The Inflammation/NF-κB and BDNF/TrkB/CREB Pathways in the Cerebellum Are Implicated in the Changes in Spatial Working Memory After Both Morphine Dependence and Withdrawal in Rat.

We aimed to explore the impact of the cerebellum on the decline in spatial working memory following morphine dependence and withdrawal. Two groups of male Wistar rats received intraperitoneal injections of either saline (1 ml/kg) or morphine (10 mg/kg) twice daily for 10 days, serving as the control and dependent groups. Additionally, a withdrawal group underwent a 30-day withdrawal period after the dependence phase. Spatial working memory was assessed using a Y maze test. ELISA and western blot were used to assess protein levels in the cerebellum. On day 1, morphine impaired spatial working memory, deteriorated further after 10 days of morphine use, and nearly returned to its initial level following a 30-day withdrawal period. On day 10, significant increases in TNF-α, IL-1ß, and CXCL12 and a notable decrease in IL-10 levels were detected in the morphine-dependent group, which did not completely restore in the withdrawal group. The protein levels of CXCR4, TLR4, P2X7R, and NF-κB sharply increased in the morphine-dependent group. However, these levels almost returned to normal after withdrawal. In the morphine-dependent group, BDNF decreased, while TrkB and CREB1 increased noticeably. Nevertheless, after withdrawal, TrkB and CREB1 but not BDNF levels returned to normal. In the morphine-dependent group, both CACNA1 and KCNMA1 decreased significantly and after withdrawal, only KCNMA1 showed partial restoration, while CACNA1 did not. It can be concluded that inflammation/NF-κB and BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathways play key roles in neural adaptation within the cerebellum, contributing to the decline in spatial working memory after both morphine dependence and withdrawal.

Drought stress memory in orchard grass and the role of marker-based parental selection for physiological and antioxidant responses.

Drought stress memory occurring in some plants plays a crucial role in their adaptation to unfavorable conditions. However, in open-pollinated plants, this phenomenon is assumed to be affected by population plasticity resulting from kind and level of diversity and inbreeding depression. Physiological perspectives of drought stress memory in four synthetic poly-crossed populations (groups) of orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) constructed from parental genotypes with contrasting levels (narrow and wide) of molecular and morphological genetic variation were assessed. Populations of two generations (Syn1 and Syn2) were developed and were subjected to three moisture treatments, including normal irrigation (C), primary mild stress-secondary intense stress (D1D2), and secondary intense stress (D2). Pre-exposure to drought significantly improved the mean values of leaf water, chlorophyll, proline, and ascorbate peroxidase compared to intense stress, leading to more effective memory responses. Superiority of groups with high levels of molecular diversity for most traits, suggesting that the molecular genetic distance among parents is an effective predictor of progeny performance. The results indicated that the fitness of progenies of the four polycross groups declines significantly from Syn1 to Syn2, however the magnitude of observed inbreeding depends on the level of diversity and moisture conditions. We propose a hypothesis that underscores the interplay between genetic diversity among parents and drought stress memory providing valuable insights for developing new synthetic varieties in open-pollinated grasses. Specifically, we posit that higher molecular diversity among parental genotypes enhances the potential for robust drought stress memory, thereby contributing to improved progeny fitness under unfavorable conditions.

Allelopathic Effect of Aqueous Extracts of Grass Genotypes on Eruca Sativa L.

