Root and Leaf Anatomy, Ion Accumulation, and Transcriptome Pattern under Salt Stress Conditions in Contrasting Genotypes of Sorghum bicolor.

Roots from salt-susceptible ICSR-56 (SS) sorghum plants display metaxylem elements with thin cell walls and large diameter. On the other hand, roots with thick, lignified cell walls in the hypodermis and endodermis were noticed in salt-tolerant CSV-15 (ST) sorghum plants. The secondary wall thickness and number of lignified cells in the hypodermis have increased with the treatment of sodium chloride stress to the plants (STN). Lignin distribution in the secondary cell wall of sclerenchymatous cells beneath the lower epidermis was higher in ST leaves compared to the SS genotype. Casparian thickenings with homogenous lignin distribution were observed in STN roots, but inhomogeneous distribution was evident in SS seedlings treated with sodium chloride (SSN). Higher accumulation of K+ and lower Na+ levels were noticed in ST compared to the SS genotype. To identify the differentially expressed genes among SS and ST genotypes, transcriptomic analysis was carried out. Both the genotypes were exposed to 200 mM sodium chloride stress for 24 h and used for analysis. We obtained 70 and 162 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) exclusive to SS and SSN and 112 and 26 DEGs exclusive to ST and STN, respectively. Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis unlocked the changes in metabolic pathways in response to salt stress. qRT-PCR was performed to validate 20 DEGs in each SSN and STN sample, which confirms the transcriptomic results. These results surmise that anatomical changes and higher K+/Na+ ratios are essential for mitigating salt stress in sorghum apart from the genes that are differentially up- and downregulated in contrasting genotypes.

The Omic Insights on Unfolding Saga of COVID-19.

The year 2019 has seen an emergence of the novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Since the onset of the pandemic, biological and interdisciplinary research is being carried out across the world at a rapid pace to beat the pandemic. There is an increased need to comprehensively understand various aspects of the virus from detection to treatment options including drugs and vaccines for effective global management of the disease. In this review, we summarize the salient findings pertaining to SARS-CoV-2 biology, including symptoms, hosts, epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2 genome, and its emerging variants, viral diagnostics, host-pathogen interactions, alternative antiviral strategies and application of machine learning heuristics and artificial intelligence for effective management of COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Genome-wide identification and transcriptional profiling of small heat shock protein gene family under diverse abiotic stress conditions in Sorghum bicolor (L.).

The small heat shock proteins (sHsps/Hsp20s) are the molecular chaperones that maintain proper folding, trafficking and disaggregation of proteins under diverse abiotic stress conditions. In the present investigation, a genome-wide scan revealed the presence of a total of 47 sHsps in Sorghum bicolor (SbsHsps), distributed across 10 subfamilies, the major subfamily being P (plastid) group with 17 genes. Chromosomes 1 and 3 appear as the hot spot regions for SbsHsps, and majority of them were found acidic, hydrophilic, unstable and intron less. Interestingly, promoter analysis indicated that they are associated with both biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as plant development. Sorghum sHsps exhibited 15 paralogous and 20 orthologous duplications. Expression analysis of 15 genes selected from different subfamilies showed high transcript levels in roots and leaves implying that they are likely to participate in the developmental processes. SbsHsp genes were highly induced by diverse abiotic stresses inferring their critical role in mediating the environmental stress responses. Gene expression data revealed that SbsHsp-02 is a candidate gene expressed in all the tissues under varied stress conditions tested. Our results contribute to the understanding of the complexity of SbsHsp genes and help to analyse them further for functional validation.

Computational and spectral studies of 3,3'-(propane-1,3-diyl)bis(7,8-dimethoxy-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-benzo[d]azepin-2-one).

Detection and qualification of unknown impurities during commercial drug synthesis have been mandated by the regulatory authorities. 3,3'-(propane-1,3-diyl)bis(7,8-dimethoxy-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-benzo [d]azepin-2-one) in short IVA-9, is one such process-related impurity formed during the synthesis of cardiotonic drug Ivabradine. The structure and properties of this molecule have not been explored yet. A suggestive reaction route for the chance formation of IVA-9 during the commercial synthesis of parent drug molecule has been reported in this article. Further, the optimized geometry and vibrational studies have been computed using Gaussian 09. Experimental FTIR scan has also been performed and values show satisfactory consilience with the computational data. The frontier orbital energies and energy band gaps of the reaction fragments and products were computed. The evaluation of ADME parameters such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion are performed using SwissADME tool to assess the drug-likeness and medicinal chemistry friendliness. Six physiochemical parameters namely flexibility, lipophilicity, size, polarity, solubility and saturation and their critical limits are depicted using the bioavailability radar of the programme to provide insights into pharmacokinetic properties such as human gastrointestinal absorption (HIA), blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability, total polar surface area (TPSA) and inhibitor action to important cytochromes etc.

