Current Advances in Plant Science, Molecular Biology and Health Sector

Plant Cell Communication through Plasmodesmata and Molecular Trafficking

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

The aim of this review is to examine the role of plasmodesmata in plant cell communication and molecular trafficking. Plants cannot move from one place to another, i.e., sessile, but they are continuously facing challenges from the changing environment to survive and also to fight different pathogens. This special characteristic is performed by a plant cell through its cell communication mechanism. Thus cell to cell-to-cell communication mechanism is essential to understand the way of transferring signals from one cell to another for performing important metabolic functions. The cell-to-cell communication process is helping in coordinating growth, differentiation and development by sending signals from one cell to another. The main function of communication in plant cells is done through plasmodesmata, which have been discussed. But recently it has been noted that there is another alternative mechanism for sending signals, like other eukaryotic cells is through RNA-binding proteins. There was an idea that plasmodesmata could not allow large molecules as water and micronutrients, are pass through it. But it has been noted that its size is not constant but is very dynamic, where its size can change according to its needs. The role of plasmodesmata and RNA-binding proteins in communication, as well as molecular trafficking, has been discussed.

Genetic Study through Multiomics Technology and Use of DNA-adductomes to Know the Cause of Certain Diseases and Environmental Pollution

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

Multi‐omics usually refers to the crossover application of multiple high‐throughput screening technologies, which play a great role in promoting the study of human diseases. With the advancement of DNA sequencing technology, biological analysis is done using multiple omes such as Genome, Proteome, Transcriptome, Epigenome, Metabolome, etc. Recently, another biological technique known as DNA Adductome has been used to detect the cause of DNA damage done by many chemical agents, drugs, pollutants, etc. Details of Next Generation Technology and Alignment technology have been discussed in this study. The application of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology has been applied for the improvement of crop plants.

When DNA is bound to any chemical, it is called a DNA Adduct, and the discipline is called DNA –DNA-Adductomes. The adduct formation leads to DNA damage resulting in mutation. The origin of many human diseases, like cancer and others, has been found to be due to the formation of DNA adducts. The study of DNA adducts has great potential in noting the carcinogenic effects of toxic chemicals, their mode of action and the damage caused by these chemicals, as well as to identify the marker. The way of adduct formation in DNA has been discussed with special reference to human health. The measurement and identification of environmental pollutants can be monitored through the study of DNA adducts. Thus, this multiomic technology, including DNA Adductomes, may bring a revolution in medicine and toxicological studies.

COVID-19 Fatalities Influenced by Cytokine and Cytokine Storm

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

Since December 2019, COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread worldwide pandemic resulting in a large number of infected persons and a lot of deaths of COVID-19 patients. There is currently no definite medicine for the treatment of the disease, as well any preventive measures. Cytokines have been a central topic in research on inflammatory diseases for more than fifty years since interferon (IFN) was discovered. Recently, this has gained great importance among immunologists, doctors and even common people in the pandemic situation of COVID-19.

Primarily, cytokines act as lymphocyte growth factors, as well as function as pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules and also promote immune response to an antigen. With the progress of multiplication of viruses in humans, activation and amplification of host immune response take place, causing massive release of varieties of cytokines like interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, IL-17, etc., and different types of interferons (IFNs), tumour necrosis factor (TNF) to form cytokine storm. From studies of COVID-19 patients in hospitals, it has also been noted that uncontrolled inflammation due to elevated levels of cytokines (cytokine storm) is responsible for causing the severity of the disease.

This study explores the properties and types of cytokines, their signalling mechanisms in immunity, and their critical role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Low infection of the virus persists in the upper airway that causing symptoms similar to seasonal respiratory illness, but with severe infections virus remains in the lower respiratory tract, leading to lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sometimes death. The role of cytokine storm in causing the severity of the disease was discussed. Ongoing research aims to identify biomarkers that can predict patients at risk of developing a cytokine storm, which may guide timely therapeutic interventions and improve outcomes.

