Coral Research and Nursery Farm Project

In the framework of the Coral Management Plan for the North Field Expansion Project (NFE) and North Field Production Sustainability Project (NFPS), Qatargas has partnered with the Environmental Science Center (ESC) to develop the first land-based coral nursery in Qatar. This nursery plan includes the extraction of 1000 corals' colonies from the NFPS and NFE pipeline corridors, north of Ras Laffan, and hence their transportation to the nursery facility, rehabilitation under controlled husbandry conditions, fragmentation, out-plantation to carefully selected recipient sites and long-term monitoring (up to 48 months). The first two batches of 200 corals were extracted in March and outplanted in April 2021. Results of the first two monitoring events, after 44 and 66 days, were quite encouraging for the seven coral genera tested. Attachment success was very high, with 92% to 97% of the outplanted fragments being detected during monitoring. No bleaching, disease or mortality was recorded so far. The coral propagation methods used in this project (i.e., fragmentation, husbandry and outplanting), although widely used, have been tested with a restricted number of branching coral species and usually in in-situ nurseries. Our project is among the first to apply this type of approach (land-based nursery) to reef restoration in the Arabian Gulf

A mutation of EPT1 (SELENOI) underlies a new disorder of Kennedy pathway phospholipid biosynthesis.

Mutations in genes involved in lipid metabolism have increasingly been associated with various subtypes of hereditary spastic paraplegia, a highly heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative motor neuron disorders characterized by spastic paraparesis. Here, we report an unusual autosomal recessive neurodegenerative condition, best classified as a complicated form of hereditary spastic paraplegia, associated with mutation in the ethanolaminephosphotransferase 1 (EPT1) gene (now known as SELENOI), responsible for the final step in Kennedy pathway forming phosphatidylethanolamine from CDP-ethanolamine. Phosphatidylethanolamine is a glycerophospholipid that, together with phosphatidylcholine, constitutes more than half of the total phospholipids in eukaryotic cell membranes. We determined that the mutation defined dramatically reduces the enzymatic activity of EPT1, thereby hindering the final step in phosphatidylethanolamine synthesis. Additionally, due to central nervous system inaccessibility we undertook quantification of phosphatidylethanolamine levels and species in patient and control blood samples as an indication of liver phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis. Although this revealed alteration to levels of specific phosphatidylethanolamine fatty acyl species in patients, overall phosphatidylethanolamine levels were broadly unaffected indicating that in blood EPT1 inactivity may be compensated for, in part, via alternate biochemical pathways. These studies define the first human disorder arising due to defective CDP-ethanolamine biosynthesis and provide new insight into the role of Kennedy pathway components in human neurological function

Distribution and Diversity of Benthic Marine Macroalgae in Islands Around Qatar

Extending into the Arabian Gulf, Qatar is surrounded by a number of islands mostly scattered by the eastern coastline. With the unique physical characteristics of the Gulf which is a highly saline sea with high seawater temperatures, there is an urge need to investigate the macroalgae living in such harsh environment. Macroalgae plays an important role in the food web as they are primary producers and providers of food for other organisms. They also provide shelter and habitat in the marine ecosystem for herbivorous fish and other invertebrate animals. Additionally, macroalgae plays an outstanding role in reducing CO2 from the atmosphere and increasing the level of dissolved oxygen in their immediate environment. However, there are few studies on marine macroalgae in Qatar and no previous studies found related to macroalgae from the islands around Qatar. The present work contributes to the macroalgae research by providing the first survey of distribution and diversity of benthic marine macroalgae in islands around Qatar. The marine benthic green, red and brown macroalgae of intertidal and subtidal in marine zone areas around Qatar were collected during Qatar's Islands project which started 2018. The collected macroalgae are documented and a total of 67 species of macroalgae are recorded for all islands around Qatar, 24 Chlorophyta (Green algae), 25 Rhodophyta (Red algae) and 18 species Phaeophyta (Brown algae). The Red algae are dominant taxon in term of species richness, accounting for an average of 37% of the species at all study sites. The islands which had more species are Al-Beshaireya 58 Species, Al-Aaliya 53 Species, Sheraouh 48 Species, Janan 43 Species and Bu Felaita 37 Species. Our results show that islands located at eastern and southeastern coast of Qatar have more diversity of algae species than those located at the western and northwestern coast

Effect of Smokeless Tobacco Product, Afzal, on the Reproductive Hormones and Gonadal Pathology of Wistar Rats

Afzal is a common smokeless tobacco product (STP) in Oman, and it is believed to contain toxins that may affect the reproductive hormones and hence reproductive function. This study assessed the effect of  Afzal  on the gonads of Wistar rats.  In order to assess gonad toxicity induced by this STP, an aqueous extract of Afzal was added to drinking water to be administrated orally to Wistar albino rats (n = 72) classified as young (4 weeks old) and adult (20 weeks old) of both genders weighing between 60-80 g and 150-240 g respectively for 8 weeks. The rats were divided into 3 groups; control (received distilled water instead of Afzal extract), low-dose (received 3 mg nicotine/kg body weight/day) and high-dose (received 6 mg nicotine/kg body weight/day). At the termination of the study, the rats were euthanized and their blood samples and ovaries were collected for biochemical and histopathological investigations. Testosterone and estradiol hormones showed a significant decrease (P<0.05( in Afzal-treated groups (low and high doses) compared with the control. Histopathological findings revealed the damaging effects manifested as a reduction in the number of the germ cells with deformed organization and in fatty and fibrous degenerations in testes and ovaries. Afzal was found to have adverse effect on the reproductive hormones and gonadal pathology in Wistar rats of both genders, and hence users of Afzal need to consider the risk associated with its frequent use

TMEM63C mutations cause mitochondrial morphology defects and underlie hereditary spastic paraplegia.

The hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) are among the most genetically diverse of all Mendelian disorders. They comprise a large group of neurodegenerative diseases that may be divided into 'pure HSP' in forms of the disease primarily entailing progressive lower-limb weakness and spasticity, and 'complex HSP' when these features are accompanied by other neurological (or non-neurological) clinical signs. Here, we identified biallelic variants in the transmembrane protein 63C (TMEM63C) gene, encoding a predicted osmosensitive calcium-permeable cation channel, in individuals with hereditary spastic paraplegias associated with mild intellectual disability in some, but not all cases. Biochemical and microscopy analyses revealed that TMEM63C is an endoplasmic reticulum-localized protein, which is particularly enriched at mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites. Functional in cellula studies indicate a role for TMEM63C in regulating both endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial morphologies. Together, these findings identify autosomal recessive TMEM63C variants as a cause of pure and complex HSP and add to the growing evidence of a fundamental pathomolecular role of perturbed mitochondrial-endoplasmic reticulum dynamics in motor neurone degenerative diseases