Variability in stigma length and apocarotenoid content in Crocus sativus L. selections of Kashmir

Identification of high yielding selections using the existing gene pool of saffron shows promise and potential for improving the productivity of this crop. The present study was conducted at Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) with 31 saffron selections. Variations in respect to stigma length was observed. Apocarotenoid content was correlated with stigma length of saffron. Stigma size vis-a-vis quality evaluation confirmed that saffron of Kashmir is of intrinsically high quality with respect to colouring, aroma and taste. Variability in stigma characteristics observed in saffron selections can be utilized for saffron crop improvement. &nbsp

Variability in stigma length and apocarotenoid content in Crocus sativus L. selections of Kashmir

Identification of high yielding selections using the existing gene pool of saffron shows promise and potential for improving the productivity of this crop. The present study was conducted at Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) with 31 saffron selections. Variations in respect to stigma length was observed. Apocarotenoid content was correlated with stigma length of saffron. Stigma size vis-a-vis quality evaluation confirmed that saffron of Kashmir is of intrinsically high quality with respect to colouring, aroma and taste. Variability in stigma characteristics observed in saffron selections can be utilized for saffron crop improvement. &nbsp

Anti-Metastatic Propensity of Biscoumarin Scaffold Synthesized Under Catalyst Free Aqueous Phase Microwave Irradiation

An environmentally benign, catalyst free, aqueous phase, microwave assisted method for the synthesis of biscoumarin derivatives using 4-hydroxycoumarin and different aldehydes is reported. The comparative investigation of the same synthetic methodology under conventional refluxing, domestic and scientific programmable microwave synthesizer has been attempted for the purpose of comparing the reaction performance in terms of % yield, reaction time, reproducibility and reaction control. In addition to the increased yields and attenuated reaction times for biscoumarin synthesis, the difficulty of reaction control and result reproducibility usually encountered with domestic microwave ovens have been addressed through an optimized synthetic methodology using microwave synthesizer. Screening bioactive compounds for their propensity towards inhibition of cancer metastasis is a must step in advancement of cancer chemotherapy. The synthesized biscoumarin scaffold was investigated for inhibitory metastatic activity against human lung carcinoma cell line, A549 through in vitro wound healing and invasion assays. The biscoumarin scaffold was found to possess an effective anti-proliferative activity. It was also found to be efficient in ablating the migration and invasiveness of these cells under in vitro conditions. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Progression and Metastasis of Lung Cancer - A Study of Predominant Cellular Interactions in Tumor Microenvironment.

The heterotypic view of cancer envisions solid tumors as ecosystems consisting of abnormal epithelial tumor cells and a plethora of cell types collectively referred to as stromal cells. In these ecosystems, innate immune cells are highly represented and most abundant among these are macrophages. Macrophages commonly designated as Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) in the tumor microenvironment, originate from circulating pool of monocytes and play a critical role in orchestrating and promoting tumor growth. The acquisition of tumorigenic properties by TAMs relies upon a complex interplay between them and tumor cells. In this study, we demonstrated through co-culture experiments that such properties of TAMs are shaped up by the tumor-derived secretory signals which favor their tumor promoting phenotypes. Co-culture of model human monocytes (THP-1) with model human lung carcinoma cells (A549) enabled THP-1 cells to secrete tumor-promoting cytokines and therefore enhanced proliferation, migration and invasiveness of A549 cells. We demonstrated that A549 cells consistently secrete EDA-containing Fibronectin that mediates the pro-inflammatory response from THP-1 monocytes in a paracrine manner.Digital copy of Thesis.University of Kashmir

Diagnostic Relevance of Primary Investigations in Early Referral and Management of Colorectal Cancer Patients

