Role of Lipid Droplets in the Development of Oocytes and Preimplantation Embryos in Mammals

Russian Journal of Developmental Biology - Lipids are one of the most common and important cell components. Particularly, cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs) play a crucial role in cellular energy...     

Radiation-population monitoring of Pinus sylvestris L. in the zone of the Chernobyl power plant

Cytogenetic and genetic effects in populations of Pinus sylvestris L. suffered wiak, average, strong and sublethal radiation damage after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 were studied. The absorbed dozes for trees in these plantings were from 0.1 up to 20 Gy. It was shown that the amount of cells with chromosome aberrations in sprouts of seeds of a crop of 1993, are comparable with effects marked at once after accident in 1986. In 1997 and in 1998 the amount of cells with chromosome aberrations in sprouts of seeds in majority inspected plantings decreased to control values. The effect of adaptation was detected, when seeds of Pinus sylvestris L., gathered in 1997 from inspected trees, were exposed to additional 4 Gy gamma-radiation.     

Morphological abnormalities among the offspring of irradiated pines (pinus sylvestris L.) from chernobyl populations

The significant changes of the quantitative signs and the increase in the frequency of morphological abnormalities were found among the offspring of pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) exposed as a result of the Chernobyl accident. We have detected that the typical effects of radiation exposure (stimulation, inhibition, abnormalities of morphogenesis) are transmitted to the offspring of irradiated pine trees. The mechanisms of their occurrence are discussed.     

Genetic consequences of irradiation in a scots pine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus sylvestris</Emphasis> L. population

The genetic consequences of irradiation were studied in a Scots pine population from a region contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl meltdown. Mutations of isozyme loci were not detected in seeds collected from trees of the first post-meltdown generation in 2004. The frequency of cells with chromosome aberrations in the root meristem of seedlings grown from the seeds did not differ from the control level. A deviation from the expected ratio 1: 1 was observed for some isozyme alleles in endosperms of seeds obtained from heterozygous trees.     

Multistage functional system amplifying and spreading the effect of estradiol in rat uterus

Summary Estradiol is demonstrated to induce histidine decarboxylase, and histamine is shown to activate adenylate cyclase in rat uterus. Histamine and cyclic 3,5-AMP mimic the effects of estradiol in that they enhance RNA synthesis, induce glycolytic enzymes and uterus imbibition. The data suggest that estradiol enhances by induction of histidine decarboxylase the formation of histamine, the latter activates adenylate cyclase providing accumulation of cyclic 3,5-AMP, which, probably, induces glycolytic enzymes through phosphorylation of chromatin proteins, and mediates other estradiol effects. The chain of successively acting enzymes and mediators constitutes, obviously, a cascade amplifying estradiol action. Since histamine is known to act as an intercellular mediator, attempts were made to find out the distribution of estradiol histamine and cyclic 3,5-AMP among uterus cells. Autoradiography has shown that [³H]-estradiol is bound by the nuclei of myometrium cells, [³H]-histamine was found above the cytoplasm of these cells, [³H]-cyclic 3,5-AMP is selectively bound by the cells of capillary endothelium of the uterus. The estradiol mediators seem to spread effect of hormone on cells of different types which form together a kind of multicellular functional system.     

Remote consequences of a chronic radiation for the population of Hypochoeris maculata L growing on the territory of East-Ural radioactive trace

The caryological study has been carried out on Hypochoeris maculata L. plants growing on the East-Urals radioactive trace. Two Hypochoeris maculata L. populations have been observed. The experimental population grows in contaminated area. 90Sr contamination density is 55 MBq/m2, 137Cs contamination density is 2.5 M Bq/m2. The control population grows in radionuclide-free area. Both in the experimental and in the control populations the plants have been detected bearing extra B-chromosomes in their karyotype. But their frequency was higher in the experimental population than in the control one. In the experimental population the plants with main A-chromosome set karyotype changes have been met in 9 families out of 30 families observed. In the control population one such family has been detected out of 27 families observed. Two plants with karyotype changes in both chromosome sets have been detected in one family of the experimental population, which indicates a possibility of sibling species appearance in the experimental population.