IRANIAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY
Year:2011 | Volume:24 | Issue:6|Papers Count:19

Haploids and doubled haploids plants are important materials for production of genetically homozygous lines, genetic analysis, induction of mutation, genome mapping etc. Among the haploid plants production methods, isolated microspore culture has advantages over other methods. The efficiency of microspore culture is influenced by different factors. In this research, the effects of 3 factors including cultivar (in 2 levels: Moghan1 and Atrak), pretreatment (in 4 levels: control, 21 days cold, 7 days cold+ mannitol and cold+ (chemical+heat)) and embryo induction medium (in 5 levels: NPB-99, C17, W14, CHB-2 and P2) in isolated microspore culture of hexaploid wheat were investigated. Results showed significant interaction effects between cultivars and pretreatment and embryo induction medium. In both of the studied cultivars (Moghan1 and Atrak), “7 days cold+mannitol” pretreatment produced the highest mean of embryogenesis (81.33±4.66 & 92.33±2.33), total plant regeneration (29.33±2.02 & 39.33±0.33) and green plant regeneration (12.46±0.68 & 27.03±1.35). In the case of medium, in cultivar Moghan1 the highest means of embryogenesis (422.08±7), total plant regeneration (31.66±1.45), and green plant regeneration (26.5±2.29) were produced using C17 medium, but cultivar Atrack produced the highest means of embryogenesis (211.75±8.77) and green plant regeneration (32.53±0.76) in CHB-2 medium, and the highest mean of total plant regeneration (51±3.78) in W14 medium.

Diversity variations of woody plant species related to environmental factors (altitude, aspect and gradient) were determined in a 3000-haJuniperus excelsa habitat located at Hezarmasjed mountains in Khorasan Razawi province. In 130 sample plots of 1000 m2, 16 woody species belonged to 9 families. Gradient had no significant effect on Menhinick richness (P=0.442) and Pielo evenness (P=0.220) but it affected on Simpson diversity (P=0.001) whereas with increased gradient Simpson diversity decreased.Altitude had no significant effect on Menhinick richness (P=0.055) but with increased altitude Simpson diversity decreased (P=0.001) and evenness Pielo increased (P=0.020).Different aspects did not affect diversity indices. The current investigation revealed that advance in vegetation cover of this habitat is dependent to better management; otherwise, the increase of degradation together with elimination of the valuable plants of this ecosystem is expectable.

Cultivation, regeneration and conservation of wild plant species are, generally, challenging, mostly due to their seed dormancy and specific germination requirements.Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium L.) an important medicinal plant which is also extensively used in plant virology research has a considerable seed germination problem. This study was conducted to develop a simple seed germination protocol for Jimsonweed. A factorial experiment arranged as completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications, assessing effects of seed scarification, gibberellin and potassium nitrate (at concentrations of 0, 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm). Five days after treatment, percentage of seed germination, radicle and plumule length were measured, revealing the key role of mechanical seed scarification treatment as a prerequisite for germination of Jimsonweed seeds. The germination rate as well as radicle and plumule length of scarified seeds were drastically influenced by concentrations of gibberllin and potassium nitrate. No germination was observed in scarified seeds in the absence of gibberllin and potassium nitrate in water. Maximum percentage of seed germination (63%) was obtained when a chemical treatment of 100ppm gibberllin and 500 ppm potassium nitrate used together on scarified seeds.

Biodeterioration of monuments is one of the principal fields of interest for researchers in the conservation of cultural heritage. Microorganisms which are living on inorganic substrate can settle and spread on and into the rock materials and cause biological damages. The aim of this study was to assay effectiveness of chemical treatment which is applied in the restoration and renovation of cultural heritage by using a fluorometric method. Because cell viability is a critical parameter for assessment of success of biocide treatments, one of the objectives of research was to find a reliable method to estimate the efficacy of chemicals on rock fungi. The fluorometry tests were performed with two isolates A18 (Trimmatostroma abietis) and J26 (Exophilia jeanselmei). The cells were treated by Alkyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (BAC) 1%. Then the cells were stained with FDA (fluorescein diacetate) and Cal AM (Calcein AM), PI (Propidium Iodide), and combinations of them. The fluorometric method was done to measure the alterations of cell viability after chemical treatment. FDA stained cells performed a strong staining under microscopic as well as fluorometric recording. After cells were incubated in presence of Cal AM, fluorescence of individual cells was measured and a weak fluorescence was observed. Fungi stained by PI were not visible in any microscopic experiment. Furthermore, the fluorometric method did not show any considerable fluorescence intensity of PI stained cells. When combination of dyes was used, stained cells had not only a low yield qualitatively and quantitatively, also the fluorescence intensity of FDA was decreased. On the contrary, when FDA was used alone, strong fluorescence intensity was shown and it could well be used for chemical treatment assays and to quantify the efficacy of the chemical treatment. FDA fluorometry is accurate, reproducible and economic in both time and materials spent.

