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Rhizome extract of Bergenia ciliata was used as a bio-functional reducing material for the green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). CuO NPs were characterized using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). XRD analysis revealed the monoclinic phase of synthesized CuO NPs with an average particle size of 20 nm. Spherical shaped nanoscale CuO particles were observed by EDX and SEM confirming the Cu and O presence in the synthesized NPs. CuO NPs showed antibacterial effects against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi. The antioxidant effect was measured and IC50 values for 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and Ferric reducing antioxidant power assays were found to be 91.2, 72.4 and 109 μg mL− 1 respectively. Under sunlight, the CuO NPs reported extraordinary photocatalytic activity against Methylene Blue and Methyl Red degradation with efficiencies of 92–85%. CuO NPs have excellent potential application for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and in the development of antibacterial materials. This study offers new insights in the field of inexpensive and green synthesis-based antimicrobial effective CuO photocatalysts from B. ciliata to remove harmful dyes from industrial-based waters with high degradation efficiency, which is environmentally friendly.

DNA methyltransferase (DMTase) enzymes contribute to plant development and stress responses by de novo establishment and subsequent maintenance of DNA methylation during replication. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this activity remains obscure, especially in crop species. Using DMTase homolog complement in six Solanaceae species, we demonstrated here that their number remained conserved in Solanum lineage, whereas it was expanded in both pepper and Nicotiana benthamiana. Non-synonymous vs synonymous (Ka/Ks) substitution ratio revealed that most of the Solanaceous DMTase homologs undergo purifying selection. The genomic sequences of tomato DMT homologs in its wild relative, Solanum pennellii, remained highly conserved in their exons and methyltransferase domains. Structure analysis further revealed highly similar folding of DMTase homologs and conservation in the residues participating in protein-protein interaction in Solanum lineage, whereas a considerable diversification was observed of pepper homologs. Transcript profiling of DMTases highlighted both similar and distinct expression patterns of tomato homologs in other species during fruit development and stress responses. Overall, our analysis provides a strong basis for in-depth exploration of both conserved as well as distinct functions of tomato DMTase homologs in other economically important Solanaceae species.

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