Because of high specificity and easy detection in the tissues, serum, plasma, urine and saliva, interest in exploring the potential of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer patients continues to increase. LncRNAs have shown potential as a biomarker in the diagnosis and prognosis of bladder cancer, prostate cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and many other cancer types. Some lncRNAs have also been used as adjunct to improve the specificity and sensitivity of existing biomarkers. The molecular tools such as RNA-seq, RNA-FISH, ic-SHAPE and quantitative real-time PCR have been used for examining the lncRNAs' potential. Some lncRNAs such as PCA3 is now routinely used in the clinic for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in lncRNAs can also be used as a predictor of cancer risk. Although ongoing studies continue to unravel the underlying mechanism, some lncRNAs have been used as therapeutic targets for the selective killing of cancer cells in patients. Thus lncRNAs are emerging as convenient and minimally invasive diagnostic/prognostic markers, and also as therapeutic target. Companies such as the Curna Inc., MiNA Therapeutics Ltd. and RaNA Therapeutics Inc. have been taking steps to develop lncRNA based strategies against cancer. In this review, we discuss the potential of lncRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer patients.

Plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are diverse groups of plant‐associated microorganisms, which can reduce the severity or incidence of disease during antagonism among bacteria and soil‐borne pathogens, as well as by influencing a systemic resistance to elicit defense response in host plants. An amalgamation of various strains of PGPR has improved the efficacy by enhancing the systemic resistance opposed to various pathogens affecting the crop. Many PGPR used with seed treatment causes structural improvement of the cell wall and physiological/biochemical changes leading to the synthesis of proteins, peptides, and chemicals occupied in plant defense mechanisms. The major determinants of PGPR‐mediated induced systemic resistance (ISR) are lipopolysaccharides, lipopeptides, siderophores, pyocyanin, antibiotics 2,4‐diacetylphoroglucinol, the volatile 2,3‐butanediol, N‐alkylated benzylamine, and iron‐regulated compounds. Many PGPR inoculants have been commercialized and these inoculants consequently aid in the improvement of crop growth yield and provide effective reinforcement to the crop from disease, whereas other inoculants are used as biofertilizers for native as well as crops growing at diverse extreme habitat and exhibit multifunctional plant growth‐promoting attributes. A number of applications of PGPR formulation are needed to maintain the resistance levels in crop plants. Several microarray‐based studies have been done to identify the genes, which are associated with PGPR‐induced systemic resistance. Identification of these genes associated with ISR‐mediating disease suppression and biochemical changes in the crop plant is one of the essential steps in understanding the disease resistance mechanisms in crops. Therefore, in this review, we discuss the PGPR‐mediated innovative methods, focusing on the mode of action of compounds authorized that may be significant in the development contributing to enhance plant growth, disease resistance, and serve as an efficient bioinoculants for sustainable agriculture. The review also highlights current research progress in this field with a special emphasis on challenges, limitations, and their environmental and economic advantages.

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The present study is a comparative study between Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) signaling and antioxidative enzymatic signaling and deals with induced systemic resistance (ISR) in enhancing the disease resistance in typical tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum L.) infected by the collar rot fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii (Teleomorph: Athelia rolfsii) by priming with Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and their microbial consortia by a single strain of Bacillus subtilis, and P. fluorescens as well as by developed microbial consortium with both bacteria. Leaf samples were collected after different durations of pathogen inoculation, i.e., 1, 2, 3, and 4 days, and the systemic level of oxidative stress parameters, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), photosynthetic apparatus, superoxide radicals, and enzymatic antioxidants, were studied. Plant mortality under various treatments in two different seasons was calculated. The highest H2O2 was scavenged by the microbial consortium-treated plants (B1P1) and the lowest in pathogen-challenged plants (PC) compared to the untreated control. Cellular damage and reduction in the chlorophyll pigments were the highest at 48 h, and the photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) was evaluated from 24 to 96 h; the lowest values were observed for pathogen-challenged plants and the highest for B1P1. Enzymatic antioxidants showed the maximum value for B1P1 and the minimum for PC compared to the unchallenged control. Furthermore, an analysis of variance and principal component analysis (PCA) were conducted to examine the effect of the evaluation time (ET) and inoculation conditions (ICs) alone and in combination (ET × IC) on the physiological and biochemical parameters; accordingly, the score and the loading plots were constructed. Tomato root sections inoculated with different treatments were observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to validate the potentiality of primed biocontrol agents in controlling the invasion of the pathogen. Further studies on the potential of this isolate to enhance the plant growth at the field level would strengthen the possibility of using the isolate as an alternative for organic fertilizers and pesticides.

