A simple, high-frequency and reproducible protocol for induction of adventitious shoot buds and plant regeneration from leaf-disc cultures of Jatropha curcas L. has been developed. Adventitious shoot buds were induced from very young leaf explants of in vitro germinated seedlings as well as mature field-grown plants cultured on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with thidiazuron (TDZ) (2.27 lM), 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) (2.22 lM) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (0.49 lM). The presence of TDZ in the induction medium has greater influence on the induction of adventitious shoot buds, whereas BA in the absence of TDZ promoted callus induction rather than shoot buds. Induced shoot buds were multiplied and elongated into shoots following transfer to the MS medium supplemented with BA (4.44 lM), kinetin (Kn) (2.33 lM), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (1.43 lM), and gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) (0.72 lM). Well-developed shoots were rooted on MS medium supplemented with IBA (0.5 lM) after 30 days. Regenerated plants after 2 months of acclimatization were successfully transferred to the field without visible morphological variation. This protocol might find use in mass production of true-to-type plants and in production of transgenic plants through Agrobacterium/biolistic-mediated transformation.

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Plant tissue culture and molecular biology techniques are powerful tools of biotechnology that can complement conventional breeding, expedite crop improvement and meet the demand for availability of uniform clones in large numbers. Jatropha curcas Linn., a non-edible, eco-friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable fuelproducing plant has attracted worldwide attention as an alternate sustainable energy source for the future. This review presents a consolidated account of biotechnological interventions made in J. curcas over the decades and focuses on contemporary information and trends of future research.

With the increase in crude oil prices, climate change concerns and limited reserves of fossil fuel, attention has been diverted to alternate renewable energy sources such as biofuel and biomass. Among the potential biofuel crops, Jatropha curcas L, a non-domesticated shrub, has been gaining importance as the most promising oilseed, as it does not compete with the edible oil supplies. Economic relevance of J. curcas for biodiesel production has promoted world-wide prospecting of its germplasm for crop improvement and breeding. However, lack of adequate genetic variation and non-availability of improved varieties limited its prospects of being a successful energy crop. In this review, we present the progress made in molecular breeding approaches with particular reference to tissue culture and genetic transformation, genetic diversity assessment using molecular markers, large-scale transcriptome and proteome studies, identification of candidate genes for trait improvement, whole genome sequencing and the current interest by various public and private sector companies in commercial-scale cultivation, which highlights the revival of Jatropha as a sustainable energy crop. The information generated from molecular markers, transcriptome profiling and whole genome sequencing could accelerate the genetic upgradation of J. curcas through molecular breeding.

Probiotics are amongst the most common microbes in the gastro-intestinal tract of humans and other animals. Prominent among probiotics are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. They offer wide-ranging health promoting benefits to the host which include reduction in pathological alterations, stimulation of mucosal immunity and interaction with mediators of inflammation among others. Proteomics plays a vital role in understanding biological functions of a cell. Proteomics is also slowly and steadily adding to the existing knowledge on role of probiotics. In this paper, the proteomics of probiotics, with special reference to lactic acid bacteria is reviewed with a view to understand i) proteome map, ii) mechanism of adaptation to harsh gut environment such as low pH and bile acid, iii) role of cell surface proteins in adhering to intestinal epithelial cells, and iv) as a tool to answer basic cell functions. We have also reviewed various analytical methods used to carry out proteome analysis, in which 2D-MS and LC-MS/MS approaches were found to be versatile methods to perform high-throughput sample analyses even for a complex gut samples. Further, we present future road map of understanding gut microbes combining meta-proteomics, meta-genomics, meta-transcriptomics and -metabolomics.

Jatropha curcas L. (Physic nut) is a commercially important non-edible oil seed crop known for its use as an alternate source of biodiesel. In order to investigate the morphogenic potential of immature embryo, explants from four developmental stages were cultured on medium supplemented with combinations of auxins and cytokinins. It was found that the size of embryo is critical for the establishment of callus. Immature embryos (1.1-1.5 cm) obtained from the fruits 6 weeks after pollination showed a good response of morphogenic callus induction (85.7%) and subsequent plant regeneration (70%) with the maximum number of plantlets (4.7/explant) on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with IBA (0.5 mg l -1 ) and BA (1.0 mg l -1 ). The above medium when supplemented with growth adjuvants such as 100 mg l -1 casein hydrolysate ? 200 mg l -1 L-glutamine ? 8.0 mg l -1 CuSO 4 resulted in an even higher frequency of callus induction (100%). Plant regeneration (90%) with the maximum number of plantlets (10/explant) was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 500 mg l -1 polyvinyl pyrrolidone ? 30 mg l -1 citric acid ? 1 mg l -1 BA ? 0.5 mg l -1 Kn ? 0.25 mg l -1 IBA. It was observed that plantlet regeneration could occur either through organogenesis of morphogenic callus or via multiplication of pre-existing meristem in immature embryos. The age of immature embryos and addition of a combination of growth adjuvants to the culture medium appear to be critical for obtaining high regeneration rates. Well-developed shoots rooted on halfstrength MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg l -1 IBA and 342 mg l -1 trehalose. The rooted plants after acclimatization were successfully transferred to the field in different agro-climatic zones in India. This protocol has been successfully evaluated on five elite lines of J. curcas.

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