Plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial mediated protection of tomato in the field against cucumber mosaic virus and its vector Aphis gossypii

Studies evaluated the effect of rhizobacterial interactions on a virus under natural conditions of high levels of vector–virus pressure on tomato plants. The rhizobacterium Bacillus subtilis was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of healthy tomato plant and the strain is referred to as BS3A25. The BS3A25 treatment of seeds significantly enhanced tomato seed germination rates to 99% compared to the control seeds at 78%. Combination of both seed and foliar spray treatments significantly protected the plants from cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and also significantly enhanced plant growth. Strain BS3A25 possesses many positive traits such as phosphate solubilization ability, ACC utilization as the sole source of nitrogen and production of significantly higher concentrations of indoles, IAA and the cytokinin, IPA. The growth parameters of the aphid Aphis gossypii Glover such as development time, time from birth to adult (t_D) and prereproduction time (t_d) were longer, whereas the relative growth rate (RGR) and intrinsic rate of natural increase (r_m), were found to be lower in the BS3A25 supernatant treatment compared to commercial insecticide imidacloprid treatment. Noticeably, the present study recorded higher activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase, Peroxidase, total phenols, and polyphenol oxidase in plants treated with BS3A25 generating the speculation of induced defence responses in plants. The results obtained in the field study showed that treatment by BS3A25 formulation as seed and foliar treatment proved highly effective in reducing the aphid population and CMV incidence compared to a commercially available insecticide. The highest cost:benefit ratio (1:2.5) was obtained in BS3A25 formulation treatment followed by imidacloprid (1:2.0) and control plants (1:1.4). These constitute an important step towards the production of BS3A25 as a commercially-available induced resistance agent.     

Biological hydrogen production by the algal biomass Chlorella vulgaris MSU 01 strain isolated from pond sediment

Chlorella vulgaris MSU 01 strain isolated from the sediment of the pond is able to produce molecular hydrogen in a clean way. To relate the dynamic coupling between the cultural conditions and biological responses, an original lab scale set up has been developed for hydrogen production. Different sources like mannitol, glucose, alanine, citric acid, aspartic acid, l-alanine, l-cysteine, sodium succinate and sodium pyruvate were used for algal media optimization. Corn stalk, from 1 to 5 g/L was tested for the effective algal growth and hydrogen production. The cell concentration of 1.6-19 g/L dry cell weight (DCW) was found at the 10th day. The kinetic parameters involved in the hydrogen production at 4 g/L corn stalk using the algal inoculum (50 mL) in the bioreactor volume (500 mL) was found to be with the hydrogen production potential (P_s) of 7.784 mL and production yield of (P_r) 5.534 mL respectively. The growth profile of the algal biomass at the above mentioned condition expressed the logistic model with R² 0.9988. The final pH of the broth was increased from 7.0 to 8.5-8.7. The anaerobic fermentation by C. vulgaris MSU 01 strain involved in the conversion process of complex carbon source has increased the H₂ evolution rate and higher butyrate concentration in the fermentate.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of pentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2,6).0(3,10).0(5,9)]undecane derivatives as potential therapeutic agents in Parkinson's disease

In previous studies, the polycyclic cage amine 8-benzylamino-8,11-oxapentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2,6).0(3,10).0(5,9)]undecane (NGP1-01) and a number of its derivatives showed positive effects in neuroprotection studies with MPTP, in vivo. In view of these findings, we examined these compounds for their effects on [(3)H]dopamine ([(3)H]DA) release and uptake inhibition in murine striatal synaptosomes, as well as for inhibition of baboon liver monoamine oxidase (MAO) B. In order to assess specificity, initial experiments focused on compounds that blocked dopamine uptake without causing appreciable release (<40% at 100 microM) of the transmitter. NGP1-01 blocked the uptake of [(3)H]DA with an IC(50) of 57 microM, while another compound, 8-phenylethyl-8,11-oxapentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2,6).0(3,10).0(5,9)]undecane, blocked uptake at an IC(50) value of 23 microM. These values were comparable to that of another polycyclic cage amine, amantadine (IC(50); 82 micro), that is used in parkinsonian therapy. Structure-activity relationships of this series of compounds support the importance of geometric and steric, rather than electronic effects, in determining biological activity. MAO-B inhibition for this group was weak, with less than 50% inhibition at 300 microM for any of the compounds in the series. The present study suggests that blockage of the dopamine transporter may underlie, at least in part, their neuroprotective effects against MPTP-induced parkinsonism. These compounds may be considered as potential lead compounds for Parkinson's Disease therapy.     

Ectopic expression of AmNAC1 from Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. confers multiple abiotic stress tolerance in yeast and tobacco

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Abiotic factors like salinity, drought and cold affect agricultural productivity substantially worldwide. NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) family...     

