Selected Physio-Chemical, Microbiological, and Agronomical Studies on the Controlled Atmosphere Storage of Sugarbeet (Beta Vulgaris) Roots

The post-harvest physiology of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris) roots was studied during controlled atmosphere (CA) storage at 35° and 50°F. Zero, 3, 6 and 10% carbon dioxide and 5% oxygen concentrations were employed to investigate the most beneficial concentrations of gases. Under the experimental conditions beets were stored successfully for 200 days. The maximum beneficial effects of CA were observed under 6% carbon dioxide and 5% oxygen at 35°F. Regardless of storage temperatures , sucrose retention was highest in the beets stored under CA, compared to conventional refrigeration (CR). Other beneficial effects include less hydrolysis of sucrose to reducing sugars and a decrease in raffinose accumulation. Fungal growth and sprouting were also inhibited significantly, under CA. In the second phase of the studies, investigations were conducted on sugarbeets to study the effects of different levels of nitrogen fertilizer on the optimum CA storage at 40°F. Regardless of the level of nitrogen fertilization, the beets stored under CA demonstrated beneficial effects as described earlier. In addition, respiration, measured on the whole beets, and amino nitrogen content of the beets were lower in the CA-stored beets than those stored under CR. Accumulation of citric acid and succinic acid was significant in the CA-stored beets

Synthesis of enantiomerically enriched benzimidazole-triazoles: Application as organocatalyst for asymmertric Diels-Alder reaction

93-1014-(Benzimidazolylmethyl)-1,2,3-triazole derivatives 8a-g and 9a-g have been developed using click chemistry protocol in regioselective manner and in high yields. These compounds have geometry to behave as chiral tweezers due to the presence of flexibly bound pi-rich hetero-aryl rings in addition to a chiral center. The synthesized chiral benzimidazole-triazoles have been found to be useful as organocatalysts for the enantioselective Diels-Alder (DA) reaction between anthrone 10 and maleimide detivatives 11a-g. Enantioselectivity levels have been found to be dependent on several factors including nature of substituents in benzimidazole-triazoles 8a-g and 9a-g

Penaeid prawn fishery and its maximum sustainable yield at Versova, Mumbai

Penaeid prawn fishery at Versova, Mumbai was investigated for the ten-year period of 1988 to 1997. The average annual catch during the period was 3,764 t, of which the trawlers contributed 84.9% and 15.1% by the dol nets. The major species contributing to the fishery were Parapenaeopsis stylifera (61.2%), Solenocera crassicornis (12.4%), Metapenaeus affinis (8.9%) and M. brevicornis (8.5%)'in trawlers andP. stylifera (51.5%),S. crassicornis (28.3%) andP. hardwikii (11.0%) in dol nets. Month wise abundance, size range, mean size, maturity and sex ratio in the two gears averaged for the period are discussed. Trawling at Versova commenced in 1986-'87 and due to encouraging returns many dol net owners also shifted over to trawling. Consequently the catch of penaeid prawns also increased from 1,363.71 in 1988 to 4,740.71 in 1996, and thereafter it declined considerably. Using Schaefer's surplus yield model, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and the related effort (FMSY) were estimated. The MSY was found to be 4,368.81 with the optimum effort of 3.75 X 105 hours of fishing for the dol nets and trawlers together, which corresponds to operation of 158 daily trawler trips and 38 dol net boats for the sustainable penaeid prawn fishery at Versova

Facile synthesis of novel coumarin derivatives, antimicrobial analysis, enzyme assay, docking study, ADMET prediction and toxicity study

