Mini-ribozymes and freezing environment: a new scenario for the early RNA world

International audienceThe RNA World hypothesis states that the present-day life, which is based on DNA genomes and protein enzymes, was preceded by a simpler life form based primarily on RNA. During this era, the genetic information resided in the sequence of RNA molecules and the phenotype derived from the catalytic properties of RNA. Though it is a widely accepted scenario, a number of problems remain unsolved. One of the biggest questions is how complex RNAs could evolve, survive and replicate under typically assumed ''warm and wet'' conditions, taking into account that the RNA phosphodiester backbone is chemically unstable under these conditions. We suggest that prebiotic conditions associated with freezing could have been of key importance in the early RNA World, and discuss the role of primitive catalytic RNA in the evolution of RNA size and complexity

Biomedical journals and databases in Russia and Russian language in the former Soviet Union and beyond

In the 20th century, Russian biomedical science experienced a decline from the blossom of the early years to a drastic state. Through the first decades of the USSR, it was transformed to suit the ideological requirements of a totalitarian state and biased directives of communist leaders. Later, depressing economic conditions and isolation from the international research community further impeded its development. Contemporary Russia has inherited a system of medical education quite different from the west as well as counterproductive regulations for the allocation of research funding. The methodology of medical and epidemiological research in Russia is largely outdated. Epidemiology continues to focus on infectious disease and results of the best studies tend to be published in international periodicals. MEDLINE continues to be the best database to search for Russian biomedical publications, despite only a small proportion being indexed. The database of the Moscow Central Medical Library is the largest national database of medical periodicals, but does not provide abstracts and full subject heading codes, and it does not cover even the entire collection of the Library. New databases and catalogs (e.g. Panteleimon) that have appeared recently are incomplete and do not enable effective searching

Performance Studies of Prototype II for the CASTOR forward Calorimeter at the CMS Experiment

We present results of the performance of the second prototype of the CASTOR quartz-tungsten sampling calorimeter, to be installed in the very forward region of the CMS experiment at the LHC. The energy linearity and resolution, as well as the spatial resolution of the prototype to electromagnetic and hadronic showers are studied with E=20-200 GeV electrons, E=20-350 GeV pions, and E=50,150 GeV muons from beam tests carried out at CERN/SPS in 2004. The responses of the calorimeter using two different types of photodetectors (avalanche photodiodes APDs, and photomultiplier tubes PMTs) are compared.Comment: 16 pages, 22 figs., submitted to EPJ-

Cosmopolitan Values

Что мы имеем в виду, говоря о космополитизме? Это предложенная Кантом модель универсальной федерации государств или неотъемлемый элемент программы неолиберальной глобализации, а, может быть, нечто совершенно иное?What do we mean by cosmopolitanism? Is this the model proposed by Kant for a universal federation of States or an integral element of the neoliberal globalization program, or maybe something completely different

Circulating microRNAs in lung cancer: prospects for diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of antitumor treatment efficacy

The review considers the main techniques to extract microRNA (miRNA) from various biological fluids (in particular, the serum and plasma), approaches to the analysis of miRNA concentration and composition, and methods to normalize the results in data analyses. Advantages and drawbacks of the methods are described. Special attention is given to circulating miRNAs, which can be used as markers for minimally invasive diagnosis, prediction of antitumor treatment efficacy, and disease prognosis in lung cancer. The review discusses the prospects and limitations that arise as the clinical significance is evaluated for miRNAs as potential tumor markers and a better understanding is gained for the roles various miRNAs play in the pathogenesis of lung cancer

Circulating DNA-markers in lung cancer: changes in retrotrasposons methylation status in response therapy and during the post-treatment follow-up

Malignant cell transformation is accompanied by two processes of DNA methylation changes

Bulge-Forming miRNases Cleave Oncogenic miRNAs at the Central Loop Region in a Sequence-Specific Manner.

The selective degradation of disease-associated microRNA is promising for the development of new therapeutic approaches. In this study, we engineered a series of bulge-loop-forming oligonucleotides conjugated with catalytic peptide [(LeuArg)(2)Gly](2) (BC–miRNases) capable of recognizing and destroying oncogenic miR-17 and miR-21. The principle behind the design of BC–miRNase is the cleavage of miRNA at a three-nucleotide bulge loop that forms in the central loop region, which is essential for the biological competence of miRNA. A thorough study of mono- and bis-BC–miRNases (containing one or two catalytic peptides, respectively) revealed that: (i) the sequence of miRNA bulge loops and neighbouring motifs are of fundamental importance for efficient miRNA cleavage (i.e., motifs containing repeating pyrimidine–A bonds are more susceptible to cleavage); (ii) the incorporation of the second catalytic peptide in the same molecular scaffold increases the potency of BC–miRNase, providing a complete degradation of miR-17 within 72 h; (iii) the synergetic co-operation of BC–miRNases with RNase H accelerates the rate of miRNA catalytic cleavage by both the conjugate and the enzyme. Such synergy allows the rapid destruction of constantly emerging miRNA to maintain sufficient knockdown and achieve a desired therapeutic effect