Thiazolyl-pyrazole derivatives as potential antimycobacterial agents

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is an obligate aerobe that is capable of long-term persistence under conditions of low oxygen tension. A series of thiazolyl-pyrazole derivatives (6a–f, 7a–f, 8c, 8e) were screened for antimycobacterial activity against dormant M. tuberculosis H37Ra (D-MTB) and M. bovis BCG (D-BCG). Nine thiazolyl-pyrazole analogs, 6c, 6e, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7e, 7f, 8c and 8e exhibited promissing minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (0.20–28.25?µg/mL) against D-MTB and D-BCG strains of Mtb. Importantly, six compounds (7a, 7b, 7e, 7f, 8c and 8e) exhibited excellent antimycobacterial activity and low cytotoxicity at the maximum evaluated concentration of >250?µg/mL. Finally, the promising antimycobacterial activity and lower cytotoxicity profile suggested that, these compounds could be further subjected for optimization and development as a lead, which could have the potential to treat tuberculosis.     

A large sequenced mutant library – valuable reverse genetic resource that covers 98% of sorghum genes

Mutant populations are crucial for functional genomics and discovering novel traits for crop breeding. Sorghum, a drought and heat-tolerant C4 species, requires a vast, large-scale, annotated, and sequenced mutant resource to enhance crop improvement through functional genomics research. Here, we report a sorghum large-scale sequenced mutant population with 9.5 million ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS)-induced mutations that covered 98% of sorghum's annotated genes using inbred line BTx623. Remarkably, a total of 610 320 mutations within the promoter and enhancer regions of 18 000 and 11 790 genes, respectively, can be leveraged for novel research of cis-regulatory elements. A comparison of the distribution of mutations in the large-scale mutant library and sorghum association panel (SAP) provides insights into the influence of selection. EMS-induced mutations appeared to be random across different regions of the genome without significant enrichment in different sections of a gene, including the 5′ UTR, gene body, and 3′-UTR. In contrast, there were low variation density in the coding and UTR regions in the SAP. Based on the K_a/K_s value, the mutant library (~1) experienced little selection, unlike the SAP (0.40), which has been strongly selected through breeding. All mutation data are publicly searchable through SorbMutDB ( https://www.depts.ttu.edu/igcast/sorbmutdb.php ) and SorghumBase ( https://sorghumbase.org/ ). This current large-scale sequence-indexed sorghum mutant population is a crucial resource that enriched the sorghum gene pool with novel diversity and a highly valuable tool for the Poaceae family, that will advance plant biology research and crop breeding.     

Charged nylon membrane substrate for convenient and versatile high resolution microscopic analysis of Escherichia coli & mammalian cells in suspension culture

Preparation of isolated cells and microorganisms for ultrastructural examination always provides a challenge in terms of adequate immobilization of the cells and prevention of subsequent sample loss and damage during various steps of sample processing. Using a positively charged nylon membrane substrate we demonstrate that it is possible to easily immobilize and retain a sample of isolated cells in culture for a wide variety of microscopy-based techniques. Radiolabelled E. coli cells when immobilized on the charged membrane were seen to be highly resistant to detachment when subjected to the normal sample processing procedures associated with microscopy. In contrast cells on regular millipore membranes were rapidly lost during sample preparation. We demonstrate the utility of charged nylon membranes for a wide variety of microscopy based analysis including scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), TEM based immunogold labelling, laser confocal microscopy and SEM based elemental analysis.     

Differential expression of NF-kappaB in mycobacteria infected THP-1 affects apoptosis

The present study was conducted to see the role of NF-kappaB in virulent (Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv) and avirulent (M. tuberculosis H37Ra) mycobacterial infection in THP-1 cells. To inactivate NF-kappaB, pCMV-IkappaBalphaM dn containing THP-1 cell line was generated which showed marked increase in apoptosis with M. tuberculosis H37Rv and M. tuberculosis H37Ra. Infected THP-1-IkappaBalphaM dn cells showed decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, activation of caspase-3 and enhanced TNF-alpha production. Increase in apoptosis of infected THP-1-IkappaBalphaM dn cells resulted in inhibition of intracellular mycobacterial growth. Differential NF-kappaB activation potential was observed with M. tuberculosis H37Rv and M. tuberculosis H37Ra. Both the strains activated NF-kappaB after 4 h in THP-1 cells however after 48 h only M. tuberculosis H37Rv activated NF-kappaB which lead to up-regulation of bcl-2 family anti-apoptotic member, bfl-1/A1. Our results indicated that NF-kappaB activation may be a determinant factor for the success of virulent mycobacteria within macrophages.     

