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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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The aim of this research was to study the effect of iron oxide nanoparticles (FeO NPs) on the growth, differentiation, anatomy, and physiology of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) on the basis of a completely randomized design in vitro condition. Seedlings were cultured in MS medium containing four concentrations of FeO NPs (0, 1, 10, and 20 mgl^-1). Also, the effect of the different concentrations of FeO NPs on callus formation under two various hormone conditions (0.5mgl^-1 2,4D+0.5 mgl^-1 BAP or 0.5 mgl^-1 BAP+1 mgl^-1 Kin) were assessed. The results showed that the application of FeO NPs significantly increased biomass accumulation in both roots and shoots. Moreover, FeO NPs enhanced the concentrations of photosynthesis pigments (chllrophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids). The presence of FeO NPs in culture medium affected callus formation in a hormone-dependent manner. Different concentration of FeO NPs induced the callus formation under 2, 4-D and BAP treatments. However, it did not significantly increase callus formation under the kinitin and 2,4-D. The findings of this research indicated that the application of FeO NPs at optimized doses may improve plant production, especially in vitro condition.

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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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The extensive application of dyes in the textile industries and their discharge in the wastewaters leads to numerous environmental pollutions; therefore, treating these wastewaters by efficient and eco-friendly methods is a necessity. In this study, potent strains were isolated by the enrichment technique according to their maximum dye sorption at the lowest possible time at 500nm. Consequently, the best isolate was selected and the dye removal was investigated in different concentrations of Congo red. Therefore, 50 different fungal strains were isolated in this study, of which 10 were able to dye removal. According to the results, isolate ­ADH8 was selected as the best strain with 94% of dye sorption. Moreover, during 48 hours, 80% of dye content was removed at all dye concentrations by this isolate, and the most growth rate and dye removal was achieved at 1000­ mg/l. The results showed that different salt concentrations have no effect on dye sorption of the selected isolate. Molecular identification of ADH8 revealed that this isolate have a 100% similarity to Mucor circinelloides which was deposited under the accession number of UTMC­5032 in the University of Tehran Microorganisms Collection. The results obtained from the dye removal of textile wastewater showed that the most amount of dye sorption by M. circinelloides UTMC­5032­ was 35-60% during three ­hours of biomass treatment as compared with the control sample. The obtained results indicated that, M. circinelloides UTMC­5032 is highly capable in azo dyes sorption and could be utilized in the biosorption of dye in the textile industries wastewaters for the first time.

 

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Taloo and Shirband hunting Prohibited area is located 12 kilometers North-East of Damghan in Semnan Province, south of the Alborz Mountain Chains. It has a cold and dry climate in the winter and warm and dry in the summer. This area has a rich biodiversity, especially in its reptilian fauna. 22 snake species were reported so far from Semnan Province. However, no comprehensice study was executed on the snake flora in Taloo and Shirband hunting prohibited area before the present study. Therfore, the present research was carried out in order to identify the snake fauna by collecting relevant specimens from March to late November of 2014. Sampling was done manually (with safety precautions) by sticking and hooking. The live specimens were identified and photographed and transferred to the laboratory of Islamic Azad University, Damghan Branch. Six metric and meristic traits were measured and analyzed using SPSS17 and Excel softwares. A total number of 45 snake specimens were collected which were belong to 10 species, 8 genera and 4 families, including: Platyceps karelini karelini (Brandt 1838), Platyceps rhodorachis rhodorachis, Platyceps ventrimaculatus ventrimaculatus (Spotted Flat-headed Snake); Hemorrhois ravergieri (Ravergier’s Snake), Telescopus fallax iberus (Iberian Tiger-Snake), Spalerosophis diadema cliffordii (Clifford’s Diadem Snake), Psammophis schokari (Schokari Sand Racer), Eryx miliaris (Dwarf Sand Boa), Macrovipera lebetina obtusa (Blunt Viper) and Pseudocarastes persicus (Persian False Horned Viper). The highest frequency belonged to Spalerosophis diadema cliffordii and the lowest frequency belonged to Telescopus fallax iberus. All species were reported for the first time from the studied area and Eryx miliaris was reported for the Semnan Province faunafor the first time. Out of 8 endemic species of snakes in Iran, only Pseudocarastes persicus was observed in the area.

