Production of Inulinases: Recent Advances

Inulinaze su bitni enzimi u proizvodnji fruktoze i fruktooligosaharida, koji imaju raznovrsnu primjenu u farmaceutskoj i prehrambenoj industriji. Proizvode se pomoću raznih sojeva plijesni, kvasaca i bakterija. Dosad okarakterizirane inulinaze imaju raznovrsna biofizička i biokemijska svojstva. Optimalna temperatura i termostabilnost dva su važna kriterija pri određivanju njihove prikladnosti za industrijsku primjenu. Izolirane su inulinaze velike termostabilnosti iz plijesni Aspergillus sp. i termofilnih bakterija. Molekularnim kloniranjem gena za inulinazu iz razlicitih izvora otkriveno je da, osim ponavljajucih jedinica polipeptidnog lanca, endo- i egzoinulinaze imaju strukturne uzorke koji se razlikuju u tim dvjema vrstama enzima. U ovom su revijalnom prikazu iznesena najnovija dostignuca u proizvodnji i karakterizaciji inulinaza iz razlicitih mikroorganizama te mogucnosti njihove primjene.Inulinases constitute an important class of enzymes for production of fructose and fructooligosaccharides, which are extensively used in pharmaceutical and food industry. The production of inulinases has been reported from various fungal, yeast and bacterial strains. The inulinases characterized until now show considerable variability with respect to biophysical and biochemical characteristics. High temperature optimum and thermostability are two important criteria which determine the suitability of these enzymes for industrial applications. Inulinases with high thermostability from strains of Aspergillus spp. and thermophilic bacteria have been reported. Molecular cloning of inulinase genes from different sources has revealed that beside conserved domains, the endo- and exo-acting inulinases show motifs which are distinct for the two classes of enzymes. The present article reviews some of the recent advances in the production and characterization of inulinases from different microbes and their possible applications

Molecular characterization of cyclophilin A-like protein from Piriformospora indica for its potential role to abiotic stress tolerance in E. coli

BACKGROUND: Cyclophilins (CyP), conserved in all genera, are known to have regulatory responses of various cellular processes including stress tolerance. Interestingly, CyP has a crucial role as peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerases (PPIases). Our earlier in silico based approach resulted into the identification of cyclophilin family from rice, Arabidopsis and yeast. In our recent report, we discovered a new OsCYP-25 from rice. Here, we identified a novel cyclophylin A-like protein (PiCyP) from Piriformospora indica which is responsible for abiotic stress tolerance in E. coli. RESULTS: Cyclophylin A-like protein (CyPA) (accession number GQ214003) was selected from cDNA library. The genomic organization CyPA revealed a 1304 bp of CyPA in P. indica genome, showing 10 exons and 9 introns. Further, CyPA was evident in PCR with gDNA and cDNA and Southern blot analysis. The phylogenetic examination of CyPA of P. indica showed that it is closed to human cyclophilin. The uniqueness of PiCyPA protein was apparent in western blot study. Kinetics of purified PiCyPA protein for its PPIas activity was determined via first order rate constant (0.104 s(-1)) in the presence of 1 μg of PiCyPA, with increasing PiCyPA concentration, in the presence of cyclosporin A (CsA) and the inhibition constant (4.435 nM) of CsA for inhibition of PiCyPA. The differential response of E. coli harbouring pET28a-PiCypA was observed for their different degree of tolerance to different abiotic stresses as compared to empty pET28a vector. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of PiCyPA protein E. coli cells confer enhanced tolerance to wide range of abiotic stresses. Thus, this study provides the significance of PiCypA as a molecular chaperone which advanced cellular stress responses of E. coli cells under adverse conditions, and it, furthermore, confirms the mounting the sustainability of E. coli for exploitation in recombinant proteins production. Additionally, the PiCyPA gene cooperates substantial functions in cellular network of stress tolerance mechanism, essentially required for various developmental stages, and might be a potential paramount candidate for crop improvement and its sustainable production under adverse conditions

MAMMOGRAPHIC DENSITY AND THE RISK AND DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER

With the increase in breast cancer risk over the years, there are many factors estimated that lead to it. However, till date which factor is majorly involved in development of breast cancer or which factor accounts more is not clearly evident. Mammography technique accounting for 80-90% of cancer being detected is believed to be the best method of detection. While mammographic density is manifested by increased proliferation of fat, stoma, epithelium and connective tissue, it is considered to be a risk factor for development of breast cancer. The current study was thus conducted to find out whether the mammographic density is actually a risk factor for development of breast cancer and to find out the better detection tool available. For this, the methodology adopted was review of various journals and studies already published with respect to mammographic density and its risk on development of breast cancer. The conclusion of the current study as well as from another comparable study was that the frequency of screening might be dependent on breast density and in such cases diagnostic techniques such as “digital mammography, ultra sonography and magnetic resonance imaging” may prove to be better detection tools. Moreover, recent studies have also suggested that mammographic density as a marker for risk of developing breast cancer holds true however, this fact needs to be evaluated further

Management of multiple recession defects in esthetic zone using platelet-rich fibrin membrane: A 36-month follow-up case report

A patient undergoing orthodontic treatment presented with multiple recession defects in maxillary anterior region. After thorough clinical examination and assessment, measurements were recorded. Maxillary anterior teeth with recession defects of 3–4 mm were treated with coronally advanced flap and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) membrane. Regular follow-up was maintained for the patient at 3, 6 , 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months. After 36 months, significant root coverage of 100 percent was observed in four defects and 50% coverage in one defect. This shows that PRF membrane along with coronally advanced provides a predictable and significant result for management of recession defects

Unexplained neurological events during bathing in young people: Possible association with the use of gas geysers

Here, we report sudden, unexplained neurological collapse in 14 young people while bathing with hot water associated with the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-based water heaters (gas geysers) in ill-ventilated bathrooms. None of the patients reported any circumstantial evidence of seizures or prior epilepsy. One patient developed cortical blindness and demonstrated posterior leucoencephalopathy on imaging studies. The remaining patients made rapid and excellent recovery without any residual neurological sequelae. In these cases, the results of all routine investigations, i.e., serum chemistry, brain imaging (computed tomography in 2 and magnetic resonance imaging in 10) and electroencephalography were normal. The clinical clustering of these cases in winter months with similar presentations of reversible encephalopathy probably indicates an inhalational toxin exposure. Therefore, we postulate a hypothesis that harmful emissions consisting of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon gases (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), produced by incomplete combustion of LPG might be responsible for the cellular injury and subsequent transient neurological deficits. Physicians should be aware of this entity in order to avoid misdiagnosis of this condition as seizures, and a public awareness should also be created regarding the proper use of these devices

Unexplained neurological events during bathing in young people: Possible association with the use of gas geysers

Here, we report sudden, unexplained neurological collapse in 14 young people while bathing with hot water associated with the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-based water heaters (gas geysers) in ill-ventilated bathrooms. None of the patients reported any circumstantial evidence of seizures or prior epilepsy. One patient developed cortical blindness and demonstrated posterior leucoencephalopathy on imaging studies. The remaining patients made rapid and excellent recovery without any residual neurological sequelae. In these cases, the results of all routine investigations, i.e., serum chemistry, brain imaging (computed tomography in 2 and magnetic resonance imaging in 10) and electroencephalography were normal. The clinical clustering of these cases in winter months with similar presentations of reversible encephalopathy probably indicates an inhalational toxin exposure. Therefore, we postulate a hypothesis that harmful emissions consisting of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon gases (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), produced by incomplete combustion of LPG might be responsible for the cellular injury and subsequent transient neurological deficits. Physicians should be aware of this entity in order to avoid misdiagnosis of this condition as seizures, and a public awareness should also be created regarding the proper use of these devices

Abiotic Stress Responses in Plants: Roles of Calmodulin-Regulated Proteins

Intracellular changes in Ca2+, one of the important secondary messenger molecules, in response to different biotic and abiotic stimuli are detected by various sensor proteins in the plant cell. Calmodulin (CaM), one of the most extensively studied Ca2+-sensing proteins, is involved in the transduction of signals. Following interaction with Ca2+, the Ca2+-bound CaM (Ca2+-CaM) undergoes conformational change and regulates the activities of a diverse range of proteins. Several of the CaM-binding proteins are also implicated in stress response of plants, indicating that CaM plays an important role in enabling the plants to adapt to adverse environmental conditions. Stress adaptation in plants is a highly complex and multigenic response. Therefore, identification and characterization of proteins that are modulated by CaM under different abiotic stress conditions is imperative for unraveling the molecular mechanisms responsible for abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Functional characterization has revealed involvement of CaM in the regulation of metal ions uptake, generation of reactive oxygen species and modulation of transcription factors such as CAMTA3, GTL1 and WRKY39. Activities of several kinases and phosphatases are also modulated by CaM, thus providing further versatility to plants in signal transduction and stress responses. The results obtained in contemporary studies are consistent with the proposal that CaM acts as an integrator of several different stress signaling pathways that allow plants to maintain homeostasis through negative and positive regulation of different cellular processes. The present review summarizes the progress made so far in understanding the role of CaM in modulating different stress-regulated proteins and their implications in enhancing the tolerance of plants to abiotic stresses