Background: Traditionally, microbial genome sequencing has been restrained to the species grown i... more Background: Traditionally, microbial genome sequencing has been restrained to the species grown in pure culture. The development of culture-independent techniques over the last decade allows scientists to sequence microbial communities directly from environmental samples. Metagenomics is the study of complex genome by the isolation of DNA of the whole community. Next generation sequencing (NGS) of metagenomic DNA gives information about the microbial and taxonomical characterization of a particular niche. The objective of the present research is to study the microbial and taxonomical characterization of the metagenomic DNA, isolated from the frozen soil sample of a glacier in the north western Himalayas through NGS. Results: The glacier community comprised of 16 phyla with the representation of members belonging to Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria. The number of genes annotated through the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), GO, Pfam, Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COGs), and FIG databases were generated by COGNIZER. The annotation of genes assigned in each group from the metagenomics data through COG database and the number of genes annotated in different pathways through KEGG database were reported. Conclusion: Results indicate that the glacier soil taken in the present study, harbors taxonomically and metabolically diverse communities. The major bacterial group present in the niche is Proteobacteria followed by Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria, etc. Different genes were annotated through COG and KEGG databases that integrate genomic, chemical, and systemic functional information.
The present study was designed to investigate the anti-allergic effects of ethanolic extract of A... more The present study was designed to investigate the anti-allergic effects of ethanolic extract of Alternanthera sessilis (AS-1) in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. It significantly reduced the β-hexosaminidase release from anti-DNP-IgE sensitized RBL-2H3 cells. AS-1also inhibited the IgE antibody-induced increase in Interleukin-6 (IL-6), TNF-α, IL-13 and IL-4 production in these cells. The inhibitory effect of AS-1 on these cytokine was found to be nuclear factor-KB (NF-kB) dependent, as it attenuated the degradation of IKBa and nuclear translocation of NFkB. In addition, AS-1 significantly attenuated the DNP HAS-induced intracellular Ca(2+) release from these cells, which makes us speculate strongly that the decreased intracellular Ca(2+) is involved in the inhibitory effect of AS-1 on β-hexoaminidase release. Taken together, anti-allergic effects of AS-1 suggest possible therapeutic application of this extract in allergic diseases.
An isolated strain of Bacillus subtilis identified by 16S rDNA sequence analysis produces an enan... more An isolated strain of Bacillus subtilis identified by 16S rDNA sequence analysis produces an enantioselective ester hydrolase. Whole cells of B. subtilis (RRL BB1) and enzyme derived from it was capable of enantioselective hydrolysis of several racemates including drug intermediates with moderate to high enantioselectivity as already reported by us. In this communication, we describe cloning of the gene encoding the enantioselective esterase designated as estBB1. The primary structure of the enzyme determined from the nucleotide sequence indicated that esterase estBB1 has Mw ∼52 kDa and pI ∼5.2 and belongs to the family of type B carboxylesterases with 50-60% similarity at amino acid level. Alignment studies of sequences of the estBB1 and Pnb esterase 56C8 from B. subtilis showed that estBB1 has an ␣/ hydrolase fold with catalytic triad formed by Ser190, Glu305 and His394 at active site and Ser190 is located in the conserved motif-G-X-S-X-G- .
Indo global journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 2014
Myxobacteria are Gram-negative gliding bacteria with a high G + C content, performing a complex s... more Myxobacteria are Gram-negative gliding bacteria with a high G + C content, performing a complex series of cellular differentiation processes that lead to fruiting body formation. Myxobacteria have been shown to be a rich source of industrially important enzymes like various type of hydrolases. Myxobacteria are also known to be a source of a wide
Journal of applied biology and biotechnology, 2023
Bioactive compounds from microbial bioresources are among nature's unprocessed chemical metabolit... more Bioactive compounds from microbial bioresources are among nature's unprocessed chemical metabolites. These metabolites play a key function in creating inter-kingdom relationships. Scientists have been looking for bioactive metabolites with pharmacological activities in a variety of microbes over the last few years. Antibiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, and anti diabetics are all known to be found in microorganisms. The quantity and quality of microbial metabolites being evaluated have increased rapidly as a result of the development of high-throughput methods. According to some reports, microbial metabolites are much more effective in terms of effectiveness and potential for treating human diseases than their chemical counterparts. The present review deals about bioactive compounds producing microbes, their taxonomic diversity, various technologies for their extraction, the clinical status of these compounds, genomics and metagenomics-based approaches, and the biotechnological application of these compounds in healthcare.
