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Cutin is a polymer that is constructed in plants by the condensation and oxidation of fatty acids and plays a key role in the protection of plants against pathogens. Cutinase is a hydrolase enzyme that breaks down the cutin. The purpose of this study was to extract cutin from red apples with oxalate buffer, cutinase enzyme activity assay in LB culture, and bioinformatic analysis. To attain these purposes the cutinase-producing strains that had previously been isolated were inoculated in culture medium containing cutin. After initial culture, the bacteria were cultured in LB medium and cutinase activity was measured using the p-Nitrophenyl butyrate. In order to execute bioinformatic analysis, the isolated sequences of six cutinase-producing bacteria were analyzed based on computational data bases and their phylogenetic trees were prepared. Then, the similarities in the sequences of a large number of cutinase-producing samples were analyzed by drawing the phylogenetic tree. The results showed the separation of cutinase-producing prokaryotes from cutinase-producing eukaryotes. Then, the sequence of 16S rDNA of these cutinase-producing samples as well as the samples we had prepared were evaluated and their phylogenetic relationships were determined. This analysis showed that the new sequence stood alongside the bacterial samples. Thus, our cutinases may be similar with these bacterial cutinases in structure and function.
 

 
 

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Zebra fish is an important species in genetics and considering the proximity of its genome to the human genome, investigating the expression of some of the growth and appetite genes during its larvae development is essential. Genes coding growth and appetite (GH and ghrelin) hormones are involved in the synthesis and release of growth hormone, which can be considered to be economic genes in pisciculture. Given the importance of these genes during the early larvae development stages, this study was performed to assess their activity. Samples were collected at 4, 7, 10, 15, 30 and 45 post-hatching days. Samples were immediately placed in liquid nitrogen (-196 degree centigrade) and then stored in a freezer at -80 degree centigrade until RNA extraction (using RNX-Plus kit). To analyze normal expression of target genes, reference gene β-actin was used by 2^-∆∆Ct method. The expression of genes associated with the growth and appetite was significantly different at various stages of the development of zebra fish, as the gene expression of GH on day 4 and ghrelin gene on day 10 after hatching were significantly higher compared with other samples (P<0.05). Overall, the expression of GH and ghrelin genes at the early stages of growth is higher than other fish developmental stages due to their great importance in the survival of larvae at these stages of life.
 
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The phylogenetic relationships among 39 species belonging to 12 sections of Astragalus from Iran were studied on the basis of 29 morphological characters. The cladistics analysis of the morphological data was performed using PAUP* 4.0b10 program. The obtained data were compared with the molecular systematics data obtained from nuclear DNA ITS. In contrast with previous molecular systematic studies, the morphological data placed the sect. Caraganella as paraphyletic clade to the sects. Cenantrum, Nuculiella, and Eremophysa. Our results were similar to those obtained by previous molecular systematic studies which specified sects. Astragalus, Alopecuroidei and Laxiflori as paraphyletic clades. In accordance with data presented in previous molecular systematic studies, the species of the sect. Caprini showed close relationship with those in sects. Pelta and Pendulina. The present analysis, consistent with molecular systematic studies, rejected the monophyly of most sections studied. Therefore, although the circumscription of those sections needs to be carried out on the basis of the results of widely accepted molecular and morphological phylogenetic studies, future studies are needed to clarify and resolve some remaining ambiguities.
 
 

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The occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-producing bacteria is an important public health issue. The aim of this study was to investigate phenotypic and genotypic characteristics regarding the presence of extended spectrum β-lactamase ctx-m, per and ver producing Escherichia coli isolated from raw dairy samples. For this purpose, E. coli were isolated from 247 raw dairy samples (milk and cheese) in Yasooj in 2015-2017, and the isolates were screened for antibiotic resistance, extended spectrum β-lactamase and the presence of ctx-m, per and ver. In total, 200 isolates were selected. The highest frequency of resistance in isolates was against tetracycline (96.5%) and ampicillin (95.5%) antibiotics and the lowest against imipenem (12.5%), In addition, multidrug resistance against four or more antibiotics was observed in some isolates. Extended spectrum β-lactamase resistance was detected in 86 isolates (43%) and ctx-m, per and ver genes were detected in 82, 0 and 7 E. coli isolates, respectively. These findings demonstrated that raw dairy products may be reservoirs for the dissemination of β-lactam antibiotics and that resistance genes could be transmitted to humans through the food chain.

