Deciphering the Molecular Mechanism of the Intermediate Secondary Growth and Internode Elongation of the Castor Bean (Ricinus communis L.) by the Combined Analysis of the Transcriptome and Metabolome.

The length of internodes plays a crucial role in determining the height of the castor plant (Ricinus communis L.). However, the specific mechanisms underlying internode elongation, particularly in the main stem of the castor plant, remain uncertain. To further investigate this, we conducted a study focusing on the internode tissue of the dwarf castor variety 071113, comparing it with the control high-stalk Zhuansihao. Our study included a cytological observation, physiological measurement, transcriptome sequencing, and metabolic determination. Our integrated findings reveal that the dwarf variety 071113 undergoes an earlier lignification development in the main stem and has a more active lignin synthesis pathway during internode intermediate development. In addition, the dwarf variety exhibited lower levels of the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), which had an impact on the development process. Furthermore, we identified specific enzymes and regulators that were enriched in the pathways of the cell cycle, auxin signal transduction, and secondary cell wall synthesis. Using these findings, we developed a model that explained the intermediate secondary growth observed in castor internode elongation and enhanced our comprehension of the dwarfing mechanism of the 071113 variety. This research provides a theoretical groundwork for the future breeding of dwarf castor varieties.

Molecular genetics, seed morphology and fatty acids diversity in castor (Ricinus communis L., Euphorbiaceae) Iranian populations.

BACKGROUND: Castor (Ricinus communis L.) seeds contain a large amount of oil that has several biological activities. In the current research, phytogeographic distribution, seed morphological characteristics, molecular genetic diversity and structure, and fatty acid composition were investigated in nine Iranian castor populations. METHODS AND RESULTS: The cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) protocol was used to extract the nuclear genomes. These were later amplified using 13 SCoT molecular primers. The phytogeographic distribution was determined based on the Zohary mapping, GC apparatus determined the fatty acid composition of the seeds. GenAlex, STRUCTURE, GenoDive, PopGene, and PopART software were used for the statistical analyzes. On phytogeographic mapping, the harvested populations belonged to different districts of the Euro-Siberian and Irano-Turanian regions (Holarctic kingdom). Most of the quantitative morphological traits of the seeds differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) between the populations. The AMOVA test demonstrated a large proportion of significant genetic diversity assigned among populations, which were approved by some estimated parameters of genetic diversity such as Nm, Ht, Hs, and Gst. Nei's genetic distance and structure analysis confirmed the existence of two main genotype groups and some intermediates. However, there was no isolation by distance between the genotypes. Unsaturated fatty acids were detected as the main component of seed oil with linoleic and ricinoleic acids. Significant correlations were detected between the main fatty acids of seed oil with seed morphological traits, geographic distance and the geographic parameters of habitats. According to the composition of the seed fatty acids, four chemotypes groups were detected. CONCLUSIONS: The classification patterns of the populations based on molecular genetic data, fatty acid composition, and phytogeographic mapping were not identical. These findings indicated that Iranian castor populations had unusual seed fatty acid composition which strongly depended on habitat geographic factors and seed morphological traits. However, the identified chemotypes and genotypes can be used in future breeding programs.

Dynamic QTL mapping revealed primarily the genetic structure of photosynthetic traits in castor (Ricinus communis L.).

