Variation in calcification rate of Acropora downingi relative to seasonal changes in environmental conditions in the northeastern Persian Gulf

There is a strong interest in understanding how coral calcification varies with changing environmental conditions, especially given the projected changes in temperature and aragonite saturation due to climate change. This study explores in situ variation in calcification rates of Acropora downingi in the northeastern Persian Gulf relative to seasonal changes in temperature, irradiance and aragonite saturation state (Ω _arag). Calcification rates of A. downingi were highest in the spring and lowest in the winter, and intra-annual variation in calcification rate was significantly related to temperature (r ² = 0.30) and irradiance (r ² = 0.36), but not Ω _arag (r ² = 0.02). Seasonal differences in temperature are obviously confounded by differences in other environmental conditions and vice versa. Therefore, we used published relationships from experimental studies to establish which environmental parameter(s) (temperature, irradiance, and/or Ω _arag) placed greatest constraints on calcification rate (relative to the maximum spring rate) in each season. Variation in calcification rates was largely attributable to seasonal changes in irradiance and temperature (possibly ~57.4 and 39.7% respectively). Therefore, we predict that ocean warming may lead to increased rates of calcification during winter, but decelerate calcification during spring, fall and especially summer, resulting in net deceleration of calcification for A. downingi in the Persian Gulf.

     

Synthesis,biological evaluation,and molecular docking of new series of antitumor and apoptosis inducers designed as VEGFR-2 inhibitors

Based on quinazoline, quinoxaline, and nitrobenzene scaffolds and on pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibitors, 17 novel compounds were designed and synthesised. VEGFR-2 IC₅₀ values ranged from 60.00 to 123.85 nM for the new derivatives compared to 54.00 nM for sorafenib. Compounds 15_a, 15_b, and 15_d showed IC₅₀ from 17.39 to 47.10 µM against human cancer cell lines; hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), prostate cancer (PC3), and breast cancer (MCF-7). Meanwhile, the first in terms of VEGFR-2 inhibition was compound 15_d which came second with regard to antitumor assay with IC₅₀ = 24.10, 40.90, and 33.40 µM against aforementioned cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, Compound 15_d increased apoptosis rate of HepG2 from 1.20 to 12.46% as it significantly increased levels of Caspase-3, BAX, and P53 from 49.6274, 40.62, and 42.84 to 561.427, 395.04, and 415.027 pg/mL, respectively. Moreover, 15_d showed IC₅₀ of 253 and 381 nM against HER2 and FGFR, respectively.     

Semisynthesis of some novel thiourea and carbamimidothioic acid derivatives using natural alkaloid L-norephedrine and their anticancer activity

A novel series of thiourea and carbamimidothioic acid derivatives was synthesized using natural alkaloid L-norephedrine as a starting material. Structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by analytical and spectral data. The synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro for anticancer activity against the human breast (MCF-7), human liver (HEPG2), and human colon (HCT116) cancer cell lines. Best activity of the synthesized compounds was expressed against HEPG2, however, none of the compounds exceeded the IC₅₀ of doxorubicin. The corresponding N-(1-(2-chloroacetoxy)-1-phenylpropan-2-yl)-N′-p-tolylcarbamimidothioic acid was the most potent compound and exhibited higher cytotoxic activity against the human colon cancer cell line (HCT116) when compared with the reference drug doxorubicin. Also, this compound was the most active against the MCF-7 cell line but less active than the positive control.     

Potential Zoonotic Trematodes Recovered in Stray Cats from Kuwait Municipality,Kuwait

Stray cats are a common feature roaming the streets and alleys of Kuwait; they could be a source of parasites, including trematodes, that affect humans. A survey was conducted to identify feline trematodes and throw the light on their public health significance in Kuwait. Out of 240 stray cats trapped from different localities of Kuwait from June 2011 to May 2012, 59 (24.6%) were found to be infected with 14 species of trematodes. The most common were trematodes of the genus Heterophyes, particularly H. heterophyes and H. dispar that were found in respectively 15.8% and 10.8% of the cats examined. Other trematodes recorded, with lower prevalences, were Heterophyes nocens (2.9%), Haplorchis taichui (3.8%), Stictodora sawakinensis (2.1%), Stellantchasmus falcatus (1.6%), Echinochasmus japonicus (1.6%), and Mesostephanus dottrensi (1.3%). Centrocestus cuspidatus, Galactosomum fregatae, Ascocotyle sp., Mesostephanus appendiculatus, Haplorchis yokogawai, and Pygidiopsis genata showed the lowest prevalence (0.4%) and intensity. The majority of the trematodes are recorded for the first time in Kuwait and even in the Gulf region. The study reveals that stray cats are good indicators of fish-borne trematodes in the environment. As all trematodes recovered are zoonotic, their significance to public health should be considred.     

Length–weight and length–length relationships for three species of Squalius (Cyprinidae; Leuciscinae) from the Caspian Sea,Namak and Tigris basins of Iran

Length‐weight and length‐length relationships were estimated for three species of the genus Squalius. These fish were sampled from the Caspian Sea as well as the Namak and Tigris basins of Iran. Sampling took place between July 2009 and August 2010 using a seine net (15 m long, 2 m width and 5 mm mesh size). The values of the b parameter in the length‐weight relationship equations were determined as 3.37 for S. turcicus, 3.25 for S. namak and 3.14 for S. berak (b > 3).     

