimulant, has been widely linked to

neurotoxicity. It increases dopamine release which subsequently causes the formation and

accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the brain. METH-induced oxidative stress can be

effectively protected by glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), a family of Phase II detoxification

enzymes. In this, context genetic polymorphism of the GST gene family may affect the

susceptibility of METH users to its dependence and associated symptoms. Therefore, this study

investigated the association of a functional single nucleotide polymorphism rs1695 of GSTP1 gene

with METH-induced symptoms and dependence in a Malaysian population, consisting of Malay,

Chinese, Kadazan-Dusun, and Bajau ethnic groups. Genotyping for GSTP1 rs1695 SNP from 230

METH-dependent male subjects and 232 healthy male controls was performed using polymerase

chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RLFP). The χ2 test and Fisher’s exact

test were used for statistical analyses, whichever necessary. The results showed a significant

difference between GSTP1 rs1695 polymorphism and METH dependence in the Malay, and

Chinese population. Overall, our findings provided an insight that GSTP1 rs1695 SNP may be

associated with METH dependence in the Malaysian Malay and Chinese population.

Keywords: Methamphetamine, stimulant, GSTP1, psychosis, polymorphism, dependence


95

OF1

MATING-TYPE GENES IN Ganoderma boninense

Anis Farhan Fatimi Ab Wahab and Izwan Bharudin

Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Palm oil is one of the most important oil-producing crops in the world as it contributes ~31% of

the world’s vegetable oil and fat supply. However, the sustainability of oil palm plantations is

threatened by basal stem rot (BSR) disease caused by the phytopathogenic fungus, Ganoderma

boninense. As to date, efficient methods in preventing the infection of this fungus is to no avail.

Previous study has shown that the monokaryotic mycelia of G. boninense are non-pathogenic

whereas the dikaryotic mycelia are pathogenic towards the plant host. Besides, the formation of

needle-like structure was only observed in dikaryotic mycelia, which important to penetrate the

host cell wall prior to infection. Hence, this project aims to identify the mating genes in G. boninense

and to solve the complex mating processes in this fungus using transcriptome analyses. Based on

the transcriptomic analysis of G. boninense, it was verified that this fungus harbouring the tetrapolar

mating system by having two mating loci, matA and matB. The matA genes containing

homeodomain 1 (HD1) and homeodomain 2 (HD2) whereas matB consist of 10 putative

pheromone receptor genes, a Ste3 gene and 4 putative pheromone precursor genes. Genome

mapping against G. boninense showed that two unlinked mating-type loci located at two different

scaffolds. Moreover, the sequence of the matA and matB genes were poorly conserved especially

the pheromone precursors genes. This study shows the importance of comparative transcriptome

to unfold the complexity of mating event and facilitate the understanding of mating mechanism in

G. boninense.

Keywords: oil palm pathogen; transcriptome; fungal mating


96

OF2

GENETIC DIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA YIELDING RICE ACCESSION BASED ON AGRO-

MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS

Aliif Ihsaan Akmal Shukri1, Nor ‘Aishah Hasan1,2*, Faiz Ahmad3 and Kogeethavani

Ramachandran4

1Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 72000, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia 2Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor,

Malaysia 3Agrotechnology and Bioscience Division, Malaysia Nuclear Agency, 43600, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

4MARDI Seberang Perai, 13200, Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Corresponding author: [email protected]

The key to a successful crop improvement program lies on the great discovery of genetic diversity;

a pool of analysis which uncovers the roles of genes and traits quantitatively in developing

optimally while facing multiple biotic or abiotic factors. In this study, six Malaysia upland rice

accessions were evaluated based on twelve agro-morphological traits for their proportions of

genetic diversity. Generally, all traits shown higher amount of Phenotypic Coefficient of Variance

(PCV) than their corresponding Genotypic Coefficient of Variance (GCV) which indicated the

environmental influence towards the rice development. As for Genetic Advance (GA), only three

characters showed high percentages which are number of total grain per panicle, number of

unfilled grain per panicle and number of filled grains per panicle. Positive and highly significant

correlation with yield rate per plant were found in number of filled grains per plant (r=0.591), weight

of 1000 grains (r=0.573) and length of panicle (r=0.462). Meanwhile, the path coefficient analysis

unleashed the highest direct positive effect towards yield rate per plant by number of total grain

per panicle, number of panicle, days to flowering, length of panicle and weight of 1000 grains. In a

significant comparison, length of panicle and weight of 1000 grains are the only characters that

have positive values for both correlation coefficient and direct effect towards yield rate per plant.

A further principle cluster analysis (PCA) showed that three out of 12 principal components with an

eigenvalue above 1.0 were considered for 86.24% of the total variance. Principal component 1 (PC1)

was the highest contributor with 45.61%. The scattered plot of the PCA revealed that all rice

accessions were scattered fairly across all quarters which illustrated the presence of high genetic

variability among all rice accessions. A conclusive cluster analysis performed through NTSYS-SAHN

grouped the six rice accessions into four main clusters (I, II, III, and IV). Clusters I, II, and III had one

accession each, meanwhile cluster IV consisting of 3 accessions which were statistically similar and

performed better in yield and other traits. Finding in this study suggested that the length of panicle

and weight of 1000 grains could be considered for future selection in breeding program.

Keywords: Correlation coefficient analysis, genetic diversity, genetic variability, principal cluster

analysis, rice



97

OF3

PROGRESS IN PULSE CROP GENETICS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FOOD FUTURE

Hazel Marie Kugan, Nurul Amylia binti Sahruzaini, Nur Ardiyana binti Rejab and Acga Cheng

Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur

The past century has witnessed a pressing demand for more affordable and nutritious food. To

create sustainable food systems in the light of global climate change and rapid population growth,

development of climate-resilient crops and smart agricultural practices has become more urgent.

Recent agricultural trends have shifted in favour of legumes in enhancing global food security.

Legumes are considered a great dietary resource, with the added benefit of performing symbiotic

nitrogen fixation that enhances soil fertility. The critical role of their edible seeds (also known as

pulses) – both as feed and food – is best displayed in the United Nations’ designation of 2016 as

the Year of Pulses. However, there is much left to be explored, especially for some underutilized

species with tremendous potential. Conventional pulse crop research has historically focused on

commercially popular species such as soybean, driving focus away from a range of promising

underutilised species. New technologies have revealed important avenues and opportunities for

future pulse crop genetic research. This review provides a detailed overview of the expansive

literature, emphasizing the available genetic resources for crop research and improvement in

pulses. The future opportunities and challenges inherent to the field of pulse crop genetic research

are also highlighted.

Keywords: Climate change, food security, legume, pulse genetics, sustainable agriculture.


98

OF4

INHIBITORY PROPERTIES OF SINGLE CHAIN 2S ALBUMIN SEED STORAGE PROTEIN FROM

Theobroma cacao

Norzulaiha Binti Abd. Karim1, Cahyo Budiman1, Azwan Bin Awang2*, and Kenneth F.

Rodrigues1

1Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,

Malaysia; 2Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked Bag No 3, 90509,

Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.

2S albumin seed storage proteins from Theobroma cacao (Tc-2S) was known to play important roles

in plant defense mechanisms through their antimicrobial activity. However, it remains to be

investigated if both of the light and heavy chains of protein are needed for this activity. This study

aims to develop an expression system for the single chain of Tc-2S precursor and determine its

antimicrobial activity. Previously, the primary structure of the heavy-chain subunit that main

investigated in this study is identified to started from residues 78 to 150 of the Tc-2S precursor.

The heavy-chain subunit was cloned and expressed under the heterologous system. The expressible

target protein was subjected to antibacterial and antifungal assay via Kirby-Bauer (KB) disc diffusion

method. The result shows that the heavy-chain of Tc-2S was expressible as a soluble protein. This

protein was then successfully to be purified using a column chromatography yielding a 24 mg pure

protein from 300 mL expression culture. The characterisation of the heavy-chain peptide of 2S

albumin displayed remarkable inhibition property towards Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli,

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus in a concentration-dependent

manner. In addition, the heavy-chain peptide of 2S albumin also able to inhibit the growth of

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris, but did not display antifungal activity against

Trichoderma asperellum. This suggested that the heavy-chain peptide of Tc-2S only might sufficient

for plant defense responses. Since the characterisation of the heavy-chain peptide of 2S albumin

has not been previously reported, this work may provide a platform for further study on the

biological importance of the 2S albumin subunit.

Keywords: 2S albumin seed storage protein; heavy-chain peptide; Theobroma cacao;

antibacterial; antifungal


99

OF5

PRODUCTION, CATALYTIC AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF CODON-OPTIMIZED

RECOMBINANT BROMELAIN FROM MD2 PINEAPPLE

Rafida Razali1, Cahyo Budiman* and Vijay Kumar AL Subiah

Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu,

Sabah

Bromelain is a complex mixture of proteases mainly found in the stems and fruits of pineapple

(Ananas comosus). Previous genomics study on MD2 pineapple revealed that this pineapple strain

has 14 genes encoding bromelain with various sizes ranging from 19 kDa up to 211 kDa. However,

attempts to produce recombinant bromelain for commercialization purposes are challenging due

to its expressibility and solubility. This study aims to express recombinant fruit bromelain from

MD2 pineapple (MD2-Bro; accession no: OAY85858.1) in soluble and active forms using Escherichia

coli host cell. The gene encoding MD2-Bro was codon-optimized, synthesized, and subsequently

ligated into pET-32b(+) for further transformation into Escherichia coli BL21-CodonPlus(DE3).

Under this strategy, the expressed MD2-Bro was in a fusion form with thioredoxin (Trx) tag at its

N-terminal (Trx-MD2Bro). The result showed that Trx-MD2Bro was successfully expressed in fully

soluble form. The protein was successfully purified using single-step Ni2+-NTA chromatography

and confirmed to be in proper folds based on the circular dichroism spectroscopy analysis. The

purified Trx-MD2Bro was confirmed to be catalytically active against N-carbobenzoxyglycine p-

nitrophenyl ester (N-CBZ-Gly-pNP) with a specific activity of 6.13 ± 0.01 U mg-1 and inhibited by

a cysteine protease inhibitor, E-64 (IC50 of 74.38 + 1.65 nM). Furthermore, a catalytic efficiency

(kcat/KM) Trx-MD2Bro was calculated to be of 5.64 + 0.02 x 10-2 µM-1 s-1. with the optimum

temperature and pH were at 50 °C and pH 6.0, respectively. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of

Trx-MD2Bro was also affected by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or metal ions. Structural

analysis of MD2-Bro showed that this protein folds into a canonical structure of cysteine protease

where the structure is organized into two lobes of I29 and C1 lobes. The active sites of Cys147,

His280, and Asn301, are located in the cleft between these two lobes. Altogether, it is proposed

that the combination of codon optimization and the use of an appropriate vector is important for

the production of soluble and active recombinant bromelain.

Keywords: Bromelain, cysteine proteases, pineapple, synthetic gene


100

OF6

PHENOLICS AND THEIR ACTIONS IN REGULATING EXPRESSION OF BROWNING ASSOCIATED

GENES AND VEGETATIVE GROWTH OF IN VITRO BANANA

Nurhana Nadia Ramlan1, Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme1,2*, Noor Azmi Shaharuddin1,2 and Siti

Nor Akmar Abdullah2,3


Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. 2Laboratory of Plantation Science and Technology, Institute of Plantation Studies, Universiti

Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. 3Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia,

43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Phenolics are known to have capability to reduce browning in food and cosmetic products.

Therefore, in this study, phenolics were added into the banana nutrient media, and the growth

of cultured explants were monitored. The lethal browning was then scored, and the vegetative

growth was observed. The expression of browning associated genes as well as their enzymes

activities were also determined. Based on the findings, the highest percentage of vegetative

growth was observed from media containing phenolics. The expression of some browning

associated genes was also found responsible in decreasing lethal browning, in which most of

them are responsible in reducing oxidative stress of the explants. Hence, the incorporation of

phenolics into different media is proven can reduce browning and improve proliferation of in

vitro banana.



101

OB1

NEW INSIGHT INTO DISTRIBUTION OF PEST, Metisa plana (LEPIDOPTERA: PSYCHIDAE) IN

THE WEST COAST OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA USING THREE MOLECULAR MARKERS

TOWARDS ITS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Aqilah Sakinah Badrulisham1, Madihah Halim1, Ameyra Aman-Zuki1,

Badrul Munir Md-Zain2 and Salmah Yaakop1

1Centre for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia 2 Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,

43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

Bagworm, Metisa plana (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) is one of the dominant agricultural pests that

causes serious defoliation of the oil palm tree. Information on the genetic of the M. plana

populations is still lacking; thus, pest control management becomes more difficult and ineffective.

By understanding the relationships of the M. plana populations, consequently, the control

strategies can be strategized effectively. The objectives of this study were to construct the

phylogeny of the M. plana populations, to obtain the haplotype number, to illustrate haplotype

network and haplotype tree using a combination of two mtDNA genes (COI and cytb) and a nuclear

gene (28S rRNA). The M. plana specimens were sampled from 10 infested populations (northern,

middle, and southern regions) that reported outbreaks in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 145

sequences have been implemented for the analyses. Phylogenetic trees have been constructed

based on analyses of Neighbor Joining (NJ), Maximum Parsimony (MP), and Bayesian Inference

(BI) to portray the relationships among populations. The haplotype network has been visualized

and supported by the haplotype tree with a total of 27 haplotypes number. The phylogenetic trees,

haplotype networks, and haplotype tree have shown a mixture of individuals between populations,

which give a sign of genetic exchange. We proposed that male adults' flying ability of M. plana

and transportation of larvae between populations due to human activities become two possible

factors to show the mixture of individuals inter-populations. Interestingly, the distribution of the

M. plana populations from the three regions provided fundamental data to strategize the

management controls of the pest species.

Keywords: Bagworm, oil palm pest, Malaysia, gene flow, Integrated Pest Management (IPM)


102

OB2

GENETIC TECHNIQUES AS A TOOL IN UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGY OF MARINE TURTLES

FOR BETTER CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT IN MALAYSIA

Juanita Joseph

Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Understanding the biology, connectivity among populations and the mixed stock at foraging

grounds is a key research priority especially for species of conservation concern such as the marine

turtles. Using genetic techniques, marine turtles in Malaysia were investigated for paternity, stock

structure among rookeries, and mixed stock at foraging grounds. Five microsatellite loci were used

for the paternity study, and mtDNA control region for stock structure and mixed-stock analysis.

Paternity study showed that egg clutches of turtles were sired by one or more males, with the

hawkbill turtle nests showing lower paternity level compared to the green turtle nests. Consistent

paternity across multiple clutches laid by individual females in one breeding season supports the

hypothesis that sperm are stored from mating prior to nesting, and are then used to fertilize all

subsequent clutches of eggs that season. Mitochondrial control region sequences of green turtles

(from 10 rookeries) and hawksbill turtles (from 3 rookeries) were determined. From these, 8 and 3

distinct populations were identified for the green and hawksbill turtles, respectively. On the other

hand, mixed stock analysis of green turtles from foraging grounds indicated source stock originated

from Malaysian rookeries, as well from nearby countries. Conservation at rookeries is important

because natal homing behaviour in marine turtles does not likely result in colonization at new

preferable sites. The mixture at foraging sites is a potential risk factor because of heavy exploitation

and habitat destruction at foraging grounds, and it may have negative effects on source rookeries.

Genetic analysis had successfully showed the connectivity between rookeries and foraging grounds.

These findings had improved our understanding on the population biology of marine turtles in

Malaysia for an appropriate protection and conservation measures of these species.

Keywords: Green turtles; Hawksbill turtles; population genetics; genetic mating system; forensic

analysis


103

OB3

PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIP OF RED JUNGLEFOWL (Gallus

gallus) IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Muhd Nazmi Amir Mazlan1,2, Noor Azleen Mohd-Kulaimi2 and Badrul Munir Md-Zain1

1Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti

Kebangsaan

Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia 2Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), KM 10 Jalan Cheras,

56100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The phylogenetic tree of pheasants has always been problematic due to morphological based

classification and traditional systematics. This includes the Red Junglefowl (RJF). Red Junglefowl

(Gallus gallus) is the only species of Gallus that can be found in Malaysia. The origin of RJF in

Malaysia is unknown and still is an issue as it is said to be the origin for domesticated chickens. A

total of 21 samples (4 from Perak, 9 from Pahang, 8 from Kedah of RJF where used in this

experiment and a sample Green Junglefowl (Gallus varius), Sri Lankan Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii)

and Grey Junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii). Phylogenetic analysis were done using cytochrome-b

mitochondrial DNA. The results showed that nucleotide composition is 23.4% Thymine, 33.2%

Cytosine, 26.1% Adenine, and 17.3% Guanine. All RJF were grouped together in the same clade

except for three individuals (two individuals from Kedah and 1 individual from Pahang). It is also

found that Green Junglefowl (Gallus varius) and Sri Lankan Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii) is grouped

together with the other RJF. Grey Junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii) is grouped together with the clade

of Gallus gallus, which is an interesting finding.