Genome-scale identification, classification, and tissue specific expression analysis of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) genes under abiotic stress conditions in Sorghum bicolor L.

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, the space fillers or molecular shields, are the hydrophilic protective proteins which play an important role during plant development and abiotic stress. The systematic survey and characterization revealed a total of 68 LEA genes, belonging to 8 families in Sorghum bicolor. The LEA-2, a typical hydrophobic family is the most abundant family. All of them are evenly distributed on all 10 chromosomes and chromosomes 1, 2, and 3 appear to be the hot spots. Majority of the S. bicolor LEA (SbLEA) genes are intron less or have fewer introns. A total of 22 paralogous events were observed and majority of them appear to be segmental duplications. Segmental duplication played an important role in SbLEA-2 family expansion. A total of 12 orthologs were observed with Arabidopsis and 13 with Oryza sativa. Majority of them are basic in nature, and targeted by chloroplast subcellular localization. Fifteen miRNAs targeted to 25 SbLEAs appear to participate in development, as well as in abiotic stress tolerance. Promoter analysis revealed the presence of abiotic stress-responsive DRE, MYB, MYC, and GT1, biotic stress-responsive W-Box, hormone-responsive ABA, ERE, and TGA, and development-responsive SKn cis-elements. This reveals that LEA proteins play a vital role during stress tolerance and developmental processes. Using microarray data, 65 SbLEA genes were analyzed in different tissues (roots, pith, rind, internode, shoot, and leaf) which show clear tissue specific expression. qRT-PCR analysis of 23 SbLEA genes revealed their abundant expression in various tissues like roots, stems and leaves. Higher expression was noticed in stems compared to roots and leaves. Majority of the SbLEA family members were up-regulated at least in one tissue under different stress conditions. The SbLEA3-2 is the regulator, which showed abundant expression under diverse stress conditions. Present study provides new insights into the formation of LEAs in S. bicolor and to understand their role in developmental processes under stress conditions, which may be a valuable source for future research.

Overexpression of a Plasma Membrane Bound Na+/H+ Antiporter-Like Protein (SbNHXLP) Confers Salt Tolerance and Improves Fruit Yield in Tomato by Maintaining Ion Homeostasis.

A Na+/H+ antiporter-like protein (NHXLP) was isolated from Sorghum bicolor L. (SbNHXLP) and validated by overexpressing in tomato for salt tolerance. Homozygous T2 transgenic lines when evaluated for salt tolerance, accumulated low Na+ and displayed enhanced salt tolerance compared to wild-type plants (WT). This is consistent with the amiloride binding assay of the protein. Transgenics exhibited higher accumulation of proline, K+, Ca2+, improved cambial conductivity, higher PSII, and antioxidative enzyme activities than WT. Fluorescence imaging results revealed lower Na+ and higher Ca2+ levels in transgenic roots. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that SbNHXLP interacts with a Solanum lycopersicum cation proton antiporter protein2 (SlCHX2). qRT-PCR results showed upregulation of SbNHXLP and SlCHX2 upon treatment with 200 mM NaCl and 100 mM potassium nitrate. SlCHX2 is known to be involved in K+ acquisition, and the interaction between these two proteins might help to accumulate more K+ ions, and thus maintain ion homeostasis. These results strongly suggest that plasma membrane bound SbNHXLP involves in Na+ exclusion, maintains ion homeostasis in transgenics in comparison with WT and alleviates NaCl stress.

Tunable water barrier properties of EVA by clay insertion?

Organo-modified Cloisite clays at varying contents were incorporated into poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) by melt blending. Nanoclay dispersion in films was first evaluated. The water transport properties were investigated by pervaporation and sorption measurements. A decrease of the water permeation flux was obtained when incorporating nanoparticles. This barrier effect is usually attributed to the increase of the diffusion pathways due to nanoclay-induced tortuosity effects. However, the diffusion coefficient was found to be dependent on water concentration, which generally reflects a plasticization effect of water. Besides, at 7 wt% of loading, an unexpected increase of water diffusivity was measured with a time-scale shift of the permeation flux. This was correlated with the formation of preferential diffusion pathways along interfacial regions due to free volumes existing between the EVA matrix and nanoclays as well as the water affinity of microfillers. As a consequence, water mass gain was found to be increased. The water-induced plasticization of sorbed water molecules was also highlighted through sorption kinetics. Eventually, some applications to these films in which water barrier behaviour is required were discussed.

Genome-wide Scanning and Characterization of Sorghum bicolor L. Heat Shock Transcription Factors.

