Rice husk ash based growing media impact on cucumber and melon growth and quality

Rice husk, an agricultural waste from the rice industry, can cause serious environmental pollution if not properly managed. However, rice husk ash (RHA) has been found to have many positive properties, making it a potential replacement for non-renewable peat in soilless planting. Thus, this study investigated the impact of a RHA composite substrate on the growth, photosynthetic parameters, and fruit quality of cucumber (Yuyi longxiang variety) and melon (Yutian yangjiaomi variety). The RHA, peat, vermiculite, and perlite were blended in varying proportions, with the conventional seedling substrate (peat:vermiculite:perlite = 1:1:1 volume ratio) serving as the control (CK). All plants were cultivated in barrels filled with 10L of the mixed substrates. The results from this study found that RHA 40 (RHA:peat:vermiculite:perlite = 4:4:1:1 volume ratio) significantly enhanced substrate ventilation and positively influenced the stem diameter, root activity, seedling index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) of cucumber and melon plants. Additionally, plant planted using RHA 40, the individual fruit weight of cucumber and melon found to increase by 34.62% and 21.67%, respectively, as compared to the control. Aside from that, both cucumber and melon fruits had significantly higher sucrose, total soluble sugar, vitamin C, and soluble protein levels. This subsequently improved the activity of sucrose synthase and sucrose phosphate synthase in both cucumber and melon. In conclusion, the RHA 40 found to best promote cucumber and melon plant growth, increase plant leaf photosynthesis, and improve cucumber and melon fruit quality, making it a suitable substrate formula for cucumber and melon cultivation in place of peat.

Epidermal Mucus of Anabas testudineus as a Promising Source of Antibacterial and Anticancer Agents

Anabas testudineus is a sturdy freshwater fish that can live in a polluted environment due to the epidermal mucus (EM) that protects the fish from pathogens or germs. This study explored the functional properties of the EM as a potential antimicrobial and anticancer agent. Inactive Pseudomonas aeruginosa was introduced into fish tanks to stimulate the production of EM. This stimulus significantly increased EM production by more than 100% after 10 days of stimulation, indicating that EM production was influenced by environmental biotic stress. In vitro antibacterial activity tests showed that EM has significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (12 ± 0.23 mm) and P. aeruginosa (10 ± 0.13 mm) at the tested concentration of 1000 μg/mL. Further characterisation against cells showed that EM has a cytotoxic effect against human breast cancer (MCF7) and human melanoma (A375.S2) producing an IC50 value of 4.97 ± 0.25 and 6.27 ± 0.17 mg/mL, respectively. In contrast, no cytotoxicity against normal fibroblast skin cells (HS27) was observed. In addition, apoptosis analysis showed that EM could cause DNA fragmentation of cancer cells, while no effect on normal cells was observed. These findings indicated that EM from A. testudineus could be further studied and explored as an anticancer agent.

Morphogenesis and Genetic Diversity of Some Virulent Phages Specific for Bacillus velezensis

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Phosphorus (P) is one of the most limiting nutrients for plant growth. Phosphorus deficiency is limiting crop production in many agricultural soils worldwide. The application of phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) to soils can replace or partially reduce using of inorganic P fertilizers. A bacteriophage, or phage, is a virus that infects a bacterial cell, taking over the host cell's genetic material. The four phages were propagated, purified, studied for the morphological properties, finally studying the genetic diversity. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Obtained, examined the efficiency and identification of bacteria for solubilizing phosphorus. Isolation, studying the properties and studying genetic diversity. <b>Results:</b> Four virulent phages (Bv<sub>1</sub>, Bv<sub>2</sub>, Bv<sub>3</sub> and Bv<sub>4</sub>) specific for <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> were isolated from the Egyptian soil. The <i>Bacillus</i> phages were purified by alternative low and high-speed centrifugation methods. Electron micrographs showed that phages appeared to be a member of the <i>Siphoviridae </i>family based on their structure and particle morphology (the particles have a head and long non-contractile tail). Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) technique was performed to determine the properties of viral proteins. It was found that the Bv<sub>1</sub> virus had five structural proteins, while Bv<sub>2</sub> and Bv<sub>3</sub> virus had eight structural proteins and finally, the Bv<sub>4</sub> virus had ten structural proteins. The purity and quantity of isolated DNAs were determined spectrophotometrically. Data showed that the concentration of Bv<sub>1</sub> DNA was 0.75 μg, Bv<sub>2</sub> DNA and Bv<sub>3</sub> DNA was 0.60 μg and finally Bv<sub>4</sub> DNA 0.55 μg μL<sup></sup><sup>1</sup>. The analysis of genetic material of <i>B. velezensis</i> phages was determined based on both the ISSR-PCR technique and the effect of restriction enzymes. Data showed different amplification patterns with all phages. <b>Conclusion:</b> The bacteriophages of <i>B. velezensis</i> were isolated from soil, propagated, purified, study some of its properties.

