Clonal Blumea lacera (Burm. f.) DC. ameliorates diabetic conditions by modulating carbohydrate and lipid hydrolases: a combine in vivo experimental and chemico-biological interaction study.

Blumea lacera (Burm. f.) DC. is an aromatic annual herb that has traditionally been used to treat or protect against diabetes. Although it has infallible uses, its supply is limited due to its short lifespan. In this study, we aim to investigate the anti-diabetic potential of its micropropagated plants in type 2 diabetic mammalian (mouse) model and further expand the molecular mechanistic understanding of its activity. The water extract of the micropropagated plants was tested in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The extract effectively suppressed glucose levels prevented weight loss, and improved dyslipidemia in mice. Additionally, it improved liver injury as well as all investigated toxicity indicators, including serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and serum anti-inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. The intramolecular interaction study revealed that the innate polyphenolic constituents of this plant more profoundly inhibited α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase compared to the standard. The prolific bioactive compounds of the micropropagated plant could be attributed to these superior anti-diabetic effects, presumably via an elaborate inhibition of carbohydrate and lipid hydrolyzing enzymes. Thus, the obtained results provide solid experimental proof of the year-round utility of micropropagated plants as a standard source plant material of Blumea lacera (Burm. f.) DC. for drug research and therapeutic production.

Molecular insight into the genomic variation of SARS-CoV-2 strains from current outbreak.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the newly emerging viral disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The epidemic sparked in December 2019 at Wuhan city, China that causes a large global outbreak and a major public health catastrophe. Till now, more than 129 million positive cases have been reported in which more than 2.81 million were dead, surveyed by Johns Hopkins University, USA. The diverse symptoms of COVID-19 and an increased number of positive cases throughout the world hypothesize that this virus assembles more variants that are preventing the pursuit of its adequate treatment as well as the development of the vaccine. In this study, 715 SARS-CoV-2 genomes were retrieved from the gisaid and NCBI viral resources involving 39 countries and 164 different types of variants were identified based on 108 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in which the ancestral type of SARS-CoV-2 was found as the most frequent and the most prevalent in China. Moreover, variant type A104 was identified as the most frequent in the USA and A52 in Japan. The study also recognized the most common SNPs such as 241, 3037, 8782, 11083, 14408, 23403, and 28144 as well as variants regarding base-pair, C > T. A total of 65 non-synonymous SNPs were recognized which were mostly located in nucleocapsid phosphoprotein, Non-structural protein 3(Nsp3), and spike glycoprotein encoding gene. Molecular divergence analysis revealed that this virus was phylogenetically related to Yunnan 2013 bat strain. This study indicates SARS-CoV-2 frequently alters their genetic material, which mostly affects the nucleocapsid phosphoprotein, and spike glycoprotein-encoding gene and makes it very challenging to develop SARS-Cov-2 vaccine and antibody-mediated rapid diagnostic kit.

Value addition to jute: assessing the effect of artificial reduction of lignin on jute diversification.

In the backdrop of an abundance of lignin in jute, the main focus of the present study was to conduct a quality assessment of four delignified jute lines (in which four lignin biosynthetic genes were individually downregulated) across advanced generations for industrial applications. To this end, the transgenic lines were advanced to 7th (COMT and C4H lines) and 5th (C3H and F5H lines) transformed generations. The results exhibit approximately 16-25% reduction in acid-insoluble lignin for the whole stem and 13-14% reduction in fiber lignin content for all four transgenic lines compared to the control. The altered lignin composition led to a 3-6% increase in the cellulose content and a small improvement in the enzymatic release of glucose. Lignin reduction led to an exposure of the underlying fibrils in transgenic lines as observed through a scanning electron microscope whereas, it was undiscernible in the control fiber. Furthermore, an analysis of the mechanical properties appears almost similar to that of the control with no morphological deformities. Jute fibers from the transgenic lines offer tremendous cost-effective implications from an economic perspective.

