Energy–water and seasonal variations in climate underlie the spatial distribution patterns of gymnosperm species richness in China

Studying the pattern of species richness is crucial in understanding the diversity and distribution of organisms in the earth. Climate and human influences are the major driving factors that directly influence the large‐scale distributions of plant species, including gymnosperms. Understanding how gymnosperms respond to climate, topography, and human‐induced changes is useful in predicting the impacts of global change. Here, we attempt to evaluate how climatic and human‐induced processes could affect the spatial richness patterns of gymnosperms in China. Initially, we divided a map of the country into grid cells of 50 × 50 km² spatial resolution and plotted the geographical coordinate distribution occurrence of 236 native gymnosperm taxa. The gymnosperm taxa were separated into three response variables: (a) all species, (b) endemic species, and (c) nonendemic species, based on their distribution. The species richness patterns of these response variables to four predictor sets were also evaluated: (a) energy–water, (b) climatic seasonality, (c) habitat heterogeneity, and (d) human influences. We performed generalized linear models (GLMs) and variation partitioning analyses to determine the effect of predictors on spatial richness patterns. The results showed that the distribution pattern of species richness was highest in the southwestern mountainous area and Taiwan in China. We found a significant relationship between the predictor variable set and species richness pattern. Further, our findings provide evidence that climatic seasonality is the most important factor in explaining distinct fractions of variations in the species richness patterns of all studied response variables. Moreover, it was found that energy–water was the best predictor set to determine the richness pattern of all species and endemic species, while habitat heterogeneity has a better influence on nonendemic species. Therefore, we conclude that with the current climate fluctuations as a result of climate change and increasing human activities, gymnosperms might face a high risk of extinction.     

TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and type 2 diabetes: a case–control study in South Indian population

Molecular Biology Reports - TP53 functions primarily as a tumor suppressor, controlling a myriad of signalling pathways that prevent a cell from undergoing malignant transformation. This tumor...     

A comparative study on the cellular stressors in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and pancreatic β-cells under hyperglycemic milieu

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - β-cell dysfunction is a critical determinant for both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes and β-cells are shown to be highly susceptible to cellular...     

Ensuring the adaptive potential of Coastal wetlands of India- the need of the hour for sustainable management

India is endowed with a variety of coastal wetlands viz., mangroves, seagrasses, saltmarshes, coral reefs, lagoons and tidal flats, and the country is also a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Convention of Biological Diversity, besides having a robust framework of laws and policies, governing the wetland conservation. However, the conservation strategies can better be improved in the context of increasing pressures and threats and limited success of restoration/rehabilitation. Land conversion and ecological degradation of coastal wetlands are the stressors, associated with rapid coastal developmental activities and climate change. The coastal wetlands require desired habitat niche and hence, the conversion of coastal wetlands to other land uses (including agricultural and urban lands) may lead to permanent loss, whereas ecologically degraded coastal wetlands may be resilient if supported by effective protection measures. Preventing the habitat conversion and maximizing the adaptive potential (viz., the ability of populations or species to adapt to rapid environmental change with minimal disruption) by preserving the ecological health are the need of the hour to safeguard the existing coastal wetlands and sustain the provisional ecosystem services offered by them rather than short-term increase in area by unproductive restoration/rehabilitation efforts. Since coastal wetlands are flow through ecosystems, preserving the hydrological connectivity, facilitating the connectivity between adjacent ecosystems and protection of natural corridors are potential strategies that are required to enhance the adaptive potential of coastal wetlands. This analysis calls for site-specific, long-term and integrated ecosystem-based protection, management and rehabilitation strategies based on scientific principles and enforcing the effective legislative measures to regularize the coastal developmental activities in India.

     

Could Dermaseptin Analogue be a Competitive Inhibitor for ACE2 Towards Binding with Viral Spike Protein Causing COVID19?: Computational Investigation

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Initial phase of COVID-19 infection is associated with the binding of viral spike protein S1 receptor binding domain (RBD) with the host...     

Do the beneficial fungi manage phytosanitary problems in the tea agro-ecosystem?

BioControl - In recent years, Fungal Biocontrol Agents (FBCAs) have played a significant role in the biological control of pests and plant pathogens of several economically important crops,...     

Diffusion of kinesin motors on cargo can enhance binding and run lengths during intracellular transport

Cellular cargoes, including lipid droplets and mitochondria, are transported along microtubules using molecular motors such as kinesins. Many experimental and computational studies focused on cargoes with rigidly attached motors, in contrast to many biological cargoes that have lipid surfaces that may allow surface mobility of motors. We extend a mechanochemical three-dimensional computational model by adding coupled-viscosity effects to compare different motor arrangements and mobilities. We show that organizational changes can optimize for different objectives: Cargoes with clustered motors are transported efficiently but are slow to bind to microtubules, whereas those with motors dispersed rigidly on their surface bind microtubules quickly but are transported inefficiently. Finally, cargoes with freely diffusing motors have both fast binding and efficient transport, although less efficient than clustered motors. These results suggest that experimentally observed changes in motor organization may be a control point for transport.     

Design,Synthesis and Molecular Docking Studies of Novel Indole–Isoxazole–Triazole Conjugates as Potent Antibacterial Agents

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - In search of better antibacterial agents, a series of novel 5-((aryl)methyl)-3-(1H-indol-2-yl)isoxazole (IIIa–e) and...     

Characterization of Solanum tuberosum Multicystatin and the Significance of Core Domains

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) multicystatin (PMC) is a unique cystatin composed of eight repeating units, each capable of inhibiting cysteine proteases. PMC is a composite of several cystatins linked by trypsin-sensitive (serine protease) domains and undergoes transitions between soluble and crystalline forms. However, the significance and the regulatory mechanism or mechanisms governing these transitions are not clearly established. Here, we report the 2.2-Å crystal structure of the trypsin-resistant PMC core consisting of the fifth, sixth, and seventh domains. The observed interdomain interaction explains PMC’s resistance to trypsin and pH-dependent solubility/aggregation. Under acidic pH, weakening of the interdomain interactions exposes individual domains, resulting in not only depolymerization of the crystalline form but also exposure of cystatin domains for inhibition of cysteine proteases. This in turn allows serine protease–mediated fragmentation of PMC, producing ∼10-kD domains with intact inhibitory capacity and faster diffusion, thus enhancing PMC’s inhibitory ability toward cysteine proteases. The crystal structure, light-scattering experiments, isothermal titration calorimetry, and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the critical role of pH and N-terminal residues in these dynamic transitions between monomer/polymer of PMC. Our data support a notion that the pH-dependent structural regulation of PMC has defense-related implications in tuber physiology via its ability to regulate protein catabolism.