Cohaesibacter haloalkalitolerans sp. nov., isolated from a soda lake, and emended description of the genus Cohaesibacter.

Two novel Gram-stain-negative, motile, catalase-negative and oxidase-positive strains of bacteria (JC131(T) and JC112) were isolated from Lonar, a soda lake in India. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies, strains JC131(T) and JC112 belong to the family Cohaesibacteraceae of the class Alphaproteobacteria and were most closely related to Cohaesibacter marisflavi DQHS21(T) (98.0 %) and Cohaesibacter gelatinilyticus CL-GR15(T) (96.

Carbon catabolite repression-independent and pH-dependent production of indoles by Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus JA2.

Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus JA2 produces indole derivatives (indoles) from aniline, anthranilate or L-tryptophan. Glucose repressed indole production in R. benzoatilyticus JA2, while malate had no effect.

Flavobacterium aquaticum sp. nov., isolated from a water sample of a rice field.

Strain JC164(T) was isolated from a water sample from a rice field at Jamdih, Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India. Colonies of strain JC164(T) were brown-yellow and cells were Gram-stain-negative. Catalase, oxidase and amylase were present.

Mongoliicoccus alkaliphilus sp. nov. and Litoribacter alkaliphilus sp. nov., isolated from salt pans.

Four bacterial strains (JC165(T), JC166(T), JC169 and JC170) were isolated from salt pan soils from a coastal region of Tamilnadu, India. They were obligately aerobic, pink- to red-pigmented, mesophilic, haloalkaliphiles having chemoorganoheterotrophic growth on various carbon sources and were catalase- and oxidase-positive. Phototrophic growth and bacteriochlorophyll a were absent in all four strains.

Rhodospirillum oryzae sp. nov., a phototrophic bacterium isolated from rhizosphere soil of paddy.

A reddish-brown bacterium, designated strain JA318(T), was purified from a photoheterotrophic enrichment culture obtained from the rhizosphere soil of paddy. Cells of strain JA318(T) are spiral shaped, Gram-stain-negative and motile by means of amphitrichous flagella. Strain JA318(T) has no NaCl requirement for growth but can tolerate up to 1.

Involvement of human topoisomerase II isoforms in HIV-1 reverse transcription.

HIV-1 reverse transcription (RTn) involves synthesis of double strand DNA (dsDNA) from viral genomic RNA. Topoisomerase II (Topo II) alpha and beta maintains topological reorganization of dsDNA regions and catalytic inhibition of these isoforms repressed viral replicative cycle. Present study is aimed to understand the role of Topo II isoforms in HIV-1 early replication.

Salinicoccus halitifaciens sp. nov., a novel bacterium participating in halite formation.

Strain JC90(T) was isolated from a soda lake in Lonar, India. Strain JC90(T) maintains its external pH to 8.5 and participates in halite formation.

Rhodomicrobium udaipurense sp. nov., a psychrotolerant, phototrophic alphaproteobacterium isolated from a freshwater stream.

Two strains (JA643(T) and JA755) of Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic phototrophic, bacteria capable of growth at low temperatures (10-15 °C) were isolated from freshwater streams from different geographical regions of India. Both strains contain bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids of the spirilloxanthin series. Phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified phospholipid (PL), unidentified amino lipids (AL1-AL6, AL9) and an unidentified lipid (L1) were the polar lipids present in both strains.

Lipopolysaccharide induces epididymal and testicular antimicrobial gene expression in vitro: insights into the epigenetic regulation of sperm-associated antigen 11e gene.

Infections of the male reproductive tract lead to infertility, and the molecular mechanisms that operate under these conditions are not well studied. Using epididymal and testicular tissues cultured in vitro, we demonstrate that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces the mRNA expression of beta-defensins, Spag11s, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the rat caput, cauda, and testes. LPS-induced antimicrobial gene expression involved NF-kB activation and decreased levels of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT), all of which possibly allow antimicrobial gene transcription.

Emended description of the genus Rhodothalassium Imhoff et al., 1998 and proposal of Rhodothalassiaceae fam. nov. and Rhodothalassiales ord. nov.

