Activation of Nucleotide-Binding Oligomerization Domain 1 (NOD1) Receptor Signaling in Labeo rohita by iE-DAP and Identification of Ligand-Binding Key Motifs in NOD1 by Molecular Modeling and Docking

The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 1 (NOD1) receptor recognizes various pattern-associated structures of microbes through its leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain and activates signaling cascades to induce innate immunity. This report describes the activation of NOD1 receptor signaling by gamma-d-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid (or γ-D-Glu-mDAP [iE-DAP]) in a commercially important fish species, rohu (Labeo rohita). It also described critical motifs in the NOD1-LRR domain that could be involved in binding iE-DAP, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C). The activation of NOD1 receptor signaling was studied by injecting iE-DAP, and analysis of tissue samples for NOD1 and receptor-interacting serine/threonine kinase (RICK) expression was done by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. To identify ligand-binding motifs in NOD1, the 3D model of NOD1-LRR was generated, followed by a 6-ns molecular dynamics simulation. Molecular docking of LPS with NOD1-LRR was executed at the Hex and PatchDock servers, and iE-DAP and poly I:C in the AutoDock 4.2, FlexX 2.1, Glide 5.5, and GOLD 4.1 programs. The results of qRT-PCR revealed significant (p?<?0.05) upregulation of NOD1 and RICK expression. Molecular docking revealed that the amino acid residues at LRR1–2, LRR3–7, and LRR8–9 could be involved in poly I:C, LPS, and iE-DAP binding, respectively. In fish, this is the first report describing the 3D structure of NOD1-LRR and its critical ligand-binding motifs.     

Use of ultra-filtration in organic-rich groundwater for the physical separation of thorium

During this work, size fractionation technique “ultra filtration” is used in physical speciation of thorium in organic rich groundwater. Laboratory simulated experiments were carried out to study the physical speciation of thorium in aquatic environment having elevated level of dissolved humus material classified as dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Samples were collected from organic rich environment having DOC in the range of 50–60 µg mL^?1. Th(IV) ions are extremely particle reactive having K _d value of the order of 10^5–6, hence to avoid adsorption on suspended particulate matter, spiking of the solution with Th(NO₃)₄ was carried out in ground water samples after filtering through 450 nm pore size using suction filtration. Particles in dissolved state (colloids) ranging between <450 and >220 nm were separated using suction filtration assembly having a membrane with a pore diameter of 220 nm. Thereafter, solution was sequentially passed through the ultra-filtration membranes having pore diameters of 14 nm [300 k NMWL (nominal molecular weight limit)], 3.1 nm (50 k NMWL), 2.2 nm (30 k NMWL), 1.6 nm (10 k NMWL) and 1.1 nm (0.5 k NMWL) by using “Stirred Ultra-filtration Cells”, operating in concentration mode. Thorium has only one stable oxidation state i.e. IV, under all redox conditions in natural waters and therefore, its speciation is dominated by its interaction with various fractions of DOC. Experimental results show 50–60 % of the spiked Th is in association with fraction enriched with particles of 10 k NMWL (1.6 nm) followed by fraction enriched with particle of 0.5 k NMWL and <220 nm.     

In Vitro Propagation and Assessment of the Genetic Fidelity of Musa acuminata (AAA) cv. Vaibalhla Derived from Immature Male Flowers

An efficient in vitro propagation method has been developed for the first time for Musa acuminata (AAA) cv. Vaibalhla, an economically important banana cultivar of Mizoram, India. Immature male flowers were used as explants. Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with plant growth regulators (PGRs) were used for the regeneration process. Out of different PGR combinations, MS medium supplemented with 2 mg L^?1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) + 0.5 mg L^?1 α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) was optimal for production of white bud-like structures (WBLS). On this medium, explants produced the highest number of buds per explant (4.30). The highest percentage (77.77) and number (3.51) of shoot formation from each explants was observed in MS medium supplemented with 2 mg L^?1 kinetin + 0.5 mg L^?1 NAA. While MS medium supplemented with a combination of 2 mg L^?1 BAP + 0.5 mg L^?1 NAA showed the maximum shoot length (14.44 cm). Rooting efficiency of the shoots was highest in the MS basal medium without any PGRs. The plantlets were hardened successfully in the greenhouse with 96 % survival rate. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were employed to assess the genetic stability of in vitro regenerated plantlets of M. acuminata (AAA) cv. Vaibalhla. Eight RAPD and 8 ISSR primers were successfully used for the analysis from the 40 RAPD and 30 ISSR primers screened initially. The amplified products were monomorphic across all the regenerated plants and were similar to the mother plant. The present standardised protocol will find application in mass production, conservation and genetic transformation studies of this commercially important banana.     

