Tobacco transformants expressing antisense sequence of proline dehydrogenase gene possess tolerance to heavy metals

Analysis of resistance of genetically modified tobacco plants bearing antisense suppressor of proline dehydrogenase gene and characterized with higher content of proline to elevated concentrations of heavy metals was performed. It was demonstrated that progeny of transgenic plants have high resistance to lead, nickel and cadmium ions.     

Regeneration of transgenic plants from Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum Hegi hairy roots

Transgenic plants were regenerated from Cichorium intybus L. hairy roots transformed with genes of tuberculosis antigenes ESAT6 and Ag85B or human interferon alpha2b. The plant regeneration was light-dependent and occurred on the media without growth regulators. The DNA PCR and RT-PCR analyses have shown the presence and expression both selective and target genes in all root lines and regenerated plants.     

Dynamics of genetic variation of Sartov cultivars of common wheat Triticum aestivum L. (from the gliadin-coding locus) after a an 80-year period of scientific selection

Based on analysis of gliadin patterns in common wheat cultivars developed at the Research Institute of Agriculture of the Southeast, profile dynamics in gliadin loci has been surveyed for the period of over eight decades. It was shown that long-term breeding of the wheat cultivars involved gradual replacement of alleles characteristic of ancient cultivars for those widely spread in the world, which are probably linked with alleles that currently confer advantage to their carriers. The process of reduction of inter-population genetic diversity in wheat (with special reference to the allele frequency dynamics at gliadin loci) is discussed. This process is responsible for genetic erosion of the species.     

Determination of glycyrrhizic acid binding sites by a phage display method

Phages that expose peptides specifically interacting with glycyrrhizic acid (GA) were selected from a phage peptide library by affinity selection and ELISA. Amino acid sequence analysis of the selected peptides and human proteins with the SIM program revealed homology to tyrosine protein kinases, serine/threonine protein kinases, tyrosine phosphatases, and some receptors. Analysis of the peptide and virus protein sequences with the BLAST program showed that GA has affinity for various surface proteins of several human viruses such as HIV-1, hepatitis C virus, and herpesviruses.     

On the development of body-wall musculature Diplostomum chromatophorum metacercariae (Trematoda: Diplostomidae)

The body-wall musculature of invasive cercariae and metacercariae of Diplostomum chromatophorum at different intervals after the penetration into the experimental intermediate host Cyprinus carpio (1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 20, 34, 40 days) has been investigated with the help of TEM technique. During the first 10 days after the invasion (in conditions of our experiment), the cercarial subtegumental muscle fibres degenerate. These muscles are replaced by newly formed ones. Mass differentiation of myoblasts beneath the tegument was observed in 7-10-day-old metacercariae. Obtained data indicate the metamorphosis of body-wall musculature during the morphogenesis in Diplostomum chromatophorum metacercariae.     

Strains of Vibrio cholerae serogroups O1 and O139 that produce the basic protective antigens

To find out stable and effective producers of major protective antigens intended for use as components of cholera chemical vaccine against V. cholerae strains of serogroups O and O139, the comparative analysis of the production of cholera toxin, toxin-coregulated pili (TCP), antigens O1 and O139, polysaccharide capsule and outer membrane protein OmpU in different V. cholerae strains groups O1 and O139 has been made. V. cholerae strain KM68, serogroup O1, has been found capable of the production of antigen O1, serovar Ogawa, protein OmpU at a sufficiently high level and the hyperproduction of cholera toxin and TCP, and thus suitable for use in the manufacture of cholera bivalent vaccine as the source of these antigens. Specially selected alysogenic noncapsular strain KM137 of serogroup O139, characterized by a high and stable level of the biosynthesis of this somatic antigen when grown in both laboratory and production conditions, may serve as the produces of antigen O139.     

Studying plant genome variation using molecular markers

The authors' studies on the organization and variation of plant genome with the use of molecular markers are briefly reviewed with special emphasis on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR), sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR), and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers detected with the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These markers have been demonstrated to be promising for identifying cultivars and determining the purity of genetic strains of pea. Genetic relationships between strains, cultivars, and mutants of pea have been studied. The role of molecular markers in molecular genetic mapping and localizing the genes of commercially important characters of pea has been shown. The possibility of the use of molecular markers for studying somaclonal variation and detecting mutagenic factors in plants during long-term spaceflights is considered. The prospects of using DNA markers for understanding the organization and variability of higher plant genomes are discussed.