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Abstract Increasing temperature affects all food crops, thereby reducing their yield potential. Chickpea is a cool-season food legume vital for its nutritive value, but it is sensitive to high temperatures (> 32/20 °C maximum/minimum) during its reproductive and seed-filling stages. This study evaluated the effects of heat stress on yield and qualitative traits of chickpea seeds in a controlled environment. Chickpea genotypes differing in heat sensitivity [two heat-tolerant (HT) and two heat-sensitive (HS)] were raised in pots, initially in an outdoor environment (average 23.5/9.9 °C maximum/minimum), until the beginning of pod set (107–110 days after sowing). At this stage, the plants were moved to a controlled environment in the growth chamber to impose heat stress (32/20 °C) at the seed-filling stage, while maintaining a set of control plants at 25/15 °C. The leaves of heat-stressed plants of the HT and HS genotypes showed considerable membrane damage, altered stomatal conductance, and reduced leaf water content, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthetic ability (RuBisCo, sucrose phosphate synthase, and sucrose activities) relative to their corresponding controls. Seed filling duration and seed rate drastically decreased in heat-stressed plants of the HT and HS genotypes, severely reducing seed weight plant–1 and single seed weight, especially in the HS genotypes. Yield-related traits, such as pod number, seed number, and harvest index, noticeably decreased in heat-stressed plants and more so in the HS genotypes. Seed components, such as starch, proteins, fats, minerals (Ca, P, and Fe), and storage proteins (albumin, globulins, glutelin, and prolamins), drastically declined, resulting in poor-quality seeds, particularly in the HS genotypes. These findings revealed that heat stress significantly reduced leaf sucrose production, affecting the accumulation of various seed constituents, and leading to poor nutritional quality. The HT genotypes were less affected than the HS genotypes because of the greater stability of their leaf water status and photosynthetic ability, contributing to better yield and seed quality traits in a heat-stressed environment.

Rising temperatures impact different developmental stages of summer crops like mung bean, particularly during the crucial seed-filling stage. This study focused on two mung bean genotypes, categorized as heat-tolerant [HT] or heat-sensitive [HS]. These genotypes were grown in pots in an outdoor natural environment (average day/night temperature 36°C/24.3°C) until the onset of podding (40 days after sowing) and subsequently relocated to controlled-environment walk-in growth chambers for exposure to heat stress (42°C/30°C) or control conditions (35°C/25°C) until maturity. For all measured attributes, heat stress had a more pronounced effect on the HS genotype than on the HT genotype. Heat-stressed plants exhibited severe leaf damage, including membrane damage, reduced chlorophyll content, diminished chlorophyll fluorescence, and decreased leaf water content. Heat stress impeded the seed-filling rate and duration, decreasing starch, protein, fat, and mineral contents, with a notable decline in storage proteins. Heat stress disrupted the activities of several seed enzymes, inhibiting starch and sucrose accumulation and consequently decreasing individual seed weights and seed weight plant−1. This study revealed that heat stress during seed filling severely impaired mung bean seed yield and nutritional quality due to its impact on various stress-related traits in leaves and enzyme activities in seeds. Moreover, this research identified potential mechanisms related to heat tolerance in genotypes with contrasting heat sensitivity.

Background: Ovarian hormones are known to influence central neuronal functioning. Many studies have established the brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) pattern vis-à -vis the cyclical fluctuations of these hormones in young females; however, there is a paucity of research involving BAEP patterns among menopausal females. Aim: This study was conducted to provide normative values for various BAEP parameters in menopausal females from North India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on 100 females aged 46–70 years. BAEP recording was done using a standardized protocol. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. It consisted of mean wave latencies I, II, III, IV, and V and interpeak latencies (IPL) I-V, I-III, and III-V. Student's unpaired t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The average value of means of wave latencies and IPL from both the ears was obtained. The latencies of waves I, II, III, IV, and V were 1.82 ± 0.27 ms, 2.81 ± 0.27 ms, 4.09 ± 0.35 ms, 4.87 ± 0.33 ms, and 6.19 ± 0.31 ms, respectively. The mean values of IPL I-V, I-III, and III-V were 4.37 ± 0.38 ms, 2.26 ± 0.33 ms, and 2.1 ± 0.32 ms, respectively. Conclusion: The study findings compared favorably with already existing data from similar studies conducted elsewhere. The data from the present study would prove useful to the clinicians to detect subtle neurodegenerative changes at an early stage within the central auditory pathways, even in the absence of any perceptible hearing loss, in this subset of population.

Abstract Background Segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) are intestinal commensal microorganisms that have been demonstrated to induce the innate and adaptive immune responses in mouse and rat hosts. SFB are Gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria that fail to grow optimally under in vitro conditions due to unique metabolic requirements. Recently, SFB have been implicated in improved health and growth outcomes in commercial turkey flocks. To assess the nature and variations in SFB of turkeys and how they may differ from mammalian-associated SFB, the genome of turkey-associated SFB was compared with six representative genomes from murine hosts using an in silico approach. Results The SFB-turkey genome is 1.6 Mb with a G + C content of 26.14% and contains 1,604 coding sequences (CDS). Comparative genome analyses revealed that all the seven SFB strain possesses a common set of metabolic deficiencies and auxotrophies. Specifically, the inability of all the SFB strains to synthesize most of the amino acids, nucleotides and cofactors, emphasizing the importance of metabolite acquisition from the host intestinal environment. Among the seven SFB genomes, the SFB-turkey genome is the largest and contains the highest number of 1,604 predicted CDS. The SFB-turkey genome possesses cellular metabolism genes that are absent in the rodent SFB strains, including catabolic pathways for sucrose, stachyose, raffinose and other complex glycans. Other unique genes associated with SFB-turkey genome is loci for the biosynthesis of biotin, and degradation enzymes to recycle primary bile acids, both of which may play an important role to help turkey associated SFB survive and secure mutualism with its avian host. Conclusions Comparative genomic analysis of seven SFB genomes revealed that each strain have a core set of metabolic capabilities and deficiencies that make these bacteria challenging to culture under ex vivo conditions. When compared to the murine-associated strains, turkey-associated SFB serves as a phylogenetic outgroup and a unique member among all the sequenced strains of SFB. This turkey-associated SFB strain is the first reported non-mammalian SFB genome, and highlights the impact of host specificity and the evolution of metabolic capabilities.

