NATURE LOVER INTO NATURAL SCIENCES WITH THE BROAD EXPERTISE IN LIFE SCIENCES HAVING CORE COMPETENCIES IN MICROBIAL/PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY AND IN VITRO CELL-BASED STUDIES UTILIZING THEMES LEARNED IN BIOCHEMISTRY, GENETICS, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY/CELL BIOLOGY, GENETIC ENGINEERING, HUMAN GENETICS, PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS SUCH AS MS, HPLC, NMR, IR FOR SMALL ORGANIC MOLECULES AND A PASSION FOR SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY TO ENGINEER MICROBES FOR DEFINED END GOALS PARTICULARLY IN BIOPHARMACEUTICALS/INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS Address: bangalore, India
Since the dawn of civilization, natural resources have remained the mainstay of various remedial ... more Since the dawn of civilization, natural resources have remained the mainstay of various remedial approaches of humans vis-à-vis a large number of illnesses. Saraca asoca (Roxb.) de Wilde (Saraca indica L.) belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae has been regarded as a universal panacea in old Indian Ayurvedic texts and has especially been used to manage gynaecological complications and infections besides treating haem-morhagic dysentery, uterine pain, bacterial infections, skin problems, tumours, worm infestations, cardiac and circulatory problems. Almost all parts of the plant are considered pharmacologically valuable. Extensive folkloric practices and ethnobotanical applications of this plant have even lead to the availability of several commercial S. asoca formulations recommended for different indications though adulteration of these remains a pressing concern. Though a wealth of knowledge on this plant is available in both the classical and modern literature, extensive research on its phytomedicinal worth using state-of-the-art tools and methodologies is lacking. Recent reports on bioprospecting of S. asoca endophytic fungi for industrial bioproducts and useful pharmacologically relevant metabolites provide a silver lining to uncover single molecular bio-effectors from its endophytes. Here, we describe socio-ethnobotanical usage, present the current pharmacological status and discuss potential bottlenecks in harnessing the proclaimed phytomedicinal worth of this prescribed Ayurvedic medicinal plant. Finally, we also look into the possible future of the drug discovery and pharmaceutical R&D efforts directed at exploring its pharma legacy.
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights
Hyoscyamine 6b-hydroxylase (H6H; EC 1.14.11.11), an important enzyme in the biosynthesis of tropa... more Hyoscyamine 6b-hydroxylase (H6H; EC 1.14.11.11), an important enzyme in the biosynthesis of tropane alkaloids, catalyzes the hydroxylation of hyoscyamine to give 6b-hydroxyhyoscyamine and its epoxida-tion in the biosynthetic pathway leading to scopolamine. Datura metel produces scopolamine as the predominant tropane alkaloid. The cDNA encoding H6H from D. metel (DmH6H) was cloned, heterolo-gously expressed and biochemically characterized. The purified recombinant His-tagged H6H from D. metel (DmrH6H) was capable of converting hyoscyamine to scopolamine. The functionally expressed DmrH6H was confirmed by HPLC and ESI-MS verification of the products, 6b-hydroxyhyoscyamine and its derivative, scopolamine; the DmrH6H epoxidase activity was low compared to the hydroxylase activity. The K m values for both the substrates, hyoscyamine and 2-oxoglutarate, were 50 mM each. The CD (circular dichroism) spectrum of the DmrH6H indicated a preponderance of a-helicity in the secondary structure. From the fluorescence studies, SterneVolmer constants for hyoscyamine and 2-oxoglutarate were found to be 0.14 M À1 and 0.56 M À1 , respectively. These data suggested that the binding of the substrates, hyoscyamine and 2-oxoglutarate, to the enzyme induced significant confor-mational changes.
Since the dawn of civilization, natural resources have remained the mainstay of various remedial ... more Since the dawn of civilization, natural resources have remained the mainstay of various remedial approaches of humans vis-à-vis a large number of illnesses. Saraca asoca (Roxb.) de Wilde (Saraca indica L.) belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae has been regarded as a universal panacea in old Indian Ayurvedic texts and has especially been used to manage gynaecological complications and infections besides treating haem-morhagic dysentery, uterine pain, bacterial infections, skin problems, tumours, worm infestations, cardiac and circulatory problems. Almost all parts of the plant are considered pharmacologically valuable. Extensive folkloric practices and ethnobotanical applications of this plant have even lead to the availability of several commercial S. asoca formulations recommended for different indications though adulteration of these remains a pressing concern. Though a wealth of knowledge on this plant is available in both the classical and modern literature, extensive research on its phytomedicinal worth using state-of-the-art tools and methodologies is lacking. Recent reports on bioprospecting of S. asoca endophytic fungi for industrial bioproducts and useful pharmacologically relevant metabolites provide a silver lining to uncover single molecular bio-effectors from its endophytes. Here, we describe socio-ethnobotanical usage, present the current pharmacological status and discuss potential bottlenecks in harnessing the proclaimed phytomedicinal worth of this prescribed Ayurvedic medicinal plant. Finally, we also look into the possible future of the drug discovery and pharmaceutical R&D efforts directed at exploring its pharma legacy.
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights
Hyoscyamine 6b-hydroxylase (H6H; EC 1.14.11.11), an important enzyme in the biosynthesis of tropa... more Hyoscyamine 6b-hydroxylase (H6H; EC 1.14.11.11), an important enzyme in the biosynthesis of tropane alkaloids, catalyzes the hydroxylation of hyoscyamine to give 6b-hydroxyhyoscyamine and its epoxida-tion in the biosynthetic pathway leading to scopolamine. Datura metel produces scopolamine as the predominant tropane alkaloid. The cDNA encoding H6H from D. metel (DmH6H) was cloned, heterolo-gously expressed and biochemically characterized. The purified recombinant His-tagged H6H from D. metel (DmrH6H) was capable of converting hyoscyamine to scopolamine. The functionally expressed DmrH6H was confirmed by HPLC and ESI-MS verification of the products, 6b-hydroxyhyoscyamine and its derivative, scopolamine; the DmrH6H epoxidase activity was low compared to the hydroxylase activity. The K m values for both the substrates, hyoscyamine and 2-oxoglutarate, were 50 mM each. The CD (circular dichroism) spectrum of the DmrH6H indicated a preponderance of a-helicity in the secondary structure. From the fluorescence studies, SterneVolmer constants for hyoscyamine and 2-oxoglutarate were found to be 0.14 M À1 and 0.56 M À1 , respectively. These data suggested that the binding of the substrates, hyoscyamine and 2-oxoglutarate, to the enzyme induced significant confor-mational changes.
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