Cyanogenic glucosides (CNglcs) are widespread plant defence compounds that release toxic hydrogen cyanide by plant β-glucosidase activity after tissue damage. Specialised insect herbivores have evolved counter strategies and some sequester CNglcs, but the underlying mechanisms to keep CNglcs intact during feeding and digestion are unknown. We show that CNglc-sequestering Zygaena filipendulae la...

Higher plants possess a multitude of Multiple Drug Resistance (MDR) transporter homologs that group into three distinct and ubiquitous families-the ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) superfamily, the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS), and the Multidrug And Toxic compound Extrusion (MATE) family. As in other organisms, such as fungi, mammals, and bacteria, MDR transporters make a primary contribution ...

Datura stramonium, which is also known as Thorn Apple or Jimson Weed, is an alkaloid containing plant that is entirely toxic. The active toxic constituents of the plant are atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine. It has been abused worldwide for hundreds of years because of its hallucinogenic properties. Previous reports have shown that herbal medication overdose and accidental food contaminatio...

In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed to study the effect of an intermediate toxic product on the growth of plant biomass. It is assumed that the toxicant uptaken by plant biomass interacts with water (sap) present in it and forms an intermediate product, which then affects the biomass. To model the phenomena, it is further assumed that the intermediate product ...

In non-cyanogenic plants, cyanide is a co-product of ethylene and camalexin biosynthesis. To maintain cyanide at non-toxic levels, Arabidopsis plants express the mitochondrial β-cyanoalanine synthase CYS-C1. CYS-C1 knockout leads to an increased level of cyanide in the roots and leaves and a severe defect in root hair morphogenesis, suggesting that cyanide acts as a signaling factor in root dev...

background: nicotiana tobacco contains large amounts of alkaloid nicotine. tobacco plant is used for smoking and causes many health problems since it is high in nicotine which is one of the widely-recognized toxic compounds with serious side effects for different body organs. reducing nicotine content of this plant is a way to reduce its health hazards in cigarette smokers. utilizing the new me...

Southern Africa is inherently rich in flora, where the habitat and climatic conditions range from arid environments to lush, sub-tropical greenery. Needless to say, with such diversity in plant life there are numerous indigenous poisonous plants, and when naturalised exotic species and toxic garden varieties are added the list of potential poisonous plants increases. The economically important ...

In 2003, Carmina Gisbert and her research team produced a tobacco plant that could remove more lead from soil than normal tobacco plants. To do so, they inserted a gene from wheat plants that produces phytochelatin synthase into a shrub tobacco plant (Nicotiana glauca [2]) to increase N. glauca's absorption and tolerance of toxic metals, particularly lead. Gisbert and her team aimed to genetica...

Pseudomonas fluorescens is a well-known plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR). We report here the first whole-genome sequence of PGPR P. fluorescens evaluated in Colombian banana plants. The genome sequences contains genes involved in plant growth and defense, including bacteriocins, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase, and genes that provide resistance to toxic compounds.

Andrographis paniculata nees (Acanthaceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used for the treatment of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antispasmodic, antidiabatic, anti carcinogenic, antipyretic, antidiarrhoeal, hepatoprotective, nematocidal, antiHIV and several infectious diseases ranging from malaria to dysentery. The plant is widely used in ayurvedic and homeop...