Keywords: Mitochondrial DNA; genetic variability; native fowl


104

OB4

MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF CAVE-DWELLING SPIDERS

INDIGENOUS TO GUA KELAM, PERLIS STATE PARK

Saktheswaran Nyanailan1, Khadijah Hanim Abdul Rahman1,2, Johan Ariff Mohtar1 and

Nurul Ain Harmiza Abdullah1

1Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02100 Padang Besar, Perlis

2Centre of Excellence for Biomass Utilization, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian

Jejawi 3, 02100 Arau, Perlis

Cave represents a subterranean ecosystem that harbors a secluded flora and fauna of unique

bizarreness. These biotas have evolved a wide range of ecological adaptations allowing them to

thrive in a harsh environment with limited light. Gua Kelam 1 constitutes part of the Gua Kelam

limestone cave network complex beneath the Nakawan Mountain Range in Perlis State Park.

Previous observations have indicated that it harbors a plethora of spider species; however, their

existence is still elusive as systematic speleobiological studies remain unexplored. Thus, the

present study seeks to divulge the cave-dwelling spider biodiversity indigenous to Gua Kelam 1.

A cytochrome oxidase (COI) gene-based approach was adopted to accurately evaluate and

determine the species via phylogenetic analysis. Throughout the study period, sampling was

conducted inside the ‘dark zone’ of the cave that stretches approximately 160 meters from the

‘twilight zone’ on both sides. A total of 24 individual adult spiders were randomly collected from

the cave wall and/or the bridge railings and were clustered into three groups, JTKK2, JTKK3, and

JTKK4, based on the morphological differences. Stereoscopic characterization was initiated on the

external morphology (e.g., opisthosoma, carapace) of representatives from each group.

Amplification of COI genes was conducted with a combination of two primer sets, LCO1490A and

CR1/CR2, followed by DNA sequencing. The resulting COI sequences were validated through

bioinformatics and phylogenetic analysis for species identification. Initial evaluation of the

taxonomic features of the three groups suggested that JTKK2, JTKK3, and JTKK4 represented the

putative Orsinome sp., Uthina sp., and Nephilengys sp., respectively. Identification of these isolates

were further confirmed by BLASTn analysis of the DNA sequences. The analysis indicated that

species JTKK2, JTKK3, and JTKK4 had 99.9% similarity to Orsinome vethi, 83.8% similarity to Uthina

sp., and 99.8 to 100% similarities to Nephilengys malabarensis, respectively. Ultimately,

phylogenetic trees using MEGAX software revealed that JTKK2 and JTKK3 are closely related to

Nephilengys sp., and Orsinome sp., respectively, while JTKK4 is in a different clade from Uthina sp.

suggested that it is an outgroup to Uthina. This study may readily aid in the data enrichment

towards developing a DNA barcoding database as a potential platform for rapid and cost-effective

species identification of local spiders at the national level in the future.

Keywords: Cave, spider, identification, COI, DNA


105

OB5

GENETIC DIVERSITY AND PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIP OF MALAYAN TAPIR (Tapirus

indicus) POPULATIONS IN THE MALAY PENINSULA BASED ON THE MITOCHONDRIAL

CONTROL REGION

Qi Luan Lim1,2, Christina Seok Yien Yong1, Wei Lun Ng3, Ahmad Ismail1, Jeffrine J. Rovie-

Ryan4,5, Norsyamimi Rosli4 and Geetha Annavi1

1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

2Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan 3China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia

4National Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife

and National Parks, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 5Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala

Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

The Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) found in Southeast Asia, is an endangered species. Over the

years, there have only been a few reports on its population genetic structure and evolutionary

history. In particular, while the Malayan tapir population in Thailand has received fairly more

research in recent years, there has not been any wide-scale population genetic study in the Malay

Peninsula since the last decade. In this study, we report on genetic diversity and attempt to make

inferences on the Malayan tapir's phylogeography in the Malay Peninsula, using the mitochondrial

DNA control region. We identified 12 novel haplotypes and two distinct Malayan tapir clades with

a rough split time of 62.2 thousand years ago in Peninsular Malaysia (i.e., southern Malay

Peninsula) samples, as opposed to only one clade found in captive individuals in Thailand (i.e.,

northern Malay Peninsula), with an almost two-fold higher nucleotide diversity compared to the

latter. Analysis of the two lineages in the southern Malay Peninsula suggested past historical

events of population isolation, migration and admixture during the last glaciation period in the

Sundaic region of SEA. Several shared haplotypes between Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia

populations suggested further gene flow restriction at the narrow corridor of the Malay Peninsula.

Keywords: D-loop, Asian tapir, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, population genetic structure, Malay

Peninsula.


106

OB6

SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF CIVET SPECIES USING CYTOCHROME

Muhammad Fadli Bin Mazlan1 and Sarah Shazwani bte Zakaria2

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kuala Pilah, 72000, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan1 Universiti

Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kuala Pilah, 72000, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan 2

Civets or Viverrridae is a medium-size carnivore that have a long and slender body, with a pointed

face, small ear and a long tail. Most of the species have spotted coat and banded tail. As civet

often involved in wildlife road kills, it needs to be identified fast before it become rotten as it is a

national treasure and cannot be replaced once it extinct. Moreover, there is difficulty in finding

expertise in morphological identification which showing that morphological identification has its

own weakness. Thus, DNA barcoding is an easy system that can provide an accurate, fast and

automatable species identification using a short and standardized gene region as internal species

tag. This study is conducted to evaluate the nucleotide composition of the cytochrome b gene

sequences of 23 civet species and to reconstruct phylogenetic relationship of civet species. A total

of 94 cyt b sequence of 23 civets’ species and one sequence of each Panthera leo and Herpestes

brachyurus were retrieved from GenBank and aligned. The alignment was further analysed for its

base composition in order to observe the nucleotide bases. Then, approximately 1040 in length of

94 cyt b observed were A-29.48%, C-28.53%, G-12.88%, T/U-29.11% when including constant

characters and A-30.54%, C-38.68%, G-5.82%, T/U-24.96% when excluding constant characters.

Next, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference phylogenetic were reconstructed to compare

and observe the relationship among 23 civets’ species. Based on the phylogenetic analyses using

Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference tools, 5 group was formed such as Viverra, Arctistic,

Paradoxurus, Hemigalus and Genetta. Additionally, Arctogalidia trivirgata and Paguma larvata does

not belong to any of five existing group in both trees. In conclusion, the use of mitochondrial DNA

like cytochrome b gene sequence and the advance of bioinformatics tools giving an opportunity

to discover the phylogenetic relationship among civets’ species.

Keywords: Cytochrome b, phylogenetic analysis, base compositional analysis, viverridae, multiple

sequence analysis.


107

OB7

MOLECULAR METHOD FOR SEX IDENTIFICATION OF PHEASANTS (Argusianus argus AND

Polyplectron malacense) FROM NON-INVASIVELY COLLECTED SAMPLES USING THREE

INDEPENDENT PRIMER SETS

Merrie Corette Charles1,2,3, Muhd Nazmi Amir Mazlan3,4, Noor Azleen Mohd-Kulaimi4,

Nurul Azira Ismail2

1School of Graduate Studies, Management & Science University, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor.

2Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Management & Science University, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor. 3Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University

Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. 4Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), KM10 Jalan Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Identifying the sex of a bird is essential to manage and conserve the endangered avian wildlife

and to improve ex-situ captive breeding programs. Rendering bird sexing based on the external

morphology is impossible as more than 50% of the species are monomorphic especially for young

birds that have not exhibited adult plumage yet. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method have

been widely used in molecular sexing for birds where the CHD-W and CHD-Z are determined

through the amplification of the presence of intron in both genes. Male birds have two identical

sex chromosomes (ZZ), whereas females are heterogametic (ZW) which vary in size and these

chromosomes appeared as one and two band on gel electrophoresis, respectively. This study

investigated the sex of the young pheasants in PKHL, Jemaluang for captive breeding programs.

18 individual pheasants with unknown sex and 8 individual pheasants with known sex as control

were tested for sexing in this study. DNA was extracted from blood feather using DNeasy Blood &

Tissue Kits (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. PCR amplification

was performed using three independent sets of primer (P2/P8, 2550F/2718R, and 1237L/1272H)

to determine the CHD gene regions. PCR products were separated using 2% of metaphor agarose

gel to evaluate the band fragment indicating the CHD gene region of each individual pheasants.

The products amplified using primer sets P2/P8 failed to show the sex of individual pheasants as

no distinguishable fragment of both CDH gene regions were produced. Meanwhile, primer sets

1237L/1272H showed inconsistent fragment of CHD-Z and CHD-W thus making the results

unreliable. The sex of the individual pheasants was successfully distinguished using the primer sets

2550F/2718R when easily distinguishable sex-dependant fragment of Z and W were produced for

both samples and control individual pheasants.

Keywords: Non-invasive sampling, sex identification, CHD gene region, Argusianus argus,

Polyplectron malacense


108

OB8

SCREENING, ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIA PRODUCING

THERMOSTABLE α-AMYLASES FROM SABAH HOT SPRINGS

Bak Zaibah binti Fazal, Cahyo Budiman, Zarina Amin, Clemente Michael Wong Vui Ling,

Yew Chee Wei

Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jln. UMS 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,

Malaysia

Thermostable α-amylases have gained wide interest for their stability at high-temperature working

conditions. Most thermostable α-amylases on the market have been derived from mesophilic and

thermophilic microorganisms. However, thermophiles from hot environments are still

underexplored in discovering new novel and potential thermostable enzymes that are better suited

to be used in industrial applications. Sabah houses hot springs that may be populated by

thermophilic bacteria producing thermostable α-amylases that are stable in higher temperatures

than their mesophilic counterpart. This study aims to screen, isolate and characterize the

thermostable bacteria producing α-amylases from Sabah hot springs. To address, samples

collected from Poring and Tawau hot springs were serially diluted with sterile distilled water,

spread onto the Luria Bertani agar medium containing starch as a substrate for amylases. The plate

was incubated at 60°C for 48 hours and observed for a clearing zone around the colony. As results,

9 colonies were found to form halo zone which indicated that those colonies produced

thermostable α-amylases. Out of 9 colonies, the A7 colony produced the largest halo forming zone

with an index of 4.24 and was isolated for further characterization. Morphologically, the A7 isolate

formed a cream-colored colony with rod-shaped, Gram-positive and reactive towards oxidase and

catalase tests. Growth curve analysis indicated that this isolate grew well at the temperature of

60°C. The 16S rRNA partial analysis showed 99.81% identity to Anoxybacillus flavithermus which is

known to exhibit a moderately thermophilic growth. The 3, 5-dinitrosalicyclic acid (DNS) assay of

the extracellular proteins of the A7 indicated the crude enzyme exhibited optimum amylase activity

at 60°C with 8.6 x 10-2 U/ml. To our knowledge, this is the first report on thermostable α-amylases

producing bacteria from Sabah hot springs.

Keywords: Hydrolytic enzyme, thermophilic, thermostable, 16S rRNA


109

OB9

ASSESSING THE GENETIC DIVERSITY WITHIN Crocidura monticola SPECIES COMPLEX

(SORICIDAE: CROCIDURINAE) USING mtDNA CYTOCHROME B SEQUENCES

Muhd Amsyari Morni1, Hasmahzaiti Omar2,3, Julius William Dee1, Qhairil Shyamri Rosli1,4,

Jacob Esselstyn5 and Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan1

1Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan,

Sarawak, Malaysia. 2Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia. 3Museum of Zoology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 4Faculty of Natural Sciences and Sustainability, University College Sabah Foundation, Jalan Sanzac,

Sembulan, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. 5Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, 119 Foster Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803,

USA.

Sunda shrew (Soricidae: Crocidura monticola) is one of the most complex species group. Recent

literature reported this species to be dispersed throughout Sundaland. Nevertheless, there is a

huge information gap on this species, especially in Borneo and peninsular Malaysia. The absence

of a dedicated study on this species complex caused a major information gap that may have led

to species misidentification. This hinders the establishment of comprehensive small sized shrew

taxonomy. This study successfully recovered lineages with a high genetic variation that are unique

within the samples. Crocidura cf. monticola from Borneo and peninsular Malaysia were split into

two major groups. Genetically, one group should be re-evaluated as they are closer to C. neglecta.

The other group belongs to an undescribed species clade that is sister to C. monticola and C.

umbra. The result presented here suggesting the distribution of C. monticola should be revised, as

it is a Javan endemic. This study presented valuable genetic data that could resolve the complexity

within the Crocidura monticola complex.

Keywords: Crocidura monticola complex, phylogenetic, small-sized shrews


110

OB10

GENOME ANALYSIS OF Thermoflavifilum aggregans AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ITS

CELLULASE DEGRADING ENZYME

Nurshafrina Aida binti Yahya, Cahyo Budiman, Clemente Michael Wong Vui Ling, Zarina

Amin, Yew Chee Wei

Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jl. UMS 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,

Malaysia

The alternatives energy sources such as bioethanol were introduced due to the increase of energy

demands and environmental problems caused by nonrenewable fossil fuels. Cellulases play an

important role in cellulose bioconversion by producing bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass.

This study aims to identify the gene encoding cellulase degrading enzyme of the bacteria isolated

from Sabah hot springs using whole-genome sequencing. Six colonies exhibiting cellulase

degrading bacteria activities were successfully isolated from Kalabakan mud volcano and Poring

hot spring. Among these, the PS1 isolate from the Poring hot spring showed the highest cellulolytic

activity at 60°C and was selected for further characterization. The result showed that the closest

relative of PS1 isolate as revealed by the 16S rRNA gene sequence was Thermoflavifilum

aggregans (accession no: AM749771), a thermostable bacterium isolated from New Zealand hot

spring, with 99.74% homology. Furthermore, the PS1 isolate was thermophilic, non-translucent

pigmented vivid yellow-orange, and Gram-negative with filamentous rod shape, catalase, and

oxidase-positive. Accordingly, the colony was designated as T. aggregans SP1 strain. To note, the

SP1 strain is the first strain from Poring hot spring known to exhibit thermostable cellulolytic

activity. Further to identify the genes encoding the cellulose-degrading enzyme of SP1 strain,

whole-genome sequencing was performed using the Pacific Biosciences sequencing platform. The

reads were assembled de novo with Hierarchical Genome Assembly Process 4 (HGAP4) within the

SMRT Analysis resulted in 1 contig with the size of 22.87 megabase pairs and DNA G+C content

at 46.2%. The annotation of the genome revealed 2,442 coding sequences, 1 contig, 43 tRNA

genes, and 3 rRNA genes. Further, genomic CAZymes analysis indicated that the SP1 strain harbors

5 putative cellulases gene. Accordingly, the cellulose-degrading enzymes produced by this strain

would be promising for further studies and applications.

Keywords: Thermostable; cellulose-degrading bacteria; whole genome sequencing; Sabah


111

OB11

PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE BORNEAN SHREW (FAMILY SORICIDAE: Crocidura foetida)

INFERRED FROM CYTOCHROME B GENE SEQUENCES AND CRANIO-DENTAL DATA

Julius William-Dee1, Muhd Amsyari Morni1, Qhairil Shyamri Rosli1, Hasmahzaiti Omar2,3

and Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan1*

1Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan,

Sarawak, Malaysia. 2Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia. 3Museum of Zoology (Block F), Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya,

50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Malaysia is known as one of the biodiversity hotspots for small mammals, including shrews, given

the complex geological and climatic settings. The lack of studies on the genus Crocidura from

Southeast Asia has led to the constraint of its taxonomic assessment. This study aims to determine

the relationship between Crocidura foetida and other Crocidura species in the Southeast. The

sampling for shrew was conducted in 25 sites across Malaysia using 100 pitfall traps per site

between 2014 and 2017. Thirty-two individuals of the shrew from genus Crocidura were captured

from 13 out of 25 sites. Crocidura foetida recorded the highest number of species captured with

28 individuals, and four other individuals recorded are C. malayana. Partial cytochrome b gene

sequences were analysed and revealed noticeable intra-specific divergences among C. foetida (2.2-

2.8%) collected in Sarawak. Principal component analysis conducted on the cranio-dental

measurements of 15 samples revealed no distinct grouping between localities. The phylogeny with

estimation time of divergence is produced in which species in genus Crocidura are grouped into

several clades. The S-Diva analysis highlights six major dispersal events among the genus

Crocidura. We can compare the phylogeography relationship of the Bornean shrew, C. foetida

using mtDNA cytochrome b.

