Features of lipogenesis of basidiomycetes Pleurotus ostreatus and Flammulina velutipes in cultures on various media

The compositions of free fatty acids (FA) in the mycelia of oyster cap (Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Kumm.) and honey mushroom (Flammulina velutipes (Curt. ex Fr.) Sing.) and the effect of mycelium cultivation conditions on the composition and proportions of individual FA were investigated. Palmitic and linoleic acids were found to be major acids produced by P. ostreatus growing on solid agar medium and in a submerged culture with a synthetic medium. The composition of minor FA in P. ostreatus was dependent on cultivation conditions. Surface cultivation of its mycelium yielded pentadecanoic, octadecenoic, and stearic acids. Submerged cultivation additionally yielded undecanoic, myristic, hexadecenoic, and lignoceric acids. The composition of free FA in F. velutipes showed no significant differences from that of P. ostreatus. Variation in the C/N ratio in the cultivation medium affected both the FA composition in P. ostreatus and F. velutipes and the relationship between saturated and unsaturated FA.     

Carbohydrate specificity of lectins from plants of the genus horsetail

Carbohydrate specificity of partially purified lectins from 4 species of plants: horse-tail genus Equisetum (Equisetum arvense L., E. sylvaticum L., E. hyemale L. and E. tempatelia Ehrh.) has been studies. The obtained lectins have similar carbohydrate specificity. Among the tested carbohydrates the best inhibitor of activity is phenyl-2-acetamido-alpha-D-glucosaminopyranoside. Lectins poorly interact with yeasty mannan and galactomannan Trigonella foenum graecum seeds. Among glycoproteins the best inhibitor of activity is ovomucoid.     

Genetic analysis of the short-stem populations of rye (Secale cereale L.) for the plant height trait

The process and results of genetic analysis of the short-stem rye populations (Secale cereale L.) for the trait "plant height" are described. The analysis has been performed with the joint scaling test using data of estimation of the parental and hybrid populations developed in the cyclic reciprocal crosses between four initial populations. Monogenic, digenic, and trigenic differences between parental rye populations for two genes of incomplete dominance and one multiallelic gene with additive allelic interaction were determined.     

Selected anthropometric variables and aerobic fitness as predictors of cardiovascular disease risk in children

The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and aerobic fitness as predictors of cardiovascular risk factor clustering in children. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 290 school boys and girls from 6 to 10 years old, randomly selected. Blood was collected after a 12-hour fasting period. Blood pressure, waist circumference (WC), height and weight were evaluated according to international standards. Aerobic fitness (AF) was assessed by the 20-metre shuttle-run test. Clustering was considered when three of these factors were present: high systolic or diastolic blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, high plasma glucose, high insulin concentrations and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. A ROC curve identified the cut-off points of body mass index (BMI), WC, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and AF as predictors of risk factor clustering. BMI, WC and WHR resulted in significant areas under the ROC curves, which was not observed for AF. The anthropometric variables were good predictors of cardiovascular risk factor clustering in both sexes, whereas aerobic fitness should not be used to identify cardiovascular risk factor clustering in these children.     

Purification and study of carbohydrate specificity of lectin from Sarcoscypha coccinea (Fr.) Lambette

A lectin that revealed affinity for lactose, N-acethylactosamine, 4-nitrophenyl-beta-D-gluco- and galactopyranosides from fruiting bodies of Sarcoscypha coccinea (Fr.) Lambette was purified by affinity chromatography on immobilized ovomucoid. According to electrophoresis data in 15% SDS-PAGE the lectin contains two very low-differing components with molecular weight 32 kDa. Molecular weight of the lectin is 128 kDa according to gel-chromatography on sephadex G-200. The lectin agglutinates rabbit erythrocytes and slightly weaker agglutinates human erythrocytes. After dialysis against 1% EDTA sodium salt solution the lectin loses hemaglutinating activity, but after the next dialysis against CaCl2 solution it is restored.     

Population trends of European common birds are predicted by characteristics of their climatic niche

Temperate species are projected to experience the greatest temperature increases across a range of modelled climate change scenarios, and climate warming has been linked to geographical range and population changes of individual species at such latitudes. However, beyond the multiple modelling approaches, we lack empirical evidence of contemporary climate change impacts on populations in broad taxonomic groups and at continental scales. Identifying reliable predictors of species resilience or susceptibility to climate warming is of critical importance in assessing potential risks to species, ecosystems and ecosystem services. Here we analysed long‐term trends of 110 common breeding birds across Europe (20 countries), to identify climate niche characteristics, adjusted to other environmental and life history traits, that predict large‐scale population changes accounting for phylogenetic relatedness among species. Beyond the now well‐documented decline of farmland specialists, we found that species with the lowest thermal maxima (as the mean spring and summer temperature of the hottest part of the breeding distribution in Europe) showed the sharpest declines between 1980 and 2005. Thermal maximum predicted the recent trends independently of other potential predictors. This study emphasizes the need to account for both land‐use and climate changes to assess the fate of species. Moreover, we highlight that thermal maximum appears as a reliable and simple predictor of the long‐term trends of such endothermic species facing climate change.     

Effect of gametocidal chromosome 4S' on the phenotype segregation ratio in genetic analysis of common wheat lines

Using experimental data on genetic analysis of introgressive lines for the character "hairy leaf sheath" controlled by the "cuckoo" chromosome 4S1, the algorithm for calculation of the theoretical segregation ratio in F2 was developed. Segregation distortion is caused by non-viability of the majority of gametes lacking the chromosome 4S1. The frequency of functioning gametes without the chromosome 4S1 is determined by the probability p versus the theoretically expected ratio 7 nonviable: 9 viable ones. Since segregation involves two characters, gamete viability and hairiness, the ratio 15 hairy: 1 hairless was used as a basis for search of the frequency p by maximum-likelihood method using 16 populations F2 from crossing the lines differing in the character studied.     

Purification of lectin from perch (Persa fluviatilis L.) roe specific to cellobiose and study of its characteristics

Two lectins with different carbohydrate specificity were purified from perch (Persa fluviatilis L.) roe (coastal ecological form) by affinity chromatography on ovariomucine H-sepharose from a human ovary cyst. One lectin was eluted by cellobiose and another lectin was eluted by L-fucose. The L-fucose-specific lectin interacted only with L-fucose and its derivatives, but did not interact with cellobiose and salicin. The cellobiose-specific lectin interacted with all the examined carbohydrates, but cellobiose was the best inhibitor. This lectin can be also purified on cellulose as an affinity sorbent. Unlike the L-fucose-specific lectin from perch roe, the cellobiose-specific lectin is less soluble in water-saline solutions. Lectin solubility increases greatly in presence of specific inhibitors, cellobiose, in particular. L-fucose, alpha-methyl-L-fucopyranoside and 4-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-fucopyranoside are equivalent inhibitors for both lectins. According to SDS-PAGE data, the lectins contain two components with molecular weight 12-13 kDa. In solutions, these components form molecules with 50 or 100 kDa (depending on pH). Data obtained from electrophoresis in PAAG in alkaline (pH 8.9) and acidic system (pH 4.3), and SDS-PAGE did not display essential distinctions between these both lectins.