Replication protein A (RPA) is a heterotrimeric complex and the major single-strand DNA (ssDNA) binding protein in eukaryotes. It plays important roles in DNA replication, repair, recombination, telomere maintenance, and checkpoint signaling. Because RPA is essential for cell survival, understanding its checkpoint signaling function in cells has been challenging. Several RPA mutants have been reported previously in fission yeast. None of them, however, has a defined checkpoint defect. A separation-of-function mutant of RPA, if identified, would provide significant insights into the checkpoint initiation mechanisms. We have explored this possibility and carried out an extensive genetic screen for Rpa1/Ssb1, the large subunit of RPA in fission yeast, looking for mutants with defects in checkpoint signaling. This screen has identified twenty-five primary mutants that are sensitive to genotoxins. Among these mutants, two have been confirmed partially defective in checkpoint signaling primarily at the replication fork, not the DNA damage site. The remaining mutants are likely defective in other functions such as DNA repair or telomere maintenance. Our screened mutants, therefore, provide a valuable tool for future dissection of the multiple functions of RPA in fission yeast.

The rising temperatures are seriously impacting the food crops, including urdbean; hence efforts are needed to identify the sources of heat tolerance in such crops to ensure global food security. In the present study, urdbean genotypes were evaluated for heat tolerance under natural outdoor for two consecutive years (2018, 2019) and subsequently in the controlled environment of the growth chamber to identify high temperature tolerant lines. The genotypes were assessed involving few physiological traits (membrane damage, chlorophyll, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, lipid peroxidation), reproductive traits (pollen germination % and pollen viability %) and yield related traits (total number of pods plant-1, total seeds plant-1, single seed weight and seed yield plant-1). Based upon these tested traits, PantU31, Mash114, UTTARA and IPU18-04 genotypes were identified as promising genotypes for both years under heat stress condition. Further confirming heat tolerance, all these four tolerant and four sensitive genotypes were tested under controlled environment under growth chamber condition. All these four genotypes PantU31, Mash114, UTTARA and IPU18-04 showed high chlorophyll content, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, leaf area, pods plant-1, total seeds plant-1 and low reduction in pollen germination % and pollen viability under stress heat stress condition. Moreover, yield and yield related traits viz., pods plant-1, seeds plant-1, single seed weight and seed yield plant-1 showed very strong positive correlation with pollen germination and pollen viability except electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content. Thus, these genotypes could be potentially used as donors for transferring heat tolerance trait to the elite yet heat-sensitive urdbean cultivars.

Potentilla nepalensis Hook is a perennial Himalayan medicinal herb of the Rosaceae family. The present study aimed to evaluate biological activities such as the antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities of roots and shoots of P. nepalensis and its synergistic antibacterial activity with antibacterial drugs. Folin–Ciocalteau and aluminium chloride methods were used for the calculation of total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC). A DPPH radical scavenging assay and broth dilution method were used for the determination of the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the root and shoot extracts of P. nepalensis. Cytotoxic activity was determined using a colorimetric MTT assay. Further, phytochemical characterization of the root and shoot extracts was performed using the Gas chromatography–mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS) method. The TPC and TFC were found to be higher in the methanolic root extract of P. nepalensis. The methanolic shoot extract of P. nepalensis showed good antioxidant activity, while then-hexane root extract of P. nepalensis showed strong cytotoxic activity against tested SK-MEL-28 cells. Subsequently, in silico molecular docking studies of the identified bioactive compounds predicted potential anticancer properties. This study can lead to the production of new herbal medicines for various diseases employing P. nepalensis, leading to the creation of new medications.

Abstract Background Soil salinity has been one of the biggest hurdles in achieving better crop yield and quality. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are the symbiotic heterogeneous bacteria that play an important role in the recycling of plant nutrients through phytostimulation and phytoremediation. In this study, bacterial isolates were isolated from salt-polluted soil of Jhajjar and Panipat districts of Haryana, India. The potential salt-tolerant bacteria were screened for their PGPR activities such as phosphate solubilization, hydrogen cyanide (HCN), indole acetic acid (IAA) and ammonia production. The molecular characterization of potent isolates with salt tolerance and PGPR activity was done by 16S rDNA sequencing. Results Eighteen soil samples from saline soils of Haryana state were screened for salt-tolerant bacteria. The bacterial isolates were analyzed for salt tolerance ranging from 2 to 10%. Thirteen isolates were found salt tolerant at varied salt concentrations. Isolates HB6P2 and HB6J2 showed maximum tolerance to salts at 10% followed by HB4A1, HB4N3 and HB8P1. All the salt-tolerant bacterial isolates showed HCN production with maximum production by HB6J2. Phosphate solubilization was demonstrated by three isolates viz., HB4N3, HB6P2 and HB6J2. IAA production was maximum in HB4A1 (15.89) and HB6P2 (14.01) and least in HB4N3 (8.91). Ammonia production was maximum in HB6P2 (12.3) and least in HB8P1 (6.2). Three isolates HB6J2, HB8P1 and HB4N3 with significant salt tolerance, and PGPR ability were identified through sequencing of amplified 16SrRNA gene and were found to be Bacillus paramycoides, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus pumilus, respectively. Conclusions The salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) isolated from saline soil can be used to overcome the detrimental effects of salt stress on plants, with beneficial effects of physiological functions of plants such as growth and yield, and overcome disease resistance. Therefore, application of microbial inoculants to alleviate stresses and enhance yield in plants could be a low cost and environmental friendly option for the management of saline soil for better crop productivity.

