Effect of aluminum and iron on lipid metabolism in aquatic invertebrates

Methods of thin-layer, gas-liquid, and liquid chromatography were applied to the study of the effect of various concentrations of aluminum and iron salts on the contents of phospholipids, cholesterol, and fatty acids in the aquatic invertebrate Hydropsyche contubernalis L. (Trichoptera). It was found that the effect of the metals under study on lipid contents in living organisms depended on the composition of the aqueous medium and concentrations of the metals. Aluminum and iron altered the value of the cholesterol-to-phospholipid molar ratio. In the absence of lethal effects, this was indicative of attempts to switch adaptational biochemical mechanisms to stabilize cellular structures.     

Hyperactivation of STAT3 is involved in abnormal differentiation of dendritic cells in cancer

Abnormal differentiation of myeloid cells is one of the hallmarks of cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms of this process remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the effect of tumor-derived factors on Janus kinase (Jak)/STAT signaling in myeloid cells during their differentiation into dendritic cells. Tumor cell conditioned medium induced activation of Jak2 and STAT3, which was associated with an accumulation of immature myeloid cells. Jak2/STAT3 activity was localized primarily in these myeloid cells, which prevented the differentiation of immature myeloid cells into mature dendritic cells. This differentiation was restored after removal of tumor-derived factors. Inhibition of STAT3 abrogated the negative effects of these factors on myeloid cell differentiation, and overexpression of STAT3 reproduced the effects of tumor-derived factors. Thus, this is a first demonstration that tumor-derived factors may affect myeloid cell differentiation in cancer via constitutive activation of Jak2/STAT3.     

The genetic sequelae of irradiation in mammals (a review of the literature)

The problem of hereditary effects of mammal exposure to ionizing radiation has a 95-year history but to date, no simple final solution has been available. Many papers on this problem specify the dependence of the hereditary effects on dose rate, regime, physical nature of radiation exposure, type, line and age of mammals that were studied. Over many years it was studied mainly as an aspect of hereditary radiation effects in progeny of one irradiated and the second non-irradiated parents. Recently due to the large-scale expansion of ionizing irradiation, it has turned out urgent to study hereditary radiation effects in progeny of both irradiated parents. However, the original studies on this problem are not numerous, and in the summarized articles, the problem practically had no specified presentation.     

Preparation of an active strain of Bacillus licheniformis--producer of thermostable alpha-amylase

A highly potent strain of Bacillus licheniformis 103 that synthesized thermostable alpha-amylase with temperature and pH optima of 90-95 degrees C and 6.0-8.5, respectively, was obtained by mutagenesis and selection. The composition of fermentation media and conditions for submerged cultivation of the producer were optimized. alpha-Amylase whose activity reached 260 U/ml was obtained in laboratory fermenters.     

Lipid Profile of the Young Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar L. in the Letnyaya Zolotitsa River (Arkhangelsk Oblast,White Sea Basin)

Journal of Ichthyology - The lipid status of juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. at the age of 0+, 1+, 2+, and 3+ was studied in the Letnyaya Zolotitsa River (the White Sea basin) in August...     

The biochemical variability of the lipid status of juveniles of the brown trout <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmo trutta</Emphasis> L. inhabiting rivers belonging to the watershed area of the White Sea

The lipid status of juveniles of different ages (0+, 1+, 2+, and 4+) has been studied for the brown trout inhabiting the Ol’khovka and Indera rivers (the White Sea watershed area). A higher lipid status (due to particular lipid classes) has been registered for the young-of-the-year compared to older age groups; these differences were preconditioned by the quality and the quantity of the food sources. Age-dependent metabolic activity may also affect the quantitative differences, including variations in the particular groups of lipids, in juveniles of the brown trout of various ages, especially in smolts.     

Polymorphism of intron 2 of the SDF1 gene in Galloway, Hereford, and Russian Black Pied cattle

The region of intron 2 of the SDF1 gene encoding a chemokine of the CXC subfamily has been resequenced in Galloway, Hereford, and Black Pied cattle. Five of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were earlier detected by other authors in various breeds of cattle in North America (99C/G, 128T/C, 206C/T, 267C/G and 313C/T) have been found. The 270insC polymorphic marker has proved to be monomorphic in Russian cattle breeds. Hereford cattle significantly differ from Galloway and Black Pied cattle in the frequencies of some SNP variants and their combinations. The number of SNP combinations in Hereford and Galloway cattle exceeds that in Black Pied cattle.