 

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The cave barb habitat is located in a Karst formation along the Sezar River. The springs on the walls of the Sezar River valley may provide a means for fish in surface waters to penetrate into the underground waters. These observations propose the probability for a migratory relationship between Garra gymnothorax in the Sezar River and the cave barbs (Garra typhlops and Garra lorestanensis). In addition, a variety of different body shapes including fusiform and slender body forms are observed among the cave fish. This phenotypical variation may be a sign of an unknown genetic diversity or could be attributed to the variable environmental conditions in different parts of the subterranean habitat. To clarify the situation, we used the sequences of mtDNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I and next generation sequencing method. The results showed that the fusiform and slender body shapes of G. typhlops and G. lorestanensis were not different with regard to their mtDNA and genomic compositions. Moreover, the analysis of the genomic their mtDNA and genomic compositions. Moreover, the analysis of the genomic showed that a limited level of gene flow (less than 3%) from G. gymnothorax probably existed in G. thyphlops. The low level of gene flow may be related to the lower fitness and adaptability of the surface dwelling fish to the subterranean life conditions.
 
 

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One of the main strategies to improve plant tolerance is the expression of stress-induced genes, which play a significant role in the ionic balance of plants. SOS3 is one of the important components of SOS-regulated ionic homeostasis pathway. Therefore, the expression of this gene could be an important step towards producing salt-resistant plants. In this work, we have transformed tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by Agrobacterium (GV3101 and LBA4404) containing plasmids with SOS3 genes. The maximum regeneration rate was determined in cotyledons of CH genotype. The simultaneous use of cotyledons and hypocotyls in the culture medium had the best outcome. In addition, the best time was found to be one day after inoculation. Also, the best transgenic variety was detected for Agrobacterium GV3101, which can be attributed to the interaction between the genus Agrobacterium and the tomato variety. Transgenic plants were transferred to a culture medium containing sequestrene, which caused the acceleration of the seedling growth in particular. The presence of the SOS3 in the transgenic plants was verified by PCR and RT-PCR methods.
 
 
 
 

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There are different methods to investigate the effects of climatic fluctuations on the biota, two of which, molecular phylogeography and SDM, are the most useful tools to trace the past climate induced modifications on species’ geographic distributions. In this study, seven samples were collected from the species distribution range in Iran for the purpose of measuring the genetic variation within the Iranian spiny-tailed lizards, using cytochrome b. SDM was carried out by 41 presence points and bioclimatic variables for the present and future climatic conditions (by the year 2050), employing the statistical package ‘sdm’ in order to implement the ensemble model. The results of genetic analyses revealed that the specimens from Bastak in Hormozgan Province are distinguishable from all other specimens. Haplotype diversity was calculated as 0.8. The haplotype network illustrated that the central haplotype is located in the central Iranian Plateau. Moreover, the ensemble model predicted that, while the suitable habitats of this species were found to be in the south of Iran and the Iranian Central Plateau in the present climatic conditions, there will be a decrease in the extent of these patches and Baluchistan will be added as a suitable habitat in 2050. Generally, both genetic studies and modeling predictions suggested that the western and southern specimens (Bastak in Hormozgan) were divided according to the separation of their habitats. In addition, based on modeling scenarios in the future, the optimal habitat for the species is located in the central haplotype area.
 
 

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Yarrowia lipolytica, as a good cell factory to speed up the production of plant pharmaceutical components, has been considered to be one of the most important and attractive micro-organisms in recent years, due to its high secretion capacity, limited glycosylation, large range of genetic markers and molecular tools. Naringenin, as a central core of flavonoids production, plays important roles both in plants and in the treatment of different types of human diseases. For this purpose, specific naringenin biosynthesis genes from different origins were selected and introduced after comparative expression profiling in Y. lipolytica. This research indicated that chs plays the main role in the production of naringenin, so the increase copy number of this gene in each construct was investigated. The HPLC results confirmed that the construct with 5 copy numbers of chs resulted in 7.14 fold increase of naringenin extracellular titer to 90.16 mg/L in shake flask cultures. The results reported in this study demonstrated that sufficient knowledge of genes involved in the specific biosynthesis pathway, synthetic gene pathway and using Y. lipolytica as a capable and cheap host could help bioengineers to produce significant amounts of pharmaceutical components.
 
