harvester ants are known as one of the most renowned bio-disturbances in the arid and semi-arid ecosystems that affecte vegetation by collecting seeds and harvesting plants. it seems that physiognomy of plant association in steppe shrub land of roodshoor, saveh, iran has been highly changed by harvester ants’ activities that caused to conduct this research. the study was carried out on active a...

background : the present study was undertaken to ascertain whether (or not) long term occupational exposure to low (sub-tlv levels) atmospheric concentrations of chlorine gas was associated with any significant decrements in the parameters of pulmonary function and/or  increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms. methods : in this retrospective cohort study that was performed in 2012, 54 worke...

Background: Defensin peptide isolated from plants are often heterogeneous in length, sequence and structure, but they are mostly small, cationic and amphipathic. Plant defensins exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi and etc. Plant defensins also play an important role in innate immunity, such as he...

The aim of this review is to present the current state of knowledge on plant chitinases and their regulation and function. Chitinases are up-regulated by a variety of stress conditions, both biotic and abiotic, and by such phytohormones as ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid. Like other PR proteins, chitinases play a role in plant resistance against distinct pathogens. Moreover, by redu...

Peroxisomes are eukaryotic organelles that are highly dynamic both in morphology and metabolism. Plant peroxisomes are involved in numerous processes, including primary and secondary metabolism, development, and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Considerable progress has been made in the identification of factors involved in peroxisomal biogenesis, revealing mechanisms that are both sha...