Synthesis of green emissive terbium(III) complexes for displays: Optical, electrochemical and photoluminescent analysis.

A series of heteroleptic terbium(III) complexes with fluorinated 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTFA) and other heteroaromatic units have been synthesized. The developed heteroleptic complexes were inspected via elemental study, cyclic voltammetry, thermal analysis and spectroscopic investigations. Optical band-gap data proposed the conducting property of prepared complexes. The photoluminescence emission profiles illustrated peaks based on terbium(III) cation (Tb3+ ) positioned at ~617, 586, 546 and 491 nm, imputed to 5 D4 to 7 FJ (J = 3,4,5,6) transitions separately. Most intense peak at 546 nm corresponding to 5 D4 → 7 F5 transition is accountable for the green emissive character of developed complexes. The luminous character of complexes reveals the sensitization of Tb3+ by ligands. Color parameters further corroborates the green emanation of Tb3+ complexes. The photometric characteristics of complexes recommended their usages in designing display devices.

A review on metabolites and pharmaceutical potential of food legume crop mung bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek).

Mung bean or moong or green gram, an important grain legume, is cultivated mainly in Asian countries and other parts of the world as a food crop. It is a highly nutritious grain legume with a high content of easily digestible proteins (20-32%), carbohydrates (53.3-67.1%), lipids (0.71-1.85%), vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It also contains some antinutrients such as tannins, phytic acid, hemagglutinin, polyphenols, and trypsin inhibitors in low concentrations. The sprouting of seeds leads to dynamic changes in metabolites with a decrease in antinutrient content and an increase in the nutritional value. In addition to these nutrients and antinutrients, the plant also contains various other phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, phenols, glycosides, and bioactive peptides, which exhibit an array of pharmaceutically important properties such as anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, lipid metabolism regulation, antihypertensive, antiallergic, and antitumor. Being rich in nutritional value and other phytochemical components, the plant can be explored further for its pharmaceutical properties and used as an efficient food additive in the preparation of different types of dietary supplements or food-derived drugs.

Origin and evolution of group XI secretory phospholipase A2 from flax (Linum usitatissimum) based on phylogenetic analysis of conserved domains.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) belongs to class of lipolytic enzymes (EC 3.1.1.4). Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and free fatty acids (FFAs) are the products of PLA2 catalyzed hydrolysis of phosphoglycerides at sn-2 position. LPA and FFA that act as second mediators involved in the development and maturation of plants and animals. Mining of flax genome identified two phospholipase A2 encoding genes, viz., LusPLA 2 I and LusPLA 2 II (Linum usitatissimum secretory phospholipase A2). Molecular simulation of LusPLA2s with already characterized plant sPLA2s revealed the presence of conserved motifs and signature domains necessary to classify them as secretory phospholipase A2. Phylogenetic analysis of flax sPLA2 with representative sPLA2s from other organisms revealed that they evolved rapidly via gene duplication/deletion events and shares a common ancestor. Our study is the first report of detailed phylogenetic analysis for secretory phospholipase A2 in flax. Comparative genomic analysis of two LusPLA2s with earlier reported plant sPLA2s, based on their gene architectures, sequence similarities, and domain structures are presented elucidating the uniqueness of flax sPLA2.

Transformation of blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) by barley chitinase and ribosome-inactivating protein genes towards improving resistance to Corynespora leaf spot fungal disease.

Blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper), an important grain legume crop, is sensitive to many fungal pathogens including Corynespora cassiicola, the causal agent of corynespora leaf spot disease. In the present study, plasmid pGJ42 harboring neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII) a selectable marker gene, the barley antifungal genes chitinase (AAA56786) and ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP; AAA32951) were used for the transformation, to develop fungal resistance for the first time in blackgram. The presence and integration of transgene into the blackgram genome was confirmed by PCR and Southern analysis with an overall transformation frequency of 10.2 %. Kanamycin selection and PCR analysis of T0 progeny revealed the inheritance of transgene in Mendelian fashion (3:1). Transgenic plants (T1), evaluated for fungal resistance by in vitro antifungal assay, arrested the growth of C. cassiicola up to 25-40 % over the wild-type plants. In fungal bio-assay screening, the transgenic plants (T1) sprayed with C. cassiicola spores showed a delay in onset of disease along with their lesser extent in terms of average number of diseased leaves and reduced number and size of lesions. The percent disease protection among different transformed lines varies in the range of 27-47 % compare to control (untransformed) plants. These results demonstrate potentiality of chitinase and RIP from a heterologous source in developing fungal disease protection in blackgram and can be helpful in increasing the production of blackgram.

