Quality trait improvement in horticultural crops: OMICS and modern biotechnological approaches.

Horticultural crops are an essential part of food and nutritional security. Moreover, these form an integral part of the agricultural economy and have enormous economic potential. They are a rich source of nutrients that are beneficial to human health. Plant breeding of horticultural crops has focussed primarily on increasing the productivity and related traits of these crops. However, fruit and vegetable quality is paramount to their perishability, marketability, and consumer acceptance. The improved nutritional value is beneficial to underprivileged and undernourished communities. Due to a declining genetic base, conventional plant breeding does not contribute much to quality improvement as the existing natural allelic variations and crossing barriers between cultivated and wild species limit it. Over the past two decades, 'omics' and modern biotechnological approaches have made it possible to decode the complex genomes of crop plants, assign functions to the otherwise many unknown genes, and develop genome-wide DNA markers. Genetic engineering has enabled the validation of these genes and the introduction of crucial agronomic traits influencing various quality parameters directly or indirectly. This review discusses the significant advances in the quality improvement of horticultural crops, including shelf life, aroma, browning, nutritional value, colour, and many other related traits.

Ameliorating the effects of multiple stresses on agronomic traits in crops: modern biotechnological and omics approaches.

While global climate change poses a significant environmental threat to agriculture, the increasing population is another big challenge to food security. To address this, developing crop varieties with increased productivity and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses is crucial. Breeders must identify traits to ensure higher and consistent yields under inconsistent environmental challenges, possess resilience against emerging biotic and abiotic stresses and satisfy customer demands for safer and more nutritious meals. With the advent of omics-based technologies, molecular tools are now integrated with breeding to understand the molecular genetics of genotype-based traits and develop better climate-smart crops. The rapid development of omics technologies offers an opportunity to generate novel datasets for crop species. Identifying genes and pathways responsible for significant agronomic traits has been made possible by integrating omics data with genetic and phenotypic information. This paper discusses the importance and use of omics-based strategies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and phenomics, for agricultural and horticultural crop improvement, which aligns with developing better adaptability in these crop species to the changing climate conditions.

Epidemiologic and Clinical Characteristics of Monkeypox Cases - United States, May 17-July 22, 2022.

Monkeypox, a zoonotic infection caused by an orthopoxvirus, is endemic in parts of Africa. On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the U.S. monkeypox outbreak, which began on May 17, to be a public health emergency (1,2). After detection of the first U.S. monkeypox case), CDC and health departments implemented enhanced monkeypox case detection and reporting. Among 2,891 cases reported in the United States through July 22 by 43 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia (DC), CDC received case report forms for 1,195 (41%) cases by July 27. Among these, 99% of cases were among men; among men with available information, 94% reported male-to-male sexual or close intimate contact during the 3 weeks before symptom onset. Among the 88% of cases with available data, 41% were among non-Hispanic White (White) persons, 28% among Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) persons, and 26% among non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) persons. Forty-two percent of persons with monkeypox with available data did not report the typical prodrome as their first symptom, and 46% reported one or more genital lesions during their illness; 41% had HIV infection. Data suggest that widespread community transmission of monkeypox has disproportionately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and racial and ethnic minority groups. Compared with historical reports of monkeypox in areas with endemic disease, currently reported outbreak-associated cases are less likely to have a prodrome and more likely to have genital involvement. CDC and other federal, state, and local agencies have implemented response efforts to expand testing, treatment, and vaccination. Public health efforts should prioritize gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, who are currently disproportionately affected, for prevention and testing, while addressing equity, minimizing stigma, and maintaining vigilance for transmission in other populations. Clinicians should test patients with rash consistent with monkeypox,† regardless of whether the rash is disseminated or was preceded by prodrome. Likewise, although most cases to date have occurred among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, any patient with rash consistent with monkeypox should be considered for testing. CDC is continually evaluating new evidence and tailoring response strategies as information on changing case demographics, clinical characteristics, transmission, and vaccine effectiveness become available.§.

Understanding saffron biology using omics- and bioinformatics tools: stepping towards a better Crocus phenome.

