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Retchin M, Wang Y, Takaba K, Chodera JD. DrugGym: A testbed for the economics of autonomous drug discovery. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.28.596296. [PMID: 38854082 PMCID: PMC11160604 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.28.596296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Drug discovery is stochastic. The effectiveness of candidate compounds in satisfying design objectives is unknown ahead of time, and the tools used for prioritization-predictive models and assays-are inaccurate and noisy. In a typical discovery campaign, thousands of compounds may be synthesized and tested before design objectives are achieved, with many others ideated but deprioritized. These challenges are well-documented, but assessing potential remedies has been difficult. We introduce DrugGym, a framework for modeling the stochastic process of drug discovery. Emulating biochemical assays with realistic surrogate models, we simulate the progression from weak hits to sub-micromolar leads with viable ADME. We use this testbed to examine how different ideation, scoring, and decision-making strategies impact statistical measures of utility, such as the probability of program success within predefined budgets and the expected costs to achieve target candidate profile (TCP) goals. We also assess the influence of affinity model inaccuracy, chemical creativity, batch size, and multi-step reasoning. Our findings suggest that reducing affinity model inaccuracy from 2 to 0.5 pIC50 units improves budget-constrained success rates tenfold. DrugGym represents a realistic testbed for machine learning methods applied to the hit-to-lead phase. Source code is available at www.drug-gym.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Retchin
- Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Computational Biology and Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Yuanqing Wang
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Simons Center for Computational Chemistry and Center for Data Science, New York University, New York, NY 10004
| | - Kenichiro Takaba
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Pharmaceutical Research Center, Advanced Drug Discovery, Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, Shizuoka 410-2321, Japan
| | - John D. Chodera
- Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Computational Biology and Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY 10065
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
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2
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Kairys V, Baranauskiene L, Kazlauskiene M, Zubrienė A, Petrauskas V, Matulis D, Kazlauskas E. Recent advances in computational and experimental protein-ligand affinity determination techniques. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:649-670. [PMID: 38715415 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2024.2349169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Modern drug discovery revolves around designing ligands that target the chosen biomolecule, typically proteins. For this, the evaluation of affinities of putative ligands is crucial. This has given rise to a multitude of dedicated computational and experimental methods that are constantly being developed and improved. AREAS COVERED In this review, the authors reassess both the industry mainstays and the newest trends among the methods for protein - small-molecule affinity determination. They discuss both computational affinity predictions and experimental techniques, describing their basic principles, main limitations, and advantages. Together, this serves as initial guide to the currently most popular and cutting-edge ligand-binding assays employed in rational drug design. EXPERT OPINION The affinity determination methods continue to develop toward miniaturization, high-throughput, and in-cell application. Moreover, the availability of data analysis tools has been constantly increasing. Nevertheless, cross-verification of data using at least two different techniques and careful result interpretation remain of utmost importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Visvaldas Kairys
- Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Lina Baranauskiene
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | | | - Asta Zubrienė
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Petrauskas
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Daumantas Matulis
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Egidijus Kazlauskas
- Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Schmidt B, Hildebrandt A. From GPUs to AI and quantum: three waves of acceleration in bioinformatics. Drug Discov Today 2024; 29:103990. [PMID: 38663581 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2024.103990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The enormous growth in the amount of data generated by the life sciences is continuously shifting the field from model-driven science towards data-driven science. The need for efficient processing has led to the adoption of massively parallel accelerators such as graphics processing units (GPUs). Consequently, the development of bioinformatics methods nowadays often heavily depends on the effective use of these powerful technologies. Furthermore, progress in computational techniques and architectures continues to be highly dynamic, involving novel deep neural network models and artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators, and potentially quantum processing units in the future. These are expected to be disruptive for the life sciences as a whole and for drug discovery in particular. Here, we identify three waves of acceleration and their applications in a bioinformatics context: (i) GPU computing, (ii) AI and (iii) next-generation quantum computers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertil Schmidt
- Institut für Informatik, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
