Production and characterization of PHB from two novel strains of Bacillus spp. isolated from soil and activated sludge

The present study reports two bacteria, designated 87I and 112A, which were isolated from soil and activated sludge samples from Hyderabad, India, and that are capable of producing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). Based on phenotypical features and genotypic investigations, these microorganisms were identified as Bacillus spp. Their optimal growth occurred between 28°C and 30°C and pH 7. Bacillus sp. 87I yielded a maximum of 70.04% dry cell weight (DCW) PHB in medium containing glucose as carbon source, followed by 55.5% DCW PHB in lactose-containing medium, whereas Bacillus sp. 112A produced a maximum of 67.73% PHB from glucose, 58.5% PHB from sucrose, followed by 50.5% PHB from starch as carbon substrates. The viscosity average molecular mass (M _v) of the polymers from Bacillus sp. 87I was 513 kDa and from Bacillus sp. 112A was 521 kDa. All the properties of the biopolymers produced by the two strains 87I and 112A were characterized.     

Nitrification Inhibitor and Plant Growth Regulators Improve Wheat Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - The field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of applying urea with nitrification inhibitor (NI) (Nitrapyrine) alone or in combination with...     

Associative N2-fixation in plants growing in saline sodic soils and its relative quantification based on15N natural abundance

The interactive effect of low P supply (0, 10, 20 and 40 M) and plant age on nodule number, mass and functioning (ureide analysis technique), vegetative growth and pod production were investigated in glasshouse-grown nodulated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.cv. Kausband) in sand culture. Compared with 40 M P, P stress (0 M P) or very low (10 M P) supply markedly impaired nodulation, allantoin and amino-N concentrations and weight of N solutes in xylem exudates. Consequently, P stress reduced top growth and pod yields by 48 and 90%, respectively. N solutes in xylem exudates and total plant N assayed by Kjeldahl technique (as estimates of N₂ fixation) responded similarly to P supply. However, the relative ureide index [(ureide-N/ureide N+amino-N)×100] remained constant (99%), irrespective of P supply, indicating the plants' complete dependency on symbiosis for growth, without implying that growth was markedly increased by N₂ fixation. Although P concentrations in plant tops, roots and nodules increased with P supply, N concentrations in these plant tissues were unaffected by P supply. The concentrations of N and P in the nodules were 2–2 1/2 times higher than in plant tops. P application interacted strongly with plant age, with the largest P effect evidently achieved at the early podding stage. The significance and implications of these results are discussed.     

Phloridzin reduces blood glucose levels and improves lipids metabolism in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Phloridzin is the specific and competitive inhibition of sodium/glucose cotransporters in the intestine (SGLT1) and kidney (SGLT2). This property which could be useful in the management of postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes and related disorders. Phloridzin is one of the dihydrochalcones typically contained in apples and in apple-derived products. The effect of phloridzin orally doses 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg body weight on diabetes was tested in a streptozotocin-induced rat model of diabetes type 1. From beneficial effect of this compound is significant reduction of blood glucose levels and improve dyslipidemia in diabetic rats. As a well-known consequence of becoming diabetic, urine volume and water intake were significantly increased. Administration of phloridzin reduced urine volume and water intake in a dose-dependent manner. Phloretin decreases of food consumption, as well as a marked lowering in the weight. In conclusion, this compound could be proposed as an antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic agent in diabetes and potential therapeutic in obesity.     

Insilico Structural 3D Modelling of Novel Cry1Ib9 and Cry3A Toxins from Local Isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis

Three-dimensional (3D) models for the 79.2 kDa activated Cry1Ib9 and 77.4 kDa activated Cry3A δ-endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) native isolates that are specifically toxic to Coleopteran insect pests were constructed by utilizing homology modeling online tool. Evidences presented here, based on the identification of structural equivalent residues of Cry1Ib9 and Cry3A toxin through homology modelling indicate that, they share a common Bt toxin tridimensional structure. The main differences observed in Cry1I9 domain I at positions α2b (S56-I60), α4 (F78-l93) and additionally β0 (Q10-L12), α8a (T280-V282) were observed, in domain II at positions α9b (P333-L339), β6(T390-Q393), β7(V398-W404), β8 (V418-W425), β9 (E453-N454), β10 (S470-I479) where as in domain III the changes were observed at positions β19 (R601-F607), β20 (609-L613), β21 (S618-F627) and α11a (K655-F664), α13, α14 components present at downstream sites, where as in Cry3A main differences observed in domain I is at the position of α4 (P105-I152), α5 (Q163-A185), β1A(E190-L192), α6 (F193-Y217), Domain II is not consevered and main variations were observed at β2 (E292-L295), β3(V299-L308), β4(I340-F347), β5(D356-P368), β6(I375-T377), β7(V389-F394), β8(K398-N405), β9(Y416-Y427), β10 (T436-Y439), β12(G476-H495), β12A (M503-I504) where as in domain III main variations observed at positions of β18 (P583-I593), β19(F604-S610), β20(P611-L615), β21(N619-G626). Cry1Ib9 and Cry3A contain the most variable regions in the loops of domain II, which determine the specificity of these toxins. These are the first models of Coleopteran-active protein from native isolates of Bt and its importance can be perceived since members of this group of toxins are potentially important candidates for coleoptera insect pest control programs.     

