Ontogenesis of animals from the position of absence of self-maintaining synthesis of regulatory proteins]

The starting point of this paper is that there is no self-maintenance of most tissue-specific regulatory proteins. There in only one cycle within regulatory genes hierarchy--"germ line" cycle ensuring the next generation ontogeny. The consequences of this are stage-specificity of gene expression and organism ageing. To explain the existence of long-living differentiated cells, we assume that certain genes cause specific repression of mRNAs encoding regulatory proteins, thereby stabilizing the mRNAs. On the contrary, the mRNAs encoding regulatory proteins necessary for proliferation are to be translated due to growth factors. If one of the genes encoding such mRNAs acquires a foreign (viral, for example) promoter, the cell will divide infinitely; this can explain a number of nuclear proto-oncogenes properties. From this view-point, cell proliferation and differentiation, ontogeny and regeneration are considered.     

Genetic-demographic structure of the Adyg population]

The results of comparative analysis of series of genetical and demographical parameters in two ethnically distinct populations coexisting in Adyg autonomous region of the Krasnodar district are presented. The parameters of population structure in Russians and Adygs were determined, such as sex and age distribution, ethnical marital assortativity, vital statistics and selection pressure. The analysis revealed that the populations only differ in the level of ethnical marital assortment: the coefficient of assortativity H is 2.54 and 1.55 for Adygs and Russians, respectively.     

Genetic analysis of some behavioral and physiologic characters in hybrids between hypertensive and normotensive rats. Analysis of the nature of the inheritance]

As a result of crosses between the SHR rats (spontaneously hypertensive strain) and WKY rats (normotensive strain), the F1 and F2 hybrids and the B1 and B2 backcrosses were obtained. Analysis of genetic control nature in these generations revealed that the WKY genes responsible for the level of arterial pressure, sensitivity to the electric current stimulation and salt (sodium and potassium) appetite characteristics were dominant. The heterosis effect was found for the body mass. Analysis of dynamics of different types of exploratory activity (in a shuttle box, in "horizontal plane", in an open field) demonstrated specificity of their genetic formulae and peculiarities of changes in their genetic control during the test.     

Planar charged clusters--structural invariants of the gamma-crystallin family of the crystalline lens: functional role and evolutionary conservatism]

Plane charge clusters from the calf eye lens protein gamma-crystallin are considered. The clusters consist of four to six side chain charged groups with interatomic distances in ionic pairs from 4 to 7 A. The charge clusters appear to decrease the hydrophilic potential of the molecular surface which maintains the transparent refracting lens medium of vertebrates with a very high protein concentration. It is shown that the charge pattern for different gene products of one species is conservative as well as for whole set of 25 sequences of vertebrates, including carp, frog, mouse, rat, calf and human. Taking into account "neutral mutations", Asp-Glu and Arg-Lys the homology of those charge positions is equal to 95-100%. Functionally important charge clusters are absent in the ancient structural motifs of gamma-crystallin.     

A dipole localization method in analyzing the auditory brain-stem evoked potential]

The localization of generators of brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) has been studied in one patient using the method of dipole localization based on the spatial distribution of BAER over the surface of the head. It has been found that in formation of all BAER waves the activity of several generators overlaps. It is especially marked for the peaks I', II', III and III'--their potential distribution can not be described by single-dipole model, thus preventing the defining of their generation site. Distribution of potential for other peaks corresponds to the single-dipole model. The coordinates of the equivalent sources of these peaks are in the vicinity of the auditory structures: I--near the distal part of the auditory nerve, II--near the auditory nerve in the place of its entering the brainstem, V--near contralateral auditory pontine structures, V--near lateral lemniscus while V', VI and VI'--near mesencephalic auditory structures.     

The nature of pacemaker activity]

A general equation of the membrane resting potential (RP) has been derived for closed cell membrane (CM) model. It is shown that Na,K-ATPase of cardiomyocytes is in the antielectrogenic phase. A hypothesis is proposed: a pacemaker cell is an excitable cell, which has RP corresponding to the given activity of Na,K-ATPase and non-activated cationic conductivities of CM higher than the activation threshold of Na-channels. The equation of the equipotential levels of the membrane RP on the surface of the cationic conductivities has been derived. It is shown that the substances (e. g. neuromediator) that change the membrane cation permeability are able to depolarize or to hyperpolarize CM. The direction of polarization is dependent on the state of the cell electrogenic system. The following factors promote the hyperpolarizing effect of the magnifying cation permeability substances: 1) high activity of Na,K-ATPase, 2) low background cation permeability of CM (among their number the integrity of CM) and 3) high ratio of the potassium permeability alteration in respect to that of sodium which is evoked by the substance (delta gK/delta gNa).     

The habituation of KM-strain rats to the action of an epileptogenic stimulus

A decrease in the level of epileptic susceptibility to a strong sound which induces the epileptiform seizures has been studied in KM-strain of rats. Reflectory control of seizure activity, i.e. a decrease in their frequency rate has been shown during a prolonged action of the epileptogenic stimulus. The conditions and dynamics of the decreased epileptic susceptibility during systematic presentation of the epileptogenic stimulus have been found to correlate with eight habituation criteria. This effect is identified as habituation to a pathologic action, and its typical features are described. The results characterizing phenomenological similarity of the processes found in experiments and in clinical studies are discussed. The observed blocking of seizures induced by habituation to the sound is treated as shaping of some defensive antiepileptic processes.     

Mink IgG-allotypes and Aleutian disease

IgG polymorphism (allotypes H3, H4, H6 and H8 of constant region of the gamma-chain) was investigated in healthy and affected with Aleutian disease (AD) minks from two Siberian and one Danish populations. In all three populations, the expression of H3 and H4 allotypes was strongly associated with AD. Among the AD minks the frequency of H6, H8 phenotype was found to be decreased, whereas the frequency of H3, H4, H6, H8 phenotype was significantly increased. At the same time, the populational distribution of the rest phenotypes was similar among healthy and AD minks. The H3, H4, H6, H8 minks showed the highest pathomorphological characteristics of AD. Based on the data concerning mink H3 and H4, and human Gm allotypes, their role as possible genetic markers for hereditary susceptibility to distinct disease is discussed.     

Gene geography of human population: computer-generated regional genogeographic atlas

Gene geography is considered in this work as the instrument for analysis of population's gene pool. To be effective in this analysis, gene geography should move from mapping of gene frequencies for each gene (and phenes) to construction of genogeographical atlas, as a collection of maps generated by computer, following some strongly defined principles and methods, and joined together, according to general task and the programme of investigation. Brief version of regional genogeographical atlas of Mongolians and the other peoples of Central Asia is presented in the article. This atlas includes computer-generated maps of AB0, Hp, Gc, G'3, Tf, GLO, EstD and PGM1 gene frequencies as well as computer-generalized maps of Mongolian gene pool.     

Ethnic genetics: ethnogeographic diversity of the gene pool of human populations around the world]

The study was undertaken to estimate a degree of genetic differentiation in human all-world population at the ethnic level of its structure. The genetic information for this work came from well-known A. Mourant's et al. world-wide survey on human genetic polymorphisms and from regional survey on the same polymorphisms of the USSR peoples. The data were grouped into 9 regional populations studied for 49 alleles and haplotypes belonging to 20 polymorphic loci. Average genetic distances from the all-world human gene pool to each of regional one, and from these to gene pools of ethnic groups within regions were estimated and compared. An unexpected result of this within-between-region comparative analysis is the shortest genetic distance between gene pools of the USSR peoples as a whole on the one hand, and all-world peoples on the other. At the same time, a considerable part of the total human genetic polymorphism is persisted in the USSR region.