Antifungal Potential of Plant Growth Promoting Bacillus Species Against Blossom Blight of Rose

Blossom blight caused by Botrytis cinerea is one among the most devastating diseases that cause complete post-harvest loss in flower crops. The present study focuses on the development of effective bioformulation towards suppression of blossom blight and plant growth promotion in rose. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (VB2) and Bacillus subtilis (AP) effectively inhibited mycelial growth of B. cinerea in vitro. Genome screening of VB2 and AP revealed the presence of antimicrobial peptide genes including, ituD, ipa14, bacA, bacD, srfA, sfP, spaC, spaS responsible for the biosynthesis of antibiotics such as iturin, bacilysin, bacillomycin, surfactin and subtilin. Further, the presence of volatile antifungal compounds in the bacterial secretome was identified through gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Upon treatment, AP accelerated the metabolite profile of the plants and a rise in peak area of antifungal compounds such as, pentadecanoic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid (stearic acid) and tetradecanoic acid was observed. In vitro, VB2 produced maximum indole acetic acid (9.17 µg/ml) and gibberellic acid (8.20 µg/ml) in nutrient broth. Under field conditions, foliar spray of VB2 at 0.5% (5 ml/l), four times at weekly interval suppressed blossom blight incidence (64% reduction over control) and also promoted yield. Future research towards development of an effective bioformulation with extended shelf life will aid in the management of various fungal, bacterial and viral diseases in different crop plants.

     

Fungal spores are an important component of library air

The airborne fungal spore types were studied in different libraries in Delhi, using an Andersen sampler and a Burkard personal sampler, for culturable and non-culturable fungi respectively. The concentration inside the libraries, before and after the agitation of books, were compared with outside air. The major contributors to the library air areCladosporium, aspergilli/penicillia, smuts andAlternaria, varying from 50 to 14%. Some fungi (Cladosporium, Alternaria, smut,Penicillium chrysogenum andnigricans) showed seasonal occurrence, corresponding to their occurrence in the extramural environment. Aspergilli/penicillia,Drechslera, Curvularia andAspergillus flavus had a significantly higher concentration (P<0.01) inside the library, and recorded a significant increase in concentration after agitation of books. Air-conditioned libraries have low fungal spore concentrations, as compared to naturally ventilated libraries.     

Preoperative dilatation of the cervix by single vaginal administration of 15-methyl-PGF2α-methyl ester

Two different vaginal suppositories have been developed suitable for one single treatment for preoperative dilatation of the cervix prior to vacuum aspiration in late first trimester abortion. The study included 60 patients equally distributed in one control group (Group I) where vacuum aspiration was performed without pretreatment; one group (Group II) where the patients obtained 2.0 mg 15-methyl-PGF_2α-methyl ester in a rapid releasing base six hours prior to operation and one group (Group III) where the prostaglandin dose was increased to 2.5 mg 15-methyl-PGF_2α-methyl ester and a more slow releasing base was used and the operation performed after 12 hours. The mean cervical dilatation at operation was in Group II 9 mm and in Group III 11 mm in comparison with 4.8 mm in the control group. The bleeding at the operation was also significantly reduced.     

Evaluation of the RAPID ID 32A system for the identification of Bacteroides fragilis and related organisms

This study evaluated the ability of a rapid identification system for anaerobic bacteria, ATB 32A, now renamed RAPID ID 32A (API-bioMérieux UK Ltd., Basingstoke), to identify accurately 74 strains of the 'B. fragilis group'. ATB 32A identified correctly 78.4% of strains to species level, without supplemental tests. The percentage of strains identified to species level rose to 94.6% when a supplementary test (advised by bioMérieux) for catalase production was used to differentiate between Bacteroides ovatus and Bacteroides uniformis. RAPID ID 32A is a rapid, accurate method for the identification of members of the 'B. fragilis group' isolated within a routine clinical laboratory.     

