Biofortification as a solution for addressing nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition.

Malnutrition, defined as both undernutrition and overnutrition, is a major global health concern affecting millions of people. One possible way to address nutrient deficiency and combat malnutrition is through biofortification. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to explore the current state of biofortification research, including techniques, applications, effectiveness and challenges. Biofortification is a promising strategy for enhancing the nutritional condition of at-risk populations. Biofortified varieties of basic crops, including rice, wheat, maize and beans, with elevated amounts of vital micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C, have been successfully developed using conventional and advanced technologies. Additionally, the ability to specifically modify crop genomes to improve their nutritional profiles has been made possible by recent developments in genetic engineering, such as CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The health conditions of people have been shown to improve and nutrient deficiencies were reduced when biofortified crops were grown. Particularly in environments with limited resources, biofortification showed considerable promise as a long-term and economical solution to nutrient shortages and malnutrition. To fully exploit the potential of biofortified crops to enhance public health and global nutrition, issues such as consumer acceptance, regulatory permitting and production and distribution scaling up need to be resolved. Collaboration among governments, researchers, non-governmental organizations and the private sector is essential to overcome these challenges and promote the widespread adoption of biofortification as a key part of global food security and nutrition strategies.

High-Affinity-Mediated Viral Entry Triggers Innate Affinity Escape Resulting in Type I IFN Resistance and Impaired T Cell Immunity.

Increased receptor binding affinity may allow viruses to escape from Ab-mediated inhibition. However, how high-affinity receptor binding affects innate immune escape and T cell function is poorly understood. In this study, we used the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) murine infection model system to create a mutated LCMV exhibiting higher affinity for the entry receptor α-dystroglycan (LCMV-GPH155Y). We show that high-affinity receptor binding results in increased viral entry, which is associated with type I IFN (IFN-I) resistance, whereas initial innate immune activation was not impaired during high-affinity virus infection in mice. Consequently, IFN-I resistance led to defective antiviral T cell immunity, reduced type II IFN, and prolonged viral replication in this murine model system. Taken together, we show that high-affinity receptor binding of viruses can trigger innate affinity escape including resistance to IFN-I resulting in prolonged viral replication.

Isolation, identification, and molecular characterization of potential keratinolytic fungus sp. from Southern Assam: relevance to poultry wastes and its biological management.

Feather waste is a highly prevalent form of keratinous waste that is generated by the poultry industry. The global daily production of feather waste has been shown to approach 5 million tons, typically being disposed of through methods such as dumping, landfilling, or incineration which contribute significantly to environmental pollutions. The proper management of these keratinous wastes is crucial to avoid environmental contamination. The study was carried out to isolate the keratinolytic fungi from the poultry disposal sites of different region of North-East India to evaluate its potential in bioremediation of the feathers wastes. Out of 12 fungal strains isolated from the sites, the fungus showing the highest zone of hydrolysis on both the skim milk and keratin agar medium was selected for the study and the molecular identification of the isolate was performed through DNA sequence analysis by amplifying the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The sequence results showed higher similarity (above 95%) with Aspergillus spp. and was named Aspergillus sp. Iro-1. The strain was further analyzed for its feather degrading potential which was performed in submerged conditions under optimized conditions. The study showed that the strain could effectively degrade the feathers validated through weight loss method, and the structural deformations in the feathers were visualized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Aspergillus sp. Iro-1 was obtained from the southern region of Assam. It would be of great importance as the implementation of this sp. can help in the bioremediation of feathers wastes in this region. This is the first study of identification of feather degrading fungus from southern part of Assam (Barak).

Functionally coherent transcriptional responses of Jatropha curcas and Pseudomonas fragi for rhizosphere mediated degradation of pyrene.

