Complex biological systems and cellular networks may underlie most genotype to phenotype relationships. Here, we review basic concepts in network biology, discussing different types of interactome networks and the insights that can come from analyzing them. We elaborate on why interactome networks are important to consider in biology, how they can be mapped and integrated with each other, what global properties are starting to emerge from interactome network models, and how these properties may relate to human disease.

Interactome networks and human disease

Diosgenin, a steroidal saponin, and its analogs: Effective therapies against different chronic diseases.

Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is a medicinal plant used worldwide since ancient times. Its use as smelling agent and spice was documented since 15 th century. The genus Trigonella includes around 260 species diffused worldwide and belonging to Fabaceae family. In the last decades, a number of studies highlighted the biological activities and therapeutic properties of this species mainly attributed to bioactive secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids and saponins. In particular, diosgenin, a steroidal saponin, has been investigated for its medicinal uses and fenugreek has been reported as source of raw material for the production of steroidal hormones. This review article focuses on the cultivation, genetics, ecophysiology and traditional uses of fenugreek, as well as on its medicinal properties, phytochemical and nutrient contents. Extraction procedures and pharmacological activities of diosgenin are also reviewed, as well as methods for its chemical analyses. This review focuses on the medicinal importance of Fenugreek and its important secondary metabolite diosgenin. The review article complies the results of pre-clinical studies conducted to establish the various medicinal applications of diosgenin. This will help researcher to discover fundamental role of diosgenin as a potential product for drug manufacturers and use of fenugreek as a source of diosgenin.

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Review on Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) and its Important Secondary Metabolite Diosgenin

Diosgenin (DG), a well-known steroidal sapogenin, is present abundantly in medicinal herbs such as Dioscorea rhizome, Dioscorea villosa, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Smilax China, and Rhizoma polgonati. DG is utilized as a major starting material for the production of steroidal drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to its wide range of pharmacological activities and medicinal properties, it has been used in the treatment of cancers, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, and infections. Numerous studies have reported that DG is useful in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases. Its therapeutic mechanisms are based on the mediation of different signaling pathways, and targeting these pathways might lead to the development of effective therapeutic agents for neurological diseases. The present review mainly summarizes recent progress using DG and its derivatives as therapeutic agents for multiple neurological disorders along with their various mechanisms in the central nervous system. In particular, those related to therapeutic efficacy for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, brain injury, neuroinflammation, and ischemia are discussed. This review article also critically evaluates existing limitations associated with the solubility and bioavailability of DG and discusses imperatives for translational clinical research. It briefly recapitulates recent advances in structural modification and novel formulations to increase the therapeutic efficacy and brain levels of DG. In the present review, databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were used for studies of DG and its derivatives in the treatment of central nervous system diseases published in English until December 10, 2019. Three independent researchers examined articles for eligibility. A total of 150 articles were screened from the above scientific literature databases. Finally, a total of 46 articles were extracted and included in this review. Keywords related to glioma, ischemia, memory, aging, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer, Parkinson, and neurodegenerative disorders were searched in the databases based on DG and its derivatives.

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Therapeutic Potential of Diosgenin and Its Major Derivatives against Neurological Diseases: Recent Advances.

Trillium govanianum, an endangered medicinal herb native to the Himalaya, is less studied at the molecular level due to the non-availability of genomic resources. To facilitate the basic understanding of the key genes and regulatory mechanism of pharmaceutically important biosynthesis pathways, first spatial transcriptome sequencing of T. govanianum was performed. 151,622,376 (~11.5 Gb) high quality reads obtained using paired-end Illumina sequencing were de novo assembled into 69,174 transcripts. Functional annotation with multiple public databases identified array of genes involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis and other secondary metabolite pathways including brassinosteroid, carotenoid, diterpenoid, flavonoid, phenylpropanoid, steroid and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and important TF families (bHLH, MYB related, NAC, FAR1, bZIP, B3 and WRKY). Differentially expressed large number of transcripts, together with CYPs and UGTs suggests involvement of these candidates in tissue specific expression. Combined transcriptome and expression analysis revealed that leaf and fruit tissues are the main site of steroidal saponin biosynthesis. In conclusion, comprehensive genomic dataset created in the current study will serve as a resource for identification of potential candidates for genetic manipulation of targeted bioactive metabolites and also contribute for development of functionally relevant molecular marker resource to expedite molecular breeding and conservation efforts in T. govanianum.

/pdf/spatial-transcriptome-analysis-provides-insights-of-key-gene-2fyvotvo6u.pdf

Spatial transcriptome analysis provides insights of key gene(s) involved in steroidal saponin biosynthesis in medicinally important herb Trillium govanianum

The effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA), an elicitor of plant defense mechanisms, on the biosynthesis of diosgenin, a steroidal saponin, were investigated in six fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) varieties (Gujarat Methi-2, Kasuri-1, Kasuri-2, Pusa Early Branching, Rajasthan Methi and Maharashtra Methi-5). Treatment with 0.01% MeJA increased diosgenin levels, in 12 days old seedlings, from 0.5%-0.9% to 1.1%-1.8%. In addition, MeJA upregulated the expression of two pivotal genes of the mevalonate pathway, the metabolic route leading to diosgenin: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG) and sterol-3-β-glucosyl transferase (STRL). In particular, MeJA increased the expression of HMG and STRL genes by 3.2- and 22.2-fold, respectively, in the Gujarat Methi-2 variety, and by 25.4- and 28.4-fold, respectively, in the Kasuri-2 variety. Therefore, MeJA may be considered a promising elicitor for diosgenin production by fenugreek plants.

/pdf/elicitation-of-diosgenin-production-in-trigonella-foenum-416980bfdq.pdf

Elicitation of Diosgenin Production in Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek) Seedlings by Methyl Jasmonate

MicroRNAs are a newly discovered class of non-protein small RNAs with 22–24 nucleotides They play multiple roles in biological processes including development, cell proliferation, apoptosis, stress responses and many other cell functions In this research, several approaches were combined to make a computational prediction of potential miRNAs and their targets in Helianthus annuus (H annuus) The already available information of the plant miRNAs present in miRBase v21 was used against expressed sequence tags (ESTs) A total of three miRNAs were detected from which one potential novel miRNA was identified following a range of strict filtering criteria The target prediction was carried out for these three miRNAs having various targets These targets were functionally annotated and GO terms were assigned To study the conserved nature of the miRNAs, predicted phylogenetic analysis was carried out These findings will significantly provide the broader picture for understanding the functions in H annuus

An approach to identify the novel miRNA encoded from H. Annuus EST sequences.

Metagenomic Analysis and its Applications.

In Silico MicroRNA Identification from Stevia rebaudiana Transcriptome Assembly

Bioinformatic approaches play a very important role in omics to understand the plant science. These omic-based advance techniques have provided crucial resource to researcher to study the plant biology in model and non-model plants. In this chapter we have discussed few fundamentals of omics techniques and their analysis pipeline in genomics, transcriptomics, small RNA, gene annotation and other emerging techniques like genotyping by sequencing, tilling, etc. Furthermore, integration of omics data at all levels has become a major challenge as the amount of omics data is increasing at a rapid space. In this chapter, we have attempted to put forward few important applications of different omics techniques such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics in plant science.

Aditya Mehta

Papers

Elicitation of Diosgenin Production in Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek) Seedlings by Methyl Jasmonate

An approach to identify the novel miRNA encoded from H. Annuus EST sequences.

Metagenomic Analysis and its Applications.

In Silico MicroRNA Identification from Stevia rebaudiana Transcriptome Assembly

Concept, Development, and Application of Computational Methods for the Analysis and Integration of Omics Data