Bacterial tolerance strategies against lead toxicity and their relevance in bioremediation application.

Among heavy metals, lead (Pb) is a non-essential metal having a higher toxicity and without any crucial known biological functions. Being widespread, non-biodegradable and persistent in every sphere of soil, air and water, Pb is responsible for severe health and environmental issues, which need appropriate remediation measures. However, microbes inhabiting Pb-contaminated area are found to have evolved distinctive mechanisms to successfully thrive in the Pb-contaminated environment without exhibiting any negative effects on their growth and metabolism.

Therapeutic potential of bioactive compounds from Punica granatum extracts against aging and complicity of FOXO orthologue DAF-16 in .

Some natural fruits have significant importance in improving health which provides many nutritional supplements essential to maintain proper metabolism with the age. In this study, phytochemical screening of extract (methanolic) of arils, outer and inner peels was confirmed by the respective spot tests. Quantification of phytochemical constituents revealed the plentiful of total phenols in the outer peels in comparison to inner peels and juice whereas total flavonoids and vitamin C are abundant in inner peel and juice, respectively.

Salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting Bacillus pumilus strain JPVS11 to enhance plant growth attributes of rice and improve soil health under salinity stress.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth and productivity has been negatively affected due to high soil salinity. However, some salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria (ST-PGPB) enhance crop growth and reduce the negative impacts of salt stress through regulation of some biochemical, physiological, and molecular features.

Degradation and Toxicity Analysis of a Reactive Textile Diazo Dye-Direct Red 81 by Newly Isolated sp. DMS2.

An efficient diazo dye degrading bacterial strain, sp. DMS2 was isolated from a long-term textile dye polluted environment. The strain was assessed for its innate ability to completely degrade and detoxify Direct Red 81 (DR81) textile dye under microaerophilic conditions.

Cyanobacterial pigment protein allophycocyanin exhibits longevity and reduces Aβ-mediated paralysis in : complicity of FOXO and NRF2 ortholog DAF-16 and SKN-1.

The allophycocyanin (APC) protein purified from sp. A09DM was investigated for its in vivo antioxidant and anti-aging potential in . An increased mean lifespan of APC-treated (100 μg/ml) worms (wild type) were observed from 16 ± 0.

Cyanobacterial diversity in mat sample obtained from hypersaline desert, Rann of Kachchh.

Rann of Kachchh (RoK) is a unique geoformation, which is exposed to dynamic environmental changes such as salinity, temperature, and nutrients throughout the year. In this study, the pooled mat sample was examined for the cyanobacterial community structure using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. Taxonomic profiling was studied using amplicon sequencing that revealed the enrichment of Pseudanabaenales and Oscillatoriales by QIIME and MG-RAST, respectively.

Phylogenetic and crystallographic analysis of Nostoc phycocyanin having blue-shifted spectral properties.

The distinct sequence feature and spectral blue-shift (~10 nm) of phycocyanin, isolated from Nostoc sp. R76DM (N-PC), were investigated by phylogenetic and crystallographic analyses. Twelve conserved substitutions in N-PC sequence were found distributed unequally among α- and β-subunit (3 in α- and 9 in β-subunit).

Therapeutic potential of cyanobacterial pigment protein phycoerythrin: in silico and in vitro study of BACE1 interaction and in vivo Aβ reduction.

Cyanobacteria are an immense source of innovative classes of pharmacologically active compounds exhibiting various biological activities ranging from antioxidants, antibiotics, anticancer, anti-inflammatory to anti-Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we primarily targeted the inhibition of Beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) by a naturally occurring cyanobacterial protein phycoerythrin (C-PE). BACE1 cleaves amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and leads to accumulation of neurotoxic amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques in the brain, as an attribute of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Correction to: Site, trigger, quenching mechanism and recovery of non-photochemical quenching in cyanobacteria: recent updates.

In the original publication, under the subtitle Recovery: fluorescence recovery protein (FRP), paragraph 4 the text section enclosed in quotation marks does not occur in one of the original publications cited (Sluchanko et al. 2017a, b).

Bioproduction and characterization of extracellular melanin-like pigment from industrially polluted metagenomic library equipped Escherichia coli.

To explore the potential genes from the industrially polluted Amlakhadi canal, located in Ankleshwar, Gujarat, India, its community genome was extracted and cloned into E. coli EPI300™-T1 using a fosmid vector (pCC2 FOS™) generating a library of 3,92,000 clones with average size of 40kb of DNA-insert. From this library, the clone DM1 producing brown colored melanin-like pigment was isolated and characterized.

Site, trigger, quenching mechanism and recovery of non-photochemical quenching in cyanobacteria: recent updates.

Cyanobacteria exhibit a novel form of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) at the level of the phycobilisome. NPQ is a process that protects photosystem II (PSII) from possible highlight-induced photo-damage. Although significant advancement has been made in understanding the NPQ, there are still some missing details.

Microalgal hydrogen production - A review.

Bio-hydrogen from microalgae including cyanobacteria has attracted commercial awareness due to its potential as an alternative, reliable and renewable energy source. Photosynthetic hydrogen production from microalgae can be interesting and promising options for clean energy. Advances in hydrogen-fuel-cell technology may attest an eco-friendly way of biofuel production, since, the use of H to generate electricity releases only water as a by-product.

Randomized open-label trial of baclofen for relapse prevention in alcohol dependence.

Background: Alcohol dependence is a progressive chronic disorder characterized by narrowing of the drinking repertoire, salience of drinking, tolerance and withdrawal phenomenon, compulsion to drink, and frequent relapses. Baclofen has been shown to promote abstinence, to reduce craving, and to reduce anxiety in alcohol-dependent individuals, and it promises to be a useful agent, although clinical data are limited at present.

