A computational model of the human left-ventricular epicardial myocyte

A computational model of the human left-ventricular epicardial myocyte is presented. Models of each of the major ionic currents present in these cells are formulated and validated using experimental data obtained from studies of recombinant human ion channels and/or whole-cell recording from single myocytes isolated from human left-ventricular subepicardium. Continuous-time Markov chain models for the gating of the fast Na(+) current, transient outward current, rapid component of the delayed rectifier current, and the L-type calcium current are modified to represent human data at physiological temperature. A new model for the gating of the slow component of the delayed rectifier current is formulated and validated against experimental data. Properties of calcium handling and exchanger currents are altered to appropriately represent the dynamics of intracellular ion concentrations. The model is able to both reproduce and predict a wide range of behaviors observed experimentally including action potential morphology, ionic currents, intracellular calcium transients, frequency dependence of action-potential duration, Ca(2+)-frequency relations, and extrasystolic restitution/post-extrasystolic potentiation. The model therefore serves as a useful tool for investigating mechanisms of arrhythmia and consequences of drug-channel interactions in the human left-ventricular myocyte.     

Length‐weight relationships of three gobiid species (Perciformes: Gobiidae) along the Iranian intertidal coast of the Persian Gulf and Makran Sea

Length weight relationships (LWRs) were estimated for three gobiid species, Bathygobius meggitti(Hora & Mukerji, 1936), Acentrogobius dayi Koumans, 1941 and Cryptocentroides arabicus(Gmelin, 1789) (Perciformes: Gobiidae) collected from 13 localities of the Iranian intertidal coast of the Persian Gulf and Makran Sea in seven times from November 2015 to September 2017 using a hand net with mesh size 1.30 mm. The b values showed significant differences between males and females of all species except the C. arabicus. Bailey's t test revealed that b value significantly deviated from the expected cube value of 3 in three species.     

Genetic analysis of an F2 intercross between two strains of Japanese quail provided evidence for quantitative trait loci affecting carcass composition and internal organs

The purpose of this study was to identify genomic regions, quantitative trait loci (QTL), affecting carcass traits on chromosome 1 in an F2 population of Japanese quail. For this purpose, two white and wild strains of Japanese quail (16 birds) were crossed reciprocally and F1 generation (34 birds) was created. The F2 generation was produced by intercrossing of the F1 birds. Phenotypic data including carcass weight, internal organs and carcass parts were collected on F2 animals (422 birds). The total mapping population (472 birds) was genotyped for 8 microsatellite markers on chromosome 1. QTL analysis was performed with interval mapping method applying the line-cross model. Significant QTL were identified for breast weight at 0 (P < 0.01), 172 (P < 0.05) and 206 (P < 0.01), carcass weight at 91 (P < 0.05), carcass fatness at 0 (P < 0.01), pre-stomach weight at 206 (P < 0.01) and uropygial weight gland at 197 (P < 0.01) cM on chromosome 1. There was also evidence for imprinted QTL affecting breast weight (P < 0.01) on chromosome 1. The proportion of the F2 phenotypic variation explained by the significant additive, dominance and imprinted QTL effects ranged from 1.0 to 7.3 %, 1.2 to 3.3 % and 1.4 to 2.2 %, respectively.     

Genetic structure of Chrysanthemum genotypes from Iran assessed by AFLP markers and phenotypic traits

Chrysanthemum is popular worldwide as cut flower, potted plant and perennial garden plant. This study used amplified fragment length polymorphism and phenotypic traits to assess genetic diversity and population structure in Chrysanthemum. Results for the phenotypic traits of ray floret number, tubular floret number, flower number, pedicel length, leaflet number on pedicel and days to visible flower bud had high level (i.e., >30 %) evaluations for genotypic coefficient of variation and phenotypic coefficient of variation; thus, heritability for various phenotypic traits ranged from 45.30 to 94.55 %. Phenotypic data clustered the genotypes into four separate groups. Twenty-five primer combinations were used for molecular analysis. On average, each primer combination produced 83.96 polymorphic DNA bands, ranging from 33 to 122 bands. Polymorphic percentage (99.3 %), polymorphism information content (0.43) and Shannon’s information index (0.45) evaluated high levels of genetic variation in the tested genotypes. The Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method grouped genotypes into six clusters, which were in part confirmed by principal coordinate analysis. A Bayesian structure analysis identified four clusters, in which 30 individuals were maintained within the admixed clusters. Results from this study provide appropriate information applicable to designing effective breeding programs and other analyses associated with future studies of Chrysanthemum.     

