Ubaid Yaqoob

Phytochemical Screening of the Root Tuber Extracts of Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of phytochemicals in the root tuber extracts of Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke. Phytochemical screening of the root tuber extracts was done to determine the phytochemical constituents in the various solvents studied using standard procedures. Our results confirm the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, phenolic compounds, proteins, amino acids, anthraquinone glycosides, phytosterols, tannins, steroids, coumarins, quinones, carbohydrates, resins, triterpenoids and xanthoproteins. The phlobotannins and oxalates were absent in the root tubers. The presence of a large number of phytochemicals in Ferula jaeschkeana makes it to serve as a potential source for the development of plant based novel drugs.

Insilico Analysis of cis acting Regulatory Elements CAREs in Upstream Regions of Ascorbate Glutathione Pathway Genes from Oryza sativa

CAREs play an important role in plant stress tolerance by interacting with transcription factors and controlling the expression of many stress related potential genes. Recognition of promoters and their regulatory elements is one of the crucial challenges in biotechnology. In this study, we examine cis acting regulatory element in 5’ upstream regions (~1 kb) of Asc-Glu pathway genes such as SOD, APX, MDHAR, DHAR, and GR. The evolutionary relationships amongst these sequences were deciphered using MEGA v. 6.0. The promoter region these genes contain various cis acting regulatory elements such as MBS, DRE/C repeat, W box, HSE, TCA element, LTR, ABRE box, ARE box, Wun and DRE that have significant role in stress tolerance Asc-Glu promoter sequences analysis revealed their specific responsiveness or overlapping in various environment stress and significantly contribute toward plant growth and development.

Phytochemical Evaluation of Various Solvent Extracts of the Leaves, Fruits and Shoots of Ferula Jaeschkeana Vatke

The genus Ferula possess strong aromatic smell due to the presence of essential oil or oleoresin and is well-known in folk medicine for the treatment of various disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of phytochemicals in various solvent extracts of leaves, fruits and shoots of Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke. This study investigates the effects of ethanol, methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether and aqueous extracts of leaves, fruits and shoots. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various phytochemical constituents in the extracts of leaves, fruits and shoots. Phytochemical analysis of extracts of leaves confirmed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, phenolic compounds, proteins, anthraquinone glycosides, phytosterols, tannins, steroids, coumarins, quinones, carbohydrates, resins, triterpenoids and xanthoproteins, while it gave the negative results for cardiac glycosides, amino acids, phlobotannins and oxalates. Phytochemical analysis of extracts of fruits revealed the presence of all phytochemicals except anthraquinone glycosides, phlobotannins and xanthoproteins. Phytochemical analysis of extracts of shoots confirmed the presence of all phytochemicals except phlobotannins and oxalates. The presence of a several phytochemicals in Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke may serve as a possible source for the development of plant based novel drugs.

Germination Studies of Critically Endangered Medicinal Angiosperm Plant Species Meconopsis Aculeta Royle Endemic to Kashmir Himalaya, India: A Multipurpose Species

The critically endangered and perennial alpine endemic angiosperm, Meconopsis aculeta Royle inhabit such habitats in the Kashmir Himalaya that are characterized by short growing season and heavy snow cover for about 3-4 months during winter season. The seeds of this species under natural conditions experience a long period of pre-chilling during winter prior to their germination in following spring season. Taking cue from such a requirement, present study investigated the effect of exogenous application of growth hormones (BAP, NAA Zeatin, Kinetin and TDZ) on germination percentage of deep-dormant seeds of Meconopsis aculeta, under alternate light/dark regimes. Treatment of seeds with different doses of hormonal combinations had a pronounced stimulatory effect on the total germination percentage. In fact, highest germination percentage (78%) was recorded on MS basal supplemented with combinations of Zeatin (4 mg/l) and NAA (0.5 mg/l) within 30 days. The seeds cultured on MS basal medium has no significant influence on germination percentage in Meconopsis aculeta. Among various treatments highest in vitro shoot regeneration was achieved on MS medium supplemented with combination of Zeatin (2 mg/l) and IAA (0.1 mg/l) with 3.41 ± 1.00 cm mean length of shoots with a culture response of 40% within 28 days. In vitro raised shoots regenerated roots on MS medium supplemented with combination of Zeatin (2 mg/l) and IAA (0.1 mg/l) with 14.65 ± 1.23 mean number of roots and 2.76 ± 1.21 cm mean length of roots within 42 days.

