Behavioral Impact of the Regulation of the Brain 2-Oxoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex by Synthetic Phosphonate Analog of 2-Oxoglutarate: Implications into the Role of the Complex in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Decreased activity of the mitochondrial 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDHC) in brain accompanies neurodegenerative diseases. To reveal molecular mechanisms of this association, we treated rats with a specific inhibitor of OGDHC, succinyl phosphonate, or exposed them to hypoxic stress. In males treated with succinyl phosphonate and in pregnancy-sensitized females experiencing acute hypobaric hypoxia, we revealed upregulation of brain OGDHC (within 24 hours), with the activity increase presumably representing the compensatory response of brain to the OGDHC inhibition. This up-regulation of brain OGDHC was accompanied by an increase in exploratory activity and a decrease in anxiety of the experimental animals. Remarkably, the hypoxia-induced elevation of brain OGDHC and most of the associated behavioral changes were abrogated by succinyl phosphonate. The antagonistic action of hypoxia and succinyl phosphonate demonstrates potential therapeutic significance of the OGDHC regulation by the phosphonate analogs of 2-oxoglutarate

New approaches to registration and conservation of domestic cultivars of berry crops in the VIR Genebank on the example of red raspberry and black currant

A collection of nomenclatural standards is being created at VIR for domestic cultivars of various crops in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP). A new complex strategy was proposed for vegetatively propagated crops for registering domestic cultivars received from their authors in the VIR genebank. In addition to the creation of nomenclature standards, the strategy includes the development of a genetic passport of a cultivar and the use of biotechnological methods to preserve explants (buds, meristems) isolated from plant material transferred by breeders to the VIR Herbarium. This approach can be used for any vegetatively propagated crop applying a protocol developed specifically for an individual crop. For raspberry and black currant varieties, the collecting of plant material, its preparation for the registration of nomenclature standards and the preservation of viable samples under controlled in vitro conditions have specific features. This article provides detailed protocols for performing the mentioned work for raspberry and black currant varieties. In addition, the article summarizes the first results of the implementation of our proposed strategy on the example of domestic raspberry and black currant varieties created in various breeding centers of Russia. Three years of joint work of VIR researchers and breeders from four breeding centers in five regions of the country have resulted in creation of nomenclature standards for 20 raspberry varieties, as well as for five black currant varieties bred at VIR. Thirteen samples of raspberry varieties and four of black currant varieties, genetically identical to nomenclature standards, were introduced into in vitro culture; four raspberry cultivars have been placed in the VIR cryobank for the long-term cryopreservation

Cryopreservation of raspberry cultivar accessions bred in Russia from the VIR <i>in vitro</i> collection

Cryobanks use plant cryocollections for long-term preservation of crops which cannot be preserved in seed collections. These are vegetatively propagated crops, accessions of species which form either a small amount of seeds, or recalcitrant seeds. Shoot tips (apexes) of in vitro plants are used for cryopreservation for most berry crops, therefore maintenance of in vitro collections is very important. The VIR in vitro collection includes 150 accessions of Rubus L. species, 85 of them are raspberry cultivars, 59 of which were bred in Russia. These cultivars reflect a wide ecogeographic diversity. Among them, there are raspberry cultivars created at the end of the 19th – first half of the 20th centuries, including cultivars bred by I.V. Michurin and by the pioneer of northern horticulture V.V. Spirin. More than half of national raspberry varieties (33) are listed in the State Register for Selection Achievements Admitted for Usage. Raspberry cultivars from Russian breeding programs have a very limited representation in foreign genebanks. The first aim of the present work was cryopreservation of mostly folk and old Russian raspberry cultivars received by VIR from 1925 till 1950 and their transfer into the cryobank. The second aim of the work was to monitor post-cryogenic regeneration of raspberry cultivars transferred to the cryobank earlier. A modified protocol of the droplet vitrification method by “DV-biotech” was used for cryopreservation of shoot tips of in vitro plants of 10 raspberry cultivars (7 of which are folk and old Russian ones) from the VIR in vitro collection. Post-cryogenic regeneration was evaluated for 17 raspberry cultivars preserved in the cryobank from one to five years. Ten raspberry cultivars (900 apexes) with an average mean post-cryoregenic regeneration value of 38.2±3.0% determined in control tests, were placed in the cryobank for long-term storage. A statistically significant effect of the genotype on the viability of explants after cryopreservation was noted, while the post-cryogenic regeneration was genotype insensitive. Additionally, levels of post-cryogenic regeneration were evaluated for 17 raspberry cultivars (296 apexes) preserved in the cryobank from one to five years. Post-cryogenic regeneration within the 20-70% range was displayed by four raspberry cultivars preserved in the cryobank for one year, and for 8 cultivars conserved there from three to five years post-cryogenic regeneration was within the 10-50% range. According to the results of monitoring, regeneration displayed by 12 raspberry cultivars was within the 10-70% range, which can be considered as a reliable rate of apex preservation in liquid nitrogen vapors in the VIR cryobank. Monitoring of the post-cryogenic regeneration of the raspberry accessions preserved in the VIR cryobank and cryopreservation of new raspberry cultivars will be continued

