Multiple forms of serum amylase and alkaline phosphatase in ontogenesis of Pekingese duck strain 102

Blood serum amylase and alkaline phosphatase were studied in ontogenesis of 102 line Pekin ducks. It is established that in the individuals of the first generation the amount of the multiple enzyme forms decreased with ageing (in the studied periods of ontogenesis). Variations were also observed in a set of amylase and alkaline phosphatase in change of generations. These variations might be an evidence for shifts in the genic balance of a duckpopulation from a large commercial farm. This resulted in a considerable decrease of the duck live weight. An essential increase in the activity of multiple forms of blood serum amylase and alkaline phosphatase in the postnatal period of duck ontogenesis could correlate with ontogenetic variability of the repeats of the corresponding structural genes (DNA repeats), the variability being one of mechanisms regulating the duck growth.     

Biologically active polypeptides of sea anemones: Structure, function, and prospects for application

This paper presents the results of a structure-functional study of neurotoxins, actinoporins, and proteinase inhibitors from the tropical sea anemone Heteractis crispa (= Radianthus macrodactylus) and the low boreal sea anemone Oulactis orientalis. The new data significantly contribute to the knowledge of the mechanisms of action of polypeptides from marine coelenterates and can be useful for solving practical problems of the biotechnological development of medicines.     

Depolymerization of high-molecular-weight chitosan by the enzyme preparation Celloviridine G20x

A low-molecular-weight water-soluble chitosan was obtained from high-molecular-weight crab chitosan using the enzyme preparation Celloviridine G20x. Optimum conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysis were designed. The reaction should be performed for 4 h in a sodium-acetate buffer (pH 5.2) at 55 degrees C and the enzyme to substrate ratio of 1:400. Fractional extraction of chitosan hydrolysate by aqueous ethanol (ethanol: distilled water) yielded fractions with molecular weights in the range 3.2-26.4 kDa.     

Intestinal microflora and concomitant gastrointestinal diseases in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C

In chronic viral hepatitis B and C the development of intestinal dysbacteriosis and high occurrence of concomitant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract were observed. In cases of increased dysbacteriosis degree and in the presence of concomitant diseases the blood plasma of patients exhibited higher activity in reaction with the of amebocytes lysate obtained from crabs of the genus Limulus. A suggestion was made that the endotoxin of Gram negative intestinal microflora could probably play some role in the development of pathological processes in chronic viral hepatitis B and C.     

Highly effective production of biologically active,secreted, human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by recombinant vaccinia virus

The recombinant vaccinia virus strain VV-GMCSF-S1/3, which contains an insertion of full-length DNA copy of messenger RNA of human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the structural part of the viral thymidine kinase gene, was obtained. The expression of the GM-CSF gene as a part of the recombinant virus is under the control of the native vaccinia virus promoter р7.5K; this results in the production of a mature form of the secreted protein with a molecular mass of 32 kDa. The biological activity of GM-CSF was evaluated by stimulation of the proliferation of cytokine-dependent human TF-1 erythroleukemia cells. The secretion level of biologically active human GM-CSF in the system of recombinant vaccinia virus/mammalian cells was 1–40 μg/mL of culture medium. The recombinant strain VV-GMCSF-S1/3 can be used as a producer of the glycosylated mature form of human GM-CSF, as well as a vector for the construction of oncolytic viruses and multivalent vaccine preparations.     

Cytogenetic abnormalities in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings from natural populations and an introduction plantation

Comparative studies of the frequency and spectrum of pathological mitoses (PMs), as well as of the nucleolus number in the interphase nucleus, in cells of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings were carried out in two natural populations of Ukrainian Polesie and plants from an introduction plantation in Donbass. Low levels of PMs in the seed progeny of the populations (0.32?C0.38%) and a slightly higher level in the plantation progeny (0.40%) are established. The number of nucleoli was somewhat higher in the progeny of the populations (5.35?C5.85) than that of the plantation plants (4.95). The PMs frequency was higher (0.43%) in the progeny of low-heterozygous plants than in highly heterozygous ones (0.28%).     

New actinoporins from sea anemone <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heteractis crispa</Emphasis>: Cloning and functional expression

A new actinoporin Hct-S4 (molecular mass 19,414 ± 10 Da) belonging to the sphingomyelin-inhibited α-pore forming toxin (α-PFT) family was isolated from the tropical sea anemone Heteractis crispa (also called Radianthus macrodactylus) and purified by methods of protein chemistry. The N-terminal nucleotide sequence (encoding 20 amino acid residues) of actinoporin Hct-S4 was determined. Genes encoding 18 new isoforms of H. crispa actinoporins were cloned and sequenced. These genes form a multigene Hct-S family characterized by presence of N-terminal serine in the mature proteins. Highly conserved residues comprising the aromatic phosphorylcholine-binding site and significant structure-function changes in the N-terminal segment (10–27 amino acid residues) of actinoporins were established. Two expressed recombinant actinoporins (rHct-S5 and rHct-S6) were one order less hemolytically active than native actinoporins.