Aim: Colorectal cancers are largely considered as curable yet the high mortality rates associated with it points out at deficiency in early management of the disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the diagnostic potential of routine primary investigations with an attempt to categorize symptoms for early referral of colorectal cancers patients.Methods: This study involved retrospective analysis of a cohort of 85 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer that underwent surgery in a period of one year. The patients were arranged into different age-groups to analyze the relative incidence and prognosis of the disease with respect to generalized symptoms and clinicopathological details. Multinomial Logistic Regression analysis was employed to predict the most effective set of parameter combinations for primary prognosis of the diseased state.Results: Abdominal pain, rectal bleeding and change in bowel habits were predominantly reported symptoms; however, these were imprecise with age, sex or stage of cancer. Interestingly, almost 85% of the patients were reported anemic, with a majority of them (41.7%) having Hb 10. Anaemic patients showed significantly higher frequency of symptoms viz. change in bowel habits (p 0.023), rectal bleeding (p 0.035) and/or abdominal pain (p 0.039) compared to non-anaemic ones. The co-occurrence of any two of the symptoms further increased the likelihood of the disease in anaemic patients.Conclusion: A substantial decrease in hemoglobin count with concomitant change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, and/or abdominal pain could be considered as potential referral markers for early management of suspected colorectal cancers patients

Angiogenesis in Control and Progression of Lung Cancer (This article was withdrawn as requested by the authors at March 24, 2015))

Lung cancer is the major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide owing to its late-stage detection and aggressive behavior. Epidemiologically, several genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to the development of lung cancer. Angiogenesis, a critical process in tumor progression has become an important target for anti-cancer therapy particularly in lung cancer. Besides commercially available angiogenic inhibitors, numerous anti-angiogenic therapies have been developed to limit tumor growth, although, most of them have not proved beneficial in terms of long-term survival. Despite, logical advances in treatment strategies, NSCLC still remains a major health concern due to poor prognosis of the diseases state. This calls for a comprehensive analysis of signaling processes governing tumor angiogenesis and treatment options available thereof for development of a sustainable strategy to control cancer. In this review, several aspects of lung cancer have been discussed starting from its pathological characterization to the development of modern therapeutics

Dissection of paracrine/autocrine interplay in lung tumor microenvironment mimicking cancer cell-monocyte co-culture models reveals proteins that promote inflammation and metastasis

Abstract Background Tumor cell-monocyte interactions play crucial roles in shaping up the pro-tumorigenic phenotype and functional output of tumor-associated macrophages. Within the tumor microenvironment, such heterotypic cell–cell interactions are known to occur via secretory proteins. Secretory proteins establish a diabolic liaison between tumor cells and monocytes, leading to their recruitment, subsequent polarization and consequent tumor progression. Methods We co-cultured model lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 with model monocytes, THP-1 to delineate the interactions between them. The levels of prototypical pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-, IL-6 and anti-inflammatory cytokines like IL-10 were measured by ELISA. Migration, invasion and attachment independence of lung cancer cells was assessed by wound healing, transwell invasion and colony formation assays respectively. The status of EMT was evaluated by immunofluorescence. Identification of secretory proteins differentially expressed in monocultures and co-culture was carried out using SILAC LC–MS/MS. Various insilico tools like Cytoscape, Reacfoam, CHAT and Kaplan–Meier plotter were utilized for association studies, pathway analysis, functional classification, cancer hallmark relevance and predicting the prognostic potential of the candidate secretory proteins respectively. Results Co-culture of A549 and THP-1 cells in 1:10 ratio showed early release of prototypical pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF- and IL-6, however anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 was observed to be released at the highest time point. The conditioned medium obtained from this co-culture ratio promoted the migration, invasion and colony formation as well as the EMT of A549 cells. Co-culturing of A549 with THP-1 cells modulated the secretion of proteins involved in cell proliferation, migration, invasion, EMT, inflammation, angiogenesis and inhibition of apoptosis. Among these proteins Versican, Tetranectin, IGFBP2, TUBB4B, C2 and IFI30 were found to correlate with the inflammatory and pro-metastatic milieu observed in our experimental setup. Furthermore, dysregulated expression of these proteins was found to be associated with poor prognosis and negative disease outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma compared to other cancer types. Pharmacological interventions targeting these proteins may serve as useful therapeutic approaches in lung adenocarcinoma. Conclusion In this study, we have demonstrated that the lung cancer cell-monocyte cross-talk modulates the secretion of IFI30, RNH1, CLEC3B, VCAN, IGFBP2, C2 and TUBB4B favoring tumor growth and metastasis

Anti-Metastatic Propensity of Biscoumarin Scaffold Synthesized Under Catalyst Free Aqueous Phase Microwave Irradiation

