Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering

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The sprawling 852-acre IIT Jodhpur campus is a majestic tribute to the deep-rooted diverse cultural heritage of the region. The campus is an architectural masterpiece, which is slated to become an international exemplar of sustainability with net-zero energy, and advanced water and waste management strategies.&rdquo;

IIT Jodhpur

The current study describes the development of two channel impedance analyzer. The signals from the impedance analyzer were acquired in a computer using USB6009 [1]. A LabVIEW program was made to connect the hardware with the software. A provision was made in the software such that the impedance data from both the channels may either be acquired individually or by subtracting the channel one data from the channel two data. Additionally, a provision was made to recorded the data in a text file for analysis that a later stage. © 2014 IEEE.

World University root node

11th IEEE India Conference: Emerging Trends and Innovation in Technology, INDICON 2014

Designing of a dual channel impedance analyzer for biological measurements

This study was designed to examine the physicochemical and electrical properties of gelatin-based hydrogels, emulgels, and bigels. The chemical studies suggested an increase in hydrogen bonding in the emulgel and bigel when sesame oil (SO; representative vegetable oil) and SO organogel (OG; representative OG) were incorporated within the gelatin matrix. The emulgel and bigel showed better mechanical properties and higher electrical impedances compared to the hydrogel. The hydrogel showed similar swelling at pH 1.2 and 7.2. The swelling of the emulgel and bigel was higher at pH 7.2. The formulations were found to be highly hemocompatible; this indicated their biocompatible nature. Ciprofloxacin, a model antimicrobial drug, was incorporated within the formulations. The release of the drug was found to be diffusion-mediated. The antimicrobial efficiency of all of the drug-loaded formulations was found to be equivalent. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Journal of Applied Polymer Science

Development and characterization of gelatin-based hydrogels, emulsion hydrogels, and bigels: A comparative study

The present study delineates improvement in the osteogenic and angiogenic properties of synthetic hydroxyapatite by dual doping of bivalent magnesium (Mg+2) and cobalt (Co+2) ions. The doped samples were prepared by ammoniacal precipitation method and characterized by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The study revealed that the extent of cobalt doping (ICP-OES analysis) was higher in comparison to magnesium. Doping of metal ions caused a slight distortion in the crystal structure (XRD analysis), increased apatite–water interaction (FT-IR) and decreased thermal stability (TGA analysis) of the hydroxyapatite. A preliminary evaluation showed that the doped samples had a significantly higher protein absorption capacity in comparison to pure hydroxyapatite. A detailed analysis pertaining to the bone cell (MG-63) compatibility and differentiation revealed that the doping significantly promoted cell proliferation and differentiation, as verified by Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) expression and in vitro nodule formation. When treated with doped samples, significant increase in intracellular hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) expression was observed. That resulted in higher expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key molecule that promotes angiogenesis. In conclusion, dual doping of magnesium and cobalt improves the osteogenic and angiogenic properties of hydroxyapatite and makes it a better biomaterial for bone tissue engineering. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Ceramics International

Improving the osteogenic and angiogenic properties of synthetic hydroxyapatite by dual doping of bivalent cobalt and magnesium ion

An efficient synthetic approach has been adopted to construct a new dendron-based octa-guanidine appended molecular transporter with a lysosomal targeted peptide-doxorubicin conjugate. The transporter alone (G8-PPI-FL) is found to be non-toxic, showed higher cellular uptake compared to Arg-8-mer and exhibited excellent selectivity towards lysosomes in cathepsin B expressing HeLa cells, while the Dox-conjugate showed significant cytotoxicity to cancer cells without affecting the non-cancerous cells. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015.

Chemical Communications

Novel lysosome targeted molecular transporter built on a guanidinium-poly-(propylene imine) hybrid dendron for efficient delivery of doxorubicin into cancer cells

Herein, we report a novel hexapeptide, derived from activity dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), that spontaneously self-assembles to form antiparallel β-sheet structure and produces nanovesicles under physiological conditions. This peptide not only strongly binds with β-tubulin in the taxol binding site but also binds with the microtubule lattice in vitro as well as in intracellular microtubule networks. Interestingly, it shows inhibition of amyloid fibril formation upon co-incubation with Aβ peptide following an interesting mechanistic pathway and excellent neuroprotection in PC12 cells treated with anti-nerve growth factor (NGF). The potential of this hexapeptide opens up a new paradigm in design and development of novel therapeutics for AD. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

ACS Chemical Neuroscience

Novel Hexapeptide Interacts with Tubulin and Microtubules, Inhibits Aβ Fibrillation, and Shows Significant Neuroprotection

Efficient and regular performance of Ubiquitin Proteasome System and Autophagy continuously eliminate deleterious accumulation of nonnative protiens. In cellular quality control system, E3 ubiquitin ligases are significant employees for defense mechanism against abnormal toxic proteins. Few findings indicate that lack of functions of E3 ubiquitin ligases can be a causative factor of neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegeneration, cancer and ageing. However, the detailed molecular pathomechanism implying E3 ubiquitin ligases in cellular functions in multifactorial disease conditions are not well understood. This article systematically represents the unique characteristics, molecular nature, and recent developments in the knowledge of neurobiological functions of few crucial E3 ubiquitin ligases. Here, we review recent literature on the roles of E6-AP, HRD1 and ITCH E3 ubiquitin ligases in the neuro-pathobiological mechanisms, with precise focus on the processes of neurodegeneration, and thereby propose new lines of potential targets for therapeutic interventions. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

