Improvement of small seed for big nutritional feed.

Exploding global population, rapid urbanization, salinization of soils, decreasing arable land availability, groundwater resources, and dynamic climatic conditions pose impending damage to our food security by reducing the grain quality and quantity. This issue is further compounded in arid and semi-arid regions due to the shortage of irrigation water and erratic rainfalls. Millets are gluten (a family of proteins)-free and cultivated all over the globe for human consumption, fuel, feed, and fodder. They provide nutritional security for the under- and malnourished. With the deployment of strategies like foliar spray, traditional/marker-assisted breeding, identification of candidate genes for the translocation of important minerals, and genome-editing technologies, it is now tenable to biofortify important millets. Since the bioavailability of iron and zinc has been proven in human trials, the challenge is to make such grains accessible. This review encompasses nutritional benefits, progress made, challenges being encountered, and prospects of enriching millet crops with essential minerals.

RENEB Inter-Laboratory comparison 2017: limits and pitfalls of ILCs.

PURPOSE: In case of a mass-casualty radiological event, there would be a need for networking to overcome surge limitations and to quickly obtain homogeneous results (reported aberration frequencies or estimated doses) among biodosimetry laboratories. These results must be consistent within such network. Inter-laboratory comparisons (ILCs) are widely accepted to achieve this homogeneity. At the European level, a great effort has been made to harmonize biological dosimetry laboratories, notably during the MULTIBIODOSE and RENEB projects. In order to continue the harmonization efforts, the RENEB consortium launched this intercomparison which is larger than the RENEB network, as it involves 38 laboratories from 21 countries. In this ILC all steps of the process were monitored, from blood shipment to dose estimation. This exercise also aimed to evaluate the statistical tools used to compare laboratory performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were irradiated at three different doses, 1.8, 0.4 and 0 Gy (samples A, C and B) with 4-MV X-rays at 0.5 Gy min-1, and sent to the participant laboratories. Each laboratory was requested to blindly analyze 500 cells per sample and to report the observed frequency of dicentric chromosomes per metaphase and the corresponding estimated dose. RESULTS: This ILC demonstrates that blood samples can be successfully distributed among laboratories worldwide to perform biological dosimetry in case of a mass casualty event. Having achieved a substantial harmonization in multiple areas among the RENEB laboratories issues were identified with the available statistical tools, which are not capable to advantageously exploit the richness of results of a large ILCs. Even though Z- and U-tests are accepted methods for biodosimetry ILCs, setting the number of analyzed metaphases to 500 and establishing a tests' common threshold for all studied doses is inappropriate for evaluating laboratory performance. Another problem highlighted by this ILC is the issue of the dose-effect curve diversity. It clearly appears that, despite the initial advantage of including the scoring specificities of each laboratory, the lack of defined criteria for assessing the robustness of each laboratory's curve is a disadvantage for the 'one curve per laboratory' model. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our study, it seems relevant to develop tools better adapted to the collection and processing of results produced by the participant laboratories. We are confident that, after an initial harmonization phase reached by the RENEB laboratories, a new step toward a better optimization of the laboratory networks in biological dosimetry and associated ILC is on the way.

The relative biological effectiveness of high-energy clinical 3 and 6 MV X-rays for micronucleus induction in human lymphocytes.

