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Xylanases have important industrial applications but are most extensively utilized in the pulp and paper industry as a pre-bleaching agent. We characterized a xylanase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain SK-3 and studied it for kraft pulp bleaching. The purified enzyme had a molecular weight of ~50 kDa with optimal activity at pH 9.0 and 50 °C. The enzyme showed good activity retention (85%) after 2 h incubation at 50 °C and pH 9.0. This enzyme obeyed Michaelis–Menten kinetics with regard to beechwood xylan with K m and V max values of 5.6 mg/ml, 433 μM/min/mg proteins, respectively. The enzyme activity was stimulated by Mn2+, Ca2+ and Fe2+ metal ions. Further, it also showed good tolerance to phenolics (2 mM) in the presence of syringic acid (no loss), cinnamic acid (97%), benzoic acid (94%) and phenol (97%) activity retention. The thermostability of xylanase was increased by 6.5-fold in presence of sorbitol (0.75 M). Further, pulp treated with 20U/g of xylanase (20IU/g) alone and with sorbitol (0.75M) reduced kappa number by 18.3 and 23.8%, respectively after 3 h reaction. In summary, presence of xylanase shows good pulp-bleaching activity, good tolerance to phenolics, lignin and metal ions and is amenable to thermostability improvement by addition of polyols. The SEM image showed significant changes on the surface of xylanase-treated pulp fiber as a result of xylan hydrolysis.

The expanded uses of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have grown rapidly in the field of nanotechnology. Thus, rising production of nanoparticles (NPs) increases the possible risks to the environment and occupationally exposed humans. Hence, it is indispensable to appraise the safety toxicity including genotoxicity for these NPs. In the present study, we have evaluated the genotoxic effect of ZnO NPs after oral administration to Swiss mice at dose levels of 300 and 2000 mg/kg body weight. These doses were administered for 2 days at 24 h apart. Chromosomal aberration (CA) and micronucleus tests were conducted following Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines. DNA damage was evaluated at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h posttreatment using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay; additionally, semen analyses were also performed at 34.5 days post oral exposure. The reactive oxygen species (ROS), 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine and CAs were increased ( p < 0.05) at the highest dosage (2000 mg/kg) of ZnO NPs compared to controls. Aberrant sperm morphology with reduced sperm count and motility were also present ( p < 0.05) in the high-dose group. Based on the RAPD assay, the genomic template stability within the high-dose group (<90%) was less than the controls (100%). The results suggested that ZnO NPs are mildly genotoxic in a dose-related manner and this toxicity were induced by generation of ROS.

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Drought is one of the most serious environmental factors limiting production of sugarcane worldwide. In order to assess the influence of gibberellins (GA 3 ) on drought and plant growth, along with associated physio-biochemical attributes, expression of eight drought-responsive genes were quantified and analysed.• Results demonstrated that exposure of droughted plants to GA 3 not only led to recovery of activity of drought-associated physio-biochemical attributes, but also minimised impact on cane dry weight and quality. Further, GA 3 application caused differential gene expression that possibly triggers increased responsiveness towards drought tolerance in sugarcane.