Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria Shewanella putrefaciens and Cronobacter dublinensis enhance drought tolerance of pearl millet by modulating hormones and stress-responsive genes.

Drought is a major abiotic stress that affects crop productivity. Endophytic bacteria have been found to alleviate the adverse effects of drought on plants. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of two endophytic bacteria Shewanella putrefaciens strain MCL-1 and Cronobacter dublinensis strain MKS-1 on pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.

Rifampicin Increases Expression of Plant Codon-Optimized Bacillus thuringiensis δ-Endotoxin Genes in Escherichia coli.

Transgenic crops expressing Cry δ-endotoxins of Bacillus thuringiensis for insect resistance have been commercialized worldwide with increased crop productivity and spectacular socioeconomic gains. To attain the enhanced level of protein expression, the cry genes have to be extensively modified for RNA stability and translation efficiency in the plant systems. However, such modifications in nucleotide sequences make it difficult to express the cry genes in Escherichia coli because of the presence of E.

Blast resistance gene Pi54 over-expressed in rice to understand its cellular and sub-cellular localization and response to different pathogens.

Rice blast resistance gene, Pi54 provides broad-spectrum resistance against different strains of Magnaporthe oryzae. Understanding the cellular localization of Pi54 protein is an essential step towards deciphering its place of interaction with the cognate Avr-gene. In this study, we investigated the sub-cellular localization of Pi54 with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) as a molecular tag through transient and stable expression in onion epidermal cells (Allium cepa) and susceptible japonica cultivar rice Taipei 309 (TP309), respectively.

Author Correction: Transcript expression profiling in two contrasting cultivars and molecular cloning of a SKP-1 like gene, a component of SCF-ubiquitin proteasome system from mungbean Vigna radiate L.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Expressivity of the key genes associated with seed and pod development is highly regulated via lncRNAs and miRNAs in Pigeonpea.

Non-coding RNA's like miRNA, lncRNA, have gained immense importance as a significant regulatory factor in different physiological and developmental processes in plants. In an effort to understand the molecular role of these regulatory agents, in the present study, 3019 lncRNAs and 227 miRNAs were identified from different seed and pod developmental stages in Pigeonpea, a major grain legume of Southeast Asia and Africa. Target analysis revealed that 3768 mRNAs, including 83 TFs were targeted by lncRNAs; whereas 3060 mRNA, including 154 TFs, were targeted by miRNAs.

Variation in the LRR region of Pi54 protein alters its interaction with the AvrPi54 protein revealed by in silico analysis.

Rice blast, caused by the ascomycete fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is a destructive disease of rice and responsible for causing extensive damage to the crop. Pi54, a dominant blast resistance gene cloned from rice line Tetep, imparts a broad spectrum resistance against various M. oryzae isolates.

DsRNA-mediated protection against two isolates of Papaya ringspot virus through topical application of dsRNA in papaya.

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) infections in papaya result in heavy yield losses, severely affecting the papaya industry worldwide, and hence warranting for effective control measures. In the past, transgenic papaya cultivars were developed that overexpressed parts of the PRSV genome and exhibited high levels of virus resistance. In the present study, a non-transgenic approach was employed, in which in vitro produced dsRNA molecules derived from a PRSV isolate from South India (PRSV-Tirupati) was tested for dsRNA-mediated protection against two isolates of PRSV through topical application of the dsRNA on papaya.

Drought mediated physiological and molecular changes in muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.).

Water deficiency up to a certain level and duration leads to a stress condition called drought. It is a multi-dimensional stress causing alteration in the physiological, morphological, biochemical, and molecular traits in plants resulting in improper plant growth and development. Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses responsible for loss of crops including muskmelon (Cucumis melo.

First Draft Genome Sequence of Wheat Spot Blotch Pathogen BS_112 from India, Obtained Using Hybrid Assembly.

is a devastating fungal pathogen causing spot blotch of wheat. We report here the first draft genome of strain BS_112 from India using sequence reads from the Ion Torrent, Illumina HiSeq, and Nanopore platforms. The genome size was estimated at 35.

Genome wide transcriptome analysis reveals vital role of heat responsive genes in regulatory mechanisms of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus).

The present study reports the role of morphological, physiological and reproductive attributes viz. membrane stability index (MSI), osmolytes accumulations, antioxidants activities and pollen germination for heat stress tolerance in contrasting genotypes. Heat stress increased proline and glycine betaine (GPX) contents, induced superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities and resulted in higher MSI in PDL-2 (tolerant) compared to JL-3 (sensitive).

Elucidation of Galactomannan Biosynthesis Pathway Genes through Transcriptome Sequencing of Seeds Collected at Different Developmental Stages of Commercially Important Indian Varieties of Cluster Bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.).

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L) endosperm predominantly contains guar gum a polysaccharide, which has tremendous industrial applications in food, textile, paper, oil drilling and water treatment. In order to understand the genes controlling galactomannan biosynthesis, mRNA was isolated from seeds collected at different developmental stages; young pods, mature pods and young leaf from two guar varieties, HG365 and HG870 and subjected to Illumina sequencing. De novo assembly of fourteen individual read files from two varieties of guar representing seven developmental stages gave a total of 1,13,607 contigs with an N50 of 1,244 bases.

Transcript expression profiling in two contrasting cultivars and molecular cloning of a SKP-1 like gene, a component of SCF-ubiquitin proteasome system from mungbean Vigna radiate L.