High photosynthetic efficiency is the basis of high biomass and high harvest index in castor (Ricinus communis L.). Understanding the genetic law of photosynthetic traits will facilitate the breeding for high photosynthetic efficiency. In this study, the dynamic QTL mapping was performed with the populations F2 and BC1 derived from 2 parents with significant difference in net photosynthetic rate (Pn) at 3 stages, in order to reveal the genetic structure of photosynthetic traits. In F2 population, 26 single-locus QTLs were identified, including 3/3/1 (the QTL number at stage I/II/III, the same below), 1/2/0, 1/2/2, 1/3/1, 0/1/1, and 1/1/2 QTLs conferring Pn, water use efficiency (Wue), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and chlorophyll content (Cc), with a phenotypic variation explained (PVE) of 8.40%/8.91%/6.17%, 5.36%/31.74%/0, 7.31%/12.80%/15.15%, 1.60%/6.44%/0.02%, 0/1.10%/0.70% and 2.77%/3.96%/6.50% respectively. And 53 epistatic QTLs (31 pairs) were identified, including 2/2/5, 5/6/3, 4/4/2, 6/3/2, 3/2/0 and 4/0/0 ones conferring the above 6 traits, with a PVE of 6.52%/6.47%/19.04%, 16.72%/15.67%/14.12%, 18.57%/15.58%/7.34%, 21.72%/8.52%/7.13%, 13.33%/4.94%/0 and 7.84%/0/0 respectively. The QTL mapping results in BC1 population were consistent with those in F2 population, except fewer QTLs detected. Most QTLs identified were minor-effect ones, only a few were main-effect ones (PVE > 10%), focused on 2 traits, Wue and Tr, such as qWue1.1, qWue1.2, FqTr1.1, FqTr6, BqWue1.1 and BqTr3; The epistatic effects, especially those related to the dominance effects were the main genetic component of photosynthetic traits, and all the epistatic QTLs had no single-locus effects except qPn1.2, FqGs1.2, FqCi1.2 and qCc3.2; The detected QTLs underlying each trait varied at different stages except stable QTLs qGs1.1, detected at 3 stages, qWue2, qTr1.2 and qCc3.2, detected at 2 stages; 6 co-located QTLs were identified, each of which conferring 2-5 different traits, demonstrated the gene pleiotropy between photosynthetic traits; 2 QTL clusters, located within the marker intervals RCM1842-RCM1335 and RCM523-RCM83, contained 15/5 (F2/BC1) and 4/4 (F2/BC1) QTLs conferring multiple traits, including co-located QTLs and main-effect QTLs. The above results provided new insights into the genetic structure of photosynthetic traits and important references for the high photosynthetic efficiency breeding in castor plant.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 in vitro potential of castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) leaf extract: in-silico virtual evidence.

Ricinus communis L. is a medicinal plant that displays valuable pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. This study targeted to isolate and identify some constituents of R. communis leaves using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS) and different chromatographic techniques. In vitro anti-MERS and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity for different fractions and for two pure isolated compounds, lupeol (RS) and ricinine (RS1) were evaluated using a plaque reduction assay with three different mechanisms and IC50 based on their cytotoxic concentration (CC50) from an MTT assay using Vero E6 cell line. Isolated phytoconstituents and remdesivir are assessed for in-silico anti-COVID-19 activity using molecular docking tools. The methylene chloride extract showed pronounced virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 (IC50 = 1.76 µg/ml). It was also shown that ricinine had superior potential activity against SARS-CoV-2, (IC50 = 2.5 µg/ml). Lupeol displayed the most potency against MERS, (IC50 = 5.28 µg/ml). Ricinine appeared to be the most biologically active compound. The study showed that R. communis and its isolated compounds have potential natural virucidal activity against SARS-COV-2; however, additional exploration is necessary and study for their in vivo activity.

Regulation of capsule spine formation in castor.

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is a dicotyledonous oilseed crop that can have either spineless or spiny capsules. Spines are protuberant structures that differ from thorns or prickles. The developmental regulatory mechanisms governing spine formation in castor or other plants have remained largely unknown. Herein, using map-based cloning in 2 independent F2 populations, F2-LYY5/DL01 and F2-LYY9/DL01, we identified the RcMYB106 (myb domain protein 106) transcription factor as a key regulator of capsule spine development in castor. Haplotype analyses demonstrated that either a 4,353-bp deletion in the promoter or a single nucleotide polymorphism leading to a premature stop codon in the RcMYB106 gene could cause the spineless capsule phenotype in castor. Results of our experiments indicated that RcMYB106 might target the downstream gene RcWIN1 (WAX INDUCER1), which encodes an ethylene response factor known to be involved in trichome formation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) to control capsule spine development in castor. This hypothesis, however, remains to be further tested. Nevertheless, our study reveals a potential molecular regulatory mechanism underlying the spine capsule trait in a nonmodel plant species.

Process optimization and technoeconomic assessment of biodiesel production by one-pot transesterification of Ricinus communis seed oil.

