Identification of operative dose of NPK on yield enhancement of desi and kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in diverse milieu

The effect of fertilizer on yield and yield related traits studied in two consecutive years at two different locations. Three different doses of fertilizer (NPK) applied at the rate of 9:23:0, 18:46:12 and 27:69:25 respectively on sixteen chickpea, genotypes (Desi and Kabuli advance lines and commercial varieties). Data recorded for days to 50% flowering, plant height, primary and secondary branches, pods per plant, 100-grain weight and grain yield (kg/ha). In Desi chickpea highest grain yield (kg/ha) in both years was produced by advance line D-12026 and in Kabuli advance line K-70005 at Faisalabad location. Grain yield kg/ha had significant positive correlation with all the considered parameters except days to 50% flowering and days to 50% maturity. The treatment comparison manifested that fertilizer doses 9:23:0 enhanced grain yield. The high dose of fertilizer is not recommendable. The grain yield of Desi and Kabuli chickpea at two locations Pulses Research Institute (PRI) Faisalabad and GBRSS (Gram Breeding Research Sub Station) Kallurkot had significant variation. The grain yield (kg ha⁻¹) was significant high in research area of PRI, Faisalabad in both years. The NPK 9:23:0 found operative dose of fertilizer for chickpea.     

Evaluation of change in implant abutment after teeth surface modifications

The surface modifications in teeth increase the retentive strength of cemented castings by providing micro as well as macro retentive ridge and groove patterns. Restoring the dental implants with cement-retained prosthesis is well known. Therefore, it is of interest to compare retentive property of implant abutments with and without circumferential grooves. Hence, 20 straight shoulder type titanium abutments were with abutment screws as well as prefabricated plastic copings and corresponding 12 mm-long stainless steel laboratory implant analogs were used. The abutments were divided into two subgroups of 10 abutments each: without grooves and with grooves. After thermocycling and storing the cemented abutments in water at 37°C water for 6 days they were assembled in the Universal testing machine and subjected to a pullout test (retention) at a crosshead speed of 5.0mm/min to record forces in Newton. Data suggest that the addition of grooves increased the retention. The mean retentive forces of standard machined abutments (plain) cemented with Resin modified GIC showed 339.34 N. Retention increased by 667.39N after addition of circumferential grooves. The surface modification of an implant abutment by means of circumferential grooves is an effective method of improving the retention of cast crowns cemented with resin modified GIC especially in short abutments.     

Casein Kinase II: An attractive target for anti-cancer drug design

Casein Kinase II (CK2) is a ubiquitous serine/threonine kinase that is highly conserved in eukaryotic cells. CK2 has been shown to impact cell growth and proliferation, as numerous growth-related proteins are substrates of CK2. More importantly, experimental evidence linking increased expression and activity of CK2 to human cancers underscores the relevance of CK2 biology to cellular transformation and carcinogenesis. Due to the critical regulatory role CK2 plays in cell fate determination in cancer cells, there is a tremendous interest in the development of CK2-specific therapies. Supporting this, recent reports have demonstrated that genetic manipulation of CK2 expression as well as pharmacological inhibition of its enzymatic activity sensitizes cancers to apoptotic stimuli. Here we provide a succinct account of the biology of CK2, its cellular substrates, its pro-survival and pro-proliferation activity, and highlight evidence for its involvement in human cancer.     

Intracellular hydrogen peroxide production is an upstream event in apoptosis induced by down-regulation of casein kinase 2 in prostate cancer cells

We have shown previously that down-regulation of CK2 activity (protein kinase CK2, formerly casein kinase 2) by employing its inhibitors apigenin or 4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzotriazole promotes apoptosis in prostatic carcinoma cells. In an effort to define the downstream mediators of this action, we show that cell apoptosis observed on down-regulation of CK2 is preceded by intracellular generation of hydrogen hydroxide (H2O2) in various normal and cancer cells. In this regard, both androgen-dependent ALVA-41 and androgen-independent PC-3 cells treated with 80 micromol/L apigenin or 4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzotriazole or with antisense CK2alpha oligonucleotide or small interfering RNA respond similarly to down-regulation of CK2. Interestingly, whereas chemical inhibitors of CK2 elicited H2O2 production in both cancer and noncancer cells, the antisense CK2alpha-mediated down-regulation of CK2 showed significant H2O2 production in cancer cells but had minimal effect in noncancer cells. The basis of this key difference is unclear at present, but this observation may have implications for the therapeutic potential of antisense CK2 oligonucleotide in cancer therapy. The H2O2 production induced by antisense CK2alpha was associated with robust caspase-3 activity, nuclear factor-kappaB nuclear translocation, cytochrome c release, and subsequent DNA fragmentation in prostate cancer cells (ALVA-41 and PC-3). These findings describe, for the first time, a relationship between CK2 and reactive oxygen species, such that CK2 inhibition leads to production of intracellular H2O2, which may serve as a downstream mediator of apoptosis in cancer cells.     

