Effect of water quality on the spatial distribution of charophytes in the Peshawar Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The presented research was conducted in 2018–2019 in the Peshawar Valley, Pakistan, to study for the first time the effect of water quality on the spatial distribution of charophytes. A total of six taxa of charophytes were found at 41 sites in the Peshawar Valley along the banks of seven rivers, 16 streams and two wetlands: Chara braunii C.C.Gmelin, C. connivens Salzmann ex A. Braun, C. contraria A. Braun ex Kützing, C. globularis Thuiller, C. vulgaris Linnaeus, and Nitellopsis obtusa (Desvaux) J. Groves. Chara vulgaris was the most abundant species, followed by C. globularis, and C. contraria. Water pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) were within the permissible limits for Pakistan, while water temperature, oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and resistivity showed deviations. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that DO affected Chara vulgaris, pH and resistivity affected C. braunii, C. connivens and C. globularis, temperature and ORP affected C. contraria and Nitellopsis obtusa. Furthermore, CCA showed that TDS, EC, and salinity had no effect on the spatial distribution of Chara contraria, C. vulgaris and Nitellopsis obtusa. Chara contraria and Nitellopsis obtusa should be protected under VU (Vulnerable) status (IUCN) along with their habitats.

Mitochondrial mRNA Processing in the Chlorophyte Alga Pediastrum duplex and Streptophyte Alga Chara vulgaris Reveals an Evolutionary Branch in Mitochondrial mRNA Processing

Mitochondria carry the remnant of an ancestral bacterial chromosome and express those genes with a system separate and distinct from the nucleus. Mitochondrial genes are transcribed as poly-cistronic primary transcripts which are post-transcriptionally processed to create individual translationally competent mRNAs. Algae post-transcriptional processing has only been explored in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Class: Chlorophyceae) and the mature mRNAs are different than higher plants, having no 5′ UnTranslated Regions (UTRs), much shorter and more variable 3′ UTRs and polycytidylated mature mRNAs. In this study, we analyzed transcript termini using circular RT-PCR and PacBio Iso-Seq to survey the 3′ and 5′ UTRs and termini for two green algae, Pediastrum duplex (Class: Chlorophyceae) and Chara vulgaris (Class: Charophyceae). This enabled the comparison of processing in the chlorophyte and charophyte clades of green algae to determine if the differences in mitochondrial mRNA processing pre-date the invasion of land by embryophytes. We report that the 5′ mRNA termini and non-template 3′ termini additions in P. duplex resemble those of C. reinhardtii, suggesting a conservation of mRNA processing among the chlorophyceae. We also report that C. vulgaris mRNA UTRs are much longer than chlorophytic examples, lack polycytidylation, and are polyadenylated similar to embryophytes. This demonstrates that some mitochondrial mRNA processing events diverged with the split between chlorophytic and streptophytic algae.

Blocking the Bromodomains Function Contributes to Disturbances in Alga Chara vulgaris Spermatids Differentiation

Bromodomain containing (BRD) proteins play an essential role in many cellular processes. The aim of this study was to estimate activity of bromodomains during alga Chara vulgaris spermatids differentiation. The effect of a bromodomain inhibitor, JQ1 (100 μM), on the distribution of individual stages of spermatids and their ultrastructure was studied. The material was Feulgen stained and analysed in an electron microscope. JQ1 caused shortening of the early stages of spermiogenesis and a reverse reaction at the later stages. Additionally, in the same antheridium, spermatids at distant developmental stages were present. On the ultrastructural level, chromatin fibril system disorders and significantly distended endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cisternae already at the early stages were observed. Many autolytic vacuoles were also visible. The ultrastructural disturbances intensified after prolonged treatment with JQ1. The obtained data show that JQ1 treatment led to changes in the spermatid number and disturbances in chromatin condensation and to cytoplasm reduction. The current studies show some similarities between C. vulgaris and mammals spermiogenesis. Taken together, these results suggest that JQ1 interferes with the spermatid differentiation on many interdependent levels and seems to induce ER stress, which leads to spermatid degeneration. Studies on the role of bromodomains in algae spermiogenesis have not been conducted so far.

Assessment of Phytoremediation Potential of Chara vulgaris to Treat Toxic Pollutants of Textile Effluent

Textile effluent released into water bodies is prone to be toxic for aquatic flora and fauna. In the present study, the phytoremediation potential of Chara vulgaris (C. vulgaris) is investigated for treatment of textile effluent. The highly concentrated and toxic textile effluent is diluted to different concentrations 10%, 25%, 50%, and 75% to check the accessibility of macroalgae to bear pollutant load of textile effluent. The toxicity of textile effluent is analysed by determining different water quality parameters, namely, pH, TDS, BOD, COD, and EC. The maximum reductions in TDS (68%), COD (78%), BOD (82%), and EC (86%) were found in the 10% concentrated textile effluent after 120 h of treatment. The highly concentrated textile effluent showed its toxic effect on macroalgae and it was found unable to show a remarkable change in water quality parameters of 75% and 100% textile effluent. The correlation coefficient values are determined using correlation matrix to identify the high correlation between different water quality parameters. The removal of toxic organic pollutants by C. vulgaris was confirmed by using UV-visible absorption spectra. Typical X-ray spectra recorded using EDXRF technique indicated the presence of heavy metals Cd in the dried sample of macroalgae after treatment which show its capability to remove toxic heavy metals from textile effluent. The reliability model has been proposed for treated textile effluents to identify percentage level of toxicity tolerance of waste water by macroalgae.

The activity of extracts chara vulgaris against promastigotes of leishmania tropica.

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by Leishmania parasite, this disease considers as a major health problem worldwide. The available therapy is unsatisfactory expensive with a cytotoxic side effects. Studies of marine algae as a source of pharmacological active compounds have increased worldwide. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of a type of green algae (Chara vulgaris) on promastigotes of L. tropica, by using. various concentrations (500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6 µg/mL) in vitro by MTT assay [3-(4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2.5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide)], to investigate its effect on the proliferation of promastigotes, by three incubation periods (24, 48, 72 hr.) The results showed a significant (p< 0.05) decrease in survived of promastigotes in treatment groups with concentrations that ranged between 15 to 500 μg/ ml. This study revealed a major growth inhibition effect of the organic extract of C. vulgaris against L. tropica promastigotes, and the extract of ethyl acetate showed potential activity is better than the aqueous extract.