Enzyme indicator of the immunobiologic activity of antigens

The test-system has been elaborated for the determination of the ability of different antigens in the cultures of the mouse peritoneal macrophages. Measuring an intracellular acid phosphatase activity, reflecting the extent of the cell activation, was taken as a principle of this test-system. With the help of this test-system ability of a few antigens (lipopolysaccharide, polysaccharide, glycoprotein, protein and low molecular weight substances--peptide and glycopeptide) have been studied. It is testified that above mentioned antigens possessed different effects on the acid phosphatase activity.     

Biological properties of an asparaginase-glutaminase preparation from Pseudomonas fluorescens in cell cultures]

Specific L-asparaginase activity and non-specific cytotoxicity of asparaginase-glutaminase preparation from Pseudomonas fluorescens were studied. Two cell lines, i.e. the asparaginase-dependent (Berkitt lymphoma cells) and the asparaginase-independent (the ovary cancer cells) were used as the test-system. Incorporation of 3H-timidine into DNA was used as the criterion of the drug effect on the cells. Krasnitin was used as the reference preparation. The preparation of asparaginase-glutaminase was inferior to krasnitine by its specific antitumour asparaginase activity and superior to it by the general cytotoxicity in the cells of CaOv. With the help of the above test-system it is possible to study the specific asparaginase activity of the drugs containing L-asparaginase. For studying the specific glutaminase properties it is necessary to develop another cell test-system.     

Derivatives of phosphonate and vinyl phosphate analogs of D-ribose 5-phosphate

Propanal thiosemicarbazone (1a) showed activity in preventing anaphylactic shock in a mouse test-system; it also had some activity in stunting the growth of Botrytis allii. Hexanal thiosemicarbazone (1b) was active in the Botrytis allii test-system, and citral thiosemicarbazone (2) and citral guanylhydrazone nitrate (3) showed some activity in the same test-system. Heptanal guanylhydrazone nitrate (4) had some antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and D-threo-pentosulose bis(thiosemicarbazone) (5) prevented anaphylactic shock in the mouse test-system. D-glycero-Tetrosulose bis(thiosemicarbazone) (6), D-lyxo-hexosulose bis-(guanylhydrazone) nitrate (7), D-galacto-heptosulose bis(thiosemicarbazone) (8), and D-galacto-heptosulose bis(guanylhydrazone) sulfate (9) showed some activity in stunting the growth of Botrytis allii. The copper chelate (10a) of D-arabino-hexosulose bis(thiosemicarbazone), and the copper (11a) and palladium (11b) chelates of 6-deoxy-L-arabino-hexosulose bis(thiosemicarbazone) showed antitumor activity in the KB cell-culture test-system. The palladium chelate 11b also showed some activity in the leukemia p-388 mouse test-system.     

Production of recombinant fragment of VacA protein and development of non-invasive method for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection

Vacuolizing toxin (VacA) Helicobacter pylori is an important factor of pathogenicity of Helicobacter pylori and a basic marker in the diagnosis of helicobacteriosis and related diseases. A coagulation-based diagnostic test-system was elaborated for the detection of VacA in clinical samples. A fragment of vacA was cloned, for the purpose, in Escherichia coli and expressed in preparative quantities; the coded protein was purified and used in raising the diagnostic serum. The thus designed coagulating test-system was successfully tested under the modeling conditions with clinical samples. Therefore, the designed express method can be used for the invasion-free determination of VacA in patients with gastric and duodenal pathologies.     

Immunoassay of nine serological tumor markers on a hydrogel-based microchip

A prototype test-system for simultaneous quantitative assay of nine tumor markers in blood serum was developed. The main constituent of the test-system is an OM-9 biochip containing immobilized antibodies against nine oncomarkers: α-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3), cancer antigen 125 (CA 125), cancer antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), total and free forms of prostate-specific antigen (PSA_tot and PSA_free), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). The biochip-based two-step sandwich immunoassay procedure for carrying out simultaneous quantitative determination of nine tumor markers in patients’ blood serum was proposed. The main analytical characteristics of the method were obtained. The results suggest that the prototype of the test-system could be a promising instrument for clinical application. The test-system prototype was tested using blood serum samples of oncological patients (252 samples) and healthy donors (185 samples). Increased concentrations of one or more tumor markers above the normal level were found in 76.6% cases of oncological patients and only in 6% cases of healthy donors. For colorectal cancer patients, application of modern statistical methods of data processing in medical research, i.e., receiver operating characteristics analysis (ROC curve) and logistic regression, indicated that the simultaneous assay of nine markers on biochips showed much more diagnostic significance (area under the ROC curve, AUC, was 0.84) than a traditional assay of two tumor markers, CEA and CA 19-9 (AUC = 0.59). The developed biochip-based test-system can be recommended for both the estimation of people’s health, e.g., for standard medical examination, and tracking the tumoral process in the postsurgical period or after specific tumor treatment.     

