Ras hyperactivation versus overexpression : Lessons from Ras dynamics in Candida albicans

We thank Prof. Neta Dean for the CIp10ADH1-Cherry plasmid and Prof. Aaron Mitchell for the BWP17 strain. We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Sudipta Maiti, TIFR, Mumbai, India for providing the data acquisition software. We also appreciate the feedback and discussions with Dr. Rohini Muthuswami, SLS, JNU as well as from the Protein Society group, New Delhi while this study was taking shape. We thank Prof. Alok Bhattacharya for Cytochalasin D. The GC-MS and fluorescence lifetime measurements were carried out at the Advanced Instrumentation Research Facility (AIRF), JNU. Confocal images were recorded either at the central instrumentation facility (CIF), SLS, JNU or at AIRF, JNU. This work was supported by project grants from Department of Biotechnology (DBT, Project grant no. BT/PR20410/BRB/10/1542/2016) and Department of Science and Technology (DST, Project grant no. SB/SO/BB-011/2014), India to S.S.K; and project grants from Department of Information Technology, (DIT, Project grant no. 12(4)/2007-PDD), India to S.S. for FCS setup. In addition, both S.S. and S.S.K. thank DBT-BUILDER for funding support (Project grant no. BT/PR5006/INF/153/2012). S.S.K. also acknowledges funding support from UGC Resource Networking grant to the School of Life Sciences. We thank DST-PURSE and JNU for assistance with funding for publication. G.S.V. and S.C.S. received a fellowship from UGC; V.A.P., B.Y., P.J., N.P., M.F.K. acknowledge CSIR for fellowships. S.L.S. received a fellowship from ICMR. D.T.H. and M.F.K. thank DBT-BUILDER for funding.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A triterpenediol from Boswellia serrata induces apoptosis through both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in human leukemia HL-60 cells

A triterpenediol (TPD) comprising of isomeric mixture of 3a, 24-dihydroxyurs-12-ene and 3a, 24-dihydroxyolean-12-ene from Boswellia serrata induces apoptosis in cancer cells. An attempt was made in this study to investigate the mechanism of cell death by TPD in human leukemia HL-60 cells. It inhibited cell proliferation with IC50 ~ 12 lg/ml and produced apoptosis as measured by various biological end points e.g. increased sub-G0 DNA fraction, DNA ladder formation, enhanced AnnexinV-FITC binding of the cells. Further, initial events involved massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) formation, which were significantly inhibited by their respective inhibitors. Persistent high levels of NO and ROS caused Bcl-2 cleavage and translocation of Bax to mitochondria, which lead to loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Dwm) and release of cytochrome c, AIF,Smac/DIABLO to the cytosol. These events were associated with decreased expression of survivin and ICAD with attendant activation of caspases leading to PARP cleavage.Furthermore, TPD up regulated the expression of cell death receptors DR4 and TNF-R1 level, leading to caspase-8 activation. These studies thus demonstrate that TPD produces oxidative stress in cancer cells that triggers selfdemise by ROS and NO regulated activation of both the intrinsic and extrinsic signaling cascades

Structure–activity relationship (SAR) of parthenin analogues with pro-apoptotic activity: Development of novel anti-cancer leads

Analogues of parthenin were synthesized by substitutions at different reaction centres to establish a structure–activity relationship (SAR). Some of the molecules have displayed significant cytotoxicity in human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) and human myeloid leukemia (HL-60) cells. A few of the compounds also induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells measured in terms of sub-Go/G1 DNA fraction. Also one of the lead molecules has been shown to be the inhibitor of both telomerase and topoisomerase-II

Psilostachyin, acetylated pseudoguaianolides and their analogues: Preparation and evaluation of their anti-inflammatory potential

Naturally occurring acetylated pseudoguaianolides and psilostachyin including their analogues were synthesized. The structure of semi-synthetic psilostachyin was also confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The anti-inflammatory potential of all the derivatives has been evaluated through in vitro expression of TNF-a, IL-1b and IL-6 in murine neutrophils

Saponins as novel TNF-α inhibitors: isolation of saponins and a nor-pseudoguaianolide from Parthenium hysterophorus

Two novel saponins and a 13-nor-pseudoguaianolide designated as hysterolactone were isolated from Parthenium hysterophorus. The two saponins were found to be potent inhibitors of TNF-a. Their mode of inhibition was studied through molecular modeling. The wet lab results were in concordance with the data obtained from docking experiments

Abstracts of National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020

This book presents the abstracts of the papers presented to the Online National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020 (RDMPMC-2020) held on 26th and 27th August 2020 organized by the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Science in Association with the Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. Conference Title: National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020Conference Acronym: RDMPMC-2020Conference Date: 26–27 August 2020Conference Location: Online (Virtual Mode)Conference Organizer: Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology JamshedpurCo-organizer: Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, IndiaConference Sponsor: TEQIP-