Zeeshan Zafar

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone produced by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum are known to have pesticidal properties at high doses against a range of invertebrate pests. Very little is known about their behavior-modifying (semiochemical) properties. This study focused on investigating the behavioral responses of three subterranean crop pests, wireworm (Agriotes lineatus), western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera), and garden chafer (Phyllopertha horticola), to relatively low doses of 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone. The behavior of wireworms and corn rootworms were slightly influenced by the VOCs, yet not significantly. Western corn rootworms appeared to be slightly attracted by 100 µl and 200 µl 1-octen-3-ol and 100 µl dose of 3-octanone, respectively but slightly repelled by the higher dose of 3-octanone. Wireworms appeared to be slightly repelled by 1-octen-3-ol and high dose 3-octanone, but slightly attracted by the 100 µl dose of 3-octanone. The VOCs had no significant impact on garden chafer. In silico studies showed that corn rootworm odorant binding proteins (OBPs) had a strong binding affinity of 1-octen-3-ol and high dose 3-octanone, indicating that these VOCs can be detected and recognized by corn rootworm. OBPs are well conserved between species; thus, wireworm and garden chafer OBPs should also be able to bind with the VOCs. Further trials will be done to confirm that VOCs could be used as semiochemicals. Appropriate formulation of the VOCs should increase their efficacy and prevent rapid dissipation of the VOCs.

Stress-associated proteins (SAPs) are zinc finger proteins involved in the regulation of various stresses in a variety of plant species. A total of nine PdSAP genes were identified in Prunus dulcis. Phylogenetic and synteny analyses were performed to analyze the homology and evolutionary relationship of PdSAP genes. The functions of PdSAP genes were assessed by further analyses, including cis-regulatory elements, gene duplication, gene ontology, gene structure, subcellular localization, and motif pattern. This study found that PdSAP genes were unevenly distributed on chromosomes 2, 3, 6, and 7. Phylogenetic analysis of PdSAP genes with Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa suggested that six subgroups have a similar pattern of AN1 and A20 domains in each subgroup. PdSAP genes lacked duplicated blocks. The majority of PdSAP genes were localized in the nucleus region. Three hormonal and five stress cis-regulatory elements were found in the upstream promoter region of the PdSAP gene family. RNA-seq analysis revealed differential gene expression of PdSAP genes at days 12, 17, 22, 27, 32, and 37 of fruitlet development after flowering. This study identifies the SAP genes in P. dulcis and also provides insights into the expression of PdSAP genes in abnormal fruitlets with diapause atrophic growth at various developmental stages.

The demand for ecofriendly green catalysts for biofuel synthesis is greatly increasing with the effects of fossil fuel depletion. Fungal lipases are abundantly used as biocatalysts for the synthesis of biofuel. The use of Botrytis cinerea lipase is an excellent approach for the conversion of agroindustrial residues into biofuel. In this study, phylogenetic analyses were carried out and the physicochemical properties of B. cinerea lipase were assessed. Furthermore, the protein structure of B. cinerea lipase was predicted and refined. Putative energy-rich phytolipid compounds were explored as a substrate for the synthesis of biofuel, owing to B. cinerea lipase catalysis. Approximately 161 plant-based fatty acids were docked with B. cinerea lipase in order to evaluate their binding affinities and interactions. Among the docked fatty acids, the top ten triglycerides having the lowest number of binding affinities with B. cinerea lipase were selected, and their interactions were assessed. The top three triglycerides having the greatest number of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were selected for simulations of 20 ns. The docking and simulations revealed that docosahexaenoic acid, dicranin, and hexadeca-7,10,13-trienoic acid had stable bonding with the B. cinerea lipase. Therefore, B. cinerea lipase has the potential to be used for the transesterification of fatty acids into biofuels, whereas docosahexaenoic acid, dicranin, and hexadeca-7,10,13-trienoic acid can be used as substrates of B. cinerea lipase for biofuel synthesis.

As plant specific transcription factors, NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, CUC2) domain is involved in the plant development and stress responses. Due to the vitality of NAC gene family, BLASTp was performed to identify NAC genes in almond (Prunus dulcis). Further, phylogenetic and syntenic analyses were performed to determine the homology and evolutionary relationship. Gene duplication, gene structure, motif, subcellular localization, and cis-regulatory analyses were performed to assess the function of PdNAC. Whereas RNA-seq analysis was performed to determine the differential expression of PdNAC in fruits at various developmental stages. We identified 106 NAC genes in P. dulcis genome and were renamed according to their chromosomal distribution. Phylogenetic analysis in both P. dulcis and Arabidopsis thaliana revealed the presence of 14 subfamilies. Motif and gene structure followed a pattern according to the PdNAC position in phylogenetic subfamilies. Majority of NAC are localized in the nucleus and have ABA-responsive elements in the upstream region of PdNAC. Differential gene expression analyses revealed one and six PdNAC that were up and down-regulated, respectively, at all development stages. This study provides insights into the structure and function of PdNAC along with their role in the fruit development to enhance an understanding of NAC in P. dulcis.