Saffron is a unique plant in many aspects, and its cellular processes are regulated at multiple levels. The genetic makeup in the form of eight chromosome triplets (2n = 3x = 24) with a haploid genetic content (genome size) of 3.45 Gbp is decoded into different types of RNA by transcription. The RNA then translates into peptides and functional proteins, sometimes involving post-translational modifications too. The interactions of the genome, transcriptome, proteome and other regulatory molecules ultimately result in the complex set of primary and secondary metabolites of saffron metabolome. These complex interactions manifest in the form of a set of traits 'phenome' peculiar to saffron. The phenome responds to the environmental changes occurring in and around saffron and modify its response in respect of growth, development, disease response, stigma quality, apocarotenoid biosynthesis, and other processes. Understanding these complex relations between different yet interconnected biological activities is quite challenging in saffron where classical genetics has a very limited role owing to its sterility, and the absence of a whole-genome sequence. Omics-based technologies are immensely helpful in overcoming these limitations and developing a better understanding of saffron biology. In addition to creating a comprehensive picture of the molecular mechanisms involved in apocarotenoid synthesis, stigma biogenesis, corm activity, and flower development, omics-technologies will ultimately lead to the engineering of saffron plants with improved phenome.

MYB-6 and LDOX-1 regulated accretion of anthocyanin response to cold stress in purple black carrot (Daucus carota L.).

AIM: Anthocyanin, an essential ingredient of functional foods, is present in a wide range of plants, including black carrots. The current investigation was carried out to analyse the effect of cold stress on the expression of major anthocyanins and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway genes, MYB6 and LDOX-1. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five cultivated carrot genotypes belonging to the eastern group, having anthocyanin pigment, were used in the current study. The qRT-PCR analysis revealed that relative gene expression of transcription factor MYB-6 and LDOX1gene was highly expressed upon cold stress compared to non-stress samples. High-performance liquid chromatography-based quantification of Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (Kuromanin chloride), Ferulic acid, 3,5-Dimethoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (Sinapic acid), and Rutin revealed a significant increase in these major anthocyanins in response to cold stress when compared to control plants. CONCLUSION: We conclude that MYB6 and LDOX1 gene expression increases upon cold stress, which induces accumulation of major anthocyanins in purple black carrot and suggests a possible cross-link between cold stress and anthocyanin biosynthesis in purple black carrot.

Explicating genetic diversity based on ITS characterization and determination of antioxidant potential in sea buckthorn (Hippophae spp.).

BACKGROUND: Sea buckthorn (Hippophae) is in the focus of interest mainly for its positive effects on health of both human and animal organisms. Due to the similarities in vegetative morphology, Hippophae species are often misidentified. Therefore, current study was focused on ITS based sequence characterization of sea buckthorn species and comparative biochemical evaluation for its antioxidant properties. METHODS AND RESULTS: DNA was extracted from leaf samples. Primer pairs K-Lab-SeaBukRhm-ITS1F1- K-Lab-SeaBukRhm-ITS1R1 and K-LabSeaBukTib- ITSF1- K-LabSeaBukTib-ITSR1 were used for PCR amplification. The purified PCR products were outsourced for sequencing. Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on neighbor-joining (NJ) method. Moreover, comparison of antioxidant potential of leaves of two sea buckthorn species (Hippophae rhamnoides and Hippophae tibetana) collected from different regions of Ladakh viz., Stakna, Nubra, DRDO Leh and Zanskar was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis (3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), and Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) by phosphomolybdenum assays. The present investigation led to the differentiation of two sea buckthorn species viz., H. rhamnoides and H. tibetana based on Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region. Moreover, significant variation was observed in antioxidant potential of leaf extracts collected from different regions. CONCLUSIONS: Primary ITS sequence analysis was found to be powerful tool for identification and genetic diversity studies in sea buckthorn. Leaves of sea buckthorn have pronounced antioxidant properties and can be used in food, neutraceuticals and pharmaceutical industries etc. The current study will pave the way to discover small bioactive molecules responsible for antioxidant and anticancer properties in sea buckthorn.

Pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus lesions impair probabilistic reversal learning by reducing sensitivity to positive reward feedback.

Recent findings indicate that pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) neurons encode reward-related information that is context-dependent. This information is critical for behavioral flexibility when reward outcomes change signaling a shift in response patterns should occur. The present experiment investigated whether NMDA lesions of the PPTg affects the acquisition and/or reversal learning of a spatial discrimination using probabilistic reinforcement. Male Long-Evans rats received a bilateral infusion of NMDA (30nmoles/side) or saline into the PPTg. Subsequently, rats were tested in a spatial discrimination test using a probabilistic learning procedure. One spatial location was rewarded with an 80% probability and the other spatial location rewarded with a 20% probability. After reaching acquisition criterion of 10 consecutive correct trials, the spatial location - reward contingencies were reversed in the following test session. Bilateral and unilateral PPTg-lesioned rats acquired the spatial discrimination test comparable to that as sham controls. In contrast, bilateral PPTg lesions, but not unilateral PPTg lesions, impaired reversal learning. The reversal learning deficit occurred because of increased regressions to the previously 'correct' spatial location after initially selecting the new, 'correct' choice. PPTg lesions also reduced the frequency of win-stay behavior early in the reversal learning session, but did not modify the frequency of lose-shift behavior during reversal learning. The present results suggest that the PPTg contributes to behavioral flexibility under conditions in which outcomes are uncertain, e.g. probabilistic reinforcement, by facilitating sensitivity to positive reward outcomes that allows the reliable execution of a new choice pattern.

Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to the pituitary gland.

Pituitary metastasis (PM) is rare occurrence and accounts for <1% of all intracranial metastatic lesions. In this study, we highlight the importance of considering atypical sites for lung adenocarcinoma metastasis by presenting a case of a 54-year-old male who was diagnosed with PM 15 months after being diagnosed with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with metastasis to the spine, pelvis, left frontal lobe, and right occipital lobe. He was on a prolonged course of chemotherapy during those 15 months and received palliative radiation for his brain metastasis with subsequent remission after 5 months following his initial diagnosis. The pituitary lesion was picked up as an incidental finding on a routine staging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 10 months after his brain metastasis remission. The patient successfully underwent trans-sphenoidal pituitary lesion resection. This case emphasizes the importance of routine surveillance and examination of atypical sites of metastasis even in patients undergoing a prolonged course of chemotherapy.

Spatial-dependent suppressive aftereffect produced by a sound in the rat's inferior colliculus is partially dependent on local inhibition.

In a natural acoustic environment, a preceding sound can suppress the perception of a succeeding sound which can lead to auditory phenomena such as forward masking and the precedence effect. The degree of suppression is dependent on the relationship between the sounds in sound quality, timing, and location. Correlates of such phenomena exist in sound-elicited activities of neurons in hearing-related brain structures. The present study recorded responses to pairs of leading-trailing sounds from ensembles of neurons in the rat's inferior colliculus. Results indicated that a leading sound produced a suppressive aftereffect on the response to a trailing sound when the two sounds were colocalized at the ear contralateral to the site of recording (i.e., the ear that drives excitatory inputs to the inferior colliculus). The degree of suppression was reduced when the time gap between the two sounds was increased or when the leading sound was relocated to an azimuth at or close to the ipsilateral ear. Local blockage of the type-A γ-aminobutyric acid receptor partially reduced the suppressive aftereffect when a leading sound was at the contralateral ear but not at the ipsilateral ear. Local blockage of the glycine receptor partially reduced the suppressive aftereffect regardless of the location of the leading sound. Results suggest that a sound-elicited suppressive aftereffect in the inferior colliculus is partly dependent on local interaction between excitatory and inhibitory inputs which likely involves those from brainstem structures such as the superior paraolivary nucleus. These results are important for understanding neural mechanisms underlying hearing in a multiple-sound environment.

Drug Standardization through Pharmacognostic Approaches and Estimation of Anticancer Potential of Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) using Prostate-Cancer cell lines: An In-vitro Study.

