Purification and properties of buffalo serum albumin

Based on a detailed study of the solubility of serum albumin, a procedure for its purification by selective ammonium sulphate precipitation has been developed. Using buffalo serum, first extraneous proteins were precipitated by making the serum 2.26 M saturated with ammonium sulphate at pH 7.0 and then albumin was precipitated from the supernatant at 1.9 M ammonium sulphate concentration at pH 4.2. The overall yield of serum albumin thus isolated was about 55% with a purity of 97%. The protein preparation gave a single nearly symmetrical peak on Sephadex G-100 column and virtually a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of SDS. Buffalo serum albumin has a molecular weight of 69,000 Da. The hydrodynamic properties such as Stoke's radius (3.70 nm), diffusion coefficient (6.03 X 10(-7) cm2/s) and frictional ratio (1.36) obtained by analytical gel chromatography, bilirubin binding characteristics and its interaction with anti-bovine serum albumin antiserum suggest that buffalo serum albumin is very similar to BSA in its molecular properties.     

Elucidating Cd-mediated distinct rhizospheric and in planta ionomic and physio-biochemical responses of two contrasting Zea mays L. cultivars

Cadmium (Cd) in soil–plant system can abridge plant growth by initiating alterations in root zones. Hydroponics and rhizoboxes are useful techniques to monitor plant responses against various natural and/or induced metal stresses. However, soil based studies are considered more appropriate in order to devise efficient food safety and remediation strategies. The present research evaluated the Cd-mediated variations in elemental dynamics of rhizospheric soil together with in planta ionomics and morpho-physio-biochemical traits of two differentially Cd responsive maize cultivars. Cd-sensitive (31P41) and Cd-tolerant (3062) cultivars were grown in pots filled with 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 µg/kg CdCl₂ supplemented soil. The results depicted that the maize cultivars significantly influenced the elemental dynamics of rhizosphere as well as in planta mineral accumulation under applied Cd stress. The uptake and translocation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe from rhizosphere and root cell sap was significantly higher in Cd stressed cv. 3062 as compared to cv. 31P41. In sensitive cultivar (31P41), Cd toxicity resulted in significantly prominent reduction of biomass, leaf area, chlorophyll, carotenoids, protein contents as well as catalase activity in comparison to tolerant one (3062). Analysis of tolerance indexes (TIs) validated that cv. 3062 exhibited advantageous growth and efficient Cd tolerance due to elevated proline, phenolics and activity of antioxidative machinery as compared to cv. 31P41. The cv. 3062 exhibited 54% and 37% less Cd bio-concentration (BCF) and translocation factors (TF), respectively in comparison to cv. 31P41 under highest Cd stress regime. Lower BCF and TF designated a higher Cd stabilization by tolerant cultivar (3062) in rhizospheric zone and its potential use in future remediation plans.     

A study on risk assessment of effect of hematoxylin dye on cytotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in freshwater fish: Food and water security prospective research

The cytotoxicity in freshwater fishes due to different industrial dyes in industrial effluents is a major worldwide issue. Hematoxylin dye has a wide range of uses in textile industries and laboratories. This study was aimed to evaluate the toxic effects of hematoxylin's sublethal effect in vitro in Cirrhinus mrigala. The fish was exposed to different grading concentrations of dye in the aquarium. Fish were sacrificed and dissected to remove the kidney after exposure to hematoxylin dye for specific time intervals. Nephrotoxicity and cytotoxicity induced by this dye were detected through histopathology by using the paraffin wax method. Immediate mortality of fish was noticed against the exposure to 0.08 g/L (LC₅₀) concentration of dye, but at 0.008 mg/L and 0.018 mg/L, it showed tremendous tissue damage in the kidneys, significant reduction in fish growth. This dye induced many alterations in the kidney such as tubular degeneration, vacuolation, shrinkage of a glomerulus, reduced lumen, congestion in the kidney, glomerulonephritis, absence of Bowmen space, necrosis of the hematopoietic interstitial tissues, clogging of tubules, necrosis in the glomerulus and increased space between glomerulus and bowmen's capsule. Although this dye has a wide range of biological and industrial applications, a minute amount of hematoxylin released in effluents is quite toxic to aquatic fauna.     

A Genome-Wide Survey of Genetic Variation in Gorillas Using Reduced Representation Sequencing

All non-human great apes are endangered in the wild, and it is therefore important to gain an understanding of their demography and genetic diversity. Whole genome assembly projects have provided an invaluable foundation for understanding genetics in all four genera, but to date genetic studies of multiple individuals within great ape species have largely been confined to mitochondrial DNA and a small number of other loci. Here, we present a genome-wide survey of genetic variation in gorillas using a reduced representation sequencing approach, focusing on the two lowland subspecies. We identify 3,006,670 polymorphic sites in 14 individuals: 12 western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and 2 eastern lowland gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri). We find that the two species are genetically distinct, based on levels of heterozygosity and patterns of allele sharing. Focusing on the western lowland population, we observe evidence for population substructure, and a deficit of rare genetic variants suggesting a recent episode of population contraction. In western lowland gorillas, there is an elevation of variation towards telomeres and centromeres on the chromosomal scale. On a finer scale, we find substantial variation in genetic diversity, including a marked reduction close to the major histocompatibility locus, perhaps indicative of recent strong selection there. These findings suggest that despite their maintaining an overall level of genetic diversity equal to or greater than that of humans, population decline, perhaps associated with disease, has been a significant factor in recent and long-term pressures on wild gorilla populations.     