Plants synthesize a large number of different secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites have been known for acting as defense against herbivores. Glucosinolates are secondary metabolite, which occur in Capparales and a few other taxa. Among the Brassicaceae, the genus Arabidopsis contains 36 different glucosinolates. In order to know whether variation in glucosinolate influences the suitability of A. thaliana for generalist herbivore Spodoptera exigua, 4 natural populations of A. thaliana was studied. Glucosinolate concentration of 4 populations analyzed using HPLC- UV.Glucosinolate were different in their quantities and abundance between all groups.Caterpillars from S. exigua were obtained from a lab culture, reared on artificial diet. In a growth chamber experiment two second instar caterpillars from S. exigua were placed on each of the plants. Laval weight of herbivore was measured after 5 days. The results showed the generalist herbivore S. exigua grew significantly better on the plants with lower glucosinolates. Significant correlations were negatively found between larval weight of S. exigua and glucosinolates. Larval weights of S. exigua also were affected by glucosinolate composition. Significant correlations were negatively found between larval weight of S. exigua and glucinapin, sinigrin and 4 methoxyglucobrassicin.Therefore concentration and composition of glucosinolate reduced palatability of leaf tissue to generalist herbivore S. exigua.

Water deficit is one of the most important environmental factors that regulate plant growth and development, and limits plant production. Nitric oxide (NO) is a diffusible gaseous free radical which is produced from L-arginine by Nitric oxide synthase (NOS).Low concentrations of NO inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species and protect plants against ROS damages. In this research the effects of Arg and SNP pretreatment on alleviation of drought stress in tomato plants, were studied and compared. In this research water stress induced the increment of MDA, hydrogen peroxide and carbonyl groups as indicator of oxidative stress. Results showed that total polyphenols, proline, free amino acids and soluble sugar increased significantly under water stress.Pretreatment of plants with Arg and SNP reduced MDA and H2O2 content significantly.Pretreatment of plants with SNP reduced the carbonyl groups however the Arg pretreatment had no effects in this parameter. SNP pretreatment increased the total phenol content but had no significant effect on proline and free amino acids. However Arg pretreatment had no significant effects on total polyphenols, but increased the proline and free amino acids content. Both Arg and SNP pretreatment had no effects on photosynthetic pigments and soluble sugars. The application of the Arg and SNP inhibitors showed that the effect of SNP related to NO releasing and in the case of Arg, it seems that other pathways of Arg metabolism such as polyamines and proline biosynthesis rather than NOS may activate.

Salinity stress is a limiting factor for plant growth and development and has negative effects on the plant physiological processes. Many compounds are being used to reduce harmful effects of salinity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of spermidine and salt stress on vegetative growth of pepper (Capsicum annuum) plant. In 4 leafy stages, the interactive effects of spermidine solution (0, 1 and 2 mM) and salinity stress (0, 50 and 150 mM NaCl) were studied. The foliar spray of spermidine solution carried out on pepper plants at three different times: (1) simultaneous with the application of NaCl solution to soil, (2) one day before and (3) one day after adding salinity. Treatments were repeated a week later. The effects of spermidine and salinity stress were investigated on root length and some biochemical parameters such as lipid peroxidation, protein and ascorbate content. Data were analyzed with SPSS. The results showed the increase of lipid peroxidation, reduction of protein and total ascorbate contents. In timing 1, the interactive effect of spd2mM and high salinity enhanced root length. Spermidine ameliorated high salinity stress effects on plants. We suggest that spermidine increases resistance to oxidative stress in pepper plants subjected to high salinity stress.