Keywords: Crocidura foetida, phylogeography, mammals


112

OB12

GENETIC, MORPHOLOGY AND ECHOLOCATION VARIATION WITHIN BAMBOO BATS IN

MALAYSIA

Nor Al-Shuhadah Binti Sabarudin and Faisal Ali Bin Anwarali Khan

Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi Sumber, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

In Malaysia, two genera of bamboo bats are known from the genus Tylonycteris and Glischropus.

Both genera can be distinguished from each other using obvious morphological diagnostic

characters and phylogenetic relationship study. However, confusion arises within the genus

Tylonycteris as there might be more species that existed from the two currently recognized

Tylonycteris sp. in Malaysia based on their genetic and morphological variation. Similarly, multiple

new species have been described within the genus Glischropus complex, but none has been

reported for Malaysia. This raises the question if there is cryptic diversity within these species. In

this study, three approaches were used, including molecular, morphometric, and echolocation

calls, to examine the variation within the currently recognized bamboo bats in Malaysia. The

genetic variation and structure of bamboo bats were examined using 31 sequences of the 657 bp

cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). Results indicate that T. pachypus and T. robustula were

separate species as Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) resulted in a clear distinction between

the species supported by high values of genetic distance, 17.7% and 16.5%. Nevertheless, the

emergence of T. malayana (Tanjung Mentong, Tasik Kenyir) and T. pachypus (Peninsular Malaysia)

out of the original clades of T. pachypus and T. robustula from Sarawak suggests that the clade of

T. pachypus (Peninsular Malaysia) may represent separate species of T. pachypus complex while T.

malayana clade represents another separate species of genus Tylonycteris. As for genus

Glischropus, no subspecies had been found in Sarawak region. Thus, these findings suggest that

there is cryptic diversity within genus Tylonycteris based on high genetic divergence requiring

further scrutiny. A study on genetic variation within genus Glischropus using samples from

Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah is necessary to properly assess the variation among the population.

Keywords: Phylogenetic relationship, Genetic diversity, Molecular phylogeny, Cryptic diversity


113

OC1

DEVELOPMENT OF RT-PCR FOR DETECTION OF COVID-19 FROM SALIVA IN ACCORDANCE TO

ISO 17025:2015: A QUALITY PRACTICE AND TRUST IN RESULTS

Saidatul Wahidah Maisin1, Ag Muhammad Sagaf2, Suraya Abdul Sani1, *Ainol Azifa Mohd

Faik1

1 Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,

Malaysia 2 Makmal Diagnosa Veterinar Kota Kinabalu, 88200, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Currently, the “gold standard” for the direct diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is using real-time

reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), however, not all laboratories posses

the infrastructure to perform RT-qPCR. There is a lot of consideration when a laboratory develops

its own test methods or incorporates ones that already exist; the task bequeathed to them is great.

The practice of impartiality is an important factor when developing a method to ensure the results

obtained can be trusted with confidence. In this work, we used a single-step direct lysate extraction

method for the extraction of RNA from saliva. A positive control DNA was developed by fusing the

5’ and 3’ of Orf1a primers to a specific region of the pUC19 plasmid to generate a synthetic DNA

with the size as the native Covid-19 target gene. This DNA was further used for PCR sensitivity

studies. Amplification of human β-actin by RT-PCR from saliva suspension was developed as an

endogenous control RNA. The limit of detection to detect the artificial Orf1a construct is 2 copy

numbers per microliter. Detection of β-actin was successful from saliva. In conclusion, the

detection method delivers the concern of impartiality from the aspect of applying a single-step

RNA extraction to minimize the operator’s error during large sample processing, a statement of

sensitivity to detect the minimum amount of virus, a positive DNA control to ensure easy

comparison to the detected RT-PCR product and an endogenous RNA control to provide evidence

of successful RNA extraction, sample integrity and the preparation of reagents was properly done.

The use of the synthetic Orf1a DNA can also ensure a differentiation between the native Covid-19

DNA via DNA sequencing thus allowing identification of any external contaminating DNA. Finally,

the operator is confident that the work was done in accordance and easily monitored by the

supervisor.

Keywords: Real-time reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR); Covid-19;

ISO; saliva; endogenous control


114

ABSTRACT FOR POSTER PRESENTATIONS

PM1

ASSOCIATION OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-10 GENE

POLYMORPHISM WITH DENGUE IN SABAH POPULATION

Rhanye Mac Guad1,2, Sim Maw Shin1, Shamala Devi Sekaran3, Nornazirah Binti Azizan4, Wu Yuan Seng5,

Constance Liew Sat Lin6, Chandrika Murugaiah2

1Department of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603,

Malaysia 2Department of Biomedical Science and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science

Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia 3Faculty of Applied Sciences UCSI University, Selangor, 56000, Malaysia

4Department of Pathobiology and Medical Diagnostic, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Malaysia

Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia 5Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University,

Selangor 42610, Malaysia 6Medical Based Department, Faculty of Medicine & Health Science, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,

Malaysia

Anti-inflammatory cytokines, particularly interleukin-10 (IL-10), have played an important role in

dengue pathogenesis by regulating immune activity, such as B-cell proliferation and cytokine

production. This study aims to identify the association of IL-10 [-819 C/T (rs1800871)] gene

polymorphism with dengue in Sabah population. This is a cross-sectional, case control study

involving 156 subjects of main ethnic groups in Sabah: 84 dengue cases and 72 healthy controls

of Kadazan-dusun and Bajau ethnic groups. IL-10 gene polymorphism was genotyped using real-

time polymerase chain reaction to identify the genotypic and allelic profile. The C/T genotype

frequency was significantly higher among dengue cases in pooled subject (p<0.001). However, the

C/T genotype frequency was higher in control group (p=0.002 and p=0.011 in Kadazan-Dusun and

Bajau ethnic groups, respectively), suggesting a protection to dengue among Kadazan-dusun and

Bajau ethnic groups. Moreover, male gender had a significantly higher C/T genotype frequency of

IL-10 polymorphism (p<0.001). Further analysis of various genetic combination models showed

that CC vs (CT + TT) genotypes had a higher risk for dengue in pooled subjects and Kadazan-

dusun ethnic group (OR: 8.161; 95% CI: 2.329 – 28.603, p=0.001 and OR:7.037; 95% CI: 1.952 -

25.374; p=0.002, respectively). Among Kadazan-dusun males, CC vs (TC + TT) and (CC + TC) vs TT

genotypes were significantly associated with a higher risk to dengue infection (OR: 16.033; 95% CI

1.983– 129.656; p=0.003 and OR: 6.968; 95% CI; 1.447 - 33.563; p=0.017, respectively). In

conclusion, certain genetic combinations of IL-10 gene polymorphism are associated with dengue

for Kadazan-dusun and Bajau ethnic groups in Sabah, with gender plays an important role in this

context.

Keywords: Interleukin-10; dengue infection; Sabah population; ethnicity; genetic polymorphism


115

PM2

WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCING OF AN Enterococcus faecalis ISOLATE

FROM A PATIENT WITH CHOLECYSTITIS IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN KOTA

KINABALU, SABAH, MALAYSIA

Nur Nashyiroh Mastor1,2, Vijay Kumar Subbiah2, Wan Nazirah Wan Abu Bakar3, Suzanah Silee3, Khurshida

Begum4, M. Jahangir Alam4, Mohammad Zahirul Hoque1

1Department of Pathobiology & Medical Diagnostics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti

Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia. 2Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia

3Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia. E-mail: [email protected] 4Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, University of Houston College of Pharmacy,

Houston, Texas, USA.


Introduction: Enterococcus faecalis is a gram-positive bacterium that causes various human

nosocomial infections including urinary tract infection, endocarditis, wound infection, and

bacteremia. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the molecular characterization of local

Enterococcus bacteria (isolate no. SHH039) isolated from a patient in a tertiary hospital in Kota

Kinabalu, Sabah, using whole- genome sequencing. Methodology: A Tissue sample collected

from a patient with cholecystitis was cultured for bacteria onto blood agar and identified and

characterize by molecular methods. Bacterial DNA was extracted by using the Qiagen DNeasy

Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). The quantification of DNA was done using Qubit fluorometer

(Qubit 3.0, Thermo Fisher Scientific). The sample was then sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq

4000 system. In addition, the 16S rRNA sequence was aligned with reference sequences using

CLUSTAL W and subsequently, a phylogenetic tree was obtained using the maximum-likelihood

method in MEGA 8.0. This research was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee

(MREC), Ministry of Health, Malaysia (No. NMRR-19-1770-48622) and University Malaysia Sabah

ethical committee (JKEtika 1/19(26). Result: Our phylogenetic tree analysis showed the isolate

belongs to Enterococcus faecalis. The estimated whole genome size of the strain was 2,990,081

bp with a G + C content of 37.30%. The de novo assembly of the genome generated 77 contigs

with an N50 of 270,652 bp. The genome dataset has been deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under

the accession number JAEFCX000000000. The raw data were deposited as sequence read archieve

(SRA) number SRR13153714. Conclusion: The molecular characterization data from our study

might be helpful to understand the insights of the E. faecalis infection mechanism and molecular

characteristics of the pathogen.

Keywords: Enterococcus faecalis, nosocomial infections, whole genome sequencing, phylogenetic tree



116

PM3

ENDPOINT PCR ASSAY FOR RAPID DETECTION OF LEPTOSPIRA STRAINS FROM DIGESTIVE

TRACT SAMPLES FROM COCKROACHES

I Latifah1, A Abdul Halim, MY Aliza, H Roslina2, AS Nurul Annisha3, H Asmah3 and I Shafariatul

Akmar3

1Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, 40170, Setia Alam Selangor 2Institute for Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health, 40170, Setia Alam Selangor

3Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Muda Abdul Aziz, 50400, Kuala Lumpur

Leptospirosis cases in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are raising from year to year and typically linked to

peridomestic rodents. Rodents especially rats are the most important reservoirs of Leptospira sp.

significantly share the same habitats with the cockroach population. Cockroaches of the genus

Periplaneta probably has an interaction with humans, yet their potential role as carriers of

Leptospira sp. has not been assessed. Therefore, this study has attempted to demonstrate the

potential role of cockroaches as carriers of pathogenic Leptospira spp. A study was conducted to

confirm the status of cockroaches as the carrier of pathogenic leptospira in a selected urban location

in Kuala Lumpur. One hundred and fifty-six cockroaches were captured using commercial cockroach

traps from the areas of Datuk Keramat wet market, Kuala Lumpur. Digestive tract samples were taken

from each of the cockroaches and cultured separately in EMJH media, then incubated in the dark

condition for two months at 28°C and observed under x40 dark-field microscope to detect the

presence of Leptospira spp. 8 of these samples (5.12 %) were found to be positive when observed

under x40 dark field microscope. Genomic DNA was extracted from all these 8 native isolates for

PCR. PCR was used to amplify the extracted DNA using the set of primers known as G1/G2 primers

to determine their species. The primer of G1 and G2 gave 285-bp product with all leptospira isolates

tested. The 8 isolates generated the expected 350 base pair band when the set of primers from

Leptospira interrogans End-Point PCR Kit were utilized. Norgen’s Leptospira interrogans End–Point

PCR kit is designed for the detection of L.interrogans DNA based on the the use of end-point PCR

technology. This indicates that the Periplaneta cockroaches are carriers of the pathogenic

L.interrogans in the wet market and therefore, are of public health importance.

Keywords: Cockroaches, Leptospira spp, End –Point PCR kit


117

PM4

MicroRNA MICROARRAY EXPRESSION PROFILING IN TEARS OF CHILDREN WITH VERNAL

KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS

Nazmul Huda Syed1, Ismail Shatriah1,2, Shahidan Wan-Nazatul-Shima3, Embong Zunaina1,2

1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus,

Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia. 2Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jalan Raja Perempuan Zainab II, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan,

Malaysia. 3Basic Science & Oral Biology Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains

Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Introduction: Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is an allergic eye disease with an inflammatory

condition of conjunctiva. Tears contain diverse concentration of extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs),

which are small non-coding RNA molecules whose expression is reported to be regulating various

cellular processes in various eye diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate these extracellular

miRNAs in tears as the potential diagnostic biomarkers of VKC. Methods: The tear samples were

screened for miRNAs among children with VKC in comparison to controls using Agilent microarray

technique. Results: Four children with VKC and four healthy children as control were recruited with

age range from 7 – 12 years old. A total of 51 miRNAs in tears were differentially expressed. Out

of 51 miRNAs in tears, 48 were significantly up-regulated and three were significantly down-

regulated in tears of children with VKC in comparison to controls. There were 35 of these

significantly up-regulated miRNAs and two significantly down-regulated miRNAs with AUC score

of 1.0 and these miRNAs can be used as candidates for further validation as potential biomarkers.

There were 12 novel miRNA biomarkers ( hsa-miR-6800-5p, hsa-miR-7110-5p, hsa-miR-6740-5p,

hsa-miR-4459, hsa-miR-8072, hsa-miR-7847-3p, hsa-miR-6869-5p, hsa-miR-6087, hsa-miR-8069,

hsa-miR-1273g-3p, hsa-miR-7150 and hsa-miR-7975) found in tears of children with VKC.

Conclusion: These significantly expressed miRNAs in tears of children with VKC in comparison to

controls along with their good discriminatory scores will serve as diagnostic potential biomarkers

for VKC and provides insights into pathogenesis of VKC.

Keywords: microRNA; vernal keratoconjunctivitis; tears; biomarkers; microarray


118

PM5

CHARACTERIZATION OF G6PC MUTATIONS IN 12 PATIENTS WITH GLYCOGEN STORAGE

DISEASE 1A

Siti Aishah Abdul Wahab1, Mohd Khairul Nizam Mohd Khalid1, Noraishah Ali2, Leong Huey

Yin2, Ngu Lock Hock2, Yusnita Yakob1

1Molecular Diagnostics Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2Department of Genetics, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a) is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder

characterized by hypoglycemia, growth retardation, lactic acidosis, hepatomegaly, hyperlipidemia

and nephromegaly. GSD1a is caused by mutation in G6PC gene encoding glucose-6-phosphatase

(G6Pase); an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of Glucose-6-Phosphate (G6P) to phosphate

and glucose. The aim of the study was to characterize G6PC mutations in GSD1a patients. Twelve

clinically classified GSD1a patients were included in the study. G6PC mutation analysis was

performed by PCR-DNA sequencing. All patients were presented with hepatomegaly (92%),

hypoglycaemia (41.7%), poor weight gain (25%) and short stature (17%). Mutation analysis

revealed nine heterozygous mutations; six previously reported mutations (c.209G>A, c.248G>A,

c.648G>T, c.706T>A, c.1022T>A, c.262delG) and three novel mutations (c.155A>T, c.226A>R,

c.325T>C). The most common mutation found in Malaysian patients was c.648G>T associated in

nine patients (75%) followed by c.248G>A exhibited in 4 different patients (33.3%). The c.648G>T

were identified in six Malay patients whereas the c.248G>A presented only in Chinese patients.

Novel mutations; c.155A>T and c.325T>C that detected in Patient 5 were not present in normal

database and predicted to be disease causing by in silico software. The c.226A>T p.(Lys76*) is

expected to produce a truncated protein and interestingly, it is reported in other study that

Lys76Asp had abolished enzyme activity since Lys76 is a known active site residue in G6Pase. To

date, this is the first report of G6PC gene mutation in GSD1a Malaysian patients. The three novel

mutations identified in this study will further expand the spectrum of pathogenic mutations

associated with GSD1a. Besides that, the establishment of G6PC molecular genetic testing will

enable detection of pre-symptomatic patients, assist in genetic counselling and avoid invasive

method of liver biopsy tissue.

