Browsing by Author "Kaur, Harpreet"

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    Assessment of soybean inhibitor as a biopesticide against melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett)
    (Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2017) Kaur, Harpreet; Kaur, Amandeep; Kaur, Amrit Pal; Rup, Pushpinder J.; Sohal, Satwinder K.
    In the current study, the soybean trypsin?chymotrypsin inhibitor (Bowman?Birk Inhibitor, SBBI) was tested against Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), a major pest of cucurbit crops. Bioassays conducted using different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200?ppm) revealed a detrimental effect of the inhibitor on the growth and development of the second instar larvae of the melon fruit fly. SBBI prolonged the larval and total development period and reduced the percentage pupation and emergence. Enzymatic assays of proteases conducted at three time intervals using the LC40 (59?ppm) concentration of SBBI showed an inhibitory effect on trypsin activity, whereas an increase was observed in the activity of chymotrypsin, elastase and leucine aminopeptidase. Among the enzymes involved in detoxification, antioxidant and general metabolism, an increase was observed in the activity of catalases, and acid and alkaline phosphatases at most treatment intervals. The activity of esterases was induced only with prolonged treatment whereas that of glutathione S-transferases was suppressed in larvae treated with SBBI. The findings revealed the potential of SBBI to disrupt the growth of the melon fruit fly. ? 2017, Deutsche Phythomedizinische Gesellschaft.
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    Codon usage pattern in Gnetales evolved in close accordance with the Gnetifer hypothesis
    (Oxford University Press, 2021-01-06T00:00:00) Majeed, Aasim; Kaur, Harpreet; Kaur, Amitozdeep; Das, Sreemoyee; Joseph, Josepheena; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
    The evolution of Gnetales is ambiguous, and their phylogenetic position is still debated. The biological and molecular processes may evolve with the evolutionary history of a species or a clade. The molecular/biological processes of phylogenetically similar lineages closely follow their evolutionary pattern. If Gnetales evolved as a sister to Pinaceae, cupressophytes or Coniferales as a whole, then it is expected that the molecular or biological processes may reflect this pattern of evolution. In light of this, we deciphered the codon usage pattern of Gnetales, compared it with angiosperms, Pinaceae, cupressophytes and Coniferales as a whole. We evaluated whether this important molecular process has evolved in agreement with the Anthophyte, Gnepine, Gnecup or Gnetifer hypothesis. We observed that Gnetales prefer A/U-ending codons to G/C-ending codons like other lineages. Natural selection plays a dominant role in governing the codon usage bias (CUB). The CpA/CpT dinucleotides were over-represented, whereas the CpG dinucleotide was suppressed. Hierarchical clustering (HC) and correspondence analysis (CA) on relative synonymous codon usage values of 59 synonymous codons showed Gnetales as a sister clade to Coniferales as a whole and revealed that the codon usage pattern in Gnetales has evolved in close accordance with the Gnetifer hypothesis. � 2021 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
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    Codon usage pattern in Gnetales evolved in close accordance with the Gnetifer hypothesis
    (Oxford University Press, 2021-01-06T00:00:00) Majeed, Aasim; Kaur, Harpreet; Kaur, Amitozdeep; Das, Sreemoyee; Joseph, Josepheena; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
    The evolution of Gnetales is ambiguous, and their phylogenetic position is still debated. The biological and molecular processes may evolve with the evolutionary history of a species or a clade. The molecular/biological processes of phylogenetically similar lineages closely follow their evolutionary pattern. If Gnetales evolved as a sister to Pinaceae, cupressophytes or Coniferales as a whole, then it is expected that the molecular or biological processes may reflect this pattern of evolution. In light of this, we deciphered the codon usage pattern of Gnetales, compared it with angiosperms, Pinaceae, cupressophytes and Coniferales as a whole. We evaluated whether this important molecular process has evolved in agreement with the Anthophyte, Gnepine, Gnecup or Gnetifer hypothesis. We observed that Gnetales prefer A/U-ending codons to G/C-ending codons like other lineages. Natural selection plays a dominant role in governing the codon usage bias (CUB). The CpA/CpT dinucleotides were over-represented, whereas the CpG dinucleotide was suppressed. Hierarchical clustering (HC) and correspondence analysis (CA) on relative synonymous codon usage values of 59 synonymous codons showed Gnetales as a sister clade to Coniferales as a whole and revealed that the codon usage pattern in Gnetales has evolved in close accordance with the Gnetifer hypothesis. � 2021 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
