Many pathogenic species of bacteria are showing increasing drug resistance against clinically used antibiotics. Molecules structurally distant from known antibiotics and possessing membrane targeting bactericidal activities are more likely to display activity against drug-resistant pathogens. Mitocurcumin (MitoC) is one of such compounds, synthesized by triphenyl-phosphonium conjugation with curcumin

An unprecedented worldwide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 has imposed severe challenges on healthcare facilities and medical infrastructure. The global research community faces urgent calls for the development of rapid diagnostic tools, effective treatment protocols, and most importantly, vaccines against the pathogen. Pooling together expertise across broad domains to innovate effective solutions is the

Ankyrins (Ank) are ubiquitously expressed proteins that play a critical role in the integrity of cytoskeleton and cellular signalling. Their presence in metazoans and evolutionary conserved protein primary sequence indicates their functional significance. Tissue-specific isoforms and an array of transcript variants make this protein one of the indispensable cellular components. Membrane-binding domains

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of non-protein-coding RNAs which are longer than 200 nucleotides. LncRNAs play important roles in epigenetic modification, transcription and post-transcriptional regulation, maintenance of normal tissue development and differentiation. LncRNA could serve as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis as well as a molecular target for therapy in oral squamous cell

The low translational efficiency of animal models to humans, and the development of new-age methodologies that are human-cell based, is fuelling a paradigm change across the globe. In this perspectives paper, we discuss the current state of research, funding, and regulation in these 21st century technologies, including organoids and organ-on-chip in India. Recently, a road-map was drawn by Indian Council

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among females, worldwide. The cytokines are proteins that have a significant role in the development of tumor growth. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) of the interleukin-6 cytokines superfamily plays a significant role, by the modulation of many signaling pathways. This study summarizes some current works in breast cancer, in which LIF

The Editor has retracted this article (Banerjee 2020) following an investigation conducted by the Indian Academy of Science which found overlap in text and images without proper attribution with the Ph.D. thesis of Dr. Priyanka Dubey (Dubey 2018).

Salt stress is a major abiotic factor that affects the growth and yield of crops. The present study was carried out to assess the salt tolerance among the Arka Samrat, Arka Rakshak, YVU-1, S-22, YVU-2, and PKM-OP tomato germplasms using principal component analysis (PCA). Different salt (NaCl) concentrations like control, 0.04 M, 0.12 M, and 0.20 M were selected in order to classify them into sensitive

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that acts as the primary circadian pacemaker in mammals is responsible for orchestrating multiple circadian rhythms in every organism. A network structure in the SCN composed of multiple types of neurons orchestrates the circadian rhythms. Despite speculations regarding the working of the clock, the molecular mechanisms governing it is far from clear. The molecular

Segregation distortion refers to an unusual genetic phenomenon in diploid organisms by which the two alleles at a locus in a parent are not recovered in the classical 1:1 Mendelian ratio in its offspring. The Drosophila melanogaster neogene Sd was created by a duplication breakpoint on the left arm of chromosome 2 (2L), and encodes a truncated RanGAP protein with normal GTPase activity but which mis-localizes

Genome editing (GE) technology has emerged as a multifaceted strategy that instantaneously popularised the mechanism to modify the genetic constitution of an organism. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein-based genome editing (CRISPR/Cas) approach has huge potential for efficacious editing of genomes of numerous organisms. This framework

Tobacco is one of the major industrial crops cultivated worldwide. Chemical control is the main method employed to reduce damage by insect pests. The use of entomopathogenic fungi represents an alternative to replace insecticides. The search for effective strains in the field constitutes a first step when developing a formulation. The objective of this work was to study genetic differences among isolates

Post-translational modification (PTM) in histone proteins is a covalent modification which mainly consists of methylation, phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitylation, SUMOylation, glycosylation, and ADP-ribosylation. PTMs have fundamental roles in chromatin structure and function. Histone modifications have also been known as epigenetic markers. The PTMs that have taken place in histone proteins

In the October 2019 Special Issue of the Journal of Biosciences on Current Trends in Microbiome Research, in the Review article titled ‘‘Visual exploration of microbiome data’’ by Bhusan K. Kuntal and Sharmila S. Mande (DOI: 10.1007/s12038-019-9933-z; Vol. 44, Article No. 119), affiliation 3 for Bhusan K. Kuntal was incorrectly mentioned as ‘‘Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-National

Plant interactions with biotic and abiotic stresses are complex and entail changes at the transcriptional, cellular and physiological level. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (~20–24 nt), non-coding RNAs that play a vital role in wide range of biological processes involved in regulation of gene expression through translation inhibition or degradation of their target mRNAs during stress conditions. Therefore