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Khizer H, Maryam A, Ansari A, Ahmad MS, Khalid RR. Leveraging shape screening and molecular dynamics simulations to optimize PARP1-Specific chemo/radio-potentiators for antitumor drug design. Arch Biochem Biophys 2024; 756:110010. [PMID: 38642632 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.110010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
PARP1 plays a pivotal role in DNA repair within the base excision pathway, making it a promising therapeutic target for cancers involving BRCA mutations. Current study is focused on the discovery of PARP inhibitors with enhanced selectivity for PARP1. Concurrent inhibition of PARP1 with PARP2 and PARP3 affects cellular functions, potentially causing DNA damage accumulation and disrupting immune responses. In step 1, a virtual library of 593 million compounds has been screened using a shape-based screening approach to narrow down the promising scaffolds. In step 2, hierarchical docking approach embedded in Schrödinger suite was employed to select compounds with good dock score, drug-likeness and MMGBSA score. Analysis supplemented with decomposition energy, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and hydrogen bond frequency analysis, pinpointed that active site residues; H862, G863, R878, M890, Y896 and F897 are crucial for specific binding of ZINC001258189808 and ZINC000092332196 with PARP1 as compared to PARP2 and PARP3. The binding of ZINC000656130962, ZINC000762230673, ZINC001332491123, and ZINC000579446675 also revealed interaction involving two additional active site residues of PARP1, namely N767 and E988. Weaker or no interaction was observed for these residues with PARP2 and PARP3. This approach advances our understanding of PARP-1 specific inhibitors and their mechanisms of action, facilitating the development of targeted therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hifza Khizer
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Arooma Maryam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Adnan Ansari
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Sajjad Ahmad
- School of Chemical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300401, PR China
| | - Rana Rehan Khalid
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Bryant P, Kelkar A, Guljas A, Clementi C, Noé F. Structure prediction of protein-ligand complexes from sequence information with Umol. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4536. [PMID: 38806453 PMCID: PMC11133481 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48837-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein-ligand docking is an established tool in drug discovery and development to narrow down potential therapeutics for experimental testing. However, a high-quality protein structure is required and often the protein is treated as fully or partially rigid. Here we develop an AI system that can predict the fully flexible all-atom structure of protein-ligand complexes directly from sequence information. We find that classical docking methods are still superior, but depend upon having crystal structures of the target protein. In addition to predicting flexible all-atom structures, predicted confidence metrics (plDDT) can be used to select accurate predictions as well as to distinguish between strong and weak binders. The advances presented here suggest that the goal of AI-based drug discovery is one step closer, but there is still a way to go to grasp the complexity of protein-ligand interactions fully. Umol is available at: https://github.com/patrickbryant1/Umol .
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Bryant
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 12, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- The Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Science for Life Laboratory, 172 21, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Atharva Kelkar
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 12, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea Guljas
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 12, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cecilia Clementi
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 12, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Noé
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 12, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 12, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Karl-Liebknecht Str. 32, 10178, Berlin, Germany
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Sprenger HG, Mittenbühler MJ, Sun Y, Van Vranken JG, Schindler S, Jayaraj A, Khetarpal SA, Vargas-Castillo A, Puszynska AM, Spinelli JB, Armani A, Kunchok T, Ryback B, Seo HS, Song K, Sebastian L, O'Young C, Braithwaite C, Dhe-Paganon S, Burger N, Mills EL, Gygi SP, Arthanari H, Chouchani ET, Sabatini DM, Spiegelman BM. Ergothioneine boosts mitochondrial respiration and exercise performance via direct activation of MPST. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.10.588849. [PMID: 38645260 PMCID: PMC11030429 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.10.588849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Ergothioneine (EGT) is a diet-derived, atypical amino acid that accumulates to high levels in human tissues. Reduced EGT levels have been linked to age-related disorders, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, while EGT supplementation is protective in a broad range of disease and aging models in mice. Despite these promising data, the direct and physiologically relevant molecular target of EGT has remained elusive. Here we use a systematic approach to identify how mitochondria remodel their metabolome in response to exercise training. From this data, we find that EGT accumulates in muscle mitochondria upon exercise training. Proteome-wide thermal stability studies identify 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MPST) as a direct molecular target of EGT; EGT binds to and activates MPST, thereby boosting mitochondrial respiration and exercise training performance in mice. Together, these data identify the first physiologically relevant EGT target and establish the EGT-MPST axis as a molecular mechanism for regulating mitochondrial function and exercise performance.