Cancer is the major challenge across world and the adenocarcinoma of prostate malignancy is the second most prevalent male cancer. Various medicinal plants are used for the treatment and management of various cancers. Matricaria chamomilla L., is one of the extensively used Unani medicament for the treatment of various type of diseases. In the current study we evaluated most of the parameters prescribed for drug standardization using pharmacognostic approaches. The 2,2 Diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) method was utilized for the analysis of antioxidant activity in the flower extracts of M. chamomilla. Moreover, we analyzed the antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of M. chamomilla (Gul-e Babuna) through in-vitro method. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazl-hydrate) method was utilized for the analysis of antioxidant activity in the flower extracts of M. chamomilla. CFU and wound healing assay were performed to determine the anti-cancer activity. The results demonstrated that various extracts of M. chamomilla fulfilled most of the parameters of drug standardization and contained good antioxidant and anticancer activities. The ethyl acetate showed higher anticancer activity followed by aqueous, hydroalcoholic, petroleum benzene and methanol by CFU method. Also, the wound healing assay demonstrated that ethyl acetate extract has more significant effect followed by methanol and petroleum benzene extract on prostate cancer cell line (C4-2). The current study concluded that the extract of M. chamomilla flowers could act as good source of natural anti-cancer compounds.

The menace of saffron adulteration: Low-cost rapid identification of fake look-alike saffron using Foldscope and machine learning technology.

Saffron authenticity is important for the saffron industry, consumers, food industry, and regulatory agencies. Herein we describe a combo of two novel methods to distinguish genuine saffron from fake in a user-friendly manner and without sophisticated instruments. A smartphone coupled with Foldscope was used to visualize characteristic features and distinguish "genuine" saffron from "fake." Furthermore, destaining and staining agents were used to study the staining patterns. Toluidine blue staining pattern was distinct and easier to use as it stained the papillae and the margins deep purple, while its stain is lighter yellowish green toward the central axis. Further to automate the process, we tested and compared different machine learning-based classification approaches for performing the automated saffron classification into genuine or fake. We demonstrated that the deep learning-based models are efficient in learning the morphological features and classifying samples as either fake or genuine, making it much easier for end-users. This approach performed much better than conventional machine learning approaches (random forest and SVM), and the model achieved an accuracy of 99.5% and a precision of 99.3% on the test dataset. The process has increased the robustness and reliability of authenticating saffron samples. This is the first study that describes a customer-centric frugal science-based approach to creating an automated app to detect adulteration. Furthermore, a survey was conducted to assess saffron adulteration and quality. It revealed that only 40% of samples belonged to ISO Category I, while the average adulteration percentage in the remaining samples was 36.25%. After discarding the adulterants from crude samples, their quality parameters improved significantly, elevating these from ISO category III to Category II. Conversely, it also means that Categories II and III saffron are more prone to and favored for adulteration by fraudsters.

Phytoremediation of heavy metals in soil and water: An eco-friendly, sustainable and multidisciplinary approach.

Rapid industrialization, increased waste production and surge in agricultural activities, mining, contaminated irrigation water and industrial effluents contribute to the contamination of water resources due to heavy metal (HM) accumulation. Humans employ HM-contaminated resources to produce food, which eventually accumulates in the food chain. Decontamination of these valuable resources, as well as avoidance of additional contamination has long been needed to avoid detrimental health impacts. Phytoremediation is a realistic and promising strategy for heavy metal removal from polluted areas, based on the employment of hyper-accumulator plant species that are extremely tolerant to HMs present in the environment/soil. Green plants are used to remove, decompose, or detoxify hazardous metals in this technique. For soil decontamination, five types of phytoremediation methods have been used viz. phytostabilization, phytodegradation, rhizofiltration, phytoextraction and phytovolatilization. Traditional phytoremediation methods, on the other hand, have significant limits in terms of large-scale application, thus biotechnological efforts to modify plants for HM phytoremediation ways are being explored to improve the efficacy of plants as HM decontamination candidates. It is relatively a new technology that is widely regarded as economic, efficient and unique besides being environment friendly. New metal hyperaccumulators with high efficiency are being explored and employed for their use in phytoremediation and phytomining. Therefore, this review comprehensively discusses different strategies and biotechnological approaches for the removal of various HM containments from the environment, with emphasis on the advancements and implications of phytoremediation, along with their applications in cleaning up various toxic pollutants. Moreover, sources, effects of HMs and factors affecting phytoremediation of HMs metals have also been discussed.

