Isolation of substances inhibiting the specific binding of imipramine and serotonin uptake from the brain of the bull

Several fractions that inhibit specific binding of 3H-imipramine and reverse uptake of 3H-serotonin in rat brain synaptosomes were obtained by gel chromatography on Sephadex G-10 from an acidic extract of brain homogenates. The profiles of inhibition of 3H-imipramine specific binding and reverse uptake of 3H-serotonin were found to be in a good agreement. This finding suggests that substances identified in the brain extract may have both types of activities. Further investigations relative to the purification and identification of the substances isolated from bovine brain should be aimed at the search for endogenous ligands for the "imipramine receptor".     

Seasonal Signal of Photosynthesis in the Forests of North Eurasia

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - The seasonal course of the water potential in branch xylem reflects the dynamics of photosynthetic СО2/Н2О exchange in the forest...     

Characteristics of proteinase digestive function in invertebrates--inhabitants of cold seas

Digestive proteinases of various taxa of invertebrates of the Northern seas have been studied: crustaceans Paralithodes camtchaticus, Pandalus borealis; molluscs Chlamys islandicus, Buccinum undatum, Serripes groenlandicus, and echinoderms Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, Cucumaria frondosa, Asterias rubens, and Grossaster papposus. The presence of two proteolytic activity peaks in the acid (pH 2.5-3.5) and low alkaline zones (pH 7.5-8.5) and a similar proteinase spectrum have been revealed in digestive organs of the studied animals. The proteolytic activity in digestive organs of the Barents Sea invertebrates exceeds significantly that of terrestrial homoiothermal animals, which seems to be an extensive compensation for poor differentiation of the digestive system and for low substrate specificity of the enzymes as well as for cold conditions of the habitat. The principal qualitative difference between vertebrates and invertebrates consists in that the latter have no pepsin activity, but do have the cathepsin activity that is absent in vertebrate digestive organs. Contribution to the acid proteolysis is made by lysosomal cathepsins, rather than by pepsins. Activity in the alkaline and neutral pH zones is provided by serine proteinases. In digestive cavities of invertebrates, hydrolysis of proteins and mechanical processing of food occur only in the low alkaline zone, whereas acid proteolysis has intracellular lysosomal localization.     

Gene frequencies and heterozygosity of the population of Donetsk Province, Ukraine by the alleles of the ABO and Rhesus systems]

Frequency and heterozygosity indices of AB0 and Rh gene systems in the population of Donetsk Province were calculated. Uneven distribution of the genes was found and heterozygosity indices of the population were 0.554-0.573 for AB0 and 0.410-0.499 for Rh. Heterozygosity in this population was higher than average heterozygosity in total population of Ukraine as a result of intensive migrations and prevalence of heterolocal marriages over homolocal ones.     

Calcium-activated neutral proteinase in gametes of the sea urchinStrongylocentrotus droebachiensis

By Chromatographic separation of cytosol fraction of homogenates from gonads of females and males of green sea urchinStrongylocentrotus droebachiensis using an AcA-34 ultragel, protein fractions with mol. mass of 123 and 81 kDa are revealed, which have activity of calciumactivated proteinases. Dynamics of activity of the calcium-activated proteinases is studied during annual sexual cycles of the sea urchin. It is shown that the maximal activity of the studied enzyme in females and males of the sea urchin is present at the IV stage of gonad maturation, at the period of their trophic growth which is characterized by formation of stores of nutritient substances necessary for the subsequent development of embryos.     

Psychophysiological Correlates of Athletic Success in Athletes Training for the Olympics

Long-term studies related to comprehensive analysis of psychophysiological correlates of the athletic potential were performed on the basis of innovative technologies of molecular genetic and biological energy analyses using modern automated software-hardware complexes. The results were used to select indices for personalized diagnosis of the athletic potential, to analyze it comparatively at the team level, and to calculate an athletic rating correlating with athletic success. These indices make it possible to detect preclinical health disturbances, development of energy deficit, and overtraining. The approaches may be used to analyze the general well-being of a population.__________Translated from Fiziologiya Cheloveka, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2005, pp. 84–92.Original Russian Text Copyright (c) 2005 by Bundzen, K. Korotkov, A. Korotkova, Mukhin, Priyatkin.     

Determination of total intracellular lipid content by flow cytofluorometry

It was demonstrated that perylenoyl-labeled triglyceride, rac-1,2-dioleoyl-3-[9(3-perylenoyl)nonanoyl]glycerol (PLTG), specifically stains the intracellular lipids in formalin-fixed and non-fixed cells in situ and in suspension. The fluorescence of labeled cells was registered on a FACS-II cytofluorometer. It was found that the mean intensity of fluorescence in PLTG-labeled cells of various types, both fixed and non-fixed, correlates with their total lipid content. There was no correlation, however, between the mean intensity of fluorescence and intracellular levels of lipids belonging to different classes: phospholipids, triglycerides, cholesterol or cholesteryl esters.