Use of mycelial waste from the drug industry

It was shown that mycelial waste (MW) from manufacture of riboxin and neomycin was useful as an active filler for press compositions and a raw material for fuels. Addition of MW to a polymer press composition, depending on the amount added, provided a 2-10-fold decrease in the time of gel formation in the mixture and hardening of the products as well as a significant decrease in their shrinkage during the hardening. Optimal physicomechanical properties were achieved when the contents of MW and polymer in the press composition were equal. Pyrolysis of dry MW at a temperature of 450-500 degrees C resulted in formation of a product which was not inferior to the known fuels in its physicochemical properties. The low freezing point of the prepared fuel as compared to that of oil fuels allowed one to recommend it as a low-temperature additive to the fuels lowering their freezing points.     

The morphology and ecology of the marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi Sarno et Zingone, 2005 from the Sea of Japan

Diatoms of the genus Skeletonema were found in bottle samples of phytoplankton that were collected in Paris Bay (Bosfor-Vostochny Strait, the Sea of Japan) in June–December 2013 at a water temperature of–1.8 to 21.6°C and a salinity of 25.4–33.2‰. Using electron microscopy, we identified the predominant species of the autumn phytoplankton bloom as S. marinoi Sarno et Zingone. This is the first find of the species in the marine waters of Russia. The morphology of S. marinoi is described; further data on its ecology and distribution are provided.     

Ecological Forms of Black Sea Brown Trout (<Emphasis Type=Italic>Salmo trutta labrax</Emphasis>) in the Mzymta River as Manifestation of Ontogenetic Plasticity

Populations of brown trout in the Mzymta River and its tributaries include anadromous (mainly female) and resident (mainly males) fish. Some resident males in the basin of the Mzymty River attain sexual maturity at the age 1+, and resident females mature at the age 2+ or 3+. The maximum age of resident fish is 4+ in the samples studied. Migrations of anadromous brown trout to the sea occur at the ages 1+, 2+, or 3+. Future spawners spend from 1 to 4 years at feeding grounds in the sea. Smolts of the population are characterized by performing not only spring but also autumn migrations to the sea. One smolt specimen has been detected upstream from the dam in the river where spawners of anadromous brown trout do not migrate; this means that the capability for sea migrations persists long in the population represented only by resident specimens of brown trout. The diversity of life cycles and ecological forms in populations of brown trout is not lower than in populations of brown trout in Northern and Western Europe. The comparison of the data obtained with published data makes it possible to come to the conclusion about the high plasticity of ontogenesis of Black Sea brown trout.     

Presence of tear lipocalin and other major proteins in lacrimal fluid of rabbits

The lipocalins are a highly divergent, ubiquitous family of proteins that commonly function in binding lipophilic molecules. Although a specific tear lipocalin is a major component of lacrimal fluid and tears in many mammals, there has been no definitive identification of such a protein in rabbit tears. The goals of this project were to identify the major proteins in rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) lacrimal fluid, so as to determine if they include a lipocalin and, if such a protein is present, to determine its source. Lacrimal fluid was collected from NZW sexually mature female rabbits, and culture medium from rabbit lacrimal gland epithelial (acinar) and interstitial cells was isolated. Proteins from these fluids were separated by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and analyzed by sequencing the intact proteins and sequencing or mass analysis of fragments derived by trypsin digestion. Proteins of approximately 85 and 67 kDa were identified as rabbit transferrin and serum albumin, respectively, while components of 17 and 7 kDa had N-terminal sequences identical to those of lipophilin CL and AL, respectively. BLAST searches of the nr database with the N-terminal sequence of a protein of 18 kDa did not identify any homologues. However, when used to scan the PROSITE database, it was found to contain a lipocalin signature sequence. It is closely related to two lipocalins previously isolated from rabbit saliva and nasal mucus. Further studies with the N-terminal and internal sequences confirmed that the lacrimal protein is a lipocalin that is truncated at the N-terminus as compared with other tear lipocalins and is more similar to odorant binding proteins from rodents.     

Effect of Azospirilla Lectins on Germination Capacity of Seeds

We studied the effect of lectins of Azospirillum brasilense Sp 7 on germination capacity of tomato, cucumber, pea, wheat, and onion seeds. The lectins proved to inhibit seed germination. We studied the effect of different concentrations of lectins from four azospirilla strains on the rate of wheat seed germination. Both inhibiting and stimulating effects were demonstrated. Lectin-induced changes in the mitotic state of plant cells were demonstrated with histological sections of the root growing point in onion.     

Biological activity of the intact and cleaved DNA of the simian adenovirus 7.

Only the deproteinized DNA preparations of the simian adenovirus of the type 7 (SA 7) exhibited transforming and tumorigenic activity. The complex of the SA7 DNA with terminal protein (TP) did not exhibit either transforming or tumorigenic activity in cell cultures. In contrast to the transforming potential the infectious titers of the DNA - TP complex for the monkey kidney cells were 30-50 times higher than those of pure DNA. Cleavage of the SA7 DNA by specific endonucleases enhanced the tumorigenic potential of pure DNA, suppressed its infectivity and did not affect the lack of transformation capacity of the DNA - TP complex. The onc-gene was localized in the left terminal fragment with the minimal size 4,3x10(6)D in the case of R.Sal I. The tumorigenic activity was found to decrease with an increase in the size of the DNA fragment containing the onc-gene.     

Changes in mitochondrial shape in wheat root cells exposed to mitochondrial poisons

It is found that mitochondrial poisons not only modify the functional activity of the organelles but also change the shape of some mitochondria. The ring-shaped organelles were found to appear in root cells of 5- to 6-day-old seedlings of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cvs. Moskovskaya 35 and Lyuba). Using a technique of serial sections, we have shown that the circular profiles of mitochondria within the cell correspond in most cases to bowl-shaped organelles. Spatial reorganization of mitochondria did not depend directly on the respiration rate, duration of exposure to inhibitors, and inhibitor specificity. These observations indicate the reversibility of spatial rearrangements and general nonspecific nature of the detected morphological changes.     

Glycoproteomic analysis of two mouse mammary cell lines during transforming growth factor (TGF)-β induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Background  

TGF-β acts as an antiproliferative factor in normal epithelial cells and at early stages of oncogenesis. However, later in tumor development TGF-β can become tumor promoting through mechanisms including the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process that is thought to contribute to tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. To identify EMT-related breast cancer therapeutic targets and biomarkers, we have used two proteomic approaches to find proteins that change in abundance upon the induction of EMT by TGF-β in two mouse mammary epithelial cell lines, NMuMG and BRI-JM01.