Hybrid de novo whole genome assembly of lipopeptide producing novel Bacillus thuringiensis strain NBAIR BtAr exhibiting antagonistic activity against Sclerotium rolfsii.

Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner is recognized as a predominant bioinsecticide but its antifungal potential has been relatively underexplored. A novel B. thuringiensis strain NBAIR BtAr was isolated and morphologically characterized using light and scanning electron microscopy, revealing presence of bipyramidal, cuboidal, and spherical parasporal crystals.

Insights into the whole genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis NBAIR BtPl, a strain toxic to the melon fruit fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae.

Bacillus thuringiensis is the most widely used biopesticide, targets a diversity of insect pests belonging to several orders. However, information regarding the B. thuringiensis strains and toxins targeting Zeugodacus cucurbitae is very limited.

A simple PCR-based quick detection of the economically important oriental fruit fly, (Hendel) from India.

The oriental fruit fly, (Hendel), is a significant economic and quarantine pest due to its polyphagous nature. The accurate identification of is challenging at the egg, maggot, and pupal stages, due to lack of distinct morphological characters and its similarity to other fruit flies. Adult identification requires specialized taxonomist.

Development of recombinase polymerase amplification-based colorimetric detection assay for rapid identification of invasive cassava mealybug, Matile-Ferrero.

Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is an economically important invasive cassava pest responsible for the massive devastation of cassava in Asia and African continent. Initially, identifying this invasive pest posed challenges because it closely resembled native mealybug species. Additionally, the traditional morphological identification process is labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Phenotypic variability, race profiling and molecular diversity analysis of Indian populations of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis causing lentil wilt.

Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis; Fol) is one of the major diseases of lentil worldwide.

First Report of Colletotrichum siamense Prihastuti, L. Cai & K.D. Hyde causing anthracnose disease in Santalum album Linn. in India.

Indian sandalwood (Santalum album), valued for its medicinal properties, is an indigenous species of India. Circular or irregular pale yellow lesions surrounded by a purple halo with prominent pinhead sized black fruiting bodies at the centre of the lesion were observed on leaves of sandalwood seedlings in a nursery located in Karnataka, with a disease incidence of 75% (n = 100 investigated plants) during July 2020. The disease prevailed in monsoon followed by winter season (July 2020 - January 2021); summer was less supportive for the disease incidence.

Polysaccharides from dioscorea ( shān yào) and other phytochemicals enhance antitumor effects induced by DNA vaccine against melanoma.

Adjuvants can be used to enhance the immunogenicity of antigens and improve the efficacy of vaccines. Potent adjuvant action is known to often correlate with the activation of the transcription factor, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Specific plant polysaccharides and a variety of phytochemicals from foods and traditional medicinal herbs have been shown to modulate NF-κB activation.

Biolistic transfection of tumor tissue samples.

A nonviral method for gene transfer into mammalian cells has been developed using physical force which accelerates plasmid DNA-coated gold particles to high -speed and penetrate the mammalian cells. This technology of gene transfer via a biolistic transfection method has been shown to have multiple applications to mammalian gene transfer systems. This method has also been adapted for delivery of other macromolecules like RNA, microRNA, and proteins.

Shikonin enhances efficacy of a gene-based cancer vaccine via induction of RANTES.

Background: Shikonin, a phytochemical purified from Lithospermum erythrorhizon, has been shown to confer diverse pharmacological activities, including accelerating granuloma formation, wound healing, anti-inflammation and others, and is explored for immune-modifier activities for vaccination in this study. Transdermal gene-based vaccine is an attractive approach for delivery of DNA transgenes encoding specific tumor antigens to host skin tissues. Skin dendritic cells (DCs), a potent antigen-presenting cell type, is known to play a critical role in transmitting and orchestrating tumor antigen-specific immunities against cancers.

Dioscorea phytocompounds enhance murine splenocyte proliferation ex vivo and improve regeneration of bone marrow cells in vivo.

Specific cytokines have been tested clinically for immunotherapy of cancers; however, cytotoxicity has often impaired their usefulness. Consequently, alternative approaches are increasingly desirable. Dioscorea spp.

Ferulic acid, a phenolic phytochemical, inhibits UVB-induced matrix metalloproteinases in mouse skin via posttranslational mechanisms.

Matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and -9 are known to be overexpressed in ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated skin tissues and contribute to the acceleration of photoaging and the development of skin cancer. But the specific molecular mechanisms that can control or interfere with the expression and regulation of these MMP-2 and -9 activities in skin are not clearly understood. The aim of the present study was to analyze the suppressive effects of ferulic acid (FA), an abundant phenolic compound present in various dietary and medicinal plants, on UVB radiation-induced MMP-2 and -9 activities in mouse skin.

Stimulatory effect of Echinacea purpurea extract on the trafficking activity of mouse dendritic cells: revealed by genomic and proteomic analyses.

Background: Several Echinacea species have been used as nutraceuticals or botanical drugs for "immunostimulation", but scientific evidence supporting their therapeutic use is still controversial. In this study, a phytocompound mixture extracted from the butanol fraction (BF) of a stem and leaf (S+L) extract of E. purpurea ([BF/S+L/Ep]) containing stringently defined bioactive phytocompounds was obtained using standardized and published procedures.

Anti-inflammatory plant natural products for cancer therapy.

Much of the current research in cancer therapeutics is aimed at developing drugs or vaccines to target key molecules for combating tumor cell growth, metastasis, proliferation, or changes in the associated stromal microenvironment. Studies on a wide spectrum of plant secondary metabolites extractable as natural products from fruits, vegetables, teas, spices, and traditional medicinal herbs show that these plant natural products can act as potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant or anticancer agents. The recent advances in genomics and metabolomics have enabled biologists to better investigate the potential use of immunomodulatory natural products for treatment or control of various cancerous diseases.

Gene gun delivery systems for cancer vaccine approaches.

Gene-based immunization with transgenic DNA vectors expressing tumor-associated antigens (TAA), cytokines, or chemokines, alone or in combination, provides an attractive approach to increase the cytotoxic T cell immunity against various cancer diseases. With this consideration, particle-mediated or gene gun technology has been developed as a nonviral method for gene transfer into various mammalian tissues. It has been shown to induce both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in both small and large experimental animals.

Protective immunity against porcine circovirus 2 in mice induced by a gene-based combination vaccination.

Background: Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary cause of an emerging swine disease, postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, that is responsible for economic losses. To develop an effective vaccine for PCV2, we evaluated a heterologous prime-boost vaccine approach, using a gene gun-mediated naked DNA vector as a priming and modified vaccinia virus ankara (MVA) as a booster, in Balb/c mice.

Methods: Three open reading frames (ORF) of PCV2 viral samples from infected pigs were amplified, and gene gun-mediated DNA priming vaccination was performed followed by boosts with MVA vectors expressing the same ORFs of PCV2.