Effects of Starter Culture and Sweetener on Biochemival Compounds and Microbial Diversity of Kombucha Tea

Kombucha tea has been claimed to have several health benefits. Many factors influence the properties of kombucha tea produced. This study focused on the effects of starter cultures (kombucha liquid broth (KLB) and cellulosic pellicle (KCP)) and sweetener (white sugar (S), honey (H) and jaggery (J)) used in the production of kombucha tea. The results showed that all kombucha teas prepared using KLB had a lower pH and a higher concentration of acetic acid during fermentation. The ethanol content for samples prepared using KLB increased (0.7 ± 0.26 mg/L to 1.73 ± 0.58 mg/L) during the fermentation period, compared to KCP which was the maximum after 72 h fermentation, and continued to decrease (2.97 ± 1.24 mg/L to 0.90 ± 0.44 mg/L). Although not too much differences in pH and ethanol content were observed when different sweetener sources were used, they did have significant differences in antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activity. Samples prepared using jaggery had the lowest antioxidant activity while kombucha tea prepared using KLB and white sugar (KLB-S) had the highest antioxidant and antibacterial activity and was mostly colonized by Acetobacteracea and Aspergillus fumigatus. Fermentation significantly increases the number of active compounds present in KLB-S from 11 to 25 compounds. New compounds such as docosanedioic acid, muramic acid and thiolactomycin were formed. Thiolactomycin, a natural antibiotic is suggested to contribute to the high antimicrobial activity of KLB-S. In conclusion, KLB and white sugar are better suited in preparing kombucha tea as more benefits and consistent results were observed.

Anti-breast cancer synthetic peptides derived from the Anabas testudineus skin mucus fractions

Previous study has shown the antimicrobial activities of mucus protein extracted from Anabastestudineus. In this study, we are interested in characterizing the anticancer activity of the A.testudineus antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The mucus was extracted, fractioned, and subjected to antibacterial activity testing to confirm the fish's AMPs production. The cytotoxic activity of each fraction was also identified. Fraction 2 (F2), which shows toxicity against MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 were sent for peptide sequencing to identify the bioactive peptide. The two peptides were then synthetically produced and subjected to cytotoxic assay to prove their efficacy against cancer cell lines. The IC₅₀ for AtMP1 against MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 were 8.25 ± 0.14 μg/ml and 9.35 ± 0.25 μg/ml respectively, while for AtMP2 it is 5.89 ± 0.14 μg/ml and 6.97 ± 0.24 μg/ml respectively. AtMP1 and AtMP2 treatment for 48 h induced breast cancer cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by upregulating the p53, which lead to upregulate pro-apoptotic BAX gene and downregulate the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 gene, consequently, trigger the activation of the caspase-3. This interaction was supported by docking analysis (QuickDBD, HPEPDOCK, and ZDOCK) and immunoprecipitation. This study provided new prospects in the development of highly effective and selective cancer therapeutics based on antimicrobial peptides.

Dual function of Lemna minor and Azolla pinnata as phytoremediator for Palm Oil Mill Effluent and as feedstock

