Browsing by Author "Ram Prasad Meena"

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Biotechnological strategies for enhancing heavy metal tolerance in neglected and underutilized legume crops: A comprehensive review
(Academic Press, 2021) Krishna Kumar Rai; Neha Pandey; Ram Prasad Meena; Shashi Pandey Rai
Contamination of agricultural land and water by heavy metals due to rapid industrialization and urbanization including various natural processes have become one of the major constraints to crop growth and productivity. Several studies have reported that to counteract heavy metal stress, plants should be able to maneuver various physiological, biochemical and molecular processes to improve their growth and development under heavy metal stress. With the advent of modern biotechnological tools and techniques it is now possible to tailor legume and other plants overexpressing stress-induced genes, transcription factors, proteins, and metabolites that are directly involved in heavy metal stress tolerance. This review provides an in-depth overview of various biotechnological approaches and/or strategies that can be used for enhancing detoxification of the heavy metals by stimulating phytoremediation processes. Synthetic biology tools involved in the engineering of legume and other crop plants against heavy metal stress tolerance are also discussed herewith some pioneering examples where synthetic biology tools that have been used to modify plants for specific traits. Also, CRISPR based genetic engineering of plants, including their role in modulating the expression of several genes/ transcription factors in the improvement of abiotic stress tolerance and phytoremediation ability using knockdown and knockout strategies has also been critically discussed. © 2020 The Authors
In vitro generation of high artemisinin yielding salt tolerant somaclonal variant and development of SCAR marker in Artemisia annua L
(Springer Netherlands, 2016) Neha Pandey; Ram Prasad Meena; Sanjay Kumar Rai; Shashi Pandey-Rai
Low levels of artemisinin in Artemisia annua is posing serious limitation in sustainable supply of this drug and ultimately affecting global struggle to cure malaria. The present study explores new ways for higher artemisinin production through generating somaclonal variant tolerant against salt stress. Here, through gamma-rays irradiation a total of 13 somaclonal variants (ASV1 to ASV13) were identified. They were characterized on the basis of morphological traits and further molecular characterization was carried out through RAPD analysis. Dendrogram, constructed on the basis of RAPD scores, showed six major clusters in which ASV12 was most distant from control to fallen alone in last cluster. Based on 16 metric traits examined among 13 somaclonal variants and wild type, correlation analysis was carried out. In addition, principle component analysis was conducted to attest the results. All statistical analysis suggested ASV12 as stable salt tolerant somaclonal variant of A. annua. ASV12 had higher artemisinin content as compared to wild type and under salt stress; expression of key artemisinin biosynthetic genes (ADS, CYP71AV1, DBR2 and ALDH1) was more in ASV12 as compared to wild type. Further SCAR marker (570 bp) linked with high artemisinin was developed and further tested on the low and high artemisinin yielding lines, F1 and F2 progenies. A single band was amplified in ASV12 and all high artemisinin-yielding plants. The study provides ample possibility of cultivation of ASV12 variant of A. annua on saline soil for dual benefit: high artemisinin production and utilization of waste saline land. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016.
Medicinal plants derived nutraceuticals: A Re-emerging health aid
(2011) Neha Pandey; Ram Prasad Meena; Sanjay Kumar Rai; Shashi Pandey-Rai
Nutritional therapy and phyto-therapy have emerged as new concepts of health aid in recent years. Strong recommendations for consumption of nutraceuticals from plant origin have become progressively popular to improve health, and to prevent and treat diseases. Nutraceuticals are "naturally derived bioactive compounds that are found in foods, dietary supplements and herbal products, and have health promoting, disease preventing and medicinal properties." Plant derived Nutraceuticals/functional foods have received considerable attention because of their presumed safety and potential nutritional and therapeutic effects. Some popular phyto-nutraceuticals include glucosamine from ginseng, Omega-3 fatty acids from linseed, Epigallocatechin gallate from green tea, lycopene form tomato etc. Majority of the nutraceuticals are claimed to possess multiple therapeutic benefits though substantial evidence is lacking for the benefits as well as unwanted effects. With these trends, improvement of the dietary nutritional values of fruits, vegetables and other crops or enhancement of the bioactive components in folk herbals have become the targets of blooming plant biotechnology industry. The present review has been devoted towards better understanding of the phyto-nutraceuticals from different medicinal plants based on their disease specific indications.
Nutraceutical enriched vegetables: Molecular approaches for crop improvement
(2012) Sanjay Kumar Rai; Neha Arora; Neha Pandey; Ram Prasad Meena; Kavita Shah; Shashi Pandey-Rai
Nutraceuticals have been explored recently as sustainable alternatives for the control and prevention of large number of diseases. They have received considerable attention because they are safe, efficacious and have potential nutritional value as well as therapeutic effects. Among natural dietary supplements, vegetables being low in calories are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. They play an important part in the human diet and are a major source of biologically active nutraceuticals. Some popular phyto-nutraceuticals include lycopene from tomato, curcumin from turmeric, carotenoids from carrot etc. Majority of the vegetable originated nutraceuticals are claimed to possess multiple therapeutic benefits; though substantial evidence for their benefits as well as unwanted effects is lacking. The present review has been devoted towards better understanding of the phyto-nutraceuticals from different vegetables based on their disease specific indications and enhancing nutraceutical qualities of vegetables through biotechnological/molecular approaches.
