Ecological and trophic differentiation of fungal diversity in Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve (Kazakhstan)

Two fungal-like organisms (class Oomycetes) and 263 species of fungi from 111 genera, 42 families, 23 orders, and 7 classes have been found on the territory of Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve. Twenty-two species are found for the first time. The vast majority of species are parasitic (202 species), 56 species belong to saprotrophs, and 7 to symbiotrophs. Classes Taphrinomycetes, Urediniomycetes, and Ustilaginomycetes are represented exclusively by parasites. There have been found 21 saprotrophic, 27 parasitic, and 4 symbiotrophic species in the class Ascomycetes. The most numerous group in the class Basidiomycetes is the group of humus saprotrophs; it contains 15 species. Groups of litter saprotrophs and parasites contain four species each, symbiotrophic species have three species, coprotrophs and xylotrophs have two species each, and litter and humus saprotrophs have one species each. Anamorphic fungi are represented by 91 parasitic and 11 saprotrophic species. In comparison with closely located Sairam-Ugam National Park and the Karatau Nature Reserve, the mycobiota of Aksu-Zhabagly is characterized by a significant number of species in the classes Basidiomycetes, Urediniomycetes, Hyphomycetes, and Coelomycetes. Thirty-one species are common to these protected areas. The most numerous group is parasites.     

Protein markers for identification of different species and varieties of cotton

Reference electrophoretic spectra that allow compiling electrophoretic formulas of certain cotton species and varieties were obtained on the basis of analysis of the electrophoretic spectrum of water-soluble and barely soluble proteins of seeds of diploid cotton species of genomic group A (Gossypium arboretum var. indicum, G. arboreum ssp. obtusifolum, G. herbaceum ssp. africanum, and G. herbaceum Harga), group C (G. australe, G. bickii, G. nelsone, and G. sturtianum), group D (G. davidsonii. G. harknessii. G. klotzschianum, G. raimondii, G. thurberi, and G. trilobum), and amphidiploid species of group AD (G. mustelinum, G. hirsutum ssp. palmeri, G. tricuspidatum Bagota, G. tricuspidatum Mari Galanta, G. barbadense L., and G. hirsutum L.).     

Callose accumulation during treatment of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) cells with biotic elicitors

Time-course of induced accumulation of callose in tomato cells has been studied. Localization of callose in L. esculenthum cells was investigated by fluorescent microscopy technique, and the optimal time for its determination was found. Callose accumulation in tomato cells treated with different biotic elicitors was determined. Nonlinear dependence between callose accumulation and concentration of chitin oligomers (with 3-5 N-acetylglucosamine fragments) was established. Increasing of callose accumulation in tomato cells was proportional to the increase of concentration ofchitin dimer and chitosan in the culture medium.     

The effect of synthetic fragment 65-76 of monocyte chemiattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) on neointima growth after carotid artery balloon injury in rats

Influence of synthetic fragment 65-76 of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) (peptide X) on development of neointima after balloon injury of carotid artery was investigated. Peptide X was introduced intramuscularly, 33 pg/kg, daily during 28 days after balloon injury. In days 4 and 7 after intervention, in animals receiving peptide X in comparison with control animals a substantial decrease of neointimal growth was observed. On 14 and 28 days there, was no significant difference in neointima development in rats with and without peptide treatment. Injections of peptide X did not after the C-reactive protein concentration, leukocyte number and lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood. Peptide X treatment along with traditional therapy may be effective in preventing restenosis after angioplasty.     

Comparison of the effects of the subjective complexity and verbal creativity on EEG spectral power parameters

The EEG recording was made when the subjects performed tasks that involved overcoming the stereotype (creative) and retrieving information from memory (noncreative) with the usual and complicated presentation of the initial material (incomplete proverbs and sayings without concluding words). The subjective complexity of the task performance under different conditions was assessed. The EEG power from 19 EEG derivations was compared in the β₂ and γ frequency bands. The creative task performance was associated with a marked increase in the EEG power; significantly more complicated noncreative tasks were not accompanied by marked changes in the EEG power in these bands.     