Pyrene is an extremely hazardous, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The plant-microbe interaction between Pseudomonas fragi DBC and Jatropha curcas was employed for biodegradation of pyrene and their transcriptional responses were compared. The genome of P. fragi DBC had genes for PAH degrading enzymes i.e. dioxygenases and dehydrogenases, along with root colonization (trpD, trpG, trpE and trpF), chemotaxis (flhF and flgD), stress adaptation (gshA, nuoHBEKNMG), and detoxification (algU and yfc). The transcriptional expression of catA and yfc that respectively code for catabolic enzyme (catechol-1, 2-dioxygnase) and glutathione-s-transferase for detoxification functions were quantitatively measured by qPCR. The catA was expressed in presence of artificial root exudate with or without pyrene, and glucose confirming the non-selective approach of bacteria, as desired. Pyrene induced 100-fold increase of yfc expression than catA, while there was no expression of yfc in absence of pyrene. The transcriptome of plant roots, in presence of pyrene, with or without P. fragi DBC inoculation was analysed. The P. fragi DBC could upregulate the genes for plant growth, induced the systemic acquired resistance and also ameliorated the stress response in Jatropha roots.

Revolutionizing Tuberculosis Treatment: Uncovering New Drugs and Breakthrough Inhibitors to Combat Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health threat that causes significant mortality. This review explores chemotherapeutics that target essential processes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, such as DNA replication, protein synthesis, cell wall formation, energy metabolism, and proteolysis. We emphasize the need for new drugs to treat drug-resistant strains and shorten the treatment duration. Emerging targets and promising inhibitors were identified by examining the intricate biology of TB. This review provides an overview of recent developments in the search for anti-TB drugs with a focus on newly validated targets and inhibitors. We aimed to contribute to efforts to combat TB and improve therapeutic outcomes.

Impacts of rhizoremediation and biostimulation on soil microbial community, for enhanced degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in crude oil-contaminated agricultural soils.

Hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial strains were isolated from rhizosphere of plants growing in crude oil-contaminated sites of Assam, India. These bacteria showed plant growth-promoting attributes, even when exposed to crude oil. Two independent pot trials were conducted to test the rhizodegradation ability of the bacterial consortium in combination of plants Azadirchta indica or Delonix regia in crude oil-contaminated soil. Field experiments were conducted at two crude oil-contaminated agricultural field at Assam (India), where plants (A. indica or D. regia) were grown with the selected bacterial consortium consisting of five hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial isolates (Gordonia amicalis BB-DAC, Pseudomonas aeruginosa BB-BE3, P. citronellolis BB-NA1, Rhodococcus ruber BB-VND, and Ochrobactrum anthropi BB-NM2), and NPK was added to the soil for biostimulation. The bacterial consortium-NPK biostimulation led to change in rhizosphere microbiome with enhanced degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) in soils contaminated with crude oil. After 120 days of planting A. indica + consortium + NPK treatment, degradation of PHs was found to be up to 67%, which was 55% with D. regia with the same treatment. Significant changes in the activities of plant and soil enzymes were also noted. The shift is bacterial community was also apparent as with A. indica, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria increased by 35.35%, 26.59%, and 20.98%, respectively. In the case of D. regia, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria were increased by 39.28%, 35.79%, and 9.60%, respectively. The predicted gene functions shifted in favor of the breakdown of xenobiotic compounds. This study suggests that a combination of plant-bacterial consortium and NPK biostimulation could be a productive approach to bioengineering the rhizosphere microbiome for the purpose of commercial bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated sites, which is a major environmental issue faced globally.

Unleashing T cell anti-tumor immunity: new potential for 5-Nonloxytryptamine as an agent mediating MHC-I upregulation in tumors.

BACKGROUND: New therapies are urgently needed in melanoma, particularly in late-stage patients not responsive to immunotherapies and kinase inhibitors. To uncover novel potentiators of T cell anti-tumor immunity, we carried out an ex vivo pharmacological screen and identified 5-Nonyloxytryptamine (5-NL), a serotonin agonist, as increasing the ability of T cells to target tumor cells. METHODS: The pharmacological screen utilized lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-primed splenic T cells and melanoma B16.F10 cells expressing the LCMV gp33 CTL epitope. In vivo tumor growth in C57BL/6 J and NSG mice, in vivo antibody depletion, flow cytometry, immunoblot, CRISPR/Cas9 knockout, histological and RNA-Seq analyses were used to decipher 5-NL's immunomodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: 5-NL delayed tumor growth in vivo and the phenotype was dependent on the hosts' immune system, specifically CD8+ T cells. 5-NL's pro-immune effects were not directly consequential to T cells. Rather, 5-NL upregulated antigen presenting machinery in melanoma and other tumor cells in vitro and in vivo without increasing PD-L1 expression. Mechanistic studies indicated that 5-NL's induced MHC-I expression was inhibited by pharmacologically preventing cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein (CREB) phosphorylation. Importantly, 5-NL combined with anti-PD1 therapy showed significant improvement when compared to single anti-PD-1 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates novel therapeutic opportunities for augmenting immune responses in poorly immunogenic tumors.

