Miscellaneous notes on the genus Forsstroemia in Russia (Neckeraceae, Bryophyta)

Molecular phylogenetic analysis supports the position on the species known as Neckera konoi in the genus Forsstroemia, therefore it is transferred to this genus with a new combination, F. konoi (Broth.) Enroth, Fedosov & Ignatov. Molecular data also confirm the position of F. stricta Laz. described from the Russian Far East in F. producta, a pantropical species. Forstroemia neckeroides is reported from Russia, Primorsky Territory, for the first time.Peer reviewe

Akhania, a new genus for Salsola daghestanica, Caroxylon canescens and C. carpathum (Salsoloideae, Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae)

Genus Salsola s.l. was recently split into several genera of different phylogenetic placements within Salsoloideae, but both taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of some parts of the former broadly defined Salsola still need to be clarified. A remarkable example is Salsola canescens nom. illegit. ≡ Salsola boissieri, a taxon with tricky taxonomic history that was only recently transferred to the genus Caroxylon (tribe Caroxyleae). Salsola daghestanica, a narrow endemic of Central Dagestan (Russian Federation), was not even included in previous molecular studies of Salsoloideae and therefore still lacks an appropriate estimation of its relationships. Molecular phylogeny constructed here using nuclear and plastid DNA sequence data clearly placed Salsola daghestanica and Caroxylon carpathum as sister taxa and the clade S. daghestanica, Caroxylon canescens (Salsola boissieri), C. carpathum (Salsola carpatha) as a sister of the monophyletic Caroxylon. All three species are distinct from Caroxylon from a morphological standpoint. In conclusion, a new genus, Akhania, was established for these taxa. The detailed distribution of Akhania daghestanica is presented for the first time

The Structure of the Share Capital and the Interests of the Majority Shareholder

Smoothing the contradictions between shareholders and managers - the main task of the members of the Board of Directors. That is why the Board of Directors lays down the task of developing a system of prevention and settlement of corporate conflicts. However, it should be noted that in order to solve this problem, the board should not be formal, but actually separated and independent from both the shareholders and managers of. The most “conflict” in the field of corporate law is the relationship, which is on the different interests of different stakeholders. Federal Law “On Joint Stock Companies” sets a sufficiently rigid canvas, within which can be built into the control system of a particular company. Based on this essential element of the concept of corporate legislation should be to identify the vectors improving the management model proposed by the Federal Law “On Joint Stock Companies” (Legislative Assembly 1996, Legislative Assembly 1995). Such analysis should be conducted for, firstly, the body of each company, and secondly, the distribution of competence between all bodies. Only such an analysis is twofold will create legal prerequisites for the creation of effective interaction of organ systems in Russian companies. Keywords: capital structure, majority shareholder, retail, conflict of interest JEL Classifications: D74, H70, K2

Environmental aspects of molecular composition of humic acids isolated from lake sediments of a permafrost-affected area of the Arctic

Humic substances are ubiquitous in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Humic acids (HAs) actively interact with organic and inorganic components of lake sediments. This interaction depends on the molecular structure and elemental composition of HAs. The presented research focuses on the investigation of the composition and molecular structure of humic acids isolated from lakes located in the Lena Delta in the Russian Arctic. The findings of the research are needed to estimate the potential capacity of humic acids to bind microelements, particularly toxic metals, in stable compounds. Surface sediment samples (0–10 cm) were collected from 8 lakes by Van Veen grab during the summer period of the “Expedition LENA 2019”. We analyzed elemental composition of the HAs samples. The results showed that the studied HAs of lake sediments are characterized by low nitrogen content and prevalence of aliphatic fragments in their molecular structure. Furthermore, it was found that the studied humic acids are less mature, showing mineralization processes dominant over humification, and have relatively low potential to complexation compared with soils of the Lena Delta as well as lake sediments of territories with more boreal climate conditions

Molecular Phylogeny and Phylogeography of Potentilla multifida L. agg. (Rosaceae) in Northern Eurasia with Special Focus on Two Rare and Critically Endangered Endemic Species, P. volgarica and P. eversmanniana

The results of a molecular genetic study of Potentilla multifida agg. using two plastid markers (ndhC-trnV and psbA-trnH) and a nuclear ITS marker suggested that this group comprises a number of relatively young and incompletely differentiated species widely distributed in Northern Eurasia. The sequences were analyzed using tree-based (maximum likelihood) and network-based (statistical parsimony network) approaches. The plastid data suggested incomplete lineage sorting, characteristic of the group as a whole. The nuclear ITS results demonstrated quite a different pattern, with mostly conspecific accessions shaping monophyletic clades. The majority of the Potentilla sect. Multifidae species studied possess few, usually closely related plastid haplotypes, or are even monomorphic. In contrast, P. volgarica, a narrow endemic from the Volga River valley, presents plastid haplotypes belonging to two distantly related groups. Such a pattern of genetic diversity in P. volgarica may be explained by a long persistence of the species within an extremely small distribution range, on the right bank of the Volga River, most likely representing a contemporary refugium. The genealogy of plastid markers in P. volgarica suggests that this species is ancestral to P.eversmanniana, another narrow endemic from the S Urals

Is Salix fursaevii Mavrodiev (Salicaceae) a palaeoendemic of the Volga River valley or an ecotype of S. triandra L.?

