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The residue level of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) at contaminated dumpsites and nearby or related sites were studied. Water samples and sediments were collected from different HCH contaminated sites for residue analysis. These different sites include solexa data of dumpsite, Ummari, Lucknow (U.P.) (SolexaDS), dumpsite (DS) and two samples at the pond sediments near the pesticide industry, Chinhat, Lucknow (U.P.) (PS1 and PS2). 1km and 5km away from the DS i.e., 1km and 5km respectively were also included in the study. There was a correlation of HCH residue concentration at different sites with LinA and LinB protein distribution. Further, to investigate prevalence of LinA and LinB protein sequences in the metagenomic data sets of sites with different HCH gradients, a gene-centric approach was used. The study showed that in HCH stressed niches, LinA and LinB sequences from the metagenomes were found to cluster, thereby providing evidence in support of the proposed evolution of these proteins in the HCH contaminated environment.

The land use/cover change has remained an important indicator in explaining the regional and global environmental issues and their determinants. The present study is an attempt to analyze the land use/cover change as a way of measuring visual impressions of landscape transformation in the Upper Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh. In the recent decades, the area has experienced considerable land use/cover changes due to urbanization, commercial agriculture and tourism activities. These developmental activities have hugely impacted the natural resources, bio-capacity and land availability of the area. The land use/cover has been analyzed with the help of LANDSAT imageries from 1991 to 2020. Supervised classification has been done on selected images by using maximum likelihood classifier (MLC). The study has been done on eight LULC classes namely, agricultural/horticultural land, built-up land, forest cover, pasture/open land, barren land, snow cover, river/water-bodies and sandy surface. The result shows decrease in snow cover and forest cover and increase in barren land, agricultural/horticultural land and built-up area during 1991-2020. The limited land resources and growing urbanisation are making these changes more complex. Therefore, continuous monitoring of these processes and subsequent changes are necessary for future planning and resource management.

Background: A mismatch between the prosthesis size and bone may result in a number of complications. Keeping this in view, it is essential to analyze the morphological differences of the knee observed across various ethnic groups to improve the performance of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The current study was aimed at studying the computed tomography (CT) profile of distal femur in Indian population and evaluates it morphologically. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 62 patients presenting to the Department of Orthopedics in a tertiary care center in rural north-west India for features suggestive of osteoarthritis and trauma of knee from September 17, 2015 to September 16, 2016. Helical CT of both knees was done, and the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 17.0 statistical significance was assessed with the help of t-test and the value of P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The mean mediolateral (ML) value in male patients was 72.74 ± 4.45 while the mean ML value in female patients was lower (63.59 ± 2.61). The mean anteroposterior (AP) value in male patients was significantly (statistically) higher (49.62 ± 3.86) in comparison to mean AP value in female patients (45.11 ± 4.4). The mean anterior lateral condylar height (ALCH) value in male patients was higher (17.53 ± 2.72) in comparison to mean ALCH value in female patients (14.63 ± 3.42). Conclusions: The current study highlights the need to develop components and implants for use in TKA and fractures of distal femur keeping the age- and sex-specific anatomical features of people of different ethnic origins in view.

The current prokaryotic taxonomy classifies phenotypically and genotypically diverse microorganisms using a polyphasic approach. With advances in the next-generation sequencing technologies and computational tools for analysis of genomes, the traditional polyphasic method is complemented with genomic data to delineate and classify bacterial genera and species as an alternative to cumbersome and error-prone laboratory tests. This review discusses the applications of sequence-based tools and techniques for bacterial classification and provides a scheme for more robust and reproducible bacterial classification based on genomic data. The present review highlights promising tools and techniques such as ortho-Average Nucleotide Identity, Genome to Genome Distance Calculator and Multi Locus Sequence Analysis, which can be validly employed for characterizing novel microorganisms and assessing phylogenetic relationships. In addition, the review discusses the possibility of employing metagenomic data to assess the phylogenetic associations of uncultured microorganisms. Through this article, we present a review of genomic approaches that can be included in the scheme of taxonomy of bacteria and archaea based on computational and in silico advances to boost the credibility of taxonomic classification in this genomic era.

The metagenomic profiling of complex communities is gaining immense interest across the scientific community. A complex community present in the pond sediment of a water body located close to a hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) production site of the Indian Pesticide Limited (IPL) (Chinhat, Lucknow) was selected in an attempt to identify and analyze the unique microbial diversity and functional profile of the site. In this study, we supplement the metagenomic study of pond sediment with a variety of binning approaches along with an in depth functional analysis. Our results improve the understanding of ecology, in terms of community dynamics. The findings are crucial with respect to the mechanisms such as those involving the lin group of genes that are known to be implicated in the HCH degradation pathway or the Type VI secretory system (T6SS) and its effector molecules. Metagenomic studies using the comparative genomics approach involving the isolates from adjacent HCH contaminated soils have contributed significantly towards improving our understanding of unexplored concepts, while simultaneously uncovering the novel mechanisms of microbial ecology.