The aim of the current research is to evaluate the allelopathic activity of fifty grass genotypes from different species and to identify phenolic compounds in the genotypes that have the highest allelopathic activity and inhibitory effect on Eruca sativa L. (Rocket). Aqueous extract was prepared from the leaves of grass genotypes in different concentrations and its effect on germination and growth of E. sativa L. was measured. According to the results, the type of genotype and the concentration of the extract significantly decreased the percentage of germination, hypocotyl length, radicle length, and dry weight of E. sativa L. seedlings. Increasing the concentration of the extract resulted in a decrease in germination and growth of seedlings. The genotypes of Festulolium (Festulolium) (GR 5009, GR 1692, GR 5004) had the most inhibitory effect on the growth of E. sativa L. Also, among the genotypes studied, two genotypes (DG-M) and (DG-P) of Dactylis glomerata L. (orchardgrass) species showed the least allelopathic activity. The results of HPLC-MS indicated nine phenolic compounds including caffeic acid, syringic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, apigenin acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and gallic acid. The phenolic compound most present in the aqueous extract was caffeic acid. However, phenolic compounds derived from Festulolium genotypes showed the greatest allelopathic action on the growth parameters of E. sativa L. The aqueous extracts of the Festulolium genotypes can be considered valid systems of sustainable weed control thanks to the phytocomplex rich in phenols.

Macrophage cell morphology-imprinted substrates can modulate mesenchymal stem cell behaviors and macrophage M1/M2 polarization for wound healing applications.

Mesenchymal stem cells and macrophages (MQ) are two very important cells involved in the normal wound healing process. It is well understood that topological cues and mechanical factors can lead to different responses in stem cells and MQ by influencing their shape, cytoskeleton proliferation, migration, and differentiation, which play an essential role in the success or failure of biomaterial implantation and more importantly wound healing. On the other hand, the polarization of MQ from proinflammatory (M1) to prohealing (M2) phenotypes has a critical role in the acceleration of wound healing. In this study, the morphology of different MQ subtypes (M0, M1, and M2) was imprinted on a silicon surface (polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS]) to prepare a nano-topography cell-imprinted substrate with the ability to induce anti-inflammatory effects on the mouse adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and RAW264.7 monocyte cell line (MO). The gene expression profiles and flow cytometry of MQ revealed that the cell shape microstructure promoted the MQ phenotypes according to the specific shape of each pattern. The ELISA results were in agreement with the gene expression profiles. The ADSCs on the patterned PDMS exhibited remarkably different shapes from no-patterned PDMS. The MOs grown on M2 morphological patterns showed a significant increase in expression and section of anti-inflammatory cytokine compared with M0 and M1 patterns. The ADSCs homing in niches heavily deformed the cytoskeletal, which is probably why the gene expression and phenotype unexpectedly changed. In conclusion, wound dressings with M2 cell morphology-induced surfaces are suggested as excellent anti-inflammatory and antiscarring dressings.

Multifocal Langerhans' Cell Histiocytosis in an Adult.

Introduction: Multifocal Langerhans' cell histocytosis is a rare condition that can affect multiple organs and manifest in various scenarios. While the condition is more commonly found in children, it can also occur in adults. Case Report: A 43-year-old female presented with refractory otorrhea and had a rubbery neck mass in the left mid-cervical area, as well as an itchy eczematoid lesion in the left parietal area. The otic lesion was eventually resected, and histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of Langerhans histiocytosis. Conclusions: Although rare in adults, Langerhans histiocytosis should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses for ear canal polyps. If diagnosed, medical treatment should be pursued.

Drought stress memory in a germplasm of synthetic and common wheat: antioxidant system, physiological and morphological consequences.

