The current study estimates the impact of different common herbicides on antioxidant defenses and histological 
structure of liver and spinal cord of juvenile tilapia. Eighty-four fish were divided into seven groups: group 1 fish 
acted as controls and the remaining fish were exposed to sublethal concentrations of acetochlor, bispyribac- 
sodium, bentazon, bensulfuron-methyl, halosulfuron-methyl, or quinclorac at sublethal concentrations 2.625, 
0.800, 36.00, 2.50, 1.275, and 11.250 mg/l, respectively, for 96 h. Antioxidant parameters changed in response 
to some test herbicides and the greatest effects were caused by exposure to acetochlor and quinelorac for all 
antioxidant measurements. Prominent histological changes in liver tissue included loss of liver architecture and 
the appearance of fatty liver cells, necrotic areas, foci of leukocytic infiltration and many apoptotic cells. The 
most obvious changes in the spinal cord in all treated fish were degradation of myelinated white matter fibers 
with the emergence of empty spaces, large aggregation of pyknotic neuroglial nuclei, and damaged areas in the 
dorsal horn of gray matter. Collectively, the harmful effect of tested herbicides on antioxidant capacity and 
significant alterations in histological structures of liver and spinal cord of Oreochromis niloticus.

Keywords: Nile tilapia; Antioxidant activity; Liver; Spinal cord; Histological structure

This study was conducted to determine for the first time the immunological, histopathological, histochemical, 
and ultrastructural changes; hematological and biochemical alterations; and poikilocytosis induced in Clarias 
gariepinus by Voliam flexi® 40% WG (thiamethoxam +chlorantraniliprole). Beside control fish, juvenile 
C. gariepinus were subjected to three sublethal concentrations of Voliam flexi® (43.5, 87.5, and 175 mg/L) for 15
days. Voliam flexi® induced immunotoxic impairments in C. gariepinus, such as a decrease in some immunity 
variables (lysozyme and phagocyte activity, immunoglobulin concentration, and nitro blue tetrazolium level). It 
also caused an extreme increase in the levels of primary cytokines (interleukin-1β and IL-6), compared with the 
control. The toxic effects of Voliam flexi® increased gradually with the increasing concentrations tested. Histological examination of the liver demonstrated necrosis, vacuolated hepatocytes (fatty deposition), melanomacrophage centers, foci of inflammatory cells, congested and dilated blood sinusoids, hepatic degeneration, fibrosis increment (Sirius Red stain), and glycogen depletion, as well as cytopathological alterations. We conclude that the toxic effects of Voliam flexi® must be restricted or prevented by using control mechanisms in aquatic systems

Keywords: 
Thiamethoxam; Chlorantraniliprole; Clarias gariepinus; IL-1β; Immunity

Background:The object of this work was to evaluate of the hepatic effects of the herbicides glyphosate-Roundup®
by different doses in both sexes of albino rats.
Methods:Forty animals divided into four groups with ten animals for each (both sexes) were treated orally with
vehicle (controls) and 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg bwt of glyphosate-Roundup® (treated groups) for 15 days daily.
Results:The most conspicuous changes occurred on the liver treated groups due to glyphosate toxicity were the
increase of enzymes activities of ALT and AST, cellular infiltration, many signs of nucleus degeneration, focal
necrosis, rarified cytoplasm, disorganization of cellular organelles, and deposition of lipid droplets. The increase in
the amount of collagenous fibers and the number of the mast cell were also observed.
Conclusion:Our results indicated that the administration of glyphosate-Roundup® in different doses may cause
adverse effects on the histopathological, ultrastructure, and biochemical alternations on the liver of the albino rats.
Keywords:Glyphosate-Roundup®, ALT and AST, Liver, Histopathology, Ultrastructure