PURPOSE: In the modern era of radiotherapy, use of conventional radiation modalities (based on γ-rays) is being replaced by high-energy linear accelerator-based X-rays. As a result of mishandling of equipment or mechanical errors, health workers can be exposed to these high-energy X-rays. Especially in the absence of personnel monitoring devices, biodosimetry with a lower energy X-ray calibration curve may not provide an acceptable dose estimate. Moreover, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) value assigned for X-rays is the same (ONE) regardless of beam energy (V), employed in diagnosis, interventional medicine, and radiotherapy. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to examine the induced biological effects, measured through micronucleus (MN) formation, of X-rays of different energies (3 and 6 MV X-rays), and to investigate the RBE relative to 225 kVp X-rays. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from healthy donors (n = 6), were irradiated with 225 kVp, 3 MV, and 6 MV energy X-rays and induced biological damage was quantified as MN formation using the cytokinesis blocked MN (CBMN) assay. RESULTS: The MN per cell in the X-irradiated samples for the three different X-ray energies showed a significant (p<.0001) dose-dependent increase, when compared to unexposed samples. Aberration frequencies obtained at the same dose for the three different energies showed significant (p<.05) difference for the MN per cell among the energy levels; however, the in vitro dose-response curve parameters (slope, intercept, and coefficient) did not show any significant differences. The estimated dose in the blinded sample was within the 95% confidence intervals of each of the calibration curves. However, overall, the 6 MV dose-response curve coefficients yielded the closest dose estimate to that of the true dose. The calculated RBE values at 5% induced MN for 3 and 6 MV LINAC X-rays were 2.0 ± 0.04 and 0.70 ± 0.01, respectively, and the average RBE for the complete dose-response curves were 1.13 ± 0.04 and 0.80 ± 0.02 relative to 225 kVp X-rays as standard radiation. CONCLUSION: The established dose-response curves obtained for PBL exposed to different energy levels of X-rays of 225 kVp, 3 MV, and 6 MV are ready to use for biological dosimetry purposes. The calculated RBE values for the higher energies of X-rays relative to 225 kVp X-rays in this study suggest that RBE of X-rays may not be equal to one, with the true value dependent on the beam energy, the dose and dose rate, and the endpoint investigated.

Measurement of γ-H2AX foci, miRNA-101, and gene expression as a means to quantify radiation-absorbed dose in cancer patients who had undergone radiotherapy.

Radiological accidents and nuclear terrorism pose an increased threat to members of the public who, following such an event, would need to be assessed for medical care by fast triage. Assay methods such as chromosome aberrations (CA), cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques have been well established for dose estimation and their potential for handling more samples has also been proved with automation. However, culturing of lymphocytes is an inevitable step, which limits the potential of these markers for triage. In vitro analysis of gamma-H2AX (γ-H2AX), gene and microRNA (miRNA) markers do not require culturing of lymphocytes, and as such have been suggested as attractive tools for triage. Despite studies reporting in vitro dose-response curves, limited evidence is available evaluating the suitability of these assays in real situations. In this study, we have measured the absorbed dose using γ-H2AX, gene (GADD45A, FDXR, and CDKN1A) and miRNA-101 expression in blood samples of cancer patients (n = 20) who had undergone partial-body radiotherapy and compared with the derived equivalent whole-body doses (EWBD). The obtained results from all patients showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase of γ-H2AX foci in post-irradiated as compared to pre-irradiated samples. Moreover, estimated doses using γ-H2AX foci showed a correlation with the derived EWBD (r2 = 0.60, p = 0.0003) and was also shown to be dependent on the irradiated body volume. Consistent with γ-H2AX foci frequency, an increase in fold change expression of genes and miRNA-101 was observed. However, the estimated dose significantly varied among the subjects and showed poor correlation (r2 = 0.09, 0.04, 0.01 and 0.03 for GADD45A, FDXR, CDKN1A and miRNA-101, respectively) with EWBD. The overall results suggest that the established in vitro γ-H2AX assay is suitable for the detection of radiation exposure and can also provide an estimate of the dose in in vivo irradiated samples. The genes and miRNA-101 markers showed increased expression; nevertheless, there is a need for further improvements to measure doses accurately using these markers.

Novel variations in NPHS1 gene in children of South Indian population and its association with primary nephrotic syndrome.

Mutations in NPHS1 can lead to disruption of the filtration barrier and cause proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome (NS). The aim of the study was to evaluate NPHS1 mutations, its susceptibility to the disease, and their association in children with steroid-resistant NS; mutation frequency of 9% was observed in patients with steroid-resistant NS, of which, six mutations and two single-nucleotide polymorphisms observed in the study population were found to be novel.

High frequency plant regeneration from cotyledonary node explants of Cucumis sativus L. cultivar 'Green Long' via adventitious shoot organogenesis and assessment of genetic fidelity by RAPD-PCR technology.

