Bio-Stimulant for Improving Simmondsia chinensis Secondary Metabolite Production, as Well as Antimicrobial Activity and Wound Healing Abilities.

Simmondsia chinensis is a dioecious, long-lived perennial shrub. Its leaves contain several antioxidant flavonoids that have numerous pharmacological effects. Various strategies have been explored to propagate jojoba with enhanced pharmacological values. This research evaluates the bio-stimulatory impacts of He-Ne laser seed irradiation on seed germination, plantlet growth, and alteration of the composition and bioactivities of phytochemicals in jojoba plants. Jojoba seeds were irradiated for 5, 10, and 15 min before in vitro germination. Germination, growth, and multiplication parameters were recorded during germination, multiple-shoot induction, and rooting stages. The wound healing and antimicrobial activities of methanolic extracts from plant lines obtained from the non-irradiated (control) and 10 min irradiated seeds were compared by excision wound model in Wistar male rats and zone of inhibition assay. Our study revealed that laser irradiation increased seed germination, with the highest percentage observed in seeds irradiated for 10 min. Plant lines from the 10 min irradiated seeds produced more explants with higher explant heights and numbers of leaves, more roots, and higher photosynthetic pigment contents than those of control and other laser testings. By comparing plant extracts from the control and 10 min treatments, we observed that extracts from the 10 min treatment exhibited higher percentages of wound contraction and shorter epithelialization periods. In addition, these extracts also resulted in higher levels of angiogenesis elements (VEGF, TGF-ß1, and HIF-1α) and reduced the inflammation regulators (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and NFκB) in the experimental rats. In concordance, extracts from the 10 min treatment also explained raised antibacterial activities towards Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Our findings show that pre-sowing seed treatment with a He-Ne laser (632.8 nm) could be a good technique for stimulating S. chinensis plant growth and increasing the impact compound levels and biological activities.

In Silico Characterization of the Secretome of the Fungal Pathogen Thielaviopsis punctulata, the Causal Agent of Date Palm Black Scorch Disease.

The black scorch disease of date palm caused by Thielaviopsis punctulata is a serious threat to the cultivation and productivity of date palm in Arabian Peninsula. The virulence factors that contribute to pathogenicity of T. punctulata have not been identified yet. In the present study, using bioinformatics approach, secretory proteins of T. punctulata were identified and functionally characterized. A total of 197 putative secretory proteins were identified, of which 74 were identified as enzymes for carbohydrate degradation (CAZymes), 25 were proteases, and 47 were predicted as putative effectors. Within the CAZymes, 50 cell wall-degrading enzymes, potentially to degrade cell wall components such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin, were identified. Of the 47 putative effectors, 34 possessed at least one functional domain. The secretome of T. punctulata was compared to the predicted secretome of five closely related species (T. musarum, T. ethacetica, T. euricoi, T. cerberus, and T. populi) and identified species specific CAZymes and putative effector genes in T. punctulata, providing a valuable resource for the research aimed at understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the pathogenicity of T. punctulata on Date palm.