Vegetables are a distinct collection of plant-based foods that vary in nutritional diversity and form an important part of the healthy diet of the human being. Besides providing basic nutrition, they have great potential for boosting human health. The balanced consumption of vegetables is highly recommended for supplementing the human body with better nutrition density, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. However, the production and quality of fresh vegetables are influenced directly or indirectly by exposure to high temperatures or heat stress (HS). A decline in quality traits and harvestable yield are the most common effects of HS among vegetable crops. Heat-induced morphological damage, such as poor vegetative growth, leaf tip burning, and rib discoloration in leafy vegetables and sunburn, decreased fruit size, fruit/pod abortion, and unfilled fruit/pods in beans, are common, often rendering vegetable cultivation unprofitable. Further studies to trace down the possible physiological and biochemical effects associated with crop failure reveal that the key factors include membrane damage, photosynthetic inhibition, oxidative stress, and damage to reproductive tissues, which may be the key factors governing heat-induced crop failure. The reproductive stage of plants has extensively been studied for HS-induced abnormalities. Plant reproduction is more sensitive to HS than the vegetative stages, and affects various reproductive processes like pollen germination, pollen load, pollen tube growth, stigma receptivity, ovule fertility and, seed filling, resulting in poorer yields. Hence, sound and robust adaptation and mitigation strategies are needed to overcome the adverse impacts of HS at the morphological, physiological, and biochemical levels to ensure the productivity and quality of vegetable crops. Physiological traits such as the stay-green trait, canopy temperature depression, cell membrane thermostability, chlorophyll fluorescence, relative water content, increased reproductive fertility, fruit numbers, and fruit size are important for developing better yielding heat-tolerant varieties/cultivars. Moreover, various molecular approaches such as omics, molecular breeding, and transgenics, have been proved to be useful in enhancing/incorporating tolerance and can be potential tools for developing heat-tolerant varieties/cultivars. Further, these approaches will provide insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms that govern thermotolerance and pave the way for engineering “designer” vegetable crops for better health and nutritional security. Besides these approaches, agronomic methods are also important for adaptation, escape and mitigation of HS protect and improve yields.

Bergenia ligulata Wall. Engl. is perennial herb used for the treatment urinary discharges, diseases of urinary bladder, dysentery, menorrhagia, splenic enlargement and heart diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial and synergistic potential of solvent fractions and major phytocompound of B. ligulata against bacterial and fungal pathogens. The antimicrobial and synergistic potential of the solvent fractions (Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and remaining aqueous) of methanolic extract of B. ligulata rhizome and major phytocompound bergenin were investigated by agar well diffusion and broth microdilution method. Major Phytocompound bergenin was quantified in solvent fractions of B. ligulata by HPTLC and HP-LC method Molecular docking of bergenin was done by AutoDock vina with bacterial and fungal targets. Drug likeness and ADME screening was done with help of molinspiration and swissADME servers. Ethyl acetate sub-fraction of B. ligulata showed the highest antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal strains with zone of inhibition 13, 13, 14, 13 mm against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans MTCC 277 and ATCC 90028 respectively. The MIC of ethyl acetate sub-fraction against E. coli, S. aureus, C. albicans MTCC 277 and ATCC 90028 was 31.25, 250, 62.5, 62.5 μg mg−1 respectively. Bergenin major phytocompound of B. ligulata also showed the antimicrobial activity with MIC 250 μg mg−1 against all the selected bacterial and fungal strains. Quantification of bergenin showed that ethyl-acetate sub fraction (17.6 μg mg−1 and 112 μg mg−1 measured through HPTLC and HPLC, respectively) is rich in bergenin content. The bergenin content recovered in ethyl acetate sub-fraction is 38.2%. Bergenin showed good interactions with bacterial and fungal targets and follows all parameters of drug likeness. Conclusions: : Solvent fractions of B. ligulata and major phytocompound Bergenin can be used as a bioenhancer of antibacterial and antifungal agents to treat drug resistant pathogens.