Background Psoriasis is a T-cell mediated chronic systemic inflammatory skin disease. Emerging evidences suggest the interleukin (IL)-12B and IL-23R genes encoding the common p40 subunit of IL-12 and IL-23 are the key cytokines in T-helper (Th)1 and Th17 differentiation and function. Certain allelic variants of these genes significantly influence the risk of psoriasis. Hence we undertook to study the association of IL-12B and IL-23R gene polymorphisms with disease susceptibility in South Indian Tamil patients with psoriasis. Methods 360 psoriatics and 360 healthy controls were included in this case control study. IL-12B gene (rs3212227) and IL-23R gene (rs2201841, rs10889677 and rs11805303) polymorphisms were typed by using TaqMan 5′allele discrimination assay and cytokine levels were assayed by ELISA. Results We observed that the patients carrying the risk genotypes of IL-12B (rs3212227) and IL-23R (rs2201841) conferred an increased susceptibility to psoriasis. We did not find any significant association between IL-23R (rs10889677 and rs11805303) gene polymorphisms and psoriasis risk in South Indian Tamil population. We did not observe any significant difference in haplotypes between the psoriasis cases and controls. We observed a significant increase in the mean IL-23 levels in psoriatics and the higher levels of IL-23 were found in the minor variant genotype CC when compared with that of heterozygous CT and major variant TT genotypes of rs2201841. Individual genotypes of rs10889677 and rs11805303 and IL-12 (rs3212227) were not significantly associated with their plasma levels. Conclusion Our results suggest that IL-12B (rs3212227) and IL-23R (rs2201841) polymorphisms confer increased risk of psoriasis in our ethnic South Indian Tamils.

Over the last 60 years, the use of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) as a pesticide has resulted in the production of >4 million tons of HCH waste, which has been dumped in open sinks across the globe. Here, the combination of the genomes of two genetic subspecies (Sphingobium japonicum UT26 and Sphingobium indicum B90A; isolated from two discrete geographical locations, Japan and India, respectively) capable of degrading HCH, with metagenomic data from an HCH dumpsite (∼450 mg HCH per g soil), enabled the reconstruction and validation of the last-common ancestor (LCA) genotype. Mapping the LCA genotype (3128 genes) to the subspecies genomes demonstrated that >20% of the genes in each subspecies were absent in the LCA. This includes two enzymes from the ‘upper' HCH degradation pathway, suggesting that the ancestor was unable to degrade HCH isomers, but descendants acquired lin genes by transposon-mediated lateral gene transfer. In addition, anthranilate and homogentisate degradation traits were found to be strain (selectively retained only by UT26) and environment (absent in the LCA and subspecies, but prevalent in the metagenome) specific, respectively. One draft secondary chromosome, two near complete plasmids and eight complete lin transposons were assembled from the metagenomic DNA. Collectively, these results reinforce the elastic nature of the genus Sphingobium, and describe the evolutionary acquisition mechanism of a xenobiotic degradation phenotype in response to environmental pollution. This also demonstrates for the first time the use of metagenomic data in ancestral genotype reconstruction, highlighting its potential to provide significant insight into the development of such phenotypes.

A Gram-stain-negative, motile, red pigmented, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain LP43T, was isolated from hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)-contaminated soil sediment (Lucknow, India). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolate formed a cluster with the genus Pontibacter in the phylum Bacteroidetes with sequence similarities ranging from 92.9 to 97.0 % with species of the genus Pontibacter . The DNA G+C content of strain LP43T was 59.1 mol%. The polar lipid profile of strain LP43T showed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminophospholipid, unknown aminolipids and unknown polar lipids. Strain LP43T contained MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and sym-homospermidine as the major polyamine. The major cellular fatty acids of strain LP43T were, iso-C15 : 0 (15.74 %), iso-C15 : 0 3-OH (7.57 %), iso-C17 : 0 3-OH (7.32 %), summed feature 4 (iso-C17 : 1 I/anteiso-C17 : 1 B) (31.22 %) and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c/ C18 : 1ω6c) (7.60 %). Based on the results of DNA–DNA hybridization and phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain LP43T represents a novel species of the genus Pontibacter , for which the name Pontibacter ramchanderi is proposed. The type strain is LP43T ( = CCM 8406T = MCC 2019T).