PLANT CIRCADIAN RHYTHM: A BIOLOGICAL CLOCK AS DEVELOPMENTAL AND METABOLIC REGULATOR
(Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2022) Nidhi Rai; Sabitri Kumari; Pajeb Saha; Apoorva; Sanjay Kumar Rai; Ram Prasad Meena; Shashi Pandey-Rai
Plants have an internal biological system that receives differential environmental fluctuations/stimuli such as temperature and light controlling circadian rhythm for maintenance of growth and developmental processes. These biological rhythms are regulated by the interaction of certain external signals and internal receptors. In plants, it is complex networking within transcription factors that functions in feedback loops. These light-induced phototropic controls are mediated by photoreceptors like phytochromes, cryptochrome, phototropin and master genes/regulators for floral development. These responses are genetic in nature and have master clock genes which further regulates many copies of the master transcription factor that are responsible for regulating/switch-on many important genes of metabolism by binding with the promoter region of target genes. The diurnal behavior in plants has been observed because of the existence of a feedback loop and a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle. The light and temperatures positively regulate the induction of various genes along with a set of polycomb gene. Many long non-coding RNAs, micro-RNA and RNAdependent polymerases are indispensable parts of the diurnal cycle in plants. Environmental signals are involved in activating clock genes, and clock repressor circuits work to alienate and degrade these extrinsic gene activation pathways. Most transcription factors are cyclic and these subclasses can regulate clock parameters. Transcriptional regulators and associated chromatids that control transcriptional regulation are only one step in a multistep regulatory network. Post-translational relaxation, nuclear-cytoplasmic dissociation, RNA splicing and proteolytic functions participate in the stimulation. Homogenization of all these activities leads to the generation and sustainable facilitation of the robust rhythm and response to the diurnal variations of the environment. The purpose of this chapter is to explain the physiological and molecular mechanisms of the circadian clocks of plants, including biochemistry, and to demonstrate the function/role of the circadian clock in metabolic, physiological processes and plant behavior. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Short term UV-B radiation mediated modulation of physiological traits and withanolides production in Withania coagulans (L.) Dunal under in-vitro condition
(Springer, 2021) Deepika Tripathi; Ram Prasad Meena; Shashi Pandey-Rai
Accumulation of secondary metabolites is a key process in the growth and development of plants under different biotic/abiotic constraints. Many studies highlighted the regulatory potential of UV-B treatment towards the secondary metabolism of plants. In the present study, we examined the impact of UV-B on the physiology and secondary metabolism of Withania coagulans, which is an important ayurvedic plant with high anti-diabetic potential. Results showed that in-vitro UV-B exposure negatively influenced chlorophyll content and photosynthetic machinery. However, Fv/Fm ratio was found non-significantly altered up to 3 h UV-B exposure. The maximum lipid peroxidation level was recorded with 46.8% higher malondialdehyde content in the plants supplemented with 5 h UV-B radiation, that was indicated the oxidative stress in W. coagulans. Conversely, UV-B treatment significantly increased the plant's stress protective compounds like carotenoids, anthocyanin, phenol and proline, in W. coagulans. Free radical scavenging activity was also significantly increased ~ 18% than the control with 3 h UV-B treatment. The maximum antioxidative enzymes activities were observed with the short-term (up to 3 h) UV-B treatment. Specifically, UV-B radiation exposure significantly increased the content of withaferin A and withanolide A in W. coagulans with maximum 1.38 and 3.42-folds, respectively. Additionally, withanolides biosynthesis related genes transcript levels were found over-expressed under the response of UV-B elicitation. The acquired results suggested that short-term UV-B supplementation triggers secondary metabolism along with combating oxidative stress via improving the antioxidative defense system in W. coagulans. Also, UV-B can be used as an efficient abiotic elicitor to increase pharmaceutical compounds (withanolides) production. © 2021, Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society.
UV-B and UV-C pre-treatments induce physiological changes and artemisinin biosynthesis in Artemisia annua L. - An antimalarial plant
(2011) Rashmi Rai; Ram Prasad Meena; Shachi Shuchi Smita; Aparna Shukla; Sanjay Kumar Rai; Shashi Pandey-Rai
Present study was undertaken to investigate if short-term UV-B (4.2 kJ m-2 day-1) and UV-C (5.7 kJ m-2 day -1), pre-treatments can induce artemisinin biosynthesis in Artemisia annua. Twenty-one day old Artemisia seedlings were subjected to short-term (14 days) UV pre-treatment in an environmentally controlled growth chamber and then transplanted to the field under natural conditions. Treatment of A. annua with artificial UV-B and UV-C radiation not only altered the growth responses, biomass, pigment content and antioxidant enzyme activity but enhanced the secondary metabolites (artemisinin and flavonoid) content at all developmental stages as compared to non-irradiated plants. The extent of oxidative damage was measured in terms of the activities of enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase. Reinforcement in the antioxidative defense system seems to be a positive response of plants in ameliorating the negative effects of UV-B and UV-C radiations. While the carotenoid content was elevated, the chlorophyll content decreased under UV-B and UV-C pre-treatments. The reverse transcription PCR analysis of the genes associated in artemisinin/isoprenoid biosynthesis like 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CPR) and amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) genes at different growth stages revealed UV induced significant over-expression of the above protein genes. UV-B and UV-C pre-treatments, led to an increase in the concentrations of artemisinin at full bloom stage by 10.5% and 15.7% than that of the control respectively. Thus, the result of our study suggests that short term UV-B pre-treatment of seedlings in greenhouse prior to transplantation into the field enhances artemisinin production with lesser yield related damages as compared to UV-C radiation in A. annua. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.