Plants have evolved mechanisms of adaptation to fluctuations in their environmental conditions that have been given the term "stress memory". Synthetic wheat offers new hope for breeders to restore useful genes lost during the genetic bottleneck. We aimed to test whether drought priming and seed priming could improve drought tolerance in a diverse germplasm of synthetic and common wheat under field conditions. In this research, 27 wheat genotypes (including 20 synthetics, 4 common local and 3 common exotic bread wheat) were field evaluated under four water environments. These treatments included: 1) normal condition (N), plants were irrigated when 40% of the total available soil water was depleted from the root-zone, 2) seed priming-secondary stress (SD2), only water stress was applied at anthesis when 90% of the total available soil water was depleted and seeds were planted for evaluating, 3) primary stress- secondary stress (D1D2), primary water stress was applied at jointing stage when 70% of the total available soil water was depleted then secondary water stress was applied at the anthesis stage when 90% of the total available soil water was depleted, and 4) secondary stress (D2) only water stress was applied at the anthesis when 90% of the total available soil water was depleted. Our results indicated that improved efficient enzymatic antioxidant system leads to less yield reduction in D1D2 treatment. However, the positive effects of drought priming were more pronounced in drought primed (D1D2) than seed primed treatment (SD2). Synthetic wheat genotypes had a significant superiority in terms of yield, yield components and drought tolerance compared to common wheat genotypes. Nevertheless, the response of genotypes to stress memory was very different. Drought sensitive genotypes had better response to stress memory. Superior genotypes were identified as high yield and drought tolerant genotypes which can be used for future studies.

Plant functional trait responses to cope with drought in seven cool-season grasses.

In semi-arid and arid regions, the selection of suitable grass species with high-yield production, tolerance to drought stress, and potential for recovery from drought is of special importance. Despite extensive research in cool-season grasses, inter-species differences in post-drought recovery, persistence, survival, and summer dormancy and their relationship with drought tolerance need more investigation. In the present study, 28 diverse genotypes belonged to seven cool-season grass species, including Festuca arundinacea (tall fescue), Festuca pratensis (meadow fescue), Festuca ovina (sheep fescue), Festuca rubra (red fescue), Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass), Lolium multiflorum (Italian ryegrass) and Lolium × hybridum were evaluated during 2016-2019 under three irrigation regimes (normal, mild, and intense drought stress). Then in the fourth year (on August 2019), irrigation was withheld at all previous irrigation regimes for two months during summer, and then species were re-irrigated to study the effect of prolonged drought conditions. A wide range of genetic diversity was detected in all the measured traits among and within species in response to different irrigation levels. Recurrent drought stress decreased forage productivity, post-drought recovery, and survival in all grass species. Among the studied species, tall fescue had higher forage production, drought tolerance, survival, recovery rate, and persistence. Sheep fescue had low forage production and recovery after drought. Drought tolerance (based on stress tolerance score, STS) was highly associated with forage yield and post-drought recovery and partially with summer dormancy under both mild and intense drought stress conditions. This indicated that selection based on higher STS would lead to choosing genotypes with better recovery after prolonged drought. Superior species and preferable genotypes for forage use from species Festuca arundinacea and for turf application from species Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perenne and Lolium × hybridum were identified across different water environments for future programs.

Characterization of fennel germplasm for physiological persistence and drought recovery: Association with biochemical properties.

In the perennial medicinal plant fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), persistence over years, production stability, and successful post-drought recovery are as important as plant productivity. Characterization of productivity, post-drought recovery, persistency and their association with phytochemical properties has not yet been performed in fennel. In this study, 64 fennel genotypes (from 23 different countries) from four subspecies/varieties including F. vulgare ssp. piperitum, F. vulgare var. vulgare and F. vulgare var. dulce and F. vulgare var. azoricum were evaluated in the field over four years (2015-2018), then was assessed for post-drought recovery over the next two years (2019-2020). High genotypic variation was observed among genotypes and subspecies. Based on the GC-MS analysis, trans-anethole (22.4-90.6%), estragole (2.1-25.8%), fenchone (4.9-19.8%), and limonene (0.5-11.9%) are major components in the essential oils of the studied germplasm. The highest persistence and the lowest average post-drought recovery belonged to ssp. piperitum. This subspecies also had the highest amount of limonene, fenchone, and estragole and the lowest amount of trans-anethole compared to other subspecies. The highest essential oil content and stability was observed in var. dulce. Seed yield and persistence were found to be negatively associated, suggesting that selection for more productivity may indirectly promote less persistent genotypes. Post-drought recovery was negatively associated with two main phytochemical compounds of essential oil, fenchone and estragole, but positively associated with trans-anethole. Persistence had negative correlation with estragole content. Results indicated that indirect selection for post-drought recovery and persistence may be possible through selection for phytochemical properties. The negative correlation between some essential oil components may indicate that some are isomers, which can limit the ability to select for certain combinations. Superior genotypes identified in this study can be used to construct populations for future studies and as parents of crosses to develop new varieties.