Five strains (JA325, JA389, JA473, JA563 and JA582) of Gram stain-negative, vibrioid to spiral shaped, phototrophic purple bacteria were isolated from solar salterns of India. All strains contained bacteriochlorophyll-a and carotenoids of the spirilloxanthin series as photosynthetic pigments. C(18:1)ω7c, C(18:1)ω7c 11-methyl and C(16:0) were the major fatty acids of all strains.

Chryseomicrobium amylolyticum sp. nov., isolated from a semi-arid tropical soil, and emended descriptions of the genus Chryseomicrobium and Chryseomicrobium imtechense.

A rod-shaped, non-motile, Gram-stain-positive, catalase-positive, starch-hydrolysing strain, JC16(T), was isolated from a semi-arid tropical soil from India. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain JC16(T) clustered with the type species of the genus Chryseomicrobium, Chryseomicrobium imtechense MW 10(T), a member of the family Planococcaceae within the phylum Firmicutes with 99.3 % sequence similarity.

Influence of the substituents on the electronic and electrochemical properties of a new square-planar nickel-bis(quinoxaline-6,7-dithiolate) system: synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, crystallography, and theoretical investigation.

We describe the synthesis, crystal structures, electronic absorption spectra, and electrochemistry of a series of square-planar nickel-bis(quinoxaline-6,7-dithiolate) complexes with the general formula [Bu(4)N](2)[Ni(X(2)6,7-qdt)(2)], where X = H (1a), Ph (2a), Cl (3), and Me (4). The solution and solid-state electronic absorption spectral behavior and electrochemical properties of these compounds are strongly dependent on the electron donating/accepting nature of the substituent X, attached to the quinoxaline-6,7-dithiolate ring in the system [Bu(4)N](2)[Ni(X(2)6,7-qdt)(2)]. Particularly, the charge transfer (CT) transition bands observed in the visible region are greatly affected by the electronic nature of the substituent.

Vogesella alkaliphila sp. nov., isolated from an alkaline soil, and emended description of the genus Vogesella.

Strain JC141(T) was isolated from an alkaline soil (pH 8.8) at Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India. Colonies were blue with a metallic sheen; cells stained Gram-negative, and were oxidase- and catalase-positive, but chitinase-negative.

Spirochaeta sphaeroplastigenens sp. nov., a halo-alkaliphilic, obligately anaerobic spirochaete isolated from soda lake Lonar.

Two helical-shaped bacteria (strains JC133(T) and JC143), which stain Gram-negative, were isolated from an alkaline soda lake, Lonar, India. Both strains were obligate anaerobes, mesophilic and required halo-alkaline conditions for growth. Both strains were resistant to rifampicin and kanamycin, but sensitive to gentamicin, tetracycline, ampicillin and chloramphenicol.

20β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase gene promoter: potential role for cyclic AMP and xenobiotic responsive elements.

Teleostean 20β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20β-HSD) is involved in final oocyte maturation and steroid hormone metabolism. It has structural and functional similarities to mammalian carbonyl reductases that are involved in the metabolism of endogenous carbonyl and xenobiotic compounds. To understand the transcriptional regulation of 20β-HSD, here we report the cloning of 20β-HSD promoter from two fish species, rainbow trout and air-breathing catfish.

Cloning and expression of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase during gonadal recrudescence and after hCG induction in the air-breathing catfish, Clarias gariepinus.

3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-hsd) plays an important role in biosynthesis of both androgens and estrogens during steroidogenesis. In this study, we report the cloning of a full-length cDNA of 3β-hsd from gonads of the air-breathing catfish, Clarias gariepinus a seasonally reproducing teleost fish. We studied the expression pattern of 3β-hsd during gonadal ontogeny and recrudescence (flanking two years of reproductive cycle) using real-time PCR.

Rhodobacter viridis sp. nov., a phototrophic bacterium isolated from mud of a stream.

A green phototrophic bacterium (strain JA737(T)), which was oval- to rod-shaped, Gram-negative and motile, was isolated from mud of a stream in the Western Ghats of India. Strain JA737(T) contained bacteriochlorophyll a, and the major carotenoid was neurosporene. The major quinone was Q-10 and the polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified aminolipid, two unidentified phospholipids and five unidentified lipids.

Endosulfan and flutamide impair testicular development in the juvenile Asian catfish, Clarias batrachus.