Maltodextrins as Chiral Selectors in CE: Molecular Structure Effect of Basic Chiral Compounds on the Enantioseparation

Prediction of chiral separation for a compound using a chiral selector is an interesting and debatable work. For this purpose, in this study 23 chiral basic drugs with different chemical structures were selected as model solutes and the influence of their chemical structures on the enantioseparation in the presence of maltodextrin (MD) as chiral selector was investigated. For chiral separation, a 100‐mM phosphate buffer solution (pH 3.0) containing 10% (w/v) MD with dextrose equivalent (DE) of 4‐7 as chiral selector at the temperature of 25°C and voltage of 20 kV was used. Under this condition, baseline separation was achieved for nine chiral compounds and partial separation was obtained for another six chiral compounds while no enantioseparation was obtained for the remaining eight compounds. The results showed that the existence of at least two aromatic rings or cycloalkanes and an oxygen or nitrogen atom or –CN group directly bonded to the chiral center are necessary for baseline separation. With the obtained results in this study, chiral separation of a chiral compound can be estimated with MD‐modified capillary electrophoresis before analysis. This prediction will minimize the number of preliminary experiments required to resolve enantiomers and will save time and cost. Chirality 26:620–628, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Bromus salangensis sp. nov. (Gramineae), a perennial brome grass from Afghanistan

During work on a new synopsis on the genus Bromus L. for the ‘Flora Iranica’ region, an Afghan perennial brome grass previously identified as the Caucasian B. biebersteinii Roem. & Schult., was found to be a new species. It is described here as B. salangensis sp. nov. This discovery rejected the record of B. biebersteinii for Afghanistan.     

Reassessment of the status of Lymantria albescens and Lymantria postalba (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lymantriinae) as distinct ‘Asian gypsy moth’ species,using both mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data

For regulatory purposes, the name ‘Asian gypsy moth’ refers to a group of closely related Asian Lymantria species and subspecies whose female moths display flight capability, a trait believed to confer enhanced invasiveness relative to the European gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar dispar, whose females are flightless. Lymantria albescens and Lymantria postalba are Asian gypsy moths occurring in the southern Ryukyu Islands and in the northern Ryukyu and adjacent Kyushu and Shikoku Islands of Japan, respectively. Although once considered subspecies of L. dispar, their status as distinct species, relative to the latter, is now well established. While postalba was subsequently considered a subspecies of L. albescens, largely on the basis of differences in forewing ground colour in males, both taxa were later given distinct species status by Pogue & Schaefer (2007) following their revision of the genus Lymantria. Here, we re-examined the validity of this revised status through the sequencing of a large portion of the mitochondrial genome (c. 60%) and multiple nuclear marker genes [elongation factor 1-alpha (Ef-1α), wingless (Wgl), internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2), ribosomal protein S5 (RpS5)] in representative specimens of both taxa and other Lymantria species, including L. monacha, L. xylina, L. mathura and members of the L. dispar + L. umbrosa clade. A comparison of the number of substitutions in these genomic regions among the taxa we considered showed lower or equivalent variation between L. albescens and L. postalba compared with subspecies of L. dispar, for mitochondrial and nuclear sequences, respectively. This finding was reflected in the maximum likelihood trees generated independently for mitochondrial and nuclear data, where L. albescens and L. postalba formed, in both analyses, a short-branch sister clade basal to the L. dispar + L. umbrosa clade. We further sequenced three markers [cytochrome c oxydase 1 (COI), EF-1α, Wgl] in multiple L. albescens–L. postalba specimens collected along a south-to-north transect across the Ryukyu Arc and observed no clear distinction among the sampled specimens as a function of taxonomic designation. We conclude that L. albescens and L. postalba form a single species, with postalba representing a darker-winged morph along an apparent south-to-north wing colour cline. Accordingly, L. postalba is relegated to synonymy under L. albescens ( syn.n. ).     

A unique EF-hand motif in mnemiopsin photoprotein from Mnemiopsis leidyi: implication for its low calcium sensitivity

Up to now, all reported Ca²⁺-regulated photoproteins, except for mnemiopsin, have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. In this study, the cDNA for an isotype of mnemiopsin, from the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, has been cloned, sequenced, and functionally expressed. The full length cDNA encoding mnemiopsin of M. leidyi was 624 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 207 amino acid residues with calculated molecular mass of ∼24 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 90% and 84% identity to berovine (from ctenophore Beroe abyssicola) and bolinopsin 2 (from the ctenophore Bolinopsis infundibulum) respectively. In contrast to all known EF-hand in photoproteins, a unique EF-hand motif was found in mnemiopsin, in which a conserved glycine is substituted with glutamic acid. According to the results, the optimum pH was 9.0, time course of regeneration was 15 h and its Ca²⁺ sensitivity was lower than aequorin. Results of pK_a calculation for ionizable residues, motif scan and hydrophobic interactions of cavity aromatic residues of mnemiopsin in comparison with aequorin showed different patterns in these two photoproteins. In addition, experimental results are confirmed with the theoretical studies.     

Cold atmospheric plasma induced genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in esophageal cancer cells

Molecular Biology Reports - In this paper, we studied the functional effects of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) on the esophageal cancer cell line (KYSE-30) by direct and indirect treatment and...