Department of Biotechnology

About: Department of Biotechnology is a government organization based out in New Delhi, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Silver nanoparticle. The organization has 4800 authors who have published 5033 publications receiving 82022 citations.

Future Microbial Applications for Bioenergy Production: A Perspective

Abstract: The fast receding concentration of fossil fuels and the mounting global demand of energy has necessitated the production of alternate fuels to replace the conventional fossil fuels so as to counter the increased deposition of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, which has led to considerable climatic changes. These changes could result in catastrophic repercussions in the near future, including rising temperature and sea levels. Evidently, the utilization of fossil fuels for electricity and heat production and for transportation accounts for 25% and 14% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, respectively (IPCC, 2014). Therefore, nowadays, the production of economically feasible and eco-friendly renewable energy fuels is the world’s highest demand that indicates the potential to simultaneously replace the conventional fuels and reduce the environmental concern. The use of versatile microorganisms to generate renewable energy fuels from the biomass and biological wastes can diminish this menacing concern to a large extent. The interest in the production of various biofuels using microorganisms has been steadily increasing in the recent years (Table 1) (Liao et al., 2016), particularly because of the metabolic diversity of different microorganisms that enables the production of biofuels from various substrates. For example, most of the bacteria can easily convert sugars into ethanol, and cellulolytic microbes can utilize plant-driven substrates. Cyanobacteria and microalgae possess the potential to photosynthetically reduce the atmospheric CO2 into biofuels, and methanotrophs can use methane to produce methanol (Liao et al., 2016). In addition, some of the bacteria such as Geobacter sulfurreducens and Shewanella oneidensis exhibit specific “molecular machinery” that helps transfer electrons from microbial outer-membrane to conductive surfaces (Kracke et al., 2015), subsequently, this feature can be deployed in bioelectrochemical devices for biohydrogen and bioelectricity generation. The impending need to address the challenges involved in enabling these microorganisms to become a more feasible option for replacing the conventional fossil fuels has been discussed in this paper with possible future directions.

Focal adhesion kinase regulates insulin resistance in skeletal muscle

Abstract: Aims/hypothesis On the basis of our previous studies, we investigated the possible role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the development of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, a major organ responsible for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake.

Possible causes of the physiological decline in soybean nitrogen fixation in the presence of nitrate

Abstract: Nodulated soybean plants (Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Clarke) were supplied with 10 mol m -3 nitrate at the vegetative stage. This treatment caused a rapid decline in nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) activity and a consequent decline in ureides in the xylem sap. However, there was virtually no effect on the nitrogenase complex, according to Western blots against components 1 and 2. The effect on nitrogen fixation was matched by a decrease in nitrogenase-linked respiration and increases in nodule oxygen diffusion resistance and the carbon cost of nitrogen fixation. The addition of nitrate had little effect on protein content from either nodule plant or bacteroid fractions. Activities of nitrate reductase (NR) and nitrite reductase (NiR) from either the plant fraction or the bacteroids were affected in different ways during 8 d of NO 3 - supply. Nodule plant NR and bacteroid NiR were not affected. However, nodule plant NiR increased 5-fold within 2 d of supplying NO 3 - . Bacteroid NR only increased after 6d. These results could be interpreted in terms of a restricted nitrate access into the infected region of nodules. However, denitrification was detected within 2d of nitrate supply in soybean nodules. The results are discussed in relation to possible causes of the nitrate-induced decline in nitrogenase activity.