Sugar beet extract acts as a natural bio-stimulant for physio-biochemical attributes in water stressed wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.)

The present study investigated the role of sugar beet extract (SBE) as a bio-stimulant to ameliorate the adverse effects of drought on seed germination and growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Different concentrations of SBE (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%) were used for priming the wheat seeds. The experiment was conducted in laboratory (PEG-8000 was used to create water stress) as well as under natural environmental conditions (using soil with 100 and 60% field capacity). Significant ameliorating effects of seed priming with SBE were recorded on different germination attributes, i.e., time to 50% emergence (E₅₀), germination index (GI), mean emergence time (MET), germination percentage (G%), coefficient of uniformity of emergence (CUE) and germination energy (GE) under water stress. Without priming, the plants exhibited symptoms of water stress like decreased biomass, reduction in photosynthetic pigments, e.g., chlorophyll, carotenoids. Seed pre-conditioning with SBE improved the plant growth, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants’ activities and nutrient homeostasis of plants facing water deficit and grown under well-watered conditions. The maximum increase in biomass, content of chlorophyll, carotenoids and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) was 13.4, 8.5, 11.9, 7.6, 13.6, 42.0, 19.8%, respectively, with SBE seed priming under water stress. In conclusion, SBE seed priming effectively reduced the negativities of water stress on seed germination which resulted in better plant growth in terms of enhanced biomass, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant defense mechanism and better nutrient homeostasis. Overall, the findings suggest that seed pre-conditioning with SBE as a bio-stimulant will be helpful for better crop stand establishment under low field capacity, especially in semi-arid and arid agricultural fields.     

Therapeutic effects of Typha elephantina leave’s extract against paracetamol induced renal injury in rabbits

Present study focuses on ameliorative potential of Typha elephantina leave’s aqueous (TE.AQ) extract against Paracetamol (PCM) induced toxicity in rabbits. We fed the male rabbits with 300 mg PCM in alone and in combination with TE.AQ at different doses i.e. (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight) or silymarin (100 mg/kg) daily for 21 days. PCM in alone significantly (P < 0.5) increased serum urea, uric acid, creatinine, total protein, albumin, globulin and blood urea nitrogen. Serum sodium, potassium and magnesium level were high. The glutathione, radical scavenging activity and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were significantly reduced. Treatment with TE.AQ at dose rate 300 mg/kg body weight and Silymarin significantly ameliorated all the parameters when compared with PCM administered group. The 100 and 200 mg of TE.AQ showed no significant effects. The histopathological examination confirmed the therapeutic potential of TE.AQ. These results established the presence of natural antioxidants in Typha elephantina leaves.     

Distinct Sets of Rab6 Effectors Contribute to ZW10‐ and COG‐Dependent Golgi Homeostasis

The organization of the Golgi apparatus is determined in part by the interaction of Rab proteins and their diverse array of effectors. Here, we used multiple approaches to identify and characterize a small subset of effectors that mimicked the effects of Rab6 on Golgi ribbon organization. In a visual‐based, candidate protein screen, we found that the individual depletion of any of three Rab6 effectors, myosin IIA (MyoIIA), Kif20A and Bicaudal D (BicD), was sufficient to suppress Golgi ribbon fragmentation/dispersal coupled to retrograde tether proteins in a manner paralleling Rab6. MyoIIA and Kif20A depletions were pathway selective and suppressed ZW10‐dependent Golgi ribbon fragmentation/dispersal only whereas BicD depletion, like Rab6, suppressed both ZW10‐ and COG‐dependent Golgi ribbon fragmentation. The MyoIIA effects could be produced in short‐term assays by the reversible myosin inhibitor, blebbistatin. At the electron microscope level, the effects of BicD‐depletion mimicked many of those of Rab6‐depletion: longer and more continuous Golgi cisternae and a pronounced accumulation of coated vesicles. Functionally, BicD‐depleted cells were inhibited in transport of newly synthesized VSV‐G protein to the cell surface. In summary, our results indicate small, partially overlapping subsets of Rab6 effectors are differentially important to two tether‐dependent pathways essential to Golgi organization and function.      