Keywords: Glycogen Storage Disease type 1a; G6PC; novel mutations


119

PM6

HYPERFORIN INDUCES CELL DEATH IN TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CARCINOMA CELLS AND

UPREGULATES PRO-APOPTOTIC GENES

Muttiah Barathan1, Vellasamy Kumutha Malar1, Hoong See Mee2 & Vadivelu Jamuna1

1Department of Medical Microbiology Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya

2Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Introduction: An earlier report confirmed the anticancer properties of hyperforin, an extract

produced from St John's wort on other types of cancer cells. The potential consequences in terms

of regulation of apoptotic genes and involvement in different cell death pathway in hyperforin

treated breast carcinoma cells remains unclear. Objective: In this study, the inhibition of the growth

triple negative breast cancer cells due to hyperforin and the regulation of apoptosis pathways used

by hyperforin. Results: Hyperforin effectively induce in vitro cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells, it was

found that treating cells for 24 hours exhibited a lower IC50 (7.91 µg/mL) compared with 48 hours

(7.97 µg/mL). Since, a lower IC50 is needed at 24 hours compared to 48 hours to inhibit growth of

MDA-MB-231, further experiment were done on one time point. The effectiveness of hyperforin

was compared with the positive control, paclitaxel, also inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells

exhibiting a lower IC50 at 24 hours treatment period (7.18 µg/mL) compared with hyperforin at 48

hours of treatment (7.91 µg/mL). The IC50 of hyperforin was found to induce higher secretion level

of ROS and apoptotic effect in hyperforin treated MDA-MB-231 cell culture. In addition, the late

stage cytotoxic effects of hyperforin on MDA-MB-231 cells upon treatment was seen by the

formation of apoptotic DNA fragments on agarose gel. Meanwhile, inhibition of DNA synthesis of

MDA-MB-231 cells were seen as hyperforin-treated cells were arrested majorly at S phase. The

PCR microarray revealed that hyperforin upregulated several pro-apoptotic genes and it may

induce cell death through receptor mediated cell death pathway. Conclusion:

The results demonstrated that hyperforin has almost similar chemotherapeutic properties as taxol

in inhibiting breast cancer cells hence suggesting further experiments on in vivo aspect.

Keywords: apoptosis; breast; hyperforin; paclitaxel; pathways


120

PM7

LYSOSOMAL ACID LIPASE ACTIVITY IN LEUCOCYTES USING 4-METHYLUMBELLIFERYL

PALMITATE FOR DIAGNOSIS OF WOLMAN DISEASE AND CHOLESTERYL ESTER STORAGE

DISEASE

Affandi Omar1, Balqis Kamarudin1, Fatimah Diana Amin Nordin1, Sofwatul Mukhtaroh

Nasohah2, Suhaili Sallih2, Ahmad Kamal Abd Rahim2, Syarifah Nurhikmah Izzati Syed

Nasarudin2, Noreen Jazlina Ghazali2, Nur Ainaa Afhandi2 & Julaina Abdul Jalil1

1Inborn Errors of Metabolism Unit, Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Research Centre, Institute

for Medical Research, National Institute of Health Complex, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Bandar Setia

Alam, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia 2Biochemistry Unit, Specialised Diagnostic Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of

Health Complex, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) deficiency is caused by mutation on LIPA gene resulting in two

autosomal-recessive disorders: Wolman disease (WD) and cholesteryl ester storage disease

(CESD). Early onset of LAL deficiency cause clinical symptoms of WD includes hepatosplenomegaly,

adrenal calcification and failure to thrive whereas the late onset of CESD includes hepatomegaly,

micro vesicular steatosis and cirrhosis. The aims of this study were to establish and evaluate the

performance of modified LAL enzyme assay in leucocytes sample for laboratory diagnosis of WD

and CESD. This study measured the LAL enzyme which catalyzed cleavage of an artificial

fluorogenic substrate 4-methylumbellifryl-palmitate (4MuFP). Then, the product of 4-

methylumbelliferone (4-MuF) fluorescent was detected using a fluorometer. A volume of 5 µL of

leucocytes lysate was added into 30 µL of 4MuFP (0.4 M) substrate together with 0.4 M acetate

buffer (pH 4.0), in a 96-well black microplate. The plate was incubated at 37oC for 30 min. The

reaction was terminated with 0.5 M of carbonate buffer (pH 10.7). Relative fluorescence was read

using fluorometer at 366nm (excitation) and 446nm (emission). Method validation was performed

according to the IMR laboratory quality procedure (LQP) guideline. The findings of evaluation

study showed calibrator 4MuF was linear up to 40,000 nmol. Impression (coefficient of variation,

CV%) for repeatability and reproducibility were 8.05% and 7.3%, respectively. Limit of detection

and limit of quantitation were 33 nmol/hr/mg and 173 nmol/hr/mg protein, respectively. Inter

laboratory comparison for both samples showed satisfactory performance by achieving z-score of

less than 2. In conclusion, LAL assay fulfills all the requirements for method validation. We have

successfully evaluated this assay as a new laboratory test for the diagnosis of WD and CESD in

Malaysia. However, more information is needed regarding the LAL activity level in leucocyte

sample of normal population.

Keywords: Lysosomal acid lipase; Wolman disease; holesteryl ester storage disease; enzyme assay;

4-methylumbellifryl-palmitate


121

PM8

DISTRIBUTION OF NEURAMINIDASE ACTIVITY IN FIBROBLASTS FROM POSTMORTEM

SAMPLES

Fatimah Diana Amin Nordin1, Affandi Omar1, Balqis Kamarudin1, Rosnani Mohamed1, Nur

Jannaim Muhamad1, Salina Abdul Rahman1, Sofwatul Mukhtaroh Nasohah2 & Julaina

Abdul Jalil1

1Inborn Errors of Metabolism Unit, Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Research Centre,

Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Health Complex, Ministry of Health Malaysia,

Bandar Setia Alam, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia 2Biochemistry Unit, Specialised Diagnostic Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of

Health Complex, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Sialidosis (MIM 256550) is caused by α-N-acetyl neuraminidase (EC 3.2.1.18) deficiency resulting

from a mutation in the neuraminidase gene (NEU1) located on chromosome 6p21.33. It is a rare,

autosomal recessive inherited disorder which is characterized by tissue accumulation and urinary

excretion of sialylated oligosaccharides and glycoproteins. Currently, samples for the diagnosis of

sialidosis were sent out to overseas as there is no suitable test available in Malaysia. This study

aimed to assess and establish the performance of neuraminidase assay using fibroblasts sample

for laboratory diagnosis. Fluorometric measurements of 4-methylumbelliferone-α-D-

acetylneuraminic acid (4-MuF-NueAc) was used as artificial substrate to evaluate the

neuraminidase activity. Carbonate buffer pH 10.7 was used as stopping reagent. The fluorescence

intensity of 4-MuF release was measured at specific wavelength of 366nm excitation and 446nm

emission. Method verification was performed according to the IMR laboratory quality procedure

(LQP) guideline. Linearity study showed 4MuF was linear up to 40,000 nmol. Limit of detection

and limit of quantitation were 7.998 nmol/hr/mg and 26.66 nmol/hr/mg protein, respectively.

Repeatability and reproducibility test results expressed as coefficient of variation (%CV) were

11.38% and 12.52%, respectively. Neuraminidase activity was measured in 8 normal controls and

18 postmortem patients’ samples. The median (range) neuraminidase activities in normal and

postmortem patients’ samples were 38.41 (82.13) and 24.28 (36.29) nmol/h/mg protein,

respectively demonstrating a significant difference between both (p<0.05). In conclusion, study

findings showed neuraminidase assay accomplished an appropriate method verification

requirement. New laboratory test for the diagnosis of sialidosis has been effectively established

in Malaysia. Nevertheless, more sample size as well as separate range between postmortem and

living individual are needed in bringing new insights into this current understanding.

Keywords: Neuraminidase; sialidosis; 4-methylumbelliferone-α-D-acetylneuraminic acid;

fibroblasts; postmortem


122

PM9

TWO NOVEL MUTATIONS IN BSCL2 AND AGPAT2 GENES IDENTIFIED IN THREE MALAYSIAN

FAMILIES WITH BERARDINELLI-SEIP CONGENITAL LIPODYSTROPHY

Lua Seok Hian1, Keng Wee Teik2, Olive Lee Pei Ee3, Tan Sue Lyn3 and Yusnita Yakob1

1Unit of Molecular Diagnostics, Specialised Diagnostics Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National

Institute of Health, Malaysia 2Department of Genetics, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3Paediatric Clinic, Sarawak General Hospital, Malaysia

Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy (BSCL) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous

condition with autosomal recessive inheritance. BSCL is a rare disease characterized by marked

paucity of adipose tissue at birth and predominantly caused by mutations in BSCL2 and AGPAT2

genes. In this study, we aim to present our findings regarding the mutational analyses of these

two genes from three Malaysian families clinically diagnosed with BSCL. Blood-derived genomic

DNA of 11 individuals from three families was extracted, followed by analysis of all coding exons

of BSCL2 and AGPAT2 genes including exon-intron boundaries using the PCR-Sanger Sequencing

method. The sequence variants identified were evaluated against several public databases and in-

silico prediction tools in accordance with ACGS guidelines. Of note, a novel homozygous variant

c.567_573+1dup, p.(?) at the exon 5-intron 5 boundary of BSCL2 gene was identified in four

individuals originated from two different families. This variant was predicted to be pathogenic as

it caused aberrant splicing. While in another family, compound heterozygous variants c.524G>A,

p.(Arg175His) and c.683T>C, p.(Leu228Pro) in exons 4 and 6 of AGPAT2 gene were detected in the

proband. The former variant was novel while the latter had been previously reported and both

were predicted as likely pathogenic. Additionally, it was found that the novel pathogenic variant

c.524G>A was located within the highly conserved EGTR motif essential for enzymatic activity of

AGPAT2 protein. Further carrier testing revealed that all the six asymptomatic parental samples

were obligate heterozygotes for the pathogenic variant detected in the probands. Our findings

expanded the mutational spectrum of BSCL2 and AGPAT2 genes in the Malaysian population.

Further research is needed to investigate the functional consequences of these novel pathogenic

variants.

Keywords: Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy; congenital generalized lipodystrophy;

BSCL2; AGPAT2


123

PM10

INVESTIGATING THE ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY OF CRISPR-MEDIATED UPREGULATION OF

SCHALFEN 11 (SLFN11) AGAINST HIV-1 INFECTED CELLS

Kalidasan Vasodavan and Kumitaa Theva Das

Infectomics Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200,

Kepala Batas, Malaysia

Around 37 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV, and a million have died due to

AIDS. The highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) reduces viral load in HIV-1 patients to

below detectable levels. However, there is viral rebound in the absence of HAART, which leads to

a poor prognosis. In recent years, a group known as elite controllers has been identified untreated

individuals with low viral loads, whose CD4+ T cell count remains normal over a prolonged time.

Elite controllers express numerous host restriction factors associated with virus control, such as a

significantly elevated expression of SLFN11. SLFN11 exerts its antiviral activity by targeting the

tRNAs of virus, and interfering with the translation of viral mRNA, thereby diminishing the number

of viral particles. This study aims to upregulate SLFN11 to inhibit viral replication in a latently HIV-

1 infected cell line. Upregulation was established using CRISPR plasmid (dCas9-VP64) which

consists of a dead Cas9 (dCas9) nuclease fused to a single transcriptional activation domain

(VP64). A single guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting SLFN11 was designed using CCTop- CRISPR/Cas9

Target Online Predictor and cloned into CRISPR plasmid (pSPgRNA). The established CRISPR

plasmid will be used to treat HIV-1 infected cells, and the viral load, cell cycle changes, HIV latency

and immune response will be determined. The fundamental knowledge gained from these

experiments can be used as a steppingstone in using SLFN11 as a potential therapeutic target

against HIV-1.

Keywords: HIV; elite controllers; SLFN11; CRISPR; cloning


124

PM11

LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF THE FIVE COMMON SPINOCEREBELLAR ATAXIAS (TYPE 1, 2,

3, 6 AND 7) IN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH (IMR):

MALAYSIA EXPERIENCE

Yusnita Yakob1, Lua Seok Hian1, Kavitha Rethanavelu2, Keng Wee Teik3 and Ngu Lock Hock2

1Molecular Diagnostics Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2Department of Genetics, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous

neurodegenerative diseases causing progressive cerebellar dysfunction, mostly with adult-onset.

Nearly 50 distinct subtypes of SCA have been identified to date which cannot be reliably

differentiated on a clinical basis due to variable expressions and overlapping phenotypes.

Therefore, an accurate diagnosis of SCAs greatly relies on molecular testing to detect an

expansion mutation of CAG trinucleotide repeats in a specific causative gene. Here, we described

the molecular approaches for confirmation of the five common SCA subtypes, namely SCA1

(ATXN1 gene), SCA2 (ATXN2 gene), SCA3 (ATXN3 gene), SCA6 (CACNA1A gene) and SCA7

(ATXN7 gene) and presenting a 4-year molecular data (2017-2020) of SCA cases referred to IMR,

the referral centre for molecular genetic testing. A total of 214 individuals with clinically suspicion

of SCAs were referred to IMR for molecular confirmation by clinical geneticists and neurologists

throughout Malaysia. The genetic testing involved the determination of CAG trinucleotide repeat

number by amplification of polyglutamine region in the five targeted genes using fluorescent-

PCR and capillary electrophoresis method. A second-tier method, triplet repeat-primed PCR (TP-

PCR) was implemented for individuals with apparent homozygous to verify homoallelism and thus

confirm the presence or absence of a large heterozygous expansion of CAG repeats. Out of 214

individuals who had undergone the genetic testing, 67 (31%) patients were tested positive for

either SCA1, 2, 3 or 6. In accordance with previous literatures, SCA3 was the commonest, detected

in 40 (60%) individuals, followed by SCA2 in 15 (22%), SCA1 in 10 (15%) and SCA6 in two (3%)

individuals. No positive case for SCA7, making it undoubtedly the least common SCA subtype.

We have provided a comprehensive molecular testing for SCAs which enables identification of

the five common SCA subtypes followed by a complementary method to address inconclusive

results.

Keywords: Spinocerebellar Ataxias; SCA subtypes; trinucleotide repeats; TP-PCR


125

PM12

FGFR2 GENE MUTATIONS IN MALAYSIAN PATIENTS WITH ASSOCIATED CLINICAL FEATURES

OF APERT SYNDROME AND CROUZON SYNDROME

Nor Azimah Abdul Azize1, Amelia Azman1, Muzhirah Aisha Haniffa2, Ch’ng Gaik Siew2 and

Yusnita Yakob1

1Molecular Diagnostics Unit, Specialised Diagnostics Centre, Institute for Medical Research, 50588

Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur 2Genetic Department, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, 50586 Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur

The FGFR2 gene encodes for fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) protein, involves in

important processes such as cell growth and division, cell maturation, bone development,

formation of blood vessels, wound healing, and embryonic development. The FGFR2 gene

(NM_000141.4), consists of 17 coding DNA located on chromosome 10q26.13. Most of FGFR2

associated diseases are inherited in autosomal dominant trait. Mutations in FGFR2 gene are

associated in multiple syndromes including Crouzon syndrome, Pfeiffer syndrome, Apert

syndrome, Jackson-Weiss syndrome and few others. The objective of this study was to identify

mutations in FGFR2 gene in patients with craniosynostosis syndrome to determine disease

phenotype. From 2019 to 2020, we have analysed eight patient samples with age from 6 month

to 3 years old suspected for Craniosynostosis, Crouzon syndrome and Apert Syndrome (AS). DNA

was extracted from EDTA-blood samples using magnetic bead-based method and quantified by

using Nanodrop spectrophotometer before subjected to PCR with specific primers. A total of 17

PCR amplicons for each patient were then purified before proceeded to cycle sequencing and

final detection by DNA sequencing using 3500 ABI Genetic Analyzer. Raw data were analysed

using SeqScape software and variants found were reviewed with Human Gene Mutation Database

(HGMD) for previously reported cases. Six patients have mutation in FGFR2 gene, in which five of

them have reported mutation associated with AS while another one was related with Crouzon

syndrome. Mutations at c.755C>G p.(Ser252Trp) and c.758C>G p.(Pro253Arg) in exon 7 were

detected in three and two of AS patients, respectively. In patient with Crouzon syndrome,

mutation c.1040C>G p.(Ser347Cys) was detected in exon 8. We have identified two distinct

mutations in FGFR2 gene in patient with AS from unrelated families, consistent with other studies.

Since both syndromes are relatively rare syndrome and difficult to diagnose, molecular diagnosis

will provide useful information for the disease diagnosis and genetic counseling.

