Hydrogen Sulfide and Neurogenic Inflammation in Polymicrobial Sepsis: Involvement of Substance P and ERK-NF-κB Signaling

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been shown to induce transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)-mediated neurogenic inflammation in polymicrobial sepsis. However, endogenous neural factors that modulate this event and the molecular mechanism by which this occurs remain unclear. Therefore, this study tested the hypothesis that whether substance P (SP) is one important neural element that implicates in H2S-induced neurogenic inflammation in sepsis in a TRPV1-dependent manner, and if so, whether H2S regulates this response through activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase-nuclear factor-κB (ERK-NF-κB) pathway. Male Swiss mice were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis and treated with TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine 30 minutes before CLP. DL-propargylglycine (PAG), an inhibitor of H2S formation, was administrated 1 hour before or 1 hour after sepsis, whereas sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), an H2S donor, was given at the same time as CLP. Capsazepine significantly attenuated H2S-induced SP production, inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules levels, and protected against lung and liver dysfunction in sepsis. In the absence of H2S, capsazepine caused no significant changes to the PAG-mediated attenuation of lung and plasma SP levels, sepsis-associated systemic inflammatory response and multiple organ dysfunction. In addition, capsazepine greatly inhibited phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and inhibitory κBα, concurrent with suppression of NF-κB activation even in the presence of NaHS. Furthermore, capsazepine had no effect on PAG-mediated abrogation of these levels in sepsis. Taken together, the present findings show that H2S regulates TRPV1-mediated neurogenic inflammation in polymicrobial sepsis through enhancement of SP production and activation of the ERK-NF-κB pathway

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Not AvailableIdentification of full length genes along with upstream regulatory elements is important to understand its expression. Here, we report preparation of high titre genomic library and identification of a genomic clone containing Pi-kh gene with its complete upstream and downstream sequences from the rice blast resistant line Tetep. Structural analysis of protein revealed that Pi-kh has a central nucleotide binding site domain, leucine-rich repeats domain and a unique zinc-finger domain. Comparative analysis of Pi-kh protein sequence showed 64% and 45% similarity with the protein sequences of rice blast resistance genes Pi-b and Pi-ta, respectivelyNot Availabl

