Drosophila glial system: an approach towards understanding molecular complexity of neurodegenerative diseases.

Glia is pivotal in regulating neuronal stem cell proliferation, functioning, and nervous system homeostasis, significantly influencing neuronal health and disorders. Dysfunction in glial activity is a key factor in the development and progression of brain pathology. However, a deeper understanding of the intricate nature of glial cells and their diverse role in neurological disorders is still required.

Correlated responses in basal immune function in response to selection for fast development in Drosophila melanogaster.

Often, immunity is invoked in the context of infection, disease and injury. However, an ever alert and robust immune system is essential for maintaining good health, but resource investment into immunity needs to be traded off against allocation to other functions. In this study, we study the consequences of such a trade-off with growth by ascertaining various components of baseline innate immunity in two types of Drosophila melanogaster populations selected for fast development, in combination with either a long effective lifespan (FLJs) or a short effective lifespan (FEJs).

Heightened immune surveillance in populations selected for faster development and extended longevity.

Maximization of life-history traits is under constraints due to both, limitations of resource acquisition and the restricted pathways of resource allocation. has served as an excellent model organism to not only unravel various trade-offs among life history traits but also numerous aspects of host immune response. larvae are semi-aquatic that live, feed and excrete inside the food source-often over-ripe fruits and vegetables that are rich in both commensal and pathogenic microbiota that can impact the larval survival.

Microbial Ecology of Sulfur Biogeochemical Cycling at a Mesothermal Hot Spring Atop Northern Himalayas, India.

Sulfur related prokaryotes residing in hot spring present good opportunity for exploring the limitless possibilities of integral ecosystem processes. Metagenomic analysis further expands the phylogenetic breadth of these extraordinary sulfur (S) metabolizing microorganisms as well as their complex metabolic networks and syntrophic interactions in environmental biosystems. Through this study, we explored and expanded the microbial genetic repertoire with focus on S cycling genes through metagenomic analysis of S contaminated hot spring, located at the Northern Himalayas.

Management of altered metabolic activity in model of Huntington's disease by curcumin.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating polyglutamine disorder characterized by extensive neurodegeneration and metabolic abnormalities at systemic, cellular and intracellular levels. Metabolic alterations in HD manifest as abnormal body weight, dysregulated biomolecule levels, impaired adipocyte functions, and defective energy state which exacerbate disease progression and pose acute threat to the health of challenged individuals in form of insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, and energy crisis. To colossally mitigate disease symptoms, we tested the efficacy of curcumin in model of HD.

Fitness consequences of biochemical adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster populations under simultaneous selection for faster pre-adult development and extended lifespan.

In holometabolous insects like Drosophila melanogaster, critical size is an important time point during larval life, for irreversible commitment to metamorphosis. Here, we studied the impact of restricted growth duration in terms of selection for faster pre-adult development in Drosophila melanogaster populations which resulted in the evolution of reduced critical size on adult life history traits. Selection for faster pre-adult development resulted in biochemical adaptation in larval physiology with no compromise in major biomolecules at critical size time point.

Evolution of reduced minimum critical size as a response to selection for rapid pre-adult development in .

Adult body size in holometabolus insects is directly proportional to the time spent during the larval period. The larval duration can be divided into two parts: (i) pre-critical duration-time required to attain a critical size/critical weight that would result in successful completion of development and metamorphosis even under non-availability of nutrition beyond the time of attainment of critical size, and (ii) post-critical duration-the time duration from the attainment of critical size till pupation. It is of interest to decipher the relative contribution of the two larval growth phases (from the hatching of the egg to the attainment of critical size, and from the attainment of critical size to pupation) to the final adult size.

Wing patterning in faster developing Drosophila is associated with high ecdysone titer and wingless expression.

'Developmental robustness' is the ability of biological systems to maintain a stable phenotype despite genetic, environmental or physiological perturbations. In holometabolous insects, accurate patterning and development is guaranteed by alignment of final gene expression patterns in tissues at specific developmental stage such as molting and pupariation, irrespective of individual rate of development. In the present study, we used faster developing Drosophila melanogaster populations that show reduction of ~22% in egg to adult development time.

Rapid and solitary production of mono-rhamnolipid biosurfactant and biofilm inhibiting pyocyanin by a taxonomic outlier Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain CR1.

Biosurfactant - Rhamnolipids (RLs) and antibacterial toxin - pyocyanin (PYO) produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains have great potential for biotechnological applications. Generally, RLs are produced as a mixture of di-rhamnolipids (di-RLs) and mono-rhamnolipids (mono-RLs). Mono-RLs possess superior emulsification and antimicrobial properties and are costlier than di-RLs.

Genome Sequencing Revealed the Biotechnological Potential of an Obligate Thermophile Strain RL Isolated from Hot Water Spring.