Keywords: FGFR2; mutation; Apert syndrome; Crouzon syndrome


126

PM13

CHARACTERIZATION OF SIX NOVEL MUTATIONS IN ALPL GENE OF

THREE UNRELATED MALAYSIAN FAMILIES WITH HYPOPHOSPHATASIA

Ilia Nazihah Mohamad Ayob1, Anis Frasha Mohamad1, Leong Huey Yin2,

Susan Pee3, Junaida Mohd Nawi4, Yusnita Yakob1

1Unit of Molecular Diagnostics, Specialised Diagnostics Centre,

Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Health, Malaysia 2Department of Genetics, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3Paediatric ward, Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 4Paediatric ICU, HRPZ 11, Kota Bharu, Malaysia

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by defective mineralization of

bone and/or teeth in the presence of low activity of serum and bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP).

HPP is caused by mutations in the ALPL gene that encodes for the tissue non-specific alkaline

phosphatase (TNSALP). Perinatal and most infantile cases of HPP are lethal and inherited in an

autosomal recessive manner, however, autosomal dominant inheritance is also recognized but in

milder subtypes. We aimed to characterize ALPL mutations in four suspected HPP patients

referred to our laboratory for molecular investigation. Genetic diagnosis of HPP was performed

by PCR amplification on 12 exons including splice sites of ALPL gene followed by Sanger

sequencing to detect causative mutations. In silico prediction of the variant’s pathogenicity and

its classification was performed using search engine, Varsome. In this study, out of those four

patients tested, three were found to harbour variants suggestive of HPP. Mutation analysis of

ALPL gene revealed three different compound heterozygous missense of six novel mutations:

c.161T>A p.(Val54Asp), c.361G>A p.(Val121Met), c.515C>G p.(Ala172Gly), c.617A>G

p.(Tyr206Cys), c.991G>A p.(Val331Met) and c.1403C>A p.(Ala468Glu). All mutations were

predicted to be likely pathogenic. Furthermore, testing on parental samples confirmed that those

compound heterozygous mutations were in trans phase. Family screening was performed and

revealed the same compound heterozygous mutations in two affected siblings of Patient 4. In

summary, six novel ALPL gene mutations have been detected in five Malaysians whom all had

reduced activity of unfractionated serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) with the presence of two

pathogenic variants in ALPL gene. HPP can be diagnosed by routine clinical, biochemical and

radiological methods, nevertheless, molecular genetic testing is essential for confirmation of

diagnosis in a proband with identification of biallelic pathogenic variants in ALPL gene.

Keywords: Hypophosphatasia; ALPL; Malaysian; genetic; mutation


127

PM14

STAT3 GAIN OF FUNCTION MUTATION PRESENTING AS LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE SYNDROME

Mohd Farid Baharin1, Wong Ke Juin2, Fong Siew Moy2, Chear Chai Teng2, Saharuddin Bin

Mohamad3,4, Adiratna Mat Ripen1


Research, Ministry of Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2Paediatric Department, Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Sabah

3Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 4Centre of Research in Systems Biology, Structural Bioinformatics and Human Digital Imaging


The signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family of transcription factors play an

important role in regulating hematopoietic cell differentiation. One of STAT member, STAT3 is

involved in the regulation of multiple cytokines including IL-6, IL-10, IL-11 and IL-17. STAT3

mutations can either manifest as loss of function (LOF) or gain of function (GOF), each with

different clinical manifestations. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the genetic etiology of a

patient with lymphoproliferative syndromes using whole exome sequencing (WES) method. A 7-

year-old boy was referred for WES in view of a diagnostic dilemma. He had recurrent pneumonia

since the age of 2 months and by the age of 6 years, bronchiectatic changes were seen. At the age

of 1 year, he was noted to have failure to thrive, hepatosplenomegaly and generalized

lymphadenopathy. Preliminary immunologic assessment revealed elevated immunoglobulin levels

and elevated lymphocytes subsets. Bone marrow examination showed no evidence of leukemia or

marrow infiltration. He was also investigated for autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndromes

(ALPS) in view of pancytopenia, generalized lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. No

mutation was found on ALPS-related genes. DNA sample was sent for WES when he was 7 years

old. WES revealed a c.G1974C missense mutation on STAT3 that leads to a change of the 658th

amino acid from lysine to asparaginase. This mutation is not reported at gnomAD database.

Reviewing literature, similar mutation has been reported in patients with autoimmune diseases.

Our report highlights the usefulness of WES technology in revealing the genetic etiology of a

complex disease with heterogenous clinical manifestations.

Keywords: STAT3 mutation; lymphoproliferative syndromes; whole exome sequencing


128

PM15

STUDY OF DNA DEGRADATION IN TIME-BOUND BONE POWDER SPECIMEN

Nur Hafiza Binti Md Yusop1, Aedrianee Reeza Binti Alwi1, Wan Nur Zawani Wan Mohd

Samsudin1, Muhammad Hafiy Daud @ Laudek1

Reference Centre of Forensic DNA Analysis Southern Region, Department of Chemistry Malaysia

Johor State

Bone specimen has been commonly encountered in Forensic DNA analysis for body identification

process in cases such as homicide or missing persons. Routinely, bone specimen received could

have been exposed to the environment for such a period of time or they were recovered at a later

stage since the occurrence of incident. DNA is well persevered in -20oC. However, many variables

can affect the quality and quantity of DNA presence in bone specimen which include

environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, bacterial activity and degradation

process. Eight bone specimens powder from the completed casework for the past 10 years which

were kept for training purposes in -20oC were re-analyzed to obtain the desired DNA profile.

Comparisons between the initial DNA profiles with the re-analyzed DNA profile were made to

distinguish any significance differences or findings. 75% of the powdered bone specimen showed

no significant difference between the initial and re-analyzed DNA profile. This indicated that the

DNA in the powdered bone specimen kept at -20oC is well preserved and stable. However, we

found that two powdered bone specimens (kept for 5 and 7 years) demonstrated loss of alleles in

few loci suggesting that DNA degradation could still have taken place over the time or the

homogeneity of the powdered bone specimen affecting the DNA yield.

Keywords: Bone specimen, DNA degradation, DNA


129

PM16

DETERMINATION OF 5- METHYLTETRAHYDROFOLATE IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID (CSF) BY

HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH FLUORESCENSE DETECTION FOR

DIAGNOSIS OF DIHYDROPTERIDINE REDUCTASE DEFICIENCY

Norashareena Mohamed Shakrin1,3, Julaina Abdul Jalil1,Nurzahidah Khalid2 and Abdah

Md Akim3

1Inborn Error of Metabolism (IEM) & Genetic Unit, NMCRC, Institute for Medical Research (IMR),

National Institute of Health Malaysia (NIH), Setia Alam, 2Biochemistry Unit, Specialised Diagnostic Centre Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Kuala Lumpur

3Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia

(UPM), Serdang, Selangor

Dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) deficiency is a genetic disorder of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)

regeneration presented with hyperphenylalaninemia, microcephaly, hypotonia, mental

retardation, and convulsions. Previous articles have reported a possible association between low

5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) values and impaired tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis. Most

methods rely on the separation of 5-MTHF on a C18 column with electrochemical or fluorescence

detection. We aimed to validate HPLC method with fluorescence detection for CSF 5-MTHF and

to analyse its concentration in a patient suspected of DHPR deficiency. CSF sample (50ul) was

directly injected into Agilent HPLC system with mobile phase consisted of sodium acetate with

methanol at pH 4.7. The separation of 5-MTHF was performed at a flow rate of 1.3 ml/min through

a reverse-phase column (Poroshell C18, 2.7 μm, 4.6 × 100 mm) at 35°C with fluorescence detection

(excitation:290 nm and emission:358nm) for 15mins. There was a good linear relationship over the

concentration range up to 800 nmol/L for 5MTHF (R2 = 0.991). The repeatability CVs at different

concentrations, low to high level were 7.0% (n = 15), 4.9% (n = 15) and 6.1% (n = 15) respectively.

Recovery was 95.5% to 104.8% by spiking CSF samples at 55 nmol/L, 100 nmol/L and 500 nmol/L.

Analysis of CSF 5-MTHF was performed on a 1-month old male patient sample who presented

with hypotonia and seizure with elevated biopterin, 279 nmol/l (20-70) and neopterin level, 83

nmol/L (15-35). The results demonstrated an extremely low level of 5-MTHF which at 3.7 nmol/L

(72-305) indicated that this patient may be affected by DHPR deficiency. This 5MTHF assay by

HPLC is simple, reliable, accurate and cost-effective and is a useful tool to assist for the diagnosis

of metabolic disorders affecting folate transport and metabolism.

Keywords: 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF); dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR); HPLC;

cerebrospinal fluid; IEM; tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)




130

PM17

DETECTION OF MUTATIONS IN katG and inhA GENE OF Mycobacterium tuberculosis FROM

MALAYSIA CLINICAL ISOLATES

Ernie Zuraida Ali1 and Rahizan Issa2

1Inborn Error of Metabolism and Genetic Unit, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Research

Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia,

Section U13 Setia Alam, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia 2Bacteriology Unit, Infectious Disease Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National

Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Section U13 Setia Alam, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor,

Malaysia

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the infectious diseases leading to cause death worldwide. TB occurs

due to spontaneous mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) genome. Majority

of mutations are a main cause of drug resistant (DR) and thus understanding on the mechanism

of resistance is important for improving the existing prescribed anti-TB drug. Therefore, this study

aims to identify and predict the effect of mutations from five isoniazid resistant (INH-R) M.

tuberculosis clinical isolates collected from TB patients. Detection of mutations in katG and inhA

genes was performed using conventional PCR and sequencing. Mutations identified were

mapped onto the crystal structures of katG (PDB ID: 1SJ2) and inhA (PDB ID: 1ZID) using PyMol.

The mutations were then submitted to Site Directed Mutator (SDM) and mutation Cutoff Scanning

Matrix (mSCM) to predict the impact of each mutation on protein stability. Forty loci of mutations

in katG gene and seven loci of mutations in inhA gene were detected, respectively. Thirty-one

and sixteen different missense and silent mutations, respectively, were identified from these five

strains. Twenty-two novel katG and four novel inhA mutations were identified. Only 2466/18 strain

contained mutations in both genes. The R463L mutation was found in 2834/18 and 2837/18

strains. Mutations mapped onto katG and inhA structures showed some of them located in or

near the drug-binding pocket. The two-prediction programs showed majority of the mutations in

both genes are predicted to have an impact on protein stability. In conclusion, forty-seven loci of

mutations identified in this study expanded the mutation spectrum of the M. tuberculosis. Most

of the identified mutations are predicted to affect the stability of the protein.

Keywords: M. tuberculosis; katG; inhA; mutation; isoniazid


131

PM18

CHRONIC MUCOCUTANEOUS CANDIDIASIS DISEASES WITH STAT1 GAIN-OF-FUNCTION

MUTATION

Wan Dalila Wan Chik1, Revathy Nallusamy2, Chan Kwai Cheng2, Chai Teng Chear1, Mohd Farid

Baharin1, Saharuddin Bin Mohamad3,4 and Adiratna Mat Ripen1


Research, Ministry of Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2Paediatric Department, Penang Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 4Centre of Research in Systems Biology, Structural Bioinformatics and Human Digital Imaging


Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) is a rare genetic condition associated with inborn errors

of immunity (IEI). It is characterized by persistent or recurrent Candida infections of the skin, nails,

and mucosal membranes. The symptoms respond poorly to common antifungal treatment and

will relapse upon discontinuation of treatments. Most CMC cases exhibit a common clinical

presentation of Mendelian inheritance due to single-gene mutation. Recent advances in next

generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have significantly helped our process of disease gene

identification using exome sequencing. The objective of this study is to identify the genetic defect

in a child who initially presented with IEI disorder. Our case was presented at 3 months old with

severe pneumonia and was ventilated for 2 weeks. There was no organism isolated from his blood

sample. He was readmitted at 5 months old with viral croup. At 15 months old, he was presented

with disseminated BCG lymphadenitis and extensive oral candidiasis. Further investigations

revealed no abnormality during his preliminary immunologic assessment. Surgical intervention

was performed for the axillary abscess and subsequently was noted to have poor wound healing.

The provisional diagnosis was Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Diseases (MSMD) and the

patient was managed based on the diagnosis. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed

when he was 3 years old to elucidate the genetic disorder. WES revealed a mutation at exon 14 of

STAT1 gene (c.1154C>T, p.T385M) and further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The diagnosis of

this patient was revised as CMC with STAT1 gain-of-function (GOF) mutation and further

treatments were planned appropriately. At the cellular level, this gain of function has been

associated with increased levels of phosphorylated STAT1 and STAT1-dependent cellular

responses that lead to severe infections. In summary, the results emphasized the value of NGS in

clinical diagnosis and detection of rare variants in genetic diseases.

Keywords: Inborn errors of immunity, whole exome sequencing, CMC, STAT1


132

PM19

PREVALENCE OF THALASSEMIA IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Lee Ping Chin, Lucky Goh Poh Wah and Eric Chong Tzyy Jiann

Biotechnology Program, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan

UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Thalassemia is a hereditary red blood cell disorder. It is due to globin gene mutations in either

alpha and/or beta globin genes resulting imbalance in numbers of alpha (a) and beta (b) chains in

red blood cells. There are two major types of thalassemia which are a- and beta- thalassemia, in

which the former is the most common form of thalassemia worldwide especially in Southeast Asia

populations. We report here the analysis of the prevalence rate of 83,674 subjects in Southeast

Asia. The pooled prevalence rates were calculated using random effect models based on high

observed heterogeneity (I2 > 99.5, p-value < 0.1). The prevalence of a- thalassemia is 22.6% in

Southeast Asia. The highest a-thalassemia prevalence was observed in Vietnam (51.5%) followed

by Cambodia (39.5%), Laos (26.8%), Thailand (20.1%), and Malaysia (17.3%). This study suggested

that a high prevalence of alpha thalassemia occurred in selected Southeast Asia countries and

provides a perspective to design healthcare policies with better genetic counselling programs for

thalassemia in large populations.

Keywords: Thalassemia; meta-analysis; prevalence; Southeast Asia


133

PM20

PROSPECTIVE PARACRINE MEDIATION OF BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF)

ON NEUROGENIC ENHANCEMENT OF AMNIOTIC FLUID STEM CELLS (AFSCS) TREATED WITH

Centella asiatica

Norshariza Nordin1,2, Nur ‘Izzati Mansor2, Khairul Akmal Abdul Rahman2, Nuratiqah Azmi2,

Winnie Khor2, Siti Farah Md Tohid2, Zurina Hassan3 and Ling King Hwa1,2

1 Genetics & Regenerative Medicine Research Group, 2 Medical Genetics Unit, Department of

Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang,

Selangor, Malaysi and 3Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang,

Malaysia.

Introduction: Centella asiatica (L.) Urban is well-known for its nutritional benefits. Its

phytochemicals have been documented to have neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effects

besides being traditionally known for its raw consumption to enhance learning and memory.

Aqueous extract of C. asiatica (CA) has been shown to potentially accelerate the neurite outgrowth

of damaged neurons in vitro in the presence of growth factor. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

(BDNF) is one of the growth factors that play important role in learning and memory. We have

observed an enhancement of neurogenic potential of amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs) upon

treatment with CA. Objective: Here, we are keen to investigate whether BDNF would be one of

the factors that is secreted by AFSCs upon treatment with CA that could be prospectively

mediating the neuroenhancement effect observed. Methodology: In this study, secretome of rat

AFSC line (R3) treated with 1µg/ml CA was collected and subjected to ELISA for neurotrophic

growth factors, namely BDNF and nerve growth factor (NGF). The cells treated with CA were

subjected to form neurospheres and neurons where the neuroenhancement effect was assessed.

We also evaluated the effect on hydrogen-peroxide (H2O2)-damaged neurons and measured their

neurite outgrowth after treatment with CA. Results & Discussion: Treatment with CA has

resulted in significant generation of neurospheres indicating a positive effect of CA in enhancing

neurogenesis and higher expression of neuronal markers indicating its neuroenhancement effect.