Computer aided screening of Accacia nilotica phytochemicals against HCV NS3/4a

Background: HCV has become a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and is a major health concern worldwide. To date, there is no vaccine available in the market to tackle this disease, therefore there is a strong need to develop antiviral compounds that can target all genotypes of HCV with the same efficiency. Medicinal plants have low cost and are less toxic therefore, extracts of medicinal plants can serve as important antiviral agents against HCV. This study was designed to screen phytochemicals of Accacia nilotica to find a potent drug candidate that can inhibit HCV infection effectively.Results: Docking of NS3/4A protease and Flavonoids of Accacia nilotica revealed that most of the flavonoids bound deeply with the active site of NS3/4A protease. Compound 01 showed a high ranking on docking score. All other compounds also showed reliable docking scores and had interactions with the binding cavity of NS3/4A protease, suggesting them as a potent drug candidate to block HCV replication.Conclusion: To recognize binding interactions of Accacia nilotica phytochemicals with NS3/4A protease, molecular docking was performed to find potential inhibitor against NS3/4A protease of HCV. After post docking analysis, important interactions were found between active compounds and active site of NS3/4A protease. It can be concluded from the study that phytochemicals of Accacia nilotica may serve as a potential drug candidate with relatively simple structural changes against HCV NS3/4A protease.     

Heat Transfer in a Micropolar Fluid over a Stretching Sheet with Newtonian Heating

This article looks at the steady flow of Micropolar fluid over a stretching surface with heat transfer in the presence of Newtonian heating. The relevant partial differential equations have been reduced to ordinary differential equations. The reduced ordinary differential equation system has been numerically solved by Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg fourth-fifth order method. Influence of different involved parameters on dimensionless velocity, microrotation and temperature is examined. An excellent agreement is found between the present and previous limiting results.     

Transition from Diffusion‐Controlled Intercalation into Extrinsically Pseudocapacitive Charge Storage of MoS2 by Nanoscale Heterostructuring

2D nanomaterials have been found to show surface‐dominant phenomena and understanding this behavior is crucial for establishing a relationship between a material's structure and its properties. Here, the transition of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) from a diffusion‐controlled intercalation to an emergent surface redox capacitive behavior is demonstrated. The ultrafast pseudocapacitive behavior of MoS₂ becomes more prominent when the layered MoS₂ is downscaled into nanometric sheets and hybridized with reduced graphene oxide (RGO). This extrinsic behavior of the 2D hybrid is promoted by the fast Faradaic charge‐transfer kinetics at the interface. The heterostructure of the 2D hybrid, as observed via high‐angle annular dark field–scanning transmission electron microscopy and Raman mapping, with a 1T MoS₂ phase at the interface and a 2H phase in the bulk is associated with the synergizing capacitive performance. This 1T phase is stabilized by the interactions with the RGO. These results provide fundamental insights into the surface effects of 2D hetero‐nanosheets on emergent electrochemical properties.     

Inducible reporter/driver lines for the Arabidopsis root with intrinsic reporting of activity state

Cell‐, tissue‐ or organ‐specific inducible expression systems are powerful tools for functional analysis of changes to the pattern, level or timing of gene expression. However, plant researchers lack standardised reagents that promote reproducibility across the community. Here, we report the development and functional testing of a Gateway‐based system for quantitatively, spatially and temporally controlling inducible gene expression in Arabidopsis that overcomes several drawbacks of the legacy systems. We used this modular driver/effector system with intrinsic reporting of spatio‐temporal promoter activity to generate 18 well‐characterised homozygous transformed lines showing the expected expression patterns specific for the major cell types of the Arabidopsis root; seed and plasmid vectors are available through the Arabidopsis stock centre. The system's tight regulation was validated by assessing the effects of diphtheria toxin A chain expression. We assessed the utility of Production of Anthocyanin Pigment 1 (PAP1) as an encoded effector mediating cell‐autonomous marks. With this shared resource of characterised reference driver lines, which can be expanded with additional promoters and the use of other fluorescent proteins, we aim to contribute towards enhancing reproducibility of qualitative and quantitative analyses.     

The genetic drivers for the successful invasive potential of a generalist bird,the House crow

Biological Invasions - What kind of genetic structure helps the rapid range expansion of the invasive species is fundamental to understand spread of invasion. The House crow (Corvus splendens), an...