Effect of parental genotypes and colchicine treatment on the androgenic response of wheat F1 hybrids

The effect of the parental genotypes and colchicine treatment on the androgenic response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) F1 hybrids was studied. For this, anthers from three F1 hybrids and their parents were cultured on W14 initiation medium and W14 supplemented with 0.03% colchicine. The number of responding anthers, microspore‐derived structures/100 anthers, green plants/embryos cultured, green plants/100 anthers and albino plants/100 anthers were recorded. It was observed that embryo formation and plant regeneration ability were genetically controlled and genotype dependent. In both treatments the variety Kavkaz had a significantly higher percentage of responding anthers, microspore‐derived structures and green plants/100 anthers than the other genotypes. On the other hand, the variety Myconos also demonstrated high microspore‐derived structure production and green plant regeneration when treated with colchicine. The good response observed in these two varieties indicates the importance of colchicine treatment only for certain genotypes. Green plant production capacity of the hybrids was intermediate to that of the parental varieties. As one parent with a high or even an intermediate response to anther culture could lead to the production of sufficient (for breeding purposes) green plants from the F₁ hybrids, it was concluded that screening the inbred lines for the response to anther culture with and without colchicine treatment could contribute to utilization of breeding material with a low response to anther culture via the proper hybrid combinations.     

Analysis of genetic diversity among some Persian walnut genotypes (Juglans regia L.) using morphological traits and SSRs markers

There is a high diversity among cultivated walnut trees in Iran due to its long time of seed propagation and vast area of cultivation. In this study some morphological characters as well as Simple Sequence Repeat (SSRs) markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity and relationships among 31 Iranian walnut genotypes along with four foreign cultivars. The nut weight ranged from 7.52 to 17.73 g, kernel weight from 4.00 to 9.83 g, and kernel percentage ratio from 38.78 to 67.05% among studied genotypes. In SSRs analysis, nine primer pairs were tested that produced 39 alleles ranging from 2 to 8, with a mean value of 5.10 allele per primer. The Iranian genotypes showed relatively high diversity both for their SSRs loci and morphological traits. Although the foreign cultivars (‘Serr’, ‘Vina’, ‘Franquette’ and ‘Lara’) clustered with each other, they also laid close and within the Iranian genotype. The results of the study provided us with valuable diversity among our genotypes which could be used for breeding studies and also showed the power of genetic markers for analysis and evaluation of this diversity.     

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis in Asian and European Asparagus subgenus species

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a diploid (2n?=?2x?=?20), perennial and dioecious species belonging to Asparagus...     

Preparation of carboxymethyl cellulose superabsorbents from waste textiles

Production of superabsorbent polymers from cotton and viscose waste textiles was investigated. The cellulose wastes were carboxymethylated, crosslinked by divinylsulfone, and then converted to superabsorbent material using air-drying, freeze-drying, or air-drying after phase inversion. The separation of cellulose from synthetic polymers in the textile (polyester) was carried out by direct dissolution of cellulose in N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO), or separation by dissolution in water after carboxymethylation of the textiles. The progress of the carboxymethylation reaction was evaluated by measurement of the degree of substitution (DS) of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The DS values of 0.50–0.86 confirmed the prosperous substitution of hydrophilic carboxymethyl groups into the cellulosic chains. The water binding capacity and the swelling rate of the superabsorbents prepared under different conditions were measured. Under the best condition the superabsorbent obtained from waste textiles showed an ultimate water binding capacity of 541 g/g which was notably higher than that of the reference superabsorbent derived from cotton linter (470 g/g). The amount of absorbed water by this product exceeded that of the reference sample after 60 min immersion.     

Effect of Silver Particle size on color and Antibacterial properties of silk and cotton Fabrics

In this study silver nanoparticles with different particle sizes and hence colors were synthesized on silk and cotton fabrics through reduction of silver nitrate. Particle sizes of the silver colloids were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The structure and properties of the treated fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-Vis reflectance spectroscopy. Various characteristics of the treated fabrics including antibacterial activities against a Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and a Gram negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria, color effect, wash and light fastness, water absorption, fabric rigidity, and UV blocking properties were also assessed. The results indicated that the treated fabrics displayed different colors in the presence of silver nanoparticles with different particle sizes and exhibited good and durable fastness properties. Also, the size of the silver particles had a tangible effect on antibacterial activity of treated fabrics and its antibacterial performance was improved by decreasing the size of particles. Moreover, this process imparted significantly UV blocking activity to fabric samples.     

Metabolomics-Based Study of Logarithmic and Stationary Phases of Promastigotes in Leishmania major by 1H NMR Spectroscopy

Background:

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the most important parasitic diseases in humans. In this disease, one of the responsible organisms is Leishmania major, which is transmitted by sandfly vector. There are specific differences in biochemical profiles and metabolite pathways in logarithmic and stationary phases of Leishmania parasites. In the present study, ¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to examine the metabolites outliers in the logarithmic and stationary phases of promastigotes in L. major to enlighten more about the transmission mechanism in metacyclogenesis of L. major.

Methods:

Promastigote was cultured, logarithmic and stationary phases were separated by the peanut agglutinin, and cell metabolites were extracted. ¹H NMR spectroscopy was applied, and outliers were analyzed using principal component analysis.

