Biochemical Genetics in St. Petersburg University: From the gene-enzyme model to medical biotechnology

The history of biochemical genetics research in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) State University is described. The main research projects and achievements of the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics in studies on the mechanisms of gene expression control, coordinated regulation of metabolism, and the relationship of the physiological state of yeast cells with the maintenance of genetic stability are discussed. The fundamental importance of studies on the acid phosphatase model for the formation and development of medical biotechnology in St. Petersburg University is demonstrated.     

Biological activity in the modern and buried soils of the St.Petersburg's historical center

Biological activity in the urban modern and medieval soils of St. Petersburg was determined using soil samples taken from sections located at the historical center of this city nearby the Kazan Cathedral, the Twelve Colleges building (now the main building of St. Petersburg State University), and on the site where the Swedish fortress Nienshants formerly existed. The studied parameters of biological activity included the microbial transformation rate of organic matter under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, the intensity of denitrification and nitrogen fixation, and the amount of microbial biomass. This investigation is the first attempt to comparatively study modern urban anthropogenically impacted soils and buried soils that had formed the soil cover of this region before St. Petersburg was founded. The major microbiological and physicochemical parameters of the soils were subjected to correlation analysis.     

"Do not lose the winning games". To the 100th anniversary of M.E. Lobashev

Mikhail E. Lobashev (1907-1971), Head of the Department of Genetics and Breeding with the Leningrad (now, St. Petersburg) State University from 1957 to 1971, had traveled a long way from a homeless to an Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation. Lobashev was among the discoverers of chemical mutagenesis in Drosophila; he pioneered in connecting the mutation process and the repair of genetic material and developed the concept of signal inheritance. Through the entire Great Patriotic War, he served with the field forces, and defended his doctoral dissertation on the physiological hypothesis of mutation process in 1946 on the return to the University. In 1948, Mikhail Efimovich was discharged from the University, where he was the Dean of the Biological Faculty, as a Morganist. On his return to the University in 1957, Lobashev devoted all his energies to the restoration of genetic education in this country, wrote the first domestic genetic textbook in the post-Lysenko period, organized the research at the Department of Genetics and Breeding, and created the scientific school, whose representatives are still successfully working in the field of genetics.     

Biological Activity in Modern and Buried Soils of the Historical Center of St. Petersburg

Biological activity in the urban modern and medieval soils of St. Petersburg was determined using soil samples taken from sections located at the historical center of this city nearby the Kazan Cathedral and the Twelve Colleges building (now the main building of St. Petersburg State University) and on the site where the Swedish fortress Nienshants formerly existed. The studied parameters of biological activity included the rate of microbial transformation of organic matter under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, the intensity of denitrification and nitrogen fixation, and the amount of microbial biomass. This investigation is the first attempt to comparatively study modern urban anthropogenically impacted soils and buried soils that had formed the soil cover of this region before St. Petersburg was founded. The major microbiological and physicochemical parameters of the soils were subjected to correlation analysis.     

“Do not lose the winning games” to the 100th anniversary of M.E. Lobashev

Mikhail E. Lobashev (1907–1971), Head of the Department of Genetics and Breeding with the Leningrad (now, St. Petersburg) State University from 1957 to 1971, had traveled a long way from a homeless to an Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation. Lobashev was among the discoverers of chemical mutagenesis in Drosophila; he pioneered in connecting the mutation process and the repair of genetic material and developed the concept of signal inheritance. Through the entire Great Patriotic War, he served with the field forces, and defended his doctoral dissertation on the physiological hypothesis of mutation process in 1946 on the return to the University. In 1948, Mikhail Efimovich was discharged from the University, where he was the Dean of the Biological Faculty, as a Morganist. On his return to the University in 1957, Lobashev devoted all his energies to the restoration of genetic education in this country, wrote the first domestic genetic textbook in the post-Lysenko period, organized the research at the Department of Genetics and Breeding, and created the scientific school, whose representatives are still successfully working in the field of genetics.     

The recovering of breeding achievements of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus × leningradensis</Emphasis> bogd. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus × newensis</Emphasis> bogd. Based on microsatellite analysis

The genotyping of 75 trees from poplar plantations in St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast was conducted with microsatellite markers to identify the elite clonal varieties developed by P.L. Bogdanov in the period of 1938–1965. The information about the varieties was lost. The authentic herbarium specimens of poplar clonal varieties preserved at the St. Petersburg State Forest Technical University were used as reference genotypes. According to the results of DNA fingerprinting, we identified the clonal plantations of Populus × newesis Bogd. and Populus × leningradensis Bogd. from the Kartashevskii forest district and the arboretum of the St. Petersburg State Forest Technical University. The identified elite poplar hybrids have a higher frost resistant and a higher growth rate. They are recommended for plantation cultivation in the northwest of Russia.     

