Study of the different aspects of protection against the exposure of ionizing radiation has always been an active area of research. High cost and toxicity of radioprotective drugs have limited their use. So, search for new drugs with a high degree of protection and lower cost and side effects seem a necessity. In this study radioprotective effect of aqueous as well as alcoholic extracts of the Mann of Cotoneaster nummularia( Shirkhesht), regarding their high accessibility and possibly low side effects, against 2 Gy Gamma irradiation, was analyzed using micronucleus assay on bone marrow cells of male mice (Balb/c). Different doses of 250, 500, 1000 mg/kg/BW for aqueous and 3750, 7500, 15000 mg/kg/BW for alcoholic extract of Shirkhesht were administered IP for five constitutive days prior to 2 Gy gamma irradiation. The result compared with the known radioprotective effect of vitamin E after the same treatment schedule. High frequency of micronucleus was observed in non treated gamma-exposed mice, which represented the clastogenic effect of irradiation. Vitamin E, aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Shirkhesht treated mice represented a 5.56, 3.32 and 2.1 times decrease in the gamma-induced micronucleus frequency respectively. The data suggest a radioprotective effect of shirhkesht compared to vitamin E.

Osmotic stress is one of the major factors that significantly reduce yields in dry areas. Plants respond to this abiotic stress at physiological and molecular levels. Many genes are induced under stress conditions by transcription factors. Dehydration responsive element binding (DREB) protein is a subfamily of AP2/ERF transcription factors which control expression of many osmotic stress-inducible genes. In this study, 21 days old seedlings of Sardari cultivar, dry farming bread wheat transferred into hydroponics culture using Hoagland solution. Osmotic stress treatments performed with adding 100, 200 and 400 g/l poly-ethylene glycol 6000 to hydroponics culture to obtain –0.15, –0.49, and –1.76 MPa water potential, respectively. After the seedlings were withered and colorless, relative water content, dry weight, and photosynthesis measured. In addition, RT- PCR, and cDNA sequencing carried out. Molecular analysis of DREB translated protein sequence performed by DNAMAN, BLASTN, Pfam and PROSITE software. Results showed that osmotic stress decreased relative water content, root and shoot dry weight and net photosynthesis rate in comparison to control, significantly (P < 0.05). Sequence alignment indicated 98% homology with other Triticum aestivum DREB protein mRNA. There was an AP2 domain in the translated protein with three -sheets and one -helix and contains the Val14 and Glu19 amino acids. An EST Sequence deposited in NCBI GenBank database with the accession number of ES466900.

Relation between sexual maturity and levels of two main steroid hormones in gonads, 17- estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) were studied by using histological and radioimmunoassay in female kutum Rutilus frisii kutum during spawning season of the southern Caspian Sea. The study was carried out from February to May 2008 using 105 migrated fish specimens catched from the River sefid-rood by various tools of catching including (Gillnet, Cast net, Seine net and Sheyl or Kulham). The results revealed that changes in plasma levels of gonadal steroids, (E2) and (T) were closely correlated with ovarian development and increased in Gonadosomatic index (GSI) (P<0.05). GSI was increased in March and reached the highest value (29.47±4.2) in April. It was then decreased sharply in early May. The highest peak of plasma level of (T) and (E2) was during spawning season and it was associated with the GSI. The results showed that levels of (E2) and (T) in female kutum at the stage IV of sexual maturity was significantly higher than immature gonads (ovary in stages II and III) (P<0.01). Plasma (E2) and (T) levels increased in February, the highest levels were observed in March and the early of April (105.6±75.3 and 29.2±96.6 ng/ml), respectively. It was decreased in the late of April and in the early of May during the spawning season (P<0.05).

Basement membrane of glomerular mesangium (BMG) is a thin membrane which helps to support the capillary loops in a renal glomerulus and type IV collagen is require for complete BM formation during glomerulogenesis. In this investigation specific antibody of type IV collagen has been used in light microscopy to study development of BMG of the embryonic and postnatal mouse glomerular mesangium. In this study, 20 female Balb/C mice were selected randomly and finding vaginal plug was assumed as day zero of pregnancy. 12 pregnant mice were sacrified by cervical dislocation in one of gestational days 13-18, their fetuses were fixed and serially sectioned. Immunohistochemical Study for tracing of collagen type IV in BMG was carried out. The same processes were carried out for kidneys preparation of pups on 5, 10, 15 and 20 days after birth (2 mothers for each day). The result of the present study revealed that collagen IV reaction was weak on day 15 of gestation. The amount of collagen increased continuously until next days of fetal life and primary of 10 days postnatal in BMG. After this period, collagen IV showed no significant change in newborns. These data indicate that collagen IV appears just during the glomerular vasculogenesis and because of continuity and glomerular endothelial cell differentiation, type IV collagen, is the major structural protein in BMG, have been implicated in these processes

Plant nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are divided into nsLTP1 and nsLTP2. The existence of an internal hydrophobic cavity, is a typical characteristic of nsLTPs that serves as the binding site for lipid substrates. In this communication a simple, rapid and low-cost alternative method was developed for purification of nsLTP2 from rice paddy. After extracting, final supernatant was loaded on CM-Sepharose column, which had previously equilibrated with 0.05 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8. Bounded proteins were separated using a linear gradient of 0-0.5 M NaCl. Solution of separated proteins was dialyzed and applied on a Phenyl-Sepharose column which previously equilibrated with Tris-HCl 0.05 M, ammonium sulfate 1.5 M, EDTA 0.005 M and NaHSO3 0.3%, pH 8.4. Tris-Tricin SDS-PAGE of separated proteins, obtained from ion- exchange column, showed multiple bands in the range of 2-20 kDa. Further purification using hydrophobic column resulted in single band of nsLTP2 at about 7 kDa, reflecting a purified sample in the gel.

Trehalose is the alpha, alpha-1, 1-linked glucose disaccharide. Its metabolism is found in a wide variety of organisms and is seen as evolutionary old. Trehalose metabolites are, however, present at only very low concentrations and their role in plants are not understood. The physiological effects of 100 mM trehalose on growth and carbon allocation in seedlings are characterized in this paper. Trehalose feeding to Arabidopsis thaliana elicits strong responses. On 100 mM trehalose, seedlings germinate and extend cotyledons but fail to develop primary leaves. The primary roots do not grow beyond 2-3 mm and there is not any starch in root tips. In light, growth arrest on 100 mM trehalose can be rescued by exogenous supply of metabolisable sugar. Trehalose feeding results in anthocyanin accumulation and chlorophyll reduction. Trehalose causes cells of the root extension zone to swell and lysis. Trehalase expression analysis showed that WT seedlings grown on trehalose have 10-fold induced AtTRE1 expression compared to the sorbitol treatment.