Research paper

Not AvailableGlobally, blast incited by Magnaporthe oryzae forms major fungal diseases that can cause severe loss in yield to the extent of 70-80% in various rice ecosystems. Marker assisted backcross breeding approach was employed to incorporate blast resistance genes viz., Pi1, Pi2 and Pi54, from the donor lines BPT/lac/tetep and B95-1/A51 into blast susceptible otherwise superior cultivar Improved Samba Mahsuri. Foreground selection coupled with stringent phenotypic selection lead to the identification of 15 superior BC2F2 plants homozygous for three genes. Agro-morphological evaluation of the pyramided lines revealed that three of the selections viz., ISM10-15-101, ISM10-15-119 and ISM10-15-154 showed significant increase in no. of filled grains per panicle (30.22%) and yield (24.23%). BC2F2:3 derived lines, varied in their disease reaction to DRR isolates. Three of the Pi1+Pi2+Pi54 pyramided lines showed complete resistance to mixture of virulent races under artificial inoculation as well as in UBN test locations.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableCrop improvement is a continuous process in agriculture which ensures ample supply of food, fodder and fiber to burgeoning world population. Despite tremendous success in plant breeding and transgenesis to improve the yield-related traits, there have been several limitations primarily with the specificity in genetic modifications and incompatibility of host species. Because of this, new breeding techniques (NBTs) are gaining worldwide attention for crop improvement programs. Among the NBTs, genome editing (GE) using site-directed nucleases (SDNs) is an important and potential technique that overcomes limitations associated with classical breeding and transgenesis. These SDNs specifically target a compatible region in the gene/genome. The meganucleases (MgN), zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator-like effectors nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated endonuclease (Cas) are being successfully employed for GE. These can be used for desired or targeted modifications of the native endogenous gene(s) or targeted insertion of cis/trans elements in the genomes of recipient organisms. Applications of these techniques appear to be endless ever since their discovery and several modifications in original technologies have further brought precision and accuracy in these methods. In this review, we present an overview of GE using SDNs with an emphasis on CRISPR/Cas system, their advantages, limitations and also practical considerations while designing experiments have been discussed. The review also emphasizes on the possible applications of CRISPR for improving economic traits in crop plants.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableRNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism of homology dependent gene silencing present in plants and animals. It operates through 21-24 nucleotides small RNAs which are processed through a set of core enzymatic machinery that involves Dicer and Argonaute proteins. In recent past, the technology has been well appreciated toward the control of plant pathogens and insects through suppression of key genes/proteins of infecting organisms. The genes encoding key enzymes/proteins with the great potential for developing an effective insect control by RNAi approach are actylcholinesterase, cytochrome P450 enzymes, amino peptidase N, allatostatin, allatotropin, tryptophan oxygenase, arginine kinase, vacuolar ATPase, chitin synthase, glutathione-S-transferase, catalase, trehalose phosphate synthase, vitellogenin, hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, and hormone receptor genes. Through various studies, it is demonstrated that RNAi is a reliable molecular tool which offers great promises in meeting the challenges imposed by crop insects with careful selection of key enzymes/proteins. Utilization of RNAi tool to target some of these key proteins of crop insects through various approaches is described here. The major challenges of RNAi based insect control such as identifying potential targets, delivery methods of silencing trigger, off target effects, and complexity of insect biology are very well illustrated. Further, required efforts to address these challenges are also discussed.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableBacterial blight (BB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae is a major production constraint for rice in India. We introgressed a major dominant BB resistance gene, Xa38 in the genetic background of APMS 6B, a maintainer line of APMS 6A (female parent of DRRH 3) through marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB). The BB resistance gene, Xa38 was transferred to APMS 6B from the donor, PR 114 (Xa38) through two backcrosses. A single selected true BC2F1 plant having maximum recovery of recurrent parent genome and also high degree of BB resistance was selfed to generate BC2F2s. At BC2F2, plants homozygous for Xa38 were identified and were further confirmed for the absence of two major fertility restorer genes, Rf3 and Rf4. Eight best BC2F2 plants, homozygous positive for Xa38 and homozygous negative for Rf3 and Rf4 were selected and advanced up to BC2F6. At BC2F6, these introgression lines exhibited high degree of BB resistance against multiple Xoo strains and were similar to APMS 6B in respect to different agro-morphological traits.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a subset of endogenous approximate 22 nucleotide (nt) small non-coding regulatory RNA molecules that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, by mediating mRNA degradation or translational repression in a sequence specific manner. These small regulatory molecules are involved in regulating the intrinsic normal growth of cells and development of organisms as well as in maintaining the integrity of genomes. The plant miRNA research gained momentum, 2002 onwards, which was accompanied by the discovery of plant proteins involved in miRNA biogenesis. Early discovery of miRNAs has been implicated in the regulation of developmental processes. Since then much has been discovered about their involvement in plant responses to adverse environmental conditions, including abiotic stress. Various approaches of miRNAs discovery such as cloning, deep sequencing and prediction using bioinformatic tools have been adapted to learn more about the miRNA expression patterns during stress. The master regulators such as miRNAs having important role in salt stress response are very much crucial to understand the molecular regulation of stress adaptation. Many target genes of miRNAs encode transcription factors, each of which further regulates a set of downstream genes and affect physiological responses. This chapter contains a concise account on historical importance of miRNAs discovery. The miRNA biogenesis pathway and the associated proteins are also discussed along with the tools of miRNAs prediction and identification. In addition, the role of plant miRNAs and their target in plant metabolism and in particular salt stress is elaborated. With the growing knowledge on salt responsive miRNAs, the efforts to develop salt stress tolerance using miRNAs are also given.Not Availabl

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