The treatment also significantly increased neurite outgrowth of H2O2-damaged neurons

indicating neuroregenerative effect of CA on neurogenic potential of R3. Interestingly, BDNF was

found to increase more than two-fold in CA-treated R3 secretome compared to secretome from

untreated R3, suggesting its plausible mediation in enhancing neurogenic potential of rat

amniotic fluid stem cells. Conclusion: These findings may provide valuable insights for further

investigation on the effect of CA in promoting the secretion of BDNF as the valuable paracrine

molecule released by amniotic fluid stem cell that could be useful for future treatment strategies

for neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: BDNF, secretome, Centella asiatica, amniotic fluid stem cells, neuroenhancement


134

PM21

PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE EXPRESSION PROFILES OF MICRORNAS IN DENGUE PATIENTS

INFECTED WITH DENV-1 SEROTYPE

Nadia Iryani Najri1,2, Vijay Kumar2, Noor Hydayaty Mohd Yusuff2, Rashidah Mohammad3,

Mohammad Zahirul Hoque1*

1Department of Pathobiology & Medical Diagnostics, Faculty Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti

Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia 2Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

3Public Health Department, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly promising as biomarkers and are an attractive tool

for novel therapeutic approaches. The expression of miRNAs in patient’s serum has been broadly

used as biomarker candidates against viral infection. Circulatory miRNAs can directly regulate

viral genes either by promoting or repressing viral replications. Objectives: Thus, we attempted

to identify serotype specific miRNA in patients with dengue infection. For the purpose of this

paper, we present the expression profile of microRNAs in Dengue Serotype 1 (DENV-1) patients.

Methodology: A total of 40 patients with a single DENV-1 serotype infection were identified

along with 40 healthy controls. Serum RNAs was isolated from these subjects and subjected to

high-throughput small RNA (sRNA) sequencing. This research was approved by the Medical

Research Ethics Committee (MREC), Ministry of Health, Malaysia (No. NMRR-18-2782-42195).

Result: After, trimming and quality control of the reads, we shortlisted 35 miRNAs candidates

that were promising for downstream analysis. From this, 24 miRNAs was upregulated in DENV-1

while, 11 was downregulated in the sera of patients. Conclusion: Differential expression of

microRNA may serve as reliable biomarkers of disease severity during early stages of dengue

infection.


135

PF1

AGRO-MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF M1V3 GENERATIONS OF LOCAL TARO

VARIETY (COLOCASIA ESCULENTA L. WANGI) MUTANT LINES

Noruddin, NN1,2, Hasan NA1,3, Ahmad F4, Mohamed Bahari U5, Harun AR4, Rafii MY3, Maadon SS1 1Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Negeri Sembilan Kampus

Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia 2Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia

3Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang,

Selangor, Malaysia 4Agrotechnology and Bioscience Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

5Agrobiodiversity and Environment Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural and Development

Institute, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) is one of the major root food crops around the world which has great

potential in terms of high-quality food and has a higher nutritive value. The improvement and

selection of these crops require characterization using desirable morphological traits. An agro

morphological characterization study was conducted at the experimental site of Malaysian

Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Serdang. The aim of this study is to

describe the agro-morphological characterization of M1V3 generations of local taro variety

(Colocasia Esculenta L cv Wangi) mutant lines. A total 323 accessions of taro were evaluated under

field conditions to collect data on their agro-morphological characteristics for the development of

the crop. Data were collected for 13 qualitative traits. A wide range of variations were observed

among the 323 taro accessions based on agro-morphological characters. Result demonstrated

that all taro accessions had semi- horizontal orientation leaves, shaped of leaf vein, leaf margin

and sinus cut. Most accessions of Taro Wangi had flat shape of laminar (66.6%), green colour of

laminar (48.6%) with purple vein colour (91.6%) and 30.7% of the taro recorded laminar variegation

in leaves. For petiole trait, all taro accessions showed base white colour. A total of 73.1 % recorded

light purple colour petiole and majority of them has variegation on the petiole (99.6%). Sixty-

seven percent of the taro accessions had suckers compared to 32.3 % with no sucker. For stolon

formation, 3.4% of the accessions had stolon while 96.6% shows no formation of stolon. From this

study, it can be concluded that agro-morphological characterization was useful in identifying

variations among the accessions however molecular studies are required to confirm and

complement the current agro morphological variation.

Keywords: Colocasia Esculenta L. cv Wangi; M1V3 generation; mutant lines; taro; qualitative traits


136

PF2

MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF BIOMETRIC TRAITS IN MALE KATJANG-BOER CROSSBRED

GOAT

Mohd. Hafiz Bin Abd. Wahab1, Mohamad Hifzan Bin Rosali 2, Izuan Bahtiar Bin Ab. Jalal1 and

Nurulhuda Binti Md. Ozman3

1Livestock Science Research Centre, MARDI Muadzam Shah, 26700 Muadzam Shah, Pahang

2Livestock Science Research Centre, MARDI Headquarters, P/O Box 12301, General Post Office, 50774

Kuala Lumpur 3Livestock Science Research Centre, MARDI Kluang, 86009 Kluang, Johor

The evaluation of body composition and growth performance is important to assess the animals’

potential. Body measurements of animals have been widely used to assess the skeletal growth

and the changes in animal conformation against age. Principal component analysis could be used

to determine the factors that explain the highest variation in the dataset over the dependent

variable. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of body measurements

namely body length (BL), chest depth (CD), chest girth (CG), hip height (HH), height width (HW),

shoulder height (SH) and shoulder width (SW) of 56 male Katjang-Boer goat using principal

component analysis and correlation analysis. Four principal components were extracted which

contributed to 94.84% of the variability from the original seven traits. The first factor accounted

for 76.4% of the total variance and was interpreted as a measure of general size. The second

factor which explained 9.37 % of the total variance was influences by HW and SW, while the third

factor that accounted for 4.72% of total variance influenced by HH. The fourth factor accounted

for 4.35% of total variance and mainly influenced by CD. The correlation coefficients of the body

measurements ranged from 0.769 to 0.999 where SH-HH and SW-HW showed the highest

correlation and SW-CG showed the lowest correlation. As the conclusion, it is suggested that

principal component analysis could be employed in animal breeding and selection as it can

reduce the number of parameters to be considered in breed improvement program.

Keywords: Principal component analysis; Body measurements; Katjang-Boer; Crossbred


137

PF3

EFFECT OF ORGANIC SELENIUM SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE SPERM QUALITY OF MATURED

BOER BUCKS

Mariani, N. S1,2, Wan Zahari, M3, Shanmugavelu, S4 and Yaakub, H5

1 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kelantan.

2 Livestock Science Research Centre, MARDI Kemaman, Terengganu. 3 Formerly Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kelantan.

4 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor. 5 Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor.


Selenium (Se) deficiency has been reported to cause infertility, lower sperm motility and a higher

percentage of abnormal sperm in various species. Se supplementation had a significant role in

male fertility, especially for sperm quality, male hormone (testosterone), testis and libido. The

objective of this study was to determine the effect of organic Se supplementation on the sperm

quality in matured Boer bucks. A total of 18 matured Boer bucks (2 years old) with no previous

experience of sexual activity were randomly selected and divided into three treatment groups; A,

B and C (n=6/treatment group) based on CRD experimental design. Organic Se at 0.3 mg/kg DM

and 0.6 mg/kg DM were added in group A and B, respectively. Group C as a control group (no Se

supplementation added). The basal diet consisted of 60% formulated pellet and 40% roughage.

Se supplementation was mixed with the formulated pellet. Feed offered (DM) was calculated based

on 3% of mean body weight. For the 6-month feeding trial, semen was collected using artificial

vagina (AV) and evaluated by a 2-month interval. Results showed that the bucks supplemented

with 0.30 mg Se/kg DM and 0.60 mg Se/kg DM over six months duration had a high quality of

sperm (P<0.05) as compared to the unsupplemented bucks (the control group). The volume of

ejaculated semen was between 1.0 ml to 2.0 ml, sperm concentration was more than 2.5 x 109/ml,

motility sperm was more than 75%, and abnormality sperm was less than 15%. Therefore, Se

supplementation is essential in local Boer bucks receiving a Se-deficient diet to improve sperm

quality.

Keywords: Organic selenium; sperm quality; Boer bucks



138

PF4

SURVIVAL RATE UNDER SUBMERGENCE STRESS AND MOLECULAR GENOTYPING OF NEW

RICE MUTANT VARIETIES NMR 151 AND NMR 152 USING SSR MARKER LINKED TO SUB1

GENE

Faiz Ahmad1,2, Siti Norvahida Hisham1,2, Siti Nurdiyana Yusof1,2, Nor’Aishah Hassan3,

Noraziyah Abd Aziz Shamsudin1, Noor Liyana Sukiran1, Affrida Abu Hassan2, Sobri

Hussein2, Abdul Rahim Harun2


Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi 2Agrotechnology and Biosciences Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, 43000, Kajang, Selangor.

3Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Negeri Sembilan Kampus

Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Submergence is one of the natural disasters that limit rice productivity in Malaysia. Development

of rice cultivars with increased tolerance to submergence is a sustainable method to address this

issue. Two newly developed mutants’ rice cultivars, NMR151 and NMR152 that tolerant towards

submergence have been successfully developed by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA). Major

effect gene SUB1 has been mapped from a submergence tolerant landrace FRA13A. This gene

allows rice to withstand complete submergence for two weeks. Thus, this study's objective is i) to

determine survival rate under submergence stress and ii) to confirm the presence of SUB1 in both

mutant rice cultivars. This experiment was conducted using a randomized completely block design

(RCBD) with three replications. Twenty-one days old seedlings of NMR 151, NMR 152, IR64-SUB1

(submergence tolerant), and MR219 (submergence susceptible) were fully submerged for 14 days

and survival rate (SR) after 10 days de-submergence were recorded. Leaves samples were extracted

using the modified CTAB method. DNA was amplified using five SSR markers (SC3, ART 5, RM

23662, RM 23887 and RM 5688) which tightly linked to SUB1. Analysis of variance (ANOVA)

showed significant differences among rice genotypes for survival rate (SR). Both mutant genotypes

showed higher SR (NMR 151: 66.67% and NMR 152:73.33%) compared to susceptible check, MR

219 (20%), but slightly lower compared with check variety, IR64- SUB1 (86.67%). Based on

molecular marker analysis, the two mutant rice cultivars and MR219 were not amplified SUB1

alleles. This indicates that the submergence tolerance trait in both mutants rice was controlled by

gene/s other than SUB1 and this also opens up opportunities for further study.

Keywords: Oryza sativa; rice mutant lines; submergence tolerant; SSR marker; SUB 1 gene


139

PF5

DEVELOPMENT OF VISUAL DETECTION METHOD FOR DETECTION OF WHITE SPOT

SYNDROME VIRUS

Musherah Binti Khusaini1, Ag Muhammad Sagaf2, Rahmath Abdulla1, Mohd Khalizan

Sabullah1, Mohd Gan Abd Rashid1, Ainol Azifa Mohd Faik1*

1Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,

Malaysia 2Makmal Diagnosa Veterinar Kota Kinabalu, 88200, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a rapid replicating and virulence virus that affect the shrimp

population which has caused major loss in the shrimp industry worldwide. Therefore, the aim of

this study is to develop a visual detection method for WSSV based on polymerase chain reaction

(PCR) procedure and nucleic acid staining. Optimization step for PCR procedure was done by

carrying out nested PCR to determine the minimum copy number of WSSV-DNA that the primers

are able to detect. Two specific set of primers are used for the detection of WSSV-DNA which are

WSSV 500 Forward and WSSV 500 Common Reverse primers for first round and WSSV 500 Forward

and Common Reverse primers for second round of nested PCR. Agarose gel electrophoresis result

of first round nested PCR showed band formation at 500 bp and these primers are able to detect

from 2 x 106 copies/µl to 2 x 101 copies/µl WSSV DNA, which is considered as sensitive. However,

the agarose gel electrophoresis of second round nested PCR did not show any formation of band

at 500 bp. Hence, a conventional PCR was constructed by using the same set of primers as the first

round nested PCR to produce PCR products for visual staining latter. The visualization method

involves the use of Vivantis Viva SybrGreen Nucleic Acid Stain by adding it directly to the PCR

products and observing color change. In the presence of WSSV, the stain changed color from

orange to green by observing under the blue-light transilluminator. The intensity of the

fluorescence produced by the stain corresponds to the amount of DNA present in the samples of

PCR products. This study concluded that the presence of WSSV in shrimps can be possibly detected

visually using stain that is able to detect the double-stranded DNA.

Keywords: White Spot Syndrome Virus, Nested PCR, Conventional PCR, SybrGreen Nucleic Acid

Stain


140

PF6

PERFORMANCE OF SELFED AND RECIPROCAL INTERCROSSED OIL PALM DELI ULU REMIS

PROGENIES BASED ON SELECTED AGRONOMIC TRAITS

Norziha, A.1, Fadila, A.M. 1, Marhalil, M. 1, Zulkifli, Y. 1, Mohd Din, A. 1, Singh, R. 1 and Zamri, Z.

2

1 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

2 Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Oil palm is the most efficient oil producing crop compared to other vegetable oils. With the

limitation of arable land for planting, oil palm breeding has been geared towards increasing yield

production per hectare of land. The Deli is considered as the best dura for breeding and seed

production. The Deli dura is usually featured as the maternal parent in almost all commercial dura

x pisifera (DxP) hybrid seed production programmes. In this study, three sets of selfed and

reciprocal intercrossed oil palm Deli Ulu Remis progenies were evaluated at the Malaysian Palm

Oil Board (MPOB) Research Station in Kluang, Johore, Malaysia. The project aims to evaluate the

performance of selfed and reciprocal intercrossed progenies for bunch yield, bunch quality

components and vegetative characters, as well as estimating the combining ability for the selected

agronomic traits based on parental types. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and genetic combining

ability (GCA) were conducted using SAS 9.4. ANOVA showed significant differences between selfed

and intercrossed progenies where the intercrossed progenies produced higher yield compared to

selfed progenies. Intercrossed progeny, PK4687 (0.332/45 x 0.332/83) produced highest fresh fruit

bunch (FFB) yield of 218.77 kg/p/yr. The high FFB yield was due to the highest bunch number

(BNO) (13.91 bunches/p/yr) and moderate average bunch weight (ABW) (15.68kg/p/yr). Analysis

on general combining ability (GCA) revealed that palm no. 0.332/45 has been identified as having

good GCA for FFB, ABW, kernel to fruit and oil to bunch ratios, as well as frond production (FP),

petiole cross-section, rachis length and palm height as female parent. Meanwhile, palm no.

0.332/83 was good combiner as male parent for FFB, BNO, FP and bunch index. Parental lines of

advanced breeding materials are continuously being improved through MPOB’s extensive

breeding programmes. In order to achieve the target, crossing programmes involving palms with

different economic characters were conducted. Through the new combinations, the best materials

would be further evaluated and later exploited for use in future commercial seed production which

is necessary for the sustainable development of the Malaysian oil palm industry.

Keywords: Oil palm, Deli dura, yield, self, intercross


141

PF7

IDENTIFICATION OF MICRORNA IN PINEAPPLE VIA HIGH-THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING

Khairul Nizam Bin Sehat, Vijay S. Kumar, Noor Hydayaty Md. Yusuf

Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu,

Sabah, Malaysia


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs which can be found to be differently

expressed in various biological organism. They function as gene regulator by inducing silencing at

post-transcriptional levels. In plants, miRNA have shown to be involved in cellular processes such

as cell maintenance, response to environmental stress, and overall plant growth. An improved

understanding of the molecular mechanisms involving miRNA in plant growth would be of great

significance especially in cultivation technology of non-climacteric plant such as pineapple. In the

present study, we employed the high-throughput sequencing technology (sRNA-seq) to identify

miRNAs in six pineapple tissue namely tiller, flower, inflorescence, mature fruit, ripe fruit, and

overripe fruit. In total, 158 conserved miRNAs have been identified belonging to 36 miRNA

families. Among these families, miR169 contained the highest number of individual miRNA

members with 17 members, followed by miR156 and miR396, both having 15 members. miRNA

study in plant may lead to significant discoveries in mechanism of action of plant growth, which

can greatly impact cultivation technology of non-climacteric plant.