In the present study, we report the draft genome sequence of an obligate thermophile strain RL isolated from Manikaran hot water spring located atop the Himalayan ranges, India. Strain RL grew optimally at 70 °C but not below 45 °C. The draft genome (3.

Draft Genome Sequence of sp. Strain S9, Isolated from Microbial Mat Deposits of Hot Springs Located atop the Himalayan Ranges at Manikaran, India.

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of sp. strain S9, a red-pigmented and moderately thermophilic bacterium isolated from microbial mat deposits around the hot springs at Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh, India. The draft genome (3.

Comparative Genomic Analyses Reveal Core-Genome-Wide Genes Under Positive Selection and Major Regulatory Hubs in Outlier Strains of .

Genomic information for outlier strains of is exiguous when compared with classical strains. We sequenced and constructed the complete genome of an environmental strain CR1 of and performed the comparative genomic analysis. It clustered with the outlier group, hence we scaled up the analyses to understand the differences in environmental and clinical outlier strains.

Microbial taxonomy in the era of OMICS: application of DNA sequences, computational tools and techniques.

The current prokaryotic taxonomy classifies phenotypically and genotypically diverse microorganisms using a polyphasic approach. With advances in the next-generation sequencing technologies and computational tools for analysis of genomes, the traditional polyphasic method is complemented with genomic data to delineate and classify bacterial genera and species as an alternative to cumbersome and error-prone laboratory tests. This review discusses the applications of sequence-based tools and techniques for bacterial classification and provides a scheme for more robust and reproducible bacterial classification based on genomic data.

Comparative Genomic Analysis Reveals Habitat-Specific Genes and Regulatory Hubs within the Genus .

Species belonging to the genus are found in many different habitats and have been identified as metabolically versatile. Through comparative genomic analysis, we identified habitat-specific genes and regulatory hubs that could determine habitat selection for spp. Genomes from 27 strains isolated from diverse habitats such as rhizosphere soil, plant surfaces, heavily contaminated soils, and marine and freshwater environments were analyzed.

Highlight on Engineering Mycobacterium smegmatis for testosterone production.

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Altered lipid metabolism in Drosophila model of Huntington's disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is late-onset, progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat within Huntingtin (Htt) protein. In HD patients, energy-related manifestations such as modulation of weight during entire course of disease with energy deficit at terminal stage have been reported, however, underlying reason remains elusive till date. Lipids, carbohydrate and protein constitute a predominant fraction of body's energy reservoir and perturbation in their homeostasis may influence weight.

Elimination of Arsenophonus and decrease in the bacterial symbionts diversity by antibiotic treatment leads to increase in fitness of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci.

Bemisia tabaci is an invasive agricultural pest with more than 24 genetic groups harboring different bacterial endosymbionts categorized into obligatory and facultative endosymbionts. Arsenophonus is one of the facultative endosymbionts prevalent in B. tabaci of Indian sub-continent.

Draft Genome Sequence of Cellulosimicrobium sp. Strain MM, Isolated from Arsenic-Rich Microbial Mats of a Himalayan Hot Spring.

Microbial mats situated at the Manikaran hot springs (>95°C) are characterized by their high arsenic content (140 ppb), qualifying as a stressed niche. Here, we report the annotated draft genome (3.85 Mb) of Cellulosimicrobium sp.

Curcumin enhances parental reproductive lifespan and progeny viability in Drosophila melanogaster.

Organismal lifespan is a complex trait that is governed by both its genetic makeup as well as the environmental conditions. The improved socioeconomic condition of humans has led to many lifestyle changes that in turn have altered the demography that includes postponement of procreation. Late age progeny is shown to suffer from many congenital diseases.

Gender based disruptive selection maintains body size polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster.

Darwinian fitness in holometabolous insects like the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is reported to be positively correlated with body size. If large individuals in a population have higher fitness, then one would expect directional selection to operate leading to uniformly large individuals. However, size polymorphism persists in nature and needs further probing.

Aloe vera or resveratrol supplementation in larval diet delays adult aging in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.

Longevity extension in Drosophila melanogaster by feeding diet supplemented with chemicals throughout adulthood can cause harmful side effects. We tested the effect of larval diet supplementation with five different concentrations of resveratrol and one concentration of Aloe vera extract on the adult longevity of short-lived D melanogaster populations. Resveratrol and A vera extract supplementation of larval diet extended adult longevity in both the male and female flies without reducing fecundity but by efficient reactive oxygen species scavenging through increased antioxidant enzymes activity and better neuroprotection as indicated by increased locomotor activity in adult males.

Laboratory evolution of population stability in Drosophila: constancy and persistence do not necessarily coevolve.

1. Despite considerable theoretical work, the evolution of population stability has rarely been investigated empirically. Moreover, it is not clear whether different stability properties of a population evolve together, or independently.