Large-scale de novo transcriptome analysis reveals specific gene expression and novel simple sequence repeats markers in salinized roots of the euhalophyte <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salicornia europaea</Emphasis>

Glycophytic plants suffer from severe stress and injury when roots are exposed to high salinity in the rhizosphere. In contrast, the euhalophyte Salicornia europaea grows well at 200 mM NaCl and can withstand up to 1000 mM NaCl in the root zone. Analysis of gene expression profiles and the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for this tolerance have been largely overlooked. Using the Illumina sequencing platform and the short-reads assembly programme Trinity, we generated a total of 40 and 39 million clean reads and further 140,086 and 122,728 unigenes from the 200 mM NaCl and 0 mM NaCl treated tissues of S. europaea roots, respectively. All unigenes in this study were functionally annotated within context of the COG, GO and KEGG pathways. Unigene functional annotation analysis allowed us to identify hundreds of ion transporters related to homeostasis and osmotic adaptation as well as a variety of proteins related to cation, amino acid, lipid and sugar transport. We found significant enrichment in response to stress including the functional categories of “antioxidant activity”, “catalytic activity” and “response to stimuli”. These findings represent for a useful resource for the scientific community working on salt tolerance mechanisms. Conversely, a total of 8639 EST-SSRs from 131,594 unigenes were identified and 4539 non-redundant SSRs primers pairs were developed. These data provide a good foundation for future studies on molecular adaptation mechanisms of euhalophytes roots under saline environments and will likely facilitate the identification of critical salt tolerance traits to be transferred in economically important crops.     

Morphology,ontogeny, and molecular phylogeny of two novel bakuellid-like hypotrichs (Ciliophora: Hypotrichia), with establishment of two new genera

The morphology, ontogeny and molecular phylogeny of Apobakuella fusca gen. n., sp. n. and Parabistichella variabilis gen. n., sp. n., from south China were investigated. Apobakuella fusca, brown colored, demonstrates bakuellid-like infraciliature, and a similar ontogenesis as the genus Bakuella. It is argued, however, that this species represents a novel genus, Apobakuella, which is characterized by two or more marginal rows on the right, several buccal and parabuccal cirri, and lack of frontoterminal and caudal cirri. Phylogenetic analysis based on SSU rRNA gene sequences supports the close relationship of Apobakuella with Neobakuella and Diaxonella within the core Urostylida. By contrast, Parabistichella variabilis has a dominant frontoventral row, few midventral pairs, a long midventral row, and one marginal row on each side. Its morphogenesis exhibits: (1) partial reorganization of the parental adoral membranelles; (2) over six frontoventral-transverse cirri anlagen; (3) intrakinetal development of the midventral row; and (4) very likely, formation of the frontoventral row from the midventral row anlage. Both the morphological characteristics and the SSU rRNA gene sequences suggest that it is incertae sedis among the basal hypotrichs. Further investigation of key taxa with additional molecular markers is required to reveal a better understanding on the phylogeny of Parabistichella.     

Myxobolus myleus n. sp. infecting the bile of the Amazonian freshwater fish Myleus rubripinnis (Teleostei: Serrasalmidae): morphology and pathology

Myxobolus myleus n. sp. is described from the gall-bladder of the freshwater fish Myleus rubripinnis collected near the city of Oriximiná in the Amazon System, Brazil. The spores obtained from the bile contained two equal symmetrical and smooth valves, each forming the spore wall. The spores were large, with a cone-like form, a semi spherical basal contour and measured (in μm) 19.3 ± 0.5 (n = 25) × 8.3 ± 0.5 (n = 25) × 4.0 ± 0.3 (n = 15). The apical end of the spores contained two elongate, equal and pointed conical polar capsules measuring 13.2 ± 0.4 μm (n = 25) in length and 3.0 ± 0.3 μm (n = 15) in width, each having a slightly tapering polar filament with 19 to 21 turns. The polar capsules were extended below at about 4/5 of the total length of the spores. The sporoplasm was binucleate and contained some sporoplasmosomes. All infected fish presented hypertrophy of the gall-bladder due to presence of the brownish parasite floating in the bile. In this paper we describe this new species of myxosporean based on light and ultrastructural observations, together with its associated pathology.     

Effects of different combinations of benzyl adenine and indole acetic acid concentrations on in vitro plant regeneration in hexaploid wheat

Development of a reliable in vitro plant regeneration procedure for hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a prerequisite for its improvement by genetic transformation. Here, we report the effects of two growth regulators, benzyl adenine (BA) and indole acetic acid (IAA) on callus induction and plant regeneration from scutellum cultures of two commercial bread wheat cultivars: Giza 164 and Sakha 69. Callus induction was obtained from isolated embryos cultured on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. After four weeks of callus induction, all calli were plated on MS basal medium for regeneration. Wheat genotype and callus induction medium played a dominant role in plantlet regeneration. 2.0 mg/L BA and 0.2 mg/L IAA were the best combinations for inducing callus and let to highest regeneration frequency (81.67%) across the cultivars. Overall, based on our medium conditions, Giza 164 displayed higher regeneration frequency (81.11%) than Sakha 69. These results will facilitate genetic transformation for the economic varieties Giza 164 and Sakha 69.