Molecular markers in the genetic diversity studies of representatives of the genus <i>Rubus</i> L. and prospects of their application in breeding

According to estimates of various taxonomists, the genus Rubus L. (Rosaceae Juss.) consists of 12-16 subgenera comprising ~750 species. The two largest subgenera are Idaeobatus (Focke) Focke, which includes raspberries, and the type subgenus Rubus (=Eubatus Focke), which contains blackberry species. Representatives of the genus Rubus have high nutritional and economic values, as well as medicinal properties. Breeding programs are aimed at broadening genetic diversity and creating new varieties of raspberries and blackberries that are resistant to biotic and abiotic stressors and have high fruit quality. Modern breeding and genetic programs increasingly use the achievements of molecular genetics and genomics. This paper reviews the literature data on the application of molecular markers in fundamental and applied research aimed at studying the genetic diversity of cultivated and wild species of the genus Rubus. The review describes the main types of molecular markers (RFLP, RAPD, SCoT, SSR, ISSR, AFLP, SCAR, SSCP) and their application for studying the species of the genus Rubus. The results of the work on the use of DNA markers for solving different tasks are presented, including: studying the phylogenetic relationships of species, clarifying controversial issues of taxonomy, analyzing interspecific and intraspecific diversity, genotyping and pedigree analysis of raspberry and blackberry varieties, studying somaclonal variation and others. The most important applied result is the development of molecular genetic maps for raspberry and blackberry species, on which numerous genes and QTLs conferring various valuable traits have been mapped. At the same time, the number of markers that are promising for effective molecular screening is still insufficient

Simplified assessment of the regional category of rarity of macrofungi (on the example of morchella steppicola and hemileccinum impolitum in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation)

The article is devoted to the development of a simplified scheme for assessing the regional category of rarity of macrofungi on the example of Morchella steppicola and Hemileccinum impolitum, which live in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federatio

Интернет-маркетинг в продвижении образовательных программ

В статье рассмотрены вопросы продвижения образовательных программ в цифровой среде. Описан процесс сбора и анализа информации с целью определения потенциального потребителя образовательной программы «Экономическая безопасность» и разработки плана продвижения данной образовательной программы.The article deals with the issues of promoting educational programs in the digital environment. The article describes the process of collecting and analyzing information in order to identify a potential consumer of the educational program "Economic Security" and develop a plan for promoting this educational program

ОПЫТ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ УРСОДЕОКСИХОЛЕВОЙ КИСЛОТЫ («УРДОКСА») В КОМПЛЕКСНОЙ ТЕРАПИИ ХРОНИЧЕСКОГО ВИРУСНОГО ГЕПАТИТА

