Additional insights into the adaptation of cotton plants under abiotic stresses by in silico analysis of conserved miRNAs in cotton expressed sequence tag database (dbEST)

Abiotic stress is the primary cause of crop losses worldwide. In addition to protein coding genes, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important players in plant stress responses. Though miRNAs are key in regulating many aspects of plant developmental plasticity under abiotic stresses, very few information are available in cotton. Hence, this study was conducted to identify the phylogenetically conserved miRNAs in cotton, using computational approaches. In this paper, we reported a set of miRNAs such as miR159, miR165, miR170, miR319, miR529, miR828, miR869, miR1030, miR1884, and miR2118 that are likely to be involved in abiotic stress response. Although, few of them have been described in literature for their specific role in fiber development, literature survey have shown that they may also be involved in abiotic stress response. Interestingly, miRNAs reported in this study were found to have several targets that are involved in abiotic stress resistance. Considering all together, it was concluded that these newly identified conserved microRNAs in cotton have great potential in future efforts to improve abiotic stress tolerance in cotton.Key words: miRNA, cotton, abiotic stress resistance, in silico analysis

Evaluation of Hepatoprotective Activity of Alcoholic Extract of Ixora Chenensis (Linn.) Leaves

Ixora is a large genus of about 400 species of popular evergreen shrubs and small trees, many of which are native to southern china, India and Srilanka and belong to the taxonomic family rubiaceae. A few of these species are grown in gardens for their vibrantly coloured flowers produced in large clusters at the tips of branches. Various species of Ixora are otherwise called as West Indian Jasmine, Jungle Flame, Flame of the World, Jungle Geranium etc., but are very popular by the genus name, Ixora. Ixora is a compact, multibranched evergreen shrubs or small tree, commonly 4 to 6 feet in height, but can reach up to 12 feet height. Leaves are glossy, leathery, oblong, about 4 to 6 inches long and are arranged in opposite pairs. MEDICINAL USES: A decoction of the root is used after child birth. A decoction is used against bronchial disorders. An infusion of the fresh flowers is said to be a remedy against incipient tuberculosis and haemorrhage. A decoction is prescribed in the treatment of amenorrhoea and hypertension. An infusion of leaves or flowers is used against headache. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: Herbal drugs play a vital role in the management of various liver disorder, most of them speed up the natural healing process of liver. Numerous medicinal plants and their formulations are used in liver disorders in ethno medicinal practices as well as traditional system of medicine in India. According to WHO about 18,000 people die every year due to hepatic disease. Liver diseases remain one of the serious health problems is the absence of variable liver protective drugs. The common ailments of liver are cirrhosis, cholestasis, hepatitis, portal hypertension, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatic failure and certain tomours like hepatoma. The aim of the research is to find out new hepatoprotective drugs from indigenous plants which are potent and nontoxic agents. Present study deals with the hepatoprotective activity leaves of Ixora chenensis. PLAN OF THE WORK: 1. To investigate the organoleptic and morphological characteristics of Ixora chenensis leaves to establish the pharmacognostical standards of the plants. 2. To carry out preliminary phytochemical analysis of extracts of leaves of Ixora chenensis to establish the different classes of compounds present their leaves. 3. To evaluate the extracts of Ixora chenensis leaves for antioxidant activity by different radical scavenging methods and methods based on reducing ability of extracts. 4. To evaluate the extracts of Ixora chenensis for acute toxicity potential and establish their margin of therapeutic safety. 5. To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of extracts of Ixora chenensis leaves against carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage in rats. DISCUSSION: For screening the hepatoprotective drugs, liver damage is usually induced by CCL4. As a result there is a rise in different liver enzyme levels in serum that is SGOT, SGPT, TB, AP and also for cholesterol which have been recognized as a sign to the damaged structural integrity of the liver, because they are cytoplasmic in location and released into circulation after cellular damages. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, from the overall result of the biochemical and histopathological examinations, it will be inferred that Ixora chenensis which may be have highest hepatoprotective activity among the four tested plant extracts. This work will be useful for extended for the isolation and structure determination of the hepatoprotective principles

Inquiry of inclined magnetic field effects on Walter –B nanofluid flow with heat generation / absorption

The article deals with Walter-B nanoliquid flow towards a extending surface with inclined magnetic field effects. Thermal relaxation analysis is made by non fourier heat flux model. Radiation, heat generation / absorption impacts are included. The non linear Partial governing systems are rebuild into nonlinear ordinary systems with the assist of proper similarity transformations. The graphical results are portrayed for velocity, concentration and temperature profile. The physical entitles of heat and mass transfer rates are graphically reported. The comparission with previous results notified the excellent agreement

Marker-Assisted Breeding as Next-Generation Strategy for Genetic Improvement of Productivity and Quality: Can It Be Realized in Cotton?

The dawdling development in genetic improvement of cotton with conventional breeding program is chiefly due to lack of complete knowledge on and precise manipulation of fiber productivity and quality. Naturally available cotton continues to be a resource for the upcoming breeding program, and contemporary technologies to exploit the available natural variation are outlined in this paper for further improvement of fiber. Particularly emphasis is given to application, obstacles, and perspectives of marker-assisted breeding since it appears to be more promising in manipulating novel genes that are available in the cotton germplasm. Deployment of system quantitative genetics in marker-assisted breeding program would be essential to realize its role in cotton. At the same time, role of genetic engineering and in vitro mutagenesis cannot be ruled out in genetic improvement of cotton

Characterization of a new molecule capable of inhibiting several steps of the amyloid cascade in Alzheimer's disease

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in elderly people. Existent therapies are directed at alleviating some symptoms, but are not effective in altering the course of the disease. Methods: Based on our previous study that showed that an Fiji-interacting small peptide protected against the toxic effects of amyloid-beta peptide (A beta), we carried out an array of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo assays to identify a molecule having neuroprotective properties. Results: In silico studies showed that the molecule, referred to as M30 (2-Octahydroisoquinolin-2(1H)-ylethanamine), was able to interact with the A beta peptide. Additionally, in vitro assays showed that M30 blocked A beta aggregation, association to the plasma membrane, synaptotoxicity, intracellular calcium, and cellular toxicity, while in vivo experiments demonstrated that M30 induced a neuroprotective effect by decreasing the toxicity of A beta in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and improving the alteration in spatial memory in behavior assays. Discussion Therefore, we propose that this new small molecule could be a useful candidate for the additional development of a treatment against AD since it appears to block multiple steps in the amyloid cascade. Overall, since there are no drugs that effectively block the progression of AD, this approach represents an innovative strategy. Significance: Currently, there is no effective treatment for AD and the expectations to develop an effective therapy are low. Using in silico, in vitro, and in vivo experiments, we identified a new compound that is able to inhibit A beta-induced neurotoxicity, specifically aggregation, association to neurons, synaptic toxicity, calcium dyshomeostasis and memory impairment induced by A beta. Because A beta toxicity is central to AD progression, the inhibition mediated by this new molecule might be useful as a therapeutic tool

Identification of mungbean lines with tolerance or resistance to yellow mosaic in fields in India where different begomovirus species and different Bemisia tabaci cryptic species predominate

Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) is an important pulse crop in India. A major constraint for improved productivity is the yield loss caused by mungbean yellow mosaic disease (MYMD). This disease is caused by several begomoviruses which are transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). The objective of this study was to identify the predominant begomoviruses infecting mungbean and the major cryptic species of B. tabaci associated with this crop in India. The indigenous B. tabaci cryptic species Asia II 1 was found dominant in Northern India, whereas Asia II 8 was found predominant in Southern India. Repeated samplings over consecutive years indicate a stable situation with, Mungbean yellow mosaic virus strains genetically most similar to a strain from urdbean (MYMV-Urdbean) predominant in North India, strains most similar to MYMV-Vigna predominant in South India, and Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) strains predominant in Eastern India. In field studies, mungbean line NM 94 showed a high level of tolerance to the disease in the Eastern state of Odisha where MYMIV was predominant and in the Southern state of Andhra Pradesh where MYMV-Vigna was predominant, but only a moderate level of tolerance in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu. However, in Northern parts of India where there was high inoculum pressure of MYMV-Urdbean during the Kharif season, NM 94 developed severe yellow mosaic symptoms. The identification of high level of tolerance in mungbean lines such as ML 1628 and of resistance in black gram and rice bean provides hope for tackling the disease through resistance breeding

Compartment-Restricted Biotinylation Reveals Novel Features of Prion Protein Metabolism in Vivo

A selective tagging method for detecting minor alternatively-localized populations of a protein is used to study a disease-associated transmembrane form of prion protein. The analysis reveals key features of transmembrane prion protein metabolism and one way this is altered by human disease-causing mutants

ESTs in Plants: Where Are We Heading?

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are the most important resources for transcriptome exploration. Next-generation sequencing technologies have been generating gigabytes of genetic codes representing genes, partial and whole genomes most of which are EST datasets. Niche of EST in plants for breeding, regulation of gene expression through miRNA studies, and their application for adapting to climatic changes are discussed. Some of the recent tools for analysis of EST exclusive to plants are listed out. Systems biology though in its infancy in plants has influenced EST mapping for unraveling gene regulatory circuits, which is illustrated with a few significant examples. This review throws a glance at the evolving role of ESTs in plants