University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 Ancient DNA from Human and Animal - 31085 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Research on ancient DNA (aDNA) has the potential to enable molecular biologists and archeologists to decipher certain aspects of history by direct looking into the past. However, several major problems in this field limit the applicability of aDNA studies, most importantly contamination with modern DNA and postmortem DNA degradation. In this study we extracted and analyzed aDNA obtained from ~3500 year-old human and animal skeletal remains from two burial sites in north-western Iran. We attempted to determine the species of origin for the animal bones using general primers that allow amplification of mitochondrial DNA from almost all mammalian species. In addition, we designed the experiments in a way that allows monitoring the overall rate of potential contamination. In order to investigate the level of biomolecular preservation we employed HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) analyses to measure the extent of amino acid racemization. Despite the fact that amino acid preservation was low, we successfully extracted DNA from all samples. The data revealed that the level of contamination with human DNA was higher than the amount of DNA originating from other sources. Also, the frequency of DNA sequences from pig and horse was higher than other species. In general, while our data suggest that aDNA can provide valuable information on such ancient samples, the retrieval of aDNA is still a challenge due to both the problem of contamination with modern DNA and degradation of endogenous DNA. https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31085_93ef138cb40b285cdcd1979468877790.pdf

University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 Genetic Variation in MMP-1 Promoter Region and - 31086 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31086_86a4fb0f9ec52d8f5d0192f23ba5bf6f.pdf

University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 Lack of Association between Promoter Gene Polymorphism (-318 C/T) and Multiple - 31087 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system is believed to have a T cell-mediated autoimmune etiology. The cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) gene is a strong candidate for the involvement in autoimmune diseases. To examine the genetic association of the CTLA-4 gene locus with MS, in a case-control design, we analyzed (-318 C/T) single nucleotide polymorphism of the CTLA-4 gene in 135 unrelated Iranian relapsing-remitting MS patients and 135 age, gender and ethnicity-matched healthy subjects using PCR-RFLP method. The frequency of CTLA-4 gene (-318) polymorphism among cases and controls was 52.1% vs. 47.9% for CC, 39.2% vs. 60.8% for TC and 75.0% vs. 25% for TT genotypes respectively. The distribution of CTLA-4 (-318 C/T) genotype and allele frequencies did not significantly differ between MS patients and healthy subjects. In conclusion, there may not be any association between CTLA-4 gene (-318 T/C) polymorphism and MS development. https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31087_c3f0f4294aae6114e5423337942687b3.pdf

University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 First Report of Isolation of Brucella melitensis, Vaccine Strain Rev.1 as a Source of Cattle Infection in Iran - 31088 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31088_48c767800dc3f0de8a01cdf59236f8eb.pdf

University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 A Novel Efficient Method for Extraction and Purification of Recombinant Phenylalanine Dehydrogenase - 31089 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 Growing applications of phenylalanine dehydrogenase (PheDH) enzyme in the medical and pharmaceutical industries encourages researchers to seek simple, fast and economical alternative purification methods. With goal of finding a new technique, the extraction and purification of recombinant Bacillus badius PheDH in polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000) and ammonium sulfate aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) was studied. Investigation on the effects of PEG molecular weight (MW) and concentration, (NH4)2SO4 concentration, pH, temperature and NaCl addition on partition behavior was also performed. The optimized system was 8.5% (w/w) PEG-6000, 17.5% (w/w) (NH4)2SO4 and 13% (w/w) NaCl at pH 8.0. The specific activity, yield, purification factor, recovery and partition coefficient were obtained 10424.97 U/mg, 95.85%, 474.3, 141% and 92.57, respectively. Briefly, we described the application of ATPS as an interesting and powerful technique for purifying and recovery of recombinant PheDH. https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31089_0df2e990e2713e99260001a582deca3e.pdf

University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 A Contribution to the Genesis of Analcite after Leucite in Potassic Volcanic Rocks of the Nadik Area, Kerman, Iran - 31090 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The origin of analcite-bearing lavas and potassic volcanic rocks is controversial in the geological record. Two main hypotheses are either primary analcite or replacement pseudomorphous of leucite. Spectacular large (5 cm) euhedral trapezohedra occur as single crystals of analcite in tephriphonolite lavas from Nadik area. Based on the following evidences the large analcite trapezohedra from Nadik area are interpreted as having formed by ion-exchange pseudomorphous replacement of primary leucite either during cooling or shortly afterwards. The absence of hydrous primary igneous minerals such as amphibole or mica, lack of evidence for rapid transport of crystals from the depths indicates the stability of the field for analcite. This indicates that primary crystallization of analcite would necessitate crystallization of a sodic pyroxene rather than diopside and preponderance of K2O over Na2O in bulk rock composition. Also, the homogeneous nature of the large single crystals of analcite and lack of effect on the other phases included in analcite, point out to its hydrothermal origin. The tertiary rocks from Nadik have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios between 0.70453 and 0.70576 and the ?Nd values range from +1.3 to +4.1. Most of the potassic rocks from the Nadik show high Al2O3, K2O, LFSE and LREE abundances and low abundances of TiO2 and HFSE (Ta, Nd and Zr), in addition to LREE>Nb and Zr>Y, these features provide strong evidence of involvement of subduction-related process in the generation of orogenic analcite-bearing potassic magma in the Nadik area. https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31090_035ea5fdca39233db5a464e1d4771001.pdf

University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 Podiform Chromitites in the Sorkhband Ultramafic Complex, Southern Iran: Evidence for - 31091 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 The podiform chromitite deposits of the Ordovician Sorkhband ultramafic complex, southwestern Makran, are the largest chromitite deposits in Iran. The Sorkhband ultramafic complex comprises of a northern part of dunite, podiform chromitite, olivine clinopyroxenite, wehrlite and olivine websterite and a southern part of foliated diopsidic harzburgite with subordinate dunite, olivine clinopyroxenite dykes and no significant chromitite mineralization. The podiform chromitites in the northern part occur almost exclusively in dunite, which is depleted in highly siderophile elements (HSE), and display massive, disseminate, banded and nodular textures. These chromitites consist of compositionally uniform chromite with molar 100Cr/(Cr+Al) values (i.e., Cr#) ranging from 75 to 89. Diopsidic harzburgite contains accessory chromite with a wide variation in Cr# from 13 to 40, and shows evidence of melt-rock interaction. Dunite in the northern part contains euhedral accessory chromite (Cr# = 65-80) intermediate between those in diopsidic harzburgite and chromitites. Chromite in the chromitites has strongly fractionated chondrite-normalized PGE patterns, which are characterized by enrichments in Os, Ir, Ru and Rh relative to Pt and Pd. The chromite compositions and PGE geochemistry suggest that the chromitite deposits of the Sorkhband ultramafic complex formed from a boninitic melt under low oxygen fugacity in a supra-subduction setting environment. https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31091_39963b7624c1d6d9bdbe1c90fadd73a5.pdf

University of Tehran Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran 1016-1104 19 1 2008 04 01 Transition from Paleogene Normal Calc-Alkaline to Neogene Adakitic-Like Plutonism and - 31092 EN Journal Article 1970 01 01 https://jsciences.ut.ac.ir/article_31092_951805f01d47fe836849123f795ec6bd.pdf