Cryptic species in Diacyclops bicuspidatus (Copepoda:Cyclopoida): evidence from crossbreeding studies

The problem of cryptic species in Diacyclops bicuspidatus was examined using interpopulation crosses of four populations collected from a: (1) permanent flood lake in Kiev, Ukraine, (2) temporary pool in Kiev, (3) permanent pond in St. Petersburg, Russia (1200 km to north from Kiev) and (4) lake in Crimea (1100 km south of Kiev). The only interpopulation crosses to exhibit fertility were those between the St. Petersburg population and each of the two Kiev populations. The crosses between the Kiev and Crimea populations, between the St. Petersburg and Crimea populations, and between the two Kiev populations were sterile, as evidenced by either nonviable eggs, empty egg membranes or incomplete copulations. The F₁ hybrids resulting from the St. Petersburg permanent pond X Kiev flood lake cross were fertile and produced mature F₂ offspring. Some data on development times of parental and hybrid lines are presented. The St. Petersburg parental line showed development times almost twice as long as those of the Kiev flood lake population when reared at 10 °C and 20 °C in the laboratory. The F₁ offspring of the cross between St. Petersburg females and Kiev floodlake males showed similar development times to females of the St. Petersburg parental lines at both temperatures. The F₂ hybrids also showed development times that approximated those of the St. Petersburg parental line. These crossbreeding studies suggest the presence of cryptic species in the D. bicuspidatus inhabiting ecologically different populations in many parts of its large holarctic range.     

Genetic Demography of the Population of St. Petersburg: Migration Processes

Russian Journal of Genetics - The principal genetic demographic parameters that describe migration processes affecting the structure of the St. Petersburg population gene pool were determined on...     

Estimation of biotechnological potential and clarification of taxonomic status of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parietochloris</Emphasis> genus microalgae (Trebouxiophyceae) from the CALU collection

Morphological, biochemical, and molecular genetic studies of green microalgae from the collection of cyanobacteria, algae, and algal parasites of St. Petersburg State University (CALU) (presumably belonging to the Parietochloris genus) were conducted in order to estimate biotechnological potential and clarify the phylogenetic position. It was determined that the studied strains have a close relationship to two genera from different classes (Lobosphaera (Trebouxiaceae) and Deasonia (Actinochloridaceae)) and can be of biotechnological interest as producers of valuable polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially arachidonic, linoleic, and α-linolenic).     

Biotechnology education and the training of engineer-technologists in the St. Petersburg State Chemical–Pharmaceutical Academy and the State University of Technology and Design

Some facts about biotechnological education in St. Petersburg (Russia) are presented by authors at two different higher schools: the State Chemical–Pharmaceutical Academy and the State University of Technology and Design.     

Familial hypercholesterolemia in St. Petersburg: diversity of mutations argues against a strong founder effect

Examination of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, its promoter, and major exon-intron boundaries from a sample of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) from 74 probands of St. Petersburg revealed 34 mutations and 8 widely spread polymorphisms at this locus. Only four mutations were considered silent, while the other 30 are likely associated with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Mutations in the LDL receptor gene, inducing the disease, were identified in 41 (55%) out of 74 families with FH. Mutation R3500Q in apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene was not detected in all probands. Therefore in the families lacking mutations hypercholesterolemia was induced by mutations in the introns of the LDL receptor gene or by other genetic factors. Nineteen mutations causing disease progression were described in St. Petersburg for the first time, while 18 of them are specific for Russia. Among Ashkenazi Jews, major mutation G197del was detected in 30% (7 out of 22) of patients with FH. In the Slavic population of St. Petersburg, no major mutations were detected. Only five mutations were identified in two families, while 24 were found in isolated families. These data are indicative of the lack of a strong founder effect for FH in the St. Petersburg population.     

A collection of ixodoid ticks at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Its unique features and significance for fundamental problems of taxonomy and some aspects of natural nidality

The paper describes the unique qualities of the collection of ixodoid ticks kept at the Zoological Institute RAS (St. Petersburg), which distinguish it among the world collections: the presence of representative geographic series within the species ranges, comprising all the active development stages. The fundamental and applied results achieved based on the properties of this collection are briefly summarized. Its contribution to the studies of different aspects of natural nidality of ticks is analyzed. The topical lines of research conducted on the basis of the collection at present and in future are considered.     

Familial hypercholesterolemia in St. Petersburg: Diversity of mutations argues against a strong founder effect

Examination of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene, its promoter, and most of exon-intron boundaries from 74 probands with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) of St. Petersburg revealed 34 mutations and 8 widely spread polymorphisms at this locus. Only four mutations were considered neutral, while the other 30 are likely to cause familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Mutations in the LDL receptor gene, causing the disease, were identified in 41 (55%) out of 74 families with FH. Mutation R3500Q in apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene was not detected in all probands. Therefore in the families lacking mutations hypercholesterolemia was caused by mutations in the introns of the LDL receptor gene or by other genetic factors. Nineteen mutations causing disease progression were described in St. Petersburg for the first time, while 18 of them are specific for Russia. Among Ashkenazi Jews, predominant mutation G197del was detected in 30% (7 out of 22) of patients with FH. In the Slavic population of St. Petersburg, no predominant mutations were detected. Only five mutations were identified in two Slavic families, while 24 were found in unique families. These data are indicative of the lack of a strong founder effect for FH in the St. Petersburg population.     

