Novel report of Acinetobacter johnsonii as an indole-producing seed endophyte in Tamarindus indica L.

Plant-microbe associations have been regarded as an exciting topic of research due to their potential as environment friendly alternatives for stimulating crop growth and development. Seeds of Tamarindus indica L. have been chosen for the present study as seed endophytes prefer larger or nutritive cotyledon and hard seed coats for their colonization. The main objectives of our study were to isolate and identify the seed endophytes, their bioefficacy, and responsible chemical compounds. In a dose-dependent experiment, tamarind seed exudates (TSE) showed plant growth-promoting properties on Oryza sativa (53-81%), Daucus carota (10-31%), and Raphanus sativa (21-42%). Identification of the bacterial load in TSE through 16S rRNA sequencing revealed the existence of two bacterial species, Acinetobacter johnsonii and Niallia nealsonii. This is the first report of these two bacteria as seed endophytes of Tamarindus indica L. HRLC-MS analysis of TSE confirmed the presence of indole derivatives, primarily indole-3-lactic acid (ILA). The quantitative phytochemical estimation of bacterial culture filtrates revealed that indole-like substances were present in the extracts only in A. johnsonii at a concentration of 0.005 mg/ml of indole acetic acid equivalent. Experimental results suggested that the stimulatory activity of TSE was caused by the presence of A. johnsonii, a potential plant growth-promoting bacteria that produced indole-like compounds. This study suggests tamarind seed exudates with its endophytic microbiota as a potent plant growth-promoting agent that may find use as a cheap and sustainable source of metabolites useful in the agro-industries.

Fluorescence behavior of cis-methyl orange stabilized in cationic premicelles.

The cis-isomer of methyl orange (MO), stabilized in cationic premicelles, has been found to be fluorescence active when excited at wavelength ≤270nm. An intense fluorescence band with maximum at 575nm along with a broad moderate intensity band in the range of 370-530nm and a low intensity band at 361nm have been observed. The major band at 575nm has been attributed to S1→S0 (n-π(*)) fluorescence unlike the other azobenzenes where the S2→S0 (π-π(*)) fluorescence is usually reported. UV-Vis spectral and surface tension study indicate that the dye exists in the trans form in dye-surfactant ionpair (DSIP) at very dilute concentrations of the surfactant. But the polar cis-isomer is stabilized by micellization of the DSIPs as the concentration of the surfactant is increased. The fluorescence and hence the cis-isomer again disappear when normal micelles are formed above the normal CMC of the surfactant. It has been suggested that the symmetry forbidden S1→S0 (n-π(*)) transition of MO becomes allowed due to the formation of the twisted cis-form. TD-DFT calculations have been used as an auxiliary tool to identify the possible structures and electronic transitions responsible for the specific absorption and fluorescence properties of MO observed in presence of premicellar cationic surfactants.

Stabilization of diketo tautomer of curcumin by premicellar anionic surfactants: UV-Visible, fluorescence, tensiometric and TD-DFT evidences.

A newly observed UV band of aqueous curcumin, a biologically important molecule, in presence of anionic surfactants, viz., sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), and sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDSN) in buffered aqueous solutions has been studied experimentally and theoretically. The 425 nm absorption band of curcumin disappears and a new UV-band is observed at 355 nm on addition of the surfactants in the submicellar concentration range which is reversed as the surfactant concentration approaches the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The observed spectral absorption, fluorescence intensity and surface tension behavior, under optimal experimental conditions of submicellar concentration ranges of the surfactants in the pH range of 2.00-7.00, indicate that the new band is due to the ß-diketo tautomer of curcumin stabilized by interactions between curcumin and the anionic surfactants. The stabilization of the diketo tautomer by submicellar anionic surfactants described here as well as by submicellar cationic surfactant, reported recently, is unique as this is the only such behavior observed in presence of submicellar surfactants of both charge types. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations using ab initio density functional theory combined with time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations.