BACKGROUND:The common GJB2 gene mutation (35delG) has been previously reported from Iranian patients that were affected with nonsyndromic autosomal recessive deafness. We, therefore, for the first time, investigated the prevalence and frequency of the GJB2 gene mutation in the Iranian deaf population with Arabian origins.MATERIALS AND METHODs:We amplified and sequenced the entire coding sequence of the GJB2 gene from 61 deaf patients and 26 control subjects.RESULT:None of the analyzed samples revealed deafness-associated mutation.CONCLUSION:This finding differs from several reports from Iran as we have focused on the GJB2 gene that possesses various mutations as the cause of congenital recessive deafness.

Introduction:Scorpion venom is a source of bioactive peptides, and some antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been found in the venom gland of scorpions. Therefore, the discovery of new anti-infective agents is an essential need to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance of clinical isolates. Here, we describe three new cationic AMPs, including meuVAP-6, meuAP-18-1, and meuPep34 from the venom gland of the Iranian scorpion, Mesobuthus eupeus.Methods:The cDNA sequences encoding all the three peptides were obtained from the cDNA library of scorpion venom gland and were deposited in the GenBank database.Results:MeuVAP-6 and meuAP-18-1 are non-disulphide-bridged antimicrobial peptides, while meuPep34 is a cysteine-rich defensin-like peptide.Discussion:All three identified AMPs are rich in arginine and tryptophan. The overall results from the length, net charge, and hydrophobicity index suggested that meuPep34 could be the most active AMPs with the potential ability of biofilm inhibition. The data from molecular characterization of identified AMPs can provide a platform with application in drug discovery programs.

Background:Circadian rhythms are physiological and behavioral cycles with a period of approximately 24 hours that control various functions including gene expression. Circadian disruption is associated with a variety of diseases, especially cancer. Although some of the oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) are known as clock-controlled genes (CCGs), the analysis and annotation of circadian expression of most human oncogenes and TSGs are still lacking. This study aims to investigate the circadian expression of a list of human oncogenes and TSGs.Methods:A bioinformatic analysis was conducted on a gene library comprising 120 genes to investigate the circadian expression of human oncogenes and TSGs. To achieve this purpose, the genotranscriptomic data were retrieved from COSMIC and analyzed by R statistical software. Furthermore, the acquired data were analyzed at the transcriptomic and proteomic levels using several publicly available databases. Also, the significance of all analyses was confirmed statistically.Results:Altogether, our results indicated that 7 human oncogenes/TSGs may be expressed and function in a circadian manner. These oncogenes/TSGs showed a circadian expression pattern at CircaDB database and associated with at least one of the circadian genes/CCGs based on both genotranscriptomic and correlation analyses.Conclusions:Although 4 of 7 finally outputted genes have been previously reported to be clock controlled, heretofore there is no report about the circadian expression of 3 other genes. Considering the importance of oncogenes/TSGs in the initiation and progression of cancer, further studies are suggested for the identification of exact circadian expression patterns of these 3 human oncogenes/TSGs.

Background:Chloride channels have already been over-expressed in the different types of cancer. Chlorotoxins, as the blocking agent of these channels, have been indicated to be an effective drug against tumors. In this study, we characterized a putative chlorotoxin from a cDNA library of the venom glands obtained from the Iranian scorpion Odontobuthus doriae.Methods:A cDNA library was constructed from venom gland transcriptome of six scorpions. The cDNA encoding Odontobuthus doriae chlorotoxin was isolated from the library, and its putative peptide was characterized by some bioinformatics software such as protein blast, SignalP4.0, DISULFIND and Clustal Omega.Results:The mature Odontobuthus doriae chlorotoxin peptide has a 35-amino-acid residue and four disulfide bounds. This putative chlorotoxin is a small, compact, and stable molecule. Moreover, based on the open reading frame sequence similarity, this peptide is similar to Buthus martensii Karsch chlorotoxin-like toxin and Bm12-b neurotoxins from the Chinese scorpion Mesobuthus martensii.Conclusion:The small size of this putative chlorotoxin and its stability make it as a suitable candidate for medical and pharmacological research, especially in the cancer research.