Influence of cytokinins, silver nitrate (AgNO3) and auxins on plant regeneration from cucumber was investigated. The cotyledonary node explants were cultured on MS medium augmented with various concentrations (0.5-2.5 mg l-1) of 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) and kinetin (KIN) for shoot bud induction. BAP at 1.5 mg l-1 was found to be the best concentration for induction of high frequency of multiple shoots (98.4%). Interestingly, maximum percent of multiple shoot regeneration (100%) as well as number of shoot buds (54.6 shoots/culture) was recorded on MS medium containing the combination of 4.5 mg l-1 AgNO3 and 1.5 mg l-1 BAP. Multiple shoot bud regeneration frequency as well as the number of shoots was positively correlated with the concentrations of AgNO3. Addition of silver nitrate in the medium not only enhanced the rate of multiple shoot bud regeneration but also elongation of shoot buds was observed. The highest percent of rooting (96.2%) was noticed on a medium containing the combination of indole 3-butyric acid (IBA), 1.5 mg l-1 and KIN 0.5 mg l-1. Acclimatized plantlets were successfully established in the field where the survival rate observed was 72%. The RAPD profiles of in vitro regenerated plants were found to be highly monomorphic and identical banding pattern with mother plant. DNA fingerprinting results confirmed that the tissue culture plantlets were found to be true-to-type. The present study describes efficient protocol for high frequency plant regeneration via adventitious shoot organogenesis in cucumber.

Effects of concentration and gas flow rate on the removal of gas-phase toluene and xylene mixture in a compost biofilter.

The aim of this work was to study the performance of a compost/ceramic bead biofilter (6:4 v/v) for the removal of gas-phase toluene and xylene at different inlet loading rates (ILR). The inlet toluene (or) xylene concentrations were varied from 0.1 to 1.5gm-3, at gas flow rates of 0.024, 0.048 and 0.072m3h-1, respectively, corresponding to total ILR varying between 7 and 213gm-3h-1. Although there was mutual inhibition, xylene removal was severely inhibited by the presence of toluene than toluene removal by the presence of xylene. The biofilter was also exposed to transient variations such as prolonged periods of shutdown (30days) and shock loads to envisage the response and recuperating ability of the biofilter. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) for toluene and xylene were 29.2 and 16.4gm-3h-1, respectively, at inlet loads of 53.8 and 43.7gm-3h-1.

COPT2, a plasma membrane located copper transporter, is involved in the uptake of Au in Arabidopsis.

The mechanism of gold nanoparticle formation and genes involved in such processes, especially Au transport in plants are not understood. Previous reports pointed to the probable role of COPT2 in Au transport based on the transcript accumulation of COPT2 under Au exposure. Here, we provide evidence revealing the additional role of COPT2 for Au mobilization in yeast and Arabidopsis. The COPT2 transcripts significantly accumulated in the root of Arabidopsis under Au exposure. The expression of COPT2 restores Cu uptake ability in ctr1Δctr3Δ mutants and leads to Au sensitivity in yeast, which is comparable to Cu in growth kinetics experiments. The metal measurement data showed that the Au level was increased in COPT2, expressing yeast cells compared to vector transformed control. The copt2 mutant of Arabidopsis displayed a similar growth pattern to that of Col-0 under Au treatment. However, a notable phenotypic difference was noticed in three-week-old plants treated with and without Au. Consistent with yeast, Au uptake was reduced in the copt2 mutant of Arabidopsis. Together, these results clearly reveal the Au uptake capability of COPT2 in yeast and Arabidopsis. This is the first report showing the potential role of any transporter towards uptake and accumulation of Au in plants.

Nanotitania Exposure Causes Alterations in Physiological, Nutritional and Stress Responses in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nanotitania: TiO2NPs) are used in a wide range of consumer products, paints, sunscreens, and cosmetics. The increased applications lead to the subsequent release of nanomaterials in environment that could affect the plant productivity. However, few studies have been performed to determine the overall effects of TiO2NPs on edible crops. We treated tomato plants with 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 g/L TiO2NPs in a hydroponic system for 2 weeks and examined physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes. The dual response was observed on growth and photosynthetic ability of plants depending on TiO2NPs concentrations. Low concentrations (0.5-2 g/L) of TiO2NPs boosted growth by approximately 50% and caused significant increase in photosynthetic parameters such as quantum yield, performance index, and total chlorophyll content as well as induced expression of PSI gene with respect to untreated plants. The high concentration (4 g/L) affected these parameters in negative manner. The catalase and peroxidase activities were also elevated in the exposed plants in a dose-dependent manner. Likewise, exposed plants exhibited increased expressions of glutathione synthase and glutathione S-transferase (nearly threefold increase in both roots and leaves), indicating a promising role of thiols in detoxification of TiO2NPs in tomato. The elemental analysis of tissues performed at 0.5, 1, and 2 g/L TiO2NPs indicates that TiO2NPs transport significantly affected the distribution of essential elements (P, S, Mg, and Fe) in roots and leaves displaying about threefold increases in P and 25% decrease in Fe contents. This study presents the mechanistic basis for the differential responses of titanium nanoparticles in tomato, and calls for a cautious approach for the application of nanomaterials in agriculture. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTMovement of nanotitania in plant tissues.

