Biology subjects

Sirohi, P.

Publications and source records attributed to Sirohi, P..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Dual GLP-1/FGF21 agonism suppresses voluntary alcohol consumption, alcohol choice, and nucleus accumbens dopamine modulation

Excessive alcohol consumption remains a major public health challenge with limited therapeutic options. Both glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) independently regulate alcohol intake through complementary metabolic and reward pathways, but their combined potential has not been explored. Here, we report that a long-acting dual agonist, GLP1-ELP-FGF21 modulates behavioural, neurophysiological, and cognitive components of alcohol seeking in mice. A single GLP1-ELP-FGF21 dose reversibly reduces voluntary alcohol intake for at least 72 hours in male mice, has sustained effects in female mice, and markedly blunts nucleus accumbens dopamine transients aligned to the initiation and termination of lick bouts during alcohol consumption. To assess its effects on decision-making, we used a novel two-choice (alcohol versus food) decision task modelled with evidence-accumulation frameworks. Alcohol choice behaviour conformed to evidence accumulation decision models: Linear Ballistic Accumulator (LBM) and Racing diffusion models (RDM). Critically, GLP1-ELP-FGF21 selectively reduces choices for alcohol and slows the latent accumulation rate for alcohol options, without affecting food-directed choice or non-decision processes. Sensory-specific satiety devaluation confirms that reductions in reward value are explained by reductions in accumulation rates. Together, these results highlight GLP1-ELP-FGF21 as a therapeutic strategy for alcohol use disorder via modulation of central reward pathways and decision-making when confronted with alcohol reward

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2026

"Editing the conserved IPA1-TB1 regulatory module reshapes plant architecture and enhances tillering in wheat

Plant architecture is a major determinant of yield potential in cereal crops, where tiller number directly influences spike production and grain yield. The transcriptional regulators Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1) and Teosinte Branched1 (TB1) constitute a conserved genetic module controlling axillary bud activity and branching in grasses; however, their functional contribution to wheat architecture remains largely unexplored. Here, we employed CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to investigate the roles of TaIPA1 and TaTB1 in regulating tillering in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Comparative genomic analysis identified conserved IPA1 orthologs across the wheat A, B, and D sub-genomes, with strong conservation of the SQUAMOSA-binding protein domain. Sequencing analysis confirmed targeted mutations, including nucleotide substitutions and insertions that generated frameshift mutations and premature stop codons. Genome-edited lines exhibited enhanced tillering compared with wild-type plants. Several TaIPA1 mutant lines produced up to two-fold higher tiller numbers, while TaTB1 knockout lines showed earlier tiller initiation and [~]50% increased tillering. Notably, enhanced tillering was associated with increased grain weight without affecting spikelet number per spike. Together, these results demonstrate that the conserved TaIPA1-TaTB1 regulatory module plays a pivotal role in shaping wheat plant architecture. Targeted manipulation of this pathway using CRISPR/Cas9 provides a promising strategy for optimizing tillering and developing high-yielding wheat ideotypes.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Intrinsically Disordered Protein Coating for Oral Delivery of Peptide Drugs

AbstractAdvancing oral delivery of peptide therapeutics requires innovative materials that overcome gastrointestinal barriers. We introduce the first engineered synthetic intrinsically disordered protein (SynIDP) that self-assembles into an enteric coating, encapsulating peptide drugs to enhance gastric acid resistance and intestinal targeting. This SynIDP recapitulates the molecular design principles and phase transitions of native IDPs to exhibit temperature-controlled condensation and pH-controlled solidification--both transitions being reversible and precisely tuned to intestinal cues. Through detailed analysis of the kinetics of the liquid-to-solid phase transition, we achieve control over the nano-to-microscale morphology of the protein coating, optimizing drug encapsulation and protection. The coating protects peptide-based weight loss drugs for over 60 minutes in simulated gastric conditions, then dissolves to release the active compound. Oral delivery to obese mice results in more consistent weight loss compared to the unencapsulated drug. This modular protein-based coating is a promising platform technology for enhancing oral peptide drug delivery and improving patient compliance.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Seed specific overexpression of a modified wheat Or gene leads to enhanced β-carotene in rice and wheat grains

Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem affecting up to 50% of the worlds population, as either wheat or rice, which are poor in many essential micronutrients such as vitamin A, are major staple food crops. Biofortification of cereal crops with {beta}-carotene (provitamin A) through genetic engineering is a potential solution to overcome vitamin A deficiency. The Orange (Or) protein is involved in the regulation of carotenoid accumulation and previous studies demonstrated high carotenoid accumulation due to a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the CDS leading to substitution of Arg to His in the OR protein results in carotenoid accumulation. In the present study, we showed that this substitution of a single amino acid at position 110 (Arg to His) of wild-type wheat TaOr (referred to as TaOrHis110) increased {beta}-carotene accumulation in transgenic wheat and rice plants overexpressing TaOrHis110 under the control of the seed-specific promoter Glu-1D1. HPLC analysis revealed increase in {beta}-carotene content in rice grain up to 8-fold in case of TP309 (japonica) cultivar, 13-fold in case of IET10364 (indica) cultivar and 7-fold in wheat cv. CPAN1676. Additionally, most of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway genes were found to be upregulated in TaOrHis110 overexpressing seeds of TP309 and IET10364, which positively correlated with maximum increase in {beta}-carotene content.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Overexpression of barley heat stress transcription factor HvHsfA6a provide thermotolerance by thermopriming

Adverse impacts of climate change, including high temperature on cereal crop production, have been evidenced globally. In plants, heat shock factors (HSFs) are crucial components of heat stress associated rescue mechanisms and are also required for normal biological processes. Here, we functionally characterized a highly heat stress responsive HvHSFA6a in barley by developing constitutively overexpressing transgenic lines. These transgenic lines showed heat tolerant phenotype via improved photosynthesis, antioxidants and upregulation of HSPs and metabolites involved in stress amelioration and keeping thermomemory as compared to wild type plants. Global transcriptomics and ChIP sequencing revealed that HvHSFA6a orchestrates the expression of several genes through direct binding with other HSFs containing consensus HSE in their promoter regions. A GC-MS based metabolomics analysis also revealed the alterations in key metabolic processes such as carbohydrate metabolism, citric acid cycle, amino acids and secondary metabolism. Higher accumulation of key metabolites such as sucrose, galactinol, shikimate and ascorbate has been observed under both control and heat stress in transgenic lines as compared to wild type plants. Taken together, the results suggest that overexpression of HvHsfA6a prime the plants for heat stress conditions by alteration in gene expression and metabolic status. HighlightPriming is a mechanism by which plants respond to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Through multi omics approach we found that barley HsfA6a provide thermotolernce in transgenic plants through priming effect on transcriptome and metabolome.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Chloroplast activity provides in vitro regeneration capability in contrasting cultivars

Existence of potent in vitro regeneration system is a prerequisite for efficient genetic transformation and functional genomics of crop plants. We know little about why only some cultivars in crop plants are tissue culture friendly. In this study, tissue culture friendly cultivar Golden Promise (GP) and tissue culture resistant DWRB91(D91) were selected as contrasting cultivars to investigate the molecular basis of regeneration efficiency. Multiomics studies involving transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and biochemical analysis were performed using GP and D91 callus to unravel the regulatory mechanisms. Transcriptomics analysis revealed 1487 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), in which 795 DEGs were upregulated and 692 DEGs were downregulated in the GP-D91 transcriptome. Genes encoding proteins localized in chloroplast and involved in ROS generation were upregulated in the embryogenic calli of GP. Moreover, proteome analysis by LC-MSMS revealed 3062 protein groups and 16989 peptide groups, out of these 1586 protein groups were differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Eventually, GC-MS based metabolomics analysis also revealed the higher activity of plastids and alterations in key metabolic processes such as sugar metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and secondary metabolism. Higher accumulation of sugars, amino acids and metabolites corresponding to lignin biosynthesis were observed in GP as compared to D91. HighlightsMulti omics analysis revealed chloroplast play crucial role in providing in vitro regeneration capability in contrasting genotypes

plant biology↗