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging new viral pathogen that causes severe respiratory disease. SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. As there are no confirmed antiviral drugs or vaccines currently available for the treatment of COVID-19, discovering potent inhibitors or vaccines are urgently required for the benefit of humanity

Climate change, along with current agricultural practices, is going to pose a significant challenge for future food security, especially in developing countries. Orphan crops can help mitigate this threat due to their inherent properties of stress tolerance and nutrition content. Industrialization of agriculture has left these minor crops behind in terms of domestication. As a result, the potential

Herein, we found that serum concentration of superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD3) was significantly reduced in children with mycoplasma pneumonia (MP) infection. To study the roles of SOD3 in inflammatory regulation of MP infection, human A549 type II alveolar epithelial cells were stimulated with 107 CCU/ml of MP to build MP infection in vitro. Secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-8 and

Modeling a protein functional network in concerned species is an efficient approach for identifying novel genes in certain biological pathways. Tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is an important commercial crop abundant in numerous characteristic secondary metabolites (e.g., polyphenols, alkaloids, alkaloids) that confer tea quality and health benefits. Decoding novel genes responsible for tea characteristic

Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS)-mediated gene silencing exploits the cellular mechanism wherein transcripts having sequence similarity to the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules present in the cell will be subjected to degradation. PTGS is closely related to natural processes such as RNA-mediated virus resistance and cross-protection in plants. Gene silencing and the cellular machinery

The objective of this study is to assess the prognostic and functional role of DSCC1 in breast carcinoma, as well as the potential mechanism. Based upon the TCGA data, the expression pattern and prognostic value of DSCC1 in breast carcinoma was evaluated. The mRNA and protein levels of molecules were determined using qRT-PCR and Western blot. In vitro functional role of DSCC1 in tumor cells was determined

Botrytis cinerea is a saprophytic plant pathogenic fungus that can infect a variety of crops and cause gray mold, which leads to huge losses worldwide. The role of exocyst in fungal pathogenicity is being revealed. In this study, homologous recombination technology was used to knock out the exocyst subunit BcSec3 of B. cinerea, and it was found that the BcSec3 subunit plays a crucial role in the growth

Metformin has been shown to ameliorate diabetic cardiomyopathy. In the present research we investigated whether metformin would reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis that was induced by high-glucose stimulation in vitro via activation of PP2A. Primary human and rat cardiomyocytes were subject to high-glucose stimulation. Okadaic acid was used to inhibit PP2A activity. Cell viability and apoptosis was assessed

Prosthetic vascular graft infection is one of the most severe vascular surgery complications. Fibrin gel (FG) has many useful characteristics as biocompatibility, biodegradation, adhesion, and haemostasis to develop the local antibiotic delivery system. In this study, human plasma was collected from peripheral blood that was used to create fibrin gel by supplement ion Ca2+. Antibiotic-containing fibrin

Competition for nutrients in a polymicrobial biofilm may lead to susceptible species being subjected to nutritional stress. The influence of bacterial growth rates and interspecies interactions on their susceptibility and response to nutritional stress is not well understood. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are two prevalent causative pathogens that coexist in biofilm-associated infections

Climate change and the consequential unpredictable environmental stress conditions negatively impact crop productivity. It has thus become a challenge to develop solutions for food security and sustainable agriculture in the backdrop of increasing population pressure and dwindling land and water resources. This further necessitates that focus of international research should be on curtailing yield

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) from colorectal cancer (CRC), characterized by CD133 expression, have been associated with 5-fluorouracile (5-FU) chemoresistance. DNA repair mechanisms, such as O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (MGMT) and mismatch repair (MMR) systems, have also been correlated to 5-FU resistance in CRC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the modulation of CD133 and MGMT in MMR-proficient

Crop improvement is a continuous effort, since some 10,000 years ago when primitive man made the transition from hunting and foraging to domestication and crop cultivation. Since then, man-made interventions have changed the entire scenario of crop evolution, by means of genetic alterations of plants and animals made to satisfy man’s needs. The process of domestication has led to dramatic changes in

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for gene silencing in different organisms, including plants. It is being used in functional genomics to decipher the function of genes. This technology has also witnessed a variety of potential applications in agriculture for crop improvement, including the development of crops for resistance against biotic (weeds, pathogens, insect pests and nematode parasites)

Genetically engineered plants have varied applications in agriculture for enhancing the values of food and feed. Genetic engineering aims to introduce selected genetic regions with desirable traits into target plants for both spatial and temporal expressions. Promoters are the key elements responsible for regulating gene expressions by modulating the transcription factors (TFs) through recognition

