Instigation of neurosporaxanthin from Rhodococcus ruber O16N isolated from Gulf of Khambhat.

Compounds of natural origin are in burgeoning demand driven by heightened awareness of their health benefits. We present the maiden study on the production of neurosporaxanthin, a carotenoid, from marine Rhodococcus ruber O16N. Analysing various physical parameters including carbon source, agitation speed, temperature, salt and pH, we found that agitation adversely affects biomass and carotenoid production. Isolate O16N grew well, when medium was supplemented with mannitol or sorbitol, CaCl2, at pH 6 and best carotenoid production was observed when sorbitol or fructose and CaCl2 was supplemented in media at pH 7 at 37 °C in static condition with the maximum carotenoid yield of 1097 mg/L, whopping 18-fold more as compared to nutrient medium. Furthermore, thorough characterisation identified the produced carotenoid as neurosporoxanthin. These findings highlight the potential of marine Rhodococcus ruber O16N as a valuable source for neurosporaxanthin production and emphasise the importance of optimising physical parameters for maximising carotenoid yield.

From Sea to Soil: Marine Bacillus subtilis enhancing chickpea production through in vitro and in vivo plant growth promoting traits.

Various strategies are used to augment agricultural output in response to the escalating food requirements stemming from population expansion. Out of various strategies, the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) has shown promise as a viable technique in implementing new agricultural practices. The study of PGPB derived from rhizospheric soil is extensive, but there is a need for more exploration of marine microorganisms. The present research aims to investigate the potential of marine microorganisms as promoters of plant growth. The marine microbe Bacillus subtilis used in current study has been discovered as a possible plant growth-promoting bacterium (PGPB) as it showed ability to produce ammonia, solubilize potassium and phosphate, and was able to colonize chickpea roots. Bacillus subtilis exhibited a 40% augmentation in germination. A talc-based bio-formulation was prepared using Bacillus subtilis, and pot experiment was done under two conditions: control (T1) and Bacillus treated (T2). In the pot experiment, the plant weight with Bacillus treatment increased by 14.17%, while the plant height increased by 13.71% as compared to control. It also enhanced the chlorophyll content of chickpea and had a beneficial influence on stress indicators. Furthermore, it was noted that it enhanced the levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate in the soil improving soil quality. The findings showed that B. subtilis functioned as a plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) to enhance the overall development of chickpea.

Carotenoid from marine Bacillus infantis: production, extraction, partial characterization, and its biological activity.

Marine bacteria could serve as a potential source of natural carotenoids. Bacillus infantis, (Accession number OP601610), a bacterium with the ability to synthesize carotenoids, was isolated from the marine environment and used in this investigation to produce an orange pigment. Additionally, the production, extraction, partial characterization, and biological activity of orange pigment are reported in the current work. The orange pigment was identified as a carotenoid group of pigment by UV-Visible spectrophotometry, FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy), and TLC (Thin-layer chromatography) characterization of the methanolic extract of the pigment. The pigment showed antimicrobial activity against four Gram-negative strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella enterica ser. typhi MTCC 733, and Serratia marcescens MTCC 86), three Gram-positive strains (Bacillus megaterium MTCC 3353, Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96, and Staphylococcus epidermis MTCC 3382), and antioxidant potential by ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)], DPPH (2,2-diphenyl 1-picrylhydrazyl), H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power), and phospho-molybdate methods. These findings demonstrate that the carotenoids of the strains under research provide intriguing possibilities for biotechnological applications.

Algorithm mediated early detection of oral cancer from image analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To develop Automatic Oral Cancer Detection algorithm for identification and differentiation of premalignant lesions from buccal cavity images for early detection of oral cancer, which may reduce related fatalities in developing countries. STUDY DESIGN: The oral cavity images of normal, erythroplakia, and leukoplakia (20 images of each) were collected and processed using MATLAB image processing tools. First, maximum red value was used to differentiate between normal and abnormal. Second, mean red value was used for the selection of a processing path through YCbCr. Third, gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) based features were used to make final decisions. Images have been randomly divided and shuffled between training and test set to rigorously train the algorithm. RESULTS: With 100% efficiency, normal images were separated from abnormal images in the first step by applying R value distribution with a cutoff R value, 11,900. Further, images with a mean R value >200 and <200 were processed by segmentation of Y plane and Cr plane, respectively. For the final decision, abnormal images were analyzed through the GLCM using the entropy feature as one of the key indicators, which can apply to the differentiation decision with 89% efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The developed algorithm can successfully differentiate premalignant lesions from normal. A graphic user interface was developed, which displays outcomes with reasonable accuracy.

