Targeted designing functional markers revealed the role of retrotransposon derived miRNAs as mobile epigenetic regulators in adaptation responses of pistachio.

We developed novel miRNA-based markers based on salt responsive miRNA sequences to detect polymorphisms in miRNA sequences and locations. The validation of 76 combined miRNA + miRNA and miRNA + ISSR markers in the three extreme pistachio populations led to the identification of three selected markers that could link salt tolerance phenotype to genotype and divided pistachio genotypes and Pistacia species into three clusters. This novel functional marker system, in addition to more efficient performance, has higher polymorphisms than previous miRNA-based marker systems. The functional importance of the target gene of five miRNAs in the structure of the three selected markers in regulation of different genes such as ECA2, ALA10, PFK, PHT1;4, PTR3, KUP2, GRAS, TCP, bHLH, PHD finger, PLATZ and genes involved in developmental, signaling and biosynthetic processes shows that the polymorphism associated with these selected miRNAs can make a significant phenotypic difference between salt sensitive and tolerant pistachio genotypes. The sequencing results of selected bands showed the presence of conserved miRNAs in the structure of the mitochondrial genome. Further notable findings of this study are that the sequences of PCR products of two selected markers were annotated as Gypsy and Copia retrotransposable elements. The transposition of retrotransposons with related miRNAs by increasing the number of miRNA copies and changing their location between nuclear and organellar genomes can affect the regulatory activity of these molecules. These findings show the crucial role of retrotransposon-derived miRNAs as mobile epigenetic regulators between intracellular genomes in regulating salt stress responses as well as creating new and tolerant phenotypes for adaptation to environmental conditions.

A genome-wide identification, characterization and functional analysis of salt-related long non-coding RNAs in non-model plant Pistacia vera L. using transcriptome high throughput sequencing.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in regulating gene expression in response to plant stresses. Given the importance regulatory roles of lncRNAs, providing methods for predicting the function of these molecules, especially in non-model plants, is strongly demanded by researchers. Here, we constructed a reference sequence for lncRNAs in P. vera (Pistacia vera L.) with 53220 transcripts. In total, we identified 1909 and 2802 salt responsive lncRNAs in Ghazvini, a salt tolerant cultivar, after 6 and 24 h salt treatment, respectively and 1820 lncRNAs in Sarakhs, a salt sensitive cultivar, after 6 h salt treatment. Functional analysis of these lncRNAs by several hybrid methods, revealed that salt responsive NAT-related lncRNAs associated with transcription factors, CERK1, LEA, Laccase genes and several genes involved in the hormone signaling pathways. Moreover, gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of salt responsive target genes related to top five selected lncRNAs showed their involvement in the regulation of ATPase, cation transporter, kinase and UDP-glycosyltransferases genes. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiment results of lncRNAs, pre-miRNAs and mature miRNAs were in accordance with our RNA-seq analysis. In the present study, a comparative analysis of differentially expressed lncRNAs and microRNA precursors between salt tolerant and sensitive pistachio cultivars provides valuable knowledge on gene expression regulation under salt stress condition.

Clinical and Genetic Analysis of Nine Suspected Familial Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Patients for MUNC13-4 Deficiency and Introducing Four Novel Mutations in UNC13D.

Familial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a rare disorder of immune dysregulation. FHL inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern is classified into five subtypes based on underlying genetic defects. Mutations in four genes including PRF1, UNC13D, STX11 and STXBP2 are responsible for FHL2 to FHL5 respectively. The cause of FHL1 is associated with mutations in an unknown gene located at 9q21.3-22. This study aims to report the clinical features and genetic results of nine Iranian patients suffering from -haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Nine patients (five males and four females) suspected to FHL whose genetic evaluation of PRF1 and STX11 revealed no mutations, were entered the study to investigate UNC13D mutations. Primers were designed to amplify all coding regions and exon-intron boundaries of the gene. PCR products were then sequenced and analyzed by sequence analysis tools including BLAST. The most frequent clinical manifestations observed in the patients were fever and hepatosplenomegaly. In this study, five mutations were detected in UNC13D including four novel mutations (c.1434_1446delACCCATGGTGCAGinsTGGTGCT, c.1933C>T, c.1389+1G>C and c.2091+1G>A) besides to a previously reported deletion (c.627delT). The pathogenicity of the missense mutation was assessed using online prediction tools including SIFT and PolyPhen2. The study results may provide valuable information for genetic counseling especially for those who have a history of immunodeficiency diseases in their family and can be used for prenatal diagnosis.

Bee Pollen Flavonoids as a Therapeutic Agent in Allergic and Immunological Disorders.

Bee pollen grains, as the male reproductive part of seed-bearing plants contain considerable concentrations of various phytochemicals and nutrients. Since antiquity, people throughout the world used pollens to cure colds, flu, ulcers, premature aging, anemia and colitis. It is now well-documented that some bee pollen secondary metabolites (e.g. flavonoid) may have positive health effects. In recent years, the flavonoids have attracted much interest because of their wide range of biological properties and their beneficial effects on human health. The current review, points out potential therapeutic effects of bee pollen flavonoids as one of the main bee pollen bioactive compounds in allergic and immunological diseases. Due to the fact that some types of flavonoid components in bee pollen have anti-allergic, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, bee pollen flavonoids can be excellent candidates for future studies including phytotherapy, molecular pharmacology and substitutes for chemicals used in treating allergic and immunological disorders.