In silico and in vitro effects of the I30T mutation on myelin protein zero instability in the cell membrane

Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth (CMT) diseases are a heterogeneous group of genetic peripheral neuropathies caused by mutations in a variety of genes, which are involved in the development and maintenance of peripheral nerves. Myelin protein zero (MPZ) is expressed by Schwann cells, and MPZ mutations can lead to primarily demyelinating polyneuropathies including CMT type 1B. Different mutations demonstrate various forms of disease pathomechanisms, which may be beneficial in understanding the disease cellular pathology. Our molecular dynamics simulation study on the possible impacts of I30T mutation on the MPZ protein structure suggested a higher hydrophobicity and thus lower stability in the membranous structures. A study was also conducted to predict native/mutant MPZ interactions. To validate the results of the simulation study, the native and mutant forms of the MPZ protein were separately expressed in a cellular model, and the protein trafficking was chased down in a time course pattern. In vitro studies provided more evidence on the instability of the MPZ protein due to the mutation. In this study, qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted to confirm the instability of mutant MPZ in cellular membranes.     

Yeast Cell Microcapsules as a Novel Carrier for Cholecalciferol Encapsulation: Development,Characterization and Release Properties

In this study Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells was used as a novel vehicle for encapsulation of vitamin D₃. The effects of initial cholecalciferol concentration (100,000 and 500,000 IU/g yeast), yeast cell pretreatment (plasmolysis with NaCl) and drying method (spray or freeze drying) on microcapsules properties were investigated. It was found that the vitamin concentration and drying method had significant influence on encapsulation efficiency (EE) and size of yeast microcapsules. Furthermore, EE values were more increased by the plasmolysis treatment. The highest EE was obtained for plasmolysed and spray dried yeast cells prepared using initial cholecalciferol concentration of 2.5 mg per gram of yeast cells (76.10?±?6.92%). The values of mean particle size were 3.43–7.91 μm. The presence of cholecalciferol in yeast microcapsules was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) analyses. The in vitro cholecalciferol release from yeast microcapsules in phosphate buffer saline solution (PBS) followed a controlled release manner consistent with a Fickian diffusion mechanism. In addition, the release studies in simulated gastrointestinal tract showed sustained release of cholecalciferol in the stomach condition and significant release in intestinal medium.     

Plasmonic Au-MoO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Colloidal Nanoparticles by Reduction of HAuCl<Subscript>4</Subscript> by Blue MoO<Subscript>x</Subscript> Nanosheets and Observation of the Gasochromic Property

Defective colloids of blue MoO_x nanosheets were prepared by anodizing exfoliation method in water. This colloidal solution exhibits an optical plasmonic absorption band in the infrared region at about 760 nm. Merely mixing HAuCl₄ solution with the MoO_x leads to loss of the blue color, decaying of 760 nm plasmonic peak and simultaneous formation of the gold plasmon absorption peak at 550–570 nm. Some spectral variations in gold plasmonic peak and MoO_x optical band gap were observed for Mo:Au ratio of 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, and 40:1. The size of the gold nanoparticles was in the 5–6 nm range with fcc crystalline structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the initial solution contains Mo⁵⁺ states and hydroxyl groups, which after reduction, hydroxyl groups are eliminated and the Mo⁵⁺ states converted to Mo⁶⁺. The obtained Au-MoO₃ colloids have a gasochromic property in which they are colored back to blue in the presence of hydrogen gas and the molybdenum oxide absorption peak recovered again. Furthermore, it was observed that both gold and Mo oxide plasmonic peaks redshift by insertion of hydrogen gas which is attributed to change in solution refractive index and formation of defect concentration.     

Agroinfiltration: a rapid and reliable method to select suitable rose cultivars for blue flower production

Rose cultivars with blue flower color are among the most attractive breeding targets in floriculture. However, they are difficult to produce due to the low efficiency of transformation systems, interactive effects of hosts and vectors, and lengthy processes. In this study, agroinfiltration-mediated transient expression was investigated as a tool to assess the function of flower color genes and to determine appropriate host cultivars for stable transformation in Rosa hybrida. To induce delphinidin accumulation and consequently to produce blue hue, the petals of 30 rose cultivars were infiltrated with three different expression vectors namely pBIH-35S-CcF3′5′H, pBIH-35S-Del2 and pBIH-35S-Del8, harbouring different sets of flower color genes. The results obtained showed that the ectopic expression of the genes was only detected in three cultivars with dark pink petals (i.e. ‘Purple power’, ‘High & Mora’ and ‘Marina’) after 6–8 days. The high performance liquid chromatography analyses confirmed delphinidin accumulation in the infiltrated petals caused by transient expression of CcF3′5′H gene. Moreover, there were significant differences in the amounts of delphinidin among the three cultivars infiltrated with the three different expression vectors. More specifically, the highest delphinidin content was detected in the cultivar ‘Purple power’ (4.67 µg g^?1 FW), infiltrated with the pBIH-35S-Del2 vector. The expression of CcF3′5′H gene in the infiltrated petals was also confirmed by real time PCR. In conclusion and based on the findings of the present study, the agroinfiltration could be regarded as a reliable method to identify suitable rose cultivars in blue rose flower production programs.     