Glucocorticoid receptor gene polymorphisms in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated paralytic disorder. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene polymorphisms affect the sensitivity to glucocorticoids and have been related to microbial colonization and infection, and thereby may influence susceptibility to GBS. The associations between GR polymorphisms (ER22/23EK, N363S, BclI, TthIII-1 and GR-9beta) and development of GBS were investigated in 151 patients and 151 healthy controls. GR polymorphisms or haplotypes were not associated with GBS susceptibility. Haplotype 1 (TthIII-1[T/T]:BclI[G/G]:GR-9beta[A/A]) was less common in GBS; but not statistically significant after correction (P = 0.021; Pc = 0.108). The GR-9beta(G/A) and TthIII-1(C/T) genotypes were frequent in anti-GM1-antibody-positive patients than anti-GM1-antibody-negative patients (P = 0.017 and P = 0.030, respectively).

Fc-gamma IIIa-V158F receptor polymorphism contributes to the severity of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare, life-threatening disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Immunoglobulin G Fc-gamma receptors (FcγRs) mediate and regulate diverse effector functions and are involved in the pathogenesis of GBS. We investigated whether the FcγR polymorphisms FcγRIIa H/R131 (rs1801274), FcγRIIIa V/F158 (rs396991), and FcγRIIIb NA1/NA2, and their haplotype patterns affect the affinity of IgG-FcγR interactivity and influence GBS susceptibility and severity. METHODS: We determined FcγR polymorphisms in 303 patients with GBS and 302 ethnically matched healthy individuals from Bangladesh by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium and haplotype patterns were analyzed based on D ́statistics and the genotype package of R statistics, respectively. Logistic regression analysis and Fisher's exact test with corrected P (Pc) values were employed for statistical comparisons. RESULTS: FcγRIIIa-V158F was associated with the severe form of GBS compared to the mild form (P = 0.005, OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.28-3.91; Pc = 0.015); however, FcγR genotypes and haplotype patterns did not show any association with GBS susceptibility compared to healthy controls. FcγRIIIa-V/V158 and FcγRIIIb-NA2/2 were associated with recent Campylobacter jejuni infection (P ≤ 0.001, OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.23-0.56; Pc ≤ 0.003 and P = 0.004, OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.18-2.44; Pc ≤ 0.012, respectively). Haplotype 1 (FcγRIIa-H131R- FcγRIIIa-V158F- FcγRIIIb-NA1/2) and the FcγRIIIb-NA2/2 genotype were more prevalent among anti-GM1 antibody-positive patients (P = 0.031, OR = 9.61, 95% CI = 1.24-74.77, Pc = 0.279; P = 0.027, OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.06-2.5, Pc = 0.081, respectively). INTERPRETATION: FcγR polymorphisms and haplotypes are not associated with susceptibility to GBS, though the FcγRIIIa-V158F genotype is associated with the severity of GBS.

Genome and secretome analysis of jute endophyte Grammothele lineata strain SDL-CO-2015-1: Insights into its lignocellulolytic structure and secondary metabolite profile.

Grammothele lineata strain SDL-CO-2015-1, jute (Corchorus olitorius) endophyte has been reported to produce anti-cancer drug paclitaxel in culture condition. Here we investigated the genome using different bioinformatic tools to find its association with the production of commercially important compounds including taxol. Carbohydrate-active enzymes, proteases, and secretory proteins were annotated revealing a complex endophytic relationship with its plant host. The presences of a diverse range of CAZymes including numerous lignocellulolytic enzymes support its potentiality in biomass degradation. Genome annotation led to the identification of 28 clusters for secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Several biosynthesis gene clusters were identified for terpene biosynthesis from antiSMASH analysis but none could be specifically pinned to taxol synthesis. This study will direct us to understand the genomic organization of endophytic basidiomycetes with a potential for producing numerous commercially important enzymes and secondary metabolites taking G. lineata as a model.