Protein degradation and turnover under various environmental stresses is basically regulated by ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), of which SKP1 is a very essential component. Isolation and cloning of an identified potential stress responsive candidate gene SKP1, was successfully done for the first time to fathom the role of SKP1 in drought tolerance at genetic level in drought tolerant mungbean cultivar Pratap, which was screened after a detailed physio-biochemical screening amongst seven popular mungbean cultivars. The cloned gene SKP1 (accession number KX881912) is 550 bp in length, encodes 114 amino acids.

Comparative Genomics Reveals the High Copy Number Variation of a Retro Transposon in Different Isolates.

is one of the fungal pathogens of rice which results in heavy yield losses worldwide. Understanding the genomic structure of is essential for appropriate deployment of the blast resistance in rice crop improvement programs. In this study we sequenced two isolates, RML-29 (avirulent) and RP-2421 (highly virulent) and performed comparative study along with three publically available genomes of 70-15, P131, and Y34.

Decoding and analysis of organelle genomes of Indian tea (Camellia assamica) for phylogenetic confirmation.

The NCBI database has >15 chloroplast (cp) genome sequences available for different Camellia species but none for C. assamica. There is no report of any mitochondrial (mt) genome in the Camellia genus or Theaceae family.

Structural characterization and heterologous expression of a new cyt gene cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains produce Cry (crystal) and Cyt (cytolytic) proteins belonging to the group of bacterial toxins known as pore-forming toxins (PFTs), which interact with midgut cells of target insects to create pores, disruption of ion homeostasis and eventual death. PFTs have synergistic insecticidal activities and have been used as biopesticides against agriculturally important insects. Identification of new Cyt proteins is important because of their specific toxicity towards hemipteran pests, against which the Cry proteins are not effective.

Cytosine Methylation of Isoflavone Synthase Gene in the Genic Region Positively Regulates Its Expression and Isoflavone Biosynthesis in Soybean Seeds.

Plants, being sessile organisms, have evolved several dynamic mechanisms of gene regulation. Epigenetic modification especially cytosine methylation and demethylation actively regulates the expression of genes. To understand the role of cytosine methylation during isoflavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation, we performed cytosine methylation analysis in the coding region of two isoforms and gene, in two contrasting soybean genotypes differing in total isoflavone content (NRC37: high isoflavone; and NRC7: low isoflavone).

Conserved miRNAs modulate the expression of potential transcription factors of isoflavonoid biosynthetic pathway in soybean seeds.

Despite the significant importance of soybean isoflavone, the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs during its biosynthesis is highly unexplored. In the present work, nine existing miRNAs along with their ten corresponding target genes were identified and validated in soybean for their possible role during isoflavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation. Temporal expression analysis at four key stages of seed development (35, 45, 55 and 65DAF) of all the miRNA-target pairs showed varying degree of differential accumulation in two soybean genotypes (NRC37: high isoflavone; and NRC7: low isoflavone).

Recent advances in small RNA mediated plant-virus interactions.

Small RNAs (sRNA) are reported to play pivotal roles in the epigenetic and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression during growth, development, and stress response in plants. Recently, the involvement of two different classes of sRNAs namely, miRNAs (microRNAs), and siRNAs (small interfering RNAs) in biotic stress response has been underlined. Notably, during virus infection, these sRNAs deploy antiviral defense by regulating the gene expression of the modulators of host defense pathways.

Heterologous Expression of Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase-3 From Rice Confers Tolerance to Salinity Stress in and Arabidopsis.

Unlabelled: Among abiotic stresses, salt stress adversely affects growth and development in rice. Contrasting salt tolerant (CSR27), and salt sensitive (MI48) rice varieties provided information on an array of genes that may contribute for salt tolerance of rice. Earlier studies on transcriptome and proteome profiling led to the identification of salt stress-induced serine hydroxymethyltransferase-3 () gene.

Heterologous expression of rice RNA-binding glycine-rich (RBG) gene OsRBGD3 in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana confers cold stress tolerance.

Imparting cold stress tolerance to crops is a major challenge in subtropical agriculture. New genes conferring cold tolerance needs to be identified and characterised for sustainable crop production in low-temperature stress affected areas. Here we report functional characterisation of OsRBGD3, classified previously as a class D glycine-rich RNA recognition motif (RRM) containing proteins from a drought-tolerant Indica rice cultivar N22.

Multi-omics approaches for strategic improvement of stress tolerance in underutilized crop species: A climate change perspective.

For several decades, researchers are working toward improving the "major" crops for better adaptability and tolerance to environmental stresses. However, little or no research attention is given toward neglected and underutilized crop species (NUCS) which hold the potential to ensure food and nutritional security among the ever-growing global population. NUCS are predominantly climate resilient, but their yield and quality are compromised due to selective breeding.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Major Agronomic Traits in Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica L.) Using ddRAD Sequencing.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica), the second largest cultivated millet crop after pearl millet, is utilized for food and forage globally. Further, it is also considered as a model crop for studying agronomic, nutritional and biofuel traits. In the present study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for ten important agronomic traits in 142 foxtail millet core eco-geographically diverse genotypes using 10 K SNPs developed through GBS-ddRAD approach.

The genome size of clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) is significantly smaller compared to its wild relatives as estimated by flow cytometry.

Clusterbean (C. tetragonoloba) is an important, leguminous vegetable and industrial crop with vast genetic diversity but meager genetic, cytological and genomic information. In the present study, an optimized procedure of flow cytometry was used to estimate the genome size of three clusterbean species, represented by C.