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Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar

After independence, development of the rural sector was considered the primary concern of the Government of India. In 1949, with the appointment of the Radhakrishnan University Education Commission, imparting of agricultural education through the setting up of rural universities became the focal point. Later, in 1954 an Indo-American team led by Dr. K.R. Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR, was constituted that arrived at the idea of establishing a Rural University on the land-grant pattern of USA. As a consequence a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and some land-grant universities of USA, was signed to promote agricultural education in the country. The US universities included the universities of Tennessee, the Ohio State University, the Kansas State University, The University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Missouri. The task of assisting Uttar Pradesh in establishing an agricultural university was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959 to establish an agricultural University in the State. Dean, H.W. Hannah, of the University of Illinois prepared a blueprint for a Rural University to be set up at the Tarai State Farm in the district Nainital, UP. In the initial stage the University of Illinois also offered the services of its scientists and teachers. Thus, in 1960, the first agricultural university of India, UP Agricultural University, came into being by an Act of legislation, UP Act XI-V of 1958. The Act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant, the then Chief Minister of UP. The University was dedicated to the Nation by the first Prime Minister of India Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on 17 November 1960. The G.B. Pant University is a symbol of successful partnership between India and the United States. The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 31 other agricultural universities in the country.

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  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Antigenic characterization of major cytotoxic proteins of Salmonella Weltevreden
    (G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand), 2005-08) Sonwane, Arvind Asaram; Ambwani, Tanuj
    In spite of years of research, Salmonella has remained to be one of the most important pathogens of humans as well as animals. Salmonellosis is the major foodborne illness world over. The menace of Salmonella can only be contained by ensuring its in-time detection in suspected food/feed. For this purpose, a rapid, sensitive and specific test based upon genus specific bacterial toxin-protein antigen may be of great value. Prior to exploring the use of these toxins as diagnostic antigens they must be studied in some detail for their antigenic characters. Meager information is available on such aspect. Considering this, the present investigation was undertaken to study the toxic/cytotoxic preparations obtained from cefotaxime extract (CE) of Salmonella Weltevreden with the help of SDS-PAGE, western blotting and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. From CE, the toxic fraction viz. - 40-70% DCP (desalted and concentrated protein) was obtained by differential salt fractionation with the help of ammonium sulfate precipitation and then eventually desalting and concentrating with spin columns. Also, the sub-fractions of 40-70% DCP viz. - 40-50% DCP, 50-60% DCP and 60-70% DCP were prepared. The cytotoxic fraction from among the 40-70% DCP was separated as 2nd major peak (cytotoxic peak/CP) after elution on Sephadex G-100 column. Studies for cytotoxicity of these proteins were carried out on chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell culture. The cytotoxicity shown by 2nd peak contents (CP) was characteristic. The SDS-PAGE analyses of 40-70% DCP; 40-50%, 50-60% & 60-70% DCPs and CP revealed 25, 9, 15, 22 and 7 polypeptides respectively of different molecular weights ranging from 106.3 kDa to 16.7 kDa. The toxic/cytotoxic preparations used in this experiment were highly immunogenic. On western blot analysis, 40-70% DCP revealed 14 immunogenic polypeptides in the range of 106.3 kDa to 35.1 kDa while, CP revealed 6 immunogenic bands in the range of 98.8 kDa to 52.0 kDa. This indicates that not all the proteins from these immunogenic toxic/cytotoxic preparations were immunogenic. Also, their individual immunogenicities were variable. The polypeptide, identified as SP-2 (Salmonella Polypeptide-2) was the most immunogenic one. The polypeptides in the descending order of their individual immunogenicities were SP-2, SP-9, SP-4, SP-3, SP-15, SP-1, SP-5, SP-6, SP-8, SP-16, SP-17, SP-18, SP-19 and SP-20. Secondary structure studies of the major immunogenic proteins those were observed with help of western blotting of CP were tried using CD spectroscopy. No conclusive results were obtained, which may be attributed to the probable partial denaturation of proteins during sample processing and/or the use of a CD spectra analysis database that is incompatible for the proteins of the present study. On the basis of above study it is concluded that, spin column method is superior over conventional dialysis tubing method; the CEF cell culture can be used for the cyotoxicity studies of Salmonella; the cytopathic effects induced by 2nd peak contents may be considered as „characteristic‟ for such studies in CEF cell culture system; there is a need to study the major immunogenic polypeptides obtained in this study for their immunological and molecular characters by purifying them to their homogeneity and with a more rational approach, Viz.- adopting enhanced protein purification processes and/or using proper CD data analysis database, CD spectroscopic studies should be performed for these proteins to analyze their secondary structures.