Background: Analyzing a cell or a tissue transcriptome is the best way to understand its functions. cDNA library construction is one of the best methods to achieve this aim, and it is used to determine the structure, functions, and expression profile of a transcriptome. In the construction of a cDNA library, bacterial hosts are very adaptive. One of the most adaptive bacterial hosts is the DH5α strain of Escherichia coli. Objectives: The venom peptides of scorpions are applicable in biological and medical research as potent drugs, as they have bioactive components; therefore, their identification is very important. In this project, we set up and improved the Clontech® In-Fusion SMARTer™ Directional cDNA library construction kit in the transcriptome analysis of the venom glands of two Iranian scorpions, Odonthubuthus doriae (O. doriae) and Mesobuthus eupeus (M. eupeus).Methods: RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis and purification were conducted on the venom glands of O. doriae and M. eupeus scorpions. cDNA libraries were constructed by cloning and transforming chemically competent bacterial cells. The blue-white screen method was used to identify the transformed cells. For finding colonies that have scorpion-related inserts, a colony PCR method was designed with specific primers for two sides of the insertion site into the vector. Results: The obtained white colonies have vectors that include cDNA related to O. doriae and M. eupeus. Conclusions:The constructed cDNA libraries of O. doriae and M. eupeus glands confirmed that a framework was created for the transcriptome analysis and peptide study of the venom glands of other scorpion species.

Background: Analyzing a cell or a tissue transcriptome is the best way to understand its functions. cDNA library construction is one of the best methods to achieve this aim, and it is used to determine the structure, functions, and expression profile of a transcriptome. In the construction of a cDNA library, bacterial hosts are very adaptive. One of the most adaptive bacterial hosts is the DH5α strain of Escherichia coli. Objectives: The venom peptides of scorpions are applicable in biological and medical research as potent drugs, as they have bioactive components; therefore, their identification is very important. In this project, we set up and improved the Clontech® In-Fusion SMARTer™ Directional cDNA library construction kit in the transcriptome analysis of the venom glands of two Iranian scorpions, Odonthubuthus doriae (O. doriae) and Mesobuthus eupeus (M. eupeus).Methods: RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis and purification were conducted on the venom glands of O. doriae and M. eupeus scorpions. cDNA libraries were constructed by cloning and transforming chemically competent bacterial cells. The blue-white screen method was used to identify the transformed cells. For finding colonies that have scorpion-related inserts, a colony PCR method was designed with specific primers for two sides of the insertion site into the vector. Results: The obtained white colonies have vectors that include cDNA related to O. doriae and M. eupeus. Conclusions:The constructed cDNA libraries of O. doriae and M. eupeus glands confirmed that a framework was created for the transcriptome analysis and peptide study of the venom glands of other scorpion species.

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Background: To date, more than 300,000 distinct peptides have been identified in scorpion venom. However, only a limited number of these peptides have been described. Objectives: We characterized some putative peptides from the venom gland cDNA library of the Iranian yellow scorpion Hemiscorpius lepturus”. Methods: Total RNA was extracted from yellow Iranian scorpion glands. Single-stranded cDNA (sscDNA) and double-stranded cDNA (dscDNA) were synthesized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A cDNA library was achieved by inserting dscDNA into a special vector and subsequently transformed to chemically competent Escherichia coli as a host. The library was screened by culturing the liquid library on Lysogeny broth (LB)-agar plates. Analysis of positive clones was performed by plasmid extraction and the sequencing of the inserts. Finally, all cDNA sequences were analyzed and characterized by bioinformatics software. Results: One hundred colonies were randomly analyzed. Eighty-nine cDNA sequences had acceptable quality for bioinformatics analysis. Five sequences were selected for further analysis. The peptides related to these sequences were divided into two groups, non-disulfide bridge peptides (NDBP) and disulfide bridge peptides (DBP), the application of which in health and medical issues has been suggested. Conclusions: The data obtained in this study may be an important resource for further in vivo and in vitro functional assays to identify valuable therapeutic peptides.