Exogenous β-cyclocitral treatment primes tomato plants against drought by inducing tolerance traits, independent of abscisic acid.

Drought is the most devastating stress for crops. Intensity and duration of drought determine the magnitude of plant damage; similarly, plant ability to counteract drought determines its tolerance capacity. Recent studies revealed that exogenous apocarotenoid treatment confers abiotic stress tolerance to plants.

Cytokine saga in visceral leishmaniasis.

In humans, infection with Leishmania manifests into a spectrum of diseases. The manifestation of the diseases depend on the resultant evasion of the parasite to immune responses namely by macrophages, which is an exclusive host of Leishmania. The B cells valiantly mount antibody responses, however, to no avail as the Leishmania parasites occupy the intracellular niches of the macrophages and subvert the immune response.

Sol-gel-derived transparent metal oxide flexible field effect transistors.

ZnO and ZnO:Al thin films have been successfully synthesized by simple solution processable method at low temperature. Highly crystalline (002) preferentially oriented, uniform, and smooth ZnO:Al thin films are produced. The electrical, J-V and C-V, measurements revealed higher current flow and more carrier concentration, respectively, for ZnO:Al samples compared with pristine ZnO.

Characterization, pro-inflammatory response and cytotoxic profile of bioaerosols from urban and rural residential settings in Pune, India.

Microbiota associated with airborne particulate matter (PM) is an important indicator of indoor pollution as they can be pathogenic and cause serious health threats to the exposed occupants. Present study aimed to investigate the level of culturable microbes associated with PM and their toxicological characterization in urban and rural houses of Pune city. Highest concentration of bacterial aerosols observed to be associated with PM size fraction in urban site (2136 ± 285 CFU/m) whereas maximum fungal concentration has been measured in rural houses (1521 ± 302 CFU/m).

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Properties of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles.

With increase in incidence of multidrug resistant pathogens, there is a demand to adapt newer approaches in order to combat these diseases as traditional therapy is insufficient for their treatment. Use of nanotechnology provides a promising alternative as antimicrobial agents as against traditional antibiotics. Metal oxides have been exploited for a long times for their antimicrobial properties.

Understanding evolution of SARS-CoV-2: A perspective from analysis of genetic diversity of RdRp gene.

Coronavirus disease 2019 emerged as the first example of "Disease X", a hypothetical disease of humans caused by an unknown infectious agent that was named as novel coronavirus and subsequently designated as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The origin of the outbreak at the animal market in Wuhan, China implies it as a case of zoonotic spillover. The study was designed to understand evolution of Betacoronaviruses and in particular diversification of SARS-CoV-2 using RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene, a stable genetic marker.

Toxicological screening of airborne particulate matter in atmosphere of Pune: Reactive oxygen species and cellular toxicity.

Present study screened the toxicological assessment of airborne particulate matter (PM), mechanistic investigation, relationship between the physicochemical characteristics and its associated toxic response. The average concentration of both PM and PM exceeded the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards. In present study, PM bound metals; Fe, Cu, Cr, Ni, Mn, Pb, Cd, Zn, Sr and Co have been taken into account with total metal concentration of 0.

Electrochemical performance of a self-assembled two-dimensional heterostructure of rGO/MoS/h-BN.

We report the preparation and electrochemical performance evaluation of a two-dimensional (2D) self-assembled heterostructure of graphene oxide (rGO), molybdenum disulphide (MoS), and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). In the present study, the rGO-MoS-h-BN (GMH) multi-layered GMH heterostructure is fabricated an chemical route. Based on material analysis, the composite consists of bond conformations of C-B-C, Mo-S, C-N, B-N, and Mo-C, indicating the layered stacks of rGO/h-BN/MoS.

A Glutathione Activatable Ion Channel Induces Apoptosis in Cancer Cells by Depleting Intracellular Glutathione Levels.