Optimization of Gibberellic Acid Production in Endophytic Bacillus cereus Using Response Surface Methodology and Its Use as Plant Growth Regulator in Chickpea

Gibberellic acid (GAs), a vital phytohormone, is necessary to increase seed germination as well as plant’s health and growth. Likewise, a number of plant growth-promoting bacteria produce identical secondary metabolites which serve as plant growth stimulants. The current study focuses to investigate optimization of multiple variables for the maximum GAs production by bacterial isolates via Response surface methodology (RSM) with the help of Box–Behnken design (BBD) and its effects on seed germination and growth promotion of Cicer arietinum (Chickpea). Initially, bacterial isolates were screened on the basis of quantitative production of gibberellic acid without amendment of any precursor. Later, bacterial isolate, MEN8, was selected for peak production of gibberellic acid via BBD and a total of 50 sets of trials were finalized. RSM analysis signified maximum GAs production by the isolate up to 109.25 μg/ml on 5th day of incubation at 35 °C on pH 7.0 by consuming 3 g/l fructose and 1.0 g/l ammonium chloride. The extracted gibberellic acid was purified by using Thin-layer chromatography, elucidated on R_f value 0.72 with gray-colored spot which was further confirmed by High-performance liquid chromatography technique, at 2.68 retention time (R_t). The MEN8 isolate was molecularly identified up to species level as Bacillus cereus by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogeny. As a final point, in vitro analysis confirmed that B. cereus MEN8 was a significant isolate for increasing seed germination parameters such as germination energy (GE-27%), capacity (GC-32%), index (GI-42%), percentage (GP-55%), vigor index (VI-89%), and vegetative growth parameters including root/shoot length and fresh/dry weight. Plant growth-promoting nature of B. cereus MEN8 creates a future avenue to be utilized as ‘phytohormone-producing bioinoculant’ for sustainable agriculture at commercial implications.

     

Application of Thermostable Xylanase of Bacillus pumilus in Textile Processing

Desizing of cotton and micropoly fabrics was done using thermostable xylanase from Bacillus pumilus ASH. Micropoly fabric showed better desizing than cotton under same conditions. Violet scale readings from the TEGEWA test after enzymatic desizing for 90 min at pH 7.0 and at 60°C showed the readings falling in the range of 4–5, indicating good desizing efficiency. During bioscouring the weight loss values and liberation of reducing sugars were highest when EDTA was used along with xylanase. The weight loss value of 1.5% was observed for dry cotton fabric after 1 h in case of agitated system at pH 7.0 and at an optimal enzyme dosage of 5 IU/g. The weight loss values and the liberation of reducing sugars were higher in case of cotton fabrics. Wetting time of fabrics was lowered significantly after 60 min of bioscouring using xylanase. Increase in temperature or concentration of surfactant led to further reduction in the wetting time. The whiteness values of fabrics after bioscouring were 0.9% higher than the chemically scoured fabrics indicating good efficacy of xylanase during the scouring process.     

Analysis of genetic diversity among garden- and field-pea genotypes of higher Indian Himalayas

Genetic diversity among 31 genotypes of field and garden pea including primitive cultivated forms and widely cultivated varieties of India was studied using 40 random decamer and 9 ISSR primers. A total of 274 amplicons were detected using both types of markers, which amplified 192 RAPD and 82 ISSR amplicons. Average number of bands amplified per primer was higher in case of ISSR (9.1) as compared to RAPDs (4.8). ISSR primers also exhibited higher average polymorphism (89.0%) and resolving power (4.50) than RAPDs (72.4%, 1.87, respectively). Genetic similarity estimates based on the pooled data of both types of markers using Jaccard??s coefficient ranged from 0.58 to 0.85 delineating considerable diversity among the pea genotypes studied. The 31 genotypes clustered in two major groups based on pooled data. Popular cultivars of garden and field pea of the region exhibited high similarities among themselves. However, primitive cultivated forms collected from the higher Indian Himalayas were diverse from the current varieties and hold potential in pea breeding programmes.     