 

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In this study, phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary trends of morphological characters of Astragalus sects. Acanthophace and Aegacantha were studied using nrDNA ITS and rpl32-trnL^UAG datasets while Astragalus stocksii was selected as the outgroup. The phylogenetic results indicated the non-monophyly of A. sect. Acanthophace in its current circumscription due to the distant exclusion of A. ovigerus from the core group, and incongruence between nuclear and plastid datasets on the basis of different position of latter species in the resulted phylogenetic trees. Astragalus sect. Aegacantha was also found to not being monophyletic due to the distant position of A. montis-parrowii from the other representatives of the section while accompanying with other spiny Astragalus species. The Optimization of 32 morphological characters on the Bayesian combined tree indicated that some characters were most useful for delimitation of taxa in sections Acanthophace and Aegacantha. The results obtained from the evolution of characters showed that standard blade constriction, legume shape and possessing unilocular pods were of diagnostic importance for the separation of A. ovigerus from other species. The traced characters were in accordance with the phylogenetic position of A. montis-parrowii, which was separated from other members of sect. Aegacantha, as the number of flowers in inflorescences, the presence of peduncle, hairy petal, pandurate standard and constriction of standard that is differentiatiated to claw, the presence of claw in standard and the length difference between keel and wing were different from those in other members of the sect. Aegacantha.
 

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Sexual dimorphism in the ratio of digits length is a morphological feature resulted from the interaction between sex hormones and prenatal Hox genes, the latter is known to control the development of both limbs and genitals. The status of this trend and ratios have been investigated in various animal groups, including humans, other mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. In this study, the body length and sexual dimorphism in the second-to-fourth, second-to-third and third-to-fourth digit lengths ratios (i.e., 2D:3D, 2D:4D, 3D:4D) of left fore and hind limbs were investigated in 54 specimens of toads collected from the northern Iran, including Bufo viridis (16 males and 19 females) and Pelobates syriacus (10 males and 9 females). In addition, the body length of the studied specimens were recorded. The results showed that the average body length (SVL) of female individuals of Pelobates syriacus was higher than those in males, which was found to be statistically significant (P≤0.05). Meanwhile, the average body length (SVL) of female individuals of Bufo viridis was found to be higher than those in males, however, the difference was not statistically significant. No sexual dimorphism was detected in the second-to-fourth, second-to-third and third-to-fourth digit lengths ratios of left fore and hind limbs between the male and female undividuals of Bufo viridis. However, the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) in Pelobates syriacus species were found to be significantly different (P=0.040) between the male and female individuals, as the ratio was higher in males than females. Therefore, it could be concluded that the sexual dimorphism in 2D:4D of Pelobates syriacus species is consistent with those in most amphibians and diapsids.

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Olig1 and Olig2, two transcription factors, play regulatory function in the differentiation and specification of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). In this study the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on total protein concentration ( TPC ) and Olig1 and Olig2 expression in the cerebral cortex of mouse was examined. Twenty-one Balb/c mice were separated into three groups: control, EMF and Sham groups (n=7 for each group). The mice were placed inside the solenoid for a daily EMF exposure of 50 Hz, 1 mT for 6 h/day, 7 days/week for 10 days. The Sham group was also located in the same coil with no exposure. Mice were anesthetized after the final exposure session and their cerebral cortex were collected. TPC and the expression of Olig 1 and Olig2 were studied by Bio-Rad protein assay and western blot, respectively. The cerebral cortex samples were removed for further analysis. There was no significant difference in TPC in the EMF treated cortical samples as compared with those from the SHAM and control groups. It was also shown that the expression of Olig1 and Olig2 was increased in the EMF treated cortical extracts as compared with those in controls and SHAM groups. Therefore, it could be concluded that EMF enhances Olig1 and Olig2 expression in the mice cerebral cortex. Moreover, as Olig1 and Olig2 plays important role in the development of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, it can be deduced that EMF may affect OPC differentiation by increasing the expression of Olig1 and Olig2. Further studies are needed to clarify the extent of EMF impact on oligodendrocyte differentiation.
 
 

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Breast cancer is the fourth common cancer worldwide and occurs when breast cells begin to uncontrolled division and tumor formation. Angiogenesis is one of the essential factors in cell growth and maintenance of homeostasis in the natural and pathological conditions, while VEGFs are the most critical factors in angiogenesis. MiR-210 plays an important role in the angiogenesis via association with VEGF. Here, the miR-210 expression changes in response to a VEGFB antagonist peptide, called VEGB1, was studied in female BALB/c mice bearing 4T1 cell line induced breast tumor. The treated group received 1mg.kg^-1 and 10mg.kg^-1 of the peptide and the control group received PBS intraperitoneally during two weeks. Both of the animal groups underwent a resection of breast tissue 14 days after treatment and miR-210 expression level was investigated. Statistical analysis by On-way ANOVA showed that the expression level of miR-210 gene had significant differences among the groups treated with various doses of VEGB1. Also, the gene expression was significantly different between peptide-treated groups and control samples (p<0.05). MiR-210 expression level had 42% reduction in mice treated with 1mg.kg^-1 of VEGB1, while 90% was seen in mice treated with 10mg.kg^-1 of VEGB1 showing the inhibitory function of VEGB1 antagonist peptide at different doses.
 