In the present study, Ricinus communis seed oil with high free fatty acid content was utilized for the one-pot biodiesel production using 1-(2,3-dihydroxy)-propyl-3-methylimidazolium hydroxide, a basic ionic liquid catalyst. The 97.83% biodiesel yield was obtained at the optimized conditions of 6.26 % (w/w) of catalyst concentration, 10.51:1 M ratio of methanol to oil, 57.87 °C temperature and reaction time of 61.01 min. The transesterification of Ricinus communis seed oil to biodiesel exhibited an activation energy of 37.60 kJ/mol. The technoeconomic analysis, the profitability and the sensitivity analysis were investigated for the simulated process design. The technoeconomic analysis reported a total revenue of 20,455,431 $/yr, with gross margins, ROI, payback period, IRR, and NPV of 23.54%, 35.72%, 2.8 years, 28.20%, and 19,287,000 $, respectively. According to the sensitivity analysis, the two most important factors determining the economic viability of the simulated process are Ricinus communis seed oil cost and biodiesel selling price.

Evaluation of molluscicidal activity on Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818) and phytochemical characterization of hydroalcoholic extract of leaves of Ricinus communis L. (EUPHORBIACEAE).

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection of great prevalence worldwide, affecting 250 million people in 78 countries. Faced with this problem, studies that seek to analyze molluscicidal activity from plant extracts have stood out. The present work aimed to obtain the phytochemical characterization and investigate the molluscicidal activity in the hydroalcoholic extract of Ricinus communis leaves on Biomphalaria glabrata. The hydroalcoholic extract was prepared by macerated with solvent ethanol P.A 96%, followed by filtration and concentration in rotary evaporator. Next, five groups of snails with 10 animals each, one being the negative control group, were submitted to treatments with four concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/L of hydroalcoholic extract of R. communis. The parameters mortality, physiological and behavioral aspects of mollusks were analyzed during 96h. The chemical characterization of the extract was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Chemical characterization revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids and ricinin alkaloid, but under the conditions analyzed, the presence of saponins was not observed. There was no significant molluscicidal activity of the extract. However, a greater influence was observed in the diet, in addition to the motility and physiological state of the snails (alteration of cephalopodal mass and oviposition). The toxicity test was performed with Artemia salina and no toxicity was observed for this microcrustacean. It is expected that the results obtained contribute to the fight against the expansion of schistosomiasis and that they make room for other studies that investigate the molluscicidal action of plant extracts.

Effect of phosphorus fertilizer on phytoextraction using Ricinus communis L. in Cu and Cd co-contaminated soil.

Mining activities have led to Cu and Cd contaminated of surrounding agricultural soil. To decrease the Cu and Cd accumulation in crops, the Ricinus communis L. (castor) has been used for phytoremediation. A pot experiment was served to investigate the effect of phosphate fertilizer (Ca(H2PO4)2) on the growth and Cu/Cd uptake of castor in contaminated soil. The results showed that the application of P fertilizer improved the leaf cell morphology, decreased the malonaldehyde (MDA) content of castor leaves, and increased the plant biomass (28.2-34.2%). Besides, phosphate fertilizer still facilitated accumulation Cu and Cd by castor. The addition of phosphate fertilizer increased the contents of Cu in the root of castor, improved the bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Cu, and observably enhanced the accumulation of Cu (up to 201 µg/plant) in castor. Applying phosphorus increased the percentage of residual Cd, diminished the percentage of acid extractable Cd in soil, and the accumulation of Cd in castor was not significantly increased. These results suggest that phosphorus alleviated the stress of heavy metals on castor leaves and enhanced the accumulation of Cu and Cd in castor by promoting the growth of castor.

Applying phosphate fertilizer effectively alleviated the stress of heavy metals on castor and significantly increased the biomass of castor.The reason of applying phosphorus enhanced the castor uptake Cu and Cd was that phosphorus promoted the growth of castor.Applying phosphorus markedly increased the percentage of residual Cd but diminished the percentage of acid extractable Cd in soil.

Influence of Seed Variety and Extraction Technique on Fatty Acid Distribution and Quality Parameters of Tropical Castor (Ricinus communis L.) Oils.

