Existence of Thaumatin-like Proteins (TLPs) in Seeds of Cereals

Seed extracts of pearl millet, sorghum, Japanese barnyard millet, foxtail millet, samai and proso millet were evaluated in vitro for their ability to inhibit the growth of Rhizoctonia solani, Macrophomina phaseolina and Fusarium oxysporum. Among them, seed extracts of pearl millet and sorghum were highly effective in inhibiting the growth of all three examined phytopathogenic fungi. The seed extracts were tested for the presence of thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) by Western blot analysis using bean TLP antiserum. Results of Western blot analysis indicated the presence of a 23-kDa TLP in seeds of pearl millet, sorghum and Japanese barnyard millet. The 23-kDa TLP was more abundant in the seeds of pearl millet. The distribution of TLP in various parts of pearl millet was analyzed by Western blotting. The results indicated that the 23 kDa TLP was predominantly expressed in seeds and inflorescence of pearl millet

In vitro Antifungal Activity of a 29-kDa Glycoprotein Purified from the Galls of Quercus infectoria

The antifungal activity of 30 medicinal plants belonging to different families was tested in vitro on the phytopathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The results revealed that protein extract from the galls of Quercus infectoria belonging to Fagaceae family was highly effective in inhibiting the mycelial growth of R. solani. The gall extract of Q. infectoria also inhibited the growth of other agronomically important fungal pathogens viz. Fusarium oxysporum, Cochliobolus miyabeanus, Macrophomina phaseolina, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Magnaporthe salvinii, Cochliobolus lunatus, Alternaria solani, Pythium aphanidermatum and Colletotrichum falcatum. A 29-kDa glycoprotein was purified from the galls of Q. infectoria by ammonium sulphate fractionation followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 column. The purified protein showed the absorption maxima at 640 nm and 308 nm. The purified protein was stable even after heating at 100 °C for 10 min or autoclaving at 121 °C for 20 min. When the 29-kDa protein was treated with NaIO4 and pronase the antifungal activity was drastically reduced. The 29-kDa protein inhibited the mycelial growth of R. solani and C. miyabeanus at 2 µg level

Genomic Interventions for Biofortification of Food Crops

Micronutrient deficiencies are reported to affect more than two billion people worldwide. Importantly, people inhabiting rural and semi-urban areas are more vulnerable to these nutritional disorders. In view of the inadequacy of nutrition-specific approaches that rely on changing the food-consumption behaviour, nutrition-sensitive interventions like crop biofortification offer sustainable means to address the problem of malnutrition worldwide. Biofortification enhances nutrient density in crop plants during plant growth through genetic or agronomic practices. Traditional plant breeding techniques and genetic engineering approaches are key to crop biofortification. Here, we summarize recent advances in genomics that have contributed towards the progress of crop biofortification. Rapidly evolving technologies like high-density genotyping assays have accelerated harnessing gains associated with natural variation of mineral contents available in crop wild relatives and landraces. The genetic nature of the mineral composition is being resolved, thus furthering the understanding of trait architecture. Conventional QTL mapping techniques have made significant contribution towards this end. New molecular breeding techniques like genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS) are opening new avenues for capturing the maximum variation for elemental content, majorly explained by small-effect QTL. The potential of GS in this respect is enhanced several fold with the increasing availability of rapid generation advancement systems and high-throughput elemental profiling platforms. Evidences from latest research involving cutting-edge omics techniques including metabolomics help better elucidate nutrient metabolism in plants. Increasing the efficiency of biofortification breeding could enhance the rate of delivery of nutritionally rich cultivars of food crops, which will be easily accessible to a larger segment of nutrient-deficient people in the most cost-efficient way