 
 

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Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have made extensive advances in nanotechnology. The unique properties of these particles have expanded their application in various fields, including medicine. One of these applications is non-invasive analysis for cell tracking. However, the possibility of toxicity in cells is reported by these nanoparticles. Due to the fact that cellular damage caused by iron oxide nanoparticles is concentration-dependent, the determination of the appropriate  concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles is very important to prevent cell damage or cell death due to apoptosis. The aim of this study was to find a concentration of SPIONs which does not result in apoptosis. Therefore, the effects of different concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles on cell survival were investigated, and the their effects on increased gene expression involved in apoptosis (p53) in human amniotic membrane derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) were evaluated. First, stem cells were extracted from human amniotic membrane tissue and cultured. To demonstrate the multipotent characteristic of hAMSCs, these cells were differentiated into adipose, bone, and chondrocyte cell lines. Then, the viability of the cells treated with different concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles (200, 150, 100, 50, 0 μg / ml) over a period of 24 and 48 hours was evaluated by MTT method. The effect of the concentrations of 0, 100,150 and 200 μg / ml of nanoparticles after 24 hours in hAMSCs was investigated for the expression of p53 gene by Real-Time PCR. hAMSCs were spindle-shaped in a two-dimensional culture. Flow cytometry examination of surface markers revealed that these cells were able to express CD 29, CD90 and CD105 but they were unable to express CD34 and CD45. The results of the multi-potency assay of hAMSCs showed that these cells were capable of being differentiated into adipocyte, bone and chondrocyte cell lines. Iron oxide nanoparticles had no significant effect on cell survival at the concentrations of 50 and 100 μg / ml in 24 hours. However, cell viability decreased significantly after the concentration of 150 μg / ml (42 ± 1.4%, p<0. 001. The results of Real-Time PCR  analysis showed that the expression of p53 gene significantly increased at concentrations of 150 (2.4±0.1, P < 0. 001) and 200 μg / ml (4.1 ± 0.11, P < 0. 001). According to the results, the nanoparticles used in this study were appropriate at concentrations ≥ 100 μg / ml for cell tracking.

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Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii and is transmitted by more than 40 tick species. This study aimed to identify the tick species in goats of Meshkin-Shahr, Ardabil Province, Iran, and their role in the transmission of C. burnetii. A number of 365 goats were inspected for the infestation of hard ticks in a randomized sampling design, during a 1-year period from April 2013 to April 2014. A total number of 280 tick specimens were collected and identified and were then examined by molecular methods for the presence of C. burnetii infection. 40.8% of the infected animals had at least one species of tick. The goats which were studied were found to be infested by the following tick species: Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (33.9%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (22.1%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (17.1%), Hyalomma excavatum (11.1%), Rhipicephalus bursa (5%), Hyalomma detritum (3.9%), Hyalomma dromedarii (3.6%), Hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum (1.8%), and Hyalomma marginatum (1%). There were no significant differences between the infestation rate in different seasons, genders and ages of the animals which were studied (p=0.05). The molecular assay of 280 tick specimens revealed the presence of C. burnetii infection in 5 out of 40 pool samples (6-8 tick individuals of the same species in each pool), including H. anatolicum anatolicum (3 pools), H. excavatum (1 pool) and R. sanguineus (1 pool). The present study, therefore, reports the rate of C. burnetii infection transmitted by hard ticks in North-West of Iran for the first time. According to the zoonotic aspect of Q fever, further studies on the carriers as well as other hosts of the infection were found to be necessary.

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Comparison of morphological structures is a key element in evolutionary biology and taxonomy, as well as in the studies concerning variation and biodiversity either at interspecific or intraspecific levels. This study aimed to compare the bony structures of Chondrostoma orientale and C. nasus. For this purpose, three specimens of C. orientale from the Kor River (passing through Iran), and five specimens of C. nasus from the Danube (passing through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine), Dnieper (passing through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine) and Rhône river basins (passing through Switzerland and France), as well as Lake Ohrid (Located between Macedonia and Albania) were analysed. The results showed that the two anterior lateral processes of supraethmoid bone were more distant in C. orientale than those in C. nasus. The anterior profile of the supraetmoid bone was concave in C. orientale, while it was almost flat in C. nasus. The posterior pharyngeal process in the basioccipital was wide and triangular in C. orientale and narrow and rectangular in C. nasus. The maxillary mid-lateral ascending process was slightly inclined forward in C. orientale, while it was slightly inclined backward in C. nasus. The maxillary distal process was long in C. orientale and it was short in C. nasus. The premaxillary had a rostral ascending process in C. orientale, while it was missing in C. nasus. The anterior portion of the dentary was narrow and elongated in C. orientale and the coronoid process was perpendicular and located in the middle of the dentary; in contrast, the anterior portion of the dentary was short and wide in C. nasus and the coronoid process was inclined forward.
 