Effect of Ascorbic Acid on the Degradation of Cyanocobalamin and Hydroxocobalamin in Aqueous Solution: A Kinetic Study

The degradation kinetics of 5 × 10⁻⁵ M cyanocobalamin (B₁₂) and hydroxocobalamin (B_12b) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AH₂) was studied in the pH range of 1.0–8.0. B₁₂ is degraded to B_12b which undergoes oxidation to corrin ring cleavage products. B_12b alone is directly oxidized to the ring cleavage products. B₁₂ and B_12b in degraded solutions were simultaneously assayed by a two-component spectrometric method at 525 and 550 nm without interference from AH₂. Both degrade by first-order kinetics and the values of the rate constants at pH 1.0–8.0 range from 0.08 to 1.05 × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ and 0.22–7.62 × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹, respectively, in the presence of 0.25 × 10⁻³ M AH₂. The t_1/2 values of B₁₂ and B_12b range from 13.7 to 137.5 h and 2.5–87.5 h, respectively. The second-order rate constants for the interaction of AH₂ with B₁₂ and B_12b are 0.05–0.28 × 10⁻² and 1.10–30.08 × 10⁻² M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively, indicating a greater effect of AH₂ on B_12b compared to that of B₁₂. The k_obs–pH profiles for both B₁₂ and B_12b show the highest rates of degradation around pH 5. The degradation of B₁₂ and B_12b by AH₂ is affected by the catalytic effect of phosphate ions on the oxidation of AH₂ in the pH range 6.0–8.0.KEY WORDS: ascorbic acid, cyanocobalamin, degradation, hydroxocobalamin, kinetics, two-component spectrometry     

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Association of APOE Genetic Variation with Plasma Lipoprotein Traits in U.S. Whites and African Blacks

Although common APOE genetic variation has a major influence on plasma LDL-cholesterol, its role in affecting HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides is not well established. Recent genome-wide association studies suggest that APOE also affects plasma variation in HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. It is thus important to resequence the APOE gene to identify both common and uncommon variants that affect plasma lipid profile. Here, we have sequenced the APOE gene in 190 subjects with extreme HDL-cholesterol levels selected from two well-defined epidemiological samples of U.S. non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) and African Blacks followed by genotyping of identified variants in the entire datasets (623 NHWs, 788 African Blacks) and association analyses with major lipid traits. We identified a total of 40 sequence variants, of which 10 are novel. A total of 32 variants, including common tagSNPs (≥5% frequency) and all uncommon variants (<5% frequency) were successfully genotyped and considered for genotype-phenotype associations. Other than the established associations of APOE*2 and APOE*4 with LDL-cholesterol, we have identified additional independent associations with LDL-cholesterol. We have also identified multiple associations of uncommon and common APOE variants with HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. Our comprehensive sequencing and genotype-phenotype analyses indicate that APOE genetic variation impacts HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in addition to affecting LDL-cholesterol.     

Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic Method for Flow and Heat Transfer of a Viscoelastic Fluid in an Axisymmetric Channel with a Porous Wall

In this article, an approximate analytical solution of flow and heat transfer for a viscoelastic fluid in an axisymmetric channel with porous wall is presented. The solution is obtained through the use of a powerful method known as Optimal Homotopy Asymptotic Method (OHAM). We obtained the approximate analytical solution for dimensionless velocity and temperature for various parameters. The influence and effect of different parameters on dimensionless velocity, temperature, friction factor, and rate of heat transfer are presented graphically. We also compared our solution with those obtained by other methods and it is found that OHAM solution is better than the other methods considered. This shows that OHAM is reliable for use to solve strongly nonlinear problems in heat transfer phenomena.     