Under global climate change, high-temperature stress is becoming a major threat to crop yields, adversely affecting plant growth, and ultimately resulting in significant yield losses in various crops, including chickpea. Thus, identifying crop genotypes with increased heat stress (HS) tolerance is becoming a priority for chickpea research. Here, we assessed the response of seven physiological traits and four yield and yield-related traits in 39 chickpea genotypes grown in normal-sown and late-sown environments [to expose plants to HS (>32/20°C) at the reproductive stage] for two consecutive years (2017–2018 and 2018–2019). Significant genetic variability for the tested traits occurred under normal and HS conditions in both years. Based on the tested physiological parameters and yield-related traits, GNG2171, GNG1969, GNG1488, PantG186, CSJ515, RSG888, RSG945, RVG202, and GNG469 were identified as promising genotypes under HS. Further, ten heat-tolerant and ten heat-sensitive lines from the set of 39 genotypes were validated for their heat tolerance (32/20°C from flowering to maturity) in a controlled environment of a growth chamber. Of the ten heat-tolerant genotypes, GNG1969, GNG1488, PantG186, RSG888, CSJ315, and GNG1499 exhibited high heat tolerance evidenced by small reductions in pollen viability, pollen germination, and pod set %, high seed yield plant–1 and less damage to membranes, photosynthetic ability, leaf water status, and oxidative processes. In growth chamber, chlorophyll, photosynthetic efficiency, pollen germination, and pollen viability correlated strongly with yield traits. Thus, GNG1969, GNG1488, PantG186, RSG888, CSJ315, and GNG1499 genotypes could be used as candidate donors for transferring heat tolerance traits to high-yielding heat-sensitive varieties to develop heat-resilient chickpea cultivars.

Abstract Background Halophiles offer an attractive source of genes conferring salt tolerance. Halobacillus trueperi SS1 strain of Lunsu, Himachal Pradesh, India, a strict halophile, was exploited to isolate and clone the genes for salt tolerance. The genomic library of BamH1 digest of H. trueperi SS1 was constructed in pUC19, and recombinants were screened for salt tolerance on an LB medium containing ampicillin (100 μg/ml) and NaCl (0 to 1.5 M). Results One recombinant clone named as salt-tolerant clone (STC) conferred salt tolerance to host Escherichia coli/DH5α, which showed growth in the LB medium supplemented with ampicillin and 1.2 M NaCl. Restriction digestion and PCR analysis revealed the presence of an insert of approximately 2000 bp in the STC. DNA sequencing of the 2-kb insert on both strands yielded a sequence of 2301 nucleotides. Protein BLAST analysis of 2301-bp sequence of H. trueperi SS1 present in STC showed 97% identity to multidrug transport ATP binding/permease protein of Halobacillus karajensis. The insert contained in STC was subcloned into pGEX4T2 vector, and the recombinant clone STC/pGEX4T2 conferred salt tolerance to the bacterial host E. coli. Conclusions The present study led to the isolation of salt tolerance gene encoding a putative multidrug transport ATP binding/permease protein from H. trueperi SS1. The salt tolerance gene can be subcloned for transferring salt tolerance traits into agricultural crop plants for cultivation in saline and coastal lands.

Abstract Background Eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (eIF2B) initiates and regulates translation initiation in eukaryotes. eIF2B gene mutations cause leukoencephalopathy called vanishing white matter disease (VWM) in humans and slow growth (Slg−) and general control derepression (Gcd−) phenotypes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Results To suppress eIF2B mutations, S. cerevisiae genomic DNA library was constructed in high-copy vector (YEp24) and transformed into eIF2B mutant S. cerevisiae strains. The library was screened for wild-type genes rescuing S. cerevisiae (Slg−) and (Gcd−) phenotypes. A genomic clone, Suppressor-I (Sup-I), rescued S. cerevisiae Slg− and Gcd− phenotypes (gcd7-201 gcn2∆). The YEp24/Sup-I construct contained truncated TAN1, full length EMC4, full length YGL230C, and truncated SAP4 genes. Full length EMC4 (chaperone protein) gene was sub-cloned into pEG (KG) yeast expression vector and overexpressed in gcd7-201 gcn2∆ strain which suppressed the Slg− and Gcd− phenotype. A GST-Emc4 fusion protein of 47 kDa was detected by western blotting using α-GST antibodies. Suppression was specific to gcd7-201 gcn2∆ mutation in eIF2Bβ and Gcd1-502 gcn2∆ in eIF2Bγ subunit. Emc4p overexpression also protected the wild type and mutant (gcd7-201 gcn2∆, GCD7 gcn2∆, and GCD7 GCN2∆) strains from H2O2, ethanol, and caffeine stress. Conclusions Our results suggest that Emc4p is involved in eIF2B-mediated translational regulation under stress and could provide an amenable tool to understand the eIF2B-mediated defects.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arnot of the Combretaceae family is one of the most frequently approved and utilized medicinal trees in the traditional medicinal system, which was used for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disorders. The present study aims to identify phytochemicals from T. arjuna, that do not exhibit any toxicity and have significant cardioprotective activity using an in-silico technique. Four different cardiovascular proteins, namely human angiotensin receptor (PDB ID: 4YAY), P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK, PDB ID: 4DLI), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-Co A) reductase (PDB ID: 1HW9), and human C-reactive protein (PDB ID: 1B09), were used as target proteins to identify potential inhibitors using a virtual screening of the phytochemicals in T. arjuna revealed casuarinin as a potential inhibitor of all selected target proteins with strong binding energy. Furthermore, MD simulations for a 100 ns time scale also revealed that most of the key protein contacts of all target proteins were retained throughout the simulation trajectories. Binding free energy calculations using the MM-GBSA approach also support a strong inhibitory effect of casuarinin on target proteins. Casuarinin’s effective binding to these proteins lays the groundwork for the development of broad-spectrum drugs as well as the understanding of the underlying mechanism against cardiovascular diseases through in vivo and clinical studies.

