On the influence of silicate feeding on metabolism of 137Cs in rabbit

The features of 137Cs metabolism in the rabbit's organism when feeding on silicates were investigated. By results of two experiments on rabbits radiosorption by of zeolite, saponit, humolit, vermiculite and palygorskit in the gastrointestinal tract was evaluated. It was found that vermiculite and palygorskit had the strongest influence on processes of accumulation and decorporation 137Cs, when a dose of additives was 5% of the weight of forage.     

Antiproliferative effect of bcl-2 gene does not concern the control of mitotic events

E1A + c-Ha-ras-transformants overexpressing bcl-2 oncogene are able to be arrested at the G1/S boundary of the cell cycle after DNA damage and upon serum starvation, this cell cycle blockage being accompanied by a decrease in the activity of cyclin E--Cdk2 complexes. Roscovitine-induced inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) activity does not result in the G1/S arrest of E1A + c-Ha-ras + bcl-2-transformants. Roscovitine treatment causes an accumulation of G2/M cells, mainly at the expense of mitotic cells. However, the expression of Bcl-2 oncoproducts does not re-establish the regulation of mitotic events broken by introduction of E1A and c-Ha-ras oncogenes in normal cells, as revealed by the treatment of E1A + c-Ha-ras + bcl-2-transformants with nocodazole inducing mitotic arrest in normal cells. In spite of the elevated expression of antiapoptotic bcl-2 gene in transformants, nocodazole treatment results in mass apoptotic death preceded by polyploidy. Roscovitine also induces apoptosis with no polyploid cell accumulation being observed. Inhibition of Cdks activity with Roscovitine, as well as violation of microtubule depolymerization with nocodazole result in the apoptotic death in the tested cell lines sensitive (E1A + c-Ha-ras) and resistant (E1A + c-Ha-ras + bcl-2) to damaging agents. Thus, the application of Roscovitine, a specific inhibitor of Cdks, suggests that the decrease in Cdks activity in E1A + c-Ha-ras + bcl-2-transformants is not likely to be responsible for G1/S cell cycle arrest realization after damaging influences. Moreover, an antiproliferative effect of Bcl-2 in E1A + c-Ha-ras-transformants is restricted by restoration of cell cycle events at G1/S and G2/M boundaries, and does not concern the program of mitotic events regulation.     

Oxidative modification of creatine kinase BB in Alzheimer's disease brain

Creatine kinase (CK) BB, a member of the CK gene family, is a predominantly cytosolic CK isoform in the brain and plays a key role in regulation of the ATP level in neural cells. CK BB levels are reduced in brain regions affected by neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Pick's disease, and Lewy body dementia, and this reduction is not a result of decreased mRNA levels. This study demonstrates that posttranslational modification of CK BB plays a role in the decrease of CK activity in AD brain. The specific CK BB activity and protein carbonyl content were determined in brain extracts of six AD and six age-matched control subjects. CK BB activity per microgram of immunoreactive CK BB protein was lower in AD than in control brain extracts, indicating the presence of inactive CK BB molecules. The analysis of specific protein carbonyl levels in CK BB, performed by two-dimensional fingerprinting of oxidatively modified proteins, identified CK BB as one of the targets of protein oxidation in the AD brain. The increase of protein carbonyl content in CK BB provides evidence that oxidative posttranslational modification of CK BB plays a role in the loss of CK BB activity in AD.     

Function of an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase p27/Kip in cells transformed by E1A + E1B19 kDa + E1A + cHa-Ras, differing in their ability to realize a G1-block during serum starvation

We studied the capability of E1A + cHa-ras and E1A + E1B19kDa transformants to undergo the G1/S arrest of the cell cycle following depletion of serum growth factors. It has been shown that serum starvation induced the G1/S arrest both in normal rat embryo fibroblasts (REF) and in E1A + E1B19kDa transformants, whereas E1A + cHa-ras transformed cells lost this feature. To analyse the mechanisms underlying these differences, we studied the expression of p27/KIP, its intracellular distribution and association with E1A oncoproducts. The content of the p27/KIP inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases was found to change a little upon transformation by two complementary oncogene pairs. However, serum starvation for 24 h led to a significant increase in the content of p27/KIP in E1A + E1B19kDa transformants, while E1A + cHa-ras cells accumulated p27/KIP less markedly. According to the immunofluorescence study, the p27/KIP inhibitor is located in the nucleus of both normal and transformed cells. Moreover, serum starvation did not lead to its inhibition due to redistribution to the cytoplasm in both cell lines. Also, we were unable to detect association of p27/KIP with E1A oncoproducts in immunoprecipitated complexes. The obtained data indicate that, in contrast to E1A + cHa-ras transformants, in E1A + E1B19kDa cells the p27/KIP inhibitor is functional and it is capable of inducing the G1/S block after serum starvation.     