Screening of potential targets in Plasmodium falciparum using stage-specific metabolic network analysis.

The Apicomplexa parasite Plasmodium is a major cause of death in developing countries which are less equipped to bring new medicines to the market. Currently available drugs used for treatment of malaria are limited either by inadequate efficacy, toxicity and/or increased resistance. Availability of the genome sequence, microarray data and metabolic profile of Plasmodium parasite offers an opportunity for the identification of stage-specific genes important to the organism's lifecycle. In this study, microarray data were analysed for differential expression and overlapped onto metabolic pathways to identify differentially regulated pathways essential for transition to successive erythrocytic stages. The results obtained indicate that S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase/ornithine decarboxylase, a bifunctional enzyme required for polyamine synthesis, is important for the Plasmodium cell growth in the absence of exogenous polyamines. S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase/ornithine decarboxylase is a valuable target for designing therapeutically useful inhibitors. One such inhibitor, [Formula: see text]-difluoromethyl ornithine, is currently in use for the treatment of African sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei. Structural studies of ornithine decarboxylase along with known inhibitors and their analogues were carried out to screen drug databases for more effective and less toxic compounds.

Simultaneous detection and quantification of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) produced by rhizobacteria from l-tryptophan (Trp) using HPTLC.

A simple, quick and reliable method is proposed for the detection and quantitation of indole-3-acetate (IAA) and indole-3-butyrate (IBA), an auxin phytohormone produced by rhizobacteria from l-tryptophan (Trp) metabolism using high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Microbial auxin biosynthesis routes involve Trp as a precursor where other than IAA and IBA, products such as indole-3-pyruvate (IPA), indole-3-acetamide (IAM), tryptamine, indole-3-acetonitrile (IAN), indole-3-lactic acid (ILA) and indole-3-acetaldehyde (IAAld) are also produced. In traditional spectrophotometric method, Salkowski reagent develops color by reacting with indolic compounds. The color development is non-specific contributed by several Trp derivatives produced by rhizobacteria rather than IAA only. To overcome this limitation, HPTLC based protocol is developed to precisely detect and quantify IAA and IBA in the range of 100 to 1000ng per spot. This protocol is applicable to detect and quantify IAA and IBA from microbial samples ignoring other Trp derivatives. For microbial samples, the spectrophotometric method gives larger values as compared to HPTLC derived values which may be attributed by total indolic compounds reacting with Salkowski reagent rather than only IAA and/or IBA.

Screening of PGPR from saline desert of Kutch: growth promotion in Arachis hypogea by Bacillus licheniformis A2.

Rhizosphere of a halotolerant plant Suaeda fruticosa from saline desert of Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat (India) was explored for isolation of PGPR form the rare ecological niche having4.33% salinity. Total 85 isolates from the rhizosphere belonging to different species were isolated. Out of 85 isolates, 23 could solubilize phosphate and 11 isolates produced IAA. Seven isolates showed both the traits of phosphate solubilization and IAA production. All isolates which showed either of IAA production or phosphate solubilization or both were further screened for other PGP traits like production of ammonia, siderophore, chitinase, HCN and assessment of their antifungal activity. Out of all the screened isolates, Bacillus licheniformis strain A2 showed most prominent PGP traits in vitro and it was tested in vivo for growth promotion of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) under saline soil condition. In presence of soil supplemented with 50 mM NaCl, B. licheniformis treated plants showed increase in fresh biomass, total length and root length by 28%, 24% and 17% and in absence of NaCl it was 43%, 31% and 39% respectively.

Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense JT1, a Plant Pathogenic Fungus.

