Structural and functional characterization of genes and enzymes involved in withanolide biosynthesis in Physalis alkekengi L.

Physalis alkekengi L. is recognized as a significant source of various secondary metabolites, particularly C steroidal lactones known as withanolides and physalins, renowned for their therapeutic properties with a rich history in traditional medicine. In this study, we characterized the sequences of key downstream genes (PaFPPS, PaSQS, PaSQE, PaCAS, PaHYD1, and PaDWF5-1) involved in the biosynthesis of withanolides, marking the first characterization of these genes in P.

Secretomic Insights into the Pathophysiology of : The Causative Agent of Scab, a Devastating Apple Tree Disease.

Apple scab, caused by , is one of the world's most commercially significant apple diseases. The fungi have a catastrophic impact on apples, causing considerable losses in fruit quality and productivity in many apple-growing locations despite numerous control agents. Fungi secrete various effectors and other virulence-associated proteins that suppress or alter the host's immune system, and several such proteins were discovered in this work.

Discovery of a New Donepezil-like Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor for Targeting Alzheimer's Disease: Computational Studies with Biological Validation.

Alzheimer's disorder is one of the most common worldwide health problems, and its prevalence continues to increase, thereby straining the healthcare budgets of both developed and developing countries. So far, donepezil is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved dual-binding site inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) that can amplify the cholinergic activity and also decrease Aβ aggregation in Alzheimer patients. We report herein a new donepezil-like natural compound derivative (D1) as a convincing AChE inhibitor.

Withanolide A extends the lifespan in human EGFR-driven cancerous Caenorhabditis elegans.

The conserved EGFR pathway is linked with multiple cancers in humans including breast, ovarian, and lung carcinoma. Withanolide A, one of the major withanolidal active compounds isolated from the Withania somnifera, extends lifespan and ameliorates stress resistance in wild-type C. elegans by targeting the Insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway.

Withanolide A offers neuroprotection, ameliorates stress resistance and prolongs the life expectancy of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Withanolide A (steroidal lactone) forms the major constituent of the most popular herbal drug in Ayurvedic medicine, Ashwagandha. It has been used since ancient times as an alternative medicine for the treatment of a variety of age related disorders. Here we provide multiple lines of evidence indicating that Withanolide A improves healthspan, delays age-associated physiological changes and also extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Folic acid supplementation at lower doses increases oxidative stress resistance and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Folic acid (FA) is an essential nutrient that the human body needs but cannot be synthesized on its own. Fortified foods and plant food sources such as green leafy vegetables, beans, fruits, and juices are good sources of FA to meet the daily requirements of the body. The aim was to evaluate the effect of dietary FA levels on the longevity of well-known experimental aging model Caenorhabditis elegans.

In silico identification of novel protective VSG antigens expressed by Trypanosoma brucei and an effort for designing a highly immunogenic DNA vaccine using IL-12 as adjuvant.

African trypanosomiasis continues to be a major health problem, with more adults dying from this disease world-wide. As the sequence diversity of Trypanosoma brucei is extreme, with VSGs having 15-25% identity with most other VSGs, hence it displays a huge diversity of adaptations and host specificities. Therefore the need for an improved vaccine has become an international priority.

In silico proteomic characterization of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) for the mapping of high affinity antigenic determinants against breast cancer.

Multiple different approaches are being used to activate the immune system against breast cancer. Vaccine therapy in general follows the principle that injections of various substances ultimately result in the presentation of tumor peptides to the patient's immune system. We proposed a potential in silico DNA vaccine against breast cancer by integrating high affinity T cell (MHC-I and MHC-II) and B cell (continuous and discontinuous) epitopes.

Virtual screening of specific chemical compounds by exploring E.coli NAD+-dependent DNA ligase as a target for antibacterial drug discovery.

Unique substrate specificity compared with ATP-dependent human DNA ligases recommends E.coli NAD(+)-ligases as potential targets. A plausible strategy is to identify the structural components of bacterial DNA ligase that interact with NAD(+) and then to isolate small molecules that recognize these components and thereby block the binding of NAD(+) to the ligase.

In silico DNA vaccine designing against human papillomavirus (HPV) causing cervical cancer.

HPV vaccines available in the market are not effective against different strains of papillomavirus, therefore, there is a need to develop a new prophylactic DNA vaccine which can work against different strains of HPVs and may lead to protection of cervical cancer against new pandemic viruses. We designed a potential prophylactic DNA vaccine by using all the consensus epitopic sequences of HPVs L2 capsid protein and performed in silico cloning of multiepitopic antigenic DNA sequence in pVAX-1 vector. Immunogenicity of vaccine has been enhanced by techniques like codon optimization, engineering CpG motifs, introducing promoters and co-injection with plasmids expressing immune-stimulatory molecules.