Chitosan-Placental ECM Composite Thermos-Responsive Hydrogel as a Biomimetic Wound Dressing with Angiogenic Property.

Attempts are being made to develop an ideal wound dressing with excellent biomechanical and biological properties. Here, a thermos-responsive hydrogel is fabricated using chitosan (CTS) with various concentrations (1%, 2.5%, and 5% w/v) of solubilized placental extracellular matrix (ECM) and 20% ß-glycerophosphate to optimize a smart wound dressing hydrogel with improved biological behavior. The thermo-responsive CTS (TCTS) alone or loaded with ECMs (ECM-TCTS) demonstrate uniform morphology using SEM. TCTS and ECM1%-TCTS and ECM2.5%-TCTS show a gelation time of 5 min at 37 °C, while no gel formation is observed at 4 and 25 °C. ECM5%-TCTS forms gel at both 25 and 37 °C. The degradation and swelling ratios increase as the ECM content of the hydrogel increase. All the constructs show excellent biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo, however, the hydrogels with a higher concentration of ECM demonstrate better cell adhesion for fibroblast cells and induce expression of angiogenic factors (VEGF and VEGFR) from HUVEC. Only the ECM5%-TCTS has antibacterial activity against Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606. The data obtained from the current study suggest the ECM2.5%-TCTS as an optimized smart biomimetic wound dressing with improved angiogenic properties now promises to proceed with pre-clinical and clinical investigations.

Cell-Based Therapy Approaches in Treatment of Non-obstructive Azoospermia.

The rate of infertility has globally increased in recent years for a variety of reasons. One of the main causes of infertility in men is azoospermia that is defined by the absence of sperm in the ejaculate and classified into two categories: obstructive azoospermia and non-obstructive azoospermia. In non-obstructive azoospermia, genital ducts are not obstructed, but the testicles do not produce sperm at all, due to various reasons. Non-obstructive azoospermia in most cases has no therapeutic options other than assisted reproductive techniques, which in most cases require sperm donors. Here we discuss cell-based therapy approaches to restore fertility in men with non-obstructive azoospermia including cell-based therapies of non-obstructive azoospermia using regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies of non-obstructive azoospermia by paracrine and anti-inflammatory pathway, technical and ethical challenges for using different cell sources and alternative options will be described, and then the more effectual approaches will be mentioned as future trends.

Synergetic dual antibiotics-loaded chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanofibers with sustained antibacterial delivery for treatment of XDR bacteria-infected wounds.

Resistance of bacterial pathogens to conventional antibiotics has remained a significant challenge in managing post-wound infections, especially in developing countries. Here, a nanofibrous chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol) (CS/PVA) mat was designed for controlled delivery of three different concentrations of two antibiotics (colistin/meropenem ratio of 32/64 µg/ml (AB1), 64/128 µg/ml (AB2), and 128/256 (AB3) µg/ml) with synergistic antibacterial activity against ATCC and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates. The scaffolds showed a uniform fibrous structure with no bead formation with a sustained release of the antibiotics for one week. The elongation at break, wettability, porosity, and average fiber diameter decreased with increased antibiotics concentrations. Young's modulus and tensile strength showed a significant increase after adding antibiotics. All the constructs showed excellent in vitro cytocompatibility for fibroblasts and biocompatibility in an animal model. The antibacterial assays confirmed the dose-dependent antibacterial activity of the CS/PVA. The scaffolds loaded with AB2 and AB3 showed biocidal properties against ATCC, while only CS/PVA/AB3 had antibacterial activity against XDR clinical isolates. This study suggests the CS/PVA/AB3 nanofibrous scaffold contained 128/256 µg/ml colistin/meropenem as an excellent antibacterial wound dressing for protection of skin wounds from XDR clinical isolates and now promises to proceed with pre-clinical investigations.