Keywords: microRNA, small RNA, sequencing, pineapple



142

PF8

TRANSFORMATION OF SABAH TRADITIONAL RICE FOR COMBATING BLAST DISEASE

Eric Tzyy Jiann Chong1, Jovita Jun Wong1, Zaleha Abdul Aziz1, Chia Lock Tan2, Sreeramanan

Subramaniam3, Mariam Abd. Latip1, Ping-Chin Lee1

1Biotechnology Programme, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah,

Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 2Cocoa Biotechnology Research Centre, Malaysian Cocoa Board, Commercial Zone 1, Jalan

Norowot, South Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park, 88460 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 3School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden Heights, Penang

The worldwide paddy production including the Sabah traditional rice is affected by blast disease

which is caused by Magnaporthe oryzae fungal infection, resulting in a reduction of 10-30% rice

yield annually. Pathogenesis-related class 4 protein such as the wheatwin2 (wwin2) has been

reported to significantly defend against a soil-borne fungi infection in tobacco plants, but the

capability of this protein against M. oryzae infections in rice is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed

to construct a plasmid containing the wwin2 gene and transform it into the Sabah traditional rice

genome to combat blast disease. In brief, the wwin2 gene was synthesized and integrated into a

vector using Gateway cloning technology and was transformed into the Sabah traditional rice

genome via an Agrobacterium-mediated approach. This study exhibited a promising high

transformation rate with more than 90% of the transformed rice calli were expressing the reporter

marker, GUS. The wwin2 gene expression in the transformed rice calli was further confirmed using

quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In summary, this study constructed a vector

containing the wwin2 gene with a high transformation rate and capable of consistently expressing

GUS and wwin2 in the transformed Sabah traditional rice calli. Subsequent analyses are needed to

verify the defense mechanism of the wwin2 protein towards rice blast disease.

Keywords: Agrobacterium-mediated transformation; blast disease; Magnaporthe oryzae; Sabah

traditional rice; wwin2


143

PF9

GENETIC ANALYSIS OF YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING TRAITS IN RICE (Oryza sativa L.)

BC2F3 POPULATION DERIVED FROM MR264 × PS2

N Hasan1,2*, M Y Rafii1,3, A R Harun4 , N S Alı5 , N Mazlan1,3 and S Abdullah6

1Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor,

Malaysia 2Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Negeri Sembilan Kampus Kuala

Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia 3Department of Crop Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

4Agrotechnology and Bioscience Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia 5Department of Agriculture Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

6Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia


High yield potential in rice is indirectly determined by yield related traits. These traits are complex

and regulated by several genes whose expression is affected by environmental conditions. It is of

great importance to disclose the genetic relationships between yield and its yield components for

multi-trait improvement in rice. Therefore, present study was aimed to investigate the genetic

variability and inheritance patterns of yield and yield attributed traits in BC2F3 rice lines to identify

the ideal lines from the selection. A total of 36 improved version of blast resistant plant in BC2F3

population used in this study were developed from a single cross between a high yielding mutant

rice variety but susceptible to blast, MR264 and Malaysian local variety donor for (Pi-7(t) and Pikh

blast resistant genes. Analysis of variance showed that all traits were significantly different for lines

except grain length and grain width. High heritability and genetic advance were recorded for plant

height, number of tillers, filled grain, 1000-grain weight and seed setting rate. Significant and

positive correlation was recorded with most evaluated traits except for grain length and grain

width. Thirty-six BC2F3 lines were clustered into four major group and the first three principal

component (PC3) contributed 71.13% of total variation with 1000 seed weight, yield/hill and filled

grain being the main discriminatory characters. Finding in this study showed an adequate genetic

variability in the lines and 1000 seed weight, yield/hill and filled grain traits could be consider for

indirect selection in breeding programs in next generations.

Keywords: Blast resistant rice; genetic diversity; heritability; principal component analysis; UPGMA

dendrogram



144

PF10

ASSESSING FARM ANIMALS SUSCEPTIBILITY TOWARD SARS-CoV-

2 THROUGH PROTEOMICS - A PROPOSAL

Joanna Ling Siaw Jing1, Azwan Awang1, Cahyo Budiman2, Nur Hardy Abu Daud1

1Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 90509, Sandakan, Sabah

2Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is caused by a novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was first discovered in late 2019 in Wuhan (Hubei province,

China). Since then, millions have succumbed to the pandemic globally, including over 1,100

fatalities in Malaysia. Phylogenetic studies suggest that this zoonotic virus originated from bats

and passes through an intermediate host, facilitating its transfer to humans. Few studies reported

that SARS-CoV-2 had infected animals, such as dogs, cats, tigers, minks, ferrets, and lions. These

findings have aroused public concerns about the susceptibility of domesticated farm animals

toward SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, if livestock is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, this will pose a threat

to our economy, food security, and food safety. Viral-host protein interactions play vital roles in

the pathogenicity of the virus. The spike (S) protein on the viral membrane must bind to the

receptor Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE 2) of the host cell for a successful infection. The

exact molecular mechanism in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity remains unclear, however. Thus, this

study attempts to investigate the protein interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and farm animals

through proteomics. Briefly, viral proteins with a GST tag will be over-expressed in E. coli and

purified. The physical interaction between GST-tagged S protein (bait) with proteins extracted from

lung tissues of various animal categories (prey), such as avian, ruminant, and monogastric, will be

analyzed by pull-down assay. The bait-prey protein complexes will be separated by SDS-PAGE and

analyzed by LC-MS/MS to determine proteins. It is hoped that this study could also contribute to

the development of alternative drugs or vaccines to fight against the virus.

Keywords: COVID-19, livestock, protein-protein interactions, pull-down assay, Liquid

chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)


145

PF11

PREPARATION OF PROTEIN EXTRACTION FROM METROXYLON SAGU ROTTB. SOFT SHOOT

BASE TISSUE FOR TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELECTROPHORESIS ANALYSIS

M. A. Nurazalia1,2, A. Azwan1 and J. Bala.2

1Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 90509, Sandakan, Sabah

2CRAUN Research Sdn. Bhd, Lot 3147, Block 14, Jalan Sultan Tengah, 93055 Kuching, Sarawak.


Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) is still a powerful approach to analyze protein

differences and changes between samples visually. Nevertheless, the technique demands a

suitable sample preparation to produce reliable results. Sago (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) contains

complexes of polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, and other secondary metabolites that could

interfere with the 2-DE analysis. This study evaluated the applicability of phenol extraction followed

by the methanol-ammonium acetate precipitation method to produce decent quality 2-DE images

from soft shoot base tissue of two sago varieties. Using the method, we obtained well-resolved 2-

DE images consisted of sharp protein spots, minimum smears and streaks, and clear gel

background. We suggest that phenol extraction followed by the methanol-ammonium acetate

precipitation method could be used for sago gel-based proteomic studies.

Keywords: Metroxylon sagu Rottb.; 2-DE; proteomic; phenol extraction; recalcitrant plant


146

PF12

THE EFFECT OF DROUGHT STRESS ON AGRONOMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS OF

MALAYSIAN RICE VARIETIES

Siti Norvahida Hisham1,2, Faiz Ahmad1,2, Affrida Abu Hassan1,2, Siti Nurdiyana Yusof1,2,

Nor’Aishah Hassan3, Noraziyah Abd Aziz Shamsuddin1, Sobri Hussein2, Abdul Rahim Harun2


Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. 2Agrotechnolgy and Biosciences Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, 43000, Kajang, Selangor,

Malaysia. 3Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Negeri Sembilan Kampus Kuala

Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Rapid change in climate has imposed great effect in agriculture sector, especially on food crop and

food production. Therefore, development of rice variety with drought resilient traits and high yield

is an effective ways to minimize yield lost under drought. Malaysia Nuclear Agency (MNR) has

developed NMR151 and NMR152, advanced rice mutant lines with high yield potential through

gamma irradiation of MR219. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of reproductive

stage drought stress (RS) on agronomical and physiological traits of seven rice variety, NMR151,

NMR152, MR219, MR220 CL2, UKM RC17, UKM RC19 and Vandana under glasshouse experiment.

Vandana and MR219 was used as drought tolerant and susceptible check, respectively. At booting

stage, water is drained until the reading of soil water tension fell below -50 kPa. Re-watering was

given to the plot when the soil surface cracked. NMR151 (29.10%) and NMR152 (16.35%)

experienced lowest reduction of filled grains and significant as compared to MR219, UKM RC17,

UKM RC19 and drought tolerant check Vandana. The least difference of NMR152 leaf average width

and maximum width when compared between control and drought, 0.305 cm and 0.433 cm,

respectively while NMR152 parent, MR219 shows the most differences for leaf average width and

maximum width, 1.4 cmnd 1.377 cm respectively compared with other variety. NMR151 (LR 5;. LD

1) and NMR152 (LR 3; LD 1) recorded lowest score of leaf rolling (LR) and leaf drying (LD)

respectively across varieties based on Standard Evaluation System (SES) with 0 score for acutely

affected and 9 score for severely affected (IRRI, 2004). NMR152 was considered as promising

drought tolerant variety as it showed lowest yield reduction and minimum scores of LR and LD.

Keywords: Reproductive stage drought stress, yield reduction, leaf rolling, leaf drying


147

PF13

POLYMORPHISM SURVEY BETWEEN MAHSURI MUTANT AND TETEP

USING SSR MARKERS

Siti Nurdiyana Yusof 1,2, Faiz Ahmad1,2, Waitulfifika Asrapil1, Siti Norvahida Hisham1,2,

Affrida Abu Hassan2, Nor’ Aishah Hasan3, Noraziyah Abd Aziz Shamsudin1 and Abdul Rahim

Harun2


Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia 2Agrotechnology and Biosciences Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Kajang, Selangor, 43000,

Malaysia 3Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Negeri Sembilan Kampus Kuala

Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

The change in climate has taken effects in global environment and currently affecting the food

security. One of the effects of climate change in rice sector is a rice disease blast caused by fungal

named Magnaporthe oryzae and reportedly left the rice sector in a devastating state resulting in

about 30% reduction of rice production which is equivalent to feeding 60 million people. Mahsuri

Mutant is the first mutant rice produced in Malaysia through EMS and gamma radiation,

performed on a traditional variety Mahsuri back in 1979. This mutant has better performance in

resisting blast disease and longer kernel length compared to its original variety. However, no

specific linked-gene is reported in Mahsuri Mutant that resistant to blast till now and not many

studies has been done on this variety. A rice variety called Tetep, a popular rice variety, originated

from Vietnam is known for its ability to resist blast disease and it is used in blast gene study. This

study is to identify the polymorphic markers that linked to blast resistance gene between Mahsuri

Mutant and Tetep as part of the allelic study. A polymorphism survey using SSR molecular marker

between these two varieties was done using a total of 60 primers. 9 (15.5%) polymorphic markers

were obtained (RM224, RM6324, RM317, RM136, RM314, RM336, RM562, RM7102, RM17708) and

3 out of 9 markers are linked to blast resistance gene. The markers from this study will help in

further understanding on blast gene and future breeding program.

Keyword: Mahsuri Mutant, SSR, Oryza sativa and Magnaporthe oryzae


148

PF14

EXTENSIVE GENETIC VARIATION AT THE Sr22 WHEAT STEM RUST RESISTANCE GENE LOCUS

IN THE GRASSES REVEALED THROUGH EVOLUTIONARY GENOMICS AND FUNCTIONAL

ANALYSES

M. Asyraf Md. Hatta1,2, Sreya Ghosh1, Naveenkumar Athiyannan3,4, Terese Richardson3,

Burkhard Steuernagel1, Guotai Yu1, Matthew N. Rouse5,6, Michael Ayliffe3, Evans S. Lagudah3,

Guru V. Radhakrishnan1*, Sambasivam K. Periyannan3,4*, Brande B. H. Wulff1*

1John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom

2Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang,

Malaysia

3Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Agriculture and Food,

General Post Office Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia 4Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of

Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 5United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Cereal Disease Laboratory, St.

Paul, MN 55108, U.S.A

6Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, U.S.A

In the last 20 years, severe wheat stem rust outbreaks have been recorded in Africa, Europe, and

Central Asia. This previously well controlled disease, caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp.

tritici, has re-emerged as a major threat to wheat cultivation. The stem rust (Sr) resistance gene

Sr22 encodes a nucleotide binding and leucine-rich repeat receptor which confers resistance to

the highly virulent African stem rust isolate Ug99. Here, we show that the Sr22 gene is conserved

among grasses in the Triticeae and Poeae lineages. Triticeae species contain syntenic loci with

single copy orthologs of Sr22 on chromosome 7, except Hordeum vulgare, which has experienced

major expansions and rearrangements at the locus. We also describe 14 Sr22 sequence variants

obtained from both Triticum boeoticum and the domesticated form of this species, T. monococcum,

which have been postulated to encode both functional and non-functional Sr22 alleles. The

nucleotide sequence analysis of these alleles identified historical sequence exchange resulting

from recombination or gene conversion, including breakpoints within codons, which expanded

the coding potential at these positions by introduction of nonsynonymous substitutions. Three

Sr22 alleles were transformed into wheat cultivar Fielder and two postulated resistant alleles from

Schomburgk (hexaploid wheat introgressed with T. boeoticum segment carrying Sr22) and T.

monococcum accession PI190945, respectively, conferred resistance to P. graminis f. sp. tritici race

TTKSK, thereby unequivocally confirming Sr22 effectiveness against Ug99. The third allele from

accession PI573523, previously believed to confer susceptibility, was confirmed as non-functional

against Australian P. graminis f. sp. tritici race 98-1,2,3,5,6.


149

PB1

ALKALOID PRODUCTION IN CALLUS OF Polyalthia bullata AND ITS POTENTIAL IN

METABOLIC ENGINEERING

Munirah Adibah Kamarul Zaman1, Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme1*, Illy Kamaliah Ramle1,

Nurfazlinyana Normanshah1, Siti Nurhafizah Ramli1, Noor Azmi Shaharuddin1,2, Syahida

Ahmad1 and Siti Nor Akmar Abdullah2,3


Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 2Institute of Plantation Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

3Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM

Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia


Alkaloids are a group of nitrogen-containing compounds that are derived from plant secondary

metabolism. The genus of Polyalthia, which includes Polyalthia bullata (Tongkat Ali Hitam), has

been reported rich in alkaloids. The presence of three alkaloids (7,7’-bisdehydro-O-

methylisopiline, 7-dehydro62nornuciferine-7-dehydro-O-methylisopiline, and urabaine) was

reported in stem. However, based on the recent study conducted in our laboratory, the

benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline, azonine, and quinoline were alkaloids detected in stem; indole,

oxoaporphine, and isoquinoline were detected in leaf; pyridine, indole, acridone and indeno

alkaloids were detected in root. The compounds have been reported to display many biological

activities, which might become one reason for the overcollection of P. bullata from the forest. The

production of alkaloids in the callus of P. bullata was also analysed. The increment of alkaloids in

callus was detected when elicitors and precursors were added into the nutrient media, but the

production of alkaloids was still low. Therefore, metabolic engineering of alkaloids in callus can be

carried out to enhance the alkaloid production. Overexpression or down-regulation of metabolic

pathways by diverting common precursors, enzymes, and regulatory proteins can be the options.

Keywords: Polyalthia bullata; alkaloid; callus culture; metabolic engineering



150

PB2

ELICITATION EFFECT ON ALKALOID PRODUCTION IN Polyalthia bullata CALLUS AT

DIFFERENT GROWTH INCUBATION TIME

Siti Nurhafizah Ramli1, Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme1*, Noor Azmi Shaharuddin1,2, Syahida

Ahmad1 And Siti Nor Akmar Abdullah2,3


Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor 2Institute of Plantation Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor

3Department of Agricultural Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM

Serdang, Selangor


Polyalthia bullata or Tongkat Ali Hitam is a medicinal herb belongs to the family Annonaceae. The

plant contains different types of alkaloids that belong to benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline, azonine,

quinoline, indole, oxoaporphine, and isoquinoline classes. Some of the alkaloids have been

reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, antitumor, and antiplatelet

activities. These biological activities lead to the increasing demand for P. bullata, increasing the

collection of this plant from the wild habitat that can lead to species extinction. Callus culture is

one of the biotechnological approaches that can help in the mass production of alkaloids, but the

production yield is relatively low. For P. bullata leaf-derived callus, the elicitation is better than

precursor feeding to increase the amount of alkaloids. However, the optimum week of incubation

that produces a high amount of alkaloids needs optimization. Therefore, in this study, the effect

of chitosan (CH), salicylic acid (SA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJa) elicitors at different

concentrations (50, 100, 150 µM) and incubation time (1 to 7 weeks) towards the production of

alkaloids and callus growth were investigated. The callus treated with MS + 30 µM 2,4-D + 150 SA

and MS + 30 µM 2,4-D + 100 CH exhibited the highest fresh weight and dry weight, respectively,

at week 7. The methanolic leaf extract demonstrated the highest alkaloid content was obtained

from callus treated with MS + 30 µM 2,4-D + 50 CH at week 7. Elicitation of callus and addition of

auxin-like herbicide, the 2,4-D was able to enhance alkaloid production in P. bullata callus. The

combination between elicitors and 2,4-D might activate the expression of alkaloid biosynthetic

genes that responsible for benzylisoquinoline (BIA) and isoquinoline (IQA) alkaloids production,

therefore enhancing the accumulation of alkaloid content in P. bullata callus. The data obtained

will serve as a vital resource for molecular studies to understand P. bullata callus responses towards

elicitors.