The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbac... more The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbacteria isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L. Dunal. Endophytes have long been acknowledged as enzyme manufacturers for their natural requirements, more specifically as manufacturers of a sequence of enzymes needed to penetrate and colonize their plant hosts, including hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, however, the possible use of endophytes as sources of industrial enzymes has not received much attention. The current findings suggest the potential of B. pumilus WSS5 lipase owing to promising properties such as the alkali-thermostability, organic solvent-tolerance, and broad substrate specificity that makes it a strong candidate for application in detergent formulations, biotransformation, industries, and medicine and moreover this is the first report on on the purification and characterization of lipase from bacterial endophyte isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L.
The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbac... more The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbacteria isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L. Dunal. Endophytes have long been acknowledged as enzyme manufacturers for their natural requirements, more specifically as manufacturers of a sequence of enzymes needed to penetrate and colonize their plant hosts, including hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, however, the possible use of endophytes as sources of industrial enzymes has not received much attention. The current findings suggest the potential of B. pumilus WSS5 lipase owing to promising properties such as the alkali-thermostability, organic solvent-tolerance, and broad substrate specificity that makes it a strong candidate for application in detergent formulations, biotransformation, industries, and medicine and moreover this is the first report on on the purification and characterization of lipase from bacterial endophyte isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L.
In a little over a century, plastic has gone from being addressed as a scientific marvel to being... more In a little over a century, plastic has gone from being addressed as a scientific marvel to being reviled as an ecological scourge. Development and modernization have brought about a colossal swell in the global plastic fabrication and consumption, due to its immense applications, versatility and relatively paltry cost. The main bottleneck lies in its disposal. They tend to endure in the environment for an implausibly long time and thus traverse from one habitat to another and then get incorporated in food chain, posing ignoramus risks for communities, ecosystems, and the planet. Indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste at startling rates has driven to a search for an all-inclusive, proficient, and sustainable remediation research work looking for a practical alternative to manage, process, and dispose of plastic debris. Albeit, there are several processes such as incineration, landfilling, and recycling available but are unsustainable, costly, and has serious repercussions on the environment, wildlife, marine, and human health. Thus, contemporary focus has been highlighted on the need for substitutes such as biodegradable plastics and surrogate disposal approaches, namely, the potential of microbes to degrade synthetic plastics with no inimical impact. In this regard, bacteria and fungi have been shown to ingurgitate these polymers and metamorphose them into environmental friendly carbon compounds. The present review covers the types of plastics, their applications, plastic degradation with more weight on the multifaceted roles played by microorganisms, their modus operandi, and probable enzymatic mechanisms.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
This is a follow-up study of our previous work in which we screened a series of Vasicine analogue... more This is a follow-up study of our previous work in which we screened a series of Vasicine analogues for their anti-inflammatory activity in a preventive OVA induced murine model of asthma. The study demonstrated that R8, one of the analogues, significantly suppressed the Th2 cytokine production and eosinophil recruitment to the airways. In the present study, we have been using two standard experimental murine models of asthma, where the mice were treated with R8 either during (preventive use) or after (therapeutic use) the development of asthma features. In the preventive model, R8 reduced inflammatory cell infiltration to the airways, OVA specific IgE and Th2 cytokine production. Also, the R8 treatment in the therapeutic model decreased methacholine induced AHR, Th2 cytokine release, serum IgE levels, infiltration of inflammatory cells into the airways, phosphorylation of STAT6 and expression of GATA3. Moreover, R8 not only reduced goblet cell metaplasia in asthmatic mice but also r...