Cancer cells use elevated glutathione (GSH) levels as an inner line of defense to evade apoptosis and develop drug resistance. In this study, we describe a novel 2,4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl (DNS) protected 2-hydroxyisophthalamide system that exploits GSH for its activation into free 2-hydroxyisophthalamide forming supramolecular M /Cl channels. Better permeation of the DNS protected compound into MCF-7 cells compared to the free 2-hydroxyisophthalamide and GSH-activatable ion transport resulted in higher cytotoxicity, which was associated with increased oxidative stress that further reduced the intracellular GSH levels and altered mitochondrial membrane permeability leading to the induction of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway.

Characterization of diversity of measles viruses in India: Genomic sequencing and comparative genomics studies.

Objective: To map genomic diversity of Measles virus (MeV) isolates collected during 2009-2017 from ten states of India.

Methods: Genome sequencing of Indian isolates and comparative genomics with global MeV using phylogeny, population stratification and selection pressure approaches were performed.

Results: The first report of complete genome sequences of forty-three Indian MeV isolates belonging to genotypes D4 (eight) and D8 (thirty-five).

A Review on Antimicrobial Properties of Metal Nanoparticles.

The field of nanotechnology elaborates the synthesis, characterization as well as application of nanomaterials. Applications of nanoparticles in various fields have interested scientists since decades due to its unique properties. Combination of pharmacology with nanotechnology has helped in development of newer antimicrobial agents in order to control the ever increasing multidrug resistant micro-organisms.

Sugar-derived oxazolone pseudotetrapeptide as γ-turn inducer and anion-selective transporter.

The intramolecular cyclization of a C-3-tetrasubstituted furanoid sugar amino acid-derived linear tetrapeptide afforded an oxazolone pseudo-peptide with the formation of an oxazole ring at the -terminus. A conformational study of the oxazolone pseudo-peptide showed intramolecular C=O···HN(II) hydrogen bonding in a seven-membered ring leading to a γ-turn conformation. This fact was supported by a solution-state NMR and molecular modeling studies.

Synthesis and anti-leishmanial activity of TRIS-glycine-β-alanine dipeptidic triazole dendron coated with nonameric mannoside glycocluster.

Tripodal nonameric mannoside glycodendrimer 1 with carbohydrate tethered triazole linked with the TRIS-glycine-β-alanine dipeptidic aromatic centered core was synthesized. Glycodendrimer 1 demonstrated potential in vitro anti-leishmanial activity. The bio-activity data was substantiated with molecular modelling and docking studies of 1 with the three-dimensional protein structure of Leishmanolysin.

Revert Banding in One-Dimensional Periodic Precipitation of the (AgNO + KBr) System in Agar Gel.

A periodically precipitating system wherein interband distance successively decreases is known as revert Liesegang banding. The phenomenon is rare, and the underlying mechanism is implicit. In the present paper, the Liesegang system comprising of AgNO and KBr as the outer and inner electrolyte pair showing revert banding in agar gel by employing a 1D experimental setup is studied under varying concentrations of participating species.

Unique CdS@MoS Core Shell Heterostructure for Efficient Hydrogen Generation Under Natural Sunlight.

The hierarchical nanostructured CdS@MoS core shell was architectured using template free facile solvothermal technique. More significantly, the typical hexagonal phase of core CdS and shell MoS has been obtained. Optical study clearly shows the two steps absorption in the visible region having band gap of 2.

Novel lavender oil and silver nanoparticles simultaneously loaded onto polyurethane nanofibers for wound-healing applications.

Synthetic polymers, especially those with biocompatible and biodegradable characteristics, may offer effective alternatives for the treatment of severe wounds and burn injuries. Ideally, the scaffold material should induce as little pain as possible, enable quick healing, and direct the growth of defect-free epidermal cells. The best material with this multifunctionality, such as self-healing dressings, should be hydrophilic and have uninterrupted and direct contact with the damaged tissue.

Semirational design and engineering of grapevine glucosyltransferases for enhanced activity and modified product selectivity.

Uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze the transfer of a diversity of sugars to several acceptor molecules and often exhibit distinct substrate specificity. Modulation of glycosyltransferases for increased catalytic activity and altered substrate or product specificity are the key manipulations for the biotechnological use of glycosyltransferases in various biosynthetic processes. Here, we have engineered the binding pocket of three previously characterized Vitis vinifera glycosyltransferases, UGT88F12, UGT72B27 and UGT92G6, by structure-guided in silico mutagenesis to facilitate the interactions of active site residues with flavonol glucosides and thus modify substrate specificity and activity.