Recombinant Interleukin-1 Promotes Leishmaniasis in Susceptible Mice

Interleukin-1 exacerbates leishmanial lesions in Leishmania major-infected BALB/c mice. Indomethacin can modulate the effect of IL-1, so at least part of the IL-1 effect on disease progression is due to the induction of prostaglandin synthesis.     

Interactive effects of global change factors on soil respiration and its components: a meta‐analysis

As the second largest carbon (C) flux between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems, soil respiration (Rs) plays vital roles in regulating atmospheric CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]) and climatic dynamics in the earth system. Although numerous manipulative studies and a few meta‐analyses have been conducted to determine the responses of Rs and its two components [i.e., autotrophic (Ra) and heterotrophic (Rh) respiration] to single global change factors, the interactive effects of the multiple factors are still unclear. In this study, we performed a meta‐analysis of 150 multiple‐factor (≥2) studies to examine the main and interactive effects of global change factors on Rs and its two components. Our results showed that elevated [CO₂] (E), nitrogen addition (N), irrigation (I), and warming (W) induced significant increases in Rs by 28.6%, 8.8%, 9.7%, and 7.1%, respectively. The combined effects of the multiple factors, EN, EW, DE, IE, IN, IW, IEW, and DEW, were also significantly positive on Rs to a greater extent than those of the single‐factor ones. For all the individual studies, the additive interactions were predominant on Rs (90.6%) and its components (≈70.0%) relative to synergistic and antagonistic ones. However, the different combinations of global change factors (e.g., EN, NW, EW, IW) indicated that the three types of interactions were all important, with two combinations for synergistic effects, two for antagonistic, and five for additive when at least eight independent experiments were considered. In addition, the interactions of elevated [CO₂] and warming had opposite effects on Ra and Rh, suggesting that different processes may influence their responses to the multifactor interactions. Our study highlights the crucial importance of the interactive effects among the multiple factors on Rs and its components, which could inform regional and global models to assess the climate–biosphere feedbacks and improve predictions of the future states of the ecological and climate systems.     

Olive cultivation in the heart of the Persian Achaemenid Empire: new insights into agricultural practices and environmental changes reflected in a late Holocene pollen record from Lake Parishan,SW Iran

Ancient Persia witnessed one of its most prosperous cultural and socio-economic periods between 550 bc and ad 651, with the successive domination of the Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian and Sassanian Empires. During this period agricultural activities increased on the Iranian plateau, as demonstrated by a remarkable arboricultural expansion. However, available data are not very informative about the spatial organization of agricultural practices. The possible links between climate conditions and agricultural activities during this millennium of continuous imperial domination are also unclear, due to the lack of parallel human-independent palaeoclimatic proxies. This study presents a new late Holocene pollen-based vegetation record from Lake Parishan, SW Iran. This record provides invaluable information regarding anthropogenic activities before, during and after the empires and sheds light on (i) spatial patterning in agricultural activities and (ii) possible climate impacts on agro-sylvo-pastoral practices during this period. Results of this study indicate that arboriculture was the most prominent form of agricultural activity in SW Iran especially during the Achaemenid, Seleucid and Parthian periods. Contrary to the information provided by some Greco-Roman written sources, the record from Lake Parishan shows that olive cultivation was practiced during Achaemenid and Seleucid times, when olive cultivation was significant, at least in this basin located close to the capital area of the Achaemenid Empire. In addition, pollen from aquatic vegetation suggests that the period of the latter centuries of the first millennium bc was characterized by a higher lake level, which might have favoured cultural and socio-economic prosperity.     

Investigations on the reproductive biology and diet of yellowfin tuna,Thunnus albacares, (Bonnaterre, 1788) in the Oman Sea

In this paper, the examination of some reproductive features and stomach contents of yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, were determined by samples taken from Iranian drifting gillnets in the Oman Sea in the years 2007 to 2009. The male to female ratio in overall size was 1 : 0.93, which was not significantly different from the expected value 1 : 1. Fish lengths ranged from 37 to 152 cm, averaging 78.5 cm for females and 79.2 cm for males. At a larger size (>117 cm) males were proportionally predominant. Length at first maturity, L_m 50%, was observed when females reached 77.2 cm. Data from maturity stages indicated a single spawning period, peaking in May‐June, corresponding with a drop in the Gonadosomatic Index (GSI). Fishes were the main prey group, comprising 47.6% of total numbers among the three food item categories in the tuna stomachs. Among the 12 families identified in the stomachs, the Portunidae swimming crab crustacean was the most important prey organism (18.7% of total numbers). A wide range of prey species found in yellowfin tuna stomachs reflects an opportunistic feeding behaviour restricted by local prey availability. Considering the scarcity of available data, the results of the present paper will provide a reference for better knowledge of the biological features of T. albacares in the Oman Sea.