Met-enkephalin-induced release into the blood of a factor causing postural asymmetry

Met- and Leu-enkephalin applied subarachnoidally into the rostral portion of a transected spinal cord (at the T6-T7 level) induce postural asymmetry of the hind limbs in rats, Met-enkephalin being predominantly responsible for the flexion of the right, and Leu-enkephalin of the left, hind leg. The blood serum of rats injected with Met-enkephalin contains a factor which, when administered subarachnoidally into the caudal portion of the transected spinal cord, is capable of inducing the hind limb postural asymmetry--predominantly, with the right leg flexion. This factor is inactivated by papain and differs from Met- and Leu-enkephalin in chromatographic properties. Apparently, Met-enkephalin induces the release of a peptide factor into the blood, from the brain or organs innervated by the neurons lying above the cut. It is then carried with the blood to the hind limbs and effects the hind limb postural asymmetry.     

Genetic differentiation of southeast Baltic populations of sea trout inferred from single nucleotide polymorphisms

Sea trout (Salmo trutta m. trutta) is a migratory form of brown trout common in the Baltic Sea. Nine populations from the southeast Baltic (Poland; Lithuania; Denmark, Bornholm; Estonia and Russia) were genotyped using iPLEX Gold technology (Sequenom) with 62 informative SNPs. A diagnostic panel of 23 SNPs was applied to estimate genetic differentiation and assess the population structure of Baltic sea trout. The highest level of pairwise F_ST differences was observed between the Russian (East Gulf of Finland) and Polish (Baltic main basin) populations. The lowest differences were between the two Polish and the Polish and Lithuanian populations. A genetic similarity was noted between the Estonian Riguldi River and Danish Bornholm populations, and this finding was supported by a Bayesian and factorial correspondence analysis. Diversity within populations was highest for populations from Estonia and lowest for the Lithuanian population. Genetic structure analysis indicated that individuals from the nine populations were clustered into four groups.     

Barley plant response to cadmium action as dependent on plant age

Age-dependent differences in the responses of 3-day-old (the phase of seed germination) and 7-day-old (the phase of seedlings) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L., cv. Zazerskii 85) plants to treatment with cadmium (100 μM). Four-day-long exposure to the cadmium solution retarded root growth and suppression of the photosynthetic apparatus in germinating seeds, whereas in seedlings, the roots continued to grow actively and parameters characterizing functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus were close to control values. In the presence of cadmium, in the roots of plants the level of HvPCS gene encoding phytochelatin synthase and the content of phytochelatins (PC) increased independently of the plant age. Distinctly, changes in the content of reduced glutathione (GSH) depended on the plant age: in 3-day-old seedlings the content of GSH reduced after 40-day-long exposure to cadmium; in contrast, in 7-day-old plants, it increased. We concluded that differences in the tolerance to cadmium of plants differing in age are related to their anatomic, morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties corresponding to particular developmental stages and also to differences in functioning of different mechanisms of metal detoxification, in particular, to activation of GSH synthesis and a great increase in the content of PC in the older plants.     

The estimation of current state of Lake Ladoga using mathematical models

This paper describes a mathematical simulation model of the transformation of organic matter and biogenic compounds. The model is validated with observations made on Lake Ladoga. Despite the approximate nature of the biogenic load data, a good agreement is obtained between the calculated substance concentrations and available observations made during individual seasons for different areas of the lake. The model was developed by the author Leonov and this paper presents new model results with accurate formulations for nitrogen and carbon components. Comparison with observational data base collected during 1976–1979 shows that the model results provide good simulation of the annual seasonal changes in material concentrations in the identified regions of the lake.     

MALDI-mass spectrometry for identification of new proteins in snake venoms]

By MALDI MS, we searched cobra venoms for new low-content polypeptides. A number of new proteins with molecular masses 7-25 kDa, characteristic of the known snake protein toxins, were identified, with the content of one of them less than 0.02%.     

The effect of abscisic acid on cold tolerance and chloroplasts ultrastructure in wheat under optimal and cold stress conditions

The effect of abscisic acid (0.1 mM) on cold tolerance of leaf cells and ultrastructure of chloroplasts in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under optimal (22 °C) and cold stress conditions (4 °C) was studied. Results indicated that exogenous abscisic acid induces a rise in the cold tolerance of wheat along with a number of significant ultrastructural changes in chloroplasts both at 22 and at 4 °C. Some of them (increase in density of chloroplasts stroma, formation of “distorted” and “dilated” thylakoids, appearance of invaginations, changes in the shape of chloroplasts and increase of their dimension owing to the stroma area) were common to the two types of treatments. At the same time, the character of changes in the membrane system of plastids was temperature specific, i.e. if at 22 °C the hormone caused a considerable increase in the length of photosynthetic membranes in chloroplast owing the length of both appressed and non-appressed membranes of thylakoids, then in cold stress conditions observed an increase in the number of grana and the length of appressed membranes of thylakoids. These results suggested that the rise in the cold tolerance of abscisic acid-treated plants is associated with the ultrastructural reorganization of chloroplasts aimed to defense plant cells against chilling injury and to maintain the activity of the photosynthetic system.     

Effect of hormones of the neurohypophysis on different types of behavioral responses in the rat

In experiments on male rats arginyl-vasopressin (AVP), lysyl-vasopressin (LVP) and vasotocin (VT) in doses of 0.005-0.010 mg/kg decreased motor activity and emotional behaviour in the open field test. In a dose of 0.001 mg/kg AVP significantly accelerated the elaboration of active avoidance; oxytocin delayed it, but LVP and VT had no significant influence. AVP also somewhat attenuated the elaboration of passive avoidance. None of the four studied peptides significantly affected the rate of elaboration of conditioned food-rewarded reaction to place.     

Dependence of the thrombocyte aggregation reaction on plasma fibronectin and the tripeptide arginyl-glycyl-asparagilin

If was shown that the addition of fibronectin antibodies exerted the inhibition of platelet aggregation. The tripeptide RGD inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by the same agents (ADP, epinephrine, thrombin, collagen) both in blood plasma and in suspension of washed platelets.     

Effects of a Daily Short-Term Temperature Drop on Chilling-Sensitive and Cold-Resistant Plants

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - A set of physiological and biochemical parameters (leaf growth rate, plant biomass, chlorophyll content, rates of photosynthesis and transpiration, relative...