A review on arsenic in the environment: bio-accumulation, remediation, and disposal.

Arsenic is a widespread serious environmental pollutant as a food chain contaminant and non-threshold carcinogen. Arsenic transfer through the crops-soil-water system and animals is one of the most important pathways of human exposure and a measure of phytoremediation. Exposure occurs primarily from the consumption of contaminated water and foods. Various chemical technologies are utilized for As removal from contaminated water and soil, but they are very costly and difficult for large-scale cleaning of water and soil. In contrast, phytoremediation utilizes green plants to remove As from a contaminated environment. A large number of terrestrial and aquatic weed flora have been identified so far for their hyper metal removal capacity. In the panorama presented herein, the latest state of the art on methods of bioaccumulation, transfer mechanism of As through plants and animals, and remediation that encompass the use of physicochemical and biological processes, i.e., microbes, mosses, lichens, ferns, algae, and macrophytes have been assessed. Since these bioremediation approaches for the clean-up of this contaminant are still at the initial experimental stages, some have not been recognized at full scale. Nonetheless, extensive research on these primitive plants as bio-accumulators can be instrumental in controlling arsenic exposure and rehabilitation and may result in major progress to solve the problem on a worldwide scale.

Biodegradation of asphaltene by lipopeptide-biosurfactant producing hydrocarbonoclastic, crude oil degrading Bacillus spp.

Asphaltene is the most recalcitrant compound in crude oil. Bacteria were isolated from crude oil contaminated soil and their efficiency for hydrocarbon degradation was determined using GC-MS and isolates were screened for biosurfactant production using FT-IR. Two Bacillus spp. having hydrocarbonoclastic and lipo-peptide biosurfactant-producing abilities were experimented for their asphaltene removal potential through oil removal efficiency (ORE%) and asphaltene degradation efficiency (ADE%). B. thuringeinsis SSL1 and B. cereus SSL3 could degrade 76.4% and 67.4% of asphaltene (20 g L-1), in vitro, respectively, which is much higher than previous reports. B. thuringiensis SSL1 is recommended for effective breakdown of asphaltene, total petroleum hydrocarbon, and polyaromatic hydrocarbon degradation, aided by its biosurfactants, which is useful for crude oil cleanup. Biosurfactants are important for enhancing the availability of hydrophobic hydrocarbons to bacteria, which is beneficial for efficient crude oil remediation. These findings could lead to more effective strategies for complete clean-up of crude oil pollution.

Non-rhizobial nodule endophytes improve nodulation, change root exudation pattern and promote the growth of lentil, for prospective application in fallow soil.

