Pollen morphology of 10 Allium L. taxa growing in Iran, representing three subgenera and six sections, were investigated via scanning electron microscopy. Pollen morphological characteristics indicated that pollen grains are monosulcate, heteropolar, and ellipsoidal. Polar axis revealed variation between 13. 84 and 20. 01 μ m while Equatorial axis ranged from 20. 4 to 42. 37 μ m. The forms of pollen grains were oblate, peroblate, and suboblate (mean of P/E ratio was 0. 43 to 0. 80). The aperture type and exine ornamentation were not homogeneous among the studied species. It was also observed that the sulcus extended from distal to proximal in two species of sect. Allium and one species of sect. Melanocrommyum. The exine was semitectate and the tectum was perforate. The variation in the main pollen characteristics in the investigated taxa allowed for recognizing two types of pollen grains in subg. Allium, Melanocrommyum and Amerallium: The first type had perforate rugulate trimming and high density of pollen perforations while the second type had perforate-striate-rugulate ornamentation and a low number of exine surface perforations.

Introduction: Caesalpinia gilliesii is an ornamental plant which is commonly used for urban landscaping because of its long blooming period (from May to October) and beautiful flowers.Aim: The main purpose of this research is to determine the allergenicity of the pollen grains of Caesalpinia gilliesii.Materials and Methods: Pollen extracts were prepared with 5%, 7% and 9% concentration levels using Buffer Phosphate Saline (BPS) for the experiment. Each experiment was performed on four (4), male, 3-month-old, Hartley guinea pigs. The samples were exposed to the extracts via eyes, nose and also sub-intradermal injection. Three different concentration of extracts was injected intraperitoneal with a one-week interval in a three week period. Blood sample were taken by the end of the third week and serum levels of BS and eosinophil and IgE were measured.Results: The results indicated that the blood sugar concentration and eosinophil percentage were positively correlated with allergen extract concentration. There was no significant increase in serum IgE concentration. The insignificant changes in IgE serum levels indicate that the pollen extracts of this plant does not develop any allergic immune response.Conclusion: The present study suggests that Caesalpinia gilliesii does not develop significant allergenicity; so using this plant for landscaping urban areas would be harmless for allergen sensitive civilians.

With more than 23 species of Medicago, Iran is one of the origins and centers of diversity of this genus. Due to close similarity in sexual organs and pod-characteristics, taxonomical classification of these species based on morphological characteristics is difficult. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to study the major characteristics of pollen grain among Iranian Medicago species. Pollen grains were mostly tricolpate, but quadricolpate or hexacolpate pollen grains were also observed in one species. The equatorial view was elliptic to rectangular or spherical shapes and the polar view was obtuse-triangular, truncate-triangular or square tips. Majority of species showed reticulate (perforate, faveolate, regulate and, scrobiculate) and verrucate exine surface. M. rigiduloides with quadric or hexic colpate pollen grain was barely distinguishable from M. rigidula with tricolpate pollen exine surface. On the other hand, M. tornata with its spherical pollen and verrucate exin surface was obviously different from M. polymorpha with rectangular pollen grain and reticulate exine surface. This is the first report of M. rigiduloides and M. tornata from Iran.

Introduction: The current study, for the first time, suggests nature-made pollen grains (PGs) of Pistacia vera L. as a potential candidate for using as scaffolding building blocks with encapsulation capability of bioactive compounds, such as bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4). Methods: A modified method using KOH (5%, 25º C) was developed to produce nonallergic hollow pollen grains (HPGs), confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and DNA and protein staining techniques. The in-vitro study was conducted on human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAD-MSCs) to investigate the applicability of HPGs as bone scaffolding building blocks. Cytocompability was evaluated by FESEM, MTT assay, and gene expression analysis of apoptotic markers (BAX and BCL2). The osteoconductive potential of HPGs was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity measurement and gene expression analysis of osteogenic markers (RUNX2 and osteocalcin). Results: Findings demonstrated that HPGs can be considered as biocompatible compounds increasing the metabolic activities of the cells. Further, the bioactive nature of HPGs resulted in suitable cellular adhesion properties, required for a potent scaffold. The investigation of apoptotic gene expression indicated a reduced BAX/BCL2 ratio reflecting the protective effect of HPGs on hAD-MSCs. The increased ALP activity and expression of osteogenic genes displayed the osteoconductive property of HPGs. Moreover, the incorporation of BMP4 in HPGs initiated a synergistic effect on osteoblast maturation. Conclusion: Owing to the unique compositional and surface nanotopographical features of the Pistacia vera L. HPG, this microscale architecture provides a favorable microenvironment for the bottom-up remodeling of bone.