Bioremoval of trace metals from rhizosediment by mangrove plants in Indian Sundarban Wetland.

The study accentuated the trace metal accumulation and distribution pattern in individual organs of 13 native mangrove plants along with rhizosediments in the Indian Sundarban Wetland. Enrichment of the essential micronutrients (Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni) was recorded in all plant organs in comparison to non-essential ones, such as Cr, As, Pb, Cd, Hg. Trunk bark and root/pneumatophore showed maximum metal accumulation efficiency. Rhizosediment recorded manifold increase for most of the trace metals than plant tissue, with the following descending order: Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Pb>Ni>Cr>Co>As>Cd>Hg. Concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb and Hg were found to exceed prescribed sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) indicating adverse effect on adjacent biota. Both index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF) also indicated anthropogenic contamination. Based on high (>1) translocation factor (TF) and bioconcentration factor (BCF) values Sonneratiaapetala and Avicenniaofficinalis could be considered as potential accumulators, of trace metals.

Hepatoprotective effect of engineered silver nanoparticles coated bioactive compounds against diethylnitrosamine induced hepatocarcinogenesis in experimental mice.

Nanoparticle based drug delivery can rapidly improves the therapeutic potential of anti-cancer agents. The present study focused to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using aqueous extracts of Andrographis paniculata leaves (ApAgNPs) and Semecarpus anacardium nuts (SaAgNPs) against diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced liver cancer in mice model. The physico-chemical properties of synthesized AgNPs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum, Zeta potential and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption spectrum revealed a strong peak at 420nm for both SaAgNPs and ApAgNPs. FTIR results exhibited the presence of possible functional groups in the synthesized AgNPs. TEM analysis determined the hexagonal, and spherical shape of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The XRD and SAED pattern confirmed the crystalline nature and crystalline size of the AgNPs. EDX result clearly showed strong silver signals in the range between 2 and 4keV. Zeta potential measurements indicated a sharp peak at -3.93 and -13.8mV for ApAgNPs and SaAgNPs, respectively. DLS measurement expressed the particle size distribution was 70 and 60nm for ApAgNPs and SaAgNPs, respectively. DEN (20mg/kg b.wt.) was subjected to induce liver cancer in mice for 8weeks and treated with biosynthesized silver nanoparticles. Interestingly, ApAgNPs and SaAgNPs treated DEN induced animal groups show a decreased level of aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) activity and elevated level of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity over untreated DEN control animals group. Histopathological investigation reveals decreased fat accumulation, appearance of binucleated cells in nanoparticle treated animals and showed mere normal cells induced by DEN. Argyrophilic nucleolar organiser region (AgNORs) had a significant decrease in number of acidic proteins and mast cells assay showed decrease of metachromatic cells in nanoparticles treated animal groups over control. Present results strongly suggest that biomolecule coated silver nanoparticles exposure showed potential hepatoprotective effect against DEN induced liver cancer and could be used as an effective anticancer nanodrug.

Accumulation efficiency, genotoxicity and antioxidant defense mechanisms in medicinal plant Acalypha indica L. under lead stress.

The present study was designed to assess the physiological and biochemical changes in roots and shoots of the herb Acalypha indica grown under hydroponic conditions during exposure to lead (Pb) (100-500 mg L-1) for 1-12 d. The accumulation of Pb by A. indica plants was found to be 121.6 and 17.5 mg g-1 dry weight (DW) in roots and shoots, respectively, when exposed to a Pb concentration of 500 mg L-1. The presence of Pb ions in stem, root and leaf tissues was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. Concerning the activity of antioxidant enzymes, viz., peroxidase (POX) catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), they were induced at various regimes during 5, 8 and 12 d of Pb exposure in both the leaves and roots than untreated controls. Lead treatment increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in both the leaf and root tissues over control, irrespective of the duration of exposure. Anew, it was observed that Pb treatments induced variations in the number and intensity of protein bands. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) results show that the Pb treatment caused genotoxicity on DNA molecules as evidenced by the amplification of new bands and the absence of normal DNA amplicons in treated plants. Results confirm that A. indica is a Pb accumulator species, and the antioxidants might play a crucial role in the detoxification of Pb-induced toxic effects.

