Micropropagation of Dendrocalamus asper {Schult. & Schult. F.} Backer ex k. Heyne): an exotic edible bamboo

Effect of season, media type, carbon source, growth regulators and transplanting media on micropropagation of Dendrocalamus asper, an important bamboo species, was examined. The season of explant collection played an important role in axillary bud sprouting and spring (February?CApril) was found to be the best period for explant collection. Among the different media MS was found to be the best for micropropagation. Maximum numbers (4.83/explant) of shoots were initiated in MS?+?15???M BAP. For shoot multiplication, MS medium supplemented with 10???M BAP and 75???M Adenine sulfate was used. BAP was superior to KIN for both explant establishment, as well as, shoot multiplication. Optimal rooting was achieved in shoots cultured on ? strength MS medium supplemented with 5???M each of IBA and NAA. Regenerated plantlets were acclimatized and hardened in green house using dune sand and vermi-compost (3:1) with 92.34% success and transferred to the field with 100% survival rate. In the field, plants supplied with FYM along with urea showed better growth and development. Macroproliferation, plant multiplication by separating the rooted tillers of well established in vitro raised plantlets after 5 to 6?months of growth in the green house could double the multiplication rate. More than 25000 in vitro raised plants were successfully transferred to the field and no morphological variations in growth were observed, thus proving the potential of tissue culture for raising large scale plantations of D. asper.     

One-electron reduction of chromate by NADPH-dependent glutathione reductase

Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements provide evidence for the formation of Cr(V) intermediates in the enzymatic reduction of Cr(VI) by glutathione reductase (GSSG-R) in the presence of NADPH, indicating an initial single-electron transfer step in the reduction mechanism. Depending on the pH, at least two different Cr(V) species are generated which are relatively long-lived. In addition, we have detected the hydroxyl (.OH) radical formation during the GSSG-R catalyzed reduction of Cr(VI) by spin trapping, employing 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) and alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone (4-POBN) as spin traps. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) causes only a minor effect on the .OH radical and Cr(V) formation, indicating that the O2- is not significantly involved in the reaction mechanism. Catalase enhances the Cr(V) formation and substantially inhibits the .OH radical formation, indicating the involvement of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the reaction mechanism. Addition of H2O2 suppresses Cr(V) and enhances the .OH radical formation. Measurements involving N-ethylmaleimide show that the Cr(V) species, produced enzymatically by the reduction of Cr(VI) by GSSG-R, react with H2O2 to generate .OH radicals, which might participate in the initiation of Cr(VI) carcinogenicity.     

Fecundity of the freshwater catfishes mystus seenghala (sykes), mystus cavasius (ham), wallagonia attu (bloch) and heteropneustes fossilis (bloch) from the plains of Northern India

Fecundity of four species of catfishes, namely, Mystus seenghala (Sykes), Mystus cavasius (Ham), Wallagonia attu (Bloch) and Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch), was studied. The fecundity of Mystus seenghala and Mystus cavasius varied between 20064 to 46443 and 3314 to 63135 respectively. In Wallagonia attu and Heteropneustes fossilis it varied between 66070 to 453148 and 1375 to 46737 respectively. In all the four species fecundity has a linear relationship with body weight and gonad weight, and a parabolic relationship with length in all the fishes excepting Mystus seenghala, where it is linear. By subjecting the data to multiple regression analysis, it is observed that the fecundity of each species can be most accurately determined by taking two variables together. In all the fishes studied the relative fecundity (Egg/body wt.) does not change significantly either with length or body weight.     

Effect of plant growth and addition of plant residues on the phosphatase activity in soil

Summary The phosphatase activity of the soil amended with roots and tops of clover (Trifolium repens) plant material (0.1% by weight) remained essentially constant in the absence of growing plants but changed considerably in the presence of plants (Avena sativa) grown for 10 weeks. There was a significant relationship between the phosphatase activity and organic and inorganic P in the soil solution only in the presence of growing plants. The differences in phosphatase activity between roots and tops amended soil were attributed to total C as well as differences in the degree of availability of C added through plant materials. This may also apply to the carpet grass (Axonopus affinis) amended soil.     