Background: Peroxidase activity was increased during germination of green gram and its increase m... more Background: Peroxidase activity was increased during germination of green gram and its increase may have benefits in many physiological processes. The present study is to investigate the optimum conditions for the extraction, purification and characterization of peroxidase from the germinated green gram roots and also its application for the removal of phenols in water. Results: Peroxidase activity was increased by 300-fold in five-day germinated green gram. As root was rich in peroxidase activity, peroxidase from roots was isolated and purified to homogeneity. The purified peroxidase showed a single band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular weight of 50 kDa, with an optimum pH of 5.5 and with pH stability ranging from 5 to 9. The
It is a known fact that the bacterial and fungal endophytes inhabit the plant tissues besides aid... more It is a known fact that the bacterial and fungal endophytes inhabit the plant tissues besides aiding in the better growth and health of the plants. The bark and leaves of Taxus wallichiana have drawn a lot of interest in recent years since they are the richest source of taxol, an anticancer drug. As it is a slow-growing tree that can only be regenerated via vegetative propagation, it has been classified as a critical rare species due to its extensive collection for medicinal and other purposes. Nonetheless, the use of endophytes as plant growth promoters is gaining much importance among environmentalists and agronomists because of their imperative role in crop production. Even then, there is hardly any information available regarding the growth-promoting endophytes isolated from bark and leaves associated with T. wallichiana commonly known as Himalayan Yew. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to isolate fungal and bacterial endophytes from T. wallichiana and to classify the growth-promoting properties of these endophytes. In total, seven fungal and ten bacterial endophytes were obtained from different parts of T. wallichiana. All of the isolated fungal and bacterial endophytes produced indole acetic acid while most of them also produced ammonia. Besides, the fungal and bacterial endophytes were also screened for antimicrobial and various enzymatic activities. Based on the above results, the two fungal endophytes were selected for their possible ability to promote seed growth. The results showed that the fungal endophytes isolated from T. wallichiana played an active role in increasing growth in other plant species and therefore, can be used as potential plant growth promoters.
Background: Traditionally, microbial genome sequencing has been restrained to the species grown i... more Background: Traditionally, microbial genome sequencing has been restrained to the species grown in pure culture. The development of culture-independent techniques over the last decade allows scientists to sequence microbial communities directly from environmental samples. Metagenomics is the study of complex genome by the isolation of DNA of the whole community. Next generation sequencing (NGS) of metagenomic DNA gives information about the microbial and taxonomical characterization of a particular niche. The objective of the present research is to study the microbial and taxonomical characterization of the metagenomic DNA, isolated from the frozen soil sample of a glacier in the north western Himalayas through NGS. Results: The glacier community comprised of 16 phyla with the representation of members belonging to Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria. The number of genes annotated through the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), GO, Pfam, Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COGs), and FIG databases were generated by COGNIZER. The annotation of genes assigned in each group from the metagenomics data through COG database and the number of genes annotated in different pathways through KEGG database were reported. Conclusion: Results indicate that the glacier soil taken in the present study, harbors taxonomically and metabolically diverse communities. The major bacterial group present in the niche is Proteobacteria followed by Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria, etc. Different genes were annotated through COG and KEGG databases that integrate genomic, chemical, and systemic functional information.
The present study was designed to investigate the anti-allergic effects of ethanolic extract of A... more The present study was designed to investigate the anti-allergic effects of ethanolic extract of Alternanthera sessilis (AS-1) in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. It significantly reduced the β-hexosaminidase release from anti-DNP-IgE sensitized RBL-2H3 cells. AS-1also inhibited the IgE antibody-induced increase in Interleukin-6 (IL-6), TNF-α, IL-13 and IL-4 production in these cells. The inhibitory effect of AS-1 on these cytokine was found to be nuclear factor-KB (NF-kB) dependent, as it attenuated the degradation of IKBa and nuclear translocation of NFkB. In addition, AS-1 significantly attenuated the DNP HAS-induced intracellular Ca(2+) release from these cells, which makes us speculate strongly that the decreased intracellular Ca(2+) is involved in the inhibitory effect of AS-1 on β-hexoaminidase release. Taken together, anti-allergic effects of AS-1 suggest possible therapeutic application of this extract in allergic diseases.