Human leukocyte antigen-DQB1 polymorphisms and haplotype patterns in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The etiology of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) remains enigmatic, although genetic and environmental factors are speculated to be associated with this autoimmune condition. We investigated whether polymorphisms and the haplotype structures of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1 gene relate to the autoimmune response to infection and affect the development of GBS. METHODS: HLA-DQB1 polymorphic alleles (*0201, *030x, *0401, *050x, *060x) were determined for 151 Bangladeshi patients with GBS and 151 ethnically matched healthy controls using sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotype patterns were analyzed based on D ́statistics and the genotype package in R statistics, respectively. Association studies were conducted using Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analysis. The Bonferroni method was applied to correct for multiple comparisons, whereby the P-value was multiplied with the number of comparisons and denoted as Pc (Pc, P corrected). RESULTS: No associations were observed between HLA-DQB1 alleles and susceptibility to disease in the comparison between GBS patients and healthy subjects. Haplotype 9 (DQB1*0303-*0601) tended to be less frequent among patients with GBS than healthy controls (P = 0.006, OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.30-0.82; Pc = 0.06). Haplotype 5 (DQB1*0501-*0602) and the DQB1*0201 alleles were more frequent in the Campylobacter jejuni-triggered axonal variant of GBS (P = 0.024, OR = 4.06, 95% CI = 1.25-13.18; Pc = 0.24) and demyelinating subtype (P = 0.027, OR = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.17-6.17; Pc = 0.35), though these associations were not significant after Bonferroni correction. INTERPRETATION: This study indicates that HLA-DQB1 polymorphisms are not associated with susceptibility to GBS. In addition, these genetic markers did not influence the clinical features or serological subgroup in patients with C. jejuni-triggered axonal variant of GBS.

Genome of Tenualosa ilisha from the river Padma, Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVE: Hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha), is a popular fish of Bangladesh belonging to the Clupeidae family. An anadromous species, like the salmon and many other migratory fish, it is a unique species that lives in the sea and travels to freshwater rivers for spawning. During its entire life, Tenualosa ilisha migrates both from sea to freshwater and vice versa. DATA DESCRIPTION: The genome of Tenualosa ilisha collected from the river Padma of Rajshahi, Bangladesh has been sequenced and its de novo hybrid assembly and structural annotations are being reported here. Illumina and PacBio sequencing platforms were used for high depth sequencing and the draft genome assembly was found to be 816 MB with N50 size of 188 kb. MAKER gene annotation tool predicted 31,254 gene models. Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs refer 95% completeness of the assembled genome.

Draft Genome Sequence of Grammothele lineata SDL-CO-2015-1, a Jute Endophyte with a Potential for Paclitaxel Biosynthesis.

Grammothele lineata strain SDL-CO-2015-1, a basidiomycete fungus, was identified as an endophyte from a jute species, Corchorus olitorius var. 2015, and found to produce paclitaxel, a diterpenic polyoxygenated pseudoalkaloid with antitumor activity. Here, we report the draft genome sequence (42.8 Mb with 9,395 genes) of this strain.

An endophytic Basidiomycete, Grammothele lineata, isolated from Corchorus olitorius, produces paclitaxel that shows cytotoxicity.

Grammothele lineata, an endophyte isolated in our laboratory from jute (Corchorus olitorius acc. 2015) was found to be a substantial paclitaxel producer. Taxol and its related compounds, produced by this endophyte were extracted by growing the fungus in simple nutrient media (potato dextrose broth, PDB). Taxol was identified and characterized by different analytical techniques (TLC, HPLC, FTIR, LC-ESI-MS/MS) following its extraction by ethyl acetate. In PDB media, this fungus was found to produce 382.2 µgL-1 of taxol which is about 7.6 x103 fold higher than the first reported endophytic fungi, Taxomyces andreanae. The extracted taxol exhibited cytotoxic activity in an in vitro culture of HeLa cancer cell line. The fungal extract also exhibited antifungal and antibacterial activities against different pathogenic strains. This is the first report of a jute endophytic fungus harboring the capacity to produce taxol and also the first reported taxol producing species that belongs to the Basidiomycota phylum, so far unknown to be a taxol producer. These findings suggest that the fungal endophyte, Grammothele lineata can be an excellent source of taxol and can also serve as a potential species for chemical and genetic engineering to enhance further the production of taxol.