Groundnut is an important oilseed crop of the Indian subcontinent. Yield losses due to fungal diseases are enormous in the cultivation of this crop. Over-expression of PR proteins leads to increased resistance to pathogenic fungi in several crops. The PR protein glucanase hydrolyses a major cell-wall component, glucan, of pathogenic fungi and acts as a plant defense barrier. We report in this paper, overexpression of a tobacco glucanase in transgenic groundnut and its resistance towards Cercospora arachidicola and Aspergillus flavus. PCR, Southern and Northern hybridization confirmed stable integration and expression of the glucanase gene in groundnut transgenics. When screened for resistance against Cercospora arachidicola the transgenics showed not only reduction in the number of spots but also delay in the onset of disease. Resistance was also demonstrated against one another important pathogen of groundnut, Aspergillus flavus. The transgenics not only resisted hyphal spread but also did not accumulate aflatoxin in the seeds. The results demonstrate the potential of a PR protein from a heterologous source in developing fungal disease resistant groundnut.
Development of transgenics in pigeon pea remains dogged by poor plant regeneration in vitro from transformed tissues and low frequency transformation protocols. This article presents a non-tissue culture-based method of generating transgenic pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millisp.) plants using Agrobacterium-Ti plasmid-mediated transformation system. The protocol involves raising of whole plant transformants (T0 plants) directly from Agrobacterium-infected young seedlings. The plumular and intercotyledonary meristems of the seedling axes are targeted for transformation. The transformation conditions optimized were, pricking of the apical and intercotyledonary region of the seedling axes of two-day old germinating seedlings with a sewing needle, infection with Agrobacterium (LBA4404/pKIWI105 carrying uid A and npt II genes) in Winans' AB medium that was added with wounded tobacco leaf extract, co-cultivation in the same medium for 1h and transfer of seedlings to soilrite for further growth and hardening and subsequent transfer of seedlings to soil in pots in the greenhouse. Out of the 22-25 primary transformants that survived infection-hardening treatments from each of the three experiments, 15 plants on the average established on the soil under greenhouse conditions, showed slow growth initially, nevertheless grew as normal plants, and flowered and set seed eventually. Of the several seeds harvested from all the T0 plants, six hundred were sown to obtain progeny (T1) plants and 350 of these were randomly analysed to determine their transgenic nature. PCR was performed for both gus (uid A) and npt II genes. Forty eight of the 350 T1 plants amplified both transgenes. Southern blot analysis substantiated the integration and transmission of these genes. The protocol ensured generation of pigeon pea transgenic plants with considerable ease in a short time and is applicable across different genotypes/cultivars of the crop and offers immense potential as a supplemental or an alternative protocol for generating transgenic plants of difficult-to-regenerate pigeon pea. Further, the protocol offers the option of doing away with a selection step in the procedure and so facilitates transformation, which is free of marker genes.
The amenability and reproducibility of a tissue culture-independent Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation strategy was analyzed in field bean and the stability of the transgenes was examined. The protocol involves in planta inoculation of embryo axes of germinating seeds and allowing them to grow into seedlings ex vitro. Transformants were raised using a chimeric Bt gene, cry1AcF, and putative transformants were analyzed by PCR for both cry1AcF as well as the nptII genes. Bioassays against Helicoverpa armigera, the major pod borer, showed that several T 1 plants performed well with 17% of T 1 plants harboring the transgene. Further, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quick dip strip test confirmed the expression of the chimeric Bt toxin. The stability of the transgenes was checked in three generations for integration, expression, and efficacy against the two insects, H. armigera and Spodoptera litura. Southern blot analysis of 10 high expressing plants confirmed the integration of the transgene, whereas single copy integration of the T-DNA in 5 events was also evident. Transcript accumulation of the cry1AcF gene by Northern analysis supported the expression analysis by ELISA. Likewise, Western blot analysis for the NPTII protein further confirmed the transgenic nature of the plants. At the end of the analysis in the T 3 generation, five plants from five T 1 events were selected as promising. Therefore, the study proved not only the amenability of the field bean to the transformation protocol but also the stability of the introduced genes through three generations.
In most cases, the death of neurons in certain parts of the brain is the defining feature of a condition that is classified as neurodegenerative. There have been studies conducted on both conventional and innovative drugs, however the results have shown that they only offer symptomatic advantages and come with a number of undesirable side effects. The finding of more potent compounds that can stop the pathophysiology of these diseases will be seen as a miracle in the present day. There is a wide variety of synthetic compounds accessible; nevertheless, these drugs may also create a broad range of additional health issues. As a consequence of this, scientists are looking to plants and other natural sources for the development of new medicines. In the practise of conventional medicine, it has been discovered that certain plants possess healing powers. The use of phytochemicals, which are produced from medicinal plants, may eventually replace the need for synthetic molecules. Numerous phytochemicals have been shown to be effective in the treatment of a wide range of diseases. This article discusses the potential therapeutic applications of plant-derived alkaloids for a number of neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD), Parkinson's disease (PD), epilepsy, schizophrenia, and stroke. There are many different types of alkaloids that can be found in the plant kingdom. Some of these alkaloids include isoquinoline, indole, pyrroloindole, oxindole, piperidine, pyridine, aporphine, vinca, -carboline, methylxanthene, lycopodium, and erythrine byproducts. Alkaloids have a beneficial effect on the pathophysiology of these diseases because of their ability to act as muscarinic and adenosine receptor agonists, anti-oxidants, anti-amyloid and MAO inhibitors, acetylcholinestrase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors, an inhibitor of synuclein aggregation, dopaminergic and nicotine agonists, and NMDA antagonists.
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