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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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The Hezar-Masjed Mountain range is one of the main highlands of the northeasten Iran. The vegetation of its upper elevations has been poorly studied. This study aimed to compare the plant biodiversity of different aspects of the Hezar-Masjed Summit. A total number of 139 random 1m² plots were recorded from different aspects of the study area. In each plot, the abundance and canopy cover percent of vascular plant species were recorded. Hill’s numbers (i.e., N₁, N₂) along with the Camargo evenness index and total species richness with bootstrapping approach were calculated. Rarefaction method was used to compare species richness among the aspects. Also, Hill’s diversity profile for each aspect was drawn. For each aspect, rank-abundance method was used to evaluate the dominant species. Biodiversity calculations and statistical analyses were performed using R software. The east- and south- facingslopes were found to have the highest and lowest indices in richness, evenness, and diversity, respectively. Despite adequate water availability in north-facing slopes, they show lower diversity than that of the east-facing slope, probably due to the of dominance of a poisonous species (Seseli transcaucasicum). Our results shown that in the Hezar-Masjed Summit, aspects have different biodiversity which is a result of their various environmental conditions.
 

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Algae are the most important group of organisms which considerably affect the water quality. Although algae constitute one of the fundamental parts of the aquatic food chains, only few researches deal with the freshwater algae of Iran. Filamentous algae are important components of the river vegetation. The Balikhlou River is utilized as a source to obtain drinking water for the city of Ardabil, therefore, the algae flora of this river was studied and a total number of 18 taxa of filamentous algae were determined, of which nine species were belonged to the Cyanophyceae class of Cyanobacteriae, while five speciesof which were belonged to the Chlorophyta. In addition, four species were recorded for the first time from Iran, i.e., Audouinella eugenea, Arthrospira gigantea, Homoeothrix janthina and Tychonema bourrellyi.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Damavand volcanic ash on the morphological and physiological characteristics of beans as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. The results showed that the highest dry leaf weight was observed in 100 mg/L treatment per liter of volcanic ash (0.0099 g). The results also showed that the optimal sugar content of the soluble sugar at 100 mg/L of volcanic ash was 0.650 (mg/g D.W.). The highest protein content and optimal peroxidase activity were observed with 0.68 (mg/g F.W.) and 0.082 (A470/mg/protein), respectively. Therefore, it can be argued that volcanic ash may increase plant growth and biosynthesis of organic compounds such as iron and aluminum.

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The aim of this study was to determine the variations among cephalic plates of individuals in two populations of Clinopodes flavidus in Alborz Mountains, by means of landmark-based techniques of geometric morphometrics. Therefore, 17 landmarks and semi-landmarks on the coxosternite of poison claw and seven landmarks and semi-landmarks on the tarsangulum of poison claw were selected using TpsDig2 software. Data of landmarks, after procrust analysis, were subjected to various multivariate analyses, such as Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) by means of PAST and MorphoJ softwares. The results obtained demonstrated that shape variations in coxosternite were significantly different among various populations (p<0.001). This study revealed the usefulness of landmark-based geometric morphometrics in the differentiation of various populations of Clinopodes flavidus in Alborz Mountains.

 
 

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Beta vulgaris belongs to the family Amaranthaceae and was found to have halophytic ancestors. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium chloride on seed germination, therefore the early stages of seedling growth of Beta vulgaris grown under different salinity levels (0, 100, 150 and 200 mM of NaCl) were studied. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications. It was revealed that as concentration of NaCl increases, the rate and percentage of germination, length and fresh weight of radicle & plumule and seedling vigour index decrease. In conclusion, our results indicated that salt stress decreased Beta vulgaris seed germination and early seedling growth while induced changes in the anatomical characteristics such as increased level of cutin synthesis on epidermal leaves cells and altered the thickness of vascular system, epidermis and parenchyma in leaves, roots and petioles.
 

 
 

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Phytase can improve the nutritional value of plant-based foods by enhancing protein digestibility and mineral availability through phytate digestion in the stomach and the food processing industry. Microbial sources are more promising for the production of phytases on a commercial scale. The objectives of this exploration were to screening and isolation of phytase-producing bacteria from hot spring with commercial interest. Molecular identification of the best isolate was achieved by the 16S rDNA gene. Optimization of phytase production was prepared in the presence of different phosphate, nitrogen, and carbon sources. Enzyme activity and stability were also explored in the presence of different pHs, temperatures, and ion compounds. Comparing the 16S rDNA gene sequence of the isolate LOR10 with those in GenBank using Clustal omega shows 98% sequence homology with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Medium optimization studies showed that galactose, yeast extract, and tricalcium phosphate were the best sources of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate for phytase production, respectively. The optimum temperature activity was also observed to be 70 ^oC. Phytase stability was at its optimum in a pH range of 5.0–8.0. Phytase activity increased in the presence of CaCl₂, ZnCl₂, and MnSO₄ about 1.4, 2.3 and 1.6 folds, respectively. It could be mentioned that phytase activity decreased by about 30 % in the presence of EDTA and SDS. On the basis of the results, it could be concluded that LOR10 phytase has a great potential for commercial interest as an additive to animal plant-based foods.
 

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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.