Foad Fatehi

Background: Salt stress is a major limiting factor for agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. It adversely impacts plant growth and physiological functions. Understanding the morphological, biochemical, and molecular responses of pistachio to salinity is crucial for developing salt tolerant cultivars. Results: In this study, UCB-1 pistachio seedlings ( Pistacia vera L.) were subjected to 0, 100, and 200 mM NaCl for 7 and 21 days to investigate their morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses to salt stress. Salinity significantly reduced fresh and dry weights of roots and stems, as well as chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. In contrast, proline, soluble carbohydrates, and phenolic compounds increased, indicating adaptive metabolic responses. Salt stress also enhanced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), reflecting oxidative stress. Enzymatic activities of SOD, CAT, APX, and GPX were significantly upregulated under salt stress. Gene expression analysis revealed a marked induction of NHX1 , Dehydrin , CAT , and DREB2 genes, particularly at 200 mM NaCl after 21 days, indicating their pivotal roles in ion homeostasis, osmoprotection, and antioxidant defense. Conclusions: These findings highlight the complex physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in salt tolerance of pistachio. The activation of antioxidant systems and stress responsive genes contributes to mitigating oxidative damage and maintaining cellular homeostasis. These results provide insights into the adaptive responses of pistachio to salinity and may contribute to breeding efforts aimed at developing salt tolerant cultivars suitable for saline environments.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) holds significant importance due to its diverse applications and nutritional benefits. The nuts are rich in essential amino acids, antioxidants, fiber, healthy fats, and minerals, making them highly valuable for human nutrition. However, pistachios are significantly challenged by salinity stress, which negatively affects their growth and metabolism. Understanding the impact of salinity stress on pistachios is crucial for developing effective strategies to enhance their tolerance, improve growth, and ensure sustainable production in saline environments. To investigate the effects of salinity on energy metabolism and amino acid composition, we monitored key metabolites and free amino acid levels in UCB-1 pistachio leaves at 7- and 21-day salt stress treatments using Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC). Our findings revealed that salinity affected nearly all analyzed metabolites, with varied patterns observed at different time points. Notably, all free amino acids except threonine accumulated significantly in response to salt stress. Meanwhile, reductions in 3PGA, Fru1,6bP, and Glu6P+Fru6P (glycolysis and Calvin cycle intermediates) suggest a decrease in photosynthetic activity, which may ultimately impact respiration rates. These results demonstrate that salinity stress affects both amino acid metabolism and central carbon metabolism, with the magnitude and pattern of these changes depending on the duration of exposure. The observed metabolic adjustments likely represent an adaptive response, enabling the plant to partially mitigate the detrimental effects of salt stress.

Background: Barley (H. vulgare L.) is an important cereal crop cultivated across various climates globally. Barley and its ancestor (H. vulgare subsp. spontaneum) are an economically valuable model for genetic research and improvement. Drought, among various abiotic stresses, is a substantial threat to agriculture due to its unpredictable nature and significant impact on crop yield. Results: This study was conducted in both greenhouse and laboratory settings. Prior to the study, wild barley accessions were pre-selected based on their sensitivity or tolerance to drought as determined from fieldwork in the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 cropping seasons. The effects of three levels of drought stress were evaluated (control, 90–95% field capacity [FC]; mild stress, 50–55% FC; and severe stress, 25–30% FC). Several parameters were assessed, including seedling and root growth, enzymatic activity (CAT, SOD, POD), soluble protein levels, chlorophyll content, carotenoids, abaxial and adaxial stomatal density and dimensions, and relative gene expression of Dhn1, SOD, POD, and CAT. Drought stress significantly increased enzyme activities, especially at 25–30% FC, and more in the tolerant genotype. On the other hand, sensitive genotypes showed a notable increase in stomatal density. Under drought stress, there was a general decline in seedling and root growth, protein content, chlorophyll and carotenoids, and stomatal dimensions. Importantly, gene expression analysis revealed that Dhn1, SOD, POD, and CAT were upregulated under drought, with the highest expression levels observed in the drought-tolerant genotype under severe stress conditions (25–30% FC). Conclusions: Our investigation highlights the distinct morphological, physiological, biochemical, and gene-expression profiles of drought-resistant and drought-sensitive wild barley genotypes under varying degrees of drought.