Variation in Growth Dynamics and Reproductive Allocation in Ajuga Species across Different Altitudes

Ajuga is a medicinally important genus of the Himalayan region. This study was carried out on the phenotypic variability and reproductive allocation in two species of genus Ajuga, A. bracteosa and A. parviflora growing in variable habitats of Kashmir valley. Our findings clearly displayed significant divergence among sites which reveals a definite impact of altitude on morphological and reproductive features of the species under study. In A. bracteosa the plants growing at low altitudes are comparatively taller and produce more number of leaves, greater leaf dimensions and inflorescence number. But in case of A. parviflora a more or less reverse trend was seen. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the habitat of Kangan and Dachigam proved relatively better for the growth of A. bracteosa and Brinal 2 and Gogaldara for A. parviflora. Maximum resources were allocated to the growth and development of the leaves followed by stem, root tubers and inflorescence in both the species. The reproductive effort was higher (40.48 ± 1.59) for the high altitude Betab valley population in case of A. bracteosa and was lowest for the high altitude Brinal 2 population (45.88 ± 1.37) in case of A. parviflora. The regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between branch length and root length, branch length and apical leaf length in both the species and a negative correlation between branch length and number of branches per plant in both the species. Our results are very useful to introduce the species into cultivation and developing strategies for conservation.The phenological behaviour of Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke, being unclear, was investigated for the first time with a conservation perspective. The present study revealed that at lower altitudes the plants enter into vegetative and reproductive phases comparatively earlier than the plants growing at higher altitudes. The plants overwinter in the form of underground root tubers which remain dormant throughout the chilling winter months. The plants sprout at the return of the favorable season in the 2nd week of March in natural populations and the process of sprouting lasts over a period of nearly 14-25 days. After 2-3 weeks of active vegetative period, the reproductive phase initiates with the production of floral buds. A decreasing trend was observed in the phenological variables along the altitude. The flowering phenology indices showed an increasing trend along the altitude. The value of flowering phenology index of Mahoro (Ri) was highest (13.07 ± 1.0) in Gulmarg population and was found to be least (6.39 ± 0.53) in the transplanted population. The overall flowering synchrony (Z) peaked at 0.65 ± 0.04 in the transplanted population and was found to be highest 0.84 ± 0.12 in Gulmarg population. The value of flowering synchrony index of Marquis (S) peaked at 9.46 ± 0.44 in Gulmarg population and was minimum in transplanted population (4.40 ± 0.60). Our regression analysis showed a significant correlation and predicts that number of umbels per branch has a positive effect on the umbellules per umbel and flowers per umbellule in this plant species.This study demonstrated that antibacterial cellulosic textiles can be fabricated in eco-friendly manner by grafting of monochlorotriazinyl β-cyclodextin (MCT-βCD) onto knitted and woven cotton fabrics followed by post-loading of any of the green active ingredients namely Rosemary oil, Lavender oil, Clove oil, Cinnamon oil, Aloe vera gel, Vanillin, Ag-ions, Natural Yellow 7 and Natural Red 25 dyes into the hydrophobic cavities of grafted β-CD moieties. Some of the grafted, postloaded fabric samples were characterized by FTIR, SEM, and EDS analysis. The enhancement in the imparted antibacterial functionality as well as durability to wash are governed by type of cellulosic substrate, kind chemistry antibacterial activity aswell as extentofinclusion and subsequentreleaseofthehosted bioactive agent. The obtained results revealed that the antibacterial efficacy follows the deceasing orders: i) knitted fabric>woven fabric and ii) Ag-ions>Lavender oil>Natural Yellow 7>Aloe vera>Cinnamon oil>Natural Red 25>Vanillin>Clove oil>Rosemary oil-loaded fabric sample, keeping another parameters constant

In-Silico Analysis, Structural Modelling and Phylogenetic Analysis ofAcetohydroxyacid Synthase Gene of Oryza sativa

The Acetohydroxyacid synthase (EC 2.2.1.6) or Acetolactate synthase (ALS) belongs to a family of thiamine diphosphate (TPP) dependent enzymes which catalyzes the first reaction in the biosynthesis of essential amino acids - isoleucine, leucine and valine. Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) is present in plants, algae, fungi and bacteria and is found to be a vital target of multiple herbicides. We revealed the homology model of OsAHAS protein using the structure of Arabidopsis thaliana AHAS (PDB ID: 3E9Y) as template. The resulting model structure was refined by PROCHECK, ProSA, RMSD and Verify3D that indicated the model structure is reliable with 76% amino acid sequence identity with template. RMSD (1.75A), Verify3D (86.02%), Z-score (-9.55) and Ramachandran plot analysis showed that conformations for 81.6% of amino acid residues are within the most favoured regions. The phylogenetic tree constructed revealed different clusters based on AHAS in respect of bacteria, fungi, algae and plants. The multiple sequence alignment of these AHAS protein sequences from different organisms showed conserved regions at different stretches with homology in amino acid residues. Through motif analysis, it was revealed that conserved AHAS domain are found in all AHAS proteins suggesting its possible role in cellular and metabolic functions.

In-silico Characterization, Structural Modelling, Docking Studies andPhylogenetic Analysis of 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-Phosphate SynthaseGene of Oryza sativa L.

