Characteristics of the galvanic skin response and electrocardiogram in active and passive subjects under test conditions

Simultaneous examination of two subjects using a method of signal detection in a homogeneous series made it possible to detect some regular changes in the electrocardiogram and galvanic skin response in both passive and active subjects. A passive subject concealed from an active participant information kept in mind, whereas the latter subject aimed at detecting the information significant for the partner. This detection was mainly based on voluntary analysis of unconscious changes in the voice quality, variability in the latent periods of verbal responses, and enhancement of the general motor activity of the partner. At the same time, the phenomenon of unconscious decision-making by an active partner was observed, which possibly took the form of an insight into the information concealed by the passive subject. Some other mechanisms of this phenomenon are also possible.     

Morphologic and biochemical changes in brain cells of mice with influenza

The influence of influenza virus infection on the brain cells was studied in mice. Virology, electron microscopy and biochemistry methods were used for this purpose. It has been shown that intracerebral injection of pathogenic strain of influenza virus A/PR/8/34 is accompanied both by the reproduction of virus in the central nervous system tissue and the morphology changes in ependial cells of the vascular plexus of the brain lateral ventricle. It has been found that the level of the lipid peroxidation products in lipid extracts of infected mouse brain is greater than their level in extracts from control mouse brain. It has been concluded that the influenza virus has a damaging effect on the central nervous system cells.     

COGNAT: a web server for comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods

Background

In prokaryotic genomes, functionally coupled genes can be organized in conserved gene clusters enabling their coordinated regulation. Such clusters could contain one or several operons, which are groups of co-transcribed genes. Those genes that evolved from a common ancestral gene by speciation (i.e. orthologs) are expected to have similar genomic neighborhoods in different organisms, whereas those copies of the gene that are responsible for dissimilar functions (i.e. paralogs) could be found in dissimilar genomic contexts. Comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods facilitates the prediction of co-regulated genes and helps to discern different functions in large protein families.

Aim

We intended, building on the attribution of gene sequences to the clusters of orthologous groups of proteins (COGs), to provide a method for visualization and comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods of evolutionary related genes, as well as a respective web server.

Results

Here we introduce the COmparative Gene Neighborhoods Analysis Tool (COGNAT), a web server for comparative analysis of genomic neighborhoods. The tool is based on the COG database, as well as the Pfam protein families database. As an example, we show the utility of COGNAT in identifying a new type of membrane protein complex that is formed by paralog(s) of one of the membrane subunits of the NADH:quinone oxidoreductase of type 1 (COG1009) and a cytoplasmic protein of unknown function (COG3002).

Reviewers

This article was reviewed by Drs. Igor Zhulin, Uri Gophna and Igor Rogozin.

     

COGcollator: a web server for analysis of distant relationships between homologous protein families

Background

The Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) of proteins systematize evolutionary related proteins into specific groups with similar functions. However, the available databases do not provide means to assess the extent of similarity between the COGs.

Aim

We intended to provide a method for identification and visualization of evolutionary relationships between the COGs, as well as a respective web server.

Results

Here we introduce the COGcollator, a web tool for identification of evolutionarily related COGs and their further analysis. We demonstrate the utility of this tool by identifying the COGs that contain distant homologs of (i) the catalytic subunit of bacterial rotary membrane ATP synthases and (ii) the DNA/RNA helicases of the superfamily 1.

Reviewers

This article was reviewed by Drs. Igor N. Berezovsky, Igor Zhulin and Yuri Wolf.

     

New approaches in the rehabilitation of patients with central nervous system lesions based on the gravitational mechanisms

This review discusses the functioning of the motor system under normal and reduced gravity. Analysis of the experimental data led to the conclusion that all changes in the functioning of tonic muscular system are related to each other. When transiting to the state of microgravity, changes are caused by one common factor, namely a sharp decrease in the activity of support afferent input, specifically oriented to the perception and analysis of gravitational loads and firmly embedded in the mechanisms of postural synergism organization. We analyzed data obtained in studies on the activation of cortical areas of the brain during the stimulation of support afferents in order to test the hypothesis that such stimulation in both healthy subjects and patients with neurologic deficiency leads to activation of both the sensory and motor cortex involved in supraspinal control of the movement of the lower limbs, in particular when walking.     

