Analysis of vitellogenin gene structure in Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus (Pisces: Cyprinidae) during exposure to Atrazine

Chemical contamination of aquatic environments to EDCs has become a major focus of environmental toxicology research. The exposure of fishes to estrogenic EDCs in aquatic environments is most frequently assessed by analyzing Vitellogenin (Vg) (the egg yolk precursor protein) expression. Therefore, characterization of Vg gene is of high priority for EDCs bio-monitoring. So, we prepared liver tissue samples of Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus for RNA extraction. Following the cDNA synthesis, specifically - designed primers were employed to amplify the Vg gene and ultimately sequence it. The evolutionary analyses of the sequence were performed using MEGA7 software. The obtained results indicated that the designed primers successfully amplified the partial cDNA sequence. Our results indicated that this sequence most probably belongs to the Vg1 form of the gene. Moreover, it was demonstrated that Caspian roach and Petroleuciscus esfahani share a common ancestor. Noteworthy, the study of Vg gene would be helpful to understand the molecular mechanisms of development and would be used to establish a bio-monitoring tool for detection of exposure to different EDCs

Analysis of vitellogenin gene structure in Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus (Pisces: Cyprinidae) during exposure to Atrazine

Chemical contamination of aquatic environments to EDCs has become a major focus of environmental toxicology research. The exposure of fishes to estrogenic EDCs in aquatic environments is most frequently assessed by analyzing vitellogenin (Vg) (the egg yolk precursor protein) expression. Therefore, characterization of Vg gene is of high priority for EDCs bio-monitoring. So, we prepared liver tissue samples of Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus for RNA extraction. Following the cDNA synthesis, specifically-designed primers were employed to amplify the Vg gene and ultimately sequence it. The evolutionary analyses of the sequence were performed using MEGA7 software. The obtained results indicated that the designed primers successfully amplified the partial cDNA sequence. Our results indicated that this sequence most probably belongs to the Vg1 form of the gene. Moreover, it was demonstrated that Caspian roach and Petroleuciscus esfahani share a common ancestor. Noteworthy, the study of Vg gene would be helpful to understand the molecular mechanisms of development and would be used to establish a bio-monitoring tool for detection of exposure to different EDCs

A comparative study on the equine and camelid antivenoms upon cardiovascular changes induced with Hemiscorpius lepturus venom in rats

Objective(s): In this study, the neutralizing abilities of the equine and the recently introduced camelid antivenoms on the hemodynamic parameters (inotropism, chronotropism, and arrhythmogenicity) were assessed following envenomation by Hemiscorpius lepturus venom in rats. Materials and Methods: At first, the electrophoretic profiles of both products were obtained by using the SDS-PAGE method (12.5%) and stained with Coomassie blue and silver nitrate. Secondly, different doses of the camelid antivenom (10, 50, and 100 μl) were given intravenously in 10 min before venom injection (400 μg/rat). The neutralizing potencies of camelid and equine antivenoms were measured by preincubation (100 μl) with H. lepturus venom for 30 min at room temperature. Finally, equal amounts of the antivenoms were injected intravenously to observe the hemodynamic changes. Results: Based on the electrophoretic profile, it was evident that undesired proteins significantly decreased in equine antivenom, owing to impurities. Pretreatment with the camelid antivenom (100 μl), neutralized the elevation of the mean arterial pressure evoked with scorpion venom injection (88.15±4.56 versus 10.2±1.23 percent at the 8th min). The Incubation of the venom and the camelid antivenom counteracted the hemodynamic changes, but the equine product had no effect. The intravascular injection of the equine antivenom transiently increased the mean arterial pressure as compared to the control (108.67±8.63 mmHg versus 52.67±1.93 mmHg at the 10th min). Conclusion: The most obvious finding emerging from this study was that the camelid antivenom neutralized the hemodynamic changes in rats significantly, but in comparison, the equine antivenom had just a minor ability