An isolated strain of Bacillus subtilis identified by 16S rDNA sequence analysis produces an enan... more An isolated strain of Bacillus subtilis identified by 16S rDNA sequence analysis produces an enantioselective ester hydrolase. Whole cells of B. subtilis (RRL BB1) and enzyme derived from it was capable of enantioselective hydrolysis of several racemates including drug intermediates with moderate to high enantioselectivity as already reported by us. In this communication, we describe cloning of the gene encoding the enantioselective esterase designated as estBB1. The primary structure of the enzyme determined from the nucleotide sequence indicated that esterase estBB1 has Mw ∼52 kDa and pI ∼5.2 and belongs to the family of type B carboxylesterases with 50-60% similarity at amino acid level. Alignment studies of sequences of the estBB1 and Pnb esterase 56C8 from B. subtilis showed that estBB1 has an ␣/ hydrolase fold with catalytic triad formed by Ser190, Glu305 and His394 at active site and Ser190 is located in the conserved motif-G-X-S-X-G- .
Indo global journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 2014
Myxobacteria are Gram-negative gliding bacteria with a high G + C content, performing a complex s... more Myxobacteria are Gram-negative gliding bacteria with a high G + C content, performing a complex series of cellular differentiation processes that lead to fruiting body formation. Myxobacteria have been shown to be a rich source of industrially important enzymes like various type of hydrolases. Myxobacteria are also known to be a source of a wide
Journal of applied biology and biotechnology, 2023
Bioactive compounds from microbial bioresources are among nature's unprocessed chemical metabolit... more Bioactive compounds from microbial bioresources are among nature's unprocessed chemical metabolites. These metabolites play a key function in creating inter-kingdom relationships. Scientists have been looking for bioactive metabolites with pharmacological activities in a variety of microbes over the last few years. Antibiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, and anti diabetics are all known to be found in microorganisms. The quantity and quality of microbial metabolites being evaluated have increased rapidly as a result of the development of high-throughput methods. According to some reports, microbial metabolites are much more effective in terms of effectiveness and potential for treating human diseases than their chemical counterparts. The present review deals about bioactive compounds producing microbes, their taxonomic diversity, various technologies for their extraction, the clinical status of these compounds, genomics and metagenomics-based approaches, and the biotechnological application of these compounds in healthcare.
The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbac... more The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbacteria isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L. Dunal. Endophytes have long been acknowledged as enzyme manufacturers for their natural requirements, more specifically as manufacturers of a sequence of enzymes needed to penetrate and colonize their plant hosts, including hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, however, the possible use of endophytes as sources of industrial enzymes has not received much attention. The current findings suggest the potential of B. pumilus WSS5 lipase owing to promising properties such as the alkali-thermostability, organic solvent-tolerance, and broad substrate specificity that makes it a strong candidate for application in detergent formulations, biotransformation, industries, and medicine and moreover this is the first report on on the purification and characterization of lipase from bacterial endophyte isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L.
The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbac... more The manuscript is about the purification and characterization of the lipase from an endophyticbacteria isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L. Dunal. Endophytes have long been acknowledged as enzyme manufacturers for their natural requirements, more specifically as manufacturers of a sequence of enzymes needed to penetrate and colonize their plant hosts, including hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, however, the possible use of endophytes as sources of industrial enzymes has not received much attention. The current findings suggest the potential of B. pumilus WSS5 lipase owing to promising properties such as the alkali-thermostability, organic solvent-tolerance, and broad substrate specificity that makes it a strong candidate for application in detergent formulations, biotransformation, industries, and medicine and moreover this is the first report on on the purification and characterization of lipase from bacterial endophyte isolated from the stem of Withania somnifera L.