The rising global population is forcing the need for adapting alternative sustainable technologies for enhanced crop productivity. The CO2 Concentration Mechanisms (CCMs) evolved in algae to counter the inefficient CO2 fixing enzyme, RuBisCo and slower diffusion of CO2 in water offers good scope for the above purpose. The CCMs are single-celled CO2 supply mechanisms that depend on multiple CO2/HCO

Primary cilia are non-motile, microtubule-based, antennae-like organelle that protrude out from the cell surface and perform sensory function or transduce physiological signals in majority of the vertebrate cells. Cilia are assembled on basal bodies that are transformed centrioles. The assembly-disassembly of primary cilia may pose an additional measure on regulating cell cycle in vertebrate cells

Ensuring agricultural food security is a major concern for the future world, and being the second most consumed crop, rice yield needs an urgent upliftment. Grain yield is a pleiotropic trait that employs a plethora of genes functioning in complex signalling cascades. The yield related genes are controlled by various regulatory factors including the microRNAs (miRNAs), the small 20–22 nucleotide (nt)

Phytophagous insect incidence is a serious threat for reduction of crop productivity globally. There is an estimation of one fourth of crop is being destroyed by insects annually. Indeed, the development of insect-resistant crops is a great milestone in agriculture to increase crop yield and reduce pesticide dependency. Genetic engineering facilitates development of insect resistant crops by expressing

Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) is now affected by several diseases caused by both viruses and fungi. At present, leaf blight is considered a major threat to cardamom cultivation in Sikkim. During the past two decades, cultivation of the crop in this region has dropped by almost 60%. Hence, to quantify the severity of leaf blight damage and identification of the causal organism for the disease

Bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is one of the devastating diseases of rice worldwide. The pathogen reported to cause 70% crop loss in some of the susceptible genotypes under disease favoring environments, viz., temperature ranging between 25 to 34°C and relative humidity more than 70%. In Xoo, about 245 genes govern the pathogenicity and host specificity. The hypersensitive

Plant phenomics is a high-throughput path-breaking area that meets all the requirements for the collection of accurate, rapid and multi-faceted phenotypic data. Plant phenomics is an approach to envisage complex traits that are appropriate for selection, and provides relevant information as to why particular genotype can stand out in particular environmental conditions. The technique of plant phenotyping

Alternate remedies with natural products provides unlimited opportunities for new drug development. These can be either as pure compounds or as standardized set of compounds. The phytochemicals and secondary metabolites are in great demand for screening bioactive compounds and plays an important role towards drug development. Natural products have many advantages over to synthetic chemical drugs. Helicobacter

The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, is a highly polyphagous pest, causing enormous losses to various economically important crops. The identification and in vitro functional validation of target genes of a pest is a prerequisite to combat pest via host-mediated RNA interference (RNAi). In the present study, six hormonal biosynthesis genes of H. armigera were chosen and evaluated by feeding insect

Low back pain due to degeneration of intervertebral disc (IVD) is a major health problem resulting in significant disability as well as adding to the economic burden. Discectomy is a very common procedure done worldwide to relieve this pain. At present all the surgically removed disc tissue is mostly discarded. However, there are reports that state that progenitor cells in the IVD can be grown ex vivo

Subcellular localization prediction of the proteome is one of major goals of large-scale genome or proteome sequencing projects to define the gene functions that could be possible with the help of computational modeling techniques. Previously, different methods have been developed for this purpose using multi-label classification system and achieved a high level of accuracy. However, during the validation

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) has been characterized as a tumor suppressor in glioma. Although CASC2 may predict the prognosis of glioma patients, the role and mechanism of CASC2 in human glioblastoma remain to be fully illuminated. Expression of CASC2 and miR-18a was detected using RT-qPCR. Cell growth was evaluated by MTT assay, colony formation assay, and

Endometriosis is a common disorder of unknown etiology, and non-surgical therapies are still a challenge. To understand the pathogenesis and preclinical testing of drugs for endometriosis, animal models are highly desirous. Herein, we carried out longitudinal characterization of a mouse model for endometriosis where uterine tissue was transplanted onto the intestinal mesentery. During the course of

In this study we have investigated the effects of a tumour suppressor microRNA, miR-214, on gene expression in HPV-positive (CaSki) and HPV-negative cervical cancer cells (C33A) by RNA sequencing using next generation sequencing. The HPV-positive and HPV-negative cervical cancer cells were either miR-214-knocked-out or miR-214-overexpressed. Gene expression analysis showed that a total of 904 genes

Senescence is an internally systematized degeneration process leading to death in plants. Leaf yellowing, one of the most prominent features of plant aging may lead to reduced crop yields. The molecular mechanism of responses to senescence in soybean leaves is not completely clear. In our research, two soybean varieties were selected with different stay-green traits: stay-green variety (BN106) and