Ageing Research Reviews

Selective multifaceted E3 ubiquitin ligases barricade extreme defense: Potential therapeutic targets for neurodegeneration and ageing

Spectroelectrochemicalinvestigation of racemic alanine on poly crystalline metal surfaces was studied in 1M LiClO4 medium, to achieve cost effective separation of biologically important molecules from the racemic mixture. Analysis of the FTIR spectrum of racemic alanine in 1M LiClO4 indicated degradation of the same. Upon prolonged exposure in LiClO4, byproducts from degradation of alanine increasedin concentration as also observed from UV-Vis spectroscopy. Cyclic Voltammetry studies unraveled different adsorption behaviors on different metal surfaces for the racemic and the enantiomeric solution of alanine. Further FTIR analysis of the alanine solution after Cyclic Voltammetry revealed possible presence of cyanide (-C=N) and terminal alkyne as byproducts. As predicted by Monte Carlo simulations earlier, Circular Dichroism implied the dextro rotation of the racemic alanine solution after Cyclic Voltammetry. These results support the preferential adsorption of L-alanine over D-alanine from racemic mixture that could be attributed to the umbrella inversion of the molecule after adsorption on the metal surface in presence of applied electric field in the LiClO4 environment. A plausible mechanism for the formation of terminal alkyne and - C=N byproducts had also been attempted. © The Electrochemical Society.

Department of Chemistry

ECS Transactions

Separation of enantiomers of alanine from racemic mixture by polycrystalline metal surfaces - A spectroelectrochemical approach

Cancer is one of the major diseases leading to human deaths. Complete destruction of deep tissue-buried tumors using non-invasive therapies is a grand challenge in clinical cancer treatments. Many therapeutic modalities were developed to tackle this problem, but only partial tumor suppression or delay growths were usually achieved. In this study, we report for the first time that complete destruction of deep tissue-buried tumors can be achieved by combination of gold nanoechinus (Au NEs)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) and gene silencing under ultra-low doses of near infra-red (NIR) light irradiation (915 nm, 340 mW/cm2; 1064 nm, 420 mW/cm2) in the first and second biological windows. The average lifespan of the mice treated by the above combined therapy is beyond 40 days, which are ~2.6 times longer than that (15 days) observed from the anticancer drug doxorubicin-treated group. The current study points out a new direction for the therapeutic design to treat deeply seated tumors in future cancer treatments. © 2015.

Biomaterials

Complete destruction of deep-tissue buried tumors via combination of gene silencing and gold nanoechinus-mediated photodynamic therapy

The LiaSR two-component signal transduction system regulates cellular responses to several environmental stresses, including those that induce cell envelope damages. Downstream regulons of the LiaSR system have been implicated in tolerance to acid, antibiotics and detergents. In the dental pathogen Streptococcus mutans, the LiaSR system is necessary for tolerance against acid, antibiotics, and cell wall damaging stresses during growth in the oral cavity. To understand the molecular mechanisms by which LiaSR regulates gene expression, we created a mutant LiaR in which the conserved aspartic acid residue (the phosphorylation site), was changed to alanine residue (D58A). As expected, the LiaR-D58A variant was unable to acquire the phosphate group and bind to target promoters. We also noted that the predicted LiaR-binding motif upstream of the lia operon does not appear to be well conserved. Consistent with this observation, we found that LiaR was unable to bind to the promoter region of lia; however, we showed that LiaR was able to bind to the promoters of SMU.753, SMU.2084 and SMU.1727. Based on sequence analysis and DNA binding studies we proposed a new 25-bp conserved motif essential for LiaR binding. Introducing alterations at fully conserved positions in the 25-bp motif affected LiaR binding, and the binding was dependent on the combination of positions that were altered. By scanning the S. mutans genome for the occurrence of the newly defined LiaR binding motif, we identified the promoter of hrcA (encoding a key regulator of the heat shock response) that contains a LiaR binding motif, and we showed that hrcA is negatively regulated by the LiaSR system. Taken together our results suggest a putative role of the LiaSR system in heat shock responses of S. mutans. © 2015 Shankar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Fulltext

PLoS ONE

Gene regulation by the LiaSR two-component system in Streptococcus mutans

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation is an efficient method for incorporating genes and recovering stable transgenic plants in cowpea because this method offers several advantages such as the defined integration of transgenes, potentially low copy number, and preferential integration into transcriptional active regions of the chromosome. Cotyledonary node explants of cowpea present an attractive target for T-DNA delivery followed by regeneration of shoots via axillary proliferation without involvement of a de novo regeneration pathway. In this chapter, we describe a detailed protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the cowpea variety Pusa Komal. The seedling cotyledonary node explants are used for cocultivation with an Agrobacterium strain EHA105 harboring standard binary vector, pCAMBIA2301 or pNOV2819, and putative transformed plants are selected using aminoglycoside antibiotic or mannose as sole carbon source, respectively. The entire process includes explant infection to transgenic seed generation in greenhouse. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015.