Plants tend to acclimatize to unfavourable environs by integrating growth and development to environmentally activated signals. Phytohormones strongly regulate convergent developmental and stress adaptive procedures and synchronize cellular reaction to the exogenous and endogenous conditions within the adaptive signaling networks. Gibberellins (GA), a group of tetracyclic diterpenoids, being vital regulators of plant growth, are accountable for regulating several aspects of growth and development of higher plants. If the element of reproduction is considered as an absolute requisite then for a majority of the higher plants GA signaling is simply indispensable. Latest reports have revealed unique conflicting roles of GA and other phytohormones in amalgamating growth and development in plants through environmental signaling. Numerous physiological researches have detailed substantial crosstalk between GA and other hormones like abscisic acid, auxin, cytokinin, and jasmonic acid. In this review, a number of explanations and clarifications for this discrepancy are explored based on the crosstalk among GA and other phytohormones.
Proteins have played a very important role in the drug industry for developing treatments of various diseases such as auto-immune diseases, cancer, diabetes, mental disorder, metabolic disease, and others. Therapeutic proteins have high activity and specificity but they have some limitations such as short half-life, poor stability, low solubility and immunogenicity, so they cannot prolong their therapeutic activity. These shortcomings have been rectified by using polymers for the conjugation with proteins. The conjugates of protein-polymer improves the half-lives, stability and makes them non-immunogenic. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), is widely used in the delivery of proteins because it is the current gold standard for stealth polymers in the emerging field of polymer-based delivery as compared to various biodegradable polymers. PEGylation enhances the retention of therapeutic proteins, effectively alters the pharmacokinetics and enhances the pharmaceutical value. Smart polymer have been used to cope with the pathophysiological environment of target site and have imposed less toxic effects.The contents of this article are challenges in formulation of therapeutic proteins, synthetic routes of conjugates, smart polymer-protein conjugates and also some advantages/disadvantages of polymers as a carrier system of proteins.
Reversed micellear system (RMS) is an innovative technique used for the isolation, extraction and purification of proteins and enzymes. Studies have demonstrated that RMS is an efficient purification technology for extracting proteins and enzymes from natural plant materials or fermentation broth. Lately, reverse micelles have created wider biological applications and with the ease of scaling up and the possibility for continuous process has made RMS a vital purification technique in various field. In this study, an extensive review of RMS with the current application in biotechnology will be examined. This review provides insights with the fundamental principles, key variables and parameters of RMS. In addition, a comparative study of RMS with other liquid-liquid extraction techniques are included. The present review aims to provide a general overview of RMS by summarising the research works, since the introduction of the technology to current development.
Hormones are known to influence various body systems that include skeletal, cardiac, digestive, excretory, and immune systems. Emerging investigations suggest the key role played by secretions of endocrine glands in immune cell differentiation, proliferation, activation, and memory attributes of the immune system. The link between steroid hormones such as glucocorticoids and inflammation is widely known. However, the role of peptide hormones and amino acid derivatives such as growth and thyroid hormones, prolactin, dopamine, and thymopoietin in regulating the functioning of the immune system remains unclear. Here, we reviewed the findings pertinent to the functional role of hormone-immune interactions in health and disease and proposed perspective directions for translational research in the field.
Butyrylcholinesterase is a serine hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolysis of esters in the body. Unlike its sister enzyme acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase has a broad substrate scope and lower acetylcholine catalytic efficiency. The difference in tissue distribution and inhibitor sensitivity also points to its involvement external to cholinergic neurotransmission. Initial studies on butyrylcholinesterase showed that the inhibition of the enzyme led to the increment of brain acetylcholine levels. Further gene knockout studies suggested its involvement in the regulation of amyloid-beta, a brain pathogenic protein. Thus, it is an interesting target for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The substrate scope of butyrylcholinesterase was recently found to include cocaine, as well as ghrelin, the "hunger hormone". These findings led to the development of recombinant butyrylcholinesterase mutants and viral gene therapy to combat cocaine addiction, along with in-depth studies on the significance of butyrylcholinesterase in obesity. It is observed that the pharmacological impact of butyrylcholinesterase increased in tandem with each reported finding. Not only is the enzyme now considered an important pharmacological target, it is also becoming an important tool to study the biological pathways in various diseases. Here, we review and summarize the biochemical properties of butyrylcholinesterase and its roles, as a cholinergic neurotransmitter, in various diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders.