Comparative Analysis of Double-Stranded RNA Degradation and Processing in Insects

RNA interference (RNAi) based methods are being developed for pest management. A few products for control of coleopteran pests are expected to be commercialized soon. However, variability in RNAi efficiency among insects is preventing the widespread use of this technology. In this study, we conducted research to identify reasons for variability in RNAi efficiency among thirty-seven (37) insects belonging to five orders. Studies on double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) degradation by dsRNases and processing of labeled dsRNA to siRNA showed that both dsRNA degradation and processing are variable among insects belonging to different orders as well as among different insect species within the same order. We identified homologs of key RNAi genes in the genomes of some of these insects and studied their domain architecture. These data suggest that dsRNA digestion by dsRNases and its processing to siRNAs in the cells are among the major factors contributing to differential RNAi efficiency reported among insects

Comparative analysis of web-based programs for single amino acid substitutions in proteins

Single amino-acid substitution in a protein affects its structure and function. These changes are the primary reasons for the advent of many complex diseases. Analyzing single point mutations in a protein is crucial to see their impact and to understand the disease mechanism. This has given many biophysical resources, including databases and web-based tools to explore the effects of mutations on the structure and function of human proteins. For a given mutation, each tool provides a score-based outcomes which indicates deleterious probability. In recent years, developments in existing programs and the introduction of new prediction algorithms have transformed the state-of-the-art protein mutation analysis. In this study, we have performed a systematic study of the most commonly used mutational analysis programs (10 sequence-based and 5 structure-based) to compare their prediction efficiency. We have carried out extensive mutational analyses using these tools for previously known pathogenic single point mutations of five different proteins. These analyses suggested that sequence-based tools, PolyPhen2, PROVEAN, and PMut, and structure-based web tool, mCSM have a better prediction accuracy. This study indicates that the employment of more than one program based on different approaches should significantly improve the prediction power of the available methods

HEAT TRANSFER ENHANCEMENT USING DIFFERENT GEOMETRY OF TWIST TAPE TURBULATORS: A REVIEW

The development of high-performance thermal systems has increased interest in heat transfer enhancement techniques. The high thermal performance enhancement of heat exchanger systems is needed to use energy source efficiently due to the sky-rocketing prices of petroleum and coal fuels. Heat exchangers are widely used in industry both for cooling and heating. Insertion of turbulators in the flow passage is one of the favorable passive heat transfer augmentation techniques due to their advantages of easy fabrication, operation as well as low maintenance. The purpose of this review presents the effect of twisted tape turbulators on the heat transfer enhancement, pressure drop, flow friction and thermal performance factor characteristics in a heat exchanger tube. The twisted tape turbulator is a device for increasing the heat transfer rate in the heat exchanger system. The widely employed in several industrial and engineering applications of heat exchanger are automobile, refrigerators, solar collector, heat engine, air conditions, thermal power plant, electronic cooling, milk plant, chemical process industries etc. heat transfer enhancement using different type of the turbulators placed in the tube has been extensively studied for the past decade among the both passive and active technique are compile in this review

In-Silico Drug discovery approach targeting receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 for cancer treatment

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) are important cell signaling molecules that influence many cellular processes. Receptor tyrosine kinase such as orphan receptor 1 (Ror1), a surface antigen, is a member of the RTK family of Ror, which plays a crucial role in cancers that have high-grade histology. As Ror1 has been implicated to be a potential target for cancer therapy, we selected this protein for further investigation. The secondary and tertiary structure of this protein was determined, which revealed that this protein contained three beta-sheets, seven alpha-helices, and coils. The prediction of the active site revealed its cage-like function that opens for ligand entry and then closes for interacting with the ligands. Optimized ligands from the database were virtually screened to obtain the most efficient and potent ones. The screened ligands were evaluated for their therapeutic usefulness. Furthermore, the ligands that passed the test were docked to the target protein resulting in a few ligands with high score, which were analyzed further. The highest scoring ligand, Beta-1, 2,3,4,6-Penta-O-Galloyl-D-Glucopyranose was reported to be a naturally occurring tannin. This in silico approach indicates the potential of this molecule for advancing a further step in cancer treatment

Microbial synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles for plant science and agriculture

Enormous usage of nanoparticles (NPs) has transformed several societal arenas including health care and agriculture indicating their great demand and production at a high scale. In this context, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted a great deal of attention in the last ten years. Due to the distinctive characteristics and captivating prospective usage demonstrated in a variety of domains, many methods for synthesis of MNPs have lately risen to the forefront. Out of many, microbial synthesis of MNPs is safer and cost-effective. Microorganisms, showing a great deal of biodiversity, provide a range of options to manufacture MNPs. Moreover, MNPs could be produced by microbes in vast quantities and at a low cost. It has also been shown that by employing microbial processes, it is possible to produce both NPs of crystalline pure magnetite as well as magnetite with some of the Fe replaced by Co, Ni, Cr, Mn, Zn, or the rare earths. Additionally, biological methods for producing MNPs are eco-friendly and present chances for industrialization. This review discusses methods for producing MNPs by microbial synthesis and their potential applications in agriculture along with the constraints in their synthesis and usage