Environmental and health impacts of spraying COVID-19 disinfectants with associated challenges.

Coronavirus refers to a group of widespread viruses. The name refers to the specific morphology of these viruses because their spikes look like a crown under an electron microscope. The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has been reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, was proclaimed an international public health emergency (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020, and on 11 March 2020, it was declared as a pandemic (World Health Organization 2020). The official name of the virus was declared by the WHO as "COVID-19 virus", formerly known as "2019-nCoV", or "Wuhan Coronavirus". The International Committee on Virus Taxonomy's Coronavirus Research Group has identified that this virus is a form of coronavirus that caused a severe outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome in 2002-2003 (SARS). As a result, the latest severe acute respiratory syndrome has been classified as a corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen by this committee. This disease spread quickly across the country and the world within the first 3 months of the outbreak and became a global pandemic. To stop COVID-19 from spreading, the governing agencies used various chemicals to disinfect different commercial spaces, streets and highways. However, people used it aggressively because of panic conditions, anxiety and unconsciousness, which can have a detrimental impact on human health and the environment. Our water bodies, soil and air have been polluted by disinfectants, forming secondary products that can be poisonous and mutagenic. In the prevention and spread of COVID-19, disinfection is crucial, but disinfection should be carried out with sufficient precautions to minimize exposure to harmful by-products. In addition, to prevent inhalation, adequate personal protective equipment should be worn and chemical usage, concentrations, ventilation in the room and application techniques should be carefully considered. In the USA, 60% of respondents said they cleaned or disinfected their homes more often than they had in the previous months. In addition to the robust use of disinfection approaches to combat COVID-19, we will explore safe preventative solutions here.

H19X-encoded miR-322(424)/miR-503 regulates muscle mass by targeting translation initiation factors.

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle atrophy is a debilitating complication of many chronic diseases, disuse conditions, and ageing. Genome-wide gene expression analyses have identified that elevated levels of microRNAs encoded by the H19X locus are among the most significant changes in skeletal muscles in a wide scope of human cachectic conditions. We have previously reported that the H19X locus is important for the establishment of striated muscle fate during embryogenesis. However, the role of H19X-encoded microRNAs in regulating skeletal mass in adults is unknown. METHODS: We have created a transgenic mouse strain in which ectopic expression of miR-322/miR-503 is driven by the skeletal muscle-specific muscle creatine kinase promoter. We also used an H19X mutant mouse strain in which transcription from the locus is interrupted by a gene trap. Animal phenotypes were analysed by standard histological methods. Underlying mechanisms were explored by using transcriptome profiling and validated in the two animal models and cultured myotubes. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that the levels of H19X microRNAs are inversely related to postnatal skeletal muscle growth. Targeted overexpression of miR-322/miR-503 impeded skeletal muscle growth. The weight of gastrocnemius muscles of transgenic mice was only 54.5% of the counterparts of wild-type littermates. By contrast, interruption of transcription from the H19X locus stimulates postnatal muscle growth by 14.4-14.9% and attenuates the loss of skeletal muscle mass in response to starvation by 12.8-21.0%. Impeded muscle growth was not caused by impaired IGF1/AKT/mTOR signalling or a hyperactive ubiquitin-proteasome system, instead accompanied by markedly dropped abundance of translation initiation factors in transgenic mice. miR-322/miR-503 directly targets eIF4E, eIF4G1, eIF4B, eIF2B5, and eIF3M. CONCLUSIONS: Our study illustrates a novel pathway wherein H19X microRNAs regulate skeletal muscle growth and atrophy through regulating the abundance of translation initiation factors, thereby protein synthesis. The study highlights how translation initiation factors lie at the crux of multiple signalling pathways that control skeletal muscle mass.