nan Rajneesh

World Agriculture and Impact of Biotechnology

Abstract Global agriculture is facing a serious threat from climate change, which may result in reduced productivity. Increasing food prices and greater global food insecurity are the outcomes of decreased productivity, and the persistence of such conditions may lead to a further increase in food prices, which could lead to social unrest and famine in certain instances. To ensure continued food security for an increasing global population, we must focus on improving crop productivity by exploiting new genetic sequencing and advanced “genomic breeding” and proteomics technologies. These technologies hold promise for crop improvement by developing crop species for particular environmental conditions. These technologies also allow plant breeders to target new crop species and traits effectively and simultaneously, such as resilience, quality, and yield, which are crucial to food security. Molecular breeding has a crucial role in improving crops. Although genetically modified (GM) crops hold good promise in enhancing crop productivity, GM crops face several challenges in agricultural growth, development, and sustainability. In this chapter, we discuss advances in the field of agriculture using advanced tools of biotechnology.

Recent Developments in Green Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Utilizing Cyanobacterial Cell Factories

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) serve as connecting links between molecular structures and macromolecules/bulk materials, hence they are of great scientific interest. Metallic NPs find applications in various fields, such as cosmetics, electronics, packaging, coatings, and biotechnology. In nanotechnology, synthesis of metallic NPs is an active area of application research. There are numerous physical as well as chemical methods of nanoparticle synthesis, but many of these methods are expensive or use toxic substances and hence are not preferred. An alternate, feasible, and ecofriendly way to synthesize metallic NPs is biological methods employing microbes and plants. Recently use of microalgae has been emphasized in biological systems for synthesis of metallic NPs. Several microalgae have excellent potential for bioremediation of toxic metals and their conversion into more amenable forms, and this makes them desirable candidates for biological methods. Different microorganisms employ extracellular or intracellular pathways for biosynthesis of NPs. Biological synthesis of metallic NPs can be done by using whole cell masses of bacteria, fungi, and algae or using culture supernatant or cell extract of microorganisms. Cyanobacteria constitute the most promising group of photosynthetic microorganisms, and produce a plethora of natural compounds of industrial and pharmaceutical importance. Additionally, the cell extract of cyanobacteria contains numerous biomolecules which facilitate synthesis and stabilization of NPs. This chapter presents the advancements achieved so far in the rapidly growing field of green synthesis of NPs using cyanobacteria.

DNA in Nanotechnology: Approaches and Developments

Abstract For manufacturing new materials at the nanoscale, nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field having enormous use in science and technology. Over the past three decades, the DNA molecule has been used to build a variety of nanoscale materials. The properties of DNA, such as formation of programmable nanostructures and the ability to self-assemble, make it a unique material. DNA serves as a platform for developing chemical, mechanical, and physical devices. Because DNA nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary branch of science, participants from materials science, chemistry, computer science, physics, and biology are collaborating to solve crucial problems in areas such as biomedicine, computer science, nano/optoelectronics, etc. Modulating the shape, size, and charge of DNA nanostructures aids in efficient delivery of short interfering RNA or naked DNA, which was not possible earlier because of cell barriers. DNA helices within DNA nanostructures are densely packed, and may be used as one of the strategies for their increased stability against DNA-degrading enzymes. New approaches, techniques, and expertise could be developed in the near future by utilizing advancements in DNA nanotechnology. The high cost of DNA constitutes one of the hurdles in DNA nanotechnology. The present cost for oligonucleotide synthesis on the 25-nmol scale is about US

Cyanobacterial Farming for Environment Friendly Sustainable Agriculture Practices: Innovations and Perspectives

0.10 per base and costs approximately US

Codon usage analysis of photolyase encoding genes of cyanobacteria inhabiting diverse habitats

700 for the overall construction of a new M13-based origami. This chapter deals with the challenges in the field of DNA nanotechnology, the method of its synthesis, and summarizes the promising applications that could be developed.

Cyanobacterial factories for the production of green energy and value-added products: An integrated approach for economic viability

Sustainable supply of food and energy without posing any threat to environment is the current demand of our society in view of continuous increase in global human population and depletion of natural resources of energy. Cyanobacteria have recently emerged as potential candidates who can fulfil abovementioned needs due to their ability to efficiently harvest solar energy and convert it into biomass by simple utilization of CO2, water and nutrients. During conversion of radiant energy into chemical energy, these biological systems produce oxygen as a by-product. Cyanobacterial biomass can be used for the production of food, energy, biofertilizers, secondary metabolites of nutritional, cosmetics and medicinal importance. Therefore, cyanobacterial farming is proposed as environment friendly sustainable agricultural practice which can produce biomass of very high value. Additionally, cyanobacterial farming helps in decreasing the level of greenhouse gas, i.e., CO2, and it can be also used for removing various contaminants from wastewater and soil. However, utilization of cyanobacteria for resolving the abovementioned problems is subjected to economic viability. In this review, we provide details on different aspects of cyanobacterial system that can help in developing sustainable agricultural practices. We also describe different large-scale cultivation systems for cyanobacterial farming and discuss their merits and demerits in terms of economic profitability.

Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids (MAAs) Profile of Two Marine Red Macroalgae, Gelidium sp. and Ceramium sp.

Abstract Nucleotide and amino acid compositions were studied to determine the genomic and structural relationship of photolyase gene in freshwater, marine and hot spring cyanobacteria. Among three habitats, photolyase encoding genes from hot spring cyanobacteria were found to have highest GC content. The genomic GC content was found to influence the codon usage and amino acid variability in photolyases. The third position of codon was found to have more effect on amino acid variability in photolyases than the first and second positions of codon. The variation of amino acids Ala, Asp, Glu, Gly, His, Leu, Pro, Gln, Arg and Val in photolyases of three different habitats was found to be controlled by first position of codon (G1C1). However, second position (G2C2) of codon regulates variation of Ala, Cys, Gly, Pro, Arg, Ser, Thr and Tyr contents in photolyases. Third position (G3C3) of codon controls incorporation of amino acids such as Ala, Phe, Gly, Leu, Gln, Pro, Arg, Ser, Thr and Tyr in photolyases from three habitats. Photolyase encoding genes of hot spring cyanobacteria have 85% codons with G or C at third position, whereas marine and freshwater cyanobacteria showed 82 and 60% codons, respectively, with G or C at third position. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that GC content has a profound effect in separating the genes along the first major axis according to their RSCU (relative synonymous codon usage) values, and neutrality analysis indicated that mutational pressure has resulted in codon bias in photolyase genes of cyanobacteria.