The work reports the synthesis under solvent-free condition using the ionic liquid [Et3NH][HSO4] as a catalyst of fifteen novel 3-((dicyclohexylamino)(substituted phenyl/heteryl)-methyl)-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-onederivatives 4a–o as potential antimicrobial agents. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, mass spectral studies and elemental analyses. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antifungal and antibacterial activity. The compound 4k bearing 4-hydroxy-3-ethoxy group on the phenyl ring was found to be the most active antifungal agent. The compound 4e bearing a 2,4-difluoro group on the phenyl ring was found to be the most active antibacterial agent. The mode of action of the most promising antifungal compound 4k was established by an ergosterol extraction and quantitation assay. From the assay it was found that 4k acts by inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis in C. albicans. Molecular docking studies revealed a highly spontaneous binding ability of the tested compounds to the active site of lanosterol 14α-demethylase, which suggests that the tested compounds inhibit the synthesis of this enzyme. The synthesized compounds were analyzed for in silico ADMET properties to establish oral drug like behavior and showed satisfactory results. To establish the antimicrobial selectivity and safety, the most active compounds 4e and 4k were further tested for cytotoxicity against human cancer cell line HeLa and were found to be non-cytotoxic in nature. An in vivo acute oral toxicity study was also performed for the most active compounds 4e and 4k and results indicated that the compounds are non-toxic.S

High throughput mutagenesis for identification of residues regulating human prostacyclin (hIP) receptor

The human prostacyclin receptor (hIP receptor) is a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays a critical role in vascular smooth muscle relaxation and platelet aggregation. hIP receptor dysfunction has been implicated in numerous cardiovascular abnormalities, including myocardial infarction, hypertension, thrombosis and atherosclerosis. Genomic sequencing has discovered several genetic variations in the PTGIR gene coding for hIP receptor, however, its structure-function relationship has not been sufficiently explored. Here we set out to investigate the applicability of high throughput random mutagenesis to study the structure-function relationship of hIP receptor. While chemical mutagenesis was not suitable to generate a mutagenesis library with sufficient coverage, our data demonstrate error-prone PCR (epPCR) mediated mutagenesis as a valuable method for the unbiased screening of residues regulating hIP receptor function and expression. Here we describe the generation and functional characterization of an epPCR derived mutagenesis library compromising >4000 mutants of the hIP receptor. We introduce next generation sequencing as a useful tool to validate the quality of mutagenesis libraries by providing information about the coverage, mutation rate and mutational bias. We identified 18 mutants of the hIP receptor that were expressed at the cell surface, but demonstrated impaired receptor function. A total of 38 non-synonymous mutations were identified within the coding region of the hIP receptor, mapping to 36 distinct residues, including several mutations previously reported to affect the signaling of the hIP receptor. Thus, our data demonstrates epPCR mediated random mutagenesis as a valuable and practical method to study the structurefunction relationship of GPCRs. © 2014 Bill et al

PPAR? Downregulation by TGF in Fibroblast and Impaired Expression and Function in Systemic Sclerosis: A Novel Mechanism for Progressive Fibrogenesis

The nuclear orphan receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) is expressed in multiple cell types in addition to adipocytes. Upon its activation by natural ligands such as fatty acids and eicosanoids, or by synthetic agonists such as rosiglitazone, PPAR-γ regulates adipogenesis, glucose uptake and inflammatory responses. Recent studies establish a novel role for PPAR-γ signaling as an endogenous mechanism for regulating transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)- dependent fibrogenesis. Here, we sought to characterize PPAR-γ function in the prototypic fibrosing disorder systemic sclerosis (SSc), and delineate the factors governing PPAR-γ expression. We report that PPAR-γ levels were markedly diminished in skin and lung biopsies from patients with SSc, and in fibroblasts explanted from the lesional skin. In normal fibroblasts, treatment with TGF-ß resulted in a time- and dose-dependent down-regulation of PPAR-γ expression. Inhibition occurred at the transcriptional level and was mediated via canonical Smad signal transduction. Genome-wide expression profiling of SSc skin biopsies revealed a marked attenuation of PPAR-γ levels and transcriptional activity in a subset of patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc, which was correlated with the presence of a ''TGF-ß responsive gene signature'' in these biopsies. Together, these results demonstrate that the expression and function of PPAR-γ are impaired in SSc, and reveal the existence of a reciprocal inhibitory cross-talk between TGF-ß activation and PPAR-γ signaling in the context of fibrogenesis. In light of the potent anti-fibrotic effects attributed to PPAR-γ, these observations lead us to propose that excessive TGF-ß activity in SSc accounts for impaired PPAR-γ function, which in turn contributes to unchecked fibroblast activation and progressive fibrosis. © 2010 Wei et al