Improved protocol for efficacious in vitro androgenesis and development of doubled haploids in temperate japonica rice.

DH (Doubled haploid) is the immortal mapping population and an outcome of single meiotic cycle, contributed from male partner. An improved procedure was developed for high frequency androgenesis in japonica genotypes, K-332 and GS-88 and their F1s. A total of 207 fertile, green, di-haploid plants were generated from K-332 × GS-88 hybrids using the improved anther culture protocol. The investigation was carried out to evaluate callus induction potential and regeneration response for the genotypes and the derived F1s on N6 media and modified N6 media (N6M). Whereas, N6 failed to induce callusing, agarose solidified N6M media supplemented with 4% maltose, growth regulators; NAA (2 mg/l), 2, 4-D (0.5 mg/l), Kinetin (0.5 mg/l), and silver nitrate induced high calli percentage of 27.6% in F1s, 9.5% and 6.7% in GS-88 and K-332 respectively. Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 3% sucrose, and the hormonal combination BAP (2 mg/l), Kinetin (1 mg/l) and NAA (1 mg/l) induced high green shoot regeneration rates (0-60.0%). The effect of cold pre-treatment at 4°C and the stage of anther collection and their interaction was studied. The effect of cold pre-treatment (CP) of collected boots at 4°C (for CP2: 2, CP4: 4, CP6: 6 and CP8: 8 days) at different stages of panicle emergence (BES4-6: 4-6, BES7-10: 7-10, BES11-13: 11-13, BES>13: more than 13 inches was worked out in relation to the effect on response of calli induction, albino regeneration, green plant regeneration and number of shoots/green calli. CP referred to the number of days for which the collected boots were incubated before they were inoculated. BES was the length (inches) between flag leaf and penultimate leaf at the time of boot collection. We concluded that CP6 and BES7-10 showed better response to callus proliferation and regeneration of plantlets across genotypes. The appropriate pre-treatment, stage of anther collection and favourable media composition resulted in high calli induction and green plant regeneration rates in recalcitrant japonica genotypes. The modified N6 media resulted into efficient callus induction and is expected to be useful for studies which aim at rapid generation of mapping populations for genetic studies.

Therapeutic Potential of Medicinal Plant Proteins: Present Status and Future Perspectives.

Biologically active molecules obtained from plant sources, mostly including secondary metabolites, have been considered to be of immense value with respect to the treatment of various human diseases. However, some inevitable limitations associated with these secondary metabolites like high cytotoxicity, low bioavailability, poor absorption, low abundance, improper metabolism, etc., have forced the scientific community to explore medicinal plants for alternate biologically active molecules. In this context, therapeutically active proteins/peptides from medicinal plants have been promoted as a promising therapeutic intervention for various human diseases. A large number of proteins isolated from the medicinal plants have been shown to exhibit anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-HIV, anticancerous, ribosome-inactivating and neuro-modulatory activities. Moreover, with advanced technological developments in the medicinal plant research, medicinal plant proteins such as Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor and Mistletoe Lectin-I are presently under clinical trials against prostate cancer, oral carcinomas and malignant melanoma. Despite these developments and proteins being potential drug candidates, to date, not a single systematic review article has documented the therapeutical potential of the available biologically active medicinal plant proteome. The present article was therefore designed to describe the current status of the therapeutically active medicinal plant proteins/peptides vis-à-vis their potential as future protein-based drugs for various human diseases. Future insights in this direction have also been highlighted.