Cardiac-oxidized antigens are targets of immune recognition by antibodies and potential molecular determinants in chagas disease pathogenesis

Trypanosoma cruzi elicits reactive oxygen species (ROS) of inflammatory and mitochondrial origin in infected hosts. In this study, we examined ROS-induced oxidative modifications in the heart and determined whether the resultant oxidized cardiac proteins are targets of immune response and of pathological significance in Chagas disease. Heart biopsies from chagasic mice, rats and human patients exhibited, when compared to those from normal controls, a substantial increase in protein 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), malondialdehyde (MDA), carbonyl, and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) adducts. To evaluate whether oxidized proteins gain antigenic properties, heart homogenates or isolated cardiomyocytes were oxidized in vitro and one- or two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE)/Western blotting (WB) was performed to investigate the proteomic oxidative changes and recognition of oxidized proteins by sera antibodies in chagasic rodents (mice, rats) and human patients. Human cardiomyocytes exhibited LD(50) sensitivity to 30 μM 4-HNE and 100 μM H(2)O(2) at 6 h and 12 h, respectively. In vitro oxidation with 4-HNE or H(2)O(2) resulted in a substantial increase in 4-HNE- and carbonyl-modified proteins that correlated with increased recognition of cardiac (cardiomyocytes) proteins by sera antibodies of chagasic rodents and human patients. 2D-GE/Western blotting followed by MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analysis to identify cardiac proteins that were oxidized and recognized by human chagasic sera yielded 82 unique proteins. We validated the 2D-GE results by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and WB and demonstrated that oxidation of recombinant titin enhanced its immunogenicity and recognition by sera antibodies from chagasic hosts (rats and humans). Treatment of infected rats with phenyl-α-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN, antioxidant) resulted in normalized immune detection of cardiac proteins associated with control of cardiac pathology and preservation of heart contractile function in chagasic rats. We conclude that ROS-induced, cardiac-oxidized antigens are targets of immune recognition by antibodies and molecular determinants for pathogenesis during Chagas disease.     

Testing the efficacy of a multi-component DNA-prime/DNA-boost vaccine against Trypanosoma cruzi infection in dogs

Background

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas Disease, is a major vector borne health problem in Latin America and an emerging infectious disease in the United States.

Methods

We tested the efficacy of a multi-component DNA-prime/DNA-boost vaccine (TcVac1) against experimental T. cruzi infection in a canine model. Dogs were immunized with antigen-encoding plasmids and cytokine adjuvants, and two weeks after the last immunization, challenged with T. cruzi trypomastigotes. We measured antibody responses by ELISA and haemagglutination assay, parasitemia and infectivity to triatomines by xenodiagnosis, and performed electrocardiography and histology to assess myocardial damage and tissue pathology.

Results

Vaccination with TcVac1 elicited parasite-and antigen-specific IgM and IgG (IgG2>IgG1) responses. Upon challenge infection, TcVac1-vaccinated dogs, as compared to non-vaccinated controls dogs, responded to T. cruzi with a rapid expansion of antibody response, moderately enhanced CD8⁺ T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production, and suppression of phagocytes’ activity evidenced by decreased myeloperoxidase and nitrite levels. Subsequently, vaccinated dogs controlled the acute parasitemia by day 37 pi (44 dpi in non-vaccinated dogs), and exhibited a moderate decline in infectivity to triatomines. TcVac1-immunized dogs did not control the myocardial parasite burden and electrocardiographic and histopatholgic cardiac alterations that are the hallmarks of acute Chagas disease. During the chronic stage, TcVac1-vaccinated dogs exhibited a moderate decline in cardiac alterations determined by EKG and anatomo-/histo-pathological analysis while chronically-infected/non-vaccinated dogs continued to exhibit severe EKG alterations.

Conclusions

Overall, these results demonstrated that TcVac1 provided a partial resistance to T. cruzi infection and Chagas disease, and provide an impetus to improve the vaccination strategy against Chagas disease.