The cell biology of aging

One of the original hypotheses of organismal longevity posits that aging is the natural result of entropy on the cells, tissues, and organs of the animal—a slow, inexorable slide into nonfunctionality caused by stochastic degradation of its parts. We now have evidence that aging is instead at least in part genetically regulated. Many mutations have been discovered to extend lifespan in organisms of all complexities, from yeast to mammals. The study of metazoan model organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans, has been instrumental in understanding the role of genetics in the cell biology of aging. Longevity mutants across the spectrum of model organisms demonstrate that rates of aging are regulated through genetic control of cellular processes. The regulation and subsequent breakdown of cellular processes represent a programmatic decision by the cell to either continue or abandon maintenance procedures with age. Our understanding of cell biological processes involved in regulating aging have been particularly informed by longevity mutants and treatments, such as reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling and dietary restriction, which are critical in determining the distinction between causes of and responses to aging and have revealed a set of downstream targets that participate in a range of cell biological activities. Here we briefly review some of these important cellular processes.     

Integrating self-organization theory into an advanced course on morphogenesis at Moscow State University

A lecture course on morphogenesis for fourth-year Moscow State University Specialist Diploma students specializing in embryology is described. The main goal of the course is to give the students an extensive theoretical background based on the tenets of the modern theory of Self-Organization and to show them how important this theory is for the proper understanding of developmental events. The corresponding mathematics are bound as tightly as possible to the actual morphogenetic processes. All of the lectures take the format of an active dialogue between the students and a tutor.     

On the 60th anniversary of the Department of Embryology of Moscow State University

The Department of Embryology of Moscow State University is 60 years old on September 1, 2000. This is not all that old, especially in comparison with the almost 250-year history of the university itself or the 150-year history of embryology in Russia, but it is sufficient, in looking back, to grasp our present situation in the common flow of events and time.     

Studies of morphogenesis at the Department of Embryology, Moscow State University: Towards understanding the dynamic architecture of development

This is a review of studies on morphogenesis carried out at the Department of Embryology, Moscow State University, over the past 30 years. The main direction of studies has been to reveal and describe the properties of self-organizing fields of mechanical stresses in developing embryos.     

Lev A. Blumenfeld and spectroscopic studies of photosynthesis at the chair of biophysics, physical faculty, Moscow State University

Nowadays, spectroscopy methods are widely employed to study photosynthesis. For instance, fluorescence methods are often in use to study virtually all steps of the photosynthesis process. Theoretical models of phenomena under study are of importance for interpreting the experimental data. A decisive role of Lev A. Blumenfeld, the former Head of the Chair of Biophysics, Physical Faculty of the Moscow State University, in the study of photosynthesis is shown in this work.     

Digital Herbarium of Moscow State University: The Largest Russian Biodiversity Database

In 2015–2016, 785887 specimens were scanned at the Herbarium of Moscow State University (MW), which comprised 77.7% of the total collection. The metadata of the digital herbarium include the identifier (ID) of each specimen, its species name, and geographical reference (area code). As the largest in Russia database with respect to biodiversity, the Herbarium includes 712925 images of specimens of vascular plants and 72962 specimens of bryophytes. The digital herbarium is interrelated with the Catalogue of Life international database and has enriched it with 160 new species. Images of 781882 specimens have been put online as JPG files (the resolution is 300 dpi) on the web portal of the National Depository Bank of Live Systems (https://plant.depo.msu.ru/). The portal is open for all Russian biological collections.     

Data on the spider fauna (Arachnida,Aranei) at the White Sea Biological Station,Moscow State University

As a result of preliminary study, the spider fauna at the White Sea Biological Station, Moscow State University, 36 new spider species belonging to 10 families, comprising approximately 20% of the whole species diversity of this locality, have been found.