Induced Homoeologous Pairing for Transfer of Useful Variability for High Grain Fe and Zn from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegilops kotschyi</Emphasis> into Wheat

Biofortification of bread wheat by the transfer of useful variability of high grain Fe and Zn from Aegilops kotschyi through induced homoeologous pairing is the most feasible approach to alleviate micronutrient malnutrition worldwide. Deficiency of chromosome 5B in interspecific hybrids allows homoeologous pairing and recombination of chromosomes of wheat with those of the related species. The interspecific hybrid plants without 5B chromosome showed much higher chromosome pairing than did the plants with 5B. The F₁ plants without 5B chromosome were selected and repeatedly backcrossed with wheat cultivar PBW343. The chromosome number of BC₂F₁ plants ranged from 43 to 60 with several univalents and multivalents. Molecular markers and GISH analysis confirmed the introgression of U/S chromosomes of Ae. kotschyi and their fragments in wheat. The BC₂F₂ plants showed up to 125 % increase in Fe and 158 % increase in Zn compared to PBW343 with Lr24 and Yr36. Induced homoeologous pairing in the absence of 5B was found to be an effective approach for transfer of useful variability for enhanced grain Fe and Zn content for biofortification of wheat for high grain micronutrient content.     

Exponentiated Exponential Family: An Alternative to Gamma and Weibull Distributions

In this article we study some properties of a new family of distributions, namely Exponentiated Exponential distribution, discussed in Gupta , Gupta , and Gupta (1998). The Exponentiated Exponential family has two parameters (scale and shape) similar to a Weibull or a gamma family. It is observed that many properties of this new family are quite similar to those of a Weibull or a gamma family, therefore this distribution can be used as a possible alternative to a Weibull or a gamma distribution. We present two real life data sets, where it is observed that in one data set exponentiated exponential distribution has a better fit compared to Weibull or gamma distribution and in the other data set Weibull has a better fit than exponentiated exponential or gamma distribution. Some numerical experiments are performed to see how the maximum likelihood estimators and their asymptotic results work for finite sample sizes.     

Coevolutionary constraints in the sequence‐space of macromolecular complexes reflect their self‐assembly pathways

Is the order in which biomolecular subunits self‐assemble into functional macromolecular complexes imprinted in their sequence‐space? Here, we demonstrate that the temporal order of macromolecular complex self‐assembly can be efficiently captured using the landscape of residue‐level coevolutionary constraints. This predictive power of coevolutionary constraints is irrespective of the structural, functional, and phylogenetic classification of the complex and of the stoichiometry and quaternary arrangement of the constituent monomers. Combining this result with a number of structural attributes estimated from the crystal structure data, we find indications that stronger coevolutionary constraints at interfaces formed early in the assembly hierarchy probably promotes coordinated fixation of mutations that leads to high‐affinity binding with higher surface area, increased surface complementarity and elevated number of molecular contacts, compared to those that form late in the assembly. Proteins 2017; 85:1183–1189. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Matrix imbalance by inducing expression of metalloproteinase and oxidative stress in cochlea of hyperhomocysteinemic mice

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Glycation is a process closely related to the aging and pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Reactive α-dicarbonyl compounds (e.g., methylglyoxal) are...     

Novel role of Wag31 in protection of mycobacteria under oxidative stress

Wag31 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis belongs to the DivIVA family of proteins known to regulate cell morphology in Gram-positive bacteria. Here we demonstrate an unrecognized, novel role of Wag31 in oxidatively stressed mycobacteria. We report the cleavage of penicillin-binding protein 3 (PBP3) by the intramembrane metalloprotease Rv2869c (MSMEG_2579) in oxidatively stressed cells. Amino acids ¹⁰²A and ¹⁰³A of PBP3 are required for Rv2869c-mediated cleavage. Wag31_MTB, by virtue of its interaction with PBP3 through amino acid residues ⁴⁶NSD⁴⁸, protects it from oxidative stress-induced cleavage. PBP3 undergoes cleavage in Mycobacterium smegmatis (strain PM2) harbouring wag31 (Δ⁴⁶NSD⁴⁸) instead of the wild type, with concomitant reduction in ability to withstand oxidative stress. Overexpression of Wag31(Δ⁴⁶NSD⁴⁸) attenuates the survival of M. tuberculosis in macrophages with concomitant cleavage of PBP3, and renders the organism more susceptible towards hydrogen peroxide as well as drugs which generate reactive oxygen species, namely isoniazid and ofloxacin. We propose that targeting Wag31 could enhance the activity of mycobactericidal drugs which are known to generate reactive oxygen species.     

A Histidine Switch in Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase Triggers Paramyxovirus-Cell Membrane Fusion

Most paramyxovirus fusion proteins require coexpression of and activation by a homotypic attachment protein, hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN), to promote membrane fusion. However, the molecular mechanism of the activation remains unknown. We previously showed that the incorporation of a monohistidylated lipid into F-virosome (Sendai viral envelope containing only fusion protein) enhanced its fusion to hepatocytes, suggesting that the histidine residue in the lipid accelerated membrane fusion. Therefore, we explored whether a histidine moiety in HN could similarly direct activation of the fusion protein. In membrane fusion assays, the histidine substitution mutants of HN (H247A of Sendai virus and H245A of human parainfluenza virus 3) had impaired membrane fusion promotion activity without significant changes in other biological activities. Synthetic 30-mer peptides corresponding to regions of the two HN proteins containing these histidine residues rescued the fusion promoting activity of the mutants, whereas peptides with histidine residues substituted by alanine did not. These histidine-containing peptides also activated F-virosome fusion with hepatocytes both in the presence and in the absence of mutant HN in the virosome. We provide evidence that the HN-mimicking peptides promote membrane fusion, revealing a specific histidine “switch” in HN that triggers fusion.