A Gram-stain-positive, alkaliphilic, non-spore-forming, non-motile bacterium, designated VDS11T, was isolated from a soil sample collected from the hexachlorocyclohexane dumpsite, located at Ummari Village, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain VDS11T occupies a distinct phylogenetic position within the genus Corynebacterium , showing the highest sequence similarity with Corynebacterium humireducens MFC-5T (98.7 %) and Corynebacterium nasicanis 2673/12T (98.4 %). The DNA G+C content was 50.6 mol% and the DNA–DNA hybridization (DDH) relatedness value with C. humireducens MFC-5T and C. nasicanis 2673/12T was 49.7 and 39.6 %, respectively. Strain VDS11T contained C16 : 0 (28.3), C18 : 1ω9c (52.3), C18 : 0 (1.3) and C20 : 0 (3.0) as the major cellular fatty acids. The major isoprenoid quinone was MK-9(H2). Strain VDS11T contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, unidentified aminolipids, glycolipids, phospholipids and unidentified lipids as the major polar lipids. The peptidoglycan type was A31 (meso 2, 6-diaminopimelic acid, directly cross-linked). Based on the results of DDH studies and the biochemical and physiological data, strain VDS11T represents a novel species of the genus Corynebacteriumfor which the name Corynebacterium pollutisoli sp. nov., has been proposed. The type strain is VDS11T(=DSM 100104T=MCC 2722T=KCTC 39687T).

A Gram-negative-staining, aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and yellow-pigmented bacterium, designated R11HT, was isolated from a soil sample collected from a hexachlorocyclohexane dumpsite located at Ummari village, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain R11HT and the type strains of species of genus Sphingopyxis with validly published names ranged from 93.75 to 97.85 %. Strain R11HT showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Sphingopyxis indica DS15T (97.85 %), followed by Sphingopyxis soli JCM15910T (97.79 %), Sphingopyxis ginsengisoli KCTC 12582T (97.77 %) and Sphingopyxis panaciterrulae KCTC 22112T (97.34 %). The DNA G+C content of strain R11HT was 63.5 mol%. DNA–DNA relatedness between strain R11HT and its closest phylogenetic neighbours was well below the threshold value of 70 %, which suggested that strain R11HT represents a novel species of the genus Sphingopyxis. The major polar lipids of strain R11HT were sphingoglycolipid and other lipids commonly reported in this genus, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine. Spermidine was detected as the major polyamine. The chemotaxonomic markers in strain R11HT confirmed its classification in the genus Sphingopyxis, i.e. Q-10 as the major ubiquinone and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0 and C14 : 0 2-OH as the predominant fatty acids. Results obtained from DNA–DNA hybridization and chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analyses clearly distinguished strain R11HT from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain R11HT represents a novel species of the genus Sphingopyxis, for which the name Sphingopyxis flava sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R11HT ( = DSM 28472T = MCC 2778T).

Sphingobium lucknowense F2 T , isolated from the hexachlorocylcohexane (HCH) dumpsite located in Ummari village, Lucknow, India, rapidly degrades HCH isomers. Here we report the draft genome of strain F2 (4.4 Mbp), consisting of 4,910 protein coding genes with an average G+C content of 64.3%.

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), a persistent organochlorine insecticide, has been extensively used in the past for control of agricultural pests and vector borne diseases. The use of HCH has indeed accrued benefits, however the unusual production of the insecticidal isomer; γ-HCH (lindane) and unregulated disposal of HCH muck has created various dumpsites all over the world, leading to serious environmental concerns. HCH isomers have been ranked as possible human carcinogens and endocrine disruptors with proven teratogenic, mutagenic and genotoxic effects, hence making its decontamination mandatory. Efforts in this direction have led to the isolation of various HCH degrading bacteria from the dumpsites, reflecting their role in HCH bioremediation. This review summarizes the problem of environmental persistence of HCH isomers along with their toxicity and possible solutions for their decontamination.

An orange-pigmented bacterial strain, designated LP100T, was isolated from hexachlorocyclohexane-contaminated soil (Lucknow, India). A neighbour-joining tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain LP100T occupied a distinct phylogenetic position in the Pontibacter species cluster, showing highest similarity with Pontibacter lucknowensis DM9T (97.4 %). Levels of similarity to strains of other Pontibacter species ranged between 94.0 and 96.8 %. Strain LP100T contained MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and sym-homospermidine was the major polyamine in the cell. The major cellular fatty acids of strain LP100T were anteiso-C17 : 0 A, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C18 : 1 H. The polar lipid profile of strain LP100T showed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminophospholipid, three unknown aminolipids and two unknown polar lipids. The G+C content of strain LP100T was 58.2 mol%. The results of DNA–DNA hybridization, biochemical and physiological tests clearly distinguish the novel strain from closely related species of the genus Pontibacter . Therefore, strain LP100T represents a novel species of the genus Pontibacter for which the name Pontibacter indicus is proposed. The type strain is LP100T ( = CCM8435T = MCC2027T).