Association analysis revealed loci linked to post-drought recovery and traits related to persistence of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis).

Association analysis has been proven as a powerful tool for the genetic dissection of complex traits. This study was conducted to identify association of recovery, persistence, and summer dormancy with sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers in 36 smooth bromegrass genotypes under two moisture conditions and find stable associations. In this study, a diverse panel of polycross-derived progenies of smooth bromegrass was phenotyped under normal and water deficit regimes for three consecutive years. Under water deficit, dry matter yield of cut 1 was approximately reduced by 36, 39, and 37% during 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively, compared with the normal regime. For dry matter yield of cut 2, these reductions were approximately 38, 60, and 56% in the same three consecutive years relative to normal regime. Moreover, water deficit decreased the RY and PER of the genotypes by 35 and 28%, respectively. Thirty primer combinations were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From these, 541 polymorphic bands were developed and subjected to association analysis using the mixed linear model (MLM). Population structure analysis identified five main subpopulations possessing significant genetic differences. Association analysis identified 69 and 46 marker-trait associations under normal and water deficit regimes, respectively. Some of these markers were associated with more than one trait; which can be attributed to pleiotropic effects or tightly linked genes affecting several traits. In normal and water-deficit regimes, these markers could potentially be incorporated into marker-assisted selection and targeted trait introgression for the improvement of drought tolerance of smooth bromegrass.

Potentials of synthetic hexaploid wheats to improve drought tolerance.

Synthetic hexaploid wheat-derived lines (SHW-DL) offers new hope for breeders to restore genes lost during the evolutionary bottleneck. The study of adaptability, variation, and the possibility of selection in SHW-DL for drought tolerance is poorly understood in arid environments. The potential of 184 SHW-DL and their variation for agro-morphological traits were assessed under normal and water stress conditions for 2 years. The mean values of grain yield (YLD) varied from 683.9 g/m2 (water stress) to 992.1 g/m2 (normal conditions). Grain yield decreased by 64 and 71% under water stress in the two growing seasons. High genotypic variation was found for measured traits and drought tolerance. Heritability ranged from 19 (harvest index) to 47% (spike length), whereas grain yield indicated a moderate heritability (32%). Using the assessment of the interrelationship of traits, hectoliter (a quality trait) was correlated with drought tolerance and stability indices. Therefore, it can be considered as an important trait to select drought tolerant genotypes. In the following, the priority of yield components entering the regression model was different in two moisture conditions suggesting different strategies in indirect selection programs to improve yield. Spike m-2 and grain spike-1 indirectly and negatively affected yield through thousand-grain weight (TGW) under normal and water stress conditions, respectively. Furthermore, SHW-DL compared to ordinary wheat were significantly superior in terms of early maturity, dwarfing, yield, TGW, stem diameter, and harvest index. Overall, our findings suggest that SHW-DL are a valuable source for improving wheat yield and drought tolerance, and indirect selection might be possible to improve these complex traits.

Genetic analysis and physiological relationships of drought response in fennel: Interaction with mating system.