The development of reliable processes for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles is an important aspect of current nanotechnology research. Recently, reports are published on the extracellular as well as intracellular biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using microorganisms. However, these methods of synthesis are rather slow. In present study, rapid and extracellular synthesis of gold nanoparticles using a plant pathogenic fungus F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense JT1 (FocJT1) is reported. Incubation of FocJT1 mycelium with auric chloride solution produces gold nanoparticles in 60 min. Gold nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, and particle size analysis. The particles synthesized were of 22 nm sized, capped by proteins, and posed antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas sp.

Induction of Defense-Related Enzymes in Banana Plants: Effect of Live and Dead Pathogenic Strain of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense.

The aim of the present study was to scrutinize the response of banana (Grand Naine variety) plants when interacting with dead or live pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense, a causative agent of Panama disease. Response of plants was evaluated in terms of induction of defense-related marker enzyme activity, namely, peroxidase (POX), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), ß-1,3 glucanase, chitinase, and phenolics. Plant's interaction with live pathogen resulted in early induction of defense to restrain penetration as well as antimicrobial productions. However, pathogen overcame the defense of plant and caused disease. Interaction with dead pathogen resulted in escalating defense response in plants. Later on plants inoculated with dead pathogen showed resistance to even forced inoculation of live pathogen. Results obtained in the present study suggest that dead pathogen was able to mount defense response in plants and provide resistance to Panama disease upon subsequent exposure. Therefore, preparation from dead pathogen could be a potential candidate as a biocontrol agent or plant vaccine to combat Panama disease.

Variation in metabolites constituent in leaves of downy mildew resistant and susceptible genotypes of pearl millet.

In the present investigation biochemical characterization of pearl millet genotypes was carried at pre (45 DAS) and post-infection (57 DAS i.e. 7 days after infection) stage. Total soluble sugar was greater at pre infection than post infection in downy mildew resistant and susceptible genotypes of pearl millet. Total soluble sugar decreased in all genotypes at 7 days after infection (d.a.i.) except in 7042 S in which it increased 4.6 %. However, total soluble sugar was 2-3 folds more in highly susceptible genotypes (J-2296 and 7042 S) compared to resistant genotypes at 7 d.a.i. but it was decreased as compared to pre infection. The total amino acid content of all genotypes whether resistant or susceptible, finally increased as a result of infection. Moreover, susceptible genotypes registered 2-2.5 % higher amino acid, whereas resistant genotypes possessed 6.2-76 % higher amino acid than their constitutive level. Total chlorophyll and carotenoids content did not show any clear cut difference in resistant and susceptible genotypes at pre-infection stage. However, at post-infection stage a significant decrease in chlorophyll and carotenoids content occurred in susceptible genotypes from pre-infection. Amino acid profiling through HPTLC showed sulphur containing amino acids were higher in resistant genotypes.

Separation and quantitation of jasmonic acid using HPTLC.

A rapid, simple, and stringent protocol for the detection and quantitation of jasmonic acid (JA) is designed using high-performance thin-layer chromatography. Acidified culture filtrate of Lasiodiplodia theobromae is extracted with an equal volume of ethyl acetate and spotted on silica gel 60 F(254) foil using Linomat-5 spray-on applicator. Standard JA is also spotted either internally or adjacent to the sample, and the foils are developed with isopropanol-ammonia-water [10:1:1 (v/v)] as the mobile phase. A quantitative estimation of the separated JA is performed by measuring the absorbance at 295 nm in the reflective mode. The sensitivity of the method is improved by adding internal standard to obtain a detection limit of 1 microg. The limit of quantitation is found to be 80 microg with this method. The method is shown to have selectivity, accuracy, precision, and high sample throughput, making it useful for the routine analysis of JA in basic science and perfumery industries.

Synthesis, spectroscopic and biological aspects of iron(II) complexes.

Five novel coordinated complexes of iron(II) with ciprofloxacin and neutral bidentate ligands have been prepared and characterized using elemental analyses, magnetic measurements, IR spectra, UV-VIS spectral, thermogravimetric analyses, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. The antimicrobial activity of the individual ligands, metal salt and metal complexes with respect to Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Serratia marcescens, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Lasiodiplodia theobromae were evaluated by the agar-plate technique in comparison to reference standard drugs (ofloxacin, levofloxacin and fluconozole). Binding of the complexes to DNA was studied and is discussed.