Globally, a significant portion of deaths are caused by cancer.Compared with traditional treatment, nanotechnology offers new therapeutic options for cancer due to its ability to selectively target and control drug release. Among the various routes of nanoparticle synthesis, plants have gained significant recognition. The tremendous potential of medicinal plants in anticancer treatments calls for a comprehensive review of existing studies on plant-based nanoparticles. The study examined various metallic nanoparticles obtained by green synthesis using medicinal plants. Plants contain biomolecules, secondary metabolites, and coenzymes that facilitate the reduction of metal ions into nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are believed to be potential antioxidants and cancer-fighting agents. This review aims at the futuristic intuitions of biosynthesis and applications of plant-based nanoparticles in cancer theranostics.

Abstract Background Thermostable cellulases are in constant demand for several biotechnological applications. Two thermophilic bacterial strains PW1 and PW2 isolated from Tattapani hot spring were found to have cellulolytic activity. Subsequently, PW1 and PW2 were identified and mined for genes encoding cellulase activity. Results Sequencing of the 16S rDNA of PW1 and PW2 identified them as Bacillus sp. PW1 (Acc no. KU711837) and Bacillus sp. PW2 (Acc no. KU711838), respectively, which clustered in the clades containing thermophilic members of Bacillus sp. and Geobacillus species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that despite the morphological and sequence identities, Bacillus sp. PW1 and Bacillus sp. PW2 are different at the genetic level. The cellulase genes (~ 1.1 kb) of the two bacterial strains were amplified using primers designed against related thermophilic cellulases. Sequencing of the cellulase gene amplicons of PW1 and PW2 revealed that they encode proteins of 280 and 206 amino acid residues, respectively. Sequence and domain analysis of the protein products of PW1 and PW2 revealed that they belong to M42 family of aminopeptidase/endoglucanase. The PW2 endoglucanase coding sequence was submitted to Genbank under accession no. MH049504. The structures of putative endoglucanases of PW1 and PW2 were generated using 1VHE.A as template, which showed the presence of vast proportion of random coils. Molecular docking of the modeled endoglucanase proteins with various substrates and products of cellulases showed that carboxymethyl cellulose and maltose exhibit the highest binding affinity, while xylan and glucose the least. Conclusions The two thermophilic bacteria PW1 and PW2 and their endoglucanase gene can be further utilized for recombinant production of thermostable cellulases for their application in industries.

Grain legumes are a key food source for ensuring global food security and sustaining agriculture. However, grain legume production is challenged by growing disease incidence due to global climate change. Ascochyta blight (AB) is a major disease, causing substantial yield losses in grain legumes worldwide. Harnessing the untapped reserve of global grain legume germplasm, landraces, and crop wild relatives (CWRs) could help minimize yield losses caused by AB infection in grain legumes. Several genetic determinants controlling AB resistance in various grain legumes have been identified following classical genetic and conventional breeding approaches. However, the advent of molecular markers, biparental quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, genome-wide association studies, genomic resources developed from various genome sequence assemblies, and whole-genome resequencing of global germplasm has revealed AB-resistant gene(s)/QTL/genomic regions/haplotypes on various linkage groups. These genomics resources allow plant breeders to embrace genomics-assisted selection for developing/transferring AB-resistant genomic regions to elite cultivars with great precision. Likewise, advances in functional genomics, especially transcriptomics and proteomics, have assisted in discovering possible candidate gene(s) and proteins and the underlying molecular mechanisms of AB resistance in various grain legumes. We discuss how emerging cutting-edge next-generation breeding tools, such as rapid generation advancement, field-based high-throughput phenotyping tools, genomic selection, and CRISPR/Cas9, could be used for fast-tracking AB-resistant grain legumes to meet the increasing demand for grain legume-based protein diets and thus ensuring global food security.

Rising global temperatures due to climate change are affecting crop performance in several regions of the world. High temperatures affect plants at various organizational levels, primarily accelerating phenology to limit biomass production and shortening reproductive phase to curtail flower and fruit numbers, thus resulting in severe yield losses. Besides, heat stress also disrupts normal growth, development, cellular metabolism, and gene expression, which alters shoot and root structures, branching patterns, leaf surface and orientation, and anatomical, structural, and functional aspects of leaves and flowers. The reproductive growth stage is crucial in plants’ life cycle, and susceptible to high temperatures, as reproductive processes are negatively impacted thus reducing crop yield. Genetic variation exists among genotypes of various crops to resist impacts of heat stress. Several screening studies have successfully phenotyped large populations of various crops to distinguish heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive genotypes using various traits, related to shoots (including leaves), flowers, fruits (pods, spikes, spikelets), and seeds (or grains), which have led to direct release of heat-tolerant cultivars in some cases (such as chickpea). In the present review, we discuss examples of contrasting genotypes for heat tolerance in different crops, involving many traits related to thermotolerance in leaves (membrane thermostability, photosynthetic efficiency, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, stomatal activity), flowers (pollen viability, pollen germination, fertilization, ovule viability), roots (architecture), biomolecules (antioxidants, osmolytes, phytohormones, heat-shock proteins, other stress proteins), and “omics” (phenomics, transcriptomics, genomics) approaches. The traits linked to heat tolerance can be introgressed into high yielding but heat-sensitive genotypes of crops to enhance their thermotolerance. Involving these traits will be useful for screening contrasting genotypes and would pave the way for characterizing the underlying molecular mechanisms, which could be valuable for engineering plants with enhanced thermotolerance. Wherever possible, we discussed breeding and biotechnological approaches for using these traits to develop heat-tolerant genotypes of various food crops.