SAD,a stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase highly expressed in high-oil maize inbred lines

As special maize with more than 6% oil concentration in the grain, high-oil maize has received increased interest recently. To date, little is known about the expressions of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism of high-oil maize. Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (SAD) is a key enzyme that converts stearic acid to oleic acid. In this study, two-dimensional electrophoresis, gas chromatography, and real-time PCR were used to determine the expressions of SAD at three seed development stages in high-oil and normal maize inbred lines. SAD was significantly more abundantly expressed in high-oil maize than in normal maize, not only at the protein and mRNA levels, but also at the product level. These results suggested that a high expression of SAD may play an important role in increasing oil concentration in high-oil maize.     

Reproductive overload in <Emphasis Type="Italic">D. melanogaster</Emphasis> females—Its connection with longevity

The conception of individual reproduction is that fruit flies are genetically designed to oviposit at the highest possible rate. This rate is maintained right up to the moment when the organism begins to age, and the senescence is characterized by the reproduction rate falling exponentially. The population can be divided into z, s, m, and l-phenotypes depending on their resource allocation. The main part of the population consists of m-phenotype flies with a balanced resource allocation. The flies with z-phenotype are infecund; s-flies do not reach senility; and l-flies, in which the allocation is biased toward somatic organism maintenance, outlast the period of oviposition and die only after they have completely used up their reproductive potential. Individual reproductive patterns and reproductive phenotypes are analyzed for two D. melanogaster populations consisting of 493 and 474 flies. It is shown that there is a mortality curve for each phenotype, and that a part of the population dies out “prematurely” due to reproductive overload.     

Effects of several exorphins and endorphins on the escape reaction of the cockroach <Emphasis Type="Italic">Periplaneta americana</Emphasis> under elevated temperature conditions

The ability of several alimentary opioid peptides (exorphin C, rubiscolin-5, cytochrophin4) and endorphins (met-enkephalin, dinotrophin A₁₋₁₀, β-neoendorphin) to change the escape reaction of the cockroaches Periplaneta americana at their placement into a hot chamber was studied. The ED₅₀ values increasing twice the insect stay time in the hot chamber as well as duration and dynamics of the effects were determined. It has been shown that ED₅₀ decreases statistically significantly with increase of the length of the peptide molecule and its affinity to opioid receptors of the κ-type. Selective binding of opioid to μ-receptors leads to a decrease of duration of the effects and to an increase of their affinity to δ-receptors—to prolongation of the reaction (more than 150 min). In the group of alimentary peptides (exorphins) the most active was a fragment of D-ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxigenase rubiscolin-5 (ED₅₀ = 386 nM per individual). This might indicate a specific ability of some plant proteins to regulate (decrease) the insect protective behavior.     

Association of <Emphasis Type="Italic">NAT2</Emphasis> polymorphisms with susceptibility to psoriasis in the Moscow population

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is a key enzyme of biotransformation phase II that metabolizes genotoxic compounds such as carcinogens and mutagens in different types of cells. A decreased NAT2 activity may correlate with sensitivity to harmful environmental factors, thus increasing susceptibility to different multifactorial diseases, including dermatologic conditions like psoriasis. A biochip developed in our lab to detect 17 NAT2 SNPs was tested on 279 clinical DNA samples from 180 patients with psoriasis and 99 healthy individuals, all residents of Moscow. Six polymorphisms that are most common in European populations (282C > T, 341T > C, 481C > T, 590G > A, 803A > G, and 857G > A) were detected. The NAT2 allele and genotype frequencies for individual SNPs did not differ between patients and healthy individuals. The frequency of the slow acetylation phenotype was increased in patients with type II psoriasis and in normosthenic patients as compared to controls (OR = 1.76, P = 0.177 and OR = 2.07, P = 0.050, respectively). Genotype 341C/C,481T/T,803G/G was significantly more frequent in patients who smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per day and in those who regularly consumed alcohol than in controls (OR = 7.42, P = 0.008 and OR = 106.11, P = 0.003, respectively). The frequency of genotype 341T/T, 481C/C, 590A/-, 803A/A was increased in patients with adverse reactions to medications (OR = 2.05, P = 0.099). Thus, our data suggest that some NAT2 genotypes in combination with certain lifestyles can be considered risk factors of psoriasis in the Moscow population.