Frequencies of alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of two polymorphisms in the clusterin gene in the Russian elderly population categorized