A review on sources,toxicity and remediation technologies for removing arsenic from drinking water

Arsenic is a natural element found in the environment in organic and inorganic forms. The inorganic form is much more toxic and is found in ground water, surface water and many foods. This form is responsible for many adverse health effects like cancer (skin, lung, liver, kidney and bladder mainly), and cardiovascular and neurological effects. The estimated number of people in Bangladesh in 1998 exposed to arsenic concentrations above 0.05 mg/l is 28–35 million, and the number of those exposed to more than 0.01 mg/l is 46–57 million. The estimated number of people in West Bengal, India (the border province to Bangladesh), in 1997 actually using arsenic-rich water is more than 1 million for concentrations above 0.05 mg/l and is 1.3 million for concentrations above 0.01 mg/l. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has estimated that 13 million of the US population are exposed to arsenic in drinking water at 0.01 mg/l. The situation has prevailed for more than 10 years and is more severe now. The USEPA lowered the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water arsenic from 50 to 10 μg/l in 2001 based on international data analysis and research. This recommendation is now on hold. The level of 10 ppb become standard in the European Union (EU) in 2001. Arsenic may be found in water flowing through arsenic-rich rocks. The source is diverse. These include the earth's crust, introduced into water through the dissociation of minerals and ores, industrial effluents to water, combustion of fossil fuels and seafoods. Arsenic-removal methods are coagulation (ferric sulfate, ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride, aluminum sulfate, copper sulfate, and calcium hydroxide as coagulants), adsorption (activated carbon, activated alumina, activated bauxite) ion exchange, bio-sorption, etc.     

Dehydration of glycerol with silica–phosphate-supported copper catalyst

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Silica–phosphate-supported copper catalyst was prepared by neutralization of sodium silicate with orthophosphoric acid followed by the addition of copper...     

BiVO4/TiO2 core-shell heterostructure: wide range optical absorption and enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance

In the present study, pristine BiVO₄, TiO₂ and BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell heterostructured nanoparticles are prepared by hydrothermal methods and studied for structural, morphological, optical, photoelectrochemical water splitting and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue as an organic pollutant. Both pristine BiVO₄ and TiO₂ exhibit poor PEC and PC performance under visible light illumination. However, an enhanced PEC and PC activity in BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell heterostructure is observed due to high solar energy absorption and superior charge separation properties in core-shell nanoparticles. The photoelectrode prepared using BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles exhibit a photocathode behavior and produced cathodic photocurrent, however, the pristine BiVO₄ and TiO₂ photoelectrodes act as photoanode and produced anodic photocurrent. This behavior of change in current direction is also observe in the Mott-Schottky analysis where the BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles photoelectrode exhibits the positive slow showing p-type semiconducting behavior. The change in cathodic photoresponse in core-shell nanoparticles in comparison to anodic photoresponse of BiVO₄ and TiO₂ nanoparticles is explained in terms of the variations in the work function values. These results highlight the advantages of core-shell nanoparticle of suitable materials for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical applications.     

Numerical investigation on the effect of magnetic field on natural convection heat transfer from a pair of embedded cylinders within a porous enclosure

The present work examines the influence of magnetohydrodynamic field on natural convection phenomena inside a porous square enclosure with a pair of embedded hot circular cylinders. Numerical investigations are performed to understand the effects of interspacing distance between the embedded cylinders, Hartmann number, Rayleigh number and Darcy number on the thermal transport process and the total irreversibility generation. It is observed that the isotherm distribution is strongly affected by the presence of magnetic field although the distribution of streamlines remains independent of the strength of magnetic field. This underlines the fact that magnetic field strongly influences the heat transfer process and entropy generation characteristics. It reveals that the natural convection is suppressed in the presence of a higher magnetic field as evident from the reduction in Nusselt number. It is observed that an increase in the spacing between the cylinders increases the heat transfer rate, and moreover, the effect of the magnetic field on heat transfer is more pronounced at higher interspacing distance between the embedded cylinders. The heat transfer rate increases significantly with the increase in the permeability of the medium. The entropy generation rate is independent of the strength of applied magnetic field. Further, the contribution of the entropy generation owing to friction is found to be negligible in total irreversibility obtained at lower values of Rayleigh number irrespective of Darcy number. However, the contribution of irreversibility owing to heat transfer is found to be minimal at higher values of Rayleigh number.

     

Synthesis of crescent shaped heterocycle-fused aromatics via Garratt-Braverman cyclization and their DNA-binding studies

Three crescent shaped heterocycle-fused phenanthrene based systems 1–3 have been synthesized starting from benzene (or substituted benzene) 1,2-bis-propargyl alcohols. Bis-alkylation with propargylic bromides provided the key intermediate, the bis-propargyl bis-ethers. In spite of the possibility of many competing reactions, the latter underwent facile double Garratt-Braverman cyclization to provide compounds 1–3 in near quantitative yield, in a striking reaction involving the formation of four C–C bonds in a single step. Compounds 1–3 showed binding interaction with DNA, predominantly, via groove binding along with partial intercalation (combilexins). Molecular docking study supported the proposed binding modes.