Phosphate uptake by primary renal proximal tubule cell cultures grown in hormonally defined medium

The uptake of labeled inorganic phosphate into primary rabbit kidney proximal tubule cells has been examined. Phosphate was accumulated into the primary proximal tubule cells against a concentration gradient. This accumulation was sensitive to inhibition by metabolic inhibitors. The dependence of phosphate uptake on the extracellular phosphate concentration was examined. Similarities were observed between primary proximal tubule cells and the LLC-PK1 cell line in these regards. These phosphate uptake data were then plotted on a Lineweaver-Burke plot. A nonlinear plot was obtained, which suggested that phosphate uptake occurs by means of a Na+ dependent, carrier mediated process, as well as by another Na+ independent mechanism. The pH dependence of phosphate uptake was also examined. Unlike previous observations with LLC-PK1 cells, optimal phosphate uptake occurred at pH 6.5. However, this difference between the two cell culture systems may possibly be explained by differences in uptake conditions. The dependence of phosphate uptake on the extracellular NaCl concentration was examined at three different pH values. The rate of phosphate uptake at pH 7.0 was observed to saturate at a lower NaCl concentration than at either pH 6.0 or pH 6.5. Furthermore, the optimal rate of phosphate uptake at pH 7.0 was observed to be higher than at the other two pH values studied when the NaCl concentration was below 120 mM. However, when the NaCl concentration was raised to 150 mM, optimal phosphate was observed to occur at pH 6.5 rather than at pH 7.0. These observations may be explained if the pH affects not only the rate of phosphate uptake but also the affinity of the phosphate uptake system for sodium. Phosphate uptake was also observed to be sensitive to several agents, Na2 X SO4 and NaSCN, which affect the membrane potential. As observed with phosphate uptake by LLC-PK1 (and renal brush border membrane vesicles), phosphate uptake was highly sensitive to inhibition by the phosphate analogue arsenate. Novel observations were that the phosphate analogue vanadate and its cellular metabolite vanadyl stimulated the initial rate of phosphate uptake.     

Type 1 diabetes mellitus induces structural changes and molecular remodelling in the rat kidney

Previous studies indicated that chlorogenic acid, a compound present in many fruits and vegetables, has anti-cancer activities. We report that chlorogenic acid regulates the expression of apoptosis-related genes and self-renewal-related stem cell markers in cancer cells. The lung cancer cell line A549 was cultured with or without chlorogenic acid. The presence of chlorogenic acid decreased cell proliferation as measured by MTT activity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed that treatment of cells with chlorogenic acid reduced the expression of BCL2 but increased that of both BAX and CASP3. Chlorogenic acid enhanced annexin V expression as measured using fluorescently labeled annexin V. Chlorogenic acid also induced p38 MAPK and JNK gene expression. Meanwhile, several agents, including SB203580 (p38 MAP kinase inhibitor), N-acetylcysteine (antioxidant inhibitor), dipyridamole (phosphodiesterase inhibitor), and apocynin (NADPH-oxidase inhibitor) blocked chlorogenic acid-induced BAX gene expression. Chlorogenic acid reduced gene expression levels of stem cell-associated markers NANOG, POU5F1, and SOX2. Together these results indicate that chlorogenic acid affects the expression of apoptosis-related genes that are part of oxidative stress and p38 MAP-dependent pathways, as well as genes encoding stem cell markers. In conclusion, chlorogenic acid may contribute to the polyphenolic anti-cancer effect associated with consumption of vegetables and fruits.     

Discovery of novel 4-aryl-thieno[1,4]diazepin-2-one derivatives targeting multiple protein kinases as anticancer agents

A series of 4-aryl-thieno[1,4]diazepin-2-one were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against the A375P melanoma and U937 hematopoietic cell lines. Several compounds showed very potent antiproliferative activities toward both cell lines and the activities were better than that of sorafenib, the reference standard. Derivatives were made as amide (8a–8i, 9a–9m) and urea (10a–10d, 11a–11d) with diverse hydrophobic moieties. One of the most potent inhibitor 10d, 1-(4-((4-ethylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-thieno [3,4-b][1,4]diazepin-4-yl)phenyl)urea was found to be very potent inhibitor of multi-protein kinases including FMS kinase (IC₅₀?=?3.73?nM) and is a promising candidate for further development in therapeutics for cancer.