Sphingobium lactosutens DS20 T has been isolated from the hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) dumpsite in Lucknow, India, but does not degrade any of the HCH isomers. Here, we present the ~5.36-Mb draft genome sequence of strain DS20 T , which consists of 110 contigs and 5,288 coding sequences, with a G+C content of 63.1%.

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen, mainly associated with immune-compromised individuals having diseases like HIV/AIDS, lymphoid disorders, transplant recipients as well as patients undergoing chemotherapy. Clinical manifestation of the disease includes skin lesions, pulmonary infections and meningitis [3]. This pandemic infection is at alarming levels in sub-Saharan Africa and third most leading cause of fatalities having one million infections worldwide with 6,50,000 deaths each year. Typically, Cryptococcal spores are inhaled into the lung, where they lodge in alveoli and establish pulmonary infections. Engulfment of normal cryptococcal cells by alveolar macrophages leads to formation of Titan cells via cell enlargement (up to 10 times) which includes cell cycle arrest or increase in DNA content (tetraploidy or octaploidy) [1, 2]. Titan cell formation is induced by cAMP/PKA pathway, which helps in maintaining their virulence through thick anti-phagocytic polysaccharide capsule and melanin pigment [1]. Ste3a pheromone receptor and Gpr5 protein through cAMP/PKA pathway controls the Titan cell formation mediated by activation of Rim101 transcription factor [2]. Okagaki et al. [3] were the first to acknowledge the role of Titan cell production from C. Neoformans, involved in preventing the normal cells from phagocytosis during early stage of pulmonary infection. It has been proven, that they are also capable of decreasing the overall rate of phagocytosis [1]. Recently, it has been shown that the large particles such as asbestos, inert beads etc cannot be phagocytised; this phenomenon is known as frustrated phagocytosis [1]. Thus, it suggests that the Titan cells play pivotal role in establishment of cryptococcal infection and its survival. Efforts had been made to design a vaccine against an epitope of polysaccharide capsule, glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), of cryptococcal cells [4]. Vaccine composed of GXM linked tetanus toxoid had shown to elicit an effective immune response in mice and humans [4]. Discovery of Titan cell and further targeted research can help to highlight their specific epitopes and deciphering their signal transduction pathway, which can be targeted in order to implement an effective strategy against cryptococcal infections.

Background Phylogenetic heterogeneity across Pseudomonas genus is complemented by its diverse genome architecture enriched by accessory genetic elements (plasmids, transposons, and integrons) conferring resistance across this genus. Here, we sequenced a stress tolerant genotype i.e. Pseudomonas sp. strain RL isolated from a hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) contaminated pond (45 mg of total HCH g−1 sediment) and further compared its gene repertoire with 17 reference ecotypes belonging to P. stutzeri, P. mendocina, P. aeruginosa, P. psychrotolerans and P. denitrificans, representing metabolically diverse ecosystems (i.e. marine, clinical, and soil/sludge). Metagenomic data from HCH contaminated pond sediment and similar HCH contaminated sites were further used to analyze the pan-genome dynamics of Pseudomonas genotypes enriched across increasing HCH gradient. Results Although strain RL demonstrated clear species demarcation (ANI ≤ 80.03%) from the rest of its phylogenetic relatives, it was found to be closest to P. stutzeri clade which was further complemented functionally. Comparative functional analysis elucidated strain specific enrichment of metabolic pathways like α-linoleic acid degradation and carbazole degradation in Pseudomonas sp. strain RL and P. stutzeri XLDN-R, respectively. Composition based methods (%codon bias and %G + C difference) further highlighted the significance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in evolution of nitrogen metabolism, two-component system (TCS) and methionine metabolism across the Pseudomonas genomes used in this study. An intact mobile class-I integron (3,552 bp) with a captured gene cassette encoding for dihydrofolate reductase (dhfra1) was detected in strain RL, distinctly demarcated from other integron harboring species (i.e. P. aeruginosa, P. stutzeri, and P. putida). Mobility of this integron was confirmed by its association with Tnp21-like transposon (95% identity) suggesting stress specific mobilization across HCH contaminated sites. Metagenomics data from pond sediment and recently surveyed HCH adulterated soils revealed the in situ enrichment of integron associated transposase gene (TnpA6100) across increasing HCH contamination (0.7 to 450 mg HCH g−1 of soil). Conclusions Unlocking the potential of comparative genomics supplemented with metagenomics, we have attempted to resolve the environment and strain specific demarcations across 18 Pseudomonas gene complements. Pan-genome analyses of these strains indicate at astoundingly diverse metabolic strategies and provide genetic basis for the cosmopolitan existence of this taxon. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1488-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.