Results:

The most altered metabolites in stationary and logarithmic phases were limited to citraconic acid, isopropylmalic acid, L-leucine, ornithine, caprylic acid, capric acid, and acetic acid.

Conclusion:

¹H NMR spectroscopy could play an important role in the characterization of metabolites in biochemical pathways during a metacyclogenesis process. These metabolites and their pathways can help in exploiting a transmission mechanism in metacyclogenesis, and outcoming data might be used in the metabolic network reconstruction of L. major modeling. Key Words: Leishmania major, Metabolomics, Principal component analysis     

EFFECTS OF METHYL JASMONATE TREATMENT ON ALLEVIATION OF CADMIUM DAMAGES IN SOYBEAN

In the present study, the interactive effects of methyl jasmonate (0, 0.01, and 0.1 mM) and cadmium chloride (0 and 500 μM) on growth, biochemical, and physiological parameters of soybean plants were investigated. The plants were first treated with methyl jasmonate and then exposed to cadmium stress. Cadmium reduced shoot dry weight and total chlorophyll contents and increased lipid peroxidation in leaves. Methyl jasmonate, especially at a lower level (0.01 mM), significantly alleviated the cadmium damage to shoot dry weight and total chlorophyll contents and also, reduced lipid peroxidation. The increase in catalase and polyphenol oxidase activities were also observed under cadmium stress. The activity of ascorbate peroxidase was enhanced by methyl jasmonate under no stress and cadmium stress. However, peroxidase activity increased under no stress conditions. Based on our results it could be concluded that the application of methyl jasmonate caused significant alleviation of cadmium damages to soybean plants.     

Diverse responses of tolerant and sensitive lines of Chickpea to drought stress

Drought is a worldwide concern and designation of drought stress adaptive mechanisms is one of the main directions in plant physiology and crop breeding. Genotypes diversity can be used to identify effective unexploited genes and pathways. In order to that, the effect of varying terminal drought intensity treatments on physiological and biochemical traits was evaluated in ILC3279, ICCV2 and FLIP9855 C chickpea lines. Well-watered, intermediate and severe drought treatments were applied from flowering till maturity. Photosynthetic efficiency, membrane stability, soluble sugar and proline content, leaf protein profile, and antioxidant enzyme activities were compared on 1st, 3rd, and 5th week after applying stress. Based on the results, it was found that the susceptibility of photosynthetic machinery of ILC3279 was more than others. Tolerant genotypes responded to drought differently; an increase and a decrease in catalase activity have been observed in ICCV2 and FLIP9855 C, respectively. The prominent role of soluble sugars was observed in ICCV2. Expressions of polypeptides 27 and 45 kDa in tolerant lines refer to their possible role in drought stress adaptation. Generally, in spite of significant variability in chickpea lines to cope with drought, lower ascorbate peroxidase activity, higher peroxidase activity, and higher Fv/Fm ratio can be tested as markers of chickpea drought tolerant.     

Transplanting P75-Suppressed Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Promotes Functional Behavior in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) have been successfully employed for movement deficit recovery in spinal cord injury (SCI) rat models. One of the unsettled problems in cell transplantation is the relative high proportion of cell death, specifically after neural differentiation. According to our previous studies, p75 receptor, known as the death receptor, is only expressed in BMSC in a time window of 6-12 hours following neural induction. Moreover, we have recently reported a decreased level of apoptosis in p75-suppressed BMSC in vitro. Therefore, our objective in this research was to explore the functional effects of transplanting p75:siRNA expressing BMSC in SCI rats. Methods: Laminectomy was performed at L1 vertebra level to expose spinal cord for contusion using weight-drop method. PBS-treated SCI rats (group one) were used as negative controls, in which cavitations were observed 10 weeks after SCI. pRNA-U6.1/Hygro- (group two, as a mock) and pRNA-U6.1/Hygro-p75 shRNA- (group three) transfected BMSC were labeled with a fluorescent dye, CM-DiI, and grafted into the lesion site 7 days after surgery. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnehan locomotor rating scale was performed weekly for 10 weeks. Results: There was a significant difference (P≤0.05) between all groups of treated rats regarding functional recovery. Specifically, the discrepancy among p75 siRNA and mock-transfected BMSC was statistically significant. P75 siRNA BMSC also revealed a higher level of in vivo survival compared to the mock BMSC. Conclusion: Our data suggest that genetically modified BMSC that express p75:siRNA could be a more suitable source of cells for treatment of SCI. Key Words: Spinal cord injury (SCI), Apoptosis, Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC)     

A scanner based neural network technique for color matching of dyed cotton with reactive dye

Conventional theory for color matching is Kubelka-Munk, but it fails in some situations. New intelligent procedures such as neural networks could learn the behavior of a complex system and produce accurate prediction. This paper investigates the ability of MLP (multiple layer perceptron) neural network for color matching of cotton fabric. Three reactive dyes, namely Levafix Red CA, Levafix Yellow CA and Levafix Blue CA were used for experiments. The dyed samples were scanned and L * a * b * histogram were extracted. Different neural networks were trained and tested using L * a * b * histogram of fabric’s images and also L * a * b * values (D65, 10°) of fabrics. The results were encouraging. For neural networks including the L * a * b * histogram in input vector, colorants and their concentration were predicted with a mean square error (MSE) less than 10^?5 and an average value of color difference (CMC (1:2)) less than 1.5 for approximately 80 % of testing data.