A genome-wide scanning of Sorghum bicolor resulted in the identification of 25 SbHsf genes. Phylogenetic analysis shows the ortholog genes that are clustered with only rice, representing a common ancestor. Promoter analysis revealed the identification of different cis-acting elements that are responsible for abiotic as well as biotic stresses. Hsf domains like DBD, NLS, NES, and AHA have been analyzed for their sequence similarity and functional characterization. Tissue specific expression patterns of Hsfs in different tissues like mature embryo, seedling, root, and panicle were studied using real-time PCR. While Hsfs4 and 22 are highly expressed in panicle, 4 and 9 are expressed in seedlings. Sorghum plants were exposed to different abiotic stress treatments but no expression of any Hsf was observed when seedlings were treated with ABA. High level expression of Hsf1 was noticed during high temperature as well as cold stresses, 4 and 6 during salt and 5, 6, 10, 13, 19, 23 and 25 during drought stress. This comprehensive analysis of SbHsf genes will provide an insight on how these genes are regulated in different tissues and also under different abiotic stresses and help to determine the functions of Hsfs during drought and temperature stress tolerance.

Siderophore as a potential plant growth-promoting agent produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa JAS-25.

Siderophores scavenges Fe(+3) from the vicinity of the roots of plants, and thus limit the amount of iron required for the growth of pathogens such as Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium ultimum, and Fusarium udum, which cause wilt and root rot disease in crops. The ability of Pseudomonas to grow and to produce siderophore depends upon the iron content, pH, and temperature. Maximum yield of siderophore of 130 µM was observed at pH 7.0 ± 0.2 and temperature of 30 °C at 30 h. The threshold level of iron was 50 µM, which increases up to 150 µM, favoring growth but drastically affecting the production of siderophore by Pseudomonas aeruginosa JAS-25. The seeds of agricultural crops like Cicer arietinum (chick pea), Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea), and Arachis hypogaea (ground nut) were treated with P. aeruginosa JAS-25, which enhanced the seed germination, root length, shoot length, and dry weight of chick pea, pigeon pea, and ground nut plants under pot studies. The efficient growth of the plants was not only due to the biocontrol activity of the siderophore produced by P. aeruginosa JAS-25 but also may be by the production of indole acetic acid (IAA), which influences the growth of the plants as phytohormones.

Dibenzazepin hydrochloride as a new spectrophotometric reagent for determination of hydrogen peroxide in plant extracts.

A rapid, simple, accurate, and sensitive visible spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide in acidic buffer medium is reported. The proposed method is based on the oxidative coupling of Ampyrone with dibenzazepin hydrochloride by hydrogen peroxide in the buffer medium of pH 4.0 which is catalyzed by ferrous iron. The blue-colored product formed with maximum absorption at 620 nm was found to be stable for 2 h. Beer's law is obeyed for hydrogen peroxide concentration in the range of 0.03-0.42 µg ml(-1). The optimum reaction conditions and other important optical parameters are reported. The molar absorptive and Sandell's sensitivity are found to be 5.89 × 10(4) mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.57 g/cm(2), respectively. The interference due to diverse ions and complexing agents was studied. The method is successfully applied to the determination of hydrogen peroxide in green plants satisfactorily.

Comparative evaluation of the apical sealing ability and adaptation to dentine of three resin-based sealers: An in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the apical sealing ability and adaptation of three resin-based sealers to the dentine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 66 recently extracted human maxillary anterior teeth were subjected for the study. The teeth were prepared and obturated with gutta-percha by a lateral condensation using AH Plus, Endorez and Epiphany sealers. Fifteen teeth from each group were used for the apical leakage test and the remaining five teeth from each group were used for examination under the scanning electron microscope. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and the Student Newman-Keuls test. RESULTS: Epiphany sealer showed better sealing ability and adaptation to dentine. CONCLUSION: The Epiphany sealer has a better apical sealing ability and adaptation to dentine than the AH Plus and Endorez sealers.

Facile biosynthesis, separation and conjugation of gold nanoparticles to doxorubicin.

Particle shape and size determine the physicochemical and optoelectronic properties of nanoscale materials, including optical absorption, fluorescence, and electric and magnetic moments. It is thus desirable to be able to synthesize and separate various particle shapes and sizes. Biosynthesis using microorganisms has emerged as a more ecologically friendly, simpler, and more reproducible alternative to chemical synthesis of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles, allowing the generation of rare forms such as triangles. Here we show that the plant pathogenic fungus Helminthosporum solani, when incubated with an aqueous solution of chloroaurate ions, produces a diverse mixture of extracellular gold nanocrystals in the size range from 2 to 70 nm. A plurality are polydisperse spheres, but a significant number are homogeneously sized rods, triangles, pentagons, pyramids, and stars. The particles can be separated according to their size and shape by using a sucrose density gradient in a tabletop microcentrifuge, a novel and facile approach to nanocrystal purification. Conjugation to biomolecules can be performed without further processing, as illustrated with the smallest fraction of particles which were conjugated to the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) and taken up readily into HEK293 cells. The cytotoxicity of the conjugates was comparable to that of an equivalent concentration of Dox.