This study aimed at screening rhizobial isolates of chickpea and evaluating their symbiotic nitrogen fixation efficiency and tolerance to abiotic stresses. A total of 107 (100) isolates were collected of which 52 (48.6) were confirmed as chickpea rhizobia using preliminary tests. Among 52 (48.6) isolates, 46 (88.5) have induced nodulation on chickpea under greenhouse and were screened under in vitro conditions and 6 (11.5) of them were discarded due to fail to nodulate. The greenhouse data showed the highest nodule number (68.67 plant⁻¹), nodule dry weight (0.17g plant⁻¹), and shoot dry weight (0.81g plant⁻¹) were scored by plants inoculated with isolates WUCR 17, WUCR 1, and WUCR 66, respectively. Among authenticated isolates, 73.9, 21.7, and 4.3 were highly effective, effective, and lowly effective, respectively. The physiological test showed 15 of isolates tolerated 13 salt concentration and 10.9 of isolates grew at pH 410 range. All isolates grew at 2035°C and 13 grew at maximum temperature (50°C). The isolates showed better resistance to the tested antibiotics at low concentration (2.5μg/ml) but the majorities were sensitive at high concentration (10μg/ml). Among the isolates, 13 tolerated all tested heavy metals but 48 were sensitive to mercury. Regarding the carbohydrate utilization test, 52.2 catabolized all the tested 11 carbon sources but 6.5 of them utilized only 63.6 carbon sources. Amino acid utilization showed isolates (85) utilized D-alanine except WUCR (14, 25, 31, 34, 39, 59, and 76) and 76 of the isolates utilized arginine and phenylalanine and 74 utilized leucine as a nitrogen source. Of the isolates, 43.5 of them utilized both D-alanine and arginine as a nitrogen source. In almost all tests conducted, isolates WUCR 1 and 5 performed top and were recommended as potential candidates for microbial inoculants.

A. baumannii exhibits resilience in harsh environments and progressively develops resistance to diverse antibacterial agents over time. This adaptability poses a significant challenge in treating an infection caused by this bacterium within healthcare settings. The presence of peptidoglycan, a crucial precursor for cell wall synthesis, contributes to this challenge. Peptidoglycan serves not only as a structural support in bacterial cells but also provides protection against adverse environmental conditions. The synthesis of the peptidoglycan layer involves a group of substrates such as N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc), within a three-partitioned process occurring in the membrane, periplasmic space, and cytoplasm of each bacterium. Initiated in the cytoplasm and extending to the inner cell membrane, this synthesis starts with the production of nucleotide precursors. The first step involves the synthesis of UDP-GlcNAc, orchestrated by Glm (GlmS, GlmM, and GlmU) enzymes using fructose-6-phosphate. Subsequently, enzymes from the Mur family, namely MurB, MurA, MurD, MurC, MurI, MurF, and MurE, synthesize UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-pentapeptide (UDP-Mpp) from UDP-GlcNAc. Concurrently, on the cytosolic side, the production of membrane-surrounded undecaprenyl phosphate occurs, involving membrane-side proteins MraY and MurG in the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan. This review emphasizes updated information on Mur family proteins, encompassing physicochemical properties, nature of binding site, number and type of binding site residues, functional domain details, three-dimensional structural aspects, and their functions within bacterial cells. Special attention is directed towards their enzymatic role in peptidoglycan biosynthesis due to the limited availability of precursors in the market. Additionally, the review provides a comprehensive summary of existing inhibitors and ongoing efforts in identifying new targeted inhibitors, recognizing these enzymes as potential candidates for antibacterial drug design and discovery.

Antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic microorganisms are disease causing microbes that cause several diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Currently, these