The global reduction in crop yield and production is a leading cause of global food insecurity an... more The global reduction in crop yield and production is a leading cause of global food insecurity and it could eventually result in an unsustainable future. The Genetically Modified (GM) crops have been introduced with specific traits that could help farmers in achieving the productivity targets and prevention from various biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, GM crops have the potential to alleviate global food insecurity. However, the ethical concerns related to GM crops are hampering their global acceptance. The "clean gene technologies" is a promising approach to produce safe crops and have potential to provide the required thrust and motivation for global acceptance of GM crops. Therefore, keeping in mind the food and energy crisis posing a threat to the global sustainability, the option to cultivate and propagate GM crops seem to be the best alternative for human beings. In this chapter, we have tried to appreciate the significance of the GM crops to help save our undernou...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, May 9, 2017
Many techniques for studying functional genomics of important target sites of anthelmintics have ... more Many techniques for studying functional genomics of important target sites of anthelmintics have been restricted to Caenorhabditis elegans because they have failed when applied to animal parasites. To overcome these limitations, we have focused our research on the human nematode parasite Brugia malayi, which causes elephantiasis. Here, we combine single-cell PCR, whole muscle cell patch clamp, motility phenotyping (Worminator), and dsRNA for RNAi for functional genomic studies that have revealed, in vivo, four different muscle nAChRs (M-, L-, P-, and N-). The cholinergic anthelmintics had different selectivities for these receptors. We show that motility and patch-clamp responses to levamisole and pyrantel, but not morantel or nicotine, require the unc-38 and/or unc-29 genes. Derquantel behaved as a competitive antagonist and distinguished M-nAChRs activated by morantel (Kb 13.9 nM), P-nAChRs activated by pyrantel (Kb 126 nM), and L-nAChRs activated by levamisole (Kb 0.96 µM) and be...
With the growing dependence on groundwater, escalating demand, and increasing depletion of aquife... more With the growing dependence on groundwater, escalating demand, and increasing depletion of aquifers, the Government of India has accorded special emphasis to management of groundwater resources through precise aquifer mapping. We have carried out hydrogeophysical surveys, including airborne electromagnetic (AEM), in six hydrogeologically divergent areas comprising sedimentary basins, basalts, weathered and fractured granite gneisses and schists, desert, and costal alluvium with the objective to establish suitability of AEM for a countrywide aquifer mapping in India. Efficacy of the dual-moment AEM surveys in mapping the shallow and deep aquifers is evaluated in conjunction with geologic, geophysical, and borehole data. It is found that the AEM surveys provide reliable images of the subsurface resistivity distribution defining the 3D geometrical and electrical attributes of aquifers in different areas. The surveys helped identify the suitable zones for managed artificial recharge (MA...
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 2014
The receptor T cell Ig and mucin protein-3 (TIM-3) has emerged as an important regulator of innat... more The receptor T cell Ig and mucin protein-3 (TIM-3) has emerged as an important regulator of innate immune responses. However, whether TIM-3-induced signaling promotes or inhibits the activation and maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) still remains uncertain. In addition, the TIM-3 signaling events involved in this immunoregulatory function are yet to be established. In this article, we report that TIM-3 crosslinking by anti-TIM-3 Ab inhibited DC activation and maturation by blocking the NF-κB pathway. After Ab-mediated crosslinking, TIM-3 became tyrosine phosphorylated, which then sequentially bound and activated the nonreceptor tyrosine kinases Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) and c-Src. Activation of Btk-c-Src signaling in turn triggered the secretion of some inhibitory factor (or factors) from DCs that inhibited the NF-κB pathway and subsequent activation and maturation of DCs. Silencing of Btk or c-Src abrogated the inhibitory effects of TIM-3 on DCs. These results demonstrate...
The global reduction in crop yield and production is a leading cause of global food insecurity an... more The global reduction in crop yield and production is a leading cause of global food insecurity and it could eventually result in an unsustainable future. The Genetically Modified (GM) crops have been introduced with specific traits that could help farmers in achieving the productivity targets and prevention from various biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, GM crops have the potential to alleviate global food insecurity. However, the ethical concerns related to GM crops are hampering their global acceptance. The "clean gene technologies" is a promising approach to produce safe crops and have potential to provide the required thrust and motivation for global acceptance of GM crops. Therefore, keeping in mind the food and energy crisis posing a threat to the global sustainability, the option to cultivate and propagate GM crops seem to be the best alternative for human beings. In this chapter, we have tried to appreciate the significance of the GM crops to help save our undernou...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, May 9, 2017
Many techniques for studying functional genomics of important target sites of anthelmintics have ... more Many techniques for studying functional genomics of important target sites of anthelmintics have been restricted to Caenorhabditis elegans because they have failed when applied to animal parasites. To overcome these limitations, we have focused our research on the human nematode parasite Brugia malayi, which causes elephantiasis. Here, we combine single-cell PCR, whole muscle cell patch clamp, motility phenotyping (Worminator), and dsRNA for RNAi for functional genomic studies that have revealed, in vivo, four different muscle nAChRs (M-, L-, P-, and N-). The cholinergic anthelmintics had different selectivities for these receptors. We show that motility and patch-clamp responses to levamisole and pyrantel, but not morantel or nicotine, require the unc-38 and/or unc-29 genes. Derquantel behaved as a competitive antagonist and distinguished M-nAChRs activated by morantel (Kb 13.9 nM), P-nAChRs activated by pyrantel (Kb 126 nM), and L-nAChRs activated by levamisole (Kb 0.96 µM) and be...
With the growing dependence on groundwater, escalating demand, and increasing depletion of aquife... more With the growing dependence on groundwater, escalating demand, and increasing depletion of aquifers, the Government of India has accorded special emphasis to management of groundwater resources through precise aquifer mapping. We have carried out hydrogeophysical surveys, including airborne electromagnetic (AEM), in six hydrogeologically divergent areas comprising sedimentary basins, basalts, weathered and fractured granite gneisses and schists, desert, and costal alluvium with the objective to establish suitability of AEM for a countrywide aquifer mapping in India. Efficacy of the dual-moment AEM surveys in mapping the shallow and deep aquifers is evaluated in conjunction with geologic, geophysical, and borehole data. It is found that the AEM surveys provide reliable images of the subsurface resistivity distribution defining the 3D geometrical and electrical attributes of aquifers in different areas. The surveys helped identify the suitable zones for managed artificial recharge (MA...
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 2014
The receptor T cell Ig and mucin protein-3 (TIM-3) has emerged as an important regulator of innat... more The receptor T cell Ig and mucin protein-3 (TIM-3) has emerged as an important regulator of innate immune responses. However, whether TIM-3-induced signaling promotes or inhibits the activation and maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) still remains uncertain. In addition, the TIM-3 signaling events involved in this immunoregulatory function are yet to be established. In this article, we report that TIM-3 crosslinking by anti-TIM-3 Ab inhibited DC activation and maturation by blocking the NF-κB pathway. After Ab-mediated crosslinking, TIM-3 became tyrosine phosphorylated, which then sequentially bound and activated the nonreceptor tyrosine kinases Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) and c-Src. Activation of Btk-c-Src signaling in turn triggered the secretion of some inhibitory factor (or factors) from DCs that inhibited the NF-κB pathway and subsequent activation and maturation of DCs. Silencing of Btk or c-Src abrogated the inhibitory effects of TIM-3 on DCs. These results demonstrate...
Uploads