Chickpea is one of the most economically important food legumes, and a significant source of proteins. It is cultivated in more than 50 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America. Chickpea production is limited by various abiotic stresses (cold, heat, drought, salt, etc.). Being a winter-season crop in northern south Asia and some parts of the Australia, chickpea faces low-temperature stress (0–15°C) during the reproductive stage that causes substantial loss of flowers, and thus pods, to inhibit its yield potential by 30–40%. The winter-sown chickpea in the Mediterranean, however, faces cold stress at vegetative stage. In late-sown environments, chickpea faces high-temperature stress during reproductive and pod filling stages, causing considerable yield losses. Both the low and the high temperatures reduce pollen viability, pollen germination on the stigma, and pollen tube growth resulting in poor pod set. Chickpea also experiences drought stress at various growth stages; terminal drought, along with heat stress at flowering and seed filling can reduce yields by 40–45%. In southern Australia and northern regions of south Asia, lack of chilling tolerance in cultivars delays flowering and pod set, and the crop is usually exposed to terminal drought. The incidences of temperature extremes (cold and heat) as well as inconsistent rainfall patterns are expected to increase in near future owing to climate change thereby necessitating the development of stress-tolerant and climate-resilient chickpea cultivars having region specific traits, which perform well under drought, heat, and/or low-temperature stress. Different approaches, such as genetic variability, genomic selection, molecular markers involving quantitative trait loci (QTLs), whole genome sequencing, and transcriptomics analysis have been exploited to improve chickpea production in extreme environments. Biotechnological tools have broadened our understanding of genetic basis as well as plants' responses to abiotic stresses in chickpea, and have opened opportunities to develop stress tolerant chickpea.

Phosphorylation of proteins on serine/threonine residues represents an important biochemical mechanism to regulate several cellular processes. Polo-like kinases (PLKs) are a family of serine-threonine kinases that play an imminent role in cell cycle regulation in yeast to humans, and thus an important therapeutic target for cancers. The present study provides insights into the enzymatic features of Saccharomyces cerevisiae PLK, Cdc5 using in vitro casein phosphorylation assays. The recombinant yeast PLK, GST-Cdc5 showed maximum casein phosphorylation activity at 30 °C, pH 9 and 45 min of incubation period. GST-Cdc5 exhibited a KM of 1.35 μM for casein, and high affinity for ATP, since addition of non-radioactive ATP chased out casein phosphorylation by radiolabeled ATP. The recombinant enzyme showed maximum kinase activity at 2.7 μM of GST-Cdc5. Casein was found to be the best in vitro substrate of GST-Cdc5 followed by BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) and MBP (Myelin Basic Protein). Of the metal ions tested, Mg2+ (at 20 mM) was found to enhance GST-Cdc5 kinase activity, while Ca2+ (at 5 mM) and Mn2+ (at 10 mM) inhibited the same. The presence of EDTA, SDS and PMSF inhibited phosphorylation by GST-Cdc5, while DTT had no effect. The recombinant GST-Cdc5 can be used as a tool for deciphering PLKs’ structure and functions, which are still at infancy.

The present study was aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract and its different solvent fractions (chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous fraction) of bark and leaves of Terminalia arjuna. The antimicrobial activity was determined by disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods against six bacterial stains. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by using DPPH, FRAP and Nitric oxide (NO) scavenging assay. The total phenolics and flavonoid content were found to be higher in n-butanolic fraction of bark (294.6 ± 8.1 mg/g GAE and 168.6 ± 12.3 mg/g RE, respectively) and leaves (203.7 ± 7.0 mg/g GAE and 144.8 ± 11.1 mg/g RE, respectively). The maximum antimicrobial activity was shown by n-butanolic fraction of bark and leaves. The zone of inhibition of 15.0 ± 0.7 mm, 15.5 ± 0.7 mm, 15.0 ± 1.5 mm, 15.5 ± 0.7 mm, 15.0 ± 0.7 mm, 15.0 ± 0.7 mm was observed against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Eschericia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi respectively. In case of leaves extract, zone of inhibition of 13.5 ± 0.7 mm, 16.5 ± 0.7 mm, 14.0 ± 0.5 mm, 15.0 ± 0.5 mm, 13.5 ± 0.7 mm, 14.0 ± 0.7 mm was observed against B. subtilis, S. aureus, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, S. typhi, respectively. The n-butanol fraction of bark [IC50-4.1 μg/ml (DPPH), 21.0 μM (FRAP), 3.3 μg/ml (NO)] and leaves [IC50-4.8 μg/ml (DPPH), 28.9 μM (FRAP), 3.2 μg/ml (NO)] showed more antioxidant potential as compared to that of crude ethanolic extract, ethyl acetate fraction, chloroform fraction, aqueous fraction and even ascorbic acid. These results clearly indicated comparative antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity in extracts of bark and leaves of T. arjuna.

