Lignin beyond the : recent and emerging composite applications.

The demand for biodegradable materials across various industries has recently surged due to environmental concerns and the need for the adoption of renewable materials. In this context, lignin has emerged as a promising alternative, garnering significant attention as a biogenic resource that endows functional properties. This is primarily ascribed to its remarkable origin and structure that explains lignin's capacity to bind other molecules, reinforce composites, act as an antioxidant, and endow antimicrobial effects.

Smartphone-based Fluoride-specific Sensor for Rapid and Affordable Colorimetric Detection and Precise Quantification at Sub-ppm Levels for Field Applications.

Higher levels of fluoride (F) in groundwater constitute a severe problem that affects more than 200 million people spread over 25 countries. It is essential not only to detect but also to accurately quantify aqueous F to ensure safety. The need of the hour is to develop smart water quality testing systems that would be effective in location-based real-time water quality data collection, devoid of professional expertise for handling.

Highly Sensitive As Detection Using Electrodeposited Nanostructured MnO and Phase Evolution of the Active Material during Sensing.

A simple, one-step electrodeposition approach has been used to fabricate MnO on an indium-doped tin oxide substrate for highly sensitive As detection. We report an experimental limit of detection of 1 ppb through anodic stripping voltammetry with selectivity to As in the presence of 10 times higher concentrations of several metal ions. Additionally, we report the simultaneous phase evolution of active material occurring through multiple stripping cycles, wherein MnO/MnO eventually converts to MnO as a result of change in the oxidation states of manganese.

Selective manipulation of the inositol metabolic pathway for induction of salt-tolerance in indica rice variety.

Halophytes are rich sources of salt stress tolerance genes which have often been utilized for introduction of salt-tolerance character in salt-sensitive plants. In the present study, we overexpressed PcINO1 and PcIMT1 gene(s), earlier characterized in this laboratory from wild halophytic rice Porteresia coarctata, into IR64 indica rice either singly or in combination and assessed their role in conferring salt-tolerance. Homozygous T/T transgenic plants revealed that PcINO1 transformed transgenic rice lines exhibit significantly higher tolerance upto 200 mM or higher salt concentration with negligible compromise in their growth or other physiological parameters compared to the untransformed system grown without stress.

Abiotic stress regulates expression of galactinol synthase genes post-transcriptionally through intron retention in rice.

Expression of the Galactinol synthase genes in rice is regulated through post-transcriptional intron retention in response to abiotic stress and may be linked to Raffinose Family Oligosaccharide synthesis in osmotic perturbation. Galactinol synthase (GolS) is the first committed enzyme in raffinose family oligosaccharide (RFO) synthesis pathway and synthesizes galactinol from UDP-galactose and inositol. Expression of GolS genes has long been implicated in abiotic stress, especially drought and salinity.

Significance of galactinol and raffinose family oligosaccharide synthesis in plants.

Abiotic stress induces differential expression of genes responsible for the synthesis of raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs) in plants. RFOs are described as the most widespread D-galactose containing oligosaccharides in higher plants. Biosynthesis of RFOs begin with the activity of galactinol synthase (GolS; EC 2.

Galactinol synthase across evolutionary diverse taxa: functional preference for higher plants?

Galactinol synthase (GolS), a GT8 family glycosyltransferase, synthesizes galactinol and raffinose series of oligosaccharides (RFOs). Identification and analysis of conserved domains in GTs among evolutionarily diverse taxa, structure prediction by homology modeling and determination of substrate binding pocket followed by phylogenetic analysis of GolS sequences establish presence of functional GolS predominantly in higher plants, fungi having the closest possible ancestral sequences. Evolutionary preference for a functional GolS expression in higher plants might have arisen in response to the need for galactinol and RFO synthesis to combat abiotic stress, in contrast to other organisms lacking functional GolS for such functions.