Industrial application of castor oil is anchored on both agronomical and technological variables that intrinsically influence its quality properties. Therefore, castor oils of two varieties (Gibsoni and Carmenicita), extracted by screw press, solvent and traditional methods were compared in terms of oxidative stability indices, quality parameters and fatty acid distributions. General factorial analyses showed the significance of both factors on the oil yield, color intensity, moisture content, oxidative stability indices, most of the oil's fatty acids and other quality parameters. Gibsoni variety yielded more oil at the range of 40.12 - 53.51%, especially in solvent extraction. The two oxidative stability indicators; peroxide value (PeV) and free fatty acids (FFA) favored traditional extraction and were significantly higher in oils of Carmenicita variety, at 4.26 - 7.21 meqO2/kg and 2.55 - 3.94%, respectively. In addition to ricinoleic acid (85.93 - 89.19%), other fatty acids characterized in the oils include, oleic (4.73 - 5.84%), stearic (1.41 - 2.50%), linoleic (1.08 - 3.41%), and palmitic acids (0.60 - 1.29%). Saponification (SaV) and iodine values (IoV) of the oils were unaffected by varietal differences or extraction processes and the ranges recorded in both varieties were within ASTM (175 - 187 mgKOH/g) and EN 14214 (120-140 g I2/100 g) acceptable limits. Principal component analysis (PCA) model built on the data of the oils further emphasized the significance of these two factors in quality characterization of castor oil.

Preparation and characterization analysis of biofuel derived through seed extracts of Ricinus communis (castor oil plant).

The current study assesses the prospect of using R. Communis seed oil as a substitute fuel for diesel engines. Biodiesel is prepared from the R. Communis plant seed oil by a single-step base catalytic transesterification procedure. The investigation deals with the Physico-chemical characteristics of R. Communis biodiesel and has been associated with the base diesel. It has been perceived that the characteristics of biodiesel are well-matched with the base diesel under the ASTM D6751 limits correspondingly. R. Communis biodiesel is blended in different proportions with base diesel such as D10, D20, D30, D40, D50 and D100 and is tested in a Kirloskar TV1 single-cylinder, 4 blows DI engine under altered loading conditions. Outcomes demonstrate that BTE and BSFC for D10 as well as D20 are similar to base diesel. BSFC indicates that the precise BSFC of base diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40 and D50 was 0.87, 1.70, 2.60, 3.0, 3.4, and 3.5 kg/kW-hr, respectively. The extreme BTE at full load condition for base diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40, D50 and D100 are 28.2%, 28.1%, 27.9%, 25.5%, 24.1%, and 23.6% , respectively. In the case of engine emissions, R. Communis biodiesel blends provided an average decrease in hydrocarbon (HC), Carbon-monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) associated with base diesel. Nevertheless, R. Communis biodiesel blends discharged high stages of nitrogen oxide (NOx) compares to base diesel. Base diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40, D50, and D100 had UBHC emissions of 45 ppm, 40 ppm, 44 ppm, 46 ppm, 41 ppm, and 43 ppm, respectively. The reduction in CO emissions for D10, D20, D30, D40, D50 and D100 are 0.13%, 0.14%, 0.17%, 0.18% and 0.21% respectively. The dissimilarity in NOx attentiveness within brake powers for D10, D20, D30, D40, and D50 and base diesel are 50-ppm, 100 ppm, 150 ppm, 250 ppm, 350 ppm, and 500 ppm, respectively. The dissimilarity of CO2 emanation with reverence to break powers for the base-diesel, D10, D20, D30, D40, D50, and D100 are 4.8%, 4.9%, 4.8%, 4.56%, 4.9% and 5.1%, respectively. The present research provides a way for renewable petrol blends to substitute diesel for powering diesel engines in that way dropping the reliance on fossil fuels.

Different acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferases vary widely in function, and a targeted amino acid substitution enhances oil accumulation.

Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are the major component of plant storage lipids such as oils. Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyzes the final step of the Kennedy pathway, and is mainly responsible for plant oil accumulation. We previously found that the activity of Vernonia DGAT1 was distinctively higher than that of Arabidopsis and soybean DGAT1 in a yeast microsome assay. In this study, the DGAT1 cDNAs of Arabidopsis, Vernonia, soybean, and castor bean were introduced into Arabidopsis. All Vernonia DGAT1-expressing lines showed a significantly higher oil content (49% mean increase compared with the wild-type) followed by soybean and castor bean. Most Arabidopsis DGAT1-overexpressing lines did not show a significant increase. In addition to these four DGAT1 genes, sunflower, Jatropha, and sesame DGAT1 genes were introduced into a TAG biosynthesis-defective yeast mutant. In the yeast expression culture, DGAT1s from Arabidopsis, castor bean, and soybean only slightly increased the TAG content; however, DGAT1s from Vernonia, sunflower, Jatropha, and sesame increased TAG content >10-fold more than the former three DGAT1s. Three amino acid residues were characteristically common in the latter four DGAT1s. Using soybean DGAT1, these amino acid substitutions were created by site-directed mutagenesis and substantially increased the TAG content.

Phytotoxicological study of selected poisonous plants from Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

Poisonous plants cause tremendous economic losses to the livestock industry. These economic losses are deterioration in their health, decreased productivity, deformed offspring, and reduced longevity. The current study is the first comprehensive report on poisonous plants of Azad Jammu and Kashmir which systematically documents the phytotoxicological effect and mode of action in livestock. The information was gathered from 271 informants including 167 men and 104 women through semi-structured interviews and literature search through available databases. The data collected through interviews was analyzed with quantitative tools viz. the factor informant consensus and fidelity level. A total of 38 species of flowering plants belonging to 23 families and 38 genera were reported. Family Asteraceae (5 spp) was the most dominant, followed by Solanaceae (4 spp), Fabaceae (4 spp), Euphorbiaceae (4 spp) and Convolvulaceae (3 spp). Among all the species collected, herbs were the dominant life form (22 spp, 57.89%), trailed by shrubs (11 spp, 28.95%), and trees (5 spp, 13.16%). Whole plant toxicity was reported to be the highest (15 spp, 39.47%), followed by leaf toxicity (12 spp, 31.58%), seed toxicity (4 spp, 7.89%), fruit toxicity (3 spp, 10.53%), latex toxicity (2 spp, 5.26%), flowers toxicity (1 spp, 2.63%), and berries toxicity (1 spp, 2.63%). The most toxic route of administration was found oral (39 spp, 40.63%), followed by intraperitoneal (24 spp, 25%), and intravenous (21 spp, 21.88%). The most commonly affected organ was found liver (20.41%), followed by gastrointestinal tract (20.341%), CNS (16.33%), skin (14.29%), kidneys (12.24%), lungs (4.04%), reproductive organs (2.04%), spleen (1.75%), blood (1.75%), heart (1.75%), urinary tract (1.75%), and pancreas (1.75%). The maximum Fic value was found for dermatological disorders (0.91), followed by the endocrine system (0.90), gastrointestinal (0.82), neurology (0.77), nephrology (0.67), cardiovascular (0.67), urinary (0.67), respiratory (0.60), sexual (0.60) disorders. Senecio vulgaris, and Ageratum conyzoides were the most important plants with fidelity level (0.95) and (0.87). Nerium oleander, Lantana camara, Leucaena leucocephala, and Ricinus communis were the important poisonous plant with maximum fidelity level (100%). Ricinus communis with reported lowest LD50 (<20 mg/kg) was the top-ranked poisonous plant followed by Lantana camara and Justicia adhatoda (25-50 mg/kg), Nerium Oleander (157.37 mg/kg), and Datura innoxia (400 mg/kg). We found that knowledge about poisonous plants is less prevailing in the rural areas of Azad Kashmir compared to the knowledge about medicinal plants and poisonous nature of reported plants is due to production of toxic substances and presence of essential oils.

Phosphatidylcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase's unique regulation of castor bean oil quality.