Inhibition of D-glucose uptake by isatin in rat intestine: effect of harmaline and various sulfhydryl reagents

The effect of isatin (indole-2,3-dione) on D-glucose uptake has been studied in rat intestine. Isatin at 6 mM concentration significantly inhibited both the sugar uptake and transmural (mucosal to serosal side) transport in the intestine. The suppression of glucose uptake by isatin was irreversible. Similar to the action of various SH-group-reacting agents, isatin inhibited the sugar uptake, presumably by binding to membrane sulfhydryl groups through a covalent linkage. Isatin-induced reduction in glucose uptake was unaffected by pH (between 5.5 and 8.4) and by DTT addition to incubation medium. Inhibition of sugar uptake by isatin and harmaline was additive in nature; this suggested that these compounds interact at different sites on the microvillus membrane surface.     

Rutin as promising drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease: an assessment of MAO-B inhibitory potential by docking,molecular dynamics and DFT studies

ABSTRACT

Inhibitors of monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B have been used for many years in the therapy of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Owing to the safety concerns of the currently used agents, the discovery of novel scaffolds is of considerable interest. MAO-B inhibitory potential of rutin, a flavonoid derived from natural sources, has been established in experimental findings. Hence, the current study seeks to examine the interactions between rutin and crystal structure of human MAO-B enzyme. Molecular docking calculations, as well as molecular dynamics simulations, were employed to investigate the binding mode and the stability of the rutin/MAO-B complex. Energies of highest occupied/lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals were computed through DFT studies and used to calculate electron affinity, hardness, chemical potential, electronegativity, and electrophilicity index in order to investigate the capability of these parameters to influence the ligand–receptor interactions. It was found that rutin traverses both the entrance cavity and the substrate cavity, forcing the Ile-199 ‘gate’ to rotate into its open conformation. It results in the fusion of the two cavities of the MAO-B binding site and directly leads to better binding interactions. Results of the current study can be used for lead modification and development of novel drugs for the treatment of PD.     

Normalization of miRNA qPCR high-throughput data: a comparison of methods

Low-density quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) arrays are often used to profile expression patterns of microRNAs in various biological milieus. To achieve accurate analysis of expression of miRNAs, non-biological sources of variation in data should be removed through precise normalization of data. We have systematically compared the performance of 19 normalization methods on different subsets of a real miRNA qPCR dataset that covers 40 human tissues. After robustly modeling the mean squared error (MSE) in normalized data, we demonstrate lower variability between replicates is achieved using various methods not applied to high-throughput miRNA qPCR data yet. Normalization methods that use splines or wavelets smoothing to estimate and remove Cq dependent non-linearity between pairs of samples best reduced the MSE of differences in Cq values of replicate samples. These methods also retained between-group variability in different subsets of the dataset.     

Recent Advances of Using Ionic Liquids for Biopolymer Extraction and Processing

The evolution of petroleum‐derived polymers is one of the crowning accomplishments of the past century. Although the significant economic gains from this industrial model of resource utilization are achieved, the environmental impacts are fatal. One of the principles of sustainable development is to replace such polymers with potential alternatives derived from renewable materials. Biopolymers derived from natural resources afford a new, versatile, environmentally benign feedstock that could exhibit closed‐loop life cycles as part of a future material's industrial ecology. However, the solubility and processability of biopolymer materials provoke a serious bottleneck owing to their dense networks of inter ‐ and intramolecular bondings and structural heterogeneity. Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as promising green solvents and acquired augmented appreciation for their peerless power of biopolymer processing. Among the fourteen principle of green chemistry, the two key elements encourage the exploitation of renewable raw materials by using environmentally benign solvents that cover in dissolution of biopolymers using ILs. This mini review represents a brief overview of the comprehensive ILs assisted extraction and processing of various biopolymeric materials for value‐added applications.