Objective: The current study aimed to test the utility of baclofen, a GABA agonist, in improving the relapse rates in alcohol-dependent subjects.

Phycoerythrin averts intracellular ROS generation and physiological functional decline in eukaryotes under oxidative stress.

In vitro antioxidant virtue and life-prolonging effect of phycoerythrin (PE; a pigment protein isolated from Phormidium sp. A09DM) have been revealed in our previous reports (Sonani et al. in Age 36:9717, 2014a; Sonani et al.

Recent advances in production, purification and applications of phycobiliproteins.

An obligatory sunlight requirement for photosynthesis has exposed cyanobacteria to different quantity and quality of light. Cyanobacteria can exhibit efficient photosynthesis over broad region (450 to 650 nm) of solar spectrum with the help of brilliantly coloured pigment proteins called phycobiliproteins (PBPs). Besides light-harvesting, PBPs are found to involve in several life sustaining phenomena including photoprotection in cyanobacteria.

Recognizing Body Dysmorphic Disorder (Dysmorphophobia).

Dysmorphophobia is a psychiatric condition which frequently presents in the clinics of dermatologists and plastic surgeons. This disorder (also called body dysmorphic disorder) is troublesome to the patient whilst being confusing for the doctor. This commonly undiagnosed condition can be detected by a few simple steps.

Bloom Dynamics of Cyanobacteria and Their Toxins: Environmental Health Impacts and Mitigation Strategies.

Cyanobacteria are ecologically one of the most prolific groups of phototrophic prokaryotes in both marine and freshwater habitats. Both the beneficial and detrimental aspects of cyanobacteria are of considerable significance. They are important primary producers as well as an immense source of several secondary products, including an array of toxic compounds known as cyanotoxins.

Psychiatric Morbidity in Infertility Patients in a Tertiary Care Setup.

Context: Infertility is regarded as a trigger for psychological morbidity. Infertile couples often suffer from anxiety, depression and lack of self confidence.

Aims: To study the demographic factors associated with infertility in a tertiary care setup and to determine the level of anxiety and depression associated with it by using standardized scales.

The phycobilisomes: an early requisite for efficient photosynthesis in cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria trap light energy by arrays of pigment molecules termed "phycobilisomes (PBSs)", organized proximal to "reaction centers" at which chlorophyll perform the energy transduction steps with highest quantum efficiency. PBSs, composed of sequential assembly of various chromophorylated phycobiliproteins (PBPs), as well as nonchromophoric, basic and hydrophobic polypeptides called linkers. Atomic resolution structure of PBP is a heterodimer of two structurally related polypeptides but distinct specialised polypeptides- a and ß, made up of seven alpha-helices each which played a crucial step in evolution of PBPs.

Assesment of Heart Rate Variability As A Measure of Cardiac Autonomic Status in Psychiatric Patients Exposed to Chemical Irritants.

Background And Purpose: However, little is known about the cardiac autonomic activity due to chemicals in psychiatric patients. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of chemical irritants on the ANS of the person and measure that in the form of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a noninvasive method to estimate the cardiac autonomic activity. The autonomic nervous system can significantly compromised by use of chemical irritants.

Cyanobacterial Sunscreen Scytonemin: Role in Photoprotection and Biomedical Research.

Cyanobacteria are the most promising group of photosynthetic microorganisms capable of producing an array of natural products of industrial importance. Scytonemin is a small hydrophobic alkaloid pigment molecules present in the extracellular sheath of several cyanobacteria as a protective mechanism against short wavelength solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It has great efficacy to minimize the production of reactive oxygen species and formation of DNA lesions.

Physico-chemical factors affecting the in vitro stability of phycobiliproteins from Phormidium rubidum A09DM.

The functionality and stability of phycobiliproteins (PBPs) phycoerythrin (PE), phycocyanin (PC) and allophycocyanin (APC) were investigated under various temperatures, pHs and oxidative stressors. All PBPs were thermostable up to 4-40°C; however, their concentration decreased rapidly at 60-80°C. The maximum stability of all PBPs was in the pH range 6.

Effects of PAR and UV Radiation on the Structural and Functional Integrity of Phycocyanin, Phycoerythrin and Allophycocyanin Isolated from the Marine Cyanobacterium Lyngbya sp. A09DM.

An in vitro analysis of the effects of photosynthetically active and ultraviolet radiations was executed to assess the photostability of biologically relevant pigments phycocyanin (PC), phycoerythrin (PE) and allophycocyanin (APC) isolated from Lyngbya sp. A09DM. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiances significantly affected the integrity of PC, PE and APC; however, PAR showed least effect.

A stable and functional single peptide phycoerythrin (15.45 kDa) from Lyngbya sp. A09DM.

A functional and stable truncated-phycoerythrin (T-PE) was found as a result of spontaneous in vitro truncation. Truncation was noticed to occur during storage of purified native-phycoerythrin (N-PE) isolated from Lyngbya sp. A09DM.

Ultraviolet radiation and cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria are the dominant photosynthetic prokaryotes from an ecological, economical, or evolutionary perspective, and depend on solar energy to conduct their normal life processes. However, the marked increase in solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) caused by the continuous depletion of the stratospheric ozone shield has fueled serious concerns about the ecological consequences for all living organisms, including cyanobacteria. UV-B radiation can damage cellular DNA and several physiological and biochemical processes in cyanobacterial cells, either directly, through its interaction with certain biomolecules that absorb in the UV range, or indirectly, with the oxidative stress exerted by reactive oxygen species.