Global assessment of aquatic Isoëtes species ecology

1. Isoetes are iconic but understudied wetland plants, despite having suffered severe losses globally mainly because of alterations in their habitats. We therefore provide the first global ecological assessment of aquatic Isoetes to identify their environmental requirements and to evaluate if taxonomically related species differ in their ecology. 2. The assessment resulted in an extensive new database on aquatic Isoetes, ecological niche analyses, and descriptive species accounts. We compiled a global database that includes all known environmental data collected from 1935 to 2023 regarding aquatic Isoetes. We then evaluated the environmental drivers of 16 species using 2,179 global records. Additionally, we used hypervolume analysis to quantify the ecological niches of the two species with the greatest number of records, finding significant differences and evidence that Isoetes echinospora occupies a wider ecological niche than Isoetes lacustris. 3. Fifty-nine species (30% of the c. 200 Isoetes species known today) were categorised as aquatic and were mainly reported in the Americas and northern Europe. About 38% of the aquatic species are threatened with extinction or are endemic to a small region, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List in 2023. Many species were determined to be sensitive to certain water physical and chemical factors, generally preferring oligotrophic conditions such as low total phosphorus, moderate total nitrogen, moderate to low pH, and low conductivity. 4. This analysis includes ecological data in the assessment of rare/threatened aquatic plants globally. This new database and the ecological analyses completed defined the ecological requirements of several species and identified knowledge gaps, which can aid management actions and future research. 5. This paper highlights ecological significance and environmental sensitivities of aquatic Isoetes. The current level of knowledge is inadequate for a large proportion of known taxa. We affirm the extreme need to support global, collaborative initiatives on which to build future conservation strategies

Organisational economic mechanism of circular subsoil use

One problem about developing circular economy in the mineral resources sector is the absence of a methodological approach to forming an organisational economic mechanism for circular subsoil use in Russia and its regions which specialise in the extraction of minerals. The paper aims to create such an approach. The concept of circular economy and theoretical propositions of natural resources economics and environmental management constitute the methodological basis of the research. The methods include analysis, synthesis, and inductive reasoning. The paper justifies the application of the terms “organisational economic mechanism”, “circular subsoil use”, and “organisational economic mechanism of circular subsoil use” and provides them with definitions. Then, the article identifies organisational, legal and economic factors affecting the organisational economic mechanism, as well as formulates principles of balancing it and ensuring its efficiency. Proceeding from these factors and principles the authors justify their selection of tools: 1) organisational and managerial ones targeted at forming, regulating, and coordinating the activities of circular processes’ participants; 2) economic ones that create material incentives for developing circular economy in the subsoil use. According to the research results, there are two groups of indicators showing the effectiveness of using these tools: general economic (macroand meso-) and commercial (microeconomic) indicators. The developed methodology allows ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the state management of secondary resources and waste generated by mineral extraction

Study of chromosome composition of the southern Ural genotypes of Prunus pumila L. by various methods

Prunus pumila L. is a winter-hardy Siberian species widely used in kitchen-gardens, as well as in nurseries as a seed stock for plums and apricots and development of hybrids for stocks of these cultures. Rare cases of emergence of polyploids among introduced seedlings are known. Chromosome numbers of 11 morphologically different plants of this species from Chelyabinsk Oblast were studied in comparison with some plants from Barnaul with already known ploidy by cytological and cytometric methods. With the help of both methods it was established that all plants from Chelyabinsk Oblast turned out to be diploids. Ploidy of the control specimens from Barnaul was supported by the cytometric method. A rare emergence of polyploids when introducing P. pumila in the climatic conditions differing from the natural ones was confirmed

Study of chromosome composition of the southern Ural genotypes of

Prunus pumila L. is a winter-hardy Siberian species widely used in kitchen-gardens, as well as in nurseries as a seed stock for plums and apricots and development of hybrids for stocks of these cultures. Rare cases of emergence of polyploids among introduced seedlings are known. Chromosome numbers of 11 morphologically different plants of this species from Chelyabinsk Oblast were studied in comparison with some plants from Barnaul with already known ploidy by cytological and cytometric methods. With the help of both methods it was established that all plants from Chelyabinsk Oblast turned out to be diploids. Ploidy of the control specimens from Barnaul was supported by the cytometric method. A rare emergence of polyploids when introducing P. pumila in the climatic conditions differing from the natural ones was confirmed

Genetically Encoded Self-Assembling Protein Nanoparticles for the Targeted Delivery In Vitro and In Vivo

Targeted nanoparticles of different origins are considered as new-generation diagnostic and therapeutic tools. However, there are no targeted drug formulations within the composition of nanoparticles approved by the FDA for use in the clinic, which is associated with the insufficient effectiveness of the developed candidates, the difficulties of their biotechnological production, and inadequate batch-to-batch reproducibility. Targeted protein self-assembling nanoparticles circumvent this problem since proteins are encoded in DNA and the final protein product is produced in only one possible way. We believe that the combination of the endless biomedical potential of protein carriers as nanoparticles and the standardized protein purification protocols will make significant progress in “magic bullet” creation possible, bringing modern biomedicine to a new level. In this review, we are focused on the currently existing platforms for targeted self-assembling protein nanoparticles based on transferrin, lactoferrin, casein, lumazine synthase, albumin, ferritin, and encapsulin proteins, as well as on proteins from magnetosomes and virus-like particles. The applications of these self-assembling proteins for targeted delivery in vitro and in vivo are thoroughly discussed, including bioimaging applications and different therapeutic approaches, such as chemotherapy, gene delivery, and photodynamic and photothermal therapy. A critical assessment of these protein platforms’ efficacy in biomedicine is provided and possible problems associated with their further development are described

Albumin incorporation into recognising layer of HER2-specific magnetic nanoparticles as a tool for optimal targeting of the acidic tumor microenvironment

Cancer is unquestionably a global healthcare challenge, spurring the exporation of novel treatment approaches. In recent years, nanomaterials have garnered significant interest with the greatest hopes for targeted nanoformulations due to their cell-specific delivery, improved therapeutic efficacy, and reduced systemic toxicity for the organism. The problem of successful clinical translation of nanoparticles may be related to the fact that most in vitro tests are performed at pH values of normal cells and tissues, ranging from 7.2 to 7.4. The extracellular pH values of tumors are characterized by a shift to a more acidic region in the range of 5.6–7.0 and represent a crucial target for enhancing nanoparticle delivery to cancer cells. Here we show the method of non-active protein incorporation into the surface of HER2-targeted nanoparticles to achieve optimal cellular uptake within the pH range of the tumor microenvironment. The method efficacy was confirmed in vitro and in vivo showing the maximum binding of nanoparticles to cells at a pH value 6.4. Namely, fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles, modified with HER2-recognising affibody ZHER2:342, with proven specificity in terms of HER2 recognition (with 62-fold higher cellular uptake compared to control nanoparticles) were designed for targeting cancer cells at slightly acidic pH values. The stabilizing protein, namely, bovine serum albumin, one of the major blood components with widespread availability and biocompatibility, was used for the decoration of the nanoparticle surface to alter the pH response of the targeting magnetic conjugates. The optimally designed nanoparticles showed a bell-shaped dependency of interaction with cancer cells in the pH range of 5.6–8.0 with maximum cellular uptake at pH value 6.4 close to that of the tumor microenvironment. In vivo experiments revealed that after i.v. administration, BSA-decorated nanoparticles exhibited 2 times higher accumulation in tumors compared to magnetic nanoparticles modified with affibody only. Thus, we demonstrated a valid method for enhancing the specificity of targeted nanoparticle delivery to cancer cells without changing the functional components of nanoparticles