Journal of Cell and Molecular Research

1

Authors: Maryam M. Matin

Cancer remains a major cause of death worldwide. Huge research and identification of several markers have resulted in better understanding of its mechanism. Researches focusing on cancer stem cells and their role in metastasis will help the scientific community to propose the therapeutic approaches for treatment of this monstrous disease. Interest of governmental agencies and inter-communications of molecular biologists with clinicians can boost the new ideas in identification and characterizations of cancer stem cells. It will also help to elucidate their roles in tumor progression and hopefully would result in better ways to reduce the mortality related to cancer.

54-59

Authors: Samaneh Sepahi, Razieh Jalal, Behnaz Toluinia, Ahamad Asoodeh, Jamshid Darvish

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is rising dramatically in the Middle East, especially in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes in Iran is poorly understood. Polymorphisms of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1α (HNF-1α) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) genes showed association with type 2 diabetes in several ethnic groups. In this study, we evaluated whether these markers confer susceptibility to T2DM in a diabetic population living in Mashhad (northeast of Iran). Genotyping of Ala98Val (HNF-1α) and Thr149Met (GLP-1R) was done by the restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR (RFLP-PCR) method in the following groups: 1) early-onset diabetes (age at onset ≤ 35 years); 2) late-onset diabetes (age at onset > 35 years); and 3) control. Our results showed that CT (Ala/Val) genotype of HNF-1α was higher in the early-onset type 2 diabetic group compared to the controls but difference was not significant. We did not find the GLP-1R Thr149Met mutation in all participants. The prevalence of the HNF-1α (Ala98Val) and (GLP-1R) Thr149Met mutations has not been previously reported in Iranian participants. We conclude that these mutations are not a common cause of T2DM in our studied population.

65-74

Authors: Farzane Khaloie, Poune Porfarzam, Iraj Rasooli, Jafar Amani, Shahram Nazarian, Seyed Mousavi Latif

Shigella and Escherichia belong to the Enterobacteriaceae family which are the cause for most of the diarrheal cases in the world. Shigella can cause bacterial dysenteries and shigellosis. One of the most effective proteins for pathogenesis is invasion plasmid antigen C (IpaC). Other bacteria like Enterotoxogenic (ETEC), Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), and E.coli can also cause diarrhea and produce intestinal disorders. Colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I), a critical virulence protein for these infections, has two subunits i.e. CfaB and CfaE. EHEC Attachment of bacteria is the main step of infection with intimin playing the key role in this function. This study was designed to elicit protection against the majority of diarrheal pathogens via development of polyvalent vaccine against Shigella, ETEC and EHEC. In silico techniques are as best tools to design new vaccines. For this purpose the immunogenic epitopes of CfaB, IpaC and Intimin were identified through bioinformatic tools and were then selected as major antigens to construct a chimeric protein (CII). The humoral and cellular immunities were analyzed bioinformatically. Prediction of allergens and mapping of IgE epitopes were carried out. The bioinformatic analysis showed each domain was folded separately in fusion structure. CII had many T and B cell epitopes in both linear and three-dimensional structures. This prediction of the chimeric construct had the potential to induce CD4+ and CD8+ immune responses against these pathogens. In addition CII could be accessible to surveillance by the immune system in mouse and human. In conclusion, in silico analysis showed that this chimeric protein can be used as a vaccine against Shigella, ETEC and EHEC simultaneously.

81-86

Authors: Maryam Peyvandi, Mahnaz Monsef, Mehdi Hosseini-Mazinani

The effect of sub culturing frequencies and different cytokinins (benzyl amino purine (BAP), 2- isopentenyl adenine (2ip) on genetic stability of micropropagated shoots from olive plant were investigated by using physiological traits and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Axillary buds of the olive (cv. Dezful) plants were cultured and subcultured in DKW medium, supplemented with BAP (4 mgl-1) or 2-ip (4 mgl-1). In different hormone media and subcultures there were not significant differences in shoot proliferation rate. To amplify DNA, 18 arbitrary decamer primers were screened, out of which 16 primers generated clear and reproducible bands. All RAPD profiles from the micropropagated plants were monomorphic. The treatments included four successive subcultures in two hormone treatments (2ip or BAP) (4 mgl-1) The 16 primers produced a total of 213 (an average of 13.31 band per primer) scorable bands. The dendrogram constructed on the basis of jaccard’s similarity matrix, followed by UPGMA based clustering analysis showed that micropropagated plants were genetically stable and similar to the mother plant.

92-93

Authors: Mahdi Mirahmadi, Asieh Heirani-Tabasi, Halimeh Hassanzadeh, Mandana Pishbin, Hamid Reza Bidkhori, Hojjat Naderi-Meshkin

Preconditioning (PC), is an approach to improve therapeutic potential of stem cells against ischemic environment. PC has several advantages over other therapeutic techniques as this results in increase of transplanted stem cells recruitment, retention, survival and subsequently the induction of a more supportive environment within the damaged tissue via secretion of angiogenic factors. Special attention is needed to recognize new materials, compounds, and conditions to assess the feasibility of PC for being applied in clinics to treat the ischemic diseases.