Salix fursaevii, a species endemic to the Volga River flood plain, was described by E. Mavrodiev and co-authors in Byull. Moskovsk. Obshch. Isp. Prir. in 2012. It differs from the closely related and widespread S. triandra by a few quantitative morphological characters and, most of all by its much later flowering time. This late-flowering willow was known and studied before as an ecotype of S. triandra. Our study of a large sample of S. triandra s. l. revealed that 1) S. triandra s. str. and S. fursaevii could not be clearly distinguished using several morphological characters and the time of flowering; 2) specimens morphologically corresponding to S. fursaevii are with a single exception strictly confined to the Volga River flood plain; 3) the populations of S. triandra and S. fursaevii do not differ by nrITS sequences; 4) the populations of S. triandra and S. fursaevii are poorly differentiated by chloroplast atpB-rbcL sequences; 5) representatives of both taxa are tetraploids 2n = 4x = 76. Poor differentiation of populations by chloroplast sequences is indicative of the intraspecific variability, the geographic pattern of which suggests that the Volga River valley was a probable glacial refugium and a source of post glacial spread of S. triandra

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the “copper moss” Mielichhoferia elongata reveals independent nad7 gene functionality loss

The mitochondrial genome of moss Mielichhoferia elongata has been sequenced and assembled with Spades genome assembler. It consists of 100,342 base pairs and has practically the same gene set and order as in other known bryophyte chondriomes. The genome contains 66 genes including three rRNAs, 24 tRNAs, and 40 conserved mitochondrial proteins genes. Unlike the majority of previously sequenced bryophyte mitogenomes, it lacks the functional nad7 gene. The phylogenetic reconstruction and scrutiny analysis of the primary structure of nad7 gene carried out in this study suggest its independent pseudogenization in different bryophyte lineages. Evaluation of the microsatellite (simple sequence repeat) content of the M. elongata mitochondrial genome indicates that it could be used as a tool in further studies as a phylogenetic marker. The strongly supported phylogenetic tree presented here, derived from 33 protein coding sequences of 40 bryophyte species, is consistent with other reconstructions based on a number of different data sets

Oxylipin Profiles in Plasma of Patients with Wilson’s Disease

Wilson’s disease (WD) is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder resulting from mutations in the copper-transporting, P-type ATPase gene ATP7B gene, but influences of epigenetics, environment, age, and sex-related factors on the WD phenotype complicate diagnosis and clinical manifestations. Oxylipins, derivatives of omega-3, and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are signaling mediators that are deeply involved in innate immunity responses; the regulation of inflammatory responses, including acute and chronic inflammation; and other disturbances related to any system diseases. Therefore, oxylipin profile tests are attractive for the diagnosis of WD. With UPLC-MS/MS lipidomics analysis, we detected 43 oxylipins in the plasma profiles of 39 patients with various clinical manifestations of WD compared with 16 healthy controls (HCs). Analyzing the similarity matrix of oxylipin profiles allowed us to cluster patients into three groups. Analysis of the data by VolcanoPlot and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that eight oxylipins and lipids stand for the variance between WD and HCs: eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, oleoylethanolamide OEA, octadecadienoic acids 9-HODE, 9-KODE, 12-hydroxyheptadecatrenoic acid 12-HHT, prostaglandins PGD2, PGE2, and 14,15-dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids 14,15-DHET. The compounds indicate the involvement of oxidative stress damage, inflammatory processes, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways in this disease. The data reveal novel possible therapeutic targets and intervention strategies for treating WD

Modulation of the Primary Astrocyte-Enriched Cultures’ Oxylipin Profiles Reduces Neurotoxicity

Recently, manipulations with reactive astrocytes have been viewed as a new therapeutic approach that will enable the development of treatments for acute brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. Astrocytes can release several substances, which may exert neurotoxic or neuroprotective effects, but the nature of these substances is still largely unknown. In the present work, we tested the hypothesis that these effects may be attributed to oxylipins, which are synthesized from n-3 or n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). We used astrocyte-enriched cultures and found that: (1) lipid fractions secreted by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)—stimulated rat primary astrocyte-enriched cultures—possessed neurotoxic activity in rat primary neuronal cultures; (2) both of the tested oxylipin synthesis inhibitors, ML355 and Zileuton, reduce the LPS-stimulated release of interleukin 6 (IL-6) by astrocyte cultures, but only ML355 can change lipid fractions from neurotoxic to non-toxic; and (3) oxylipin profiles, measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) from neurotoxic and non-toxic lipid fractions, reveal a group of n-3 docosahexaenoic acid derivatives, hydroxydocosahexaenoic acids (HdoHEs)-4-HdoHE, 8-HdoHE, and 17-HdoHE, which may reflect the neuroprotective features of lipid fractions. Regulating the composition of astrocyte oxylipin profiles may be suggested as an approach for regulation of neurotoxicity in inflammatory processes

The Mitochondrial Genome of Nematodontous Moss Polytrichum commune and Analysis of Intergenic Repeats Distribution Among Bryophyta

An early-branched moss Polytrichum commune is a widely accepted model object for ecological, environmental, physiological, and genetic studies. Its mitochondrial genome has been sequenced and annotated. The genome contains 67 genes in total and has a length equal to 114,831 bp, which exceeds the length of most known mitochondrial genomes for mosses. A phylogenetic tree based on 33 coding sequences of mitochondrial genome was constructed, and the pairwise identity of whole mitogenome sequences was estimated for 44 Bryophyta species. Based on the analysis of pairwise identity, it was shown that mitogenomes of Tetraphis pellucida and Buxbaumia aphylla sufficiently differ from those of other Bryophyta species. The first known Bryophyta mitogenome rearrangement was identified in Pogonatum inflexum within Polytrichopsida. Based on the intergenic repeats occurrence in 44 bryophyte mitochondrial genomes and available data on repetitive elements content in other Viridiplantae groups, it was noted for the first time that greater stability of the moss’s mitogenomes is probably associated mainly with the absence of long (>1 kb) repeats. The phenomenon of absence of the intergenic repetitive elements in the terminal clades species was discovered