Oxidative modification of blood plasma proteins in elderly people with vascular dementia

We examined the spontaneous and metal-ion-catalyzed oxidative modification plasma blood proteins in the group of healthy adults and elderly ones and patients with vascular dementia (mild and severe). We determined the spectrophotometric measurement of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives formed by reactions with protein carbonyls. The level of metal-ion-catalyzed oxidation proteins in the aged patients both with and without dementia was high in comparison to the healthy adults. The patients with severe dementia showed lower amount of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone deriviates. Low levels of metal-ion-catalysed protein oxidation strongly correlated with the degree of psychoorganic disturbances. The elderly persons with both and without dementia showed a high level of plasma nonenzymatic H2O2 scavenging in comparison with the healthy adult ones. We discovered an imbalance between enzymatic and nonenzymatic components of the antioxidant system. The latter indicates that the oxidative modification of brain tissue proteins probably plays an important role in aging and mental disorders.     

Inheritance and expression of gametophyte gene Adh-P causing modification of alcohol dehydrogenase in pollen grains of the beet (Beta vulgaris L.)

An additional alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity zone denoted ADH-P ("pollen") has a slightly lower mobility than the major protein ADH1 (the product of structural locus Adh1). This zone is detected in maturing and mature pollen grains and has not been found in any other tissue. ADH-P is detected by electrophoresis in a neutral medium (at pH 7.0-7.2). In an alkaline medium (pH > 8), protein ADH-P is completely inactivated, whereas protein ADH1 retains its activity. ADH-P is a modified variant of the major protein ADH1. Both alleles of the main structural gene (Adh1-F and Adh1-S) undergo modification. The pollen of an FS heterozygote has two variants of the modified enzyme: ADH-PS and ADH-PF. Analysis of segregation in F2 offsprings and test crosses has confirmed that this character is controlled by the only gene Adh-P with allelic variants Adh-P+ (the presence of the modified ADH protein in the pollen) and Adh-P- (the normal protein). Allele Adh-P+ is transmitted through female gametes at a normal frequency (about 1) and through male gametes at a decreased frequency (0.2-0.6), the mean frequency being about 0.4. The frequency of the transmission of allele Adh-P+ through male gametes depends on the genotype of the female parent and the conditions of pollination. Cytoembryological study of microsporogenesis in the Adh-P+/Adh-P- heterozygotes demonstrated an absence of any disturbances in the formation of microspores and pollen grains. Some differences in the formation of pollen tubes on an artificial medium have been observed. It is assumed that the differences between the Adh-P+ and Adh-P- microgametophytes manifest themselves at the progamic phase of fertilization. The possible mechanisms of the formation of the modified ADH-P protein are discussed in connection with the differential activity of genes in the microgametophytes of angiosperms.     

Electromechanical heterogeneity of the myocardium

Herein we discuss modem data showing that ventricle's working myocardium is highly heterogeneous. Significant transmural differences in electrophysiological and biomechanical properties of cardiomyocytes are reviewed. The reviewed evidence of myocardial heterogeneity constitutes the basis for modem assessment of segmental kinetics of different regions in intact heart. We used muscle duplexes as condensed models of a heterogeneous myocardial system. Experimental data, presented here were obtained both in biological duplexes formed by isolated myocardial preparations and in mathematical models of muscle duplexes. We showed that specific functional heterogeneity of cardiomyocytes, related to their excitation sequence, allowed the myocardium to optimise its contractile function and smooth dispersion of repolarisation.     

Comparative genetic analysis of diploid naked wheat Triticum sinskajae and the progenitor T. monococcum accession

The inheritance of several morphological and biochemical traits was studied in diploid (2n = 2x = 14) naked wheat Triticum sinskajae. The electrophoretic pattern of storage proteins (gliadins) of T. sinskajae differed only in two components from the pattern of T. monococcum accession k-20970, in a population of which T. sinskajae had been discovered. Analysis of biochemical polymorphisms revealed a difference between T. monococcum k-20970 and T. sinskajae in a slow 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase region but not in the other eight enzyme systems examined. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the nuclear Acc-1 (acetyl-CoA carboxylase) gene revealed a 46-bp deletion from intron 11 in T. monococcum k-20970 but not in T. sinskajae. This difference was not regarded as species-specific in view of the intraspecific polymorphism of the Acc-1 locus in T. monococcum. A monogenic control was demonstrated for the spring growth habit of T. sinskajae, and the monogenic control of the specific T. sinskajae ear shape was verified. The T. sinskajae ear shape is controlled by a recessive gene, while the T. monococcum ear shape is controlled by a dominant gene. The T. sinskajae ear shape, nakedness, soft glume, aristate glume, and the oblique brachium of the outer glume proved to be linked. The set of E. sin-skajae diagnostic characters is determined by a single (possibly, regulatory) gene or a set of closely linked genes. The two other genes specific to T. sinskajae-awnS, determining the awnlessness, and fig, determining the nonfissile inner (flower) glume--are, respectively, 1.35 +/- 0.98 and 3.34 +/- 1.54% of crossing over away from the mom gene, which determines the T. sinskajae ear shape.