Ecological and toxicological control over the status of the environment by the methods of physicochemical biology

Xenobiotic metabolism in the fish liver has been investigated with a view of developing test-system for biomonitoring based on multienzyme membrane-bound complexes. Extraction methods of xenobiotics from harmful pollutants and some biological tissue have been described using various sorbents and solvents. The own and literary data on the study of mutagenic effect of this contaminants and carcinogens in the Ames test-system in the presence of postmitochondrial fraction S9 from fish liver with 3-methylcholanthrene induced by microsomal oxidation system have been demonstrated.     

Serodiagnosis of chlamydiosis: "Chlamy-IgG-DS-Tr"-- the first domestic immunoenzyme recombinant test-system for determination of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis class G antibodies]

The first Native test-system for determination of class G antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis with chlamydia recombinant antigen was elaborated Test-system efficacy was demonstrated in clinical trials. The sensibility, specific activity and suitability of the "Chlamy-IgG-DS-Tr" were the same as for import analogous.     

Comparative study of biological activity of insulins of lower vertebrates in the novel adenylyl cyclase test-system

The biological activity of insulins of lower vertebrates (teleosts-Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, Scorpaena porcus, chondrosteans-Acipenser guldenstaedti and cyclostomates-Lamperta fluviatilis) was studied and compared with that of standard pig insulin. The determination of biological activity was made using the novel adenylyl cyclase (AC) test-system based on the adenylyl cyclase signaling mechanism (ACSM) of insulin action discovered earlier by the authors. The biological activity of insulins was estimated as EC(50), i.e. concentration leading to half-maximal activating effect of the hormone (10(-11)-10(-7) M), in vitro, on adenylyl cyclase in two types of the target tissues: in membrane fractions of the muscles of rat and mollusc Anodonta cygnea. In rat, the efficiency of insulins was found to decrease in the following order: pig insulin>scorpaena insulin>gorbuscha insulin>sturgeon insulin>lamprey insulin. In the mollusc, the order was different: sturgeon insulin>scorpaena insulin>pig insulin>gorbuscha insulin. Lamprey insulin at the same concentrations did not apparently reach the maximal adenylyl cyclase activating effect. The suggestion was made that differences in the biological activity of insulins depend on the hormone structure and a number of indexes characteristic of the adenylyl cyclase test-system in the vertebrate and invertebrate tissues. The proposed adenylyl cyclase test-system is highly sensitive to insulin at physiological concentrations, has good reproduction and is easy to apply.     

Early diagnostics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome on the basis of the use of Pumala virus recombinant nucleocapsid protein

Pumala virus recombinant nucleocapsid protein was used for the early diagnosis of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Specific IgM in the sera of patients could be determined by the IEA technique as early as on days 2-3 from the onset of the disease. The diagnostic effectiveness of the test-system was 95% and its specificity was 98%.     

Microarray analytic system for multiplex analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction with reagents immobilized in microreactors

A microarray analytic system that uses a silicon chip with immobilized in microreactor test-system for multiplex analysis of DNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed and optimized. We suggested the method of immobilization of PCR-components of a test-system, chose the stabilizer, and conducted the optimization of the composition of reaction mixture to achieve permanent stability of a microarray. We conducted optimization of preparation of samples using magnetic sorbent and indicated that, with 2.6 x 10(4) copies/ml, 60 min are necessary to obtain positive identification including time for preparation of model probes. The abilities of the created system were demonstrated on the example of microarray analysis of samples with different content of DNA, low absolute limits of identification (20 DNA copies in microreactor), and high reproducibility of the analysis.     

The use of the polyene-resistant mutation model in Saccharomyces as a test-system for detecting genetically active substances

The simple test-system has been developed to register mutagenic activity of different chemicals using a model of forward polyene-resistant mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Diagnostic test system for detecting the meningococcal antigen by erythro-immunoadsorption

The authors have developed a test-system for detection of group A meningococcal polysaccharide, based on the sandwich erythro-immunoadsorption ultra-microtechnique with the use of the Terasaki plates as a solid-phase carrier. The system, equivalent to ELISA in its high sensitivity and specificity, is more rapid and less expensive, permitting the detection of 1 mg/ml of the antigen in 20 microliter of the tested liquid within an hour. The results of the study of CSF samples from 28 patients with meningococcal infection were in good correlation with the ELISA results. The new test-system is recommended for practical use as a routine technique for the specific diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis and for the control of the effectiveness of the treatment.     

