Browsing by Author "Yadav, Sushil Kumar"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Characterization of 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate synthase (IspG) from Plasmodium vivax and it’s potential as an antimalarial drug target
    (Elsiever, 2017-03) Garg, Shilpi; Yadav, Sushil Kumar; Saxena, Vishal
    The prokaryotic type Methyl Erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway functional in the apicoplast of Plasmodium is indispensable for the erythrocytic stages of the parasite. It is the sole process of isoprenoids biosynthesis in the parasite and is different from that in humans. Among the seven enzymes known to be functional in the MEP pathway in prokaryotes, most enzymes from Plasmodium are yet uncharacterized. The penultimate enzyme of this pathway 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate synthase (IspG), has been shown to act as a key target molecule in prokaryotes, where its deletion results in impairment of many housekeeping functions. The present study is the first detailed report of IspG enzyme from any Plasmodium sp. We report here that the protein is highly conserved across apicomplexans and prokaryotes and it localizes to the apicoplast as evident from the immune-localization studies performed on P. vivax infected blood smears made from clinical patients. The biochemical reconstitution and in silico docking of [4Fe–4S] clusters on the protein indicate their importance for the activity of enzyme. In-silico screening of different drug entities suggested the inhibitory role of alkyne diphosphate analogues and fosmidomycin against the IspG enzyme, suggesting the potential role of this enzyme as an antimalarial target.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Metabolomic profiling of cow urine of various breeds reveals bioactive metabolites of diverse industrial applications
    (Springer, 2025-07) Yadav, Sushil Kumar; Sheth, Pratik N.
    Cow urine is widely utilized for medicinal and agricultural purposes in rural areas of India, with urine from indigenous cow breeds (Bos indicus) believed to offer unique benefits compared to that of exotic (Bos taurus) breeds. This research aimed to profile the metabolites present in the urine of indigenous breeds of cows using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and to explore the potential applications of the identified compounds by referencing the established literature. The various cow breeds included in the study were Gir, Sahiwal, Gangatiri, Hariana, Kankrej, Rathi, Gaolao, and Jersey. Cows employed in the study to collect the samples from various locations differed in their body weight, age, and stage of lactation. GC–MS analysis revealed a range of compounds, including ethanone, cresol, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, phenol, eicosane, pentanol, isobutyl ester, ethyl ester, binapacryl, trifluoroacetate, xylene, amylene hydrate, dibutyl ester, and formamide. Notably, several compounds were consistently observed across multiple indigenous breeds. For instance, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and xylene were found in nearly all indigenous breeds, while ethanone was detected in Gir, Sahiwal, Gangatiri, Kankrej, Hariana, Gaolao as well as Jersey cows. Similarly, eicosane and pentanol were present in Gangatiri and Hariana breeds. These overlapping chemical signatures highlight potential metabolic similarities among the studied cow breeds. The identified compounds are known for their diverse industrial and pharmaceutical applications, including use in disinfectants, flavorings, cosmetics, and agrochemicals as well as metabolic engineering. Thus, this study—for the first time—comprehensively delineated the comparative metabolite profile of cow urine among different breeds of cows. The spectrum of urinary metabolites identified could offer opportunities to foster bio-based innovations having multifarious applications, including new product developments, across diversified fields.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Scientific characterization methods for better utilization of cattle dung and urine: a concise review
    (Springer, 2023-07) Sheth, Pratik N.; Yadav, Sushil Kumar
    Cattle are usually raised for food, manure, leather, therapeutic, and draught purposes. Biowastes from cattle, such as dung and urine, harbor a diverse group of crucial compounds, metabolites/chemicals, and microorganisms that may benefit humans for agriculture, nutrition, therapeutics, industrial, and other utility products. Several bioactive compounds have been identified in cattle dung and urine, which possess unique properties and may vary based on agro-climatic zones and feeding practices. Therefore, cattle dung and urine have great significance, and a balanced nutritional diet may be a key to improved quality of these products/by-products. This review primarily focuses on the scientific aspects of biochemical and microbial characterization of cattle biowastes. Various methods including genomics for analyzing cattle dung and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy for cattle urine have been reviewed. The presented information might open doors for the further characterization of cattle resources for heterogeneous applications in the production of utility items and addressing research gaps.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Structural and functional characterization of an iron–sulfur cluster assembly scaffold protein-SufA from Plasmodium vivax
    (Elsiever, 2016-07-01) Garg, Shilpi; Yadav, Sushil Kumar; Saxena, Vishal
    Iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters are utilized as prosthetic groups in all living organisms for diverse range of cellular processes including electron transport in respiration and photosynthesis, sensing of ambient conditions, regulation of gene expression and catalysis. In Plasmodium, two Fe–S cluster biogenesis pathways are reported, of which the Suf pathway in the apicoplast has been shown essential for the erythrocytic stages of the parasite. While the initial components of this pathway detailing the sulfur mobilization have been elucidated, the components required for the assembly and transfer of Fe–S clusters are not reported from the parasite. In Escherichia coli, SufB acts as a scaffold protein and SufA traffics the assembled Fe–S cluster from SufB to target apo-proteins. However, in Plasmodium, the homologs of these proteins are yet to be characterized for their function. Here, we report a putative SufA protein from Plasmodium vivax with signature motifs of A-type scaffold proteins, which is evolutionarily conserved. The presence of the [Fe4S4]3 + cluster under reduced conditions was confirmed by UV–visible and EPR spectroscopy and the interaction of these clusters with the conserved cysteine residues of chains A and B of PvSufA, validates its existence as a dimer, similar to that in E. coli. The H-bond interactions at the PvSufA–SufB interface demonstrate SufA as a scaffold protein in conjunction with SufB for the pre-assembly of Fe–S clusters and their transfer to the target proteins. Co-localization of the protein to the apicoplast further provides an experimental evidence of a functional scaffold protein SufA for the biogenesis of Fe–S clusters in apicoplast of Plasmodium