Patients with chronic virus hepatitis (32 patients, 13 with chronic hepatitis B and 19 with chronic hepatitis C) ages from 20 to 72 with elevated levels of bilirubin and active alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma- glutamyl transpeptidase, received ursodeoxycholic acid (Urdoxa) over the course of 12 weeks. During therapy alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase levels decreased. Urdoxa demonstrated good tolerance, efficacy and no visible side effects. Thus, Urdoxa could be used in treatment of chronic viral hepatitis with cytolytic and cholestatic syndromes.32 больных с диагнозом «Хронический вирусный гепатит В или С» (13 больных хроническим гепатитом В, 19 больных хроническим гепатитом С) в возрасте от 20 до 72 лет, имеющие повышение уровнябилирубина выше нормальных величин ± повышение уровня гаммаглутамилтранспептидазы (ГГТП), получали урсодеоксихолевую кислоту (препарат «Урдокса») в течение 12 недель. На фоне терапии произошло снижение трансаминаз, билирубина и ГГТП при хорошем уровне переносимости и отсутствии побочных эффектов. Таким образом, препарат «Урдокса» может быть использован в терапии хронических вирусных гепатитов с цитолитическим и холестатическим компонентом

Identification of a Novel ZIC3 Isoform and Mutation Screening in Patients with Heterotaxy and Congenital Heart Disease

Patients with heterotaxy have characteristic cardiovascular malformations, abnormal arrangement of their visceral organs, and midline patterning defects that result from abnormal left-right patterning during embryogenesis. Loss of function of the transcription factor ZIC3 causes X-linked heterotaxy and isolated congenital heart malformations and represents one of the few known monogenic causes of congenital heart disease. The birth incidence of heterotaxy-spectrum malformations is significantly higher in males, but our previous work indicated that mutations within ZIC3 did not account for the male over-representation. Therefore, cross species comparative sequence alignment was used to identify a putative novel fourth exon, and the existence of a novel alternatively spliced transcript was confirmed by amplification from murine embryonic RNA and subsequent sequencing. This transcript, termed Zic3-B, encompasses exons 1, 2, and 4 whereas Zic3-A encompasses exons 1, 2, and 3. The resulting protein isoforms are 466 and 456 amino acid residues respectively, sharing the first 407 residues. Importantly, the last two amino acids in the fifth zinc finger DNA binding domain are altered in the Zic3-B isoform, indicating a potential functional difference that was further evaluated by expression, subcellular localization, and transactivation analyses. The temporo-spatial expression pattern of Zic3-B overlaps with Zic3-A in vivo, and both isoforms are localized to the nucleus in vitro. Both isoforms can transcriptionally activate a Gli binding site reporter, but only ZIC3-A synergistically activates upon co-transfection with Gli3, suggesting that the isoforms are functionally distinct. Screening 109 familial and sporadic male heterotaxy cases did not identify pathogenic mutations in the newly identified fourth exon and larger studies are necessary to establish the importance of the novel isoform in human disease

Эхолокация рукокрылых (Chiroptera Blumenbach, 1779) как элемент их экологической пластичности

Aim. The aim of this work was to briefly summarize the current understanding of the phenomenon of echolocation in the order of bats (Chiroptera Blumenbach, 1779). Discussion. The paper discusses: The place of bats among other taxonomic groups of animals that have the ability of echolocation; the history of the discovery of "ear vision" in bats by L. Spallanzani in the 18th century; the first scientifically based assumptions regarding the use of ultrasound by bats and the discovery of this phenomenon in the middle of the last century; methods for emitting and receiving ultrasound by various taxonomic groups of bats; physical patterns underlying the propagation of ultrasonic waves; characteristics of the returned echo and algorithms for echolocation in bats; echolocation interactions between insectivorous bats and nocturnal moths and possibilities for ultrasonic monitoring of bat populations. Conclusion. The inclusion of ultrasound monitoring of bat populations in integrated ecological and virological studies could form a new point of growth in systems to ensure biological security at both national and global levels. © 2020 Kamerton. All rights reserved