Microchip analytic system for multiplex analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction with reagents immobilized in microreactors

A microchip analytic system that uses a silicon chip with immobilized in microreactor test-system for multiplex analysis of DNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real time PCR) was developed and optimized. We suggested the method of immobilization of PCR-components of a test-system, chose the stabilizer, and conducted the optimization of the composition of reaction mixture to achieve permanent stability of a microchip. We conducted optimization of preparation of samples using magnetic sorbent and indicated that, with 2.6 × 10⁴ copies/ml, 60 min are necessary to obtain positive identification including time for preparation of model samples. The abilities of the created system were demonstrated on the example of microchip analysis of samples with different content of DNA, low absolute limits of detection (20 DNA copies in microreactor), and high reproducibility of the analysis.     

Test systems for biomonitoring based on membrane-bound enzyme complexes. IV. Assessment of genotoxic effects in an Ames test system with metabolic activation by the microsomal mono-oxygenases from fish livers

The study of mutagenic effect of 2-aminoantracene and benz(alpha)pyrene on Salmonella triphimurium TA 100 in the Ames test-system in the presence of postmitochondrial fractions S-9 from carp liver with 3-methylcholantrene induced by microsomal oxidation system has been carried out. The metabolic activity and cytochrome P450 contence in carp liver microsomes have been shown to concede considerably those in rats liver. But these characteristics are sufficient for the use of fraction S-9 from carp liver for the study of genotoxic effect of these xenobiotics in the Ames test-system. Several regimes of storage of S-9 preparations from carp liver have been compared. S-9 preparations frozen immediately after isolation preserve their metabolic activity with respect to 2-aminoantracene and benz(alpha)pyrene well.     

Significance and limits of alpha-fetoprotein levels in the prenatal diagnosis of malformations of the central nervous system]

Amniotic fluid or/and serum alpha-foeto protein (AFP) determination is used as a test-system for screening of neural tube defects. The physiologic basis of this screening are described taking into account the evolution of AFP concentration in foetal and maternal blood, and in amniotic fluid. As for all the biologic screening systems, the acquired experience reveals a lack of sensibility and specificity. First the authors analyse the analytic and biologic problems which have an effect upon sensibility; then, they consider the mechanisms which explain the specificity lack showing itself in some foetal malformations. Practically, interpretation of AFP results requires necessarily familial story and echography results. Taking into consideration the different problems concerning AFP, a programme to utilize the test-system is presented for prenatal diagnosis of malformations of central nervous system.     

Biosensor analysis of the interaction of potential dimerization inhibitors with HIV-1 protease

Inhibitors of protein-protein interactions are currently considered as perspective prototypes of a new generation of drugs. The most attractive targets for such inhibitors are the oligomeric enzymes which active sites are formed by amino acid residues from different subunits. HIV-1 protease (HIVp), which is active only as a homodimer form, is the classic example of such enzymes. We have developed a new approach for experimental screening of HIVp dimerization inhibitors. It is based on an original biosensor test-system for differential analysis of interaction of tested substances with HIVp dimers and monomers. Using this test-system we have analyzed the most perspective candidate substances predicted by the method of virtual screening, and also some derivatives of glycyrrhizin, triterpenic and steroid glycosides. In the results of this study we have found one compound, which preferentially interacts with HIVp monomers and inhibits in vitro activity of this enzyme with the IC₅₀ value of about 10^?6 M.     

Effect of albumin on frequency of spontaneous mutations in somatic mammalian cells in vitro

Human albumin is able to induce statistically significant increasing of the frequency of spontaneous mutations in the hprt locus in cultured somatic mammalian cells. The strait dependence of the mutagenic effect on the protein concentration has been shown. The products of albumin degradation reveal antimutagenic activity in the investigated test-system.     

Extracellular Protease Activity in Cryosphere Components

The extracellular protease activity was studied in the snow of sea and land ecosystems, core of pack ice, and sea water of Arctic for estimation of dynamic (enzymatic) processes of organic matter transformation in components of the natural ecosystems. Spatial and vertical distributions of extracellular enzymatic activity were established. The ecological situations in the studied regions was estimated using the express azocasein—trypsin test-system.     

Immunoenzyme Analysis of Cytokinins as an Assay for Cytokinin Oxidase Activity

A new highly sensitive method of measuring cytokinin oxidase activity was worked out on the basis of an immunoenzyme test-system for isopentenyladenosine (IPA) assay. The enzyme activity is determined by immunoenzyme assay as the difference between the IPA quantities in the reaction mixture before and after incubation. The specificity of the assay was verified by using the well-known enzyme activators and inhibitors and by monitoring the formation of other cytokinins.     

The evaluation of the genotoxic effects of samples of industrial and domestic sewage. II. The mutagenic and recombinant effects of sewage in the soybean (Glycine max. (L.)) test system

The genotoxicity of the industrial and domestic sewage has been studied on the soybean test-system Glycine max (L.). It makes it possible to take into account different types of genetic disturbances according to appearance of various spot types on sprout leaves (somatic mosaicism).