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In this research, plant morphology and pollen micromorphology of 14 populations of 3 species belonging to two sections Plethiosphace and Hemisphace of Salvia genus in Iran were studied. In the morphological study 25 quantitative and qualitative characters were investigated and the results clearly separated the species into two groups. The pollen grains from the herbarium specimens were prepared by acetolysis method and then 4 quantitative characters were examined by light microscopy. Data was processed by principal component analysis method. Results indicated that although the pollen grains in the section were comparatively homogenous and all of them were 6-colpate with reticulate ornamentation, a considerable variation in the quantitative characters studied turned out to exist. However among the characters studied, equatorial and polar diameters of pollen grains were the most significant and based on these characters the members of these sections can be divided into two groups.

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Rhizospheric bacteria are among the beneficial soil microorganisms that improve plant growth. These bacteria increase plant growth through various mechanisms such as the production of various phytohormones and the ability to solubilize phosphate. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of rhizosphere bacteria on the growth of Carthamus tinctorius to improve its physiological and biochemical indicators. Carthamus tinctorius seeds were inoculated with five isolates of rhizosphere bacteria and were then planted the seeds in pots. Subsequently, the physiological and biochemical parameters of the plants, including the rates of auxin production, phosphate dissolving, photosynthetic pigments and the contents of proline and malondialdehyde were measured. For this purpose, a factorial experiment were conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. The ANOVA was performed and a comparison of the means was carried out using Duncan’s multiple range test. The results indicated that the largest stem fresh weight, root fresh and dry weights observed in the treatments of using Pseudomonas fluorescens (auxin concentration of 23.55 μg/mL) and Bacillus muralis (auxin concentration of 22.27 μg/mL). In addition, all bacterial species increased the safflower seed germination rate compared to the control group. The largest malondialdehyde content was recorded in the treatment with Bacillus albus, and MDA content decreased in the treatments that produced larger amounts of auxin. In general, the finding of this research suggested that bacterial inoculation was capable to significantly affect the growth of safflower and improve its qualitative and quantitative growth parameters.
 

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Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), also known as FGF-2, is a crucial member of the fibroblast growth factor family, involved in a variety of biological functions including cellular proliferation, wound healing, angiogenesis, intercellular signalling, and cell differentiation, In contemporary stem cell research, serum-free media enriched with various additives and growth factors are employed, and among these, bFGF being particularly significant. Despite its extensive potential applications, the clinical utilization of bFGF is limited due to its instability, especially in aqueous environment. Therefore, a thorough investigation of the protein's structural integrity and stability is essential. This study focuses on the expression, purification, and characterization of bFGF for structural and stability analysis through biophysical methods. Intrinsic fluorescence measurement indicated a structural alteration surrounding the tryptophan residue, while circular dichroism (CD) analysis showed a decrease in the protein’s secondary structure. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) used for stability analysis. Furthermore, the study aims to evaluate the biological activity of the protein in cellular context. For this purpose, gold nanoparticles were synthesized. The results from the Cell Migration Assay indicated that the proliferation of HT29 cells was enhanced following treatment with bFGF in conjunction with gold nanoparticles. Also, a MTT assay was conducted.