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Probiotic bacteria present in fermented milk and its products have a long history of safety and health associated uses. If bacteria isolated from yogurt is characterized technologically and gnomically, it could be used in fermentation for selective purposes. In the current study, we have comprehensively analyzed the genome of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus NDO2 isolated from traditional yogurt samples using the next-generation sequencing approach. The GC contents of the selected genome were 45.3%. Among the total 2284 genes identified, 970 genes similar in three genomes make the core genome portion. The subsystems, category distribution analysis revealed “carbohydrates” was the largest subsystem, followed by “protein metabolism”. The eggNOG functional analysis revealed that the COGs associated with “Carbohydrate transport and metabolism were dominant followed by those associated with “Replication, recombination, and repair” while the biological pathway analysis by the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) database identified the metabolic and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites pathway as the dominant one. These findings provide a broader genomic understanding of the famous probiotics bacterial species for general as well as commercial applications. This study could also be used basis for similar studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is known to be the most common malignancy among women throughout the world. Plant-derived natural products have been recognized as a great source of anticancer drugs. In this study, the efficacy and anticancer potential of the methanolic extract of Monotheca buxifolia leaves using human breast cancer cells targeting WNT/β-catenin signaling was evaluated. We used methanolic and other (chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and aqueous) extracts to discover their potential cytotoxicity on breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Among these, the methanol showed significant activity in the inhibition of the proliferation of cancer cells because of the presence of bioactive compounds, including phenols and flavonoids, detected by a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The cytotoxic effect of the plant extract on the MCF-7 cells was examined by MTT and acid phosphatase assays. Real-time PCR analysis was performed to measure the mRNA expression of WNT-3a and β-catenin, along with Caspase-1,-3,-7, and -9 in MCF-7 cells. The IC50 value of the extract was found to be 232 μg/mL and 173 μg/mL in the MTT and acid phosphatase assays, respectively. Dose selection (100 and 300 μg/mL) was performed for real-time PCR, Annexin V/PI analysis, and Western blotting using Doxorubicin as a positive control. The extract at 100 μg/mL significantly upregulated caspases and downregulated the WNT-3a and β-catenin gene in MCF-7 cells. Western blot analysis further confirmed the dysregulations of the WNT signaling component (*** p< 0.0001). The results showed an increase in the number of dead cells in methanolic extract-treated cells in the Annexin V/PI analysis. Our study concludes that M. buxifolia may serve as an effective anticancer mediator through gene modulation that targets WNT/β-catenin signaling, and it can be further characterized using more powerful experimental and computational tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continued industrialization around the world has resulted in major threats to agricultural soil. Soil contaminated with heavy metals is a primary challenge for crop production. Their complete removal from the soil is needed. However, the use of plant growth-promoting microbes might mitigate the adverse effects of HMs in crop plants and can be used as a bioremediation tool. In the present study, the tolerance of different endophytic fungi against two different concentrations of cadmium and chromium was investigated. For the purpose, isolated endophytes were screened on Oryza sativa L. seedlings. The results revealed that out of 29 fungal isolates, 4 strains inhibited the plant growth, while remaining were growth-promoting. Of the growth-promoting strains, best results were shown by endophytes, Ch-01 (Aspergillus flavus*) and Ch-06 (Aspergillus vio-laceofuscus), isolated from chilli and Cu-02 (Aspergillus fumigatus), Cu-10 (Aspergillus awamori) and Cu-17 (Aspergillus niger), isolated from Cucurbita. Their association with O. sativa not only showed an enhancement in growth attributes under Cd and Cr stress, but also resulted in a declined accumulation of Cd and Cr content in O. sativa seedlings. From the results, it is concluded that A. flavus, A. vio-laceofuscus, A. fumigatus, A. awamori and A. niger are plant growth-promoting and HMs resistant endophytes, which can significantly improve plant growth in Cd and Cr polluted soils. Hence, these endophytes can be used as biofertilizer in fields affected by heavy metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lethal consequence of cadmium (Cd) toxicity is a serious environmental concern in crops and food chain. Promising strategies for Cd immobilization are prerequisite to diminish its mobility through biochar. Present research highlights the laboratory and greenhouse-based study of production and quality assessment of biochar derived from maize (Zea mays L.) crop waste. Further, the effect of biochar on the growth of wheat plants under the cadmium stress was evaluated along with Cd bioaccumulation in shoots, roots, micro and macronutrients, and characterization of wheat plant roots grown in Cd-spiked soil. The biochar was prepared at 700°C in a muffle furnace heating for 2 hours under anaerobic conditions. Different concentrations of biochar (BC) i.e., 0%, 1.5%, and 3% w/w, along with three different rates of Cd levels: 0, 10, and 20 mg/kg were used in pot culture experiment. The physiological and morphological parameters were analyzed after 75 days of harvesting. Amendments of biochar increased plant dry biomass by 55% at BC 1.5% and 68% at BC 3%, while biochar enhanced fresh biomass by 21% at BC 1.5% and 25% at BC 3%. It also reduced Cd in wheat shoots by 51% at BC 1.5% and 48% at BC 3%. Similarly, Cd reduction was recorded in wheat roots by 23% at BC1.5% and 51% at BC 3%. In addition, the maize derived biochar enhanced root length by 23% at BC 1.5% and 38% at BC 3%. Root surface area was enhanced by 39% at BC 1.5% and 92% at BC 3%, while root volume was increased by 54% at BC 1.5% and 72% at BC 3%. In summation, maize wastederived biochar presented positive outcomes as soil amendments for enhancing the wheat plant growth and Cd immobilization and thus, reducing its bioavailability in the Cd-spiked soil to alleviate food security risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]