The use of native plants in urban green spaces is an optimal strategy for mitigating pest and disease outbreaks, preserving the genetic resources of associated flora and fauna, and conserving water. To evaluate the effects of drought stress on the ornamental plant Heteropappus altaicus, a two-year experiment (2021–2022) was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments included three irrigation regimes: a control (no stress), moderate stress (60 mm cumulative evaporation from a Class A pan), and severe stress (90 mm cumulative evaporation). Morphological and physiological parameters were assessed. The results showed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among treatments in branch number, leaf count, fresh weight, and plant height. A significant reduction in dry (22.5
The extreme and underexplored ecosystems of Iran represent a significant reservoir of microbial diversity with profound biosynthetic potential. To systematically investigate this resource, we employed a comprehensive genome mining approach on 16 bacterial isolates from hypersaline, desert, and petroleum-contaminated soils. Our analysis revealed an extraordinary density and complexity of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), identifying 229 BGCs in total. A substantial majority (56.8%) showed no significant similarity to known clusters, underscoring the extensive novelty encoded within these extremophiles. Notably, we discovered highly intricate "trio" and "quartet" hybrid BGCs, which encode the machinery for three or four distinct classes of secondary metabolites, pushing the boundaries of known biosynthetic complexity. Parallel analysis identified six novel, high-quality prophages, largely uncharacterized in public databases. These prophages were found to carry a putative bacteriocin cluster (UviB) indicating a direct role in enhancing host fitness. Furthermore, we uncovered a dynamic co-evolutionary arms race, with bacterial genomes fortified by diverse defense systems, including abundant CRISPR-Cas arrays, and prophages encoding a repertoire of counter-defense anti-CRISPR proteins. Genomic architecture analysis revealed widespread co-localization of BGCs, prophages, and defense systems into functional genomic islands, suggesting a synergistic linkage between secondary metabolism and phage resistance. This study illuminates the remarkable biosynthetic and defensive landscape of Iranian extremophiles, highlighting them as a premier resource for discovering novel natural products and understanding virus-host evolutionary dynamics.
This study explored the synthesis of the hydrogel nanocomposite based on gum Arabic (GA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) reinforced with Fe2O3 nanoparticles incorporated onto nanocellulose (NC-Fe). The water absorbencies of the hydrogels varied from 33.1 to 217.1 g/g, depending on Fe/NC and cross-linker content, as well as PVA molecular weight. The SEM images of the hydrogels revealed that the presence of Fe/NC led to smaller pores in the hydrogel matrix (i.e., pore size range of 6.9-50 mu m in hydrogel nanocomposite vs. 8.3-63.3 mu m in the pristine hydrogel). The immobilization of a metagenomic laccase (PersiLac3) onto the hydrogels provided an efficient, innovative, and multi-functional system for the removal of the antibiotic tetracycline (TC) from water. Immobilizing PersiLac3 on both the pristine hydrogel (PVA-GA-hydrogel) and the hydrogel nanocomposite (PVA-GA-hydrogel/NC-Fe) remarkably boosted its performance in TC removal compared to the free enzyme. At an initial TC concentration of 500 mg/L, the maximum removal reached 83 %, 67 %, and 38 % for PersiLac3@PVA-GA-hydrogel/NC-Fe, PersiLac3@PVA-GA-hydrogel, and the free PersiLac3, respectively, within 60 min. Moreover, the TC removal performance of the neat hydrogels (48 % for PVA-GA-hydrogel/NC-Fe and 17 % for PVA-GA-hydrogel) suggested that the antibiotic was eliminated through the combined processes of adsorption by the hydrogels and enzymatic degradation by PersiLac3. Addition of NC-Fe in the hydrogel played a bi-functional role in TC removal: it reduced the pore size, thereby increasing TC sorption by the hydrogel, and it acted as a Fenton-like catalyst in TC degradation. Finally, the immobilized enzyme demonstrated superior stability in harsh environments compared to the free enzyme, removing 70 % of TC after six consecutive runs. This is the first report on the potential application of the bio-based PVA-GA/Fe-NC hydrogel as a robust, reusable, and eco-friendly carrier for metagenomic laccase in antibiotic degradation, offering a novel strategy for sustainable water treatment.
An efficient in vitro regeneration system was developed for potted Calla lily (Zantedeschia spp.) cultivars ‘Sun Club’, ‘Orania’, and ‘Zazu’, spanning from callus induction to flowering via indirect organogenesis. Various explants microtubers, leaf segments, meristems, and proliferative basal clusters (PBCs) derived from in vitro-grown plantlets were evaluated under different plant growth regulator (PGR) regimes, with the addition of fipexide (FPX) as a biostimulant to enhance morphogenic performance and accelerate culture progression. Among the explants tested, PBCs exhibited the highest regenerative potential, achieving callus induction frequencies of 85
Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) serve as biochemical factories producing valuable secondary metabolites, yet their potential is limited by low yields, tissue-specific accumulation, and co-production of toxic compounds. Traditional improvement methods have achieved only incremental gains, highlighting the need for precision metabolic engineering. CRISPR/Cas genome editing has revolutionized this field by enabling targeted modifications from gene knockouts to single-nucleotide changes. This review examines core strategies in applying genome editing to engineer MAP metabolic pathways, including gene disruption, transcriptional modulation, and multiplex editing to redirect flux, eliminate competing pathways, and remove toxic branches. Case studies demonstrate successes in alkaloid engineering—such as clean chemotypes with pure hyoscyamine in Atropa belladonna (>50% yield increase) and detoxified Symphytum officinale—and terpenoid enhancement with three-fold glycyrrhizin increase in licorice through combined blocking and overexpression. These examples showcase CRISPR's surgical precision for improving pharmaceutical purity, safety, and production efficiency. We discuss integration with multi-omics for systems-level optimization and explore emerging frontiers including base editing, prime editing, and CRISPR-directed evolution for enzyme optimization. As these technologies mature, genome editing will transform MAPs into customizable cellular factories delivering sustainable, high-value bioproducts.