Uptake and Distribution of Trace Elements in Dominant Mangrove Plants of the Indian Sundarban Wetland.

Absorption, accumulation and translocation of 12 trace elements in nine dominant mangrove plants in the Indian Sundarban Wetland revealed both organ-specific and site-specific characteristics. An overall enrichment of elements was recorded in rhizosediment, exceeding the prescribed effects range-low (ER-L) of consensus based sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for Cu and Pb. Avicennia officinalis, A. alba, Ceriops decandra and Excoecaria agallocha exhibited unique potential for accumulating Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Mn and Zn and could be considered efficient accumulators. Maximum element accumulation in trunk bark (As 6.16, Cr 49.9, Co 2.67, Cu 91.00 and Zn 85.5 mg kg-1) and root/pneumatophore (Al 1000 and Fe 2430 mg kg-1) was recorded. Maximum bioconcentration factor (6.23) in A. officinalis and translocation factor (17.5 for Mn) in C. decandra distinguished their phytoremediation capacity. These halophytes could be used for trace element phytoremediation in stressed sites of Sundarban.

Kinetic and thermodynamic evaluation of adsorption of Cu(II) by thiosemicarbazide chitosan.

A modified biomacromolecule, chitosan-thiosemicarbazide framework (TSCS) as an adsorbent for Cu(II) was prepared from dialdehyde chitosan through condensation reaction with thiosemicarbazide, stabilized by the reduction reaction with sodium borohydride. TSCS was characterized by means of FT-IR and XPS. Surface morphologies were studied by FESEM and BET, which revealed the highly macro porous structure. The thermal analyses was done through TGA showing much stable chemical configuration at about ≥400°C. The experimental equilibrium data was evaluated by Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The Langmuir adsorption model was best fitted with experimental value, suggests the existence of monolayer coverage of adsorbed molecules with a maxima of 142.85mgg-1. The kinetic data was analyzed using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models and the pseudo-second-order kinetics were found for all the concentrations. The calculated thermodynamic parameters such as ΔGo, ΔH and ΔS were -2.33kJmol-1, 570.40Jmol-1 and 9.75Jmol-1K-1 respectively signifies the adsorption of Cu(II) onto TSCS is endothermic, spontaneous and a process of physisorption. The regeneration efficiency of the TSCS as an adsorbent was found to be ≥90-95% using 0.1M EDTA.

Enhanced Cytotoxicity of Biomolecules Loaded Metallic Silver Nanoparticles Against Human Liver (HepG2) and Prostate (PC3) Cancer Cell Lines.

Green nanoparticle synthesis was achieved using environmentally acceptable plant extracts reducing and capping agents. The present study was based on assessments to the anticancer activities to determine the effect of synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from three medicinal plants on human liver (HepG2) and prostate (PC3) cancer cell lines. The synthesis of AgNPs using Plumbago zeylanica (Pz), Semecarpus anacardium (Sa) and Terminalia arjuna (Ta) plant extracts in the reaction mixture was monitored by UV-visible spectroscopy. FTIR results clearly illustrated that the plant extracts containing prominent peaks of functional groups and biomolecules viz., tannins, phenols, flavonoids and triterpenoids those act as capping agents and involved in the stabilization of the synthesised silver nanoparticles. Synthesized AgNPs were spherical and cuboid in shape which is determined by SEM. Average size of the AgNPs were between 80-98, 60-95 and 34-70 nm for PzAgNPs, SaAgNPs and TaAgNPs, respectively. Further, the synthesized AgNPs were characterized by XRD, EDX, DLS and Zeta potential analysis. Moreover, the synthesized AgNPs exhibited a dose-dependent cytotoxicity against human liver and prostate cancer cell lines. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of HepG2, PC3 and Vero cells were found to be 70.97, 58.61, 96.41; 10.04, 42.77, 83.86; and 28.42, 41.78, 69.48 µg/ml for PzAgNPs, SaAgNPs and TaAgNPs at 48 h incubation. An induction of apoptosis was confirmed by DNA fragmentation, Hoechst, Rhodamine and AO/EtBr staining. The present results strongly suggested that the AgNPs synthesized using P. zeylanica, S. anacardium and T. arjuna extracts showed potential anticancer activity of HepG2 and PC3 cell lines.

