Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal

In this study, we report the interaction of two β -carboline-structured drug molecules, Harmane (HM) and Norharmane (NHM), with the B-isoform of HSA at alkaline pH 9.2. The spectroscopic results reveal that the neutral species of both the drugs were stabilized upon interaction with the B-isoform of HSA in the ground state. However, in the excited state, the prototropic equilibrium between the cation and the neutral species is modulated upon the interaction with the B-isoform of HSA, as supported by the time-resolved decay analysis. The effect of electrostatic interactions has also been monitored in the presence of a strong electrolyte, NaCl. The thermodynamics of the binding interactions of both drugs are enthalpically favourable (exothermic process, ∆H < 0). Additionally, at lower temperatures, the binding of both the drugs HM and NHM is enthalpically favourable, but T∆S predominates at higher temperatures more in the case of NHM than HM, so that it becomes positive. The association constant calculated from both the steady-state fluorescence and the Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) data reveals that with HSA, NHM binds strongly compared to HM. The binding interactions of both the drugs HM and NHM are associated with the positive heat capacity changes, depicting the hydrophobic hydration as the governing mechanism for the binding, which validates the negligible influence of the strong electrolyte NaCl on the steady-state fluorescence spectral profiles of both the drugs. Using molecular docking analysis, we have explored the probable binding sites of the drugs within the protein matrices. Overall, the present study reveals the binding of two structurally analogous drug molecules with the B-isoform of HSA, which may deliver a perspective of simple chemical manipulation of the drug structure in controlling the important physiological functions. Harmane and Norharmane interact distinctly with the B-isoform of Human Serum Albumin (HSA) at alkaline pH 9.2, preferring the IB and IIB subdomains of the protein, respectively. Being primarily governed by hydrophobic interactions, Norharmane outcompetes Harmane in terms of binding, and the hydrophobic hydration is accountable for these interactions.

Abstract Tamarindus indica is the sole member of the genus Tamarindus of the Leguminosae family. It is a multipurpose horticultural plant, with every part of the plant finding importance in food, medicine, and other industries. To gain an understanding of genome structure and evolution, we reported the first high-quality genome assembly of T. indica anchored to 12 chromosomes with an N50 of 56.6 Mb. Supported by comprehensive transcriptome data, we reported 48,867 protein-coding genes. Through phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis, we uncovered an independent whole-genome duplication event in T. indica and highlighted the expression divergence of segmentally duplicated genes and their role in the better adaptivity of the plant. Further, we observed a high expansion of the terpene cyclase mutase (oxidosqualene cyclase, OSCs) gene family and identified nine OSCs and their putative functions in T. indica. In addition, by employing integrated genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analysis, we identified the putative L-Idonate dehydrogenase (L-IDH) gene in T. indica and provided evidence about its possible role in the accumulation of high tartaric acid content in this plant. Our study thus provides an important resource for future genetic and biotechnological studies to understand essential pathways and assist breeding programs for trait enhancements.

The recent observation of an isolated nuclear recoil at 248± 23± 23 keV energy by LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment has motivated the community to look for a new physics explanation, as the Standard model background estimation fails to accomodate that. Most of the existing literature hitherto considers a galactic halo dark matter with a heavier partner. In this work, we traverse the alternate route of atmospheric neutrino (ν) up-scattering, thus producing a massive beyond standard model (BSM) particle χ. The kinematic requirement of such a scattering poses a cut off in the lower recoil energies providing an explanation of the unique isolated event at such a higher recoil energy. Such up-scattering with the nucleons (), ν→ χ can be naturally realized in sterile neutrino models, though we keep our analysis generic without specifying χ. We identify the region of parameter space that can produce such an isolated event assuming a scalar mediator with mass m_ϕ and coupling y_χ,q. For example, with m_χ∼1 GeV, and √(y_χy_q)/m_ϕ=2 × 10^-2 GeV^-1 can satisfy such an excess of events while remaining allowed by other existing constraints as well.

Current ton-scale, xenon-based dark matter (DM) direct detection experimentshave now reached the sensitivity required to observe solar neutrinos, marking the onset of theso-called neutrino fog. In this work, we explore how this fog is modified when either neutrinosor DM interact with nuclei through a new scalar, vector or axial-vector interaction, consideringboth heavy and light mediators. Using the latest nuclear-recoil data from XENONnT, whichshow indications of coherent elastic neutrino - nucleus scattering from8B solar neutrinos,we derive new strong bounds on couplings of light mediators. We find that these limits aresignificantly more stringent when the mediator couples to DM, rather than when new physicsaffects only neutrino interactions. Building on these results, we recompute the expectedneutrino fog and compare it with the corresponding constraints on spin-independent andspin-dependent DM-nucleon interactions. We show that the morphology of the neutrinofog can be markedly modified if either neutrinos or DM interact with nuclei through lightmediators, even in light of these recent constraints

Linial-Meshulam complex is a random simplicial complex on $n$ vertices with a complete $(d-1)$-dimensional skeleton and $d$-simplices occurring independently with probability p. Linial-Meshulam complex is one of the most studied generalizations of the Erdos-Renyi random graph in higher dimensions. In this paper, we discuss the spectrum of adjacency matrices of the Linial-Meshulam complex when $np \rightarrow \lambda$. We prove the existence of a non-random limiting spectral distribution(LSD) and show that the LSD of signed and unsigned adjacency matrices of Linial-Meshulam complex are reflections of each other. We also show that the LSD is unsymmetric around zero, unbounded and under the normalization $1/\sqrt{\lambda d}$, converges to standard semicircle law as $\lambda \rightarrow \infty$. In the later part of the paper, we derive the local weak limit of the line graph of the Linial-Meshulam complex and study its consequence on the continuous part of the LSD.