SummaryTuberculosis (TB) is primarily associated with decline in immune health status. As gut microbiome (GM) is implicated in the regulation of host immunity and metabolism, here we investigate GM alteration in TB patients by 16S rRNA gene and whole-genome shotgun sequencing. The study group constituted of patients with pulmonary TB and their healthy household contacts as controls (HCs). Significant alteration of microbial taxonomic and functional capacity was observed in patients with active TB as compared to the HCs. We observed that Prevotella and Bifidobacterium abundance were associated with HCs, whereas butyrate and propionate-producing bacteria like Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, Eubacterium and Phascolarctobacterium were significantly enriched in TB patients. Functional analysis showed reduced biosynthesis of vitamins and amino acids in favour of enriched metabolism of butyrate and propionate in TB subjects. The TB subjects were also investigated during the course of treatment, to analyse the variation of GM. Although perturbation in microbial composition was still evident after a month's administration of anti-TB drugs, significant changes were observed in metagenome gene pool that pointed towards recovery in functional capacity. Therefore, the findings from this pilot study suggest that microbial dysbiosis may contribute to pathophysiology of TB by enhancing the anti-inflammatory milieu in the host.

Traditional cultivars of rice in India exhibit tolerance to drought stress due to their inherent genetic variations. Here we present comparative physiological and transcriptome analyses of two contrasting cultivars, drought tolerant Dhagaddeshi (DD) and susceptible IR20. Microarray analysis revealed several differentially expressed genes (DEGs) exclusively in DD as compared to IR20 seedlings exposed to 3 h drought stress. Physiologically, DD seedlings showed higher cell membrane stability and differential ABA accumulation in response to dehydration, coupled with rapid changes in gene expression. Detailed analyses of metabolic pathways enriched in expression data suggest interplay of ABA dependent along with secondary and redox metabolic networks that activate osmotic and detoxification signalling in DD. By co-localization of DEGs with QTLs from databases or published literature for physiological traits of DD and IR20, candidate genes were identified including those underlying major QTL qDTY1.1 in DD. Further, we identified previously uncharacterized genes from both DD and IR20 under drought conditions including OsWRKY51, OsVP1 and confirmed their expression by qPCR in multiple rice cultivars. OsFBK1 was also functionally validated in susceptible PB1 rice cultivar and Arabidopsis for providing drought tolerance. Some of the DEGs mapped to the known QTLs could thus, be of potential significance for marker-assisted breeding.

Auxin is among the key growth regulators that play diverse roles in virtually all aspects of plant growth and development. Intensive investigations during the past two decades have helped in elucidation of auxin perception and signal transduction mechanisms operative in plants. In addition to its primary role in regulating plant development, several studies in recent years have provided unfl inching evidence for the involvement of auxin in abiotic stress responses. Functional genomics studies and genome-wide expression analysis have revealed altered expression of auxin-responsive genes, such as Aux/IAA , GH3 , SAURs , and ARFs , under abiotic stress conditions . Variations in endogenous levels of auxin at global and local levels under various abiotic stress conditions have been associated with phenotypic changes and provided intriguing evidences regarding its role in response to environmental changes. Modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in response to exogenous auxin as well as to drought, salinity, and ABA have indicated towards a complex relationship network between auxin, ROS, and abiotic stresses in plants. The advent of recent functional genomics technologies has led to identifi cation of several candidate genes that may modulate crosstalk between auxin and abiotic stresses. This chapter discusses auxin homeostasis, signal transduction mechanisms, and how these processes are modulated under abiotic stresses, thus emphasizing on the emerging roles of auxin as a key integrator of abiotic stress pathways and plant development.

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The members of early auxin response gene family, Aux/IAA, encode negative regulators of auxin signaling but play a central role in auxin‐mediated plant development. Here we report the interaction of an Aux/IAA protein, AtIAA14, with Drought‐induced‐19 (Di19‐3) protein and its possible role in auxin signaling. The Atdi19‐3 mutant seedlings develop short hypocotyl, both in light and dark, and are compromised in temperature‐induced hypocotyl elongation. The mutant plants accumulate more IAA and also show altered expression of NIT2, ILL5, and YUCCA genes involved in auxin biosynthesis and homeostasis, along with many auxin responsive genes like AUX1 and MYB77. Atdi19‐3 seedlings show enhanced root growth inhibition when grown in the medium supplemented with auxin. Nevertheless, number of lateral roots is low in Atdi19‐3 seedlings grown on the basal medium. We have shown that AtIAA14 physically interacts with AtDi19‐3 in yeast two‐hybrid (Y2H), bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and in vitro pull‐down assays. However, the auxin‐induced degradation of AtIAA14 in the Atdi19‐3 seedlings was delayed. By expressing pIAA14::mIAA14‐GFP in Atdi19‐3 mutant background, it became apparent that both Di19‐3 and AtIAA14 work in the same pathway and influence lateral root development in Arabidopsis. Gain‐of‐function slr‐1/iaa14 (slr) mutant, like Atdi19‐3, showed tolerance to abiotic stress in seed germination and cotyledon greening assays. The Atdi19‐3 seedlings showed enhanced sensitivity to ethylene in triple response assay and AgNO3, an ethylene inhibitor, caused profuse lateral root formation in the mutant seedlings. These observations suggest that AtDi19‐3 interacting with AtIAA14, in all probability, serves as a positive regulator of auxin signaling and also plays a role in some ethylene‐mediated responses in Arabidopsis.Significance StatementThis study has demonstrated interaction of auxin responsive Aux/IAA with Drought‐induced 19 (Di19) protein and its possible implication in abiotic stress response.

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Purpose: To assess the prevalence of post-COVID symptoms in patients with recovered COVID-19 (nasopharyngeal RT PCR negative) who were discharged from an acute COVID care facility at a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India. Methods: This study was an observational study with retrospective data collection, conducted in the COVID follow-up clinic, a combined clinic of medicine and endocrinology. Patients discharged from the acute COVID care facility were recruited after 14 days of discharge if they fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria. The retrospective data was collected from the hospital records/EMR and analysed by the SPSSv23. Results: Fifty patients, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in the study. The Mean age of patients was 53.4±13.8 years (range 28-77). Seventy six percent were male, and 38% had type 2 diabetes. Fever (94%), cough (78%) and breathlessness (68%), were the most common symptoms at presentation to acute care facility. Oxygen saturation at presentation had a negative correlation with D-Dimer, age, and C reactive protein. When patients were evaluated clinically, after 14 days (range 15 to 50 days) of the discharge, 82% of patients had at least one persistent symptom. Fatigue (74%) was the most common symptoms in follow-up followed by breathlessness (44%), and muscle weakness (36%). Two patients had persistent fever, even after negative RT PCR status. Conclusion: Patients discharged from the acute COVID care facility had a high prevalence of post-COVID symptoms even after 14 days.