Effect of exogenous DNAses on various stages of DNA replication in microorganisms

Effect of DNAase 1 on DNA synthesis and cell division was studied in microorganisms deficient in some stages of DNA replication initiation. The DNA synthesis induced by exogenous DNAase was found to be a replicative origin since it was registered from the "origin" of chromosomal replication under the conditions of initiation of proteins functioning. Stimulation of DNA synthesis in bacterial cells having mutations in DNA B and DNA G genes by DNAase 1 indicates that exogenous DNAases participate in replicative fork during the DNA synthesis.     

Genetics of human behavior: problems, results and prospects

In this paper, the main problems of modern behaviour genetics of man are formulated and methods for their study proposed. As a result of the Mendelian analysis of some psychometric scales of personality inventories, a major-gene mode of inheritance is found for 20% of scales of three questionnaires: MMPI, 16 PF and the Pathocharacterologic Diagnostic Inventory (PDI). Perspectives of further studies in the field of human behaviour genetics are outlined.     

Components of early maternal environment affecting the predisposition to catalepsy

Reciprocal pup substitution (cross-fostering) in cataleptic GC (designated so by the initials of words "genetic" and "catalepsy") and control Wistar females resulted in attenuation of cataleptic predisposition in GC rats fostered by Wistar foster-mothers. The latter demonstrate a more intense maternal care than GC females. There was a significant negative correlation between the frequency of mother staying in nest and the duration of pinch-induced catalepsy in pups fostered by her. In the home-cage retrieval test, the females of the strains compared showed a significant dependence of the latencies of approach to, and retrieval of, pups on their own and the pups' genotype.     

Involvement of adenine nucleotide carrier in the mechanism of the apolipoprotein C induced decrease of membrane potential in rat liver mitochondria

Apolipoprotein C (apo C) was shown to decrease the Ca2+ capacity and membrane potential of mitochondria isolated from rat liver. The specific ligands of adenine nucleotide carrier, ADP and carboxyatractyloside (CAT), inhibited the effect of apo C on the mitochondrial membrane potential. The effect of ADP and CAT was revealed in the absence of Ca2+. We conclude that in the presence of apo C, adenine nucleosides carrier transforms into a pore, and this causes the decrease in the membrane potential of the mitochondria. ADP and CAT support the primary conformation of the carrier and therefore inhibit the effect of apolipoprotein C.     

Effects of change of maternal environment during early postnatal development on behaviour in cataleptic rats

Pinch-induced catalepsy was compared at an age of 2 weeks and at weaning in cataleptic GC and control Wistar rats reared by their biological mothers or subjected to reciprocal in-or cross-fostering. Besides, some open-field parameters were studied in the same groups of rats at an age of 2 months. Significant interstrain differences in all the behavioural parameters studied were found. Reciprocal cross-fostering tended to diminish interstrain differences in most parameters. It brought about a decrease of duration of pinch-induced catalepsy at 2 weeks and at weaning in GC rats, and an increase of duration of catalepsy at weaning in Wistar females. Besides, cross-fostering decreased the duration of freezing in the open-field test in GC rats at 2 months.     

The effect of anabiosis autoinducers on the bacterial genome

The mutagenic activity of chemical analogues of microbial anabiosis autoinducers (the autoregulatory d1 factors of cell differentiation), which act to inhibit cell proliferation, to enhance cell tolerance, and to induce the transition of cells to anabiotic state, was studied using the Ames test. In the range of concentrations studied (0.1 to 100 micrograms/ml), alkyl-substituted hydroxybenzenes (AHBs) differing in hydrophobicity, i.e., methylresorcinol (C1-AHB) and hexylresorcinol (C6-AHB), as well as unsubstituted resorcinol, showed different growth-inhibiting and mutagenic effects. C6-AHB was found to inhibit the growth of Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and to induce its mutagenesis at a rate of 1.8 revertants/nmol. C1-AHB taken at low concentrations not only failed to inhibit bacterial growth but even stimulated it and exerted an antimutagenic effect. Unsubstituted resorcinol virtually did not influence bacterial growth and showed weak mutagenic activity. The growth-inhibiting effect of elevated C6-AHB concentrations correlated with the degree of the transition of the original phenotype producing S-type colonies to a phenotype producing R-type colonies. The role of AHB homologues, as microbial autoregulators with mutagenic activity, in the regulation and correlation of two processes (the phenotypic dissociation of microbial populations and the formation of resting microbial forms) is discussed. The accumulation of AHBs in senescent microbial cultures may induce adaptive mutations, change the expression of genes, and promote the development of minor cell subpopulations (phenotypes), thus providing for the adaptation of these cultures to varying environmental conditions.     

Correlation between cataleptic freezing and prestimulation inhibition of the startle reflex in rats

In rats of GC strain bred for predisdposition to cataleptic freezing, a significant negative correlation between the duration of freezing and the level of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex, has been found. Besides, in a group of GC rats specific by their "nervousness" and jumpiness, there was also a negative correlation between the duration of freezing and the habituation to the startle reflex. None of this correlation have been found in Wistar rats. Since impairment of the PPI and habituation of the startle reflex is considered to be characteristic of schizophrenia, it is believed than cataleptic freezing in the GC rats may be used as a model of schizophrenic psychopathology.     

Catalepsy and "nervousness" in rats: results of replicated selection

Replicated breeding during five generations from an outbred population of Wistar rats performed, in contrast to the previous breeding, differentially for predisposition to catalepsy and "nervousness" confirmed earlier data that catalepsy and "nervousness" are two phenotypic expressions of the same bipolar catatonic genotype.