RESUMO
In dry deciduous tropical forests, both seasons (winter and summer) offer habitats that are essential ecologically. How these seasonal changes affect soil properties and microbial communities is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of seasonal fluctuations on soil characteristics and microbial populations. The soil moisture content dramatically increases in the summer. However, the soil pH only gradually shifts from acidic to slightly neutral. During the summer, electrical conductivity (EC) values range from 0.62 to 1.03 ds m-1, in contrast to their decline in the winter. The levels of soil macronutrients and micronutrients increase during the summer, as does the quantity of soil organic carbon (SOC). A two-way ANOVA analysis reveals limited impacts of seasonal fluctuations and specific geographic locations on the amounts of accessible nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Moreover, dehydrogenase, nitrate reductase, and urease activities rise in the summer, while chitinase, protease, and acid phosphatase activities are more pronounced in the winter. The soil microbes were identified in both seasons through 16S rRNA and ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) gene sequencing. Results revealed Proteobacteria and Ascomycota as predominant bacterial and fungal phyla. However, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Burkholderia are dominant bacterial genera, and Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Trichoderma are dominant fungal genera in the forest soil samples. Dominant bacterial and fungal genera may play a role in essential ecosystem services such as soil health management and nutrient cycling. In both seasons, clear relationships exist between soil properties, including pH, moisture, iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and microbial diversity. Enzymatic activities and microbial shift relate positively with soil parameters. This study highlights robust soil-microbial interactions that persist mainly in the top layers of tropical dry deciduous forests in the summer and winter seasons. It provides insights into the responses of soil-microbial communities to seasonal changes, advancing our understanding of ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity preservation.
RESUMO
Cancer is ranked as the second leading cause of death globally. Traditional cancer therapies including chemotherapy are flawed, with off-target and on-target toxicities on the normal cells, requiring newer strategies to improve cell selective targeting. The application of nanomaterial has been extensively studied and explored as chemical biology tools in cancer theranostics. It shows greater applications toward stability, biocompatibility, and increased cell permeability, resulting in precise targeting, and mitigating the shortcomings of traditional cancer therapies. The nanoplatform offers an exciting opportunity to gain targeting strategies and multifunctionality. The advent of nanotechnology, in particular the development of smart nanomaterials, has transformed cancer diagnosis and treatment. The large surface area of nanoparticles is enough to encapsulate many molecules and the ability to functionalize with various biosubstrates such as DNA, RNA, aptamers, and antibodies, which helps in theranostic action. Comparatively, biologically derived nanomaterials perceive advantages over the nanomaterials produced by conventional methods in terms of economy, ease of production, and reduced toxicity. The present review summarizes various techniques in cancer theranostics and emphasizes the applications of smart nanomaterials (such as organic nanoparticles (NPs), inorganic NPs, and carbon-based NPs). We also critically discussed the advantages and challenges impeding their translation in cancer treatment and diagnostic applications. This review concludes that the use of smart nanomaterials could significantly improve cancer theranostics and will facilitate new dimensions for tumor detection and therapy.
RESUMO
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the predominant causes of cancer-related mortality across the globe. It is attributed to obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and infection by the hepatitis virus. Early diagnosis of HCC is essential, and local treatments such as surgical excision and percutaneous ablation are effective. Palliative systemic therapy, primarily with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Sorafenib, is used in advanced cases. However, the prognosis for advanced HCC remains poor. This Review additionally describes the pathophysiological mechanisms of HCC, which include aberrant molecular signaling, genomic instability, persistent inflammation, and the paradoxical position of the immune system in promoting and suppressing HCC. The paper concludes by discussing the growing body of research on the relationship between mitochondria and HCC, suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the progression of HCC. This Review focuses on immunological interactions between different mechanisms of HCC progression, including obesity, viral infection, and alcohol consumption.
RESUMO
Alfalfa plays a significant role in the pasture ecosystems of China's north, northeast, and northwest regions. It is an excellent forage for livestock, improves soil structure, prevents soil erosion, and has ecological benefits. Presently root rot is a significant threat to the alfalfa productivity because of the survival of the pathogens as soil-borne and because of lack of microbial competition in the impoverished nutrient-deficient soils and resistant cultivars. Furthermore, these regions' extreme ecological and environmental conditions predispose alfalfa to root rot. Moisture and temperature, in particular, have a considerable impact on the severity of root rot. Pathogens such as Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia solani are predominant, frequently isolated, and of major concern. These pathogens work together as disease complexes, so finding a host genotype resistant to disease complexes is challenging. Approaches to root rot control in these regions include mostly fungicides treatments and cultural practices and very few reports on the usage of biological control agents. As seed treatment, fungicides such as carbendazim are frequently used to combat root rot; however, resistance to fungicides has arisen. However, breeding and transgenic approaches could be more efficient and sustainable long-term control strategies, especially if resistance to disease complexes may be identified. Yet, research in China is mainly limited to field investigation of root rot and disease resistance evaluation. In this review, we describe climatic conditions of pastoral regions and the role of alfalfa therein and challenges of root rot, the distribution of root rot in the world and China, and the impact of root rot pathogens on alfalfa in particular R. solani and Fusarium spp., effects of environmental factors on root rot and summarize to date disease management approach.
