Realizing visionary goals for the International Year of Millet (IYoM): accelerating interventions through advances in molecular breeding and multiomics resources.

Leveraging advanced breeding and multi-omics resources is vital to position millet as an essential "nutricereal resource," aligning with IYoM goals, alleviating strain on global cereal production, boosting resilience to climate change, and advancing sustainable crop improvement and biodiversity. The global challenges of food security, nutrition, climate change, and agrarian sustainability demand the adoption of climate-resilient, nutrient-rich crops to support a growing population amidst shifting environmental conditions. Millets, also referred to as "Shree Anna," emerge as a promising solution to address these issues by bolstering food production, improving nutrient security, and fostering biodiversity conservation.

Current research status and emerging trends in wheat: An integrated scientometric analysis based on ploidy uncovers hidden footprints in the scientific landscape.

Wheat, a highly versatile staple crop cultivated extensively for its grains on a global scale, is poised to experience increased demand to sustain the burgeoning population, owing to its superior nutritional potential. Modern wheat, a hexaploid species, has evolved through the introgression of numerous preceding ploidies, including Einkorn, Emmer, Aegilops, and others, each possessing distinct qualitative and quantitative traits. Scientometric and topical analyses serve as effective tools to quantitatively evaluate scientific research by measuring the knowledge expressed in scientific publications and keywords.

Revitalizing miRNAs mediated agronomical advantageous traits improvement in rice.

One of the key enigmas in conventional and modern crop improvement programmes is how to introduce beneficial traits without any penalty impairment. Rice (Oryza sativa L.), among the essential staple food crops grown and utilized worldwide, needs to improve genotypes in multifaceted ways.

Recent advances on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS); prospects for Fusarium head blight research in Durum wheat.

Purpose: Wheat is an important cereal crop that is cultivated in different parts of the world. The biotic stresses are the major concerns in wheat-growing nations and are responsible for production loss globally. The change in climate dynamics makes the pathogen more virulent in foothills and tropical regions.

Indian Wheat Genomics Initiative for Harnessing the Potential of Wheat Germplasm Resources for Breeding Disease-Resistant, Nutrient-Dense, and Climate-Resilient Cultivars.

Wheat is one of the major staple cereal food crops in India. However, most of the wheat-growing areas experience several biotic and abiotic stresses, resulting in poor quality grains and reduced yield. To ensure food security for the growing population in India, there is a compelling need to explore the untapped genetic diversity available in gene banks for the development of stress-resistant/tolerant cultivars.

Genes determining panicle morphology and grain quality in rice ().

The world's increase in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production is not keeping up with the increase in its population. To boost the introduction of new high-yielding cultivars, knowledge is being gained on the genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) determining the panicle phenotype.

Multi-locus genome-wide association studies (ML-GWAS) reveal novel genomic regions associated with seedling and adult plant stage leaf rust resistance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Leaf rust is one of the important diseases limiting global wheat production and productivity. To identify quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) or genomic regions associated with seedling and adult plant leaf rust resistance, multilocus genome-wide association studies (ML-GWAS) were performed on a panel of 400 diverse wheat genotypes using 35 K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping assays and trait data of leaf rust resistance. Association analyses using six multi-locus GWAS models revealed a set of 201 significantly associated QTNs for seedling and 65 QTNs for adult plant resistance (APR), explaining 1.

Biochemical and molecular processes contributing to grain filling and yield in rice.

The increase in much required rice production through breeding programmes is on decline. The primary reason being poor filling of grains in the basal spikelets of the heavy and compact panicle rice developed. These spikelets are genetically competent to develop into well filled grains, but fail to do so because the carbohydrate assimilates available to them remain unutilized, reportedly due to poor activities of the starch biosynthesizing enzymes, high production of ethylene leading to enhanced synthesis of the downstream signaling component RSR1 protein that inhibits GBSS1 activity, poor endosperm cell division and endoreduplication of the endosperm nuclei, altered expression of the transcription factors influencing grain filling, enhanced expression and phosphorylation of 14-3-3 proteins, poor expression of the seed storage proteins, reduced synthesis of the hormones like cytokinins and IAA that promote grain filling, and altered expression of miRNAs preventing their normal role in grain filling.

Study of expressions of miRNAs in the spikelets based on their spatial location on panicle in rice cultivars provided insight into their influence on grain development.