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    LaCoO3Perovskite Nanoparticles Embedded in NiCo2O4Nanoflowers as Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution
    (American Chemical Society, 2022-11-08T00:00:00) Kubba, Deeksha; Ahmed, Imtiaz; Kour, Pawanpreet; Biswas, Rathindranath; Kaur, Harpreet; Yadav, Kamlesh; Haldar, Krishna Kanta
    It is essential to design high-efficiency, stable, and inexpensive electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We fabricate a hybrid system of perovskite LaCoO3 with spinel NiCo2O4 denoted LaCoO3/NiCo2O4 via an in situ hydrothermal process. In situ incorporation of LaCoO3 nanoparticles on the NiCo2O4 nanoflower surface is confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. Benefiting from the interface engineering, the obtained LaCoO3/NiCo2O4 hybrid nanoflowers exhibit the lowest overpotential of 353 at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 and a small Tafel slope of 59 mV/dec in alkaline media compared with pristine LaCoO3 (401 mV, 116 mV/dec) and NiCo2O4 (386 mV, 73 mV/dec). The optimized sample possesses a higher electrochemical surface of 111.45 cm2 than LaCoO3 perovskite (35.37 cm2) and NiCo2O4 spinel oxide (61.37 cm2) structures. The enhanced OER performance of the LaCoO3/NiCo2O4 composite structure is due to the accumulation of LaCoO3 nanoparticles over NiCo2O4 petals, which introduces a substantial number of electrochemically active sites for the catalysis process to promote charge and mass transport. In addition to this, LaCoO3/NiCo2O4 exhibits long-term stability over 20 h. Thus, it is believed that the excellent OER activity of the LaCoO3/NiCo2O4 composite structure is associated with strong interaction between LaCoO3 and NiCo2O4 as well as a large surface area and a unique flower structure. � 2022 American Chemical Society.
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    Selection constraints determine preference for A/U-ending codons in Taxus contorta
    (Canadian Science Publishing, 2020) Majeed, Aasim; Kaur, Harpreet; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
    Unequal utilization of synonymous codons is a well-known phenomenon among living organisms. This phenomenon plays a major role in the enhancement of the accuracy and efficiency of translation. Gymnosperms are rarely paid attention in this aspect. Understanding the degree of and determining the forces influencing codon usage bias (CUB) in Taxus contorta, an endangered Himalayan gymnosperm, will prove useful in interpreting the evolutionary characteristics of this species. Using RNAseq data, 93?790 assembled transcripts were clustered into 32?701 unigenes. Around 13?061 full-length sequences were utilized for the analysis of CUB. Compositional properties showed that GC-content ranged from 28.76% to 65.22%, with an average value of 44.28%, suggesting an AT-rich genome. The mean effective number of codons (ENC) value revealed that CUB is not strong in T. contorta. The preferred codons tended to be A/U ending, whereas the avoided codons tended to be G/C ending. A P2 index of 0.54 and a Mutation Responsive Index (MRI) value of-0.02 in addition to the results revealed by the neutrality, ENC, and parity plots showed that natural selection is a predominating factor governing CUB. Mutational pressure, gene length, hydropathiciy, aromaticity, and nucleotide composition influence CUB weakly
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    Targeting mitochondria in the regulation of neurodegenerative diseases: A comprehensive review
    (John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022-07-20T00:00:00) Maurya, Shashank Kumar; Gupta, Suchi; Bakshi, Amrita; Kaur, Harpreet; Jain, Arushi; Senapati, Sabyasachi; Baghel, Meghraj Singh
    Mitochondria are one of the essential cellular organelles. Apart from being considered as the powerhouse of the cell, mitochondria have been widely known to regulate redox reaction, inflammation, cell survival, cell death, metabolism, etc., and are implicated in the progression of numerous disease conditions including neurodegenerative diseases. Since brain is an energy-demanding organ, mitochondria and their functions are important for maintaining normal brain homeostasis. Alterations in mitochondrial gene expression, mutations, and epigenetic modification contribute to inflammation and neurodegeneration. Dysregulation of reactive oxygen species production by mitochondria and aggregation of proteins in neurons leads to alteration in mitochondria functions which further causes neuronal death and progression of neurodegeneration. Pharmacological studies have prioritized mitochondria as a possible drug target in the regulation of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the present review article has been intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of mitochondrial role in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases mainly Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis followed by possible intervention and future treatment strategies to combat mitochondrial-mediated neurodegeneration. � 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.