Biodiversity and evolution of circulating bacteria and virus populations. Novel problems of medical microbiology

Biodiversity and evolution of circulating bacteria and virus populations is a serious scientific problem, solving this problem is necessary for effective prophylaxis of infectious diseases. Principal trends of development in this field of science are described. Results of studies that were carried out and investigated biodiversity of principal pathogens in Russia and St. Petersburg in particular are presented. Risk of infectious security of society caused by increasing diversity of pathogenic microorganisms is described, and priority trends of research development in this field are specified.     

An interview with Dr. Alexander Strunnikov on his highly cited paper published in Cell Cycle

Dr. Strunnikov was educated in Russia and received his bachelor degree in Biology and Genetics from St. Petersburg University in 1984 and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with a specialization in cell biology from the Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His current work focuses on chromosome stability mechanisms, the regulation and structure of mitotic chromatin, as well as genomic and proteomic aspects of mitotic chromosome organization.     

Current features of HIV-infection in St. Petersburg

Dynamics of HIV-infection epidemic in St. Petersburg was analyzed. New features of epidemic process, which were not observed in St. Petersburg earlier, whereas noted in other territories of Russia, were revealed and described.     

Nineteenth-century Dorpat and its botanical influence

A brief history of Dorpat University Botanic Garden under nineteenth-century Directors, notably C.F. von Ledebour, is given. Its development and influence are investigated and there is an account of von Ledebour's journey to Siberia and the Altai Mountains with A. von Bunge and C.A. Meyer, and of the part played in the discovery of Siberian plants and their subsequent dissemination. Collaboration with the Imperial Botanical Garden of St Petersburg is also mentioned, and von Ledebour's writings briefly discussed.     

Primary ciliary dyskinesia: a report from ATS 2001, May 18–23, San Francisco

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic disorder of abnormal ciliary structure and function that leads to defective mucociliary clearance, resulting in oto-sino-pulmonary disease, and infertility. The disease is currently under intense investigation by a number of research groups worldwide. At the recent American Thoracic Society meeting in San Francisco in May 2001, two sessions focused on PCD; a symposium session on May 21 with several featured expert speakers was followed by a mini-symposium on Tuesday May 22, with one featured speaker and presentation of nine abstracts covering a range of research topics. Mattias Salathe (University of Miami, USA) and Stephen Brody (Washington University, St Louis, USA) chaired the symposium session. Presentations focused on the clinical spectrum of PCD, the genetics of PCD, a proteomics approach to detail the structure of cilia, the role of cilia in the embryology of situs laterality, and airway epithelial cell biology. The mini-symposium was chaired by Peadar Noone (University of North Carolina, USA) and Malcolm King (University of Alberta, USA) and included presentations on the use of PCD as a human disease model, accurate definition of the phenotype using clinical and cell biologic markers, and molecular studies. The latter reports ranged from isolation of a protein involved in ciliary structure and function to genetic studies using linkage analysis and the candidate gene approach. Clinicians and scientists alike displayed considerable interest at both sessions, and there were several lively question–answer sessions.     

The verification of the results of screening antibodies to hepatitis C virus in blood donors

6,744 persons were examined for the presence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) before blood donation (4,219 persons in Moscow and 2,525 persons in St. Petersburg). The serum samples found to contain antibodies to HCV were additionally studied by the immunoblot techniques. The positive results of antibody screening were registered in 78 persons: 26 persons in Moscow (0.62%) and 52 in St. Petersburg (2.05%). In both cities the positive results of screening were confirmed in 62% of cases. Different occurrence of the profile with the presence of antibodies to all fragments of the virus: 52% in Moscow, 12% in St. Petersburg (chi2 = 12.11; p < 0.001). Considerable differences were also registered in the spread of individual antibodies.     

The microsatellite polymorphism and gene flow in the contact zone of four common shrew (Sorex araneus L., Mammalia) chromosome races

The variation of microsatellite loci in 130 individuals of four common shrew chromosome races (Moscow, Western Dvina, Seliger, and St. Petersburg) contacting on the Valdai Hills was studied. A low level of genetic differences between the chromosome races, which differ at three-five fixed diagnostic metacentric chromosomes, was found. The genetic differentiation within the races is more considerable as compared with that between the races. A high deficiency in heterozygotes was recorded; presumably, this is connected with regular variation in the population sizes. It is assumed that the fixation of centric chromosome fusions was supported by selection (drive) in the evolution of the common shrew against the background of a neutral evolution of the microsatellite loci.