Absract Archive January 2007 Reverse Vaccinology Genome Mining Approach to Vaccine Development Developing vaccines in the 20th century N the traditional and life of ancient people considerable allowance has been made for preventive measures including vaccines against various diseases. Thus, for example, the inhabitants of East Africa from time immemorial have successfully used vaccinations against the bites of poisonous snakes. Africans produced an artificial immunity to tick-borne relapsing fever by natural immunization. The people of Mauritania (Western Africa) protected their herds from epizootic peripneumonia of cattle by vaccinations (skin cuts) with the aid of a dagger that had been dipped in the lung of a bull, which died from peripneumonia. Ever since, Jenner successfully used a cowpox virus to vaccinate against human smallpox in 1796, biologists have focused on vaccination as the best defense against numerous bacterial and viral pathogens. Thus vaccine (L. vacca cow) receives its name from the antismallpox preparation made from the virus of cowpox. Then nearby a century later, Louis Pasteur showed the concept. Conventional vaccines consist of live-attenuated microbes, killed, inactivated microorganisms, and purified microbial components, polysaccharide-carrier protein conjugates or recombinant proteins. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the revolution of microbiology through recombinant DNA techniques provided new tools for vaccine research. This approach generated the first recombinant vaccine for human use, the hepatitis B vaccine, in 1984 .The impact of vaccinology in the 20th century has been enormous; however, all these approaches have several limitations, as follows: Author:A. KOTEESWARAN, M. MOHAN. Cancer Fighting Crucifers Introduction Edible plants in the family Brassicaceae (also known as Cruciferae) are termed Cruciferous vegetables. The flowering plant family Brassicaceae, also called Cruciferae, is known as the mustard family or cabbage family. Agricultural plants in the mustard family are also known as cole crops; cole comes from the Latin word caulis (stem), as does the German Kohl. Broccoli is known as the “Crown jewel of Nutrition” for its vitamin rich, high in fiber and low in calorie properties. Broccoli has multiple cancer fighting properties including vitamin C, beta carotene and fiber. The health benefits of these vegetables seem to have been known for some time. Around 234-149 BC Cato the Elder, a Roman statesman wrote a treatise on medicine that included the following insight: “If a cancerous ulcer appears upon the breasts, apply a crushed cabbage leaf and it will make it well” The family contains species of great economic importance, providing much of the world's winter vegetables. These include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collards, and kale (all cultivars of one species, Brassica oleracea, Chinese kale, rutabaga (also known as Swedish turnips or swedes), seakale, turnip, bok choy, radish and kohlrabi. Other well known members of the Brassicaceae include rapeseed (canola and others), arugula, mustard, horseradish, wasabi and watercress. The most intensely studied member of the Brassicaceae is the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. Under the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, Brassicaceae also includes all the genera traditionally included in the family Capparaceae. Author:J. Renuka Devi Health Effects of Urban Air Pollution in India: A Study in Kolkata Introduction Air pollution from road traffic is a major health concern worldwide, is responsible for approximately 800,000 premature deaths and 4.6 million lost life-years every year (WHO, 2002). Epidemiological studies have established that the most harmful component is the particular matter with a diameter of less than 10 micro meter (PM10). Acute or chronic exposures to high level of PM10 increase the risk of mortality (deaths) and morbidity (illness) from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (Ostro, 1993; Brook et. al., 2003). The levels of air pollution in Indian cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Kanpur and Ahmedabad are far above the standards for long, vehicular pollution has been a major health problem in Kolkata, which accommodates 13.9 million people in an area of 1350 sq. km. Approximately 60% of Kolkata's air pollution comes from road traffic, 37% from industries, and the remaining 3% from household emissions for the use of coal, biomass and kerosene for domestic cooking (CPCB, 1998). Although the concentration of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (No2) has usually been within the prescribed standards, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the city for the past few years have remained far above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Alarmingly high level of vehicular pollution in Kolkata has been attributed to several factors like exponential rise in the number of vehicles, low traffic speed, old and ill-maintained vehicles, poor fuel quality, adulteration of fuel, improper traffic management system and road conditions, Inadequate inspection and maintenance facilities, absence of effective mass rapid transport system. Objective of the study Although air pollution has been associated with increased mortality and morbidity, its health impact in Indian cities is largely unexplored. In view of this, the present study was carried out by Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata to monitor particulate pollution and evaluate pulmonary and systemic effects of chronic exposure to air pollution among the residents of Kolkata. Authors:Arnab Barik, Manas Ranjan Ray. Phytoestrogens A Natural Estrogens? Introduction Phytoestrogens are secondary metabolite produced by plants that act like estrogens in animal cells and bodies. The term "Phytoestrogens" includes several molecules from the plant world with different structures, but all of which show similarities to the structure of estrogen shown in Fig. 1. Epidemiological evidence indicates, that humans who have diets rich in phytoestrogens have lower rates of breast and prostate cancer. These populations also have less heart disease, gallbladder disease, osteoporosis, menopausal difficulties, lung, stomach, colon, and uterine cancers. Fig. 1. On the left, models of the three human estrogens: estradiol, estrone and estriol. To the right, the isoflavones genistein, daidzein, and glycitein. Notice the general similarity of the structures. These molecules have several features in common which allow them to interact with mammalian estrogen receptors and to exert hormonal effects. More than 300 foods have been shown to contain phytoestrogens in trace amount.Some of them are shown in table-1. Most food phytoestrogens are from one of three chemical classes: • Isoflavonoid phytoestrogens • Lignin phytoestrogens • Coumestan phytoestrogens Pharmacology • Intestinal bacteria convert conjugated isoflavones to active unconjugated isoflavones such as genistein, daidzein and      equol. • Dietary isoflavones have a high bioavailability and circulate in the blood in both conjugated and free forms. Some are    excreted in the bile via enterohepatic pathways, but most are excreted in the urine, with a half-life of approximately 24    hours Authors:M. Praveena. Molecular Mechanism of Disease Resistance in Wheat Plants are continually challenged by many potential pathogens, as also animals are. There is increasing evidence that defense systems of plants are at least as complex as vertebrate defense systems. However, plants do not have a circulatory system like animals and therefore it cannot rely on a specialized, proliferate immune system. Each plant cell has to be capable of defense, even though this defense is coordinated locally and systemically between cells. There are a variety of types of resistance genes and mechanisms, some induced and some constitutive (for review, see Godiard et al. 1994; Michelmore 1995; Hammond-Kosack and Jones 1997). Often, although not always, disease resistance in plant is determined by single, usually dominant, genes. The recent cloning of several such resistance genes (R genes) is providing insight into their function and evolution. The defense system of plants may be ancient and predate the evolution of the immune system; genes similar to plant R genes have been identified in mammals (Hammond-Kosack and Jones 1997; Van der Biezen and Jones 1998). Resistance to many diseases, particularly those caused by biotrophic fungal diseases, is determined by individual members of families of dominant genes, each member conferring resistance to a specific strain of the pathogen. When parallel genetic studies have been made, specificity has often shown to be conferred by a "gene-for-gene" interaction; for every gene for resistance in the host there is a matching gene for avirulence in the pathogen (Flor 1956). The gene-for-gene interaction has now been demonstrated or inferred in >20 diseases caused by taxonomically diverse pathogens and probably functions in many more (Flor 1971; Crute 1986). The gene-for-gene interaction is undoubtedly an oversimplification; however, it is a useful predictive and genetic description of the interaction between plants and their pathogens. Authors:Priyamvada, Priyanka Siwach,Ratan Tiwari, Jag Shoran,B.Mishra. Transdifferentiation The art of tissue engineering. Abstract “Transdifferentiation” describes the conversion of one differentiated cell type to another. Cells are basic functional unit of any living thing. There are about 300 different types of cell; each specialized for a specific function. Many common diseases such as neuro degeneration, diabetes and stroke, cause damage to the tissues within the body. Repairing of these damages requires the ability to regenerate the correct types of cells in the damaged areas. One possible method is to graft stem cells, which may be able to differentiate to replace any type of cell. Another possibility is to replace the missing function by transdifferentiation of existing cells. The ability of transdifferentiation between one type of cell into another requires an understanding of the molecular events underlying normal development. During embryonic development, difference in expression of common cell sheet leads to generation of different tissues. If these genes expressions can be identified then it is possible to cause transdifferentiation between the two tissues. We discussed transdifferentiation under conversion of liver cells to pancreas and vice versa; bone marrow derived stem cells to ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal cell types; pineal gland into median eye. Key words: Transdifferentiation, stem cells, endocrine gland, pineal gland, and myocyte Author:Lokesh,K.R, Prabhakaran.