Frequency of gamma H2AX foci in healthy volunteers and health workers occupationally exposed to X-irradiation and its relevance in biological dosimetry.

Gamma-H2AX (γ-H2AX) assay is a marker to measure double-strand breaks in the deoxyribonucleic acid. Variables such as age, oxidative stress, temperature, genetic factors and inter-individual variation have been reported to influence the baseline γ-H2AX focus levels. Therefore, knowledge on baseline frequency of γ-H2AX foci in a targeted population would facilitate reliable radiation triage and dose estimation. The objective of the present study was to establish the baseline data using blood samples from healthy volunteers (n = 130) differing in age, occupation and lifestyle as well as from occupationally exposed health workers (n = 20). The γ-H2AX focus assay was performed using epifluorescence microscopy. In vitro dose-response curve for γ-H2AX foci was constructed in blood samples (n = 3) exposed to X-rays (30 min post-exposure). The mean γ-H2AX focus frequency obtained in healthy volunteers was 0.042 ± 0.001 and showed an age-related increase (p < 0.001). Significantly higher (p < 0.005) focus frequencies were observed in health workers (0.066 ± 0.005) than in healthy volunteers. A sub-group analysis did not show a significant (p > 0.1) difference in γ-H2AX focus frequency among sexes. Blood exposed in vitro to X-rays showed dose-dependent increase in γ-H2AX foci frequency (Y = 0.1902 ± 0.1363 + 2.9020 ± 0.3240 * D). Baseline frequency of γ-H2AX foci obtained from different age groups showed a significant (p < 0.01) influence on the dose-response coefficients. The overall results demonstrated that the γ-H2AX assay can be used as a reliable biomarker for radiation triage and estimating the radiation absorbed dose by considering variables such as age, occupation and lifestyle factors.

Biogeochemistry of uranium in the soil-plant and water-plant systems in an old uranium mine.

The present study highlights the uranium (U) concentrations in water-soil-plant matrices and the efficiency considering a heterogeneous assemblage of terrestrial and aquatic native plant species to act as the biomonitor and phytoremediator for environmental U-contamination in the Sevilha mine (uraniferous region of Beiras, Central Portugal). A total of 53 plant species belonging to 22 families was collected from 24 study sites along with ambient soil and/or water samples. The concentration of U showed wide range of variations in the ambient medium: 7.5 to 557mgkg(-1) for soil and 0.4 to 113µgL(-1) for water. The maximum potential of U accumulation was recorded in roots of the following terrestrial plants: Juncus squarrosus (450mgkg(-1) DW), Carlina corymbosa (181mgkg(-1) DW) and Juncus bufonius (39.9mgkg(-1) DW), followed by the aquatic macrophytes, namely Callitriche stagnalis (55.6mgkg(-1) DW) Lemna minor (53.0mgkg(-1) DW) and Riccia fluitans (50.6mgkg(-1) DW). Accumulation of U in plant tissues exhibited the following decreasing trend: root>leaves>stem>flowers/fruits and this confirms the unique efficiency of roots in accumulating this radionuclide from host soil/sediment (phytostabilization). Overall, the accumulation pattern in the studied aquatic plants (L. minor, R. fluitans, C. stagnalis and Lythrum portula) dominated over most of the terrestrial counterpart. Among terrestrial plants, the higher mean bioconcentration factor (≈1 in roots/rhizomes of C. corymbosa and J. squarrosus) and translocation factor (31 in Andryala integrifolia) were encountered in the representing families Asteraceae and Juncaceae. Hence, these terrestrial plants can be treated as the promising candidates for the development of the phytostabilization or phytoextraction methodologies based on the accumulation, abundance and biomass production.

Strength, Stability, and cis-Motifs of In silico Identified Phloem-Specific Promoters in Brassica juncea (L.).