The consequences of water deficit and its interaction with pollination system (deliberate selfing compared with open-pollination) on physiological, agronomic and phytochemical traits are not understood in fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.). A research was started by creating selfed (S1) and half-sib (HS) families on a fennel germplasm in 2018. Populations were studied in the field, applying a normal and a water deficit condition during two years (2019-2020). Considerable genotypic variation was observed within S1 and HS families for all of the evaluated traits, demonstrating that selection for these traits would be successful. Consequences of water deficit were manifested as declined most of the traits; and significantly increased essential oil content, harvest index, and proline content, in both populations. Mandatory selfing reduced the performance of genotypes for most of the traits confirming the existence of inbreeding depression (ID) with higher values for plant dry weight, seed yield, essential oil content, and number of umbelets per umbel. In S1 population, some of the studied traits had higher heritability estimates under normal condition and some of them showed higher heritability under water deficit. Positive relationship between GCA and STI in OP population indicated that it is possible to identify genotypes having high values of combining ability and drought tolerance. Results of the present study suggest that physiological traits cannot be used as an indicator to distinguish drought-tolerant genotypes in S1 progenies, whereas in OP progenies Chl a, Chl b, TChl, CAR, PRO, and RWC, which had significant correlations with drought tolerance, may be used for this purpose. Based on the results contrasting genotypes were identified, which can be used to develop mapping populations for genome studies of drought tolerance and physiological traits of this species in future studies.

Identification of potentially functional modules and diagnostic genes related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on the WGCNA and LASSO algorithms.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous disease results in the loss of motor neurons. Mounting information points to involvement of other systems including cognitive impairment. However, neither the valid biomarker for diagnosis nor effective therapeutic intervention is available for ALS. The present study is aimed at identifying potentially genetic biomarker that improves the diagnosis and treatment of ALS patients based on the data of the Gene Expression Omnibus. We retrieved datasets and conducted a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify ALS-related co-expression genes. Functional enrichment analysis was performed to determine the features and pathways of the main modules. We then constructed an ALS-related model using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis and verified the model by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Besides we screened the non-preserved gene modules in FTD and ALS-mimic disorders to distinct ALS-related genes from disorders with overlapping genes and features. Altogether, 4198 common genes between datasets with the most variation were analyzed and 16 distinct modules were identified through WGCNA. Blue module had the most correlation with ALS and functionally enriched in pathways of neurodegeneration-multiple diseases', 'amyotrophic lateral sclerosis', and 'endocytosis' KEGG terms. Further, some of other modules related to ALS were enriched in 'autophagy' and 'amyotrophic lateral sclerosis'. The 30 top of hub genes were recruited to a LASSO regression model and 5 genes (BCLAF1, GNA13, ARL6IP5, ARGLU1, and YPEL5) were identified as potentially diagnostic ALS biomarkers with validating of the ROC curve and AUC value.

A meta-analysis of microarray data revealed hub genes and transcription factors involved in drought stress response in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Although there are various studies attempted to clarify the genetic mechanism of plant response to drought stress that reduces crop yield, a meta-analysis can integrate the results of them to provide a better picture of the issue. Therefore, in this study, several microarray datasets of rice were meta-analysed under drought stress and normal condition using the R packages. Accordingly, differentially expressed genes (meta-DEGs) were identified. The results showed 643 and 677 upregulated and downregulated genes, respectively. The significant common Gene Ontology (GO) terms between the up- and downregulated genes were responses to abiotic stimulus , water deprivation , oxygen-containing compound and abscisic acid . The transcription factors (TF) survey showed that bHLH under drought stress activates up genes 42% more than down genes while bzip Homeodomain activates down genes 54% more than up genes. The hub downregulated genes obtained from this study were mainly related to photosynthesis and the hub upregulated genes were mainly related to stress tolerance which include heat shock proteins (HSPs), late embryogenesis abundant (LEAs), calmodulin-like protein (CML), phosphatase 2C (PP2Cs) and IAA genes. Moreover, this meta-analysis data were compared with other experimental data and the results confirmed the up and down expression of them. Our findings can provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of rice (Oryza sativa L.) response to drought stress.