Rabies epizootic situation in the Novosibirsk region in 1997 - 2003

Starting from the end of 1997, a rise in the epizooty of rabies with peaks in 1998 and 2002 was noted. 550 cases of rabies were registered in wild and domestic animals, as well as one lethal case of rabies in man in 2001. Wild carnivorous animals are traditionally regarded as the reservoir and source of rabies virus (38%). In the Novosibirsk region this disease was registered in badgers, wild herbivorous animals, myomorph rodents, hares, marmots. Urban cases of rabies constituted 23%, cases of rabies among agricultural animals constituted 14% of all rabies cases in the Novosibirsk region.     

Antiapoptotic oncogene bcl-2 induces a program of senescence in E1A + c-Ha-ras-transformants treated with adriamycin

Introduction of bcl-2 gene in EIA + c-Ha-ras-transformed rat embryo fibroblasts, which are unable to be arrested after damaging influences and possess high proapoptotic sensitivity, results not only in suppression of cell death but also in re-establishment of cell cycle block following DNA damage and serum starvation. Flow cytometry showed that E1A + c-Ha-ras + bcl-2-transformants treated with DNA-intercalator adriamycin are capable of being arrested at G1/S boundary for a long time (for less than 5 days). According to the growth curve data, the number of Bcl-2-overexpressing cells remanins constant for a week of cultivation with adriamycin. Clonogenic efficacy of E1A + c-Ha-ras + bcl-2-cells is brought to no already in 16 h after adriamycin addition. Apoptotic death, revealed by oligonucleosomic fragmentation of DNA, as well as cell death, occurring due to mitotic catastrophe, after adriamycin treatment are almost absent in Bcl-2-overexpressing transformants, as compared with parental E1A + c-Ha-ras-transformants. Bcl-2 introduction in E1A + c-Ha-ras-transformants is accompanied by a rise of SA beta-Gal (Senescence Associated beta-Galactosidase) activity, which is commonly considered to be a marker of cell senescence. Adriamycin treatment of E1A + c-Ha-ras + bcl-2-transformants results in a much higher rise in SA beta-Gal activity, as compared with untreated cells. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated the introduction of Bcl-2 to result in formation of Bcl-2 complexes with early region E1A oncoproducts, which are thought to be responsible for proapoptotic susceptibility of E1A-expressing transformants. The data obtained lead to suggestion that bcl-2 transfer to E1A + c-Ha-ras-transformants may induce a switch from the cell death program on the program of senescence after DNA damage, due, presumably, to Bcl-2 interaction with the apoptosis activator the viral oncoprotein E1A.     

Proteomic identification of oxidatively modified proteins in Alzheimer's disease brain. Part I: creatine kinase BB,glutamine synthase,and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L-1

Oxidative alterations of proteins by reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the progression of aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Protein carbonyls, a marker of protein oxidation, are increased in AD brain, indicating that oxidative modification of proteins is relevant in AD. Oxidative damage can lead to several events such as loss in specific protein function, abnormal protein clearance, depletion of the cellular redox-balance and interference with the cell cycle, and, ultimately, to neuronal death. Identification of specific targets of protein oxidation represents a crucial step in establishing a relationship between oxidative modification and neuronal death in AD, and was partially achieved previously in our laboratory through immunochemical detection of creatine kinase BB and beta-actin as specifically oxidized proteins in AD brain versus control brain. However, this process is laborious, requires the availability of specific antibodies, and, most importantly, requires a reasonable guess as to the identity of the protein in the first place. In this study, we present the first proteomics approach to identify specifically oxidized proteins in AD, by coupling 2D fingerprinting with immunological detection of carbonyls and identification of proteins by mass spectrometry. The powerful techniques, emerging from application of proteomics to neurodegenerative disease, reveal the presence of specific targets of protein oxidation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain: creatine kinase BB, glutamine synthase, and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L-1. These results are discussed with reference to potential involvement of these oxidatively modified proteins in neurodegeneration in AD brain. Proteomics offers a rapid means of identifying oxidatively modified proteins in aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders without the limitations of the immunochemical detection method.