In a little over a century, plastic has gone from being addressed as a scientific marvel to being... more In a little over a century, plastic has gone from being addressed as a scientific marvel to being reviled as an ecological scourge. Development and modernization have brought about a colossal swell in the global plastic fabrication and consumption, due to its immense applications, versatility and relatively paltry cost. The main bottleneck lies in its disposal. They tend to endure in the environment for an implausibly long time and thus traverse from one habitat to another and then get incorporated in food chain, posing ignoramus risks for communities, ecosystems, and the planet. Indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste at startling rates has driven to a search for an all-inclusive, proficient, and sustainable remediation research work looking for a practical alternative to manage, process, and dispose of plastic debris. Albeit, there are several processes such as incineration, landfilling, and recycling available but are unsustainable, costly, and has serious repercussions on the environment, wildlife, marine, and human health. Thus, contemporary focus has been highlighted on the need for substitutes such as biodegradable plastics and surrogate disposal approaches, namely, the potential of microbes to degrade synthetic plastics with no inimical impact. In this regard, bacteria and fungi have been shown to ingurgitate these polymers and metamorphose them into environmental friendly carbon compounds. The present review covers the types of plastics, their applications, plastic degradation with more weight on the multifaceted roles played by microorganisms, their modus operandi, and probable enzymatic mechanisms.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
This is a follow-up study of our previous work in which we screened a series of Vasicine analogue... more This is a follow-up study of our previous work in which we screened a series of Vasicine analogues for their anti-inflammatory activity in a preventive OVA induced murine model of asthma. The study demonstrated that R8, one of the analogues, significantly suppressed the Th2 cytokine production and eosinophil recruitment to the airways. In the present study, we have been using two standard experimental murine models of asthma, where the mice were treated with R8 either during (preventive use) or after (therapeutic use) the development of asthma features. In the preventive model, R8 reduced inflammatory cell infiltration to the airways, OVA specific IgE and Th2 cytokine production. Also, the R8 treatment in the therapeutic model decreased methacholine induced AHR, Th2 cytokine release, serum IgE levels, infiltration of inflammatory cells into the airways, phosphorylation of STAT6 and expression of GATA3. Moreover, R8 not only reduced goblet cell metaplasia in asthmatic mice but also r...
Background: Peroxidase activity was increased during germination of green gram and its increase m... more Background: Peroxidase activity was increased during germination of green gram and its increase may have benefits in many physiological processes. The present study is to investigate the optimum conditions for the extraction, purification and characterization of peroxidase from the germinated green gram roots and also its application for the removal of phenols in water. Results: Peroxidase activity was increased by 300-fold in five-day germinated green gram. As root was rich in peroxidase activity, peroxidase from roots was isolated and purified to homogeneity. The purified peroxidase showed a single band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular weight of 50 kDa, with an optimum pH of 5.5 and with pH stability ranging from 5 to 9. The
It is a known fact that the bacterial and fungal endophytes inhabit the plant tissues besides aid... more It is a known fact that the bacterial and fungal endophytes inhabit the plant tissues besides aiding in the better growth and health of the plants. The bark and leaves of Taxus wallichiana have drawn a lot of interest in recent years since they are the richest source of taxol, an anticancer drug. As it is a slow-growing tree that can only be regenerated via vegetative propagation, it has been classified as a critical rare species due to its extensive collection for medicinal and other purposes. Nonetheless, the use of endophytes as plant growth promoters is gaining much importance among environmentalists and agronomists because of their imperative role in crop production. Even then, there is hardly any information available regarding the growth-promoting endophytes isolated from bark and leaves associated with T. wallichiana commonly known as Himalayan Yew. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to isolate fungal and bacterial endophytes from T. wallichiana and to classify the growth-promoting properties of these endophytes. In total, seven fungal and ten bacterial endophytes were obtained from different parts of T. wallichiana. All of the isolated fungal and bacterial endophytes produced indole acetic acid while most of them also produced ammonia. Besides, the fungal and bacterial endophytes were also screened for antimicrobial and various enzymatic activities. Based on the above results, the two fungal endophytes were selected for their possible ability to promote seed growth. The results showed that the fungal endophytes isolated from T. wallichiana played an active role in increasing growth in other plant species and therefore, can be used as potential plant growth promoters.
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