Drought stress is a common environmental stress, which adversely affects the yield and quality of crops. Due to its excellent drought tolerance, wild barley from the Middle East region is considered a valuable source for barley improvement. Here, we compared the growth rate, stomatal regulation and capacity to metabolize reactive oxygen species (ROS) of two barley cultivars and one wild barley accession. The results indicated the wild barley EC_S1 showed a more significant decline in stomatal aperture and less ROS production. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that EC_S1 has slower transcriptional regulation (5,050 DEGs) in the early stage of drought stress (14 days) than Baudin (7,022 DEGs) and Tadmor (6,090 DEGs). In addition, 30 hub genes, including nine known drought-related genes were identified by WGCNA analysis. Then, we cloned a novel bZIP transcription factor, HvbZIP21, from EC_S1. HvbZIP21 was subcellularly targeted to the nucleus. Overexpression of HvbZIP21 in Arabidopsis enhanced drought tolerance due to increasing activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities as well as glutathione content. Silencing of HvbZIP21 in EC_S1 suppressed drought tolerance in BSMV: HvbZIP21-inoculated plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that HvbZIP21 play a critical role in drought tolerance by manipulating ROS scavenging.

Plant height is one of the most important agronomical traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Introducing the semidwarf rice in the 1960s significantly enhanced the rice yield potential in Asia. Implementing near-isogenic lines (NILs) is the most powerful tool for the identification and fine mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In this study, 176 NILs were produced from the crossing and back-crossing of two rice cultivars. Specifically, the indica rice cultivar Jiafuzhan served as a recipient, and the restorer japonica cultivar Hui1586 served as a donor. Using the 176 NILs, we identified a novel major QTL for reduced plant height in the NIL36 line. The qph12 QTL was mapped to a 31 kb genomic region between the indel markers Indel12-29 and Indel12-31. The rice genome annotation indicated the presence of three candidate genes in this genomic region. Through gene prediction and cDNA sequencing, we confirmed that LOC_Os12g40890 (qPH12) is the target gene in the NIL36 line. Further analysis showed that the qph12 QTL is caused by a 1 bp deletion in the first exon that resulted in premature termination of the qPH12. Knockout experiments showed that the qph12 QTL is responsible for the reduced plant height phenotype of the NIL36 line. Although the qph12 gene from the NIL36 line showed a shorter panicle length, fewer spikelets per panicle and a lower plant grain yield, the plant also exhibited a lower plant height. Taken together, our results revealed that the qph12 have good specific application prospects in future rice breeding.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are proteins synthesized in plants and responsible for their tolerance to environmental stresses. However, little information is available on the GST gene family of sweet potato, a globally important crop. The genetic evolution of GSTs in sweet potato remains unclear. The present study investigated the GST gene family in sweet potato by transcriptomic and comparative genomic analyses. A total of 51 GSTs were identified. Gene expression analysis showed differential expression patterns of the GSTs between two investigated varieties. Some GST expression levels were either up- or downregulated under oxidative, salinity and drought stresses. The results of the investigation provided new insights on the GST gene family in sweet potato, which may further the understanding of the roles of these genes in regulating abiotic stresses.

Nodulin-like (NL) genes are involved in transporting of various substances and may play key roles during the establishment of symbiosis in legumes plants. However, basic biological information of NL genes in the wheat genome is still largely unknown. Here, we identified and characterized NL genes in wheat via integrating genomic information, collinearity analysis, co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and transcriptome analysis. In addition, we analyzed the polymorphisms and the roles of NL genes during arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis using a large wheat panel consists of 259 wheat genotypes. We identified 181 NL genes in the wheat genome, which were classified into SWEET, Early Nodulin-Like (ENODL), Major Facilitator Superfamily-Nodulin (MFS), Vacuolar Iron Transporter (VIT) and Early nodulin 93 (ENOD93) subfamily. The expansion of NL genes was mainly driven by segmental duplication. The bHLH genes are potential unrecognized transcription factors regulating NL genes. Moreover, two NL genes were more sensitive than other NL genes to AM colonization. The polymorphisms of NL genes are mainly due to random drift, and the natural mutation of NL genes led to significant differences in the mycorrhizal dependence of wheat in phosphorus uptake. The results concluded that NL genes potentially play important roles during AM symbiosis with wheat.