Aphids, a hemipteran group of insects pose a serious threat to many of the major crop species including Brassica oilseeds. Transgenic strategies for developing aphid-resistant plant types necessitate phloem-bound expression of the insecticidal genes. A few known phloem-specific promoters, in spite of tissue-specific activity fail to confer high level gene-expression. Here, we identified seven orthologues of phloem-specific promoters in B. juncea (Indian mustard), and experimentally validated their strength of expression in phloem exudates. Significant cis-motifs, globally occurring in phloem-specific promoters showed variable distribution frequencies in these putative phloem-specific promoters of B. juncea. In RT-qPCR based gene-expression study promoter of Glutamine synthetase 3A (GS3A) showed multifold higher activity compared to others, across the different growth stages of B. juncea plants. A statistical method employing four softwares was devised for rapidly analysing stability of the promoter-activities across the plant developmental stages. Different statistical softwares ranked these B. juncea promoters differently in terms of their stability in promoter-activity. Nevertheless, the consensus in output empirically suggested consistency in promoter-activity of the six B. juncea phloem- specific promoters including GS3A. The study identified suitable endogenous promoters for high level and consistent gene-expression in B. juncea phloem exudate. The study also demonstrated a rapid method of assessing species-specific strength and stability in expression of the endogenous promoters.

Uranium accumulation in aquatic macrophytes in an uraniferous region: Relevance to natural attenuation.

Phytoremediation potential of uranium (U) was investigated by submerged, free-floating and rooted emergent native aquatic macrophytes inhabiting along the streams of Horta da Vilariça, a uraniferous geochemical region of NE Portugal. The work has been undertaken with the following objectives: (i) to relate the U concentrations in water-sediment-plant system; and (ii) to identify the potentialities of aquatic plants to remediate U-contaminated waters based on accumulation pattern. A total of 25 plant species culminating 233 samples was collected from 15 study points along with surface water and contiguous sediments. Concentrations of U showed wide range of variations both in waters (0.61-5.56 µg L(-1), mean value 1.98 µg L(-1)) and sediments (124-23,910 µg kg(-1), mean value 3929 µg kg(-1)) and this is also reflected in plant species examined. The plant species exhibited the ability to accumulate U several orders of magnitude higher than the surrounding water. Maximum U concentrations was recorded in the bryophyte Scorpiurium deflexifolium (49,639 µg kg(-1)) followed by Fontinalis antipyretica (35,771 µg kg(-1)), shoots of Rorippa sylvestris (33,837 µg kg(-1)), roots of Oenanthe crocata (17,807 µg kg(-1)) as well as in Nasturtium officinale (10,995 µg kg(-1)). Scorpiurium deflexifolium displayed a high bioconcentration factor (BF) of ∼2.5 × 10(4) (mean value). The species Fontinalis antipyretica, Nasturtium officinale (roots) and Rorippa sylvestris (shoots) exhibited the mean BFs of 1.7 × 10(4), 5 × 10(3) and 4.8 × 10(3) respectively. Maximum translocation factor (TF) was very much pronounced in the rooted perennial herb Rorippa sylvestris showing extreme ability to transport U for the shoots and seems to be promising candidate to be used as bioindicator species.

Biomolecule-loaded chitosan nanoparticles induce apoptosis and molecular changes in cancer cell line (SiHa).

The present study reports on the synthesis of chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) using methanol extracts of Gymnema sylvestre (GS) leaves and Cinnamomum zeylanicum (CZ) bark. Biomolecule-loaded nanoparticles induced apoptosis in a human cervical cancer (SiHa) cell line, and experiments were carried out to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. FT-IR and XRD showed possible functional groups of the biomolecules and the crystalline nature of CNPs, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed that synthesized GSCNPs and CZCNPs had a smooth spherical shape with average sizes of about 58-80 and 60-120nm, respectively. Dynamic light scattering studies indicated that both GSCNPs and CZCNs were structurally stable with homogenous and heterogeneous natures, respectively. Furthermore, synthesized GSCNPs and CZCNPs exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against the SiHa cancer cell line, with inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 102.17µg/ml, 87.75µg/ml, 132.74µg/ml and 90.35µg/ml for GS leaf extract, GSCNPs, CZBE and CZCNPs, respectively.