Different species of plants facing various environmental stresses show different physiological responses. Cadmium is a heavy methal that causes oxidative stress in plants. This study investigated the effects of cadmium toxicity on growth, photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, activity of peroxidase and catalase enzymes and cadmium accumulation in root and shoot of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) the cultivar of zarghan Fars. The experiment was carried out under hydroponic conditions with 5 treatments (0, 100, 200, 400 and 600 mM) and 4 replicates. Dry weight of root and shoot, chlorophylls a and b and carotenoids, soluble sugars, cadmium accumulation in root and shoot and the activity of catalase and peroxidase in leaf were measured. The results showed that the maximum accumulation of cadmium occurred in roots followed by leaves. Soluble sugars in root and shoot increased significantly and dry weight of shoots decreased with increasing cadmium toxicity in comparison to control. The reduction of Dry weight of roots, except for 100 mM treatment and the reduction of chlorophyll a and b contents were significant. Carotenoid content except for 100 mM treatment decreased and the reduction for the treatments of 400 and 600 mM were significant. The activity of catalase in leaf decreased significantly for the treatments of 400 and 600 mM. Also the reduction peroxidase activity, except for the treatment of 100 mM was significant.

From twenty years ago, attempts have been started for improving and developing olive orchards in Iran. Programs as developing and Management of olive orchards are not possible unless through identifying of native olive cultivars. Analysis of morphological characteristics reveals a considerable degree of intra-cultivar variation within four traditionally recognized Iranian olive cultivars. Based on the morphological analysis carried out so far, the four traditional cultivars studied (“Zard”, “Fishomi”, “Mari” and “Khormazeitoon”) have been reclassified into 8 cultivars. To evaluate the accuracy of the new morphological classification, we examined the genetic diversity of these cultivars using RAPD primers (set C). The data were analyzed using simple matching similarity coefficient and the NTSYS-pc 2.02 K software. The results confirmed the accuracy of the new morphological classification and the Khormazeitoon cultivar were divided into four new varieties.

Pathogenic fungi are including the most important causes of damage in agricultural products. One way to combat fungal diseases is using genetic engineering to transfer genes encode hydrolase enzymes, especially chitinase and glucanase to crops.Antagonistic fungi such as Trichoderma, producing hydrolase enzymes chitinase and glucanase, have a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of pathogenic fungi.Enzymes isolated from different species of these fungi are more effective than those isolated from other sources. In the present study, chit 42 and bgn 13.1 genes isolated from T. atroviride and T. virens, were used to make three plant expression constructs consists of two constructs harboring one chitinase gene (pBIKE1) or glucanase gene (pBIKE2) and a construct harboring both of these genes (pBIKE3) under the control of CaMV35S promoter and NOS terminator. Also during the construction of these vectors, new vector which was named pBI121GUS- was developed based on pBI121, without the gusgene. Constructs in this research project can be transferred to plants to produce GM plants resistant against fungi or to analyze the effects of these genes on pathogens.

Helicobacter pyloriis a gram negative and microaerophilic bacterium which infects a lot of people all over the world. Although in most cases the infected individuals usually show no symptoms of infection, but seldom its infection leads to gastrointestinal inflammation, peptic ulcer and even malignancies such as gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma. Several virulence factors of this bacterium including cagA and vacA adequately have been investigated by numerous researchers in this field. The aim of this study was to establish the multiplex PCR test for a simultaneous and rapid detection of the above mentioned genes as well as determining any relationship between the virulence factors and the severity of the gastrointestinal inflammations. In this study, gastric biopsies of 66 patients with positive rapid urease test were collected for further studies. From these samples, only 21 could grow on standard culture media. All the bacterial isolates were confirmed by biochemical tests. Chromosomal DNA was extracted from bacterial isolates and further examined by multiplex PCR. In 15 cases cagA, 9 cases s1m1, 12 cases s1m2 and 5 cases s2m2 were seen. No s2m1 genotype was found. The most frequent allelic forms were related to s1 and m2 alleles. Most of the patients in this study had diffuse antral gastritis. In most cases cagA and s1m2 were accompanied together. These data indicate that probably there is a relationship between simultaneous presence of these factors and the severity of the gastrointestinal inflammations.