Non-rhizobial endophytes (NREs) are active colonizers inhabiting the root nodules. Though their active role in the lentil agroecosystem is not well defined, here we observed that these NREs might promote the growth of lentils, modulate rhizospheric community structure and could be used as promising organisms for optimal use of rice fallow soil. NREs from root nodules of lentils were isolated and examined for plant growth-promoting traits, exopolysaccharide (EPS) and biofilm production, root metabolites, and the presence of nifH and nifK elements. The greenhouse experiment with the chosen NREs, i.e., Serratia plymuthica 33GS and Serratia sp. R6 significantly increased the germination rate, vigour index, development of nodules (in non-sterile soil) and fresh weight of nodules (33GS 94%, R6 61% growth) and length of the shoot (33GS 86%, R6 51.16%) as well as chlorophyll levels when compared to the uninoculated control. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed that both isolates could successfully colonize the roots and elicit root hair growth. The inoculation of the NREs resulted in specific changes in root exudation patterns. The plants with 33GS and R6 treatment significantly stimulated the exudation of triterpenes, fatty acids, and their methyl esters in comparison to the uninoculated plants, altering the rhizospheric microbial community structure. Proteobacteria dominated the rhizospheric microbiota in all the treatments. Treatment with 33GS or R6 also enhanced the relative abundance of other favourable microbes, including Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, and Bradyrhizobium. The correlation network analysis of relative abundances resulted in numerous bacterial taxa, which were in cooperation with each other, having a possible role in plant growth promotion. The results indicate the significant role of NREs as plant growth promoters, which also includes their role in root exudation patterns, enhancement of soil nutrient status and modulation of rhizospheric microbiota, suggesting their prospects in sustainable, and bio-based agriculture.

Comparative assessment of soil microbial community in crude oil contaminated sites.

Petroleum refineries generate oily sludge that contains hazardous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and hence, its proper disposal is of foremost concern. Analysis of the physicochemical properties and functions of indigenous microbes of the contaminated sites are essential in deciding the strategy for bioremediation. This study analyses both parameters at two geographically distant sites, with different crude oil sources, and compares the metabolic capability of soil bacteria with reference to different contamination sources and the age of the contaminated site. The results indicate that organic carbon and total nitrogen derived from petroleum hydrocarbon negatively affect microbial diversity. Contamination levels vary widely on site, with levels of PAHs ranging from 5.04 to 1.66 × 103 µg kg-1 and 6.20 to 5.64 × 103 µg kg-1 in Assam and Gujarat sites respectively, covering a higher proportion of low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs (fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and anthracene). Functional diversity values were observed to be positively correlated (p < 0.05) with acenaphthylene, fluorene, anthracene, and phenanthrene. Microbial diversity was the highest in fresh oily sludge which decreased upon storage, indicating that immediate bioremediation, soon after its generation, would be beneficial. Improvement in the bio-accessibility of hydrocarbon compounds by the treatment of biosurfactant produced by a (soil isolate/isolate) was demonstrated., with respect to substrate utilization.

A review on arsenic in the environment: contamination, mobility, sources, and exposure.

Arsenic is one of the regulated hazard materials in the environment and a persistent pollutant creating environmental, agricultural and health issues and posing a serious risk to humans. In the present review, sources and mobility of As in various compartments of the environment (air, water, soil and sediment) around the World are comprehensively investigated, along with measures of health hazards. Multiple atomic spectrometric approaches have been applied for total and speciation analysis of As chemical species. The LoD values are basically under 1 µg L-1, which is sufficient for the analysis of As or its chemical species in environmental samples. Both natural and anthropogenic sources contributed to As in air, while fine particulate matter tends to have higher concentrations of arsenic and results in high concentrations of As up to a maximum of 1660 ng m-3 in urban areas. Sources for As in natural waters (as dissolved or in particulate form) can be attributed to natural deposits, agricultural and industrial effluents, for which the maximum concentration of 2000 µg L-1 was found in groundwater. Sources for As in soil can be the initial contents, fossil fuel burning products, industrial effluents, pesticides, and so on, with a maximum reported concentration up to 4600 mg kg-1. Sources for As in sediments can be attributed to their reservoirs, with a maximum reported concentration up to 2500 mg kg-1. It is notable that some reported concentrations of As in the environment are several times higher than permissible limits. However, many aspects of arsenic environmental chemistry including contamination of the environment, quantification, mobility, removal and health hazards are still unclear.

Treatment with atypical rhizobia, Pararhizobium giardinii and Ochrobactrum sp. modulate the rhizospheric bacterial community, and enhances Lens culinaris growth in fallow-soil.