Chickpea is sensitive to cold stress, especially at reproductive stage, resulting in flower and pod abortion that significantly reduces seed yield. In the present study, we evaluated (a) whether cold acclimation imparts reproductive cold tolerance in chickpea; (b) how genotypes with contrasting sensitivity respond to cold acclimation; and (c) the involvement of cryoprotective solutes and antioxidants in anthers and ovules in cold acclimation. Four chickpea genotypes with contrasting cold sensitivity (cold-tolerant: ICC 17258, ICC 16349; cold-sensitive: ICC 15567, GPF 2) were grown in an outdoor environment for 40 days in November (average maximum/minimum temperature 24.9/15.9 °C) before being subjected to cold stress (13/7 °C), with or without cold acclimation in a controlled environment of walk-in-growth chambers. The 42-d cold acclimation involved 7 d exposure at each temperature beginning with 23/15 °C, 21/13 °C, 20/12 °C, 20/10 °C, 18/8 °C, 15/8 °C (12 h/12 h day/night), prior to exposing the plants to cold stress (13/7 °C, 12 h/12 h day/night; 700 μmol m−2 s−1 light intensity; 65–70% relative humidity). Cold acclimation remarkably reduced low temperature-induced leaf damage (as membrane integrity, leaf water status, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic pigments, and chlorophyll fluorescence) under cold stress in all four genotypes. It only reduced anther and ovule damage in cold-tolerant genotypes due to improved antioxidative ability, measured as enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) and non-enzymatic (ascorbate and reduced glutathione), solutes (particularly sucrose and γ-aminobutyric acid) leading to improving reproductive function and yield traits, whereas cold-sensitive genotypes were not responsive. The study concluded that cold tolerance in chickpea appears to be related to the better ability of anthers and ovules to acclimate, involving various antioxidants and cryoprotective solutes. This information will be useful in directing efforts toward increasing cold tolerance in chickpea.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a disorder of the brain, a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings, and sense of well-being and can cause alteration in sympathetic activity of the body, thus affecting heart rate variability (HRV). AIM: The study was conducted to determine the effects of depression on HRV parameters in clinically known cases of depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional (observational) study was conducted on fifty known patients of depression, aged 18–65 years, and fifty healthy, age-matched, normal controls. HRV test was conducted, and the results were analyzed statistically using Student's “t”-test for equal variance, for various parameters. RESULTS: The study showed that the differences in mean R-R interval(s), mean HR (beats/min), very low frequency (VLF) power (milliseconds squared [ms2]), and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) power (%) (LF/HF ratio) among controls and cases were statistically highly significant, while the differences in LF power (ms2) in controls and cases were statistically significant. However, the differences in basic anthropometric parameters, STD (standard deviation of the normal to normal)(s), root mean square successive difference (ms), NN50 (count), pNN50 (%), VLF peak (Hz), LF peak (Hz), HF peak (Hz), HF power (ms2), VLF power (%), LF power (%), HF power (%), LF power (nu), and HF power (nu) were found to be statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: Depression leads to changes in autonomic control of the body and changes the autonomic balance in favor of an increased sympathetic tone, which can be detected with fair accuracy with HRV analysis.

The study was conducted on a group of 90 traffic policemen aged 20-50 years and working in and around Patiala district to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practices toward the ill effects caused by traffic noise on health. The subjects were required to fill up a questionnaire regarding their self-assessment of hearing ability, noise-related attitudes, and the use of personal protective equipment such as earplugs. The mean age of subjects was 39.8 ± 5.80 years, while the mean duration of exposure to traffic noise was 10.56 ± 6.43 years. Only 5.5% subjects felt that their hearing was below average. As many as 61% subjects had work-related tinnitus. It was observed that none of them had ever used ear plugs, mainly due to their non availability. The self-assessment of hearing by traffic policemen indicated that most of them had normal hearing. However, to find out the exact number of cases with hearing impairment, further evaluation with audiometry is recommended in them.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic disorder whose detrimental effects on various organ systems, including the nervous system are well known. Aim: This study was conducted to determine the changes in the brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 116 females with type 2 diabetes and 100 age matched, healthy female volunteers were selected. The brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) were recorded with RMS EMG EP Marc-II Channel machine. The measures included latencies of waves I, II, III, IV, V and Interpeak latencies (IPL) I-III, III-V and I-V separately for both ears. Data was analysed statistically with SPSS software v13.0. Results: It was found that IPL I-III was significantly delayed (P = 0.028) only in the right ear, while the latency of wave V and IPL I-V showed a significant delay bilaterally (P values for right ear being 0.021 and 0.0381 respectively while those for left ear being 0.028 and 0.016 respectively), in diabetic females. However, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found between diabetic and control subjects as regards to the latencies of waves I, II, III, IV and IPL III-V bilaterally and IPL I-III unilaterally in the left ear. Also, none of the BAEP latencies were significantly correlated with either the duration of disease or with fasting blood glucose levels in diabetics. Conclusions: Therefore, it could be concluded that diabetes patients have an early involvement of central auditory pathway, which can be detected quite accurately with the help of auditory evoked potential studies.

Background: Measurement of peak expiratory flow (PEF) is imperative for management and evaluation of asthmatic children. It is well-known that lung function parameters show wide variations with respect to regional, racial, and genetic factors. Aim: This study was conducted to measure PEF in healthy Punjabi children aged 7-14 years as only a few studies have evaluated the lung functions in North Indian children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which PEF was measured in 366 healthy schoolchildren (186 boys and 180 girls) of Patiala district, using the Mini Wright Peak Flow Meter. Best of the three trials was recorded. All the subjects were tested in standing position after recording their age, height, and weight. SPSS v. 13 was used for the statistical analysis. Results: The present study showed that all the three independent variables (age, height, and weight) had a significant positive correlation with PEF, in both genders. Furthermore, height was maximally correlated with PEF in both boys ( r = 0.970) and girls ( r = 0.964). The mean PEF value in boys (249.34 ± 81.36 L/min) was significantly higher than girls (233.31 ± 67.06 L/min). Regression equations for PEF were also determined using age, height, and weight, separately for the genders. Conclusion: Equations derived from this study for estimation of expected PEF values would help the clinicians in assessing the airway obstruction in this population subset.