Structure-activity relationship study between Ornithyl-Proline and Lysyl-Proline based tripeptidomimics as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors

A designed library of tripeptidomimics of Ornithyl-Proline (Orn-Pro) and Lysyl-Proline (Lys-Pro) conjugated with various unnatural amino acids and carboxylic acid derived heterocyclics was synthesized and screened for possible inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Among the tripeptidomimics 10[MTP-Orn-Pro], 11[HTP-Orn-Pro], 14[TA-Orn-Pro] and 20[BPA-Orn-Pro] showed prominent inhibition with IC50 values in micromolar concentrations. Structure-activity relationship study indicated that C3 side chain of Orn as compared to C4 side chain of Lys at P1' position was better suited to inhibit ACE, with propionic acid (C3) derived heterocyclics and unnatural amino acids.     

Metabolic characterization of Palatinate German white wines according to sensory attributes, varieties, and vintages using NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analyses

(1)H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) has been used for metabolomic analysis of 'Riesling' and 'Mueller-Thurgau' white wines from the German Palatinate region. Diverse two-dimensional NMR techniques have been applied for the identification of metabolites, including phenolics. It is shown that sensory analysis correlates with NMR-based metabolic profiles of wine. (1)H NMR data in combination with multivariate data analysis methods, like principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares projections to latent structures (PLS), and bidirectional orthogonal projections to latent structures (O2PLS) analysis, were employed in an attempt to identify the metabolites responsible for the taste of wine, using a non-targeted approach. The high quality wines were characterized by elevated levels of compounds like proline, 2,3-butanediol, malate, quercetin, and catechin. Characterization of wine based on type and vintage was also done using orthogonal projections to latent structures (OPLS) analysis. 'Riesling' wines were characterized by higher levels of catechin, caftarate, valine, proline, malate, and citrate whereas compounds like quercetin, resveratrol, gallate, leucine, threonine, succinate, and lactate, were found discriminating for 'Mueller-Thurgau'. The wines from 2006 vintage were dominated by leucine, phenylalanine, citrate, malate, and phenolics, while valine, proline, alanine, and succinate were predominantly present in the 2007 vintage. Based on these results, it can be postulated the NMR-based metabolomics offers an easy and comprehensive analysis of wine and in combination with multivariate data analyses can be used to investigate the source of the wines and to predict certain sensory aspects of wine.     

Targeting RAS‐converting enzyme 1 overcomes senescence and improves progeria‐like phenotypes of ZMPSTE24 deficiency

Several progeroid disorders are caused by deficiency in the endoprotease ZMPSTE24 which leads to accumulation of prelamin A at the nuclear envelope. ZMPSTE24 cleaves prelamin A twice: at the third carboxyl‐terminal amino acid following farnesylation of a –CSIM motif; and 15 residues upstream to produce mature lamin A. The carboxyl‐terminal cleavage can also be performed by RAS‐converting enzyme 1 (RCE1) but little is known about the importance of this cleavage for the ability of prelamin A to cause disease. Here, we found that knockout of RCE1 delayed senescence and increased proliferation of ZMPSTE24‐deficient fibroblasts from a patient with non‐classical Hutchinson‐Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), but did not influence proliferation of classical LMNA‐mutant HGPS cells. Knockout of Rce1 in Zmpste24‐deficient mice at postnatal week 4–5 increased body weight and doubled the median survival time. The absence of Rce1 in Zmpste24‐deficient fibroblasts did not influence nuclear shape but reduced an interaction between prelamin A and AKT which activated AKT‐mTOR signaling and was required for the increased proliferation. Prelamin A levels increased in Rce1‐deficient cells due to a slower turnover rate but its localization at the nuclear rim was unaffected. These results strengthen the idea that the presence of misshapen nuclei does not prevent phenotype improvement and suggest that targeting RCE1 might be useful for treating the rare progeroid disorders associated with ZMPSTE24 deficiency.