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7
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Das S, Merz KM. Molecular Gas-Phase Conformational Ensembles. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:749-760. [PMID: 38206321 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Accurately determining the global minima of a molecular structure is important in diverse scientific fields, including drug design, materials science, and chemical synthesis. Conformational search engines serve as valuable tools for exploring the extensive conformational space of molecules and for identifying energetically favorable conformations. In this study, we present a comparison of Auto3D, CREST, Balloon, and ETKDG (from RDKit), which are freely available conformational search engines, to evaluate their effectiveness in locating global minima. These engines employ distinct methodologies, including machine learning (ML) potential-based, semiempirical, and force field-based approaches. To validate these methods, we propose the use of collisional cross-section (CCS) values obtained from ion mobility-mass spectrometry studies. We hypothesize that experimental gas-phase CCS values can provide experimental evidence that we likely have the global minimum for a given molecule. To facilitate this effort, we used our gas-phase conformation library (GPCL) which currently consists of the full ensembles of 20 small molecules and can be used by the community to validate any conformational search engine. Further members of the GPCL can be readily created for any molecule of interest using our standard workflow used to compute CCS values, expanding the ability of the GPCL in validation exercises. These innovative validation techniques enhance our understanding of the conformational landscape and provide valuable insights into the performance of conformational generation engines. Our findings shed light on the strengths and limitations of each search engine, enabling informed decisions for their utilization in various scientific fields, where accurate molecular structure determination is crucial for understanding biological activity and designing targeted interventions. By facilitating the identification of reliable conformations, this study significantly contributes to enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of molecular structure determination, with particular focus on metabolite structure elucidation. The findings of this research also provide valuable insights for developing effective workflows for predicting the structures of unknown compounds with high precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanta Das
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, 578 S. Shaw Lane, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Kenneth M Merz
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, 578 S. Shaw Lane, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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8
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Chakrabarti M, Tan YS, Balius TE. Considerations Around Structure-Based Drug Discovery for KRAS Using DOCK. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2797:67-90. [PMID: 38570453 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3822-4_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Molecular docking is a popular computational tool in drug discovery. Leveraging structural information, docking software predicts binding poses of small molecules to cavities on the surfaces of proteins. Virtual screening for ligand discovery is a useful application of docking software. In this chapter, using the enigmatic KRAS protein as an example system, we endeavor to teach the reader about best practices for performing molecular docking with UCSF DOCK. We discuss methods for virtual screening and docking molecules on KRAS. We present the following six points to optimize our docking setup for prosecuting a virtual screen: protein structure choice, pocket selection, optimization of the scoring function, modification of sampling spheres and sampling procedures, choosing an appropriate portion of chemical space to dock, and the choice of which top scoring molecules to pick for purchase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayukh Chakrabarti
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Y Stanley Tan
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Trent E Balius
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA.
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9
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Zha J, Su J, Li T, Cao C, Ma Y, Wei H, Huang Z, Qian L, Wen K, Zhang J. Encoding Molecular Docking for Quantum Computers. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:9018-9024. [PMID: 38090816 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Molecular docking is important in drug discovery but is burdensome for classical computers. Here, we introduce Grid Point Matching (GPM) and Feature Atom Matching (FAM) to accelerate pose sampling in molecular docking by encoding the problem into quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) models so that it could be solved by quantum computers like the coherent Ising machine (CIM). As a result, GPM shows a sampling power close to that of Glide SP, a method performing an extensive search. Moreover, it is estimated to be 1000 times faster on the CIM than on classical computers. Our methods could boost virtual drug screening of small molecules and peptides in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyin Zha
- Beijing QBoson Quantum Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, China
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Jiaqi Su
- Beijing QBoson Quantum Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, China
| | - Tiange Li
- Beijing QBoson Quantum Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, China
| | - Chongyu Cao
- Beijing QBoson Quantum Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, China
| | - Yin Ma
- Beijing QBoson Quantum Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, China
| | - Hai Wei
- Beijing QBoson Quantum Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, China
| | - Zhiguo Huang
- China Mobile (Suzhou) Software Technology Company Limited, Suzhou 215163, China
| | - Ling Qian
- China Mobile (Suzhou) Software Technology Company Limited, Suzhou 215163, China
| | - Kai Wen
- Beijing QBoson Quantum Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
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Yu L, Wang X, Tang C, Wang H, Rabbani Nasab H, Kang Z, Wang J. Genome-Wide Characterization of Berberine Bridge Enzyme Gene Family in Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and the Positive Regulatory Role of TaBBE64 in Response to Wheat Stripe Rust. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:19986-19999. [PMID: 38063491 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c06280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Berberine bridge enzymes (BBEs), functioning as carbonate oxidases, enhance disease resistance in Arabidopsis and tobacco. However, the understanding of BBEs' role in monocots against pathogens remains limited. This study identified 81 TaBBEs with FAD_binding_4 and BBE domains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a separation of the BBE gene family between monocots and dicots. Notably, RNA-seq showed TaBBE64's significant induction by both pathogen-associated molecular pattern treatment and Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) infection at early stages. Subcellular localization revealed TaBBE64 at the cytoplasmic membrane. Knocking down TaBBE64 compromised wheat's Pst resistance, reducing reactive oxygen species and promoting fungal growth, confirming its positive role. Molecular docking and enzyme activity assays confirmed TaBBE64's glucose oxidation to produce H2O2. Since Pst relies on living wheat cells for carbohydrate absorption, TaBBE64's promotion of glucose oxidation limits fungal growth and resists pathogen infection. This study sheds light on BBEs' role in wheat resistance against biotrophic fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ligang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
| | - Xiaojie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
| | - Chunlei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
| | - Huiqing Wang
- Plant Protection Station of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830006, Xinjiang, P. R. China
| | - Hojjatollah Rabbani Nasab
- Plant Protection Research Department, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centre of Golestan Province, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Gorgan 999067, Iran
| | - Zhensheng Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
| | - Jianfeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
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