RESUMO
Microbial interactions with plant roots play an imperial role in tomato plant growth and defense against the Rhizoctonia solani. This study performed a field experiment with two antagonistic bacteria (Pseudomonas and Bacillus) inoculated in healthy and Rhizoctonia solani treated soil in tomato rhizosphere to understand the metabolic pattern and microbial function during plant disease suppression. In the present study, we assessed soil and microbial enzymes, bacterial and fungal cell forming unit (CFU), and carbon utilization profiling through Bio-Eco plates of rhizoplane samples. Antagonist bacteria and pathogen interaction significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the bacterial count, soil enzymes (chitinase and glucanase), and bacterial function (siderophore and chitinase production). These results indicated that these variables had an imperial role in disease suppression during plant development. Furthermore, the metabolic profiling showed that carbon source utilization enhanced under fruit development and ripening stages. These results suggested that carbon sources were essential in plant/pathogen/antagonist interaction. Substrates like ß-methyl-D-glucoside, D-mannitol, D-galacturonic acid, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, and phenylethylamine strongly connect with the suppuration of root rot disease. These carbon sources may help to propagate a healthy microbial community to reduce the pathogen invasion in the plant root system, and these carbon sources can be stimulators of antagonists against pathogens in the future.
RESUMO
Rhizoctonia solani is a pathogen that causes considerable harm to plants worldwide. In the absence of hosts, R. solani survives in the soil by forming sclerotia, and management methods, such as cultivar breeding, crop rotations, and fungicide sprays, are insufficient and/or inefficient in controlling R. solani. One of the most challenging problems facing agriculture in the twenty-first century besides with the impact of global warming. Environmentally friendly techniques of crop production and improved agricultural practices are essential for long-term food security. Trichoderma spp. could serve as an excellent example of a model fungus to enhance crop productivity in a sustainable way. Among biocontrol mechanisms, mycoparasitism, competition, and antibiosis are the fundamental mechanisms by which Trichoderma spp. defend against R. solani, thereby preventing or obstructing its proliferation. Additionally, Trichoderma spp. induce a mixed induced systemic resistance (ISR) or systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants against R. solani, known as Trichoderma-ISR. Stimulation of every biocontrol mechanism involves Trichoderma spp. genes responsible for encoding secondary metabolites, siderophores, signaling molecules, enzymes for cell wall degradation, and plant growth regulators. Rhizoctonia solani biological control through genes of Trichoderma spp. is summarized in this paper. It also gives information on the Trichoderma-ISR in plants against R. solani. Nonetheless, fast-paced current research on Trichoderma spp. is required to properly utilize their true potential against diseases caused by R. solani.
RESUMO
Sugarcane is a cash crop that plays an integral part in the sugar industry. The Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) has been adopted globally, ensuring enough and aiming for more yield, helping increase disease-free sugarcane cultivation. Single-bud seeds could be the best approach for sugarcane cultivation. Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) is a rooting agent utilized significantly in seedling propagation. Greenhouse experiment results discovered the significant growth promotion in sugarcane seedlings and accumulation of plant hormones at 100 ppm IBA. Next, we performed transcriptomic analysis of sugarcane buds using RNA sequencing and compared their gene expression during root development due to affect of IBA (100 ppm). A total of 113,475 unigenes were annotated with an average length of 836 bp (N50 = 1,536). The comparative RNA-seq study between the control (CK) and IBA-treated (T) buds showed significant differentially expressed unigenes (494 upregulated and 2086 downregulated). The IBA influenced major biological processes including metabolic process, the cellular process, and single-organism process. For cellular component category, cell, cell part, organelle, membrane, and organelle part were mainly affected. In addition, catalytic activity and binding were primarily affected in the molecular function categories. Furthermore, the expression of genes related to plant hormones and signaling pathways was analyzed by qRT-PCR, which was consistent with the RNA-seq expression profile. This study provides new insights into the IBA response to the bud sprouting in sugarcane based on RNA sequencing, and generated information could help further research on breeding improvement of sugarcane.