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Finger length ratios are organized during embryonic development of fingers as they exposed to sex steroid hormones, and may show varying degrees of sexual dimorphism between males and females in different animal groups. Among all the finger length ratios calculated in a sample, the ratio between the second to fourth fingers (2D: 4D) is the most important one. In this study, the 2D:4D ratios in both sides of the body (right and left) in all limbs were investigated to determine if sexual dimorphism is present in the 2D: 4D ratios in 44 specimens studied (20 males and 24 females) of Acanthodactylus blanfordi. Other morphological traits of the two sexes were also examined (23 metric and meristic traits), as a result, sexual dimorphism was observed in five metric and meristic morphological traits. In terms of the ratio of the size of the fingers and toes, sexual dimorphism in the length of the fingers was observed only in 2D: 4D on the right side of the body in forelimbs and hindlimbs. The value of this trait was higher in males than females and this difference was statistically significant P ≤0.05).
 
 

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Golestankooh, with an area of 130000 ha, is located in Isfahan Province. The present study was carried out in order to identification of flora of the aforementioned region, as a result, 620 taxa in total, belonging to 61 families and 303 genera, were identified. Asteraceae, represented by 104 species, was the largest family, following with Fabaceae, Lamiaceae and Brassicaceae with 63, 60 and 59 species, respectively. Astragalus, with 33 species, was the most diverse among the genera studied. Hemicryptophytes with 41% and therophytes with 34% are dominant life forms in the region. With regard to geographical distribution, 300 species (48%) were found to be Irano-Turanian elements. Moreover, 130 species, 21% of the identified plant taxa from the region, were found to be endemic to the flora of Iran. Due to high species diversity in the Golestankooh area, it seems necessary to use appropriate strategies for their conservation.
 

 

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This study aimed to investigate the polymorphism of matrix metalloproteinase -3 (MMP-3) gene and its expression in the serum of infertile female patients received in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). To do so, 100 women with unsuccessful IVF-ET (IVF^–) and 100 women with successful IVF-ET procedure and clinical pregnancy (IVF⁺) were included. Genetic polymorphism and serum concentration of MMP3 were investigated by ARMS-PCR and ELISA, respectively. The results showed no significant association between MMP-3 gene polymorphism and IVF-ET outcome among the two groups studied. However, a significant decrease in the concentration of MMP-3 serum in the IVF^– group was observed in comparison with the IVF⁺ group (P=0.000002). Moreover, we showed that the serum MMP-3 levels in CC, AC and AA genotypes in the IVF^– group were 33, 65.33 and 86 ng/ml, respectively. In conclusion, while there is no significant difference between MMP-3 promoter polymorphism and IVF-ET outcome between the IVF⁺ and IVF^- groups, a significant decrease in MMP-3 serum levels in IVF^- group was seen as compared with the IVF⁺ group. It could be also suggested that the CC genotype is associated with a decreased level of MMP-3 serum concentration and may be associated with IVF-ET failure.
 

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This study aimed to identify PGP and MRPA genes in clinical isolates of Leishmania. The genes of pgpa (MRPA) and mdr1 (PGP) are involved in the drug resistance, their products act as dependent transporters of ATP (ABC Transporter) in the reflux of drugs from the cytosol to the outer space of the cell. Hence, 40 volunteers with leishmaniasis were randomly selected. Firstly, Amastigotes were examined under a light microscope, then inoculated into NNN-specific biphasic culture medium. Deoxy ribonucleic acids were extracted by phenol-chloroform method and were determined by ITS-specific primers. Then the frequency of two pumps involved in "drug resistance" was investigated by PCR. In this study, the mdr1 gene, which had previously been shown to be present in the in vitro resistant strains, was shown to have a higher frequency of pgpas, which could be due to the presence of MDR. It transports the drug from the inner layers of the lipid bilayer membrane to the outer layers, reducing the concentration of the drug inside the cell and causing drug resistance, while the MRPA pump is in the membrane of the cell organelles.

 

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