Diabetes mellitus has diverse effects on reproductive functions in men, among which are reduction of serum testosterone, seminal fluid volume, and prostate damage. In diabetes the glandular epithelium undergoes shrinkage and becomes cuboidal in shape.The present investigation is aimed to understand the preventive and therapeutic effect of garlic juice on prostate damage in diabeticrat s. Forty male wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: 1- Group normal (N) 2- Group Normal+Garlic (N+G) 3- Diabetic (D) STZ (Streptozotocin) injection 60mg/kg BW /ip 4- Group diabetic+garlic before (D+Gb) received garlic juice for 3 weeks before and also 3 weeks after STZ injection.5- Group diabetic+garlic after (D+Ga) three days after STZ injection, they received garlic juice for 3 weeks. Garlic juice was given by gavage (1ml/100g BW). Diabetes caused regression of prostate, leading to a decrease in its weight. Histologically, glandular epithelium has undergone shrinkage with transformation of acinar cells into low cuboidal type.Rat s receiving garlic before STZ injection showed more improvement than those receiving it after injection. In this study for the first time we showed that administration of garlic juice could play both preventive and therapeutic role on prostate damage in adult diabetic rats.

A survey has been done to determine some serum ionic and metabolic parameters and their relationships in 22 migratory population of Caspian lamprey Caspiomyzon wagneri in Shirood River at spring of 2009. There was no significant (P<0.05) difference among level of calcium (8.52±2.9 - 9.14±0.97mg/dl), magnesium (2.97±1.04- 2.86±0.97 mg/dl), phosphorus (11.23±3.18-13.57±6.61 mg/dl), iron (0.37±0.19- 0.54±0.3 mg/dl), total protein (4.7±2.47- 5.81±3.85 g/dl), glucose (93.98±22.89- 104.10±32.38 mg/dl) and cholesterol (164.00±59.19- 170.99±60.77 mg/dl) in male and females. The correlation among magnesium with calcium, cholesterol, and glucose was significant (P<0.05). There was a significant correlation between phosphorus, and total protein (P<0.05). The correlation between cholesterol with glucose (P<0.01) was significant. But correlation between total protein with magnesium to phosphorus ratio and calcium to phosphorus ratio (P<0.05), was invert.According to influence of ionic and metabolic blood’s serum on regulation of pH, reproduction and growth in Caspian lamprey, these results can be used for management of reproduction and culture of this endangered species.

The main purpose of this research was to compare the physical and chemical characteristics of Common compost and Vermicompost (obtained from the same condition and organic matter).The worm species used in this research was Eisenia fetida. This research was carried out in green house for 5 months and it was performed in factorial RCD with 4 replicates. Experimental treatments consisted of 3 combination levels of organic matter as: 1- (A) 60% of cow manure and 40% of plant debris, 2- (B) 50% of cow manure and 50% of plant debris, 3- (C) 40% of cow manure and 60% of plant debris. And second factor was: 1- (W1) & 2- (W0) the treatment with or without any earthworm, respectively (earthworm treatment).The results demonstrated that the earthworm treatment effect on the whole measured characteristics (20 characteristics) except of Zn and EC amount has been significant (P£0.01). The vermicompost treatment which was measured 13 characteristics for it (65% of characteristics), was the first (class a). W1 in 15 measured characteristics (75%) and W0 by 25% characteristics were in the first and second class, respectively. Thus, the treatment of vermicompost consists of 60% cow manure and 40% of plant debris with Eisenia fetida has been known the best kind of compost.

Considering high age of maturation in sturgeon and with respect to absence of morphological differences in male and female individuals, sex discrimination is always difficult in this group of fishes. In this study we used AFLP technique and 100 primer combinations to screen genome of 10 males and 10 females in Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus). Results showed approximately a total of 3771 scorable bands, of which about 1132 bands were polymorphic and were present in both sexes and none of them was specific. According to the results of present study and other studies, it seems that sex chromosomes are not present in both species or maybe the methods utilized couldn’t recognize them.