Cold stress modifies anthers’ metabolic pathways to induce pollen sterility. Cold-tolerant plants, unlike the susceptible ones, produce high proportion of viable pollen. Anthers in susceptible plants, when exposed to cold stress, increase abscisic acid (ABA) metabolism and reduce ABA catabolism. Increased ABA negatively regulates expression of tapetum cell wall bound invertase and monosaccharide transport genes resulting in distorted carbohydrate pool in anther. Cold-stress also reduces endogenous levels of the bioactive gibberellins (GAs), GA4 and GA7, in susceptible anthers by repression of the GA biosynthesis genes. Here we discuss recent findings on mechanisms of cold susceptibility in anthers which determine pollen sterility. We also discuss differences in regulatory pathways between cold-stressed anthers of susceptible and tolerant plants that decide pollen sterility or viability.

The halophilic bacterial isolates SS1, SS2, SS3, SS5, and SS8 were characterized for production of industrially important enzymes like amylase, protease, lipase, and glutaminase. Halophilic bacterial isolates SS1 and SS3 exhibited salt dependent extracellular amylase and protease activities. Both the halophilic isolates SS1 and SS3 exhibited maximum amylase and protease activities in the presence of 1.5 and 1.0 M NaCl, respectively, with the optimum pH 8 and temperature 40°C. SS2 showed maximum extracellular protease and lipase activities in the presence of 0.75 M NaCl, at optimum pH of 7, and temperature 37°C. The glutaminase activity of SS3 increased with increase in concentration of NaCl up to 2.5 M. The optimum pH and temperature for L-glutaminase activity of SS3 was 8 and 40°C, respectively. The combined hydrolytic activities of these halophilic bacterial isolates can be used for bioconversion of organic materials to useful products.

Background: Influence of gender on auditory evoked potentials is contentious. Although there are quite a few studies documenting the gender as an influencing factor on auditory evoked potentials in younger subjects, but there is a lack of similar studies among elderly population. The present study was conducted to find out the pattern of gender based differences in auditory evoked potentials among healthy elderly subjects. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on age matched, healthy males (n = 35) and females (n = 34), aged 50-70 years. The measures included latencies of waves I-V and interpeak latencies (IPL) I-III, III-V and I-V separately for both ears. Data was analyzed statistically using Students unpaired t-test, using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software v13.0. Results: The values of all the latencies and IPL for both the ears were non-significantly higher (P > 0.05) in males as compared to females. These results may be attributed to the differences in head circumference between both the genders and to the changed hormonal milieu of sex hormones after menopause. Conclusions: Statistical insignificance of latencies among male and female elderly subjects excludes gender as an influencing factor on auditory evoked potentials in this age group.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses a significant health-care challenge and is a primary contributor to both mortality and morbidity. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) is a frequently occurring complication associated with diabetes mellitus. Autonomic nerve damage leading to cardiac autonomic dysfunction and peripheral sympathetic neuropathy can lead to changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and galvanic skin response (GSR), respectively. Aims and Objectives: The study was designed and done to evaluate the impact of T2DM on HRV and GSR for assessing DAN. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 individuals diagnosed with T2DM (cases) and 100 healthy individuals (controls) participated in this study. Physio Pac (PC-2004) was used to record the necessary data. Statistical analysis was performed using the non-parametric Mann--Whitney test to see the comparison of the cases and controls. In addition, to measure the statistical relationship between the duration of the disease and the HRV and GSR parameters, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was utilized. The study received approval from the Ethical and Research Committee at the Government Medical College, Patiala. Results: Significant statistical differences were observed between the cases and controls in all time domain measures, as well as GSR and the majority of frequency domain measures of HRV. The correlation analysis revealed a strong association between the duration of T2DM and a decrease in HRV as well as an increase in GSR. Conclusion: The findings from the present study provide evidence that T2DM has an impact on HRV, which suggests the presence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy among diabetic patients, leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity. In addition, the study indicates that reduced sudomotor function, as assessed by galvanic skin response (GSR), serves as a predictive measure for autonomic neuropathy. Therefore, these tests can serve as valuable tools in facilitating the assessment of DAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blight caused by Ascochyta rabiei is a major constraint in the productivity of chickpea (Cicer arietinum). The mechanisms governing resistance/susceptibility to blight in chickpea are poorly understood. We used a blight‐resistant (HC1) and a blight‐susceptible (GPF2) genotype of chickpea and genes of pathogenesis‐related proteins (PRPs), phenylpropanoid pathway metabolites, abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA) and jasmonic acid (JA) to understand the role of these in A. rabiei resistance/susceptibility. The JA, ABA and GA biosynthesis genes of chickpea were retrieved, characterized and gene‐specific primers were used for transcriptional studies. Gene expression revealed that chickpea activated its defences rather quickly and well before initiation of spore germination. In resistant HC1, the majority of the JA, GA and phenylpropanoid pathway genes had peak maxima at 2 h post‐inoculation (hpi) whereas PRPs/defence genes had peak maxima at 24/36 hpi implying that defence to A. rabiei in chickpea is composed of a two‐tier system separated by time: immediately after spore attachment and at or just prior to host penetration. Unlike HC1, susceptible GPF2 was late in activation of defence responses or did not activate them. Another striking difference between HC1 and GPF2 was up‐regulation of ABA biosynthesis genes in inoculated GPF2 and down‐regulation in HC1. This study revealed that phenylpropanoids, PRPs, JA, 8‐(1R,2R)‐3‐oxo‐2‐(Z)‐pent‐2‐enyl cyclopentyl octanoate, (15Z)‐12‐oxophyto‐10,15‐dienoic acid and methyl‐jasmonate govern resistance to A. rabiei in chickpea whereas ABA governs susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]