Simultaneous determination of sucrose and trehalose in olive leaves by spectrophotometry utilizing partial least squares method

This study deals with the simultaneous determination of sucrose and trehalose in olive leaf samples, with easy sample preparation step, by second derivative UV–Vis spectrophotometry and partial least squares technique. A training set consisting of 31 binary mixture solutions was applied for the construction of PLS model. The proposed procedure was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of both carbohydrates in laboratory prepared mixtures and in real samples. The real samples were from different growth stages of olive plant. The root mean square error of prediction was determined to be 1.95 and 2.06 for sucrose and trehalose, respectively. Also, limit of detection was 0.21 ppm for sucrose and 0.26 ppm for trehalose. The proposed procedure is rapid, simple, and easy to perform which can be used for routine analysis of both carbohydrates in plant leaves.     

The protective effects of resveratrol on ulcerative colitis via changing the profile of Nrf2 and IL-1β protein

Molecular Biology Reports - Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with increasing incidence and prevalence in developed countries. The presence of inflammatory cytokines is...     

Investigation of the FSHR,CYP11, and INSR Mutations and Polymorphisms in Iranian Infertile Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Background:Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of ovarian dysfunction associated with infertility, Oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, hirsutism, acne, and obesity. A large body of evidence unraveled, three major groups of genes play critical roles in underlying PCOS molecular mechanism. The aim of this study is to investigate critical exonic variant of FSHR, CYP11, and INSR and determine the functionality of these mutations in Iranian patients with PCOS.Methods:In this case-control study, 130 patients with PCOS who referred to the Vali-e-Asr Hospital with infertility were included. DNA extracted from three ml of peripheral blood of the participants for DNA extraction. The PCR was conducted for each gene and the PCR product was genotyped by sequencing. Results:The data showed that there were two polymorphisms in INSR genes which did not change the protein sequences; these alterations can also be considered as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Moreover, any exonic variant has not been detected in CYP11B1. Whereas, two missense mutation have been detected in FSHR gene including p.Ala307Thr and p.Asn680Ser. It has been shown that the polymorphisms of the FSHR gene affect the hormone response in the ovaries. Our data demonstrated that the FSHR mutations frequencies were higher in the patients with PCOS rather than control people significantly.Conclusion:These data showed that the polymorphisms of FSHR were significantly associated with PCOS in Iranian infertile women. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to be performed for explore the strength of the association.Key Words: CYP11, FSHR, Infertile, INSR, PCOS, Polymorphisms     

Challenges in pea breeding for tolerance to drought: Status and prospects

Drought is increasingly frequent in the context of climate change and is considered a major constraint for crop yield. Water scarcity can impair growth, disturb plant water relations and reduce water use efficiency. Pea (Pisum sativum) is a temperate grain legume rich in protein, fibre, micronutrients and bioactive compounds that can benefit human health. In reducing pea yield because of drought, the intensity and duration of stress are critical. This review describes several drought resistance mechanisms in pea based on morphology, physiology and biochemical changes during/after the water deficit period. Drought tolerance of pea can be managed by adopting strategies such as screening, breeding and marker-assisted selection. Therefore, various biotechnological approaches have led to the development of drought-tolerant pea cultivars. Finally, the main objective of the current research is to point out some useful traits for drought tolerance in peas and also, mention the methods that can be useful for future studies and breeding programmes.     

The origin of multicellularity in cyanobacteria

Background  

Cyanobacteria are one of the oldest and morphologically most diverse prokaryotic phyla on our planet. The early development of an oxygen-containing atmosphere approximately 2.45 - 2.22 billion years ago is attributed to the photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria. Furthermore, they are one of the few prokaryotic phyla where multicellularity has evolved. Understanding when and how multicellularity evolved in these ancient organisms would provide fundamental information on the early history of life and further our knowledge of complex life forms.     

DNAH5 gene and its correlation with linc02220 expression and sperm characteristics

Molecular Biology Reports - Numerous pieces of evidence show that many environmental and genetic factors can cause male infertility. Much research in recent years has investigated the function of...     

Transgenerational Propagation and Quantitative Maintenance of Paternal Centromeres Depends on Cid/Cenp-A Presence in Drosophila Sperm

In Drosophila melanogaster, as in many animal and plant species, centromere identity is specified epigenetically. In proliferating cells, a centromere-specific histone H3 variant (CenH3), named Cid in Drosophila and Cenp-A in humans, is a crucial component of the epigenetic centromere mark. Hence, maintenance of the amount and chromosomal location of CenH3 during mitotic proliferation is important. Interestingly, CenH3 may have different roles during meiosis and the onset of embryogenesis. In gametes of Caenorhabditis elegans, and possibly in plants, centromere marking is independent of CenH3. Moreover, male gamete differentiation in animals often includes global nucleosome for protamine exchange that potentially could remove CenH3 nucleosomes. Here we demonstrate that the control of Cid loading during male meiosis is distinct from the regulation observed during the mitotic cycles of early embryogenesis. But Cid is present in mature sperm. After strong Cid depletion in sperm, paternal centromeres fail to integrate into the gonomeric spindle of the first mitosis, resulting in gynogenetic haploid embryos. Furthermore, after moderate depletion, paternal centromeres are unable to re-acquire normal Cid levels in the next generation. We conclude that Cid in sperm is an essential component of the epigenetic centromere mark on paternal chromosomes and it exerts quantitative control over centromeric Cid levels throughout development. Hence, the amount of Cid that is loaded during each cell cycle appears to be determined primarily by the preexisting centromeric Cid, with little flexibility for compensation of accidental losses.     

Arsenic interactions with a fullerene-like BN cage in the vacuum and aqueous phase

Adsorption of arsenic ions, As (III and V), on the surface of fullerene-like B₁₂N₁₂ cage has been explored in vacuum and aqueous phase using density functional theory in terms of Gibbs free energies, enthalpies, geometry, and density of state analysis. It was found that these ions can be strongly chemisorbed on the surface of the cluster in both vacuum and aqueous phase, resulting in significant changes in its electronic properties so that the cluster transforms from a semi-insulator to a semiconductor. The solvent significantly affects the geometry parameters and electronic properties of the As/B₁₂N₁₂ complexes and the interaction between components is considerably weaker in the aqueous phase than that in the vacuum.