Development of rice cultivars bearing numerous spikelets by breeding approach to increase the yearly production of rice to approximately 800 million metric tons to feed the ever increasing population of the world accompanies poor grain filling in the inferior spikelets preventing achievement of the yield potential. As the initial stages of caryopses development are of much importance for grain filling, spatio-temporal expressions of the miRNAs were studied during these periods in the spikelets of a compact-panicle rice cultivar, Oryza sativa cv. Mahalaxmi, bearing numerous spikelets per panicle to understand the reason of poor grain filling at the level of the initial biochemical events.

Cell cycle events and expression of cell cycle regulators are determining factors in differential grain filling in rice spikelets based on their spatial location on compact panicles.

Rice being a staple crop for human, its production is required to be increased significantly, particularly keeping in view the expected world's population of 9.6 billion by the year 2050. In this context, although the rice breeding programs have been successful in increasing the number of spikelets per panicle, the basal spikelets remain poorly filled, undermining the yield potential.

Identification and expression analysis of miRNAs and elucidation of their role in salt tolerance in rice varieties susceptible and tolerant to salinity.

Soil salinization is a serious problem for cultivation of rice, as among cereals rice is the most salt sensitive crop, and more than 40% of the total agricultural land amounting to approximately 80 million ha the world over is salt affected. Salinity affects a plant in a varieties of ways, including ion toxicity, osmotic stress and oxidative damage. Since miRNAs occupy the top place in biochemical events determining a trait, understanding their role in salt tolerance is highly desirable, which may allow introduction of the trait in the rice cultivars of choice through biotechnological interventions.

Identification and characterization of drought responsive miRNAs in a drought tolerant upland rice cultivar KMJ 1-12-3.

Shortfall of rain that creates drought like situation in non-irrigated agriculture system often limits rice production, necessitating introduction of drought tolerance trait into the cultivar of interest. The mechanism governing drought tolerance is, however, largely unknown, particularly the involvement of miRNAs, the master regulators of biochemical events. In this regard, response study on a drought tolerant rice variety KMJ 1-12-3 to 20% PEG (osmolality- 315 mOsm/kg) as drought stress revealed significant changes in abundance of several conserved miRNAs targeting transcription factors like homeodomain-leucine zipper, MADS box family protein, C2H2 zinc finger protein and Myb, well known for their importance in drought tolerance in plants.

Why Nature Uses Radical SAM Enzymes so Widely: Electron Nuclear Double Resonance Studies of Lysine 2,3-Aminomutase Show the 5'-dAdo• "Free Radical" Is Never Free.

Lysine 2,3-aminomutase (LAM) is a radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) enzyme and, like other members of this superfamily, LAM utilizes radical-generating machinery comprising SAM anchored to the unique Fe of a [4Fe-4S] cluster via a classical five-membered N,O chelate ring. Catalysis is initiated by reductive cleavage of the SAM S-C5' bond, which creates the highly reactive 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical (5'-dAdo•), the same radical generated by homolytic Co-C bond cleavage in B12 radical enzymes. The SAM surrogate S-3',4'-anhydroadenosyl-L-methionine (anSAM) can replace SAM as a cofactor in the isomerization of L-α-lysine to L-β-lysine by LAM, via the stable allylic anhydroadenosyl radical (anAdo•).

Complete stereospecific repair of a synthetic dinucleotide spore photoproduct by spore photoproduct lyase.

Spore photoproduct lyase (SP lyase), a member of the radical S-adenosylmethionine superfamily of enzymes, catalyzes the repair of 5-thyminyl-5,6-dihydrothymine [spore photoproduct (SP)], a type of UV-induced DNA damage unique to bacterial spores. The anaerobic purification and characterization of Clostridium acetobutylicum SP lyase heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and its catalytic activity in repairing stereochemically defined synthetic dinucleotide SPs was investigated. The purified enzyme contains between 2.

An efficient deprotection of N-trimethylsilylethoxymethyl (SEM) groups from dinucleosides and dinucleotides.

A convenient and efficient method for deprotection of N-(trimethyl)silylethoxymethyl (SEM) groups from thymidine dinucleoside and dinucleotide has been achieved. The SEM groups were easily removed in excellent yields from protected nucleosides, dinucleosides, and dinucleotides.

Chemoselective deprotection of triethylsilyl ethers.

An efficient and selective method was developed for the deprotection of triethylsilyl (TES) ethers using formic acid in methanol (5-10%) or in methylene chloride 2-5%) with excellent yields. TES ethers are selectively deprotected to the corresponding alcohols in high yields using formic acid in methanol under mild reaction conditions. Other hydroxyl protecting groups like t-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) remain unaffected.