Introduction Nowadays, paleoclimatology studies are considered as one of the most popular study fields, for they can be applied for various subjects like the study of past climatic changes of the earth, archeology, the effects of human beings on environment, rebuilding of long-term climatic data and ecosystem simulation. Climate change on all aspects has serious impacts on natural and human life. Natural variability is an inherent feature of climate that happens in short time and long time; As the Earth's climate and ecological conditions during the various geological changes and fluctuations very strong. Knowledge of weather and its patterns over long periods of time will help to determine the future climate. Thus, climate experts and environmental scientists have shown a lot of attention to paleoclimatology and ecology past changes. Through studies of paleoclimatology can reconstruct climate elements of past and predict the pattern of future climate. In fact, to predict the future climate the long-term data is needed; while direct measurement instrument of meteorological data only able to provide a picture of the climate of the past few decades. Therefore, to surmount the direct measurement of poverty, paleoclimatologist must use indirect evidence to discover and reconstruct the long time data. Palynology is one of the most popular methods in metrological studies and palynology atlases are the most significant tools of this method. As a matter of fact, the annals of paleoclimatology studies and palynology studies in Iran is not so rich, leading to numerous shortages in the field like lack of pollen atlas of Iran. As a result, this study aims at filling this gap by introducing the plant pollens of Parishan Lake basin. Material and Methods Two field studies were done in April and June 2013 to conduct the present research. Searching on the basin of Parishan Lake, the vegetation samples were assembled, dried, and transferred to the Botanical National Park of Iran. Then, the samples were transferred to paleoclimatology laboratory of Geography Faculty in University of Tehran in which they sampled the plants’ flowers. In the second step of sampling, a core, measuring about 8.5 m, was taken from the floor of Parishan Lake and its pollens were investigated with intervals of 10 cm. Moore et al. (1991), Erdtman (1952), Faegri and Inversin (1975) methods were used to separate the pollens. Then, Silicon oil 2000 was added to avoid oxidization. Besides, they were put in furnaces with 500C for 24 hours to be dried. Making slides and codifying by microscope, the pollens were recognized and photographed. Official sites and authoritative books and articles were applied to identify the pollens of the core (Faegri and Iversen, 1975; Kremp, 1965; Punt et al., 1994; Hesse et al., 2009; Roubik, 2003; Demske, 2013; Vafadar et al., 2010; Binka, 2003; Behboodi, 2005; Palynology Websites of Australia, Arizona, and San Francisco). Moreover, 5 pollens of each type were measured and the average was considered as the normal size of the pollen.Results The findings reveal that there are 28 pollens in the basin of Parishan Lake including 4 tree pollens, oak, pistachios, almond and olive, 2 water plant pollens of Cyperaceae and Sparganium sp., while the rest are shrubs and herbaceous plants. Their features, including polar axis, equatorial axis, and forms, are presented in Table 1, while equatorial view, polar view, the walls and the level decorations are shown in Figures 2- 10. Pollen size is not fixed and can be smaller or larger than the models listed. The size listed is the average number of groups of any kind.Conclusion As a matter of fact, lack of plant pollen atlas and fossil pollens of Iran has disturbed paleoclimatology studies based on palynology. In fact, the most significant advantage of identifying past climatic changes based on palynology is the recognition of much more pollens in the sediments. However, lacks of pollen articles and pollen atlases have affected this subject. As a result, this research aims to study the plant pollens of Parishan Lake basin which were assembled, prepared, recognized, and photographed by scientific methods. The final output revealed that there are 28 plant pollens including tree pollens, shrub pollens, herbaceous pollens and water plant pollens. Several photos of each pollen are presented to help the researchers to recognize the pollens. These photos were taken from different views like polar view, equator view, pollen wall, level decoration and size.

Pollen morphology of 25 species of section Stenocephalae Bunge from genus Cousinia Cass. is described and compared using Light and Scanning Electron Microscope. The pollen grains are prolate, isopolar , tricolporate and exine is densely or loosely verrucate. Based on morphological characters, species of this section can be divided to two groups: 1. species with narrow cylindrical heads and leathery leaves, 2. species with ovate heads and herbaceous leaves. The pollen grains of the first group with more than 20 verrucae and the second group with 3-30 verrucae in each 25 µm² of pollen surface are differentiated from each other. Indeed, these two detached grouping for species of sect. Stenocephalae are somewhat supporting each other.

The genus Ranunculus L. is the largest genus in Ranunculaceae family. This genus has a wide distribution in the world especially in temperate zone. In this study the pollen grains were examined by light microscope and polar axis (P), equatorial axis (E) and the P/E ratio were measured. Also they were studied by scanning electron microscope and the general shape in polar and equatorial view and exine sculpturing of pollen grains were determined. In present study pollen grains of annual species and three groups of perennial species, Radix rhizomatosa, Radix praemorsa and Radix grumosa were studied. It was found that the underground system character is an artificial and unappropriate trait in separating group. Thus as the groups Rhizomatosa and Praemorsa have various pollen and morphological similarities, they can be merged together.

Developmental stages of ovule and pollen grains inTanacetum parthenium were studied in this research. The flowers and buds, in different developmental stages, were removed, fixed in FAA70, stored in 70% ethanol, embedded in paraffin and sectioned at 7-10*m with a microtome. Staining was carried out with PAS and contrasted with Hematoxylin. Results indicated that anthers are tetrasporangiate and anther tapetum is of the secretory type. Pollen tetrads are tetrahedral and tetragonal. Pollen grains are 2-celled with three colpes and needles on the surface, when shed. Ovule is anatropous, unitegmic and tenuinucellate. Endothelium is uniseriate. Endothelium layer is composed of monolayer cells. Embryo sac development is of the monosporic andPolygonum type. The shape of megaspore tetrads is both tetrahedral and tetragonal form. Functional megaspore is the micropyle one.Embryo sac is very small in the beginning of development, so that the nuclei are arranged as linear, but its size is increased in the late of development. Antipodal cells increase up to 6-8 and their nuclei become polyploidy. Results of this research showed the presence of secratorty channel in the ovary wall. Many-celled tricomes were seemed on the outer surface of ovary.