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Introduction: Apoptosis and autophagy are the two fundamental processes involved in maintaining homeostasis, and a common stimulus may initiate the processes. Autophagy has been implicated in various diseases, including viral infections. Genetic manipulations leading to altered gene expression might be a strategy to check virus infection. Aim: Determination of molecular patterns, relative synonymous codon usage, codon preference, codon bias, codon pair bias, and rare codons so that genetic manipulation of autophagy genes may be done to curb viral infection. Method: Using various software, algorithms, and statistical analysis, insights into codon patterns were obtained. A total of 41 autophagy genes were envisaged as they are involved in virus infection. Results: The A/T and G/C ending codons are preferred by different genes. AAA-GAA and CAG-CTG codon pairs are the most abundant codon pairs. CGA, TCG, CCG, and GCG are rarely used codons. Conclusion: The information generated in the present study helps manipulate the gene expression level of virus infection-associated autophagy genes through gene modification tools like CRISPR. Codon deoptimization for reducing while codon pair optimization for enhancing is efficacious for HO-1 gene expression.

The novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 is an emerging disease with deadly consequences, extended its stride over the globe commenced from the epicenter, Wuhan wet market, China led to declare globally as pandemic disease Several non-specific features of the disease like prolonged incubation period, asymptomatic yet contagious, longer illness duration, and conveyance post clinical recovery feature makes prevention difficult and is the key reason for its rapid spread across the world Covid-19 shows varied manifestations with the majority of reported cases having mild or even no symptoms However, the infection led to a destructive footprint in the pulmonary system, specifically, lungs are most prone to damage, making them incapable of conducting respiratory functions and thus, resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ dysfunction, and loss of life Up to the present, there is no worldwide-approved treatment for COVID-19 and only repurposed drugs are employed for the hospitalized patient, necessitating an urgent need to develop effective therapeutics Hence, effective control of disease spread through screening and isolation of contacts is crucial in the community The contagion effect of the COVID-19 outbreak has brought major challenges to health systems as well as global economy worldwide Development of rapid diagnostic test and effective vaccine as well as minimizing the exposure of the human population to possible animal reservoirs is measures needed to curb future impact The outbreak of SARS-CoV in 2003 followed by MERS-CoV within a decade, indicates the threat of novel infectious diseases resulting from RNA viruses, will continue to present a serious global health threat, as epitomized by COVID-19 Therefore, this review is attempting to provide an overview of the current scenario of COVID-19 in terms of epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, especially focusing on public health impact © 2020, Editorial board of Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences All rights reserved

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that severely affects individuals' cognitive abilities, memory, and quality of life. It affects the elderly population, and there is no permanent prevention or cures available to date, treatments mainly aiming to alleviate the symptoms as and when they appear. Alternate therapeutic approaches are being researched constantly, and there is a growing focus on phytomedicine, herbal medicine, organic compounds, and ayurvedic compounds for the treatment of AD. Methods: The current study aims to provide an extensive review of these plants against AD from the currently existing literature. Most relevant keywords like Alzheimer’s Disease, phytomedicines, ethnic medicines, the role of phytomedicine in neuroprotection, common phytomedicines against AD, etc., were used to select the plants and their metabolites effective in treating AD. The study focuses on six plants: Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, Bacopa monnieri, Withania somnifera, Curcuma longa, and Lavandula angustifolia. Their active components have been studied along with neuroprotective properties, and evidence of in-vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical studies conducted to prove their therapeutic potential against the disease have been presented. Results: All plants envisaged in the study show potential for fighting against AD to varying degrees. Their compounds have shown therapeutic effects by reversing the neurological changes such as clearing Aβ plaque and neurofibrillary tangle formation, and ameliorative effects against neurodegeneration through processes including improving concentration, memory, cognition and learning, higher working and cue memory, improved spatial memory, inhibition of NF-κB expression, inhibiting the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, inhibition of AChE and lipid peroxidase enzymes, and reduction of interleukin levels and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Conclusion: The present review is a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis supported by the evidentiary proofs from pre-clinical studies, meta-analyses, and review papers related to natural phytochemicals' impact on neurodegenerative disorders like AD.

Uneven codon usage within genes as well as among genomes is a usual phenomenon across organisms. It plays a significant role in the translational efficiency and evolution of a particular gene. EPB41L3 is a tumor suppressor protein-coding gene, and in the present study, the pattern of codon usage was envisaged. The full-length sequences of the EPB41L3 gene for the human, brown rat, domesticated cattle, and Sumatran orangutan available at the NCBI were retrieved and utilized to analyze CUB patterns across the selected mammalian species. Compositional properties, dinucleotide abundance, and parity analysis showed the dominance of A and G whilst RSCU analysis indicated the dominance of G/C-ending codons. The neutrality plot plotted between GC12 and GC3 to determine the variation between the mutation pressure and natural selection indicated the dominance of selection pressure (R = 0.926, p &lt, 0.00001) over the three codon positions across the gene. The result is in concordance with the codon adaptation index analysis and the ENc-GC3 plot analysis, as well as the translational selection index (P2). Overall selection pressure is the dominant pressure acting during the evolution of the EPB41L3 gene.

Since the appearance in the late of December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly evolving and mutating continuously, giving rise to various variants with variable degrees of infectivity and lethality. The virus that initially appeared in China later mutated several times, wreaking havoc and claiming many lives worldwide amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants, the most recently emerged variant of concern (VOC) is the Omicron (B.1.1.529) that has evolved due to the accumulation of high numbers of mutations especially in the spike protein, raising concerns for its ability to evade from pre-existing immunity acquired through vaccination or natural infection as well as overpowering antibodies-based therapies. Several theories are on the surface to explain how the Omicron has gathered such a high number of mutations within less time. Few of them are higher mutation rates within a subgroup of population and then its introduction to a larger population, long term persistence and evolution of the virus in immune-compromised patients, and epizootic infection in animals from humans, where under different immune pressures the virus mutated and then got reintroduced to humans. Multifaceted approach including rapid diagnosis, genome analysis of emerging variants, ramping up of vaccination drives and receiving booster doses, efficacy testing of vaccines and immunotherapies against newly emerged variants, updating the available vaccines, designing of multivalent vaccines able to generate hybrid immunity, up-gradation of medical facilities and strict implementation of adequate prevention and control measures need to be given high priority to handle the on-going SARS-CoV-2 pandemic successfully.