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The rapid improvements in next-generation sequencing technologies have made it possible to quickly access in-depth genome sequence data. This has resulted in a flurry of genome sequences of various organisms being published and made publicly available in the last two decades. However, not all organisms have genome sequence data available. Various factors play a role, such as the importance of the organism, either medically or economically, and the genome complexity of the organisms. Phlebotomus papatasi is the sandfly vector for the Leishmania parasite, which is the causative agent for leishmaniasis. P. papatasi is a hematophagous vector, and the female flies feed on human blood to complete their reproductive cycle. The P. papatasi genome is currently being sequenced as part of a multicentric consortium, and the genome sequence is not published to date. Hence, efforts to map its global proteome are hindered in P. papatasi. In such cases, comparative proteogenomic approaches can help map the global proteome of an unsequenced organism using homology-based methods., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Keratoconus is an etiologically complex, degenerative corneal disease that eventually leads to loss of corneal integrity. Cells in corneal epithelium and endothelium express various types of ion channels that play important roles in ocular pathology. This emphasizes the need of understanding alterations of ion channels in keratoconus., Method: Differential gene expression analysis was performed to identify deregulated ion channels in keratoconus patients using transcriptomic data. Thereafter correlation analysis of ion channel expression was performed to obtain the changed correlation between ion channels' expression in keratoconus patients versus control samples. Moreover, Protein-protein interaction networks and a pathway map was constructed to identify cellular processes altered due to the deregulation of ion channels. Furthermore, drugs interacting with deregulated ion channels were identified., Results: Total 75 ion channels were found to be deregulated in keratoconus, of which 12 were upregulated and 63 were downregulated. Correlations between ion channel expressions found to be different in control and keratoconus samples. Thereafter, protein-protein interactions network was generated to identify hub ion channels in network. Furthermore, the pathway map was constructed to depict calcium signalling, MAPK signalling, synthesis and secretion of cortisol, and cAMP signalling. The 19 FDA- approved drugs that interact with the 6 deregulated ion channels were identified., Conclusion: Down-regulation of voltage-gated calcium channels can be attributed to reduced cell proliferation and differentiation. Additionally, deregulated ion channels in 3',5'- cyclic adenosine monophosphate signalling may be responsible for elevated cortisol level in progressive keratoconus patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a widely cultivated tropical fruit crop consumed raw and also in the form of processed products. Winters in Punjab show a drop in temperature, which hardens the fruit. Therefore, manipulation of the flowering season is desirable. Hence, the present study aimed to select an adequate combination of plant hormones and branch bending to amplify the quantitative traits in Guava cv. Allahabad Safeda. For combinations, three months for branch bending viz., August, September and October and three plant hormones: Naphthaleneacetic acid, Ethrel, and Gibberellins, with two different concentrations each (NAA@100ppm, NAA@200ppm, Ethrel@200ppm, Ethrel@400ppm, GA3@100ppm, GA3@150ppm were selected. The experimental layout was planned in two two-factor randomized block design (RBD) with twenty-one treatments. In the case of branch bending months, (M1) August branch bending gained ideal values in comparison with (M2) September and (M3) October. Combination of NAA at the rate of 200ppm with August branch bending (T2) gave more pronounced results for almost all vegetative parameters, while amongst plant hormones NAA at 200 ppm (C2) enhanced results for Canopy spread (N-S), canopy spread (E -W), length of internode and days for the emergence of new leaf 0.837m and 0.803m, 14.1cm and 27.33 respectively. Results vividly provide a strong base for selecting a combination of NAA spray at 200ppm concentration and August month for branch bending to uplift morphological traits in guava. Thus, these findings will favour horticulture breeders and farmers in harvesting profitable gains for field parameters by selecting a better combination of PGR and crop regulation measures from the offseason. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a survey of post-harvest diseases of apple in Himachal Pradesh conducted during July to September 2021, fourteen different types of rots were observed. Among these, Penicillium expansum (blue mould) was most destructive with exclusive incidence of 43.8%. Surveys of different markets/stores of Himachal Pradesh revealed that the total losses due to apple decay at various locations varied from 7.80 to 21.93%. Ten important commercial varieties of apple were screened for their comparative susceptibility against fruit decay. Tydeman's Early Worcester was found to be most tolerant to all the rot causing fungi with mean per cent rotting of 23.26%.Cow urine was found most effective in providing 79.21% growth inhibition of test fungi under study. The next best bio-products were Emblica officinalis (amla), Melia azadirach (darek) and Dodonaea viscose (mehandu) with per cent growth inhibition of 75.66, 73.59 and 68.48%, respectively. Under in vitro conditions, mancozeb (0.1%) was the most effective fungicide providing 84.83% growth inhibition. The efficacy of mancozeb as dip treatment at 0.1% concentration was judged to be significantly superior followed by 0.05% carbendazim with per cent control of 95.97 and 92.35%, respectively. Preharvest spray of mancozeb (0.3%) was highly effective in checking all the test fungi under different type of storage for 2 months. 1-methyl cyclopropene (MCP) fumigation of apple fruits immediately after harvesting for 12 hours was most effective in checking the test fungi under study providing 89.60% control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being the second largest family of flowering plants, orchids represent community structure variation in plant-microbial associations, contributes to niche partitioning in metacommunity assemblages. Yet, mycorrhizal communities and interactions remain unknown for orchids that are highly specialized or even obligated in their associations with their mycorrhizal partners. In this study, we sought to compare orchid mycorrhizal fungal (OMF) communities of three co-occurring hemiepiphytic Vanilla species (V. hartii, V. pompona, and V. trigonocarpa) in tropical forests of Costa Rica by addressing the identity of their OMF communities across species, root types, and populations, using high-throughput sequencing. Sequencing the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) yielded 299 fungal Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) from 193 root samples. We showed distinct segregation in the putative OMF (pOMF) communities of the three coexisting Vanilla hosts. We also found that mycorrhizal communities associated with the rare V. hartii varied among populations. Furthermore, we identified Tulasnellaceae and Ceratobasidiaceae as dominant pOMF families in terrestrial roots of the three Vanilla species. In contrast, the epiphytic roots were mainly dominated by OTUs belonging to the Atractiellales and Serendipitaceae. Furthermore, the pOMF communities differed significantly across populations of the widespread V. trigonocarpa and showed patterns of distance decay in similarity. This is the first report of different pOMF communities detected in roots of wild co-occurring Vanilla species using high-throughput sequencing, which provides evidence that three coexisting Vanilla species and their root types exhibited pOMF niche partitioning, and that the rare and widespread Vanilla hosts displayed diverse mycorrhizal preferences., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)