Species diversity and conservation status of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) of Russian waters

The paper considers the composition of the fauna of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) in the waters adjacent to the coast of the Russian Federation. Its features are analyzed in the seas of basins of different oceans. The conservation status of cartilaginous fishes in the waters of Russia is assessed according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The current state of individual threatened species is briefly characterized.     

The pattern of changes in physiological parameters in the course of changes in physical exercise intensity

It is well known that metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory indices during exercise of moderate intensity are linearly related to the power of the exercise. After the load reaches a definite level, this relationship becomes nonlinear. Different methods for evaluating the intensity of load at which this transition takes place are discussed. The methods for investigating the time course of the transitional process in the systems of energy supply for muscle contractions with the changing intensity of the contractions are described. The dependence of the dynamic characteristics of physiological indices on the fitness level, which, in turn, depends on the age and level of physical activity, is discussed.     

Conception of health: Space-Earth

A new approach for assessing the state of health of cosmonauts, athletes, pilots, drivers, operators, and persons exposed to occupational hazards is considered. It has been created and developed at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the direction of Academician A.I. Grigor’ev. The results of the work of the last decade performed in the Program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Fundamental Sciences for Medicine” are presented. A new system for estimating the functional state of the body under stressful influences is provided. The methodology of remotely studying the influence of environmental factors on health that initiated a new branch of science and public health—environmental telemedicine—has been elaborated. Issues of the further introduction of the new concept of health and technologies of prenosological diagnostics in the practice of public health services are discussed.     

Analysis of functionalized arenes degradation pathways in model water-organic media

The degradation of functionalized arenes exposed to a mixed culture of chemoorganoaeroheterotrophic microorganisms has been shown to predominantly occur through oxidative intradiol decyclization of the aromatic ring. The spatial structure of the catalytic center of intradiol dioxygenase and its complexes with catechol and protocatechuic acid has been characterized using quantum chemical modeling procedures. The dependence of the total energy of the enzyme-substrate complex on the length of the bond between the iron atom and the hydroxyl group of the substrate (Fe-4-OH and Fe-1-OH) before and after the separation of water and a tyrosine residue (Tyr) from the catalytic center has been demonstrated for the first time.     

Electric Discharges in African Upside-Down Catfishes Synodontis (Mochokidae,Siluriformes): Peculiarities and Mechanisms of Electrogeneration

Journal of Ichthyology - The patterns of electric discharges were studied in two species of upside-down catfishes, Synodontis clarias and S. membranaceus. In S. clarias, constant generation of weak...     

New Data on the Age and Growth of Greenland Halibut,Reinhardtius hippoglossoides (Pleuronectidae), from the Laptev Sea

Journal of Ichthyology - The age and growth characteristics of the Greenland halibut, Reinhardtius hippoglossoides, have been described from the Laptev Sea for the first time. In recent years, the...     

Two-state irreversible thermal denaturation of muscle creatine kinase.

Thermal denaturation of creatine kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The excess heat capacity vs. temperature profiles were independent of protein concentration, but strongly temperature scanning rate-dependent. It has been shown that thermal denaturation of creatine kinase satisfies the previously proposed validity criteria for the two-state irreversible model [Kurganov et al., Biophys. Chem.70 (1997) 125]. The energy activation value has been calculated to be 461.0 +/- 0.7 kJ/mol.     

Microbiology research at the systems biology and bioinformatics - 2019 (SBB-2019) school

Background

The Uzon Caldera is one of the places on our planet with unique geological, ecological, and microbiological characteristics. Uzon oil is the youngest on Earth. Uzon oil has unique composition, with low proportion of heavy fractions and relatively high content of saturated hydrocarbons. Microbial communities of the «oil site» have a diverse composition and live at high temperatures (up to 97 °C), significant oscillations of Eh and pH, and high content of sulfur, sulfides, arsenic, antimony, and mercury in water and rocks.

Results

The study analyzed the composition, structure and unique genetics characteristics of the microbial communities of the oil site, analyzed the metabolic pathways in the communities. Metabolic pathways of hydrocarbon degradation by microorganisms have been found. The study found statistically significant relationships between geochemical parameters, taxonomic composition and the completeness of metabolic pathways. It was demonstrated that geochemical parameters determine the structure and metabolic potential of microbial communities.

Conclusions

There were statistically significant relationships between geochemical parameters, taxonomic composition, and the completeness of metabolic pathways. It was demonstrated that geochemical parameters define the structure and metabolic potential of microbial communities. Metabolic pathways of hydrocarbon oxidation was found to prevail in the studied communities, which corroborates the hypothesis on abiogenic synthesis of Uzon hydrothermal petroleum.

     

Use of 3,3'-dipropylthiodicarbocyanine iodide diS-C3-(5) for the study of conformational changes and detection of Ca-binding proteins

It was shown that 3,3'-dipropylthiocarbocyanine iodide diS-C3-(5) can be used as a fluorescent probe for registration of conformational changes in calmodulin and troponin C, as well as for determination of concentrations of these Ca-binding proteins in experimental samples. The sensitivity of the method (10(-7) M) is only 5 times less than that of determination of calmodulin by phosphodiesterase and by 1 or 2 orders of magnitude more than that of other techniques based on conformational changes of the protein. The spectral parameters of the fluorescent probe allow to conduct the measurements in turbid media and in the presence of many other optically active substances. Evidence is given testifying the promiscuity of the use of this approach to the study of conformational changes in calmodulin under the action of Ca2+, Mg2+, monovalent cations, temperature and target proteins (troponin I, phosphodiesterase). using phosphodiesterase and Ca-ATPase, it was shown that under certain conditions diS-C3-(5) as well as other amphypathic compounds can modify the activity of calmodulin-dependent enzymes.