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Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a group of useful bacteria that colonize the plant roots and significantly enhances the plant growth promotion. Keeping this in mind, an investigation was performed for the screening of potent PGPR strains for enhancing seed germination and vigour index of Hordeum vulgare (commonly called barley). Rhizobacterial strains were isolated and screened for various plant growth promoting traits, their effect on seed germination and vigour index of barley plant through pot trial, and resistant ability under various temperature and pH range. Based upon 16S rRNA sequencing data, Pseudomonas punonensis LMT03 (R1), Pseudomonas plecoglossicida R4, Pseudomonas aeruginosa DSM50071 (R2) and Alcaligenes faecalis (DBHU5) isolates were selected and showed positive result for IAA production, Phosphate solubilization, ammonia production, catalase activity, siderophore production and MR-VP test. Barley plants treated with P. punonensis and P. plecoglossicida both showed 94.44% of highest seed germination %, while P. aeruginosa and A. faecalis showed 83.11% and 77.33% respectively in comparison to the control plant shows which 49.99% seed germination only. These respective isolates also showed 2.57, 2.37, 2.0 and 1.69 fold of increase in vigour index as compare to the control plants. The above increase in fold in vigour index and seed germination is much higher as compared to earlier reports. Collectively, the data of current study underpin that addition of these PGPRs to barley rhizosphere appears a promising strategy to enhance root and shoot biomass of this important agriculture crop. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report demonstrating the effect of P. punonensis and P. plecoglossicda on barley crop.

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Background Trichoderma asperellum and T. harzianum were assessed in this study as a potential biological control against Colletotrichum truncatum. C. truncatum is a hemibiotrophic fungus that causes anthracnose disease in chilli thereby affecting plant growth and fruit yield. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique showed the beneficial interaction between chilli root-Trichoderma spp. inducing the plant growth promotion, mechanical barrier, and defense network under C. truncatum challenged conditions. Methods Seeds bio-primed with T. asperellum, T. harzianum, and T. asperellum + T. harzianum promoted the plant growth parameters and strengthening of physical barrier via lignification on the wall of vascular tissues. Seed primed with bioagents were used for exploring the molecular mechanism of defense response in pepper against anthracnose to assess the temporal expression of six defense genes in the Surajmukhi variety of Capsicum annuum. QRT-PCR demonstrated induction of defense responsive genes in chilli pepper bioprimed with Trichoderma spp. such as plant defensin 1.2 (CaPDF1.2), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APx), guaiacol peroxidase (GPx), pathogenesis related proteins PR-2 and PR-5. Results The results showed that bioprimed seeds were assessed for T. asperellum, T. harzianum, and T. asperellum + T. harzianum-chilli root colonization interaction under in vivo conditions. The results of the scanning electron microscope revealed that T. asperellum, T. harzianum and T. asperellum + T. harzianum interact with chilli roots directly via the development of plant-Trichoderma interaction system. Seeds bio-primed with bioagents promoted the plant growth parameters, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root, plant height, leaf area index, number of leaves, stem diameter and strengthening of physical barrier via lignification on the wall of vascular tissues and expression of six defense related genes in pepper against anthracnose. Conclusions Application of T. asperellum and T. harzianum and in combination of treatments enhanced the plant growth. Further, as seeds bioprimed with T. asperellum, T. harzianum and in combination with treatment of T. asperellum + T. harzianum induced the strengthening of the cell wall by lignification and expression of six defense related genes CaPDF1.2, SOD, APx, GPx, PR-2 and PR-5 in pepper against C. truncatum. Our study contributed for better disease management through biopriming with T. asperellum, T. harzianum and T. asperellum + T. harzianum. The biopriming possess enormous potential to promote plant growth, modulate the physical barrier, and induced the defense related genes in chilli pepper against anthracnose.