Xanthine oxidase/hydrogen peroxide generates sulfur trioxide anion radical (SO3.-) from sulfite (SO3(2-)).

In the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), xanthine oxidase has been found to catalyze sulfur trioxide anion radical (SO3.-) formation from sulfite anion (SO3(2-)). The SO3.- radical was identified by ESR (electron spin resonance) spin trapping, utilizing 5,5-dimethyl-l-pyrroline-l-oxide (DMPO) as the spin trap. Inactivated xanthine oxidase does not catalyze SO3.- radical formation, implying a specific role for this enzyme. The initial rate of SO3.- radical formation increases linearly with xanthine oxidase concentration. Together, these observations indicate that the SO3.- generation occurs enzymatically. These results suggest a new property of xanthine oxidase and perhaps also a significant step in the mechanism of sulfite toxicity in cellular systems.     

Plasma-initiated graft polymerization as an immobilization platform for metal free Russian propolis ethanol extracts designed specifically for biomaterials

The antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities of propolis have been intensively reported. However, the application of this folk remedy as a means to prevent biomedical implant contamination has yet to be completely evaluated. In response to the significant resistant and infectious attributes of biofilms, biomaterials engineered to possess specific chemical and physical properties were immobilized with metal free Russian propolis ethanol extracts (MFRPEE), a known antibacterial agent. The results obtained from this study begin to examine the application of MFRPEE as a novel alternative method for the prevention of medical and biomedical implant infections. When constructed under specific experimental conditions, immobilized biomaterials showed excellent stability when subjected to simulated body fluid and fetal bovine serum. The ability of immobilized biomaterials to specifically target pathogens (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative biofilm forming bacteria), while promoting tissue cell growth, renders these biomaterials as potential candidates for clinical applications.     

SOMA: A Single Oligonucleotide Mutagenesis and Cloning Approach

Modern biology research requires simple techniques for efficient and restriction site-independent modification of genetic material. Classical cloning and mutagenesis strategies are limited by their dependency on restriction sites and the use of complementary primer pairs. Here, we describe the Single Oligonucleotide Mutagenesis and Cloning Approach (SOMA) that is independent of restriction sites and only requires a single mutagenic oligonucleotide to modify a plasmid. We demonstrate the broad application spectrum of SOMA with three examples. First, we present a novel plasmid that in a standardized and rapid fashion can be used as a template for SOMA to generate GFP-reporters. We successfully use such a reporter to assess the in vivo knock-down quality of morpholinos in Xenopus laevis embryos. In a second example, we show how to use a SOMA-based protocol for restriction-site independent cloning to generate chimeric proteins by domain swapping between the two human hRMD5a and hRMD5b isoforms. Last, we show that SOMA simplifies the generation of randomized single-site mutagenized gene libraries. As an example we random-mutagenize a single codon affecting the catalytic activity of the yeast Ssy5 endoprotease and identify a spectrum of tolerated and non-tolerated substitutions. Thus, SOMA represents a highly efficient alternative to classical cloning and mutagenesis strategies.     

Exploration of highly selective fluorogenic ‘on–off' chemosensor for H2PO4− ions: ICT‐based sensing and ATPase activity profiling

Abstract In this study, the recognition contour of Chemosensor 1 was investigated using semiaqueous methanol (X_H, mole fraction = 0.31) for a range of anions and bioactive species. Host–receptor signalling based on the internal charge transfer mechanism for Chemosensor 1 was explored and reported. Structure of Chemosensor 1 and its plausible anion coordination based on hydrogen bonding is complemented with density functional theory. Consequently, we investigated the applicability of the synthesized probe in blood plasma, urine, tap water samples, and for monitoring of ATP in lysosomes by apyrase enzyme.