Potential of isoquercitrin as antisickling agent: a multi-spectroscopic, thermophoresis and molecular modeling approach.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease caused by point mutation in hemoglobin (β-globin gene). Under oxygen saturation, sickle hemoglobin form polymers, leading to rigid erythrocytes. The transition of the blood vessels is altered and initiated by the adhesion of erythrocytes, neutrophils and endothelial cells.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Undernutrition among Children Less than 2 Years in Urban Slums of Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Undernutrition and its risk factors among children aged 0-23 months in urban slums of Pune was studied. Maternal and child characteristics, household food security and anthropometric measurements of 400 children were recorded. Results identified prevalence of stunting to be 34%, wasting 15.

Metabolic signatures suggest o-phosphocholine to UDP-N-acetylglucosamine ratio as a potential biomarker for high-glucose and/or palmitate exposure in pancreatic β-cells.

Introduction: Chronic exposure to high-glucose and free fatty acids (FFA) alone/or in combination; and the resulting gluco-, lipo- and glucolipo-toxic conditions, respectively, have been known to induce dysfunction and apoptosis of β-cells in Diabetes. The molecular mechanisms and the development of biomarkers that can be used to predict similarities and differences behind these conditions would help in easier and earlier diagnosis of Diabetes.

Objectives: This study aims to use metabolomics to gain insight into the mechanisms by which β-cells respond to excess-nutrient stress and identify associated biomarkers.

Azadirachtin inhibits amyloid formation, disaggregates pre-formed fibrils and protects pancreatic β-cells from human islet amyloid polypeptide/amylin-induced cytotoxicity.

The human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) or amylin is the major constituent of amyloidogenic aggregates found in pancreatic islets of type 2 diabetic patients that have been associated with β-cell dysfunction and/or death associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, developing and/or identifying inhibitors of hIAPP aggregation pathway and/or compound that can mediate disaggregation of preformed aggregates holds promise as a medical intervention for T2DM management. In the current study, the anti-amyloidogenic potential of Azadirachtin (AZD)-a secondary metabolite isolated from traditional medicinal plant Neem ()-was investigated by using a combination of biophysical and cellular assays.

Terpene profiling, transcriptome analysis and characterization of -β-terpineol synthase from .

species produces a varied mix of different metabolites that imparts immense medicinal properties. To explore this chemo-diversity, we initially carried out metabolite profiling of different tissues of five species and identified the major terpenes. This analysis broadly classified these five species into two distinct chemotypes namely, phenylpropanoid-rich and terpene-rich.

Alizarin interaction with sickle hemoglobin: elucidation of their anti-sickling properties by multi-spectroscopic and molecular modeling techniques.

Polymerization of hemoglobin S is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sickle cell disease, which leads to sickling and destruction of red blood cell. Alizarin, a bioactive compound from , is reported to be blood purifier. This study investigates the potential of alizarin as an anti-sickling agent, showing a significant decrease in the rate of polymerization, therefore inhibiting the rate of sickling with increasing concentration.

Structural significance of hypermodified nucleoside 5-carboxymethylaminomethyluridine (cmnmU) from 'wobble' (34th) position of mitochondrial tRNAs: Molecular modeling and Markov state model studies.

A quantum chemical semi-empirical RM1 approach was used to deduce the structural role of hypermodified nucleoside 5-carboxymethylaminomethyluridine 5'-monophosphate (pcmnmU) from 'wobble' (34th) position of mitochondrial tRNAs. The energetically preferred pcmnmU adopted a 'skew' conformation for C5-substituted side chain (-CH-NH-CH-COO) moiety that orient towards the 5'-ribose-phosphate backbone, which support 'anti' orientation of glycosyl (χ) torsion angle. Preferred conformation of pcmnmU was stabilized by O(4) … HC(10), O1P⋯HN(11), O(15) … HN(11), O(15) … HC(10), O4' … HC(6) and O(2) … HC2' hydrogen bonding interactions.