WD40 proteins are involved in a variety of protein-protein interactions as part of a multi-protein assembly modulating diverse and critical cellular process. It is known that several proteins of this family have been implicated in different disorders such as developmental abnormalities and cancer. However, molecular functions of many proteins in this family are yet unknown and it is of clinical interest. Therefore, it is of interest to define, construct, understand, analyze, evaluate, redefine and refine an interactome for WD40 protein family. We used data from literature mining using Cytoscape followed by linear regression analysis between Betweenness centrality and stress scores to define a model to filter the nodes in a representative WD40 interactome construction. We identified 10 ranked nodes in this analysis and subsequent microarray data selected three of them in insulin resistance that is further demonstrated in HepG2 cell culture models. We also observed the expression of GRWD1, RBBP5 and WDR5 genes during perturbation. Thus, we report hub nodes of WD40 interactome in insulin resistance. It should be noted that the pipeline using protein interaction network help find new proteins of clinical importance.

In an endeavor to find the novel natural radioprotector to secure normal cells surrounding cancerous cell during radiation exposure, Madhuca indica ( M. indica ) aqueous stem bark extract was evaluated for radioprotective activity using in vitro , in vivo, and in silico models. M. indica extract exhibited concentration dependent protective effect on electron beam radiation (EBR) induced damage to pBR322 DNA; the highest protection was achieved at 150 μg concentrations. Similarly, M. indica extract (400 mg/kg) administrated to mice prior to irradiation protected DNA from the radiation damage, which was confirmed by inhibiting comet parameters. The study showed a significant increase in the levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase levels. The study also revealed that administration of M. Indica at the different dose to mice significantly reduced EBR induced MDA, sialic acid and nitric acid levels. Further extract prevented histophatological changes of skin and liver. In contrast, protein-protein interaction studies were performed to find the hub protein, involved in radiation-induced DNA damage. Among 437 proteins that are found expressed during radiation, p53 was found to be a master protein regulating the whole pathway. Molecular interaction between p53 and M. indica extract was predicted by quantitative structure-activity relationship and ADMET properties. Biomolecules such as quercetin, myricetin, and 7-hydroxyflavone were found to be promising inhibitors of p53 protein and may help in the protection of EBR induced DNA damage during cancer treatment.

Insect Barcode Information System called as Insect Barcode Informática (IBIn) is an online database resource developed by the National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects, Bangalore. This database provides acquisition, storage, analysis and publication of DNA barcode records of agriculturally important insects, for researchers specifically in India and other countries. It bridges a gap in bioinformatics by integrating molecular, morphological and distribution details of agriculturally important insects. IBIn was developed using PHP/My SQL by using relational database management concept. This database is based on the client– server architecture, where many clients can access data simultaneously. IBIn is freely available on-line and is user-friendly. IBIn allows the registered users to input new information, search and view information related to DNA barcode of agriculturally important insects.This paper provides a current status of insect barcode in India and brief introduction about the database IBIn.Availabilityhttp://www.nabg-nbaii.res.in/barcode

Context: Caspases, a family of cysteine-aspartic proteases have a pivotal role in apoptotic pathways. Their down-regulation is reported to induce inappropriate cell survival and enhanced carcinogenic potential. Screening of phytochemicals with a capacity to activate caspases enhancing apoptotic capacity has been proven to be effective anticancer agents. Objectives: This review consolidates data on phtochemicals traditionally used to treat cancerous conditions. The scientific validation of caspaseactivated apoptosis for this traditional application has been compiled. Methods: Internet assisted scientific literature was collected from Google, Google Scholar, ResearchGate and NCI, restricted to publications from 1997 to 2019. Search terms 'caspases and cancer', 'assay of caspases', 'traditionally used medicinal plants', 'Kani tribes', 'plant extracts activating caspase', 'cytotoxicity assay', 'docking phytochemicals to caspase', 'technological advancement for anticancer therapy', 'clinical studies of plant extracts and phytochemicals' and 'herbal drugs approved by FDA' was included. Results: The compilation revealed significance of multiple experimental strategies, traditional research laboratory practices and advanced in silico molecular docking techniques in anticancer therapy. Technological advancement such as MALDI-TOF assisted phytochemical mediated protein target identification and designing promoter for caspases activation and synthesizing functionalized nano carriers for clinical studies has been included for identification of hit molecule and lead optimization. Eugenol and berberine were identified as phytochemicals with potential drug characteristics by both in silico and in vivo studies. Conclusion:The phytochemicals from important Kani tribal medicinal plants via in silico docking and in vivo studies identified could be explored at clinical trials.

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