The 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) is one of the vital enzymes of the shikimate pathway which is involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and several amino acids. The multiple sequence alignment of these EPSPS protein sequences from different plants showed conserved regions at different stretches with maximum homology in amino acid residues. We revealed the homology model of Oryza sativa EPSPS (OsEPSPS) protein using the structure of E. coli EPSPS as template. The resulting model structure was refined by PROCHECK, RAMPAGE server, ProSA, Verify3D etc. that indicated the model structure is reliable. Ramachandran plot analysis showed that conformations for 94.3% of amino acid residues are within the most favoured regions. Through motif analysis, it was revealed that a conserved EPSPS domain is uniformly found in all EPSPS proteins irrespective of variable plant species suggesting its possible role in cellular and metabolic functions. The phylogenetic tree constructed revealed different clusters based on EPSPS in respect of bacteria, monocot and dicot plants. The interacting partners of the gene shows the importance of this gene family in regulating developmental and metabolic functions. The two conserved motifs LP(G/S)KSLSNRILLLAAL and LFLGNAGTAMRPL present in almost all EPSPS plant species may function as the catalytic domains of EPSPS enzymes and are supposed to contribute in the glyphosate binding site.

Developmental Chronology of the Endangered Perennial Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke in Response to Habitat Variability and Altitude

Ajuga is a medicinally important genus of the Himalayan region. This study was carried out on the phenotypic variability and reproductive allocation in two species of genus Ajuga, A. bracteosa and A. parviflora growing in variable habitats of Kashmir valley. Our findings clearly displayed significant divergence among sites which reveals a definite impact of altitude on morphological and reproductive features of the species under study. In A. bracteosa the plants growing at low altitudes are comparatively taller and produce more number of leaves, greater leaf dimensions and inflorescence number. But in case of A. parviflora a more or less reverse trend was seen. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the habitat of Kangan and Dachigam proved relatively better for the growth of A. bracteosa and Brinal 2 and Gogaldara for A. parviflora. Maximum resources were allocated to the growth and development of the leaves followed by stem, root tubers and inflorescence in both the species. The reproductive effort was higher (40.48 ± 1.59) for the high altitude Betab valley population in case of A. bracteosa and was lowest for the high altitude Brinal 2 population (45.88 ± 1.37) in case of A. parviflora. The regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between branch length and root length, branch length and apical leaf length in both the species and a negative correlation between branch length and number of branches per plant in both the species. Our results are very useful to introduce the species into cultivation and developing strategies for conservation.The phenological behaviour of Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke, being unclear, was investigated for the first time with a conservation perspective. The present study revealed that at lower altitudes the plants enter into vegetative and reproductive phases comparatively earlier than the plants growing at higher altitudes. The plants overwinter in the form of underground root tubers which remain dormant throughout the chilling winter months. The plants sprout at the return of the favorable season in the 2nd week of March in natural populations and the process of sprouting lasts over a period of nearly 14-25 days. After 2-3 weeks of active vegetative period, the reproductive phase initiates with the production of floral buds. A decreasing trend was observed in the phenological variables along the altitude. The flowering phenology indices showed an increasing trend along the altitude. The value of flowering phenology index of Mahoro (Ri) was highest (13.07 ± 1.0) in Gulmarg population and was found to be least (6.39 ± 0.53) in the transplanted population. The overall flowering synchrony (Z) peaked at 0.65 ± 0.04 in the transplanted population and was found to be highest 0.84 ± 0.12 in Gulmarg population. The value of flowering synchrony index of Marquis (S) peaked at 9.46 ± 0.44 in Gulmarg population and was minimum in transplanted population (4.40 ± 0.60). Our regression analysis showed a significant correlation and predicts that number of umbels per branch has a positive effect on the umbellules per umbel and flowers per umbellule in this plant species.This study demonstrated that antibacterial cellulosic textiles can be fabricated in eco-friendly manner by grafting of monochlorotriazinyl β-cyclodextin (MCT-βCD) onto knitted and woven cotton fabrics followed by post-loading of any of the green active ingredients namely Rosemary oil, Lavender oil, Clove oil, Cinnamon oil, Aloe vera gel, Vanillin, Ag-ions, Natural Yellow 7 and Natural Red 25 dyes into the hydrophobic cavities of grafted β-CD moieties. Some of the grafted, postloaded fabric samples were characterized by FTIR, SEM, and EDS analysis. The enhancement in the imparted antibacterial functionality as well as durability to wash are governed by type of cellulosic substrate, kind chemistry antibacterial activity aswell as extentofinclusion and subsequentreleaseofthehosted bioactive agent. The obtained results revealed that the antibacterial efficacy follows the deceasing orders: i) knitted fabric>woven fabric and ii) Ag-ions>Lavender oil>Natural Yellow 7>Aloe vera>Cinnamon oil>Natural Red 25>Vanillin>Clove oil>Rosemary oil-loaded fabric sample, keeping another parameters constant