Climate Change, Ecosystem Disruption, and Health Crises: The Role of Anthropogenic Activities with a Focus on COVID-19

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

The anthropogenic or human activities cause damage to the environment on a global scale due to over-consumption, overexploitation, pollution, and deforestation, leading to an existential risk to the human race and other living species. Anthropogenic impact on ecosystems in urban areas brings change in both biotic and abiotic conditions by converting undeveloped land into anthropocentric habitats. The increase in urbanisation in more and more areas through the construction of high-rise buildings, communication towers, high- ways, fly-overs is detrimental to biodiversity and wildlife. The growth of the population is one of the main factors in causing disturbances in biodiversity and ecosystems. The population has been taken as an indirect factor of biodiversity loss. It has also been noted that the demand for resources like food, fuel, etc. is directly proportional to the growth of the population. So the Government should be aware of population growth in the country. The recent COVID-19 has given us a great warning to remind us to take care of the environment of the planet before doing any deforestation, land-use changes and also to rethink reforestation to re-establish the natural habitat of ethnic people and animals. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease that first emerged from China in December 2019 and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation shortly thereafter. The outbreak brought unprecedented changes in the lifestyle of the people to a great extent. This pandemic gives a great warning to people of all countries to raise awareness about preserving climate, ecosystems, natural forests and wildlife. Recent studies have drawn attention to the future spread of infectious diseases like coronavirus and the global climate emergency. The aim of this review is to investigate the impact of anthropogenic activities on climate change and global warming, and how these environmental disturbances affect ecosystems. Additionally, the study seeks to explore the interconnections between ecological degradation and the emergence or spread of global health crises by spreading deadly infectious diseases like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concept of Pangenome and Its Application in Crop Plants

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

With the advancement of Next Generation Sequencing technology, databases have increased exponentially, resulting in the development of a new discipline, Comparative Genomics. Again, with the wide use of Comparative Genomics, another new discipline has been developed to study the full genetic diversity of a species. The discipline is called Pangenome, which is a combination of three subjects, mainly Genomics, Computational Biology, including Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology. In simple terms Pangenomics is the study of all genetic diversity present within a species or strains of a genus. In the construction of Pangenomics, DNA sequencing is the most important. For this reason, the technique of DNA sequencing has been developed to a large extent.

Pangenome is constructed to compare easily with different strains or varieties of the same species or genus. The concept, discovery and application of Pangenomes in plants were discussed in this study. Plant genomes are dynamic with whole genome duplication, tandem duplication, transposable element duplication, chromosomal rearrangements or structural variations like deletion, inversion, translocation and recombination between species. Several methods have already been tried for the improvement of crop plants like Marker Assisted Selection (MAS), QTL mapping, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP), Copy number variations and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) by comparing with Reference Genome Assemblies representing the genome sequence of the genome of an individual or organism. But the Reference genome is not able to locate all genetic variations of a species. To overcome this limitation, the concept of Pangenomes may help in crop improvement, which has been discussed. Pangenomic studies have already been done in many crop plants like Rice, Wheat, Maize, Brassica, Soybean, etc. Some of these aspects were discussed. It is important to note that eukaryotic organisms are complex, with certain traits encoded not only by DNA but also by various forms of RNA. While pangenome analyses have already delivered significant benefits in crop science, incorporating both DNA and RNA sequencing into a complete pangenomic model may unlock even greater potential, not just in plant science, but also in animal and human genomics.

Origin of Variants in Sars-CoV-2 and Methods for Prediction of Mutations to Control Spread of Diseases in Humans

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

With the increase of COVID-19 as a pandemic throughout the world causing several deaths in several countries, research are going on to find out the ways of the origin of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The process of mutation and the origin of new variants have been discussed. Again, the Codon Usage Pattern in the present virus has also been described. Lastly, different modern methods for the prediction of mutations in the virus have been mentioned. New technologies are used to study genomic changes, and changes in the sequence of amino acids of the viral protein are used to predict the origin of future mutations. The information for the prediction of mutations will definitely help to synthesise the specific drugs for the Coronavirus as well as in the manufacture of a proper vaccine.

The Role of Transcriptomics in Plant Development and Stress Response

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

Transcriptomics is the study of the structure, function, and evolution of the transcriptome (i.e., the entirety of RNA transcripts produced by the genome) of a given organism or community of organisms under a variety of conditions. With the advancement of Genomic studies, different types of –OMICS have been developed like Genomics, Proteomics, Transcriptomics, Metabolomics and lastly DNA-Adductomes. These are used to understand complex biological processes as well as to identify different problems in growth, development, stress conditions and diseases in all organisms. One of the important disciplines, Transcriptomes or Transcriptomics, has been discussed here. The word Transcriptome was first used in 1990, and the study of transcriptomes was started in 1991 for the understanding of human brain function. In this discipline, all transcripts (messenger RNA/mRNA) having both coding and non-coding mRNA originating from DNA are dealt with. The analysis of the entire collection of RNA sequences (coding and non-coding sequences) of a cell is very important, as it will show when and where each gene is turned on or off under different conditions. With the help of RNA-seq technology, transcriptional activity can be measured easily, and can show transcriptomic changes in the secondary metabolic pathway at different developmental stages as well as variations in gene expression in different plant tissues and under diverse environmental stresses. Transcriptome analysis is generally done through a special technique called Single Cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA seq) that has been discussed in detail. The role of Transcriptomics in plant development has been studied in the Shoot and Root Meristems of different plants. Its importance has also been discussed in plants under different stress conditions (both external and internal), such as biotic, abiotic, drought, salinity, etc. This study will help to identify Stress-responsive and Stress-tolerance genes (Priming Genes) having important applications in adaptation. Thus, transcriptomic studies have wide applications in plants to identify genes and their expression in the development of Shoot Apical Meristems and Root Apical Meristems. This technique can also be applied to understand differentially expressed genes under different environmental stresses.

