Citrus is one of the most important commercial and nutritional fruit crops in the world, hence it needs to be improved to cater to the diverse needs of consumers and crop breeders. Genetic manipulation through conventional techniques in this genus is invariably a difficult task for plant breeders as it poses various biological limitations comprising long juvenile period, high heterozygosity, sexual incompatibility, nucellar polyembryony and large plant size that greatly hinder cultivar improvement. Hence, several attempts were made to improve Citrus sps. by using various in vitro techniques. Citrus sps are widely known for their recalcitrance to transformation and subsequent rooting, but constant research has led to the establishment of improved protocols to ensure the production of uniformly transformed plants, albeit with relatively low efficiency, depending upon the genotype. Genetic modification through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation has emerged as an important tool for introducing agronomically important genes into Citrus sps. Somatic hybridization has been applied to overcome self and cross-incompatibility barriers and generated inter-specific and inter-generic hybrids. Encouraging results have been achieved through transgenics for resistance against viruses and bacteria, thereby augmenting the yield and quality of the fruit. Now, when major transformation and regeneration protocols have sufficiently been standardized for important cultivars, ongoing citrus research focuses mainly on incorporating such genes in citrus genotypes that can combat different biotic and abiotic stresses. This review summarizes the advances made so far in Citrus biotechnology, and suggests some future directions of research in this fruit crop.

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The monkeypox virus (MPXV) has become a major threat due to the increasing global caseload and the ongoing multi-country outbreak in non-endemic territories. Due to limited research in this avenue and the lack of intervention strategies, the present study was aimed to virtually screen bioactive phytochemicals against envelope proteins of MPXV via rigorous computational approaches. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were used to investigate the binding affinity of 12 phytochemicals against three envelope proteins of MPXV, viz., D13, A26, and H3. Silibinin, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid were computationally identified as potential phytochemicals that showed strong binding affinity towards all the tested structural proteins of MPXV through molecular docking. The stability of the docked complexes was also confirmed by MD simulations. ADME analysis also computationally confirmed the drug-like properties of the phytochemicals, thereby asserting their suitability for consumption. Hence, this study envisions the candidature of bioactive phytochemicals as promising inhibitors against the MPXV, serving as template molecules that could further be experimentally evaluated for their efficacy against monkeypox.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging virus responsible for the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite the advent of COVID-19 vaccines, pandemic fatigue is still escalating as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge and vaccine shortages hit globally. Hence, drug repurposing remains an alternative strategy to combat SARS-CoV-2. For centuries, plants have served as natural reservoirs of pharmacologically active compounds with minimal cytotoxicity and promising antimicrobial and antiviral activities. In this light, the present study was undertaken to virtually screen 33 phytochemicals across various cultivars against the main protease (Mpro) and Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 using ADME analysis. 31 phytochemicals obeying Lipinski’s rules were subjected to molecular docking using AutoDock Vina. Docking scores were determined by selecting the best conformation of the protein-ligand complex that exhibited the highest affinity. The study identified withanone, licoflavone A, and silibinin to interact with the S protein at the hACE2-binding site with high binding energies. Similarly, myricitrin, withanone, naringenin, licoflavone A, and silibinin exhibited high binding affinities with the substrate-binding pocket of Mpro between the domains I and II. Interestingly, licoflavone A, silibinin, and withanone interacted with both Mpro and S proteins in silico. Further, drug-likeness studies indicated withanone to be the most readily bioavailable phytochemicals among the three shortlisted ligands. Therefore, phytochemicals can be regarded as potential leads for developing inhibitors against this mysterious virus. In vitro investigations are further warranted to prove their antiviral efficacy.