Minimize the Maintenance Factors and Improving the Production Rate a Lean Based Industry

In today’s competitive manufacturing environment every organization is heading to increase its overall production by decreasing actions which consume unnecessary time and not contribute any significance value to manufacturing processes. Increase in overall production can be effectively achieved by means of reducing non value added activities involved in the production process. These encourage focus on lean manufacturing and purpose to increase equipment capacity and capability. One of the essential lean assembling instruments that can give distinctive measurement in distinguishing and dissecting non esteem included exercises is Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Value stream map presents a good picture of the time consumed and operations performed for the production of a product within manufacturing facility. Value Stream Maintenance Map (VSSM) clearly shows maintenance factor like equipment effectiveness, mean maintenance lead time. These maintenance factors play an important role in machines availability for production. Value Stream Maintenance Map helps industries to recognize the present maintenance condition in order to reduce the consumption of time. In this research work, a method is proposed for evaluating the breakdown maintenance factor using a value stream maintenance map (VSMM) enabling theassessment of measurable maintenance factors. The purpose of thesis is to propose a method which shows breakdown maintenance factors and matrices by using value stream maintenance map. The benefit of Current value stream map and valuestream maintenance map is to focus on the entire value stream of plant to find system wastes and gives idea to eliminate them

Fight Hard or Die Trying: Current Status of Lipid Signaling during Plant–Pathogen Interaction

Plant diseases pose a substantial threat to food availability, accessibility, and security as they account for economic losses of nearly $300 billion on a global scale. Although various strategies exist to reduce the impact of diseases, they can introduce harmful chemicals to the food chain and have an impact on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and exploit the plants’ immune systems to control the spread of pathogens and enable sustainable agriculture. Recently, growing pieces of evidence suggest a functional myriad of lipids to be involved in providing structural integrity, intracellular and extracellular signal transduction mediators to substantial cross-kingdom cell signaling at the host–pathogen interface. Furthermore, some pathogens recognize or exchange plant lipid-derived signals to identify an appropriate host or development, whereas others activate defense-related gene expression. Typically, the membrane serves as a reservoir of lipids. The set of lipids involved in plant–pathogen interaction includes fatty acids, oxylipins, phospholipids, glycolipids, glycerolipids, sphingolipids, and sterols. Overall, lipid signals influence plant–pathogen interactions at various levels ranging from the communication of virulence factors to the activation and implementation of host plant immune defenses. The current review aims to summarize the progress made in recent years regarding the involvement of lipids in plant–pathogen interaction and their crucial role in signal transduction

Molecular Rationale of Insect-Microbes Symbiosis—From Insect Behaviour to Mechanism

Insects nurture a panoply of microbial populations that are often obligatory and exist mutually with their hosts. Symbionts not only impact their host fitness but also shape the trajectory of their phenotype. This co-constructed niche successfully evolved long in the past to mark advanced ecological specialization. The resident microbes regulate insect nutrition by controlling their host plant specialization and immunity. It enhances the host fitness and performance by detoxifying toxins secreted by the predators and abstains them. The profound effect of a microbial population on insect physiology and behaviour is exploited to understand the host–microbial system in diverse taxa. Emergent research of insect-associated microbes has revealed their potential to modulate insect brain functions and, ultimately, control their behaviours, including social interactions. The revelation of the gut microbiota–brain axis has now unravelled insects as a cost-effective potential model to study neurodegenerative disorders and behavioural dysfunctions in humans. This article reviewed our knowledge about the insect–microbial system, an exquisite network of interactions operating between insects and microbes, its mechanistic insight that holds intricate multi-organismal systems in harmony, and its future perspectives. The demystification of molecular networks governing insect–microbial symbiosis will reveal the perplexing behaviours of insects that could be utilized in managing insect pests

In silico prediction of active site and in vitro DNase and RNase activities of Helicoverpa-inducible pathogenesis related-4 protein from Cicer arietinum

Plants are endowed with an innate immune system, which enables them to protect themselves from pest and pathogen. The participation of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins is one of the most crucial events of inducible plant defense response. Herein, we report the characterization of CaHaPR-4, a Helicoverpa-inducible class II PR-4 protein from chickpea. Bioinformatic analysis of CaHaPR-4 protein indicated the presence of a signal peptide, barwin domain but it lacks the chitin-binding site/hevein domain. The recombinant CaHaPR-4 is bestowed with RNase and bivalent ion-dependent DNase activity. Further, the RNA and DNA binding sites were identified and confirmed by analyzing interactions between mutated CaHaPR-4 with the altered active site and ribonuclease inhibitor, 5'ADP and DNase inhibitor, 2 nitro 5 thiocyanobenzoic acid (NTCB) using 3D modeling and docking studies. Moreover, CaHaPR-4 shows antifungal activity as well as growth inhibiting properties against neonatal podborer larvae. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a PR-4 showing RNase, DNase, antifungal and most importantly insect growth inhibiting properties against Helicoverpa armigera simultaneously. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved