Taxonomy and distribution of sand boas of the genus Eryx Daudin, 1803 (Serpentes: Erycidae) in Iran

We review the distribution, morphology and taxonomic status of Eryx elegans, E. jaculus, E. miliaris, E. tataricus and E. johnii in Iran and examine four metric and 10 meristic characters of 94 specimens from different parts of the country. There are significant morphological differences between Eryx tataricus, E. jaculus and E. elegans, mainly in snout vent length, tail length, and number of ventrals, subcaudals and dorsal scales. Eryx jayakari and E. johnii can easily be distinguished based on their morphological traits and limited distribution in Iran. The occurrence of E. miliaris in Iran was not confirmed. The Iranian populations of Eryx jaculus are assigned to the subspecies E. j. turcicus. E. jaculus specimens from southwestern Iran had higher ventral scales than other populations, so evaluating their taxonomic status needs genetic studies in the future. A distribution map and a revised key to the genus Eryx in Iran are presented.     

Association between Tissue Expression of Toll-Like Receptor and Some Clinicopathological Indices in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background:The oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) composes about 90% of all head and neck cancers. The toll-like receptor (TLR)⁺ immune cells have potential of invasion and malignancy transformation. The aim of this study was assessment of possible associations between clinicopathological indices and TLR2 and TLR9 gene expression in OSCC.Methods:Forty-two OSCC samples with related healthy margins including 25 early and 17 advanced stages were gathered. The samples were classified histologically from grade I to II. The expression of TLR2 and TLR2 was evaluated by Real-time PCR. The patient’s disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using SPSS V.23 software.Results:The expression of TLR2 and TLR9 genes in tumor tissues (especially in grade I and II) were higher than healthy surgical margin tissue (p< 0.001). TLR9 expression in grade II was statistically significant than grade I in tumor tissue (p< 0.001). TLR9 expression in advanced stage was statistically significant in compare to early stage (p= 0.012). In advanced stage both overall survival (p= 0.029) and disease-free survival (p= 0.012) were statistically lower than early stage. The follow-up time to recurrence in advanced stage was statistically lower than early stage (p= 0.007).Conclusion:Overexpression of TLRs 2, 9 play role in the pathogenesis and tumor development of OSCC and can be applied as biomarker in prognostic approaches.Key Words: Disease-free survival, Oral squamous cell carcinoma, Overall survival, TLR2, TLR9     

Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of p47phox in hyperoxia-induced activation of NADPH oxidase and generation of reactive oxygen species in lung endothelial cells

Superoxide (O(2)(-)) production by nonphagocytes, similar to phagocytes, is by activation of the NADPH oxidase multicomponent system. Although activation of neutrophil NADPH oxidase involves extensive serine phosphorylation of p47(phox), the role of tyrosine phosphorylation of p47(phox) in NADPH oxidase-dependent O(2)(-) production is unclear. We have shown recently that hyperoxia-induced NADPH oxidase activation in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) is regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction. Here we provided evidence on the role of nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, Src, in hyperoxia-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of p47(phox) and NADPH oxidase activation in HPAECs. Exposure of HPAECs to hyperoxia for 1 h resulted in increased O(2)(-) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of Src as determined by Western blotting with phospho-Src antibodies. Pretreatment of HPAECs with the Src kinase inhibitor PP2 (1 mum) or transient expression of a dominant-negative mutant of Src attenuated hyperoxia-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Src and ROS production. Furthermore, exposure of cells to hyperoxia enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of p47(phox) and its translocation to cell peripheries that were attenuated by PP2. In vitro, Src phosphorylated recombinant p47(phox) in a time-dependent manner. Src immunoprecipitates of cell lysates from control cells revealed the presence of immunodetectable p47(phox) and p67(phox), suggesting the association of oxidase components with Src under basal conditions. Moreover, exposure of HPAECs to hyperoxia for 1 h enhanced the association of p47(phox), but not p67(phox), with Src. These results indicated that Src-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of p47(phox) regulates hyperoxia-induced NADPH oxidase activation and ROS production in HPAECs.     

The assessment of anti-tumoral activity of polysaccharide extracted from terrestrial filamentous fungus

Fungal polysaccharides are well-known for the medicinal properties such as antitumor and immunomodulating effects. Hence, this study evaluated antitumor effects of polysaccharide extracted from Fusarium sp. isolated from soil samples of Karaj district, Alborz, Iran along with its taxonomic study. The filamentous fungus strain FK1 was isolated from the soil sample of Karaj, Iran. The strain was identified based on cultural, morphological and 18 S rRNA gene parameters as Fusarium. Further, the strain Fusarium was cultured in fermented broth of modified (PDB) for 10  days at 25 °C. The polysaccharide of strain FK1 was extracted from the mycelium free supernatant by boiling water method and evaluated for antitoxicity effect on two human cancer cell lines: HeLa cell line and Lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) by MTT method. Findings revealed that water-extracted from mycelia polysaccharide of strain FK1 had the highest cytotoxicity effect against LCL which is the cause of B lymphocyte cancer, at 50  μg/ml concentration dose (114 ± 1.63) followed by 100  μg/ml (105 ± 0.57) and 10  μg/ml (104 ± 0.57), while it did not have a considerable effect on HeLa cell line. Fusarium could be alternative sources as an antitumor component.     

Stimulation of Macrophage Oxygen Free Radical Production and Lymphocyte Blastogenic Response by Immunization with Porins

Porins were prepared from smooth strain of Salmonella typhi 0–901 and chemotype rough mutant of S. typhimurium Ra-30. Porins could significantly stimulate the immune systems of mice. Immunization of mice with the porins provoked synthesis of anti-porin antibodies. Macrophages from the immunized mice showed increased capacity to generate oxygen free radicals, and lymphocytes from these mice showed proliferative response to the porins. Thus porins may play a role in providing protection from salmonellosis by stimulating the antibody production and increasing the capacity of macrophages to generate oxygen free radicals along with stimulation of lymphocytes.     

Efficiency of Some Bacterial Strains in Potassium Release from Mica and Phosphate Solubilization under In Vitro Conditions

Phosphorus and potassium (K) are major essential macronutrients for biological growth and development. Application of beneficial microorganisms to soil is one approach to enhance crop growth. In this study, the ability of five bacterial strains, including four strains of Pseudomonas sp. (S10-3, S14-3, S19-1, and S21-1) and one strain of Azotobacter sp. SP16, to release K from muscovite and biotite was investigated. Furthermore, phosphate solubilization by these strains was measured when an insoluble source of P [Ca₃(PO₄)₂] was added to the medium. Among the bacterial strains, the highest average K release (73% higher than control) was observed with Pseudomonas sp. S14-3. The average amount of K released from biotite was 37% higher than that from muscovite in inoculated treatments. The enhanced release of mineral K might be attributed to the release of organic acids from the bacteria, a mechanism which plays a pivotal role in solubilizing phosphate from inorganic sources. The results confirmed the enhanced phosphate solubilization by the bacterial strains in the presence of muscovite. The highest P solubilizing activity (67% higher than control) was found in S21-1 and S14-3 strains. Concentrations of both K and P in the liquid phase were increased by increasing the time of experiment. X-ray diffraction analysis of muscovite specimens inoculated with S14-3 strain revealed a partial transformation of these minerals through the presence of 19.5 Å peak on the diffractogram of the magnesium-saturated sample. This may be due to the release of K from the interlayer space and subsequent filling with a number of bacterial metabolites. The findings of this research suggest K depletion from mica in the presence of bacteria, but further investigations are needed to clarify the mechanisms involved.