Whole genome sequence resource of Indian Zaprionus indianus

This article documents the whole genome sequence information of the Indian Zaprionus indianus, a member of the fruit fly family Drosophilidae. The sequences were generated on an Illumina platform and reads and whole genome sequence submitted to NCBI to the SRA and BioProject databases, respectively. This is the first Indian Z. indianus whole genome (draft) submitted to the sequence repository with SRA reads. The details of methodology, assembly statistics and functional annotation are presented in this work.     

Diurnal Changes in Photosynthesis,Sugars, and Nitrogen of Wheat and Mungbean Grown Under Elevated CO2 Concentration

The diurnal changes in leaf net photosynthetic rate (P _N) and sugar and nitrogen contents in wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) cv. HD 2285] and mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek cv. PS 16] were analysed under ambient, AC [350±25 µmol mol^–1] and elevated, EC [600±50 µmol mol^–1] CO₂ concentrations. In both mungbean and wheat P _N of AC- and EC-grown plants compared at the same CO₂ concentration showed that P _N was higher under EC. However, increased P _N in EC-plants declined in the afternoon and approached P _N of AC-plants. Depression in P _N, however, was less in mungbean compared with the large depression in wheat. Greater down regulation of P _N in wheat was associated with the accumulation of large amount of sugars and low nitrogen content in wheat leaves. Mungbean leaves accumulated mostly starch under EC and the difference in N content in AC- and EC-plants was relatively less than in wheat.     

Glycosylation increases potassium channel stability and surface expression in mammalian cells.

N-linked glycosylation is not required for the cell surface expression of functional Shaker potassium channels in Xenopus oocytes (Santacruz-Toloza, L., Huang, Y., John, S. A., and Papazian, D. M. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 5607-5613). We have now investigated whether glycosylation increases the stability, cell surface expression, and proper folding of Shaker protein expressed in mammalian cells. The turnover rates of wild-type protein and an unglycosylated mutant (N259Q,N263Q) were compared in pulse-chase experiments. The wild-type protein was stable, showing little degradation after 48 h. In contrast, the unglycosylated mutant was rapidly degraded (t(1/2) = approximately 18 h). Lactacystin slowed the degradation of the mutant protein, implicating cytoplasmic proteasomes in its turnover. Rapid lactacystin-sensitive degradation could be conferred on wild-type Shaker by a glycosylation inhibitor. Expression of the unglycosylated mutant on the cell surface, assessed using immunofluorescence microscopy and biotinylation, was dramatically reduced compared with wild type. Folding and assembly were analyzed by oxidizing intersubunit disulfide bonds, which provides a fortuitous hallmark of the native structure. Surprisingly, formation of disulfide-bonded adducts was quantitatively similar in the wild-type and unglycosylated mutant proteins. Our results indicate that glycosylation increases the stability and cell surface expression of Shaker protein but has little effect on acquisition of the native structure.     

3H-spiroperidol binding sites in blood platelets

3H-spiroperidol, an antagonist of dopamine receptors in brain (striatum), was found to bind to human and rat platelet membrane preparations. The binding was rapid, reversible, saturable and specific. Unlabelled haloperidol displaced the specifically bound 3H-spiroperidol. Binding equilibrium was attained in 15 min at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. Scatchard analysis of 3H-spiroperidol binding revealed a single population of binding site with Kd of 7.6 nM in rat platelet membrane and Kd of 15 nM in human platelet membrane. Unlabelled 5-hydroxytryptamine produced no significant effect on 3H-spiroperidol binding to rat or human blood platelet membranes in the presence or absence of haloperidol. Some dopaminergic agents, known to inhibit spiroperidol binding in corpus striatum, also inhibited the same in rat and human blood platelet membranes under in vitro conditions. This study suggests the presence of specific 3H-spiroperidol binding sites in blood platelets.     

Identification of bovine brain calcium binding proteins

Three peaks of calcium binding activity have been identified by the Chelex-100 calcium binding assay of the fractions from DEAE cellulose chromatography of 100,000 X g supernatant of bovine brain. These calcium binding activity peaks have been subjected to extensive purification and three novel calcium binding proteins (Mr 27,000, Mr 48,000 and Mr 63,000) and two previously characterized proteins (calcineurin and calmodulin) have been identified as components of calcium binding activity peaks. Analysis of the calcium binding properties of the novel proteins by equilibrium dialysis suggests these proteins may be intracellular calcium receptors.     

Adoptive Autophagy Activation: a Much-Needed Remedy Against Chemical Induced Neurotoxicity/Developmental Neurotoxicity

The profound significance of autophagy as a cell survival mechanism under conditions of metabolic stress is a well-proven fact. Nearly a decade-long research in this area has led scientists to unearth various roles played by autophagy other than just being an auto cell death mechanism. It is implicated as a vital cell survival pathway for clearance of all the aberrant cellular materials in case of cellular injury, metastasis, disease states, cellular stress, neurodegeneration and so on. In this review, we emphasise the critical role of autophagy in the environmental stressors-induced neurotoxicity and its therapeutic implications for the same. We also attempt to shed some light on the possible protective role of autophagy in developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) which is a rapidly growing health issue of the human population at large and hence a point of rising concern amongst researchers. The intimate association between DNT and neurodegenerative disorders strongly indicates towards adopting autophagy activation as a much-needed remedy for DNT.     

Expression of Bacillus circulans Teri-42 xylanase gene in Bacillus subtilis

The xylanase gene of Bacillus circulans Teri-42 was cloned in both B. subtilis and Escherichia coli. The enzyme activity was almost 87% higher in B. subtilis (pBA7) than in E. coli (pAQ4). No cellulase activity was detected in the clones, B. subtilis (pBA7) and E. coli (pAQ4). Approximately 1120 U (80%) of the xylanase was secreted extracellularly by the clone B. subtilis (pBA7) as compared to 79 U (88%) excreted in E. coli (pAQ4). In B. subtilis (pBA7) the optimal xylanase activity was at pH 7.0 and 50 degrees C, which was the same as that of the parent B. circulans Teri-42. The recombinant xylanase in B. subtilis was more stable at higher temperatures than the parent B. circulans Teri-42. Purification of xylanase from the clone B. subtilis (pBA7) showed a 71 kDa polypeptide similar to that observed in B. circulans Teri-42.     

Improvement of biohydrogen production by Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08 under regulated pH

The present study investigates the effect of pH and intermediate products formation on biological hydrogen production using Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08. Initial pH was found to have a profound effect on hydrogen production potential, while regulating the pH 6.5 throughout the fermentation was found to increase the cumulative hydrogen production rate and yield significantly. Modified Gompertz equation was used to fit the cumulative hydrogen production curves to obtain the hydrogen production potential P, the hydrogen production rate R and lag phase λ. At regulated pH 6.5, higher H(2) yield (3.1molH(2)mol(-1) glucose), specific hydrogen production potential (798.1mL/g) and specific rate of H(2) production (72.1mLL(-1)h(-1)g(-1)) were obtained. The volatile fatty acid profile showed butyrate, ethanol and acetate as the major end metabolites of fermentation under the operating pH conditions tested; however, their pattern of distribution was pH dependent. At the optimum pH of 6.5, the acetate to butyrate ratio (A/B ratio) was found to be higher than that at any other pH. The study also investigates the effect of sodium ions on biohydrogen production potential. It was also found that sodium ion concentration up to 250mM enhanced the hydrogen production potential; however, any further increase in the metal ion concentration had an inhibitory effect.