Multiple sources of evidence for density dependence in the endangered Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni)

Hawaiian stilts (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) are an endangered subspecies of the Black-necked stilt endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Despite long-term study, the main drivers of Hawaiian stilt population dynamics are poorly understood. We tested for density dependence using two sources of evidence: a 30-year time series of annual estimated range-wide abundance, and two 15+ year time series of reproductive success. Using separate methods with independent data, sources allowed us to make up for the potentially positive bias of one approach with the more conservative nature of the second. We compared nonlinear density-dependent and density-independent population model fits to our time-series data, using both frequentist and Bayesian state-space approaches. Across both approaches, density-dependent models best fit observed population dynamics, with lower AICc and cross-validation statistics compared to density-independent models. Among density-dependent models, a conditional model in which density-independent dynamics occur below a population size threshold (~850–1,000 birds), and then density-dependent dynamics occur above that threshold, performed best across Bayesian and frequentist model comparisons, with the Ricker model ranked next or equivalently. Our analysis of reproduction data revealed a strong negative effect of local adult density on nest success (proportion of nests hatching at least one chick) at Kealia National Wildlife Refuge on Maui, where few alternative breeding habitats are available, but no such effect at another site where many nearby alternative wetlands are available. These congruent results across independent datasets and analytical approaches support the hypothesis that Hawaiian stilts exhibit density dependence across their range.     

Epigenetic Modulation in Parkinson’s Disease and Potential Treatment Therapies

In the recent past, huge emphasis has been given to the epigenetic alterations of the genes responsible for the cause of neurological disorders. Earlier, the scientists believed somatic changes and modifications in the genetic makeup of DNA to be the main cause of the neurodegenerative diseases. With the increase in understanding of the neural network and associated diseases, it was observed that alterations in the gene expression were not always originated by the change in the genetic sequence. For this reason, extensive research has been conducted to understand the role of epigenetics in the pathophysiology of several neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and, Huntington’s disease. In a healthy person, the epigenetic modifications play a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of a cell by either up-regulating or down-regulating the genes. Therefore, improved understanding of these modifications may provide better insight about the diseases and may serve as potential therapeutic targets for their treatment. The present review describes various epigenetic modifications involved in the pathology of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) backed by multiple researches carried out to study the gene expression regulation related to the epigenetic alterations. Additionally, we will briefly go through the current scenario about the various treatment therapies including small molecules and multiple phytochemicals potent enough to reverse these alterations and the future directions for a better management of PD.

     

Smokeless Tobacco Extract (STE)-Induced Toxicity in Mammalian Cells is Mediated by the Disruption of Cellular Microtubule Network: A Key Mechanism of Cytotoxicity

Smokeless tobacco usage is a growing public health problem worldwide. The molecular mechanism(s) underlying smokeless tobacco associated tissue damage remain largely unidentified. In the present study we have tried to explore the effects of aqueous extract of smokeless tobacco (STE) on tubulin-microtubule, the major cytoskeleton protein that maintains cells morphology and participates in cell division. Exposure to STE resulted in dose-dependent cytotoxicity in a variety of mammalian transformed cell lines such as human lung epithelial cells A549, human liver epithelial cells HepG2, and mouse squamous epithelial cells HCC7, as well as non-tumorogenic human peripheral blood mononuclear cells PBMC. Cellular morphology of STE-treated cells was altered and the associated disruption of microtubule network indicates that STE targets tubulin-microtubule system in both cell lines. Furthermore it was also observed that STE-treatment resulted in the selective degradation of cellular tubulin, whereas actin remains unaltered. In vitro, polymerization of purified tubulin was inhibited by STE with the IC₅₀ value∼150 µg/ml and this is associated with the loss of reactive cysteine residues of tubulin. Application of thiol-based antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) significantly abrogates STE-mediated microtubule damage and associated cytotoxicity in both A549 and HepG2 cells. These results suggest that microtubule damage is one of the key mechanisms of STE-induced cytotoxity in mammalian cells.