An environmentally benign, catalyst free, aqueous phase, microwave assisted method for the synthesis of biscoumarin derivatives using 4-hydroxycoumarin and different aldehydes is reported. The comparative investigation of the same synthetic methodology under conventional refluxing, domestic and scientific programmable microwave synthesizer has been attempted for the purpose of comparing the reaction performance in terms of % yield, reaction time, reproducibility and reaction control. In addition to the increased yields and attenuated reaction times for biscoumarin synthesis, the difficulty of reaction control and result reproducibility usually encountered with domestic microwave ovens have been addressed through an optimized synthetic methodology using microwave synthesizer. Screening bioactive compounds for their propensity towards inhibition of cancer metastasis is a must step in advancement of cancer chemotherapy. The synthesized biscoumarin scaffold was investigated for inhibitory metastatic activity against human lung carcinoma cell line, A549 through in vitro wound healing and invasion assays. The biscoumarin scaffold was found to possess an effective anti-proliferative activity. It was also found to be efficient in ablating the migration and invasiveness of these cells under in vitro conditions. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Not AvailableCrocussativus,amonocottriploidspeciesbelonging totheIridaceaefamily,iscultivatedforitsredstigmaticlobesof the carpel that constitute saffron. Flower development has been extensively studied in different plants. Different floral developmental pathways have been deciphered in many plants. In Crocussativus,floweristhemostimportantpartandunderstanding the pathway underlying the flower development can pave the way for new avenues to improve its productivity and quality. The combination of class A genes (including APETALA1; CsAP1 and APETALA2; CsAP2), class B genes (including APETALA3; CsAP3 and PISTILLATA; CsPI) and class C genes (including AGAMOUS; CsAG) that are active in each whorl,determinestheidentityoftheorgansthatwilllaterdevelop in that whorl. CsAP3 is a class B homeotic gene which promotes petal and stamen formation and has a very important roleinflowerdevelopment.Italsoactivatesothergenesplaying pivotal role in flower development. It has been earlier reported that CsAP3 gene has direct role in activation of CsNAP gene whichpromotessenescenceinplants.Presentworkwasfocused on study of relative gene expression changes of CsAP3 and CsNAP gene during different stages of flower development. CsAP3 gene expression was found maximum during latepreanthesis stages of stigma development. Expression increases from stage5 tostage 6offlower development and then reduces again from stage 6 to stage 7. CsNAP gene had moderate expression during stage 3 to stage 4 transition and its expression increased abruptly from stage 6 to stage 7 of flower development. There is no direct concordance in the expression of CsAP3 and CsNAP gene expression in saffron. We may conclude that some other factor(s) may be responsible for initiation of CsNAP expression and CsAP3 gene may directly/indirectly be involved in regulating the factors responsible for CsNAP activation.Not Availabl

Irigenin, a novel lead from Western Himalayan chemiome inhibits Fibronectin-Extra Domain A induced metastasis in Lung cancer cells

Several lines of evidence indicate that Fibronectin Extra Domain A (EDA) promotes metastatic capacity of tumor cells by engaging cell surface alpha 9 beta 1 integrins. This interaction mediated by the C-C' loop of EDA activates pro-oncogenic signaling pathways leading to epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells, thus signifying its importance in control of metastatic progression. In this context the present study was designed to explore the active compounds from selected ethno-medicinal plants of western Himalayan region for targeting EDA of Fibronectin in lung carcinoma cells. Structure based informatics for drug designing and screening was employed to generate a lead compound(s) feed that were conformationally and energetically viable. Out of 120 compounds selected, Irigenin showed best binding-affinity with C-C' loop of EDA. Irigenin specifically targeted alpha 9 beta 1 and alpha 4 beta 1 integrin binding sites on EDA comprising LEU46, PHE47, PRO48, GLU58, LEU59 and GLN60 in its C-C' loop as evaluated by energy decomposition per residue of Irigenin-EDA complex. In-vitro cell motility assays complemented with EDA knock-in and knockdown assays distinctively demonstrated that Irigenin prevents metastatic capacity of lung cancer cells by selectively blocking EDA. The results presented thus project Irigenin as a lead compound to overcome Fibronectin EDA induced metastatic progression in lung carcinoma cells