Insights from the molecular docking aided interaction analysis of HfQ with small RNAs

Hfq, RNA binding protein, is widely found in most of the prokaryotes. It plays a key role in gene regulation by binding with small RNA and facilitates mRNA pairing there by suppress or boost translation according to RNA structures. Interaction between sRNAs and HfQ in Salmonella SL1344 were screened using Co-Immuno Precipitation (HfQ-CoIP) studies earlier. We have formulated an In silico approach, to model the 3D structures of 155 sRNA and studied their interactions with HfQ proteins. We have reported the key interacting PHE42, LEU7, VAL27, PHE39 and PRO21 residues of HfQ binds with many small RNAs. Further mutation of PHE42 in to ALA42 in HfQ leads to loss of sRNA binding efficiency. We have differentiated the interactions in to HfQ binding and non-binding sRNAs, based on Atomic Contact Energy and area. This methodology may be applied generically for functional grouping of small RNAs in any organism.     

Length-weight relationships of eight elasmobranch species captured along the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu,Eastern Indian Ocean

This study reports the length-weight relationships (LWR) for eight elasmobranch species; four shark species (Carcharhiniformes and Orectolobiformes), two species of rays (Myliobatiformes) and two species of guitarfishes (Rhinopristiformes) from the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu, Eastern Indian Ocean. The specimens of these elasmobranch species were collected from the catches of various gears like trawl net, bottom set and drift gill net, hook & line at Chennai—Royapuram Fishing Harbour, Cuddalore Fishing Harbourand Nagapattinam Fishing Harbour situated along this coastal region fortnightly during June 2019–March 2020. The values of the parameter ‘b’ remained within the expected range of 2.5–3.5. Length- weight / Disc-width-weight relationships showed good fit with r² values varying from 0.8923 to 0.9869. This study also reports a new maximum TL length (L_max)for a shark species (Chiloscyllium griseum).     

Structural differences in lipomannans from pathogenic and nonpathogenic mycobacteria that impact CD1b-restricted T cell responses

Mannosylated molecules on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis surface are important determinants in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis. To date, much attention has been paid to mannose-capped lipoarabinomannan, which mediates phagocytosis and intracellular trafficking of M. tuberculosis by engaging the macrophage mannose receptor and subsequently binds to intracellular CD1b molecules for presentation to T cells. Another important mannosylated lipoglycan on the M. tuberculosis surface is lipomannan (LM). Comparative structural detail of the LMs from virulent and avirulent strains is limited as is knowledge regarding their differential capacity to be recognized by the adaptive immune response. Here, we purified LM from the avirulent M. smegmatis and the virulent M. tuberculosis H(37)R(v), performed a comparative structural biochemical analysis, and addressed their ability to stimulate CD1b-restricted T cell clones. We found that M. tuberculosis H(37)R(v) produces a large neutral LM (TB-LM); in contrast, M. smegmatis produces a smaller linear acidic LM (SmegLM) with a high succinate content. Correspondingly, TB-LM was not as efficiently presented to CD1b-restricted T cells as SmegLM. Thus, here we correlate the structure-function relationships for LMs with CD1b-restricted T cell responses and provide evidence that the structural features of TB-LM contribute to its diminished T cell responsiveness.     

Protective effect of Nelumbo nucifera (Gaertn.) against H2O2-induced oxidative stress on H9c2 cardiomyocytes

Molecular Biology Reports - Ischemic heart disease (IHD), a severe condition of myocardium facing impediment in the supply of basic needs for cellular metabolism is caused by atherosclerosis....     

Studies on the psychopharmacological activities of Rumex nepalensis Spreng. root extract in rats and mice.

The methanol extract of Rumex nepalensis Spreng. (Family - Polygonaceae) was assessed for different psychopharmacological activities in rats and mice by evaluation of general behaviour, exploratory behaviour, muscle relaxant activity and phenobarbitone sodium-induced sleeping time. The extract at doses 200 mg/kg and above exhibited a reduction in spontaneous activity (general behavioural profile), a decrease in exploratory behavioural pattern in the Y-maze and Head-dip tests, a reduction in muscle relaxant activity in rotarod, 30 degrees inclined screen and traction tests, and also potentiated phenobarbitone sodium-induced sleeping time.     

Osmotic Shock Augments Ethanol Stress in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> MTCC 2918

Yeast cells sense and respond to hypertonicity. Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 2918 was tested for its metabolic status in 1 M NaCl by cell viability analysis, intracellular glycerol content and total antioxidant capacity. Yeast cell viability was maximum in 1 M NaCl and 24 h addition of 1 M NaCl was effective in induction of hyperosmolarity. Increased glycerol contents in cells treated with salt indicated adaptation to osmotic stress with a maximum of 240.87 ± 0.38 mg/g dry weight (DW) at 72 h. The total antioxidant status with 1 M NaCl was 9.29 ± 0.39 mM/g DW at 96 h reflecting free radical quenching to overcome stress with increasing growth period. Considering that pre-adaptation to one type of stress evoked a protective response to other stress factors, we have attempted the cross adaptation of osmotic shock to high ethanol concentrations. In effect, we observed that osmotic shock lowered the cell survival by augmentation of cell toxicity by ethanol due to stress induction during exponential phase. Glycerol accumulation to an order of 470.27 ± 0.53 mg/g DW at 48 h in 1 M NaCl and 12% ethanol indicated that both stresses culminated in membrane disruption further leading to cell burst and contributed to the stress overload.