Alr2954 of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 with ADP-ribose pyrophosphatase activity bestows abiotic stress tolerance in Escherichia coli

Functional & Integrative Genomics - In silico derived properties on experimental validation revealed that hypothetical protein Alr2954 of Anabaena sp. PCC7120 is ADP-ribose pyrophosphatase,...     

New Strategies of LIBS-Based Validation of Glycemic Elements for Diabetes Management

Antidiabetic efficacy of medicinal plant cannot be ignored in order to develop drugs without toxicity and side effects. Trace elements present in plant material is responsible for their medicinal nature and hence it is necessary to know the major and minor constituents of the plant material. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a very efficient and powerful analytical tool to monitor the elements present in sample. The present study deals with the LIBS-based validation of glycemic elements present in Withania coagulans and Cajanus cajan medicinal herbs. The decreasing blood glucose level and improving glucose tolerance test significantly showed that the higher content of Mg and Ca in W. coagulans in comparison to C. cajan is responsible for its significant role in diabetes management, whereas the concentration of other elements are nearly the same in both extracts.     

Extraction,Recovery, and Biostability of EDTA for Remediation of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soil

Chelation removal of heavy metals from contaminated soil is seen as a viable remediation technique. A useful chelating agent should be strong, reusable, and biostable during metal extraction and recovery operations. This work tested the extraction, recovery, and biostability of EDTA as a potential remediating agent. Parameters, including EDTA concentration, soil type, soil content, washing cycle, precipitant concentration and type, and pH, were varied and tested during metal extraction and recovery operations. Factors, including EDTA concentration, aqueous and 5% soil slurry, presence of Pb, acclimated and unacclimated activated sludges, along with abiotic control, were varied and studied in the biodegradation of EDTA. The results showed that EDTA was able to extract lead completely from the tested soils, amenable to recovery by addition of cationic and anionic precipitants in the alkaline pH range, relatively biostable even under conditions very favorable toward biodegradation. Thus, EDTA is a strong, recoverable, and relatively biostable chelating agent that has potential for soil remediation application.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corydalis nana</Emphasis> complex (Fumariaceae sect. Latiflorae) in Western Himalaya

Corydalis nana Royle in the western Himalaya is found to be a complex of three species, including two hitherto undescribed. The true C. nana is a yellow-flowered species. The most common, greyish-blue or white-flowered species in the Sino-Indo-Nepal Himalaya, hitherto mistaken as C. nana, is a new species described here as Corydalis magni. An additional related species, Corydalis devendrae, characterised by tuberous roots and dorsally wingless/non crestate upper and lower petals is also described and illustrated from Uttarakhand state, India. A table comparing diagnostic characters, along with keys to taxa of the complex and a distribution map, are also included.     

Evidence for the involvement of multiple pathways in the biodegradation of 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene by Pseudomonas putida CSV86

Pseudomonas putida CSV86, a soil bacterium, grows on 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene as the sole source of carbon and energy. In order to deduce the pathways for the biodegradation of 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene, metabolites were isolated from the spent medium and purified by thin layer chromatography. Emphasis has been placed on the structural characterisation of isolated intermediates by GC-MS, demonstration of enzyme activities in the cell free extracts and measurement of oxygen uptake by whole cells in the presence of various probable metabolic intermediates. The data obtained from such a study suggest the possibility of occurrence of multiple pathways in the degradation of 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene. We propose that, in one of the pathways, the aromatic ring adjacent to the one bearing the methyl moiety is oxidized leading to the formation of methylsalicylates and methylcatechols. In another pathway the methyl side chain is hydroxylated to-CH₂OH which is further converted to-CHO and-COOH resulting in the formation of naphthoic acid as the end product. In addition to this, 2-hydroxymethylnaphthalene formed by the hydroxylation of the methyl group of 2-methylnaphthalene undergoes aromatic ring hydroxylation. The resultant dihydrodiol is further oxidised by a series of enzyme catalysed reactions to form 4-hydroxymethyl catechol as the end product of the pathway.     

Discovery of thiazolyl-phthalazinone acetamides as potent glucose uptake activators via high-throughput screening

With the aim to discover orally active small molecules that stimulate glucose uptake, high throughput screening of a library of 5000 drug-like compounds was conducted in differentiated skeletal muscle cells in presence of insulin. N-Substituted phthalazinone acetamide was identified as a potential glucose uptake modulator. Several novel derivatives were synthesized to establish structure activity relationships. Identified lead thiazolyl-phthalazinone acetamide (7114863) increased glucose uptake (EC₅₀ of 0.07 ± 0.02 μM) in differentiated skeletal muscle cells in presence of insulin. Furthermore, 7114863 was superior to rosiglitazone under similar experimental conditions without inducing PPAR-γ agonist activity thus making it a very interesting scaffold.