Akhter, H. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Study on The Effect of a Propiconazole Based Fungicide on Plant Growth Promoting Properties of Isolates from Wheat Rhizosphere

Reliance on propiconazole based fungicides has been on the rise for better harvest of crops. Such fungicides can also affect non-target rhizosphere microorganisms. However, the off-target effect of propiconazole on rhizobacteria remains scarcely discussed. The main objective of the present study was to observe the effect of this compound on six plant growth promoting (PGP) properties of wheat rhizosphere isolates using a statistical approach. The study showed that although the overall PGP profile shifted only modestly across propiconazole doses, siderophore and ammonia production were suppressed at the highest fungicide concentration, IAA production declined in the presence of the fungicide, and cellulase activity declined at 4.24 mg/L and above, whereas siderophore appeared to act as a bridge between growth promotion and enzymatic activity. This pattern indicates propiconazole exerts a selective pressure on specific traits rather than holistic disruption. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of pesticide risk assessment in sustainable agriculture.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy alter migration of brain cancer cells before cell death

Although radiotherapy and most cancer drugs target the proliferation of cancer cells, it is metastasis, the complex process by which cancer cells spread from the primary tumor to other tissues and organs of the body where they form new tumors, that leads to over 90% of all cancer deaths. Thus, there is an urgent need for anti-metastasis strategies alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy. An important step in the metastatic cascade is migration. It is the first step in metastasis via local invasion. Here we address the question whether ionizing radiation and/or chemotherapy might inadvertently promote metastasis and/or invasiveness by enhancing cell migration. We used a standard laboratory irradiator, Faxitron CellRad, to irradiate both non-cancer (HCN2 neurons) and cancer cells (T98G glioblastoma) with 2 Gy, 10 Gy and 20 Gy of X-rays. Paclitaxel (5 M) was used for chemotherapy. We then measured the attachment and migration of the cells using an electric cell substrate impedance sensing device. Both the irradiated HCN2 cells and T98G cells showed significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced migration compared to non-irradiated cells, within the first 20 to 40 hours following irradiation with 20 Gy. Our results suggest that cell migration should be a therapeutic target in anti-metastasis/anti-invasion strategies for improved radiotherapy and chemotherapy outcomes.

cancer biology↗