Diazotrophic nodule isolates are acknowledged promoters of plant growth and rhizospheric community. Consequently, in the lentil agroecosystem, inoculation of atypical rhizobial isolates could be a viable alternative to chemical fertilizers for fallow land usage optimization. The aim of this study is to evaluate and select the rhizobial isolates of lentil nodules with plant-growth-promoting (PGP) attributes and to elucidate their application in rice-fallow soil for determining the growth of lentils and its impact on the rhizospheric bacterial community. Lentil's nodule isolates were identified and screened for their PGP attributes, biofilm, exopolysaccharide (EPS) formation, and early plant growth promotion. The pot experiment with the selected atypical rhizobial isolates Pararhizobium giardinii (P1) and Ochrobactrum sp. (42S) significantly enhanced germination, vigour index, nodule formation (P1 60%, 42S 42% increase), nodule fresh weight, shoot length (65% P1 & 35% 42S), and chlorophyll content as compared to the uninoculated control treatment. The genes for nitrogen fixation nifH and nifK were detected in both isolates. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed successful root and nodule colonization by both isolates, while Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) displayed nitrogen-fixing zones within root nodules. Proteobacteria predominated in the lentil rhizosphere of all the treatments. Whereas, application of either P1 or 42S increased Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, and Bradyrhizobium genra, thus positively modulating rhizospheric community structure. The correlation network analysis revealed an abundance of some interdependent bacterial genera with a possible role in overall plant growth. Functional genes for siderophore biosynthesis and ABC transporter were positively modulated by application of either P1 or 42S. This study showed the significant effect of P. giardinii P1 and Ochrobactrum sp. 42S of L. culinaris on lentil growth, improving fallowsoil health for optimum usage, and modulated rhizospheric community structure which strongly manifest prospects of low-cost, eco-friendly and sustainable biofertilizers.

Correlation of soil microbiome with crude oil contamination drives detection of hydrocarbon degrading genes which are independent to quantity and type of contaminants.

The impacts of crude oil contamination on soil microbial populations were explored in seven different polluted areas near oil and gas drilling sites and refineries of Assam, India. Using high-throughput sequencing techniques, the functional genes and metabolic pathways involved in the bioconversion of crude oil contaminants by the indigenous microbial community were explored. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations in soil samples ranged from 1109.47 to 75,725.33 mg/kg, while total polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations ranged from 0.780 to 560.05 mg/kg. Pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and anthracene had greater quantities than the maximum permitted limits, suggesting a greater ecological risk, in comparison to other polyaromatic hydrocarbons. According to the metagenomic data analysis, the bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroides were the most prevalent among all polluted areas. The most prominent hydrocarbon degraders in the contaminated sites included Burkholderia, Mycobacterium, Polaromonas, and Pseudomonas. However, the kinds of pollutants and their concentrations did not correlate with the abundances of respective degrading genes for all polluted locations, as some of the sites with little to low PAH contamination had significant abundances of corresponding functional genes for degradation. Thus, the findings of this study imply that the microbiome of hydrocarbon-contaminated areas, which are biologically involved in the degradation process, has various genes, operons and catabolic pathways that are independent of the presence of a specific kind of contaminant.

The changing paradigm of rhizobial taxonomy and its systematic growth upto postgenomic technologies.

Rhizobia are a diazotrophic group of bacteria that are usually isolated form the nodules in roots, stem of leguminous plants and are able to form nodules in the host plant owing to the presence of symbiotic genes. The rhizobial community is highly diverse, and therefore, the taxonomy and genera-wise classification of rhizobia has been constantly changing since the last three decades. This is mainly due to technical advancements, and shifts in definitions, resulting in a changing paradigm of rhizobia taxonomy. Initially, the taxonomic definitions at the species and sub species level were based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA sequence, followed by polyphasic approach to have phenotypic, biochemical, and genetic analysis including multilocus sequence analysis. Rhizobia mainly belonging to α- and ß-proteobacteria, and recently new additions from γ-proteobacteria had been classified. Nowadays rhizobial taxonomy has been replaced by genome-based taxonomy that allows gaining more insights of genomic characteristics. These omics-technologies provide genome specific information that considers nodulation and symbiotic genes, along with molecular markers as taxonomic traits. Taxonomy based on complete genome sequence (genotaxonomy), average nucleotide identity, is now being considered as primary approach, resulting in an ongoing paradigm shift in rhizobial taxonomy. Also, pairwise whole-genome comparisons, phylogenomic analyses offer correlations between DNA and DNA re-association values that have delineated biologically important species. This review elaborates the present classification and taxonomy of rhizobia, vis-a-vis development of technical advancements, parameters and controversies associated with it, and describe the updated information on evolutionary lineages of rhizobia.