Shade indicates decreased sunlight. The agricultural importance of shade imparts to its deteriorative effect of crop yield. Rice is not only the most widely used food crop by a third of the population of the world, but it has also been established as the model monocot plant for study. This article describes several important aspects of shade on rice yield with appropriate examples in other plants such

Glioma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumor and is hallmarked by high rate of mortality, metastasis and drug resistance. Herein, we explore the role of circular RNA (circRNA) hsa_circ_0000936 in the resistance of glioma cells to temozolomide (TMZ). In this study, Relative changes in gene expression levels were compared using qRT-PCR. The role of hsa_circ_0000936 was characterized by cell

The world is currently facing the COVID-19 pandemic, for which mild symptoms include fever and dry cough. In severe cases, it could lead to pneumonia and ultimately death in some instances. Moreover, the causative pathogen is highly contagious and there are no drugs or vaccines for it yet. The pathogen, SARS-CoV-2, is one of the human coronaviruses which was identified to infect humans first in December

The two biological evidences to endorse the antiviral activity of RNA interference (RNAi) are biogenesis of viral-siRNA (v-siRNA) by the host and encoding of RNAi-suppressor protein by viral genome. It has been recently established that mammals and mammalian cell lines mount antiviral RNAi to defend themselves against the invading viruses. The large part of viral pathogenicity is also due to the RNAi

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells of mesodermal origin possessing multilineage differentiation potential and ease of expansion in vitro. Over the years, these cells have gained attention owing to their potential in cell-based therapies in treating various diseases. In particular, the wide spectrum of immunoregulatory/immunomodulatory role of MSCs in various

The families Lamiaceae and Verbenaceae comprise several closely related species that possess high morphological synapomorphic traits. Hence, there is a tendency of species misidentification using only the morphological characters. Herein, we evaluated the discriminatory power of the universal DNA barcodes (matK and rbcL) for 53 species spanning the two families. Using these markers, we inferred phylogenetic

Altered glucose uptake and metabolism is the key characteristic of cancer cells including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, role of glucose availability in chemotherapeutic outcome of HCC is unclear. The present study investigates the effect of glucose facilitated sensitization of HCC cells towards doxorubicin (DOX) and sorafenib (SORA). In HCC cells, we observed that hyperglycemic culture condition

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart channel disease associated with fatal ventricular arrhythmias or cardiac arrest. Human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) mutation is one of the main causes in type 2 LQTS since it may lead to abundant immature HERG channel protein accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In our study, we have successfully constructed the G604S-HERG mutation in HEK293

Hemophilia is a hereditary disorder that can be life-threatening in individuals who have severe spontaneous bleeding resulting from minor trauma or surgery. Although replacement therapy of the missing exogenous factor has improved patients’ quality of life, it has not been possible to establish a long-term treatment. Due to the severity of the disease and the need for repetitive doses throughout the

Various animal models, especially rodents, are used to study pain, due to the difficulty of studying it in humans. Many drugs that produce analgesia have been studied and there is evidence among which NSAIDs deserve to be highlighted. Dexketoprofen (DEX) provides a broad antinociceptive profile in different types of pain; therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the profile of antinociceptive

Human placental extract has wound healing potential. Immuno-blots revealed presence of laminin in placental extract (70 ± 0.257 µg/ml; n=3). It was purified using immuno-affinity chromatography. SDS-PAGE and SE-HPLC indicated a188 kDa protein with some small peptides. Since placental laminin existed in its truncated form, its roles in cellular migration, differentiation and wound healing were verified

Auxin is one of the most important plant growth hormones, playing a crucial role in development as well as in stress responses. Auxin biosynthesis and signaling pathway comprises a series of events including auxin perception by the receptor, activation, and function of auxin response factors and control by auxin repressors. All these factors are regulated by several different microRNAs during leaf

Tandemly repeated structural motifs in proteins form highly stable structural folds and provide multiple binding sites associated with diverse functional roles. The tertiary structure and function of these proteins are determined by the type and copy number of the repeating units. Each repeat type exhibits a unique pattern of intra- and inter-repeat unit interactions that is well-captured by the topological

AbstractThe idea of regenerating lost myocardium via cell-based therapies remains as highly considerable. C-kit+ stem/progenitor cells are represented to be suitable candidates for cardiac regeneration compared to other stem cells. A multitude of cytokines from these cells are known to give such multifunctional properties; however, the associated mechanisms of these factors are yet to be totally understood

Up-regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 plays a significant role in promoting cancer progression by degrading the components of the extracellular matrix, thereby enhancing the migration of tumor cells. Although the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effect of Annona muricata is well established, its effect on MMP-2 and MMP-9, a major target in several types of cancers, has not been studied. Powdered samples