Endosulfan and flutamide, a widely used pesticide and a prostate cancer/infertility drug, respectively, have an increased risk of causing endocrine disruption if they reach water bodies. Though many studies are available on neurotoxicity/bioaccumulation of endosulfan and receptor antagonism of flutamide, only little is known about their impact on testicular steroidogenesis at molecular level. Sex steroids play an important role in sex differentiation of lower vertebrates including fishes.

Endosulfan and flutamide, alone and in combination, target ovarian growth in juvenile catfish, Clarias batrachus.

Juvenile Catfish(es), Clarias batrachus of 50 days post hatch (dph) were exposed to endosulfan (2.5 parts per billion [ppb]) and flutamide (33 ppb), alone and in combination for 50 days to access their impact on ovarian development. The doses used in this study were nominal considering pervious reports.

FTZ-F1 and FOXL2 up-regulate catfish brain aromatase gene transcription by specific binding to the promoter motifs.

Cytochrome P450 aromatase (cyp19) catalyzes the conversion of androgens into estrogens. Teleosts have distinct, ovarian specific (cyp19a1a) and brain specific (cyp19a1b) cyp19 genes. Previous studies in teleosts demonstrated regulation of cyp19a1a expression by the NR5A nuclear receptor subfamily as well as a fork head transcription factor, FOXL2.

Cloning and differential expression of FOXL2 during ovarian development and recrudescence of the catfish, Clarias gariepinus.

FOXL2 is a member of the forkhead/HNF-3-related family of transcription factors which provides tissue-specific gene regulation. It is known to regulate ovarian aromatase, (cyp19a1a) which plays a crucial role in ovarian differentiation. To understand the role of FOXL2 in gonads and brain during ovarian development and recrudescence, we cloned the full-length cDNA of FOXL2 and analyzed its spatio-temporal expression both at transcript and protein levels in the air-breathing catfish, Clarias gariepinus.

Genome sequence of the phototrophic betaproteobacterium Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus strain JA2T.

Herein we report the draft genome sequence of a phototrophic bacterium, Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus strain JA2(T), which apparently is the first genome sequence report of a phototrophic member belonging to the class Betaproteobacteria. The unique feature of this strain is its capability to synthesize carotenoids through both spirilloxanthin and spheroidenone pathways. Strain JA2(T) produces several novel secondary metabolites, and the genome insights help in understanding the unique machinery that the strain adapted.

Bringing an important macrocycle into a polyoxometalate matrix: synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopy and electrochemistry of [Co(III)(transdiene)(Cl)2]2[Mo6O19], [Ni(II)(transdiene)][W6O19]·DMSO·DCM and [Zn(II)(transdsiene)(Cl)]2[W6O19].

Three polyoxometalate based ion pair solids (1-3), in which Co(III) (d(6)), Ni(II) (d(8)) and Zn(II) (d(10)) complexes of a tetra-aza macrocycle, Me(6)-trans-[14]-diene act as the cationic moieties, have been reported. The title complexes, formulated as [Co (C(16)H(32)N(4))(Cl)(2)](2)[Mo(6)O(19)] (1), [Ni(C(16)H(32)N(4))][W(6)O(19)]·DMSO·DCM (2) and [Zn(C(16)H(32)N(4))(Cl)](2)[W(6)O(19)] (3) (C(16)H(32)N(4) = Me(6)-trans-[14]-diene), are the first crystallographic paradigms where transition metal complexes of a Schiff condensed tetra-aza macrocycle have been associated with an isopolyanion, [M(6)O(19)](2-) (M = Mo(vi) and W(vi)). Compounds 1-3 have been characterized through routine spectroscopic analyses including elemental analysis and their structures have been unambiguously determined through single crystal X-ray crystallography.

Gender differences in tryptophan hydroxylase-2 mRNA, serotonin, and 5-hydroxytryptophan levels in the brain of catfish, Clarias gariepinus, during sex differentiation.

Tryptophan hydroxylase (tph) is the key regulator in serotonin (5-HT) biosynthesis that stimulates the release of GnRH and gonadotropins by acting at the level of hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis. In brain, 5-HT is expressed predominantly in preoptic area-hypothalamus (POA-HYP) region in teleosts. Therefore, in the present study we isolated tph2 from catfish brain to evaluate its expression pattern in male and female brains during early development.