Overexpression of Glyoxalase III gene in transgenic sugarcane confers enhanced performance under salinity stress

Journal of Plant Research - The glyoxalase pathway is a check point to monitor the elevation of methylglyoxal (MG) level in plants and is mediated by glyoxalase I (Gly I) and glyoxalase II (Gly II)...     

Effects of actinobacteria on plant disease suppression and growth promotion

Biological control and plant growth promotion by plant beneficial microbes has been viewed as an alternative to the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Bacteria and fungi that are naturally associated with plants and have a beneficial effect on plant growth by the alleviation of biotic and abiotic stresses were isolated and developed into biocontrol (BCA) and plant growth-promoting agents (PGPA). Actinobacteria are a group of important plant-associated spore-forming bacteria, which have been studied for their biocontrol, plant growth promotion, and interaction with plants. This review summarizes the effects of actinobacteria as BCA, PGPA, and its beneficial associations with plants.     

Effect of abana an ayurvedic formulation,on lipid peroxidation in experimental myocardial infarction in rats

The present study was conducted to elucidate the antioxidant role of an ayurvedic formulation Abana in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in rats. In myocardial necrosis induced by isoproterenol, a significant increase in serum iron content with a significant decrease in plasma iron binding capacity, ceruloplasmin activity and glutathione level were observed. There was also a significant increase in lipid peroxides levels on isoproterenol administration. Activities of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-s-transferase, glutathione reductase were decreased significantly in heart with isoproterenol-induced myocardial necrosis. Abana, produced a marked reversal of these metabolic changes related to myocardial infarction induced by isoproterenol. In conclusion ayurvedic formulation Abana exerts its effect by modulating lipid peroxidation and enhancing antioxidant and detoxifying enzyme systems.     

Tetracyclic sulfones as potent γ-secretase inhibitors: Synthesis and structure–activity relationship studies

Complex tetracyclic sulfones were designed as γ-secretase inhibitors and a stereoselective synthesis was achieved. γ-Secretase activity was seen predominately in the (?) enantiomeric series. Compounds such as 2a and 2b showed remarkable in vitro and in vivo potency.     

Development,characterization and utilization of genomic microsatellite markers in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

Development of a robust set of 18 genomic microsatellite markers from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and its effective utilization in estimating the genetic diversity of 20 turmeric accessions are described. A total of 103 alleles were detected with an average of 5.7 alleles per locus. These markers displayed varied levels of polymorphism as evident from its discriminating power ranging from 0.19 to 0.70. The UPGMA cluster analysis of genetic distance values resolved the 20 turmeric accessions into five main groups. Three sets of genetically identical accessions were detected within the analyzed accessions, suggesting a revisit of the germplasm collection strategy based on vernacular identity. The entire grouping pattern of the entities was loose and independent of their geographical origins. These polymorphic SSR markers would be useful for the population genetic studies and germplasm management of turmeric.     

Isolation and Amplification of Genomic DNA from Recalcitrant Dried Berries of Black Pepper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Piper nigrum</Emphasis> L.)—A Medicinal Spice

Black pepper is an important medicinal spice traded internationally. The extraction of high quality genomic DNA for PCR amplification from dried black pepper is challenging because of the presence of the exceptionally large amount of oxidized polyphenolic compounds, polysaccharides and other secondary metabolites. Here we report a modified hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) protocol by incorporating potassium acetate and a final PEG precipitation step to isolate PCR amplifiable genomic DNA from dried and powdered berries of black pepper. The protocol has trade implication as it will help in the PCR characterization of traded black peppers from different countries.     

Genetic diversity of UPASI tea clones (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) on the basis of total catechins and their fractions

Tea leaf catechins and the ratio of dihydroxylated to trihydroxylated catechin fractions were analysed to identify the genetic diversity of 26 UPASI released tea clones. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on regression factor separated tea clones into five groups according to their jats (Jats are region based rays for e.g., Assam, China and Cambod origin) as well as their quality constituents (such as total polyphenols, total catechins, amino acids in the green leaves and liquor characteristics of black tea), particularly the catechins. Group 1 represented medium quality (quality of the final produce) clones, such as UPASI-10, UPASI-12 and UPASI-15 and drought tolerant clones like UPASI-1, UPASI-2, UPASI-9 and UPASI-10. Group 2 contained purely "China" cultivars while group 3 possessed high quality tea cultivars. "Assam" (group 5) teas had the lowest ratio of dihydroxylated to trihydroxylated catechin fractions (1:4) than the "Chinery" (group 2) teas (1:5). This biochemical differentiation indicated that there is a vast genetic diversity in UPASI released tea clones in terms of catechin fractions, even though the majority of them were selected from one tea estate located in the Nilgiris.     

A fuzzy guided genetic algorithm for operon prediction

Motivation: The operon structure of the prokaryotic genome isa critical input for the reconstruction of regulatory networksat the whole genome level. As experimental methods for the detectionof operons are difficult and time-consuming, efforts are beingput into developing computational methods that can use availablebiological information to predict operons. Method: A genetic algorithm is developed to evolve a startingpopulation of putative operon maps of the genome into progressivelybetter predictions. Fuzzy scoring functions based on multiplecriteria are used for assessing the ‘fitness’ ofthe newly evolved operon maps and guiding their evolution. Results: The algorithm organizes the whole genome into operons.The fuzzy guided genetic algorithm-based approach makes it possibleto use diverse biological information like genome sequence data,functional annotations and conservation across multiple genomes,to guide the organization process. This approach does not requireany prior training with experimental operons. The predictionsfrom this algorithm for Escherchia coli K12 and Bacillus subtilisare evaluated against experimentally discovered operons forthese organisms. The accuracy of the method is evaluated usingan ROC (receiver operating characteristic) analysis. The areaunder the ROC curve is around 0.9, which indicates excellentaccuracy. Contact: roschen_csir{at}rediffmail.com