Design Considerations for In-Field Measurement of Plant Architecture Traits Using Ground-Based Platforms.

This work provides a high-level overview of system design considerations for measuring plant architecture traits in row crops using ground-based, mobile platforms. High-throughput phenotyping technologies are commonly deployed in isolated growth chambers or greenhouses; however, there is a need for field-based systems to measure large quantities of plants exposed to natural climates throughout a growing season. High-throughput methods using ground-based mobile systems collect valuable phenotypic information at higher temporal resolutions compared to manual methods (e.g., handheld calipers and measuring sticks). Additionally, the close proximity to plants when using ground-based systems compared to aerial platforms enables plant phenotyping at the organ level. While there is no single best platform for obtaining ground-based plant measurements across crop varieties with different planting configurations, there are a wide range of off-the-shelf systems and sensors that can be integrated to accommodate varying row widths, plant spacing, plant heights, and plot sizes, in addition to emerging commercially available platforms. This chapter will provide an overview of sensor types suitable for phenotyping plant size and shape, as well as provide guidance for deployment with ground-based systems, including push carts or buggies, modified tractors, and robotic platforms.

The structure-function relationship of bacterial transcriptional regulators as a target for enhanced biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons.

The sheer persistence and dissemination of xenobiotic aromatic hydrocarbons contaminants demand sustainable solutions for degradation. Therefore, major pathways of microbial catabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons under aerobic conditions are reviewed and analysed to elicit enhanced biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons, via the structure-function relationship of bacterial transcriptional regulators. The initial step of the catabolism occurs via the incorporation of molecular oxygen into the aromatic ring by a multicomponent aromatic ring-hydroxylating-dioxygenase (RHD) enzyme system or monooxygenase system forming different central intermediates such as catechols, protocatechuates, gentisates, and (hydroxy)benzoquinols. The central or lower pathways involve the ring cleavage of central intermediates to tricarboxylic acids. These metabolic pathways are tightly regulated, where the inducer or substrate-specific transcriptional regulation of aromatic catabolic pathways depend on the specific regulatory proteins that acts on a specific promoter in response to a respective inducer signal. These regulatory systems have been grouped according to the regulatory proteins and their families, and identified based on their conserved motifs and their modes of DNA binding. Different regulators from protein families like AraC/XylS, LysR, XylR/NtrC, IclR, etc. have been identified, that are involved in aromatic hydrocarbon regulation. These regulatory proteins have different structures and have different mechanisms of regulation. The proteins of the XylS/AraC family have two domains structure: a highly conserved C-terminus that contains two HTH motifs and the N-terminus end containing the regulatory domain. The LysR type regulatory proteins (LTTRs) act as tetramers that have a helix-turn-helix (HTH) domain at the N terminus and a regulatory binding domain at the C terminus. The IclR regulatory proteins also have a helix-turn-helix DNA binding motif in the N-terminus domain-like LTTRs but include an effector binding motif in the C-terminus domain that is also involved in subunit multimerization. In contrast, the XylR-like regulatory proteins have three domain structures; one for effector sensing, another for ATP binding and hydrolysis, and a domain for DNA binding which contains an HTH motif. This review describes in depth and critical assessment of the aerobic bacterial degradation pathways of aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants with state of art information, underscores areas that are viable and others that require further development, with particular reference to metabolic engineering and synthetic biology applications.

Two cationic meso-thiophenium porphyrins and their zinc-complexes as anti-HIV-1 and antibacterial agents under non-photodynamic therapy (PDT) conditions.

