Absract Archive July 2007 LACCASE - The state of art of versatile catalyst a review Abstract Laccases (p-benzenediol:oxygen oxidoreductase; EC 1.10.3.2) are extracellular glycoproteins with molecular weight ranges between 60 to 80kDa .It was first discovered in the exudates of Japanese lacquer tree, Rhus venicifera. Laccases are multicopper (two or four copper atoms per protein molecule) complex proteins, which can catalyze redox reactions and are grouped under oxidoreductases. Laccases are common enzymes in nature, and are found in fungi, bacteria, in some insects and plants. The physiological roles of fungal laccases are diverse. Laccases from white-rot fungi, such as Trametes versicolor and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, participate in lignin biodegradation, detoxification of toxic defense metabolites produced by the plant, pigment production in certain fungi, participation in fungal morphogenesis etc., Remarkably, laccase based treatment of toxic compounds is highly advantageous to bioremediation technologies since the approach is ecofriendly and the enzyme is effective and produced in large amounts and is often produced constitutively. Introduction A large number of microorganisms are involved in wood decomposition, however the dominant decomposers are fungi. Different processes are used to degrade wood because it is composed of differing complex components. Three types of filamentous fungi are able to utilize wood that have a preference for one or more of the wood polymers. Based upon the decay forms, color and texture of the resulting wood, the filamentous fungi were designated as white, brown and soft-rot. The soft-rot fungi include the Ascomycetes and Fungi Imperfecti, which decompose cellulose completely while lignin is partially degraded. Brown-rot fungi include some of the Basidiomycetes, and have a preference for hemicellulose and cellulose but will degrade lignin by demethylation. The third group is the white rot fungi (WRF) that include some of the Basidiomycetes, which degrade the lignin more extensively and rapidly to carbon dioxide and water than any other organisms. Lignin-degrading fungi are a group of taxonomically heterogeneous higher fungi, which are widely distributed in a range of environments from tropical to temperate. Microorganisms in this group are mainly saprophytes that belong to the division Eumycota, subdivision Basidiomycotina (Bourbonnais et al., 1995). They are characterized by their ability to depolymerize and mineralize lignin efficiently using extra-cellular ligninolytic enzymes such as lignin peroxidases (LiPs), manganese peroxidases (MnPs) and laccases. Authors:S.Shanmugam,T. Sathish Kumar . Systems Biology - The Frontier Science in the Biological Realm Introduction In recent years, several advancements have been made in the field of natural sciences, especially biology. Inspite of the tremendous surge in the amount of knowledge generated and accumulated about biological systems, we are still far away from elucidating laws which can be applied to their systematic control and response. We earn for laws of nature and reductionist principles which seem to be too trivial to explain the astounding complexity in biology. Macro and micro structures assemble spontaneously, carry out their prescribed biochemical functions, and disappear with ease when their assigned functions have been performed. At the molecular level, we can find events where data and information are encoded and processed with minimal rates of error inspite of the fact that the molecules involved are under intense environmental perturbations. Each and every biochemical interaction is so perfectly designed so as to produce the desired products and energy. Such complex entities can be considered as networks which have evolved over billions of years. Eventhough there is a perplexing level of intricacy; modern scientists have discerned baseline principles, the hunt for which is unfinished. The framing of such principles to describe biological networks has been made likely by advances in investigational tools that provide in depth and wide-ranging output data [Fiehn 2001]. In an era of science which demands a much more holistic method of analyses of biological systems, systems biology makes its mark as one of the modern perspectives among the lot. Studies on similar lines as mentioned above have led to the finding that it is possible to frame principles that can be applied functionally to biological network assemblies [Fiehn 2001, Kitano 2001, Levesque 2004]. Biological circuitry has evolved to execute particular functions and has distinct patterns and there are very little chances that their design is unsystematic and without common rules. This belief is again strongly grounded on the fact that the modular organizations of biological networks congregate repeatedly onto a definite set of circuit elements and components that follow “universal blueprints”. These so called “universal blueprints” render intrinsic minimalism to biological systems. This paper is aimed at exposing the young readers to the main themes and applications of the systemic approach of describing biological configurations, which is otherwise called Systems Biology. We also discuss the latest research in Systems Biology and its applications in various fields such as drug discovery, metabolomics, genome scale modelling, and industrial strain improvement by optimizing metabolic fluxes, to name a few. To cover all the statistical and mathematical aspects of System building and analyses is beyond the scope of our review and will become too exhaustive. Therefore we stick to the basic theme of how the concepts and tools of systems biology are applied in modern biological research in the industry as well as the academicia. Authors:Nisha James,Padhmanand Sudhakar. Industrial Biotechnology- Enhancing Soil Fertility and Pest- Disease Management in Agricultural Industry Introduction Conventional food production technology is highly energy intensive and leads to the problem of soil and contamination of food and water with agrochemicals, ground water depletion and gradual decline in soil productivity. Consequently, farm profitability declined considerably. Due to indiscriminate use of chemicals in the fields, soil losing its real identity. It is time to adopt remedial measures to recharge ground water and soil health. Farmers face multiple of plant pests and diseases, pressure from insects, viruses, weeds, and weather can impose considerable damage on crop, lowering yields and raising costs. Traditionally farmers have relied on combination of herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers and irrigated water to protect their crops. To controlling these all problems, biotechnology is giving significant contribution in agricultural industry. Biotechnology in recent year has created unprecedented opportunities, not only for the manipulation of biological system for the benefit of mankind but also understanding the fundamental life process, consequently, it has become the world's fastest growing and the most rapidly changing technology. One of the most rapidly moving areas of biotechnological research is genetic engineering of the existing traits, which are replaced with that desired traits. A new concept of biotechnology comes into play calls as 'Recombinant DNA technology'. Today's a number of institutions (public and private) working in the area of biotechnology with strong scientific research system in the country and established regulatory process. For agriculture industry, biotechnology is producing new substances called as bio- fertilizers and bio-pesticides. In India, due to indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has created tremendous harm to environment and soil health. Bio-fertilizes and bio-pesticides are now only base to improve soil and environment condition. Authors:Sudhir Sharma,Deepa Garg,Puspendra Singh. Angiogenesis inhibition: a fight against Cancer Introduction Cancer is one of those words that sends shivers down the spine. At the beginning of the century, cases of lung cancer were so rare that it was shown to medical students as a condition that the students were unlikely to see again during their medical practices. By the 1940's however, lung cancer was becoming quite common. From the last few decades, it is one of the major diseases even after a long research because of the limitations in its early detection. The cases have been observed in which the disease was cured subject to its diagnosis well in advance. The human genome project has substantially increased our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of cancer during the last decade, thus opening up new possibilities for cancer gene therapy. There are several different approaches in current cancer gene therapy, including tumor-suppressor, pro-drug activation, anti-angiogenic and immunotherapy which are playing a pivotal role in the management of tumors. Cancer gene therapy strategies have already been realized in-vitro, as well as in-vivo. A few have even reached the stage of clinical trials, most of them phase-I, while some antisense strategies have advanced to phase II and III studies. A solid tumor needs new vessels to be able to grow and their number is often correlated with its invasive and metastatic capabilities. It activates angiogenesis by locally upsetting the balance between numerous angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors [Chen et al., 2001]. Angiogenesis is a normal phenomenon in the tumor cells, which requires the host machinery during initial stages but acquires its own as the tumor stage goes up. As its building block, neoangiogenesis uses extracellular matrix, proteases, growth factors, cell surface adhesion molecules etc. The factors which stimulate blood vessels development may also upregulate expression of the proteolytic enzymes required for tumor expansion. Over the last few years, the factors that have both positive (angiogenic) and negative (anti-angiogenic) influence on tumor growth have been identified [Zgodzinski, et al., 1999]. For this purpose, it often produces angiogenic factors itself or induces their production on the part of fibroblasts and endothelial cells, as well as those of the local inflammatory infiltrate. The aim of anti-angiogenic management is to reduce the growth and metastasisation of a tumor by diminishing its vascular network. Its targets are the tumor cells, the endothelial cells, the extracellular matrix or the proteolytic enzymes [Harris, 1997]. Preclinical studies using mouse tumors or human tumors grown in immunodepressed mice have shown that their angiogenesis and growth and the metastasisation of their cells can often be reduced by the repeated inoculation of anti-angiogenic proteins. Frequent repetition of high doses is necessary, however, and the factors employed induce numerous side effects. Suspension, too, is followed by the resumption of tumor growth [Kong and Crystal, 1998]. An effective anti-angiogenic treatment must obviously be able to oppose the pro-angiogenic phenotype of the tumor. At the same time, however, it must not interfere with physiological angiogenesis. Gene therapy has been investigated, as it seems best able to meet these two main requirements [Nishizaki et al., 1999]. The risk of side-effects is reduced because selective gene expression in the target area can be achieved by choosing appropriate viral vectors (retroviruses, for example, which preferably integrate in proliferating cells and hence those of the tumor, and in those of its endothelium, which proliferate 50 times more than normal endothelium cells), and the use of organ or tissue-specific promoters. By comparison with other gene therapy prospects, the anti-angiogenic approach has the advantage of also inducing a marked effect on non-engineered cells. Irrespective of the cells that produce them, angiogenesis regulators merely need to be present in the zone where they have to act and transduction of a particular type of cell or all the target cells is not required. Authors:Aradhika Tripathi,Santosh Kumar. Modern Research: Casting lime-light on cold-light The Living Light Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism as the result of a chemical reaction, during which chemical energy is converted to light energy. The name originates from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence does not come from or depend on light absorbed, as in fluorescence or phosphorescence. All bioluminescent reactions involve the oxidation by molecular oxygen of a substrate by an enzyme, generically referred to as luciferin and luciferase, respectively, with the production of an electronically excited state, typically luciferase-bound. From an Evolutionary Perspective Biouminescence is of huge Bionic interest as it produces light unaccompanied by heat. This is also called as “Cold Light” in non-scientific terms. Bionic engineers and evolutionists believe that biolumimescence may have originated millions of years ago as a way by which organisms could rid themselves of highly reactive, poisonous oxygen. The organisms in which bioluminescence originated must have lacked the systems with which modern animals oxidize carbon and hydrogen in small steps. As oxidation occurs in few steps harmful amounts of energy are released. As smaller animals could not tolerate too much heat they must have passed off energy in the form of light, which is Cold light. In the deep sea where sunlight is absent or diminished almost 90% of the organisms are bioluminescent. Nearly more than half of all phyla in the animal kingdom contain members that are bioluminescent. Though most bioluminescent organims are found in the marine habitat such the deep-sea Angler fish and the dinoflagellates, a comparatively fewer number of terrestial organisms such as firelies and Glow-worms are also bioluminescent. Though the exact use of bioluminescence is unknown, scientists say that modern bioluminescent species use it to attract prey, confuse predators, camaflouge and to attract mates.