Sketches on history of studying radioactivity and formation of uranium geology in the Central Siberia. Sketch one. Beginnings

The history of studying radioactivity and the radioactive elements has already numbered more than one hundred years. In the beginning of XX century interest to uranium was defined, first of all, by cost of its radioactive product - radium, which, at the earliest stage, was applied in medicine and for research purposes. Short description of studying radioactivity and beginning uranium geology in the Central Siberia is given. Unknown pages of this history are show

REE, Uranium (U) and Thorium (Th) contents in Betula pendula leaf growing around Komsomolsk gold concentration plant tailing (Kemerovo region, Western Siberia, Russia)

The article deals with the research findings of peculiarities of REE, Uranium and Thorium distribution in the territory surrounding the tailing of former Komsomolsk gold concentration plant according to the data from Betula pendula leaf testing. In the leaf element composition the slight deficiency of MREE and substantial excess of HREE are presented. In the nearest impacted area around the tailing, La, Yb, U and Th content, and Th/U ratio are lower than in the distant buffer area. It is shown, that value of Th/U ratio and REE can be an indicator for geochemical transformations of technogenic landscapes in mining districts. The results of the research can be used for biomonitoring of the territory around the tailing

Характеристика макро- и микроэлементного состава медиастинальных лимфатических узлов, пораженных саркоидозом

This study was aimed at measuring concentrations and investigation of relationships between macro- and microelements in mediastinal lymph nodes of patients with sarcoidosis. Methods. The study involved 28 patients (50% were males; median age, 42.5 (23; 53) years) with confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Autopsy samples from 13 individuals died from occasional causes (41.2% were males; median age, 43 (38.7; 61.3) years) were used for comparison. The groups did not differ in age and gender. Neutron activation analysis was used to investigate chemical elements in mediastinal lymph node tissue samples. Results. Concentrations of Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Zn, Rb, Sb, Cs, Ba, Eu, Lu, Yb, Hf, Th, and U in the lymph node tissue of patients with sarcoidosis were increased, and concentration of zinc was decreased compared to control samples. Concentrations of Sm, Au, Sr, Nd, As, Br, Ag, Tb, Sc, Ta, Na, and La did not differ between the groups. Direct relationships were found in element groups Fe-Cr-Sb-Ca, Fe-U-Th, Co-U-Th, U-Cr, Th-Br, Sc-Zn, Eu-La, and Ce-Lu.Актуальность изучения саркоидоза связана с увеличением распространенности указанного заболевания. Материалы и методы. В исследование были включены пациенты (n = 28: 14 (50 %) мужчин, 14 (50 %) женщин; медиана возраста – 42,5 (25; 53) года) с верифицированным саркоидозом. Образцы для группы сравнения были взяты от людей, умерших от случайных причин (n = 13: 8 (41,2 %) мужчин, 5 (38,7 %) женщин; медиана возраста – 43 (38,7; 61,3) года). Группы статистически не различались по полу и возрасту. При нейтронно-активационном анализе в ткани медиастинальных лимфатических узлов (ЛУ) у пациентов с верифицированным саркоидозом (n = 28) определен ряд химических элементов. Результаты. Установлено повышенное содержание Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Zn, Rb, Sb, Cs, Ba, Eu, Lu, Yb, Hf, Th, U, низкое содержание Zn по сравнению с контрольными образцами. Достоверных различий по содержанию Sm, Au, Sr, Nd, As, Br, Ag, Tb, Sc, Ta, Na, La не выявлено. Установлены положительные ассоциации в группах Fe-Cr-Sb-Ca, Fe-U-Th, Co-U-Th, U-Cr, Th-Br, Sc-Zn, Eu-La, Ce-Lu. Заключение. Выявленные особенности указывают на общий источник поступления элементов из окружающей среды. Для Fe, Са, Co возможно перераспределение из кровеносного русла с накоплением в ЛУ, что можно расценить как защитную реакцию организма на поступление химических элементов в виде гранулематозной реакции и последующей кальцификации

Heat Stress Enhances the Accumulation of Polyadenylated Mitochondrial Transcripts in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background: Polyadenylation of RNA has a decisive influence on RNA stability. Depending on the organisms or subcellular compartment, it either enhances transcript stability or targets RNAs for degradation. In plant mitochondria, polyadenylation promotes RNA degradation, and polyadenylated mitochondrial transcripts are therefore widely considered to be rare and unstable. We followed up a surprising observation that a large number of mitochondrial transcripts are detectable in microarray experiments that used poly(A)-specific RNA probes, and that these transcript levels are significantly enhanced after heat treatment. Methodology/Principal Findings: As the Columbia genome contains a complete set of mitochondrial genes, we had to identify polymorphisms to differentiate between nuclear and mitochondrial copies of a mitochondrial transcript. We found that the affected transcripts were uncapped transcripts of mitochondrial origin, which were polyadenylated at multiple sites within their 39region. Heat-induced enhancement of these transcripts was quickly restored during a short recovery period. Conclusions/Significance: Our results show that polyadenylated transcripts of mitochondrial origin are more stable than previously suggested, and that their steady-state levels can even be significantly enhanced under certain conditions. As many microarrays contain mitochondrial probes, due to the frequent transfer of mitochondrial genes into the genome

Function of SSA Subfamily of Hsp70 Within and Across Species Varies Widely in Complementing Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Growth and Prion Propagation

BACKGROUND:The cytosol of most eukaryotic cells contains multiple highly conserved Hsp70 orthologs that differ mainly by their spatio-temporal expression patterns. Hsp70s play essential roles in protein folding, transport or degradation, and are major players of cellular quality control processes. However, while several reports suggest that specialized functions of Hsp70 orthologs were selected through evolution, few studies addressed systematically this issue. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We compared the ability of Ssa1p-Ssa4p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Ssa5p-Ssa8p from the evolutionary distant yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to perform Hsp70-dependent tasks when expressed as the sole Hsp70 for S. cerevisiae in vivo. We show that Hsp70 isoforms (i) supported yeast viability yet with markedly different growth rates, (ii) influenced the propagation and stability of the [PSI(+)] and [URE3] prions, but iii) did not significantly affect the proteasomal degradation rate of CFTR. Additionally, we show that individual Hsp70 orthologs did not induce the formation of different prion strains, but rather influenced the aggregation properties of Sup35 in vivo. Finally, we show that [URE3] curing by the overexpression of Ydj1p is Hsp70-isoform dependent. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:Despite very high homology and overlapping functions, the different Hsp70 orthologs have evolved to possess distinct activities that are required to cope with different types of substrates or stress situations. Yeast prions provide a very sensitive model to uncover this functional specialization and to explore the intricate network of chaperone/co-chaperone/substrates interactions