The anti-HIV-1 and antimicrobial activities of novel cationic meso-thiophenium porphyrins and their zinc-complex are reported under in vitro non-photodynamic (PDT) conditions. While all the cationic porphyrins led to the inhibition of de novo virus infection, the Zn(II)-complexes of T2(OH)2M (A2B2-type) and T(OH)3M (AB3-type) displayed potent inhibition of HIV-1 entry with T2(OH)2MZn displaying maximal anti-HIV activity. The Zinc complex of both the thiophenium porphyrins T2(OH)2M and T(OH)3M also depicted antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and more prominently against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). Again, the antibacterial activity was more potent for T2(OH)2MZn. Our study highlighted that the presence of two thiophenium groups at the meso-positions of the A2B2-type porphyrins along with zinc strongly enhanced anti-HIV and antimicrobial properties of these novel thiophenium porphyrins under non-PDT conditions.

Single MHC-I Expression Promotes Virus-Induced Liver Immunopathology.

Major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) molecules present epitopes on the cellular surface of antigen-presenting cells to prime cytotoxic clusters of differentiation 8 (CD8)+ T cells (CTLs), which then identify and eliminate other cells such as virus-infected cells bearing the antigen. Human hepatitis virus cohort studies have previously identified MHC-I molecules as promising predictors of viral clearance. However, the underlying functional significance of these predictions is not fully understood. Here, we show that expression of single MHC-I isomers promotes virus-induced liver immunopathology. Specifically, using the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) model system, we found MHC-I proteins to be highly up-regulated during infection. Deletion of one of the two MHC-I isomers histocompatibility antigen 2 (H2)-Db or H2-Kb in C57Bl/6 mice resulted in CTL activation recognizing the remaining MHC-I with LCMV epitopes in increased paucity. This increased CTL response resulted in hepatocyte death, increased caspase activation, and severe metabolic changes in liver tissue following infection with LCMV. Moreover, depletion of CTLs abolished LCMV-induced pathology in these mice with resulting viral persistence. In turn, natural killer (NK) cell depletion further increased antiviral CTL immunity and clearance of LCMV even in the presence of a single MHC-I isomer. Conclusion: Our results suggest that uniform MHC-I molecule expression promotes enhanced CTL immunity during viral infection and contributes to increased CTL-mediated liver cell damage that was alleviated by CD8 or NK cell depletion.

Remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil using hydrocarbonoclastic rhizobacteria, applied through Azadirachta indica rhizosphere.

Crude oil/petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) are major pollutants worldwide. In the present study, three bacterial isolates -Pseudomonas aeruginosa BB-BE3, P. aeruginosa BBBJ, and Gordonia amicalis BB-DAC were selected for their efficient hydrocarbon degradation and plant growth promotion (PGP) abilities. All three isolates were positive for siderophore production, phosphate solubilization, and IAA production, even in the presence of crude oil. The rhizoremediation ability was validated through pot trials where all three isolates promoted the growth of the Azadirachta indica plant in crude oil-contaminated soils. Treatment with the combination of the plant (A. indica) and bacteria, i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa BB-BE3; P. aeruginosa BBBJ; Gordonia amicalis BB-DAC showed 95.71, 93.28, and 89.88% removal of TPHs respectively, while the treatment with the plant (only) resulted in 13.44% removal of TPHs whereas, in the control (Sterile bulk soil + Crude oil), the hydrocarbon removal percentage was only 5.87%. The plant tissues were analyzed for catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) activities, and the plants augmented with bacterial strains had significantly low CAT and POX activities as compared to uninoculated control. Therefore, the results suggest that the A. indica plant, in symbiotic association with these hydrocarbonoclastic rhizobacteria, could be used for bioremediation of crude oil-polluted soil.

The main objective of the present study is to evaluate the potential of plant­microbe associations, also including Gordonia amicalis with the Azadirachta indica, for the rhizoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHs) polluted soil. For rhizoremediation strategy, a stable plant-bacteria partnership is important, along with effective remediation, and the Gordonia amicalis­Azadirachta indica pair is being described here for the first time, for this purpose. This plant-microbe pair was highly effective as also validated through pot trials. The hydrocarbonoclastic rhizobacteria (G. amicalis BB-DAC), in symbiotic association with the A. indica plant, has significantly degraded TPHs.