Spore photoproduct lyase catalyzes specific repair of the 5R but not the 5S spore photoproduct.

Bacterial spores are remarkable in their resistance to chemical and physical stresses, including exposure to UV radiation. The unusual UV resistance of bacterial spores is a result of the unique photochemistry of spore DNA, which results in accumulation of 5-thyminyl-5,6-dihydrothymine (spore photoproduct, or SP), coupled with the efficient repair of accumulated damage by the enzyme spore photoproduct lyase (SPL). SPL is a member of the radical AdoMet superfamily of enzymes, and utilizes an iron-sulfur cluster and S-adenosylmethionine to repair SP by a direct reversal mechanism initiated by H atom abstraction from C-6 of the thymine dimer.

Determination of the anomeric configuration in carbohydrates by longitudinal cross-correlated relaxation studies: application to mono- and disaccharides.

The role of cross-correlated relaxation between the anomeric proton chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and its dipolar relaxation with nearby proton on the longitudinal relaxation in mono- and disaccharides at two magnetic field strengths has been investigated and shown to directly report the identity of their anomeric configuration.

Chemoselective deprotection of alpha-indole and imidazole ribonucleosides.

A series of 2 ',3 '-isopropylidene and 5 '-trityl-protected alpha-indole and alpha/beta-benzimidazole and imidazole ribonucleosides were deprotected with different acids. Selectivity was achieved for 5 '-versus 2 ',3 '- deprotection by using formic acid in the alpha-indole ribonucleoside series. Treatment of alpha-indole ribonucleosides with a mixture of formic acid and ether at room temperature afforded 2 ',3 '-deprotected alpha-ribonucleosides, whereas treatment of the alpha-benzimidazole ribonucleosides with the same acid afforded the 5 '-deprotected ribonucleoside without any 2 ', 3 '-deprotected products.

Regio- and stereoselective glycosylation: synthesis of 5-haloimidazole alpha-ribonucleosides.

We describe the synthesis of novel 5-haloimidazole ribonucleosides as precursors of modified cobalamins. A regio- and stereoselective glycosylation of protected ribose with silylated 4(5)-haloimidazoles produces 5-haloimidazole ribonucleosides predominantly in the alpha-configuration (60-75%) without any 4-substituted imidazole ribonucleoside. The structure of the 5-fluoroimidazole ribonucleoside was confirmed by X-ray crystallography and 2D NMR spectroscopy.

Cross-correlated relaxation between H1' chemical shift anisotropy and H1'-H2' dipolar relaxation mechanisms in ribonucleosides: application to the characterization of their anomeric configuration.

Cross-correlated nuclear spin relaxation between 1H chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and 1H-1H dipolar relaxation mechanisms in ribonucleosides in solution phase are observed and used to identify their anomeric configuration. Only alpha-ribonucleosides showed the presence of cross-correlated spin relaxation through differential spin-lattice relaxation (T1) of the H1' doublet. Dependence of the magnitude and the orientation of the H1' CSA tensor values on the glycosidic torsion angle and the fast time-scale internal motions present in the ribose moiety play a significant role in the characterization of the anomeric configuration of the nucleosides via cross-correlated relaxation.

Regioselective glycosylation: synthesis of alpha-indoline nucleosides.

Novel indoline ribonucleosides with the alpha-N-glycoside configuration are synthesized with very high regioselectivity in 90-96%yield, using TMS protected indolines and 2,3-O-(1-methylethylidene)-5-O-(triphenylmethyl)-alpha/beta-D-ribofuranose. The structures of these ribonucleosides were elucidated with X-ray crystallography as well as 2D (NOESY, COSY, and HMQC) NMR spectroscopy.

Syntheses and thermal reactivities of tetradentate metalloenediynes of Cu(II) and Zn(II).

The syntheses and Bergman cyclization temperatures of disubstituted tetradentate enediyne ligands based on a dibenzylethylenediamine backbone are reported relative to the corresponding Cu(II) and Zn(II) analogues. For these compounds, the R-groups dimethylamine (dma), pyridine (py), quinoline (quin), and 3-oxypyridine (pyO) have been symmetrically and asymmetrically incorporated at the alkyne termini positions directly (0:0) or via a methylene spacer (1:0, 0:1, 1:1). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) reveals that all Cu(II) complexes are monomeric with near axial symmetry and g-values (g(x) approximately 2.