Genome Mining Approach Reveals the Occurrence and Diversity Pattern of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-Associated Systems in Lactobacillus brevis Strains.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) together with their CRISPR-associated (Cas) genes are widely distributed in prokaryotes that provide an adaptive defense mechanism against foreign invasive DNA. There is relatively little knowledge about the CRISPR-Cas diversity and evolution in Lactobacillus brevis strains. Therefore, in this study, a genome-mining approach was employed to investigate the diversity and occurrence of the CRISPR-Cas system in 83 L. brevis strains. Moreover, trans-activating CRISPR RNA (tracrRNA) and protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) as pivotal elements for the successful targeting and inference of phages by the subtype II CRISPR-Cas systems were surveyed. Finally, evolutionary paths of L. brevis strains under selective pressure from foreign invasive DNA such as plasmids and phages of studied strains were surveyed using acquisition and deletion events analysis of spacers. A total of 127 confirmed CRISPRs were identified, which were distributed in 69 strains. Among strains with confirmed CRISPRs, 35 strains only contained one CRISPR locus, 23 strains contained two CRISPR loci, and 12 strains contained three to six CRISPR loci. L. brevis strains frequently harbor more than one CRISPR system. Analysis of confirmed CRISPR arrays showed that 31 out of 127 confirmed CRISPRs included Cas genes which were categorized as one of the II-A, II-C, and I-E subtypes. Analysis of subtype II-A spacers reflected divergent evolution for 18 strains into 16 unique groups. Additional analysis of spacer sequences also confirmed the implication of characterizing CRISPR-Cas systems in targeting of phages and plasmids. The current study highlighted the potential of utilizing CRISPR spacer polymorphism in genotyping lactobacillus strains. Moreover, it provides deep insights into the occurrence, diversity, and functional impacts of the CRISPR-Cas system in L. brevis strains.

Genetic parameters and selection in full-sib families of tall fescue using best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) analysis.

BACKGROUND: Better understanding of genetic structure of economic traits is crucial for identification and selection of superior genotypes in specific breeding programs. Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) is the most efficient method in this regard, which is poorly used in forage plant breeding. The present study aimed to assess genetic variation, estimate genetic parameters, and predict breeding values of five essential traits in full sib families (recognized by EST-SSR markers) of tall fescue using REML/BLUP procedure. METHOD: Forty-two full-sib families of tall fescue (included of 120 individual genotypes), recognized by EST-SSR markers along with twenty-one their corresponding parental genotypes were assessed for biomass production and agro-morphological traits at three harvests (spring, summer, and autumn) in the field during 4 years (2017-2020). RESULTS: Considerable genotypic variability was observed for all traits. Low narrow-sense heritability (h2n) for dry forage yield (DFY) at three harvest indicates that non-additive gene actions may play an important role in the inheritance of this trait. Higher h2n of yield related traits and flowering time and also significant genetic correlation of these traits with forage yield, suggests that selection based on these traits may lead to indirect genetic improvement of DFY. CONCLUSION: Our results showed the adequacy of REML/BLUP procedure for identification and selection of preferable parental genotypes and progenies with higher breeding values for future breeding programs such as variety development in tall fescue. Parental genotypes 21 M, 1 M, and 20 L were identified as superior and stable genotypes and could also produce the best hybrid combinations when they were mostly used as maternal parent.

Comparison of engineered cartilage based on BMSCs and chondrocytes seeded on PVA-PPU scaffold in a sheep model.

In this study, polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel chains were crosslinked by polyurethane in order to synthesize a suitable substrate for cartilage lesions. The substrate was fully characterized, and in vitro and in vivo investigations were conducted based on a sheep model. In vitro tests were performed based on the chondrocyte cells with the Alcian Blue and safranin O staining in order to prove the presence of proteoglycan on the surface of the synthesized substrate, which has been secreted by cultures of chondrocytes. Furthermore, the expression of collagen type I, collagen type II, aggrecan, and Sox9 was presented in the chondrocyte cultures on the synthesized substrate through RT-PCR. In addition, the H&E analysis and other related tests demonstrated the formation of neocartilage tissue in a sheep model. The results were found to be promising for cartilage tissue engineering and verified that the isolated chondrocyte cultures on the synthesized substrate retain their original composition.