Glycolytic enzyme activities and gene expression in Cicer arietinum exposed to water-deficit stress.

The specific activities and transcript levels of glycolytic enzymes were examined in shoots of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars, Pusa362 (drought tolerant) and SBD377 (drought sensitive), subjected to water-deficit stress 30 days after sowing. Water-deficit stress resulted in decrease in relative water content, chlorophyll content, plant dry weight, and NADP/NADPH ratio and increase in NAD/NADH ratio in both the cultivars. A successive decline in the specific activities of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (aldolase), 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), and NADP-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP-GAPDH) and elevation in the specific activities of phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM) and triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) was observed in both the cultivars under stress as compared to their respective control plants. The specific activities of hexokinase, fructose-6-phosphate kinase (PFK), and NAD-GAPDH were least affected. The transcript levels of PGK and NADP-GAPDH decreased and that of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI), PGM, and PFK increased in response to water-deficit stress while water-deficit stress had no effect on the steady-state transcript levels of hexokinase, aldolase, TPI, and NAD-GAPDH. The results suggest that under water-deficit stress, the activities and transcript levels of most of the glycolytic enzymes are not significantly affected, except the increased activity and transcript level of PGM and decreased activities and transcript levels of PGK and NADP-GAPDH. Further, the glycolytic enzymes do not show much variation between the tolerant and sensitive cultivars under water deficit.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transfer of Phaseolus vulgaris alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 gene into mungbean Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek using bar as selectable marker.

Morphologically normal and fertile transgenic plants of mungbean with two transgenes, bar and alpha-amylase inhibitor, have been developed for the first time. Cotyledonary node explants were transformed by cocultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring a binary vector pKSB that carried bialaphos resistance (bar) gene and Phaseolus vulgaris alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 (alphaAI-1) gene. Green transformed shoots were regenerated and rooted on medium containing phosphinothricin (PPT). Preculture and wounding of the explants, presence of acetosyringone and PPT-based selection of transformants played significant role in enhancing transformation frequency. Presence and expression of the bar gene in primary transformants was evidenced by PCR-Southern analysis and PPT leaf paint assay, respectively. Integration of the Phaseolus vulgaris alpha-amylase inhibitor gene was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. PCR analysis revealed inheritance of both the transgenes in most of the T(1) lines. Tolerance to herbicide was evidenced from seed germination test and chlorophenol red assay in T(1) plants. Transgenic plants could be recovered after 8-10 weeks of cocultivation with Agrobacterium. An overall transformation frequency of 1.51% was achieved.

Transformation of a recalcitrant grain legume, Vigna mungo L. Hepper, using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer to shoot apical meristem cultures.

The efficiency of Vigna mungo L. Hepper transformation was significantly increased from an average of 1% to 6.5% by using shoot apices excised from embryonic axes precultured on 10 microM benzyl-6-aminopurine (BAP) for 3 days and wounded prior to inoculation in Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 carrying the binary vector pCAMBIA2301, which contains a neomycin phosphotransferase gene (nptII) and a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene (gusA) interrupted by an intron. The transformed green shoots that were selected and rooted on medium containing kanamycin, and which tested positive for nptII gene by polymerase chain reaction, were established in soil to collect seeds. GUS activity was detected in whole T(0) shoots and T(1) seedlings. All T(0) plants were morphologically normal, fertile and the majority of them transmitted transgenes in a 3:1 ratio to their progenies. Southern analysis of T(1) plants showed integration of nptII into the plant genome.