A novel aerobic marine bacterium, strain AN44 T , was isolated from the coral Fungia echinata sampled from the Andaman Sea, India. Cells were Gram-negative, motile and rod-shaped. Oxidase and catalase tests were positive. Heterotrophic growth was observed at pH 5.5-10 and at 16-42 6C, with optimum growth at pH 7-8 and 28 6C. Strain AN44T grew in the presence of 0.5-11 % (w/v) NaCl; the optimal NaCl concentration for growth was 3-5 %. The DNA G+C content was 47.8 mol%. Predominant cellular fatty acids of strain AN44 T were C 18 : 1 v7c,

The earliest microbiological studies on hot springs in India date from 2003, a much later date compared to global attention in this striking field of study. As of today, 28 out of 400 geothermal springs have been explored following both culturable and non-culturable approaches. The temperatures and pH of the springs are 37-99 °C and 6.8-10, respectively. Several studies have been performed on the description of novel genera and species, characterization of different bio-resources, metagenomics of hot spring microbiome and whole genome analysis of few isolates. 17 strains representing novel species and many thermostable enzymes, including lipase, protease, chitinase, amylase, etc. with potential biotechnological applications have been reported by several authors. Influence of physico-chemical conditions, especially that of temperature, on shaping the hot spring microbiome has been established by metagenomic investigations. Bacteria are the predominant life forms in all the springs with an abundance of phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Thermi, Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus and Chloroflexi. In this review, we have discussed the findings on all microbiological studies that have been carried out to date, on the 28 hot springs. Further, the possibilities of extrapolating these studies for practical applications and environmental impact assessment towards protection of natural ecosystem of hot springs have also been discussed.

Comparative phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genetic analysis revealed significant similarities among strains of the genera Tepidiphilus and Petrobacter . Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences and DNA–DNA relatedness of the type strains Tepidiphilus margaritifer N2-214T and Petrobacter succinatimandens 4BONT showed sequence similarity of 98.9 % and less than 40 % relatedness, indicating that these strains represent different species of same genus. Both strains had phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and diphosphatidylglycerol as major polar lipids. Their fatty acid profiles were almost identical, with the predominant fatty acids C16 : 0, C17 : 0 cyclo and C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c. In view of this, we propose to transfer the member of the genus Petrobacter to the genus Tepidiphilus as Tepidiphilus succinatimandens comb. nov. and to emend the description of the genus Tepidiphilus . Further, a novel bacterium, strain JHK30T, was isolated from a terrestrial hot spring located at Jharkhand, India, and was identified following a polyphasic approach. Cells were non-sporulating, aerobic, Gram-stain-negative rods and motile by a single polar flagellum. Optimum temperature for growth was 50–55 °C at pH 6.5–7.0. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed 99.71 % similarity with P. succinatimandens 4BONT ( = DSM 15512T) and 98.71 % with T. margaritifer N2-214T ( = DSM 15129T). However, DNA–DNA relatedness of strain JHK30T with these two type strains was well below 70 %. The DNA G+C base composition was 66.1 mol%. Strain JHK30T represents a novel species of the genus Tepidiphilus for which the name Tepidiphilus thermophilus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JHK30T ( = JCM 19170T = LMG 27587T= DSM 27220T).

Genome- or gene-editing (abbreviated here as ‘GEd’) presents great opportunities for crop improvement. This is especially so for the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to more than half of the world’s growing population. A brief description of the science of gene-editing is provided with examples of GEd products. For the benefits of GEd technologies to be realized, international policy and regulatory environments must be clarified, otherwise non-tariff trade barriers will result. The status of regulations that relate to GEd crop products in Asian countries and Australasia are described, together with relevant definitions and responsible regulatory bodies. The regulatory landscape is changing rapidly: in some countries, the regulations are clear, in others they are developing, and some countries have yet to develop appropriate policies. There is clearly a need for the harmonization or alignment of GEd regulations in the region: this will promote the path-to-market and enable the benefits of GEd technologies to reach the end-users.

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