In this study, two native duckweeds (Lemna minor and Azolla pinnata) were cultivated in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) to extract nutrients from the effluent. Five grams of A. pinnata and 2 g of L. minor were transferred to 2 L POME (Initial concentrations: 198 mg/L COD, 4.3 mg/L nitrates, pH 9.53, 4 mg/L phosphate, 2.98 mg/L ammonia) with four different dilutions (2.5%, 5%, 10%, 15%) under greenhouse conditions. Samples of POME were taken every two days up to 10 days. Growth parameter, phosphate, ammonia, nitrates, pH, and COD were monitored within 10 days to select the most suitable growth medium for both plants. Results showed that 2.5% POME dilution had positive effect on L. minor growth and A. pinnata (wet weight increased by 8.7 g and 9.8 g, respectively), with all plants able to survive until the final day of exposure. The highest removal of ammonia was accomplished in 5% POME dilution by A. pinnata (98%) and L. minor (95.5%). The maximum phosphate removal was obtained in 10% POME dilution with 93.3% removal by A. pinnata and 86.7% by L. minor. Significant COD removal in 15% POME was obtained by L. minor (78%) and A. pinnata (66%). Both plants responded positively to the phytoremediation process, especially for A. pinnata which showed significant decreases in all parameters. The nutrient extraction by both plants from POME showed a positive effect on growth parameter, which has further promising potential to be used as animal feedstock.

Potential mutant of Lentinula edodes with high yield of (1-3), (1-6-), β-D-glucan

Lentinula edodes or better known as Shiitake mushroom contains β-1,3;1,6-glucan as part of the cell wall components and studies have shown that it has the ability to enhance the immune system and work as anticancer. The aim of this study is to create potential strain of L. edodes with the high content of β-1,3;1,6-glucan, which has the potential for biotechnological purposes. L. edodes spores were irradiated with gamma ray (Ɣ-rays) and incubated, which formed monokaryon mycelium (MM). Compatible mating of mutated monokaryon formed mutant line dikaryon mycelium (MLDM) that were selected for genotypic and phenotypic comparison with the wild-type line dikaryon mycelium (WLDM). The concentration of β-1,3;1,6-glucan were measured using a commercial β-Glucan Megazyme Assay Kit (Yeast & Mushroom). Three MLDM, (A37, A26, and C07) 38.8, 36.0 and 34.5 %w/w of 100 mg respectively, significantly produced higher amount of β-1,3;1,6-glucan in comparison with WLDM (20.2 %w/w of 100 mg).

Isolation and characterization of a Siphoviridae phage infecting Bacillus megaterium from a heavily trafficked holy site in Saudi Arabia

In this study, we isolated and characterized a Siphoviridae phage isolated from the vicinity of a religious structure (Kaaba) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The phage was designated as φBM and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, restriction digestion of its DNA, and host range. Electron micrograph indicated that φBM phage has an icosahedral head with diameter of about 65 ± 5 nm and long, non-contractile tail with length of about 300 ± 10 nm and width of about 17 ± 2 nm, respectively. On the basis of the φBM phage morphology, we thus propose that φBM represents a member of Siphoviridae phages. The φBM phage was shown to be able to infect Bacillus megaterium and two other Bacillus species and has no effect on other tested bacteria. φBM was stable over the pH range of 5-9, chloroform resistant and stable at 4 °C. A one-step growth experiment showed a latent period of about 40 min and a burst size of approximately 65 per infected cell. The purified bacteriophage appeared to consist of ten proteins. The genome size was estimated to be ∼38 kb. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation of a bacteriophage from Kaaba a heavily trafficked holy site in Saudi Arabia.

Induction of resistance in tomato plants against tomato mosaic tobamovirus using beneficial microbial isolates

The possibility of making use of the phenome non of Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) to control viruses achieved by the soaking treatment of tomato seeds cv. Castl Rock with three growth forms to Bacillus circulans, Pseudomonas fluorescens 2 and Trichoderma harzianum against Tomato mosaic tobamovirus (ToMV) infection. All the application forms of beneficial biotic inducers were reduced the mean number of ToMV local lesions on Datura metel. P. fluorescens 2 was found to be the best treatment in three forms on reduction of local lesion number 42.2, 32.7 and 38.1 of microbial liquid culture, microbial cells or spores and microbial culture filtrate forms, respectively, while the highest mean numbers of local lesions were 51.5, 61.7 and 73.5 of microbial liquid culture, microbial cells or spores and microbial culture filtrate, respectively for T. harzianum. The microbial culture filtrate form was more effective than other microbial forms to reduce mean number of ToMV local lesions to B. circulans, P. fluorescens 2 and T. harzianum isolates, 40.7, 32.1 and 51.5, respectively. The individual microbial isolates on all three microbial forms able to vary ToMV local lesions similarity (homologous or heterologous) and morphology (size center and surrounded with halo or without halo) compared with TMV mother strain.