Castor bean (Ricinus communis) seed oil (triacylglycerol [TAG]) is composed of ∼90% of the industrially important ricinoleoyl (12-hydroxy-9-octadecenoyl) groups. Here, phosphatidylcholine (PC):diacylglycerol (DAG) cholinephosphotransferase (PDCT) from castor bean was biochemically characterized and compared with camelina (Camelina sativa) PDCT. DAGs with ricinoleoyl groups were poorly used by Camelina PDCT, and their presence inhibited the utilization of DAG with "common" acyl groups. In contrast, castor PDCT utilized DAG with ricinoleoyl groups similarly to DAG with common acyl groups and showed a 10-fold selectivity for DAG with one ricinoleoyl group over DAG with two ricinoleoyl groups. Castor DAG acyltransferase2 specificities and selectivities toward different DAG and acyl-CoA species were assessed and shown to not acylate DAG without ricinoleoyl groups in the presence of ricinoleoyl-containing DAG. Eighty-five percent of the DAG species in microsomal membranes prepared from developing castor endosperm lacked ricinoleoyl groups. Most of these species were predicted to be derived from PC, which had been formed by PDCT in exchange with DAG with one ricinoleoyl group. A scheme of the function of PDCT in castor endosperm is proposed where one ricinoleoyl group from de novo-synthesized DAG is selectivity transferred to PC. Nonricinoleate DAG is formed and ricinoleoyl groups entering PC are re-used either in de novo synthesis of DAG with two ricinoleoyl groups or in direct synthesis of triricinoleoyl TAG by PDAT. The PC-derived DAG is not used in TAG synthesis but is proposed to serve as a substrate in membrane lipid biosynthesis during oil deposition.

Neurological and gastrointestinal manifestations of spontaneous poisoning by Ricinus communis in goats.

An outbreak of Ricinus communis poisoning in goats with neurological and digestive changes was related to the ingestion of different vegetative parts of the plant. Two poisoned animals died within 5 h of the plant intake showing necrotic gastroenteritis and hepatocytes degeneration and necrosis. Toxicological analysis by HPLC-DAD assay demonstrated 21.1-25.1 µg/g of ricinine in samples of ruminal fluids and 10.1-10.9 µg/g in the liver of poisoned goats.

Autophosphorylation Inhibits RcCDPK1, a Dual-Specificity Kinase that Phosphorylates Bacterial-Type Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase in Castor Oil Seeds.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is a tightly regulated enzyme that plays a crucial anaplerotic role in central plant metabolism. Bacterial-type PEPC (BTPC) of developing castor oil seeds (COS) is highly expressed as a catalytic and regulatory subunit of a novel Class-2 PEPC heteromeric complex. Ricinus communis Ca2+-dependent protein kinase-1 (RcCDPK1) catalyzes in vivo inhibitory phosphorylation of COS BTPC at Ser451. Autokinase activity of recombinant RcCDPK1 was detected and 42 autophosphorylated Ser, Thr or Tyr residues were mapped via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Prior autophosphorylation markedly attenuated the ability of RcCDPK1 to transphosphorylate its BTPC substrate at Ser451. However, fully dephosphorylated RcCDPK1 rapidly autophosphorylated during the initial stages of a BTPC transphosphorylation assay. This suggests that Ca2+-dependent binding of dephospho-RcCDPK1 to BTPC may trigger a structural change that leads to rapid autophosphorylation and subsequent substrate transphosphorylation. Tyr30 was identified as an autophosphorylation site via LC-MS/MS and immunoblotting with a phosphosite-specific antibody. Tyr30 occurs at the junction of RcCDPK1's N-terminal variable (NTVD) and catalytic domains and is widely conserved in plant and protist CDPKs. Interestingly, a reduced rate and extent of BTPC transphosphorylation occurred with a RcCDPK1Y30F mutant. Prior research demonstrated that RcCDPK1's NTVD is essential for its Ca2+-dependent autophosphorylation or BTPC transphosphorylation activities but plays no role in target recognition. We propose that Tyr30 autophosphorylation facilitates a Ca2+-dependent interaction between the NTVD and Ca2+-activation domain that primes RcCDPK1 for transphosphorylating BTPC at Ser451. Our results provide insights into links between the post-translational control of COS anaplerosis, Ca2+-dependent signaling and the biological significance of RcCDPK1 autophosphorylation.

In vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities of extracts and fractions of leaves of Ricinus communis Linn against selected pathogens.

INTRODUCTION: Infectious disease impacts are reduced due to the development of antimicrobial agents. However, the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents is reduced over time because of the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. To overcome these problems, scholars have been searching for alternative medicines. Ricinus communis is used as a traditional treatment for bovine mastitis, wound infection, and other medicinal purposes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to further evaluate the antimicrobial activities of R. communis leaf extracts and fractions. METHODS: R. communis leaves were macerated in methanol and acetone. The methanol extract showed better antimicrobial activity and subjected to further fractionation via increasing polarity of solvents (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and aqueous). Test microorganisms included in the study were six laboratory reference bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Kleibsella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes), two clinical isolate bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus), and Candida albicans. The agar well diffusion method was employed to determine antimicrobial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentrations (MBC/MFC) were determined through broth microdilution. RESULTS: The results indicated that the best antimicrobial activity for ethyl acetate fraction ranged from 14.67 mm (clinical E. coli) to 20.33 mm (S. aureus) at 400 mg/ml, however, n-hexane exhibited the lowest antimicrobial activity. Among the tested fractions, ethyl acetate fraction showed the lowest MIC values ranged from 1.5625 mg/ml (S. aureus) to 16.67 mg/ml (Candida albicans). The ethyl acetate fraction showed bactericidal activity against all tested microorganisms. CONCLUSION: Hence, ethyl acetate fraction of crude methanol extract exhibited the best antimicrobial activity.

Ricicomin A, a new alkaloid from the leaves of Ricinus communis Linn.

From the leaves of Ricinus communis Linn., one new alkaloid, named ricicomin A (1) together with three known ones, ricinine (2), N-demethylricinine (3) and 4-[2-formyl-5-(methoxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]butanoic acid (4) were justified by repeated chromatographic methods. Their structures were determined by comprehensive IR, HR-ESI-MS and NMR analyses. Compound 4 was identified for the first time from the genus Ricinus. DFT-NMR chemical shift calculations and subsequent DP4+ probability methods were applied to confirm the chemical structure of 1. Compounds 1-3 did not display cytotoxic effect against three human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HepG2 and HeLa) using SRB assay.

Phytochemical screening, green synthesis of gold nanoparticles, and antibacterial activity using seeds extract of Ricinus communis L.

In the current research study, the phytochemical tests of the Ricinus communis L methanolic extract detected the presence of coumarin, reducing sugar, emodines, terpenoids, flavonoids, and steroids while water extract showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, and soluble starch. The methanolic extract was further subjected to synthesize Au nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed by UV-Vis through the appearance of a peak at 550 nm which correspond to the existence of Au nanoparticles. The size and morphology of synthesized nanoparticle were further studied by the dynamic light scattering technique which shows that nanoparticles were in the range of 100 nm which were further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles and extracts were tested against different bacterial strains. The results revealed that methanolic extract showed maximum inhibition of 19.5 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae and 20.33 mm against Bacillus cereus while water extract showed maximum inhibition of 18.16 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 19.33 mm against B. cereus. On the other hand, Au nanoparticles showed maximum inhibition of 18.5 mm against Escherichia coli.

Antibacterial activity of Ricinus communis plant extract against antibiotic resistant Helicobacter pylori and Gluconobacter oxydans isolated from fresh apple juices samples.

Bacteria were isolated from samples of Fresh Apple juices from shops of three different localities of Lahore. Analysis of samples from Liberty, Anarkali and Yateem khana Markets show different levels of contamination. There were pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria in all samples and were identified by the morphological and biochemical tests. Most of the plasmids of pathogenic bacteria were 4kb in their molecular size. Ribotyping of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was done to confirm Helicobacter pylori strain and Gluconobacter oxydans. The highest sensitivity of 210mm was shown by Enterobacter sp. against Aztheromysine disk (15µg) while Micrococcus sp. was highly resistant against all of the Antibiotics applied. The antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria was also checked against Ricinus communis plant's extracts, all isolated bacterial pathogens were resistant but only, E.coli was inhibited at 300µl of the extracts. Presence of pathogenic bacteria in Apple juice samples was due to contamination of sewage water in drinking water while some of these pathogenic bacteria came from Apple's tree and other from store houses of fruits.