Caterpillar Fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis): Biology, Harvest and Trade

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

Ophiocordyceps sinensis, commonly known as Caterpillar fungus, is a medicinal fungus with significant nutritional and utilisation value. Ophiocordyceps belongs to the genus Ophiocordyceps under the family Ophiocordycipitaceae (Division: Ascomycota; Order: Hypocreales). The genus Ophiocordyceps was first scientifically described by British mycologist Tom Petch in 1931. It includes approximately 140 species that parasitise insects. It is the most expensive fungus in the world and is widely distributed in upper hilly regions of the Himalaya in China, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and India. This fungus is very important and widely used in China in Traditional Medicine. The dried club-shaped fruiting body with the larva has a great medicinal value, particularly in strengthening lungs and kidneys, as well as to increase energy and vitality. It is a peculiar insect pathogenic fungus with a larva of moths at the base and the fruiting body of the fungus at the top. The life cycle of this fungus is also very interesting. The wide use of this fungus in Traditional Chinese Medicine of China has made it the fungus as costliest of the world. The characteristics and medicinal importance of the fungus in general have been discussed before going to the study of caterpillar fungus. The morphology, life cycle, harvesting, medicinal importance, and trade of Caterpillar Fungus have been elaborated. The overharvesting of this Caterpillar fungus by collectors is affecting the ecosystem of the alpine regions of the Himalaya, leading to the threat of many endangered plant and animal species of that area. Therefore, the conservation of this rare fungus is necessary by regulating harvest and taking surveillance to check cross-border activity.

The Coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2): An Overview of Its Origin, Mechanism of Replication and Preventive Measures for Future Outbreaks

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

Coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2) emerged from Wuhan city of China in 2019 and rapidly turned into a pandemic throughout the world, causing devastating effects to human beings. This virus was initially named as 2019-nCoV or Wuhan coronavirus. The popular name of the virus is now SARS-CoV-2 or Coronavirus and the disease is known as COVID-19 or CoV-19. This virus was developing severe acute respiratory syndrome, causing deaths at an exponential rate in all countries. In this study, different aspects of the virus, including its habitat of the virus, have been discussed. The method of the spread of the virus and its way of identification have also been described. Lastly, the cause and remedy of the spread of disease as a pandemic have been elaborated.

Impact of Climate Change on Plant Biodiversity and Its Role in Promoting a Sustainable Green Environment

Professor Satyesh Chandra Roy — 2025-07-12

It is well-known fact that climate, biodiversity and environment are interdependent. Climate is the pillar of good quality of life of plants, animals, nature and human beings. This study intends to examine how climate change affects plant biodiversity and explore the role of plant biodiversity in supporting and promoting a sustainable green environment. Climate change, mainly through greenhouse gases and global warming, is causing a great threat to plant and animal biodiversity as well as the loss of the green environment. The main cause of the increase in temperature is due to the presence of greenhouse gases in the air, such as CO₂, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide and others, causing a change in the weather pattern. The major effects of climate change on plants are the reduction in plant productivity due to a rise in temperature, causing many problems to life as plants are the primary producers of food for wildlife too. With the change in environment, many invasive species especially weeds, have a greater adaptability to grow and replace many native plants in the ecosystem. The sea-level rise due to global warming causes the increasing salinity in coastal areas, affecting the coastal ecosystem, particularly mangrove plants. Different parameters causing climate change have been discussed in this study. This review also illustrates the effects of climate change on various plant ecosystems—including grasslands, forests, mountains, and aquatic systems such as freshwater and mangroves—and explores potential solutions aimed at restoring a sustainable green environment on Earth. With the increasing global changes of the climate, the decline of biodiversity and habitats of plants and animals are leading to the extinction of many species of the ecosystem by exceeding the normal limit of a healthy society. Conserving and managing biodiversity is critical to maintaining the Earth’s natural systems and supporting vulnerable communities facing climate impacts. Under these circumstances, global awareness is crucial to manage the adverse effects of climate change.