Keywords: Polyalthia bullata, alkaloids, elicitors



151

PB3

MUTATION INDUCTION OF Spathoglottis plicata BY CHEMICAL MUTAGEN

Nurfazlinyana Normanshah1, Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme1*, Noor Azmi Shaharuddin1, Mohd

Razik Midin2


Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. 2Department of Plant Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200

Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.


Mutation induction through the chromosome doubling approach has been applied to enhance

quality traits of ornamental plants like orchids. The desirable traits of the mutation in plants include

increased size and vigor and leaf thickness, produce intense color of leaves and flowers, and

increase shelf life of flowers. In this study, the herbicide oryzalin was used as a mitotic inhibitor to

induce mutation in the terrestrial orchid Spathoglottis plicata. The culture media, plant growth

regulators, and conditions were optimized for the multiplication of S. plicata seedlings. Afterward,

the identification of phenotypic and genetic variations of oryzalin-treated orchid seedlings was

determined. To achieve the objective, the orchid seedlings were placed in liquid media containing

different concentrations of oryzalin (0, 5, 7, and 9 mg/L) for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days in darkness.

Anatomical analyses were carried out on the treated orchid seedlings after one-month of culture.

Morphological variations observed were number, length, and width of the leaf and root. The results

showed that there were variations in chlorophyll content as well as in number, length, and width

of leaf and root of oryzalin-treated seedlings. Thereafter, the genetic variation will be detected

using flow cytometry and chromosome counting. It is hoped that in vitro mutation induction of S.

plicata could improve the development of mutant lines at vegetative and reproductive stages.

Keywords: Spathoglottis plicata; oryzalin; polyploidy; chemical mutagen



152

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Organising Committee of the 14th MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL GENETIC CONGRESS (MiGC14)

express gratitude to the following dignitaries and agencies for their support and commitments:

1. Datuk Dr Hishamshah Bin Mohd Ibrahim, Deputy Director General of Health, (Research &

Technical Support), Ministry of Health, Malaysia

2. Persatuan Genetik Malaysia (PGM)

3. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

4. University of Malaya (UM)

5. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

6. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

7. Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

8. Forestry Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

9. Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)

10. University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

11. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

12. Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)

13. International Islamic University Malaysia (UIA)

14. Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA)

15. Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)

16. Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

17. Perdana University (PU)

18. Malaysia Genome Institute (MGI)

19. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

20. Clinical Research Centre (CRC)

21. Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)

22. Management & Science University (MSU)

23. Nara Institute of Science & Technology, Japan

24. Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto University

25. Universitas Caiputra Surabaya

26. Xiamen University Malaysia

27. CRAUN Research Sdn Bhd

28. Department of Chemistry Malaysia

29. Department of Veterinary Services (DVS)

30. Malaysian Cocoa Board

31. Questra Clinical Research Centre

32. Infectious Disease Society

33. Taylor University

34. University of Nottingham Malaysia


153

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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Exclusive Major Event Sponsor

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Science Vision as Poster presentation sponsor


154


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LIST OF MiGC14 PARTICIPANTS

1. Dr. Serena Nik Zainal, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

2. Datuk Dr. Hishamshah Bin Mohd Ibrahim, Deputy Director General of Health (Research &

Technical Support), Ministry of Health, Malaysia

3. Prof. Dr. Sok Ching Cheong, University of Malaya (UM)

4. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)

5. Prof. Datin Dr. Norlinah Mohamed Ibrahim, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

6. Prof. Dr. Johan den Dunnen, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherland

7. Prof. Dr. Wendy Harwood, The John Innes Centre, United Kingdom

8. Prof. Dr. Wang Linfa, Duke–National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore

9. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) 10. Dr. Kevin Ng Kit Siong, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

11. Dr. Bjoern Petersen, Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Germany

12. Dr. Brande Wulff, The John Innes Centre, United Kingdom

13. Datuk Prof. Dr. Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud, University of Malaya (UM)

14. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noor Azmi Shaharuddin, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

15. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norlelawati A. Talib, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA)

16. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Potjamarn Suraninpong, Walailak University, Thailand

17. Dr. Zulkifli Yaakub, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)

18. Dr. Rozainanee binti Mohd Zain, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

19. Dr. Hajar Fauzan Ahmad, Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP)

20. Dr. Abdelazeem Elhabyan, Arizona State University, United States

21. Dr. Dheeraj Rathore, Ireland

22. Mr. Mohd Noor Mat Isa, Malaysia Genome Institute, Malaysia

23. Mr. Mohd Hafiz bin Abdul Rahman, Institut Biodiversiti Veterinar Kebangsaan, Malaysia

24. Ms. Vanitha Palaeya, Associate Sales Development Manager, QIAGEN Malaysia

25. Dr. Zuwei Qian, Pacific Biosciences sponsored by Research Instrument Sdn Bhd

26. Ms. Yoon Sook-Yee, President, Genetic Counseling Society Malaysia

27. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ariff Omar, Former President, Malaysian Society of Animal Production

28. Ms. Ferdoushi Rahaman, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

29. Mr. Rhanye Mac Guad, University of Malaya (UM)

30. Dr. Wan Nur Amalina Binti Zakaria, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

31. Dr. Mohd Ridzuan Bin Hamid, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

32. Dr. Hidayati Husainy Binti Hasbullah, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

33. Dr. Durar Aqilah Zamri, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

34. Dr. Cheng Yi-Ting, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

35. Dr. Roshaidie Bin Abdul Rashid, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

36. Dr. Wan Norizzati Binti Wan Mohamad Zamri, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

37. Ms. Rohidayah Binti Abd Majid, Clinical Research Centre (CRC)

38. Mr. Mohd Hafiz Bin Abd Wahab, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute

(MARDI)

39. Ms. Chear Chai Teng, University Of Malaya (UM)

40. Mr. Aliif Ihsaan Bin Akmal Shukri, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)


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41. Ms. Hazel Marie Kugan, University Of Malaya (UM)

42. Dr. Latifah Ibrahim, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

43. Ms. Nor Farah Nadirah Binti Ahmad Noruddin, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

44. Dr. Muhammad Asyraf Md Hatta, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

45. Dr. Nadiatul Hafiza Binti Hassan, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

46. Mr. Jonathan Lim Jun-Yong, Nara Institute Of Science And Technology, Japan

47. Ms. Nik Siti Mariani W Hamat, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)

48. Mr. Syed Nazmul Huda, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

49. Ms. Izzah Syahira Binti Omar, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

50. Dr. Ng Wei Lun, Xiamen University Malaysia

51. Mr. Barathan Muttiah, University Of Malaya (UM)

52. Ms. Nurfatiha Akmal Fawwazah Binti Abdullah Fauzi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

53. Ms. Nor Hafisa Syafina Binti Mohd Radzi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

54. Ms. Nurazalia Binti Mohamad Ali, CRAUN Research Sdn. Bhd.

55. Ms. Evra Raunie Binti Ibrahim, CRAUN Research Sdn. Bhd.

56. Mr. Affandi Bin Omar, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

57. Ms. Fatimah Diana Amin Nordin, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

58. Ms. Nur Shadrina Binti Mohd Shahrel, Biotechnology Research Institute

59. Ms. Munirah Adibah Kamarul Zaman, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

60. Ms. Siti Nurhafizah Ramli, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

61. Ms. Nurfazlinyana Normanshah, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

62. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Syahida Ahmad, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

63. Ms. Farhana Mostofa, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

64. Ms. Ryia Illani Mohd Yunos, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

65. Ms. Rifhan Azwani Mazlan, University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)

66. Ms. Lua Seok Hian, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

67. Mr. Muhd Nazmi Amir Bin Mazlan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

68. Mr. Kalidasan A/L Vasodavan, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

69. Ms. Yusnita Binti Yakob, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

70. Ms. Nor Azimah Binti Abdul Azize, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

71. Dr. Ilia Nazihah Binti Mohamad Ayob, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

72. Dr. Mohd Farid Bin Baharin, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

73. Ms. Nur Hafiza Binti Md Yusop, Department of Chemistry Malaysia, Johor State

74. Mr. Johan Ariff Bin Mohtar, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)

75. Dr. Adiratna Mat Ripen, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

76. Dr. Izwan Bharudin, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

77. Ms. Merrie Corette Charles, Management and Science University (MSU)

78. Mr. Faiz Ahmad, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

79. Ms. Saidatul Wahidah Maisin, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

80. Ms. Musherah Binti Khusaini, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

81. Ms. Norziha Abdullah, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)

82. Mr. Khairul Nizam Bin Sehat, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

83. Ms. Lim Qi Luan, Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto Univeristy

84. Assoc. Prof. Salmah Yaakop, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)


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85. Ms. Nur Nashyiroh Izayati Binti Mastor, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

86. Ms. Sweta Pradeep Raikundalia, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

87. Mr. Mohd Hafiz Bin Abdul Rahman, Institut Biodiversiti Veterinar Kebangsaan (DVS)

88. Ms. Siti Aishah Abdul Wahab, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

89. Ms. Khadijat Abubakar Bobbo, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

90. Mr. Lou Chan Hui, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

91. Ms. Norashareena Binti Mohamed Shakrin, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

92. Mr. Salem Ahmed Omar Bamusa, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

93. Ms. Joanna Ling Siaw Jing, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

94. Mr. Muhamad Aidil Zahidin, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

95. Ms. Lilian Jose, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

96. Dr. Ernie Zuraida Ali, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

97. Ms. Nur Syamilah Rosli, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

98. Assoc. Prof. Juanita Joseph, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

99. Ms. Siti Aisyah Binti Sidik, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

100. Mr. Muhammad Fadli Bin Mazlan, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

101. Ms. Nurnabilah Binti Ahmad Pandi, International Islamic University Malaysia (UIA)

102. Dr. Eric Tzyy Jiann Chong, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

103. Ms. Siti Norvahida Hisham, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

104. Ms. Bak Zaibah Binti Fazal, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

105. Dr. Wan Dalila Wan Chik, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

106. Ms. Nurshafrina Aida Binti Yahya, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

107. Prof. Lee Ping Ching, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

108. Ms. Siti Nurdiyana Yusof, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

109. Mr. Muhd Amsyari Bin Morni, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

110. Mr. Julius Anak William Dee, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

111. Ms. Nor Al-Shuhadah Sabarudin, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

112. Ms. Nadia Iryani Najri, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

113. Mr. Muhammad Afiq Bin Tajol Ariffin, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute

(MARDI)

114. Ms. Norasekin Bt Tamchek, Lembaga Koko Malaysia

115. Ms. Lea Johnsiul, Lembaga Koko Malaysia

116. Ms. Roslina Mohd Shah, Lembaga Koko Malaysia

117. Dr. Rahajoe Imam Santosa, Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, Indonesia

118. Ms. Rafida Binti Razali, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

119. Ms. Norzulaiha Abd Karim, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

120. Ms. Noor Diana Abdul Rashid, Questra Clinical Research Centre

121. Mr. Hasif Adli Zakariah, University of Malaya (UM)

122. Ms. Assoc Prof Nor Azian Abdul Murad, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

123. Ms. Rosmah Murdad, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

124. Mr. Zesdyzar Rokman, Zes Rokman Resources

125. Mr. Jackson Wang, Analisa Resources (M) Sdn Bhd

126. Mr. Mohamad Firdaus, Analisa Resources (M) Sdn Bhd

127. Ms. Loh Chia Yin, Centogene


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128. Ms. Ayesha Fauzi, Taylor University

129. Dr. Ilia Nazihah Binti Mohamad Ayob, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

130. Ms. Rukmiyatul Husna Bt Rahim@Roslan, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

131. Ms. Bak Zaibah binti Fazal, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

132. Ms. Wan Aina Sakeenah Binti Wan Azizan, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

133. Dr. Abdul Khalif Adha Bin Abd Talib, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

134. Ms. Dinie Sofia Natasha binti Ismail, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

135. Ms. Nur Filzah Athirah Binti Mohamad Zin, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

136. Mr. Ahmad Zharif bin Ismail, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

137. Ms. Nur Anisyamimi Binti Ahmad Zainudin, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

138. Ms. Aaisyah Najihah Binti Zaidi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

139. Ms. Sitti Saimah Binti Sakam, Infectious Disease Society

140. Mr. Saiful Iqbal Norazman, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

141. Mr. Muhammad Azizi bin Mohd Rizam, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

142. Ms. Julia Damia Binti Mohd Rizal, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

143. Ms. Lim Sing Joe, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

144. Ms. Giam Kai Yan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

145. Mr. Harshvint Ravichandran, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

146. Ms. Reshiika Poorvii A/P Giva Balan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

147. Ms. Keresmajeet Kaur Gill, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

148. Ms. Leshaaliny Sivasankaran Pillay, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

149. Ms. Khoo Hooi Yuen, University of Malaya (UM)

150. Ms. Nur Syakeera Binti Seeni Ahamed Mydeen, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

151. Ms. Ain Nur Afifah Binti Azman, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

152. Mr. Lim Hongliang, University of Malaya (UM)

153. Ms. Lim Ker Wei, University of Malaya (UM)

154. Dr. Nurnadiah Roslan, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

155. Ms. Nur Dini Binti Zulkifli, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

156. Ms. Balqish Marissa Binti Rosliman, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

157. Ms. Nur Syafiqah Suraya Binti Razali, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

158. Ms. Low Shin Yi, Cancer Research Malaysia

159. Ms. Ang Jing Jie, Cancer Research Malaysia

160. Ms. Tan Xue Teng, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

161. Ms. Jeslyn Loh Chia Yee, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

162. Ms. Nur Hanisah Inani Binti Mohd Ali Nawar, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

163. Ms. Amanda Goon, University of Nottingham Malaysia

164. Ms. Aisyah Nadhirah Binti Muhamad Nasir, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

165. Ms. Fatin Nurina Binti Muhammad Faizal, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

166. Ms. Juliana Lee, Genetic Counselling Asia

167. Mr. Abdul Halim Fikri Bin Hashim, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

168. Dr. Sharifah Nany Rahayu Karmilla Binti Syed Hassan, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

169. Dr. Nur Waliyuddin Hanis bin Zainal Abidin, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

170. Prof. Zilfalil Bin Alwi, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

171. Ms. Che Nor Ayunni Binti Che Zainul Bahri, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)


163

172. Dr. Noraishah Hasan, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

173. Ms. Sharifah Azween binti Syed Omar, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC)

174. Dr. Hasnita Binti Che Harun, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)

175. Dr. Azzreena Mohamad Azzeme, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

176. Dr. Azwan Bin Awang, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

177. Dr. Mamat Hamidi Kamalludin, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

178. Ms. Norunaluwar binti Jalil, Hospital Pakar Kanak-Kanak UKM (UKM)

179. Dr. Nik Norliza Binti Nik Hassan, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

180. Dr. Zarina Binti Zainuddin, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA)

181. Assoc. Prof. Chan Soon Choy, Perdana university

182. Prof. Abd Rahman Milan, Persatuan Genetik Manusia

183. Dr. Wan Faiziah Wan Abd Rahman, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

184. Ms. Marini Marzuki, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

185. Dr. Wan Rohani Wan Taib, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA)

186. Prof. Zarina Abdul Latiff, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

187. Dr. Mohd Din Amiruddin, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)

188. Prof. Thong Meow Keong, Universiti Malaya (UM)

189. Dr. Norwati Muhammad, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

190. Mr. Hisyam Bin Yacob, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

191. Assoc Prof. Dr Norshariza Nordin, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

192. Mr. Mohd kamarulzaman noh, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

193. Mr. Nasruddin B. Zainal Abidin, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

194. Mr. Solahasni bin Abd. Aziz, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

195. Assoc Prof. Shamsiah Abdullah, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

196. Dr. Nurul’Ain Abu Bakar, Institute for Medical Research (IMR)

197. Mr. Mohd Nasarulddin Bin Yunus, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

198. Assoc. Prof. Teoh Seong Lin, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

199. Assoc. Prof. Mohd Hasnain Bin Md Hussain, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

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