Chemical composition and in vitro antifungal activity of Sambucus ebulus and Actinidia deliciosa on the fish pathogenic fungus,Saprolegnia parasitica

The aim of the present study was to determine the chemical composition of Sambucus ebulus and Actinidia deliciosa ethanolic extracts as well as their in vitro antifungal activity on the mycelial growth of the water mold, Saprolegnia parasitica. The preliminary minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) were determined by the HeMP method and finally, concentrations of each extract ranging from 1 to 10% were prepared by an agar dilution method to assess the in vitro antifungal activity, quantitatively. Both herbal extracts inhibited growth of Saprolegnia hyphae in vitro. Complete in vitro growth inhibition was found at a concentration of ≥5% for S. ebulus, whereas it was not observed even at 10% concentration of A. deliciosa. Based on gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis, the main constituents of S. ebulus include monophthalate (66.17%), fatty acids (26.47%), phytol (4.25%), and acetic acid (2.11%). Using colorimetric assays, A. deliciosa contained phenolic contents at 162 mg gallic acid (GAE)/g DW and flavonoid contents at 2.31 mg quercetin (QE)/g DW. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that S. ebulus and A. deliciosa showed some antifungal activities against S. parasitica with formerly exhibiting stronger activity (p < 0.05).

     

Contribution to the knowledge of the genetic diversity and taxonomy of some Iranian Trifolium species

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Trifolium (Fabaceae) is widely distributed with more than 255 species. The current study contributed to the knowledge of the diversity and genetic population...     

Preference and performance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plutella xylostella</Emphasis> (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) on canola cultivars

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is an important insect pest of canola, Brassica napus L., in Ardabil, Iran. Host plant resistance is an essential component of integrated management of P. xylostella. We investigated the preferences and performance of P. xylostella on nine commercial cultivars of canola, namely Zarfam, RGS003, Adder, Okapi, Opera, Hyola401, Ebonite Option500 and Elite under greenhouse conditions at 23 ± 1°C, 50 ± 5% RH and 14L:10D. In free-choice situation, oviposition was lowest on Opera (23.5) and highest on Zarfam (44.7). In the life table study, fecundity of new generation female moths was lowest on Opera (95.4) and highest on Adder (145.7). Survival from egg to adult was significantly lower on Opera, Option500 and Hyola401 than on other tested cultivars. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r _m) and population growth rate (λ) were lowest on Opera and highest on Zarfam. The generation time (T) was shortest on Zarfam (17.2 days) and longest on Hyola401 (19.9 days) whereas doubling time (DT) was longest on Opera (3.9 days) and shortest on Zarfam (3.0 days). Our results clearly suggest that Opera was the most resistant host among the tested cultivars and has the potential to be used in the integrated management of P. xylostella.     

Effects of Ammonium Nitrate and Monosodium Glutamate in Waste Water on the Growth,Antioxidant Activity,and Nitrogen Assimilation of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

It has been hypothesized that the uptake of organic as opposed to inorganic nitrogen compounds found in wastewater can be properly substituted for plant nutrients. The objective of this study was to compare effects of applying monosodium glutamate wastewater (MGW) and ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) (AN) on nitrogen metabolism and growth of lettuce. The results showed that while NH₄NO₃ (AN), NO₃^-, nitrite content and NR activity increased the protein content of lettuce. Applying MGW with a high concentration of 17 amino acids and macro- and microelements improved the fresh weights of shoot and root as well as the protein content of lettuce. Antioxidant activities were not affected by AN and MGW, and their interaction effects only increased POD after 8 weeks. In conclusion, substituting a portion of the chemical fertilizers with MGW improved lettuce growth, but did not increase NO₃^- accumulation in leaves.     

The Dynamics of Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Response to Environmental Change in Four Basins of the Etueffont Landfill Leachate (Belfort, France)

We investigated the relationships between the composition and structure of macroinvertebrate communities and some environmental variables over a year in four basins of the Etueffont landfill leachate (Belfort, France) using co-inertia analysis. Culicidae larvae were the dominant macroinvertebrate group in the studied basins, contributing to 87% of the total zoobenthos density, followed by Corixidae (8.8%), Chironomids (2.5%) and other larvae (each <1%). The lowest density of chironomid larvae was recorded in the first basin which is used as a discharge system for the leachate produced by the landfill. In basin 4, however, the Baetidae, Orthocladiinae (Orthocladius spp., Chaetocladius spp. and Isocladius spp.) and Tanypodinae (Psectrotanypus spp.) developed favoured by low levels in ammonia, COD, BOD, EC, metals and high oxygen concentrations. The co-inertia analysis illustrated both temporal and spatial variabilities in the basins and revealed a strong relationship between environmental conditions and benthic macroinvertebrates assemblages. This ordination technique showed that the chironomid community structure might be used successfully to differentiate between sites with different levels and types of pollution.     

Herd-level prevalence of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis by bulk-tank milk PCR in Fars province (southern Iran) dairy herds

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2006 in dairy herds in Fars province, southern Iran to determine the herd-level prevalence of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) infection. Bulk-tank milk samples were collected from 110 dairy herds in the 3 districts (Shiraz, Marvdasht and Sepidan) of the province. Among study populations, 12 herds (11%, 95%CI: 5-17%) were positive for MAP infection based on IS900 nested PCR. The prevalence of positive milk samples in the three districts of Fars province was different ranging from 8.6% to 23% which was not statistically significant (P=0.19). It is recommended to conduct further epidemiologic studies to determine cow-level prevalence and risk factors for infection, and to evaluate the economic consequences of the MAP infection in the region.     

Whole genome sequence analysis to detect signatures of positive selection for high fecundity in sheep

Ovulation rate and prolificacy are the most important reproductive traits that have major impact on the efficiency of lamb meat production. Here, we compared the whole genomes of the Romanov sheep, known as one of the high prolific breeds, and four other sheep breeds namely Assaf, Awassi, Cambridge and British du cher, to identify genetic mechanisms underlying prolificacy in sheep. Selection signature analysis revealed 637 and 477 protein‐coding genes under positive selection from F_ST and nucleotide diversity (Pi) statistics, respectively. Further analysis showed that several candidate genes including LEPR, PDGFRL and KLF5 genes are involved in sheep prolificacy. The identified candidate genes in the selected regions are novel and provide new insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying prolificacy in sheep and can be useful in sheep breeding programmes to develop improved breeds for high reproductive efficiency.     

Effect of age,sex, and season on the prevalence of Linguatula serrata infestation in mesenteric lymph nodes of goats slaughtered in Tabriz,Iran

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This research was conducted to determine the prevalence and intensity of infection with nymphs of Linguatula serrata in mesenteric lymph nodes of the goats...     

Utilization of Site-Specific Recombination in Biopharmaceutical Production

Mammalian expression systems, due to their capacity in post-translational modification, are preferred systems for biopharmaceutical protein production. Several recombinant protein systems have been introduced to the market, most of which are under clinical development. In spite of significant improvements such as cell line engineering, introducing novel expression methods, gene silencing and process development, expression level is unpredictable and unstable because of the random location of integration in the genome. Site-specific recombination techniques are capable of producing stable and high producer clonal cells; therefore, they are gaining more importance in the biopharmaceutical production. Site-specific recombination methods increase the recombinant protein production by specifically inserting a vector at a locus with specific expression trait. The present review focused on the latest developments in site-specific recombination techniques, their specific features and comparisons.