افزایش دمای کره زمین یکی از جدیدترین مشکلاتی است که زیست‌بوم زمین را تهدید می‌کند. حشرات به عنوان موجوداتی خونسرد وابستگی زیادی به دمای محیط از خود نشان می‌دهند به گونه‌ای که با افزایش دمای کره زمین در پراکنش، فعالیت و پراسنجه‌های زیستی آن‌ها تغییراتی به وجود می‌آید. زنبور Trichogramma brassicae (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae) یکی از مهم‌ترین عوامل کنترل بیولوژیک در ایران است که برای مهار بسیاری از گونه‌های بالپولکداران مورد استفاده قرار می‌گیرد. در این مطالعه بررسی تغییرات دما روی پراسنجه‌های زیستی و بیان دو ژن شوک حرارتی HSP70 و HSP90 زنبور T. brassicae در شرایط آزمایشگاهی مورد مطالعه قرار گرفت. بدین منظور کلنی اصلی این زنبورها به دو قسمت تقسیم و هر کدام از کلنی‌های جدید به مدت 20 نسل در دو دمای 30 و 33 درجه سلسیوس پرورش داده شدند. بعد از 20 نسل پراسنجه‌هایی مانند درصد پارازیتیسم، نرخ خروج، نسبت جنسی و بیان دو نوع پروتئین دمایی (HSP70 و HSP90) اندازه‌گیری شد. نتایج نشان داد که در دمای 33 درجه سلسیوس میزان بیان پروتئین‌های دماییHSP90 به میزان 45/2 برابر و پروتئین دمایی HSP70 به میزان 9/1 برابر بیان آن در دمای 30 درجه سلسیوس بود که نشان‌دهنده وجود اختلاف معنی‌دار در سطح یک درصد بود. نرخ پارازیتیسم در دماهای 30 و 33 درجه...

Osmotic stress can occur due to some stresses such as salinity and drought, threatening plant survival. To investigate the mechanism governing the pistachio response to this stress, the biochemical alterations and protein profile of PEG-treated plants was monitored. Also, we selected two differentially abundant proteins to validate via Real-Time PCR. Biochemical results displayed that in treated plants, proline and phenolic content was elevated, photosynthetic pigments except carotenoid decreased and MDA concentration were not altered. Our findings identified a number of proteins using 2DE-MS, involved in mitigating osmotic stress in pistachio. A total of 180 protein spots were identified, of which 25 spots were altered in response to osmotic stress. Four spots that had photosynthetic activities were down-regulated, and the remaining spots were up-regulated. The biological functional analysis of protein spots exhibited that most of them are associated with the photosynthesis and metabolism (36%) followed by stress response (24%). Results of Real-Time PCR indicated that two of the representative genes illustrated a positive correlation among transcript level and protein expression and had a similar trend in regulation of gene and protein. Osmotic stress set changes in the proteins associated with photosynthesis and stress tolerance, proteins associated with the cell wall, changes in the expression of proteins involved in DNA and RNA processing occur. Findings of this research will introduce possible proteins and pathways that contribute to osmotic stress and can be considered for improving osmotic tolerance in pistachio.

Honey bees can be evaluated to study their economic, developmental and immunity aspects. Apis mellifera has important organs such as the hypopharyngeal gland, mandibular gland and brain in their heads. The hypopharyngeal glands and mandibular glands cooperate to produce royal jelly essential in feeding queen honey bees and broods. Moreover, the brain is an organ that regulates the social behaviors of honey bees such as memory and learning. Therefore, this study aimed to detect differential head protein changes in one-day-old and nine-day-old worker honey bees. 153 repeatable protein spots were identified using Melanie software and statistically analyzed. Of the total protein spots, 27 responsive spots were identified using MALDI TOF-TOF mass spectrometry, of which 14 and 8 spots showed up and down regulation, respectively and five spots were expressed just in the head capsules of nine-day-old workers. All identified proteins were divided into 16 different groups involved in various growth-related processes as well as royal jelly augmentation. Nine proteins including KMT5B, TGIF2LX, Protein mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase PARP12, TCL1B4, maph-9, Vimentin-type intermediate filament-associated coiled-coil protein, HSP68, tetratricopeptide repeat domain 36 and POC1B were also identified and introduced for the first time in A. mellifera. This study provides valuable information on proteins involved in honey bee head growth and development as well as increasing royal jelly production.

The role of bees in the environment, economic, biodiversity and pharmaceutical industries is due to its social behavior, which is oriented from the brain and hypopharyngeal gland that is the center of royal jelly (RJ) production. Limited studies have been performed on the head gene expression profile at the RJ production stage. The aim of this study was to compare the gene expressions in 9 and 1-day-old (DO) honeybee workers in order to achieve better understanding about head gene expression pattern. After sequencing of RNAs, transcriptome and their networks were compared. The head expression profile undergoes various changes. 1662 gene transcripts had differential expressions which 1125 and 537 were up and down regulated, respectively, in 9_DO compared with 1_DO honey bees. The day 1th had more significant role in the expression of genes related to RJ production as major RJ protein 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 9 encoding genes, but their maximum secretion occurred at day 9th. All process related to hypopharyngeal glands activities as CYP450 gene, fatty acid synthase gene, vitamin B6 metabolism and some of genes involved in fatty acid elongation and degradation process had an upward trend from 1_DO and were age-dependent. By increasing the age, the activity of pathways related to immune system increased for keeping the health of bees against the chemical compound. The expression of aromatic amino acid genes involved in Phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis pathway are essential for early stage of life. In 9_DO honeybees, the energy supplying, reducing stress, protein production and export pathways have a crucial role for support the body development and the social duties. It can be stated that the activity of honeybee head is focused on energy supply instead of storage, while actively trying to improve the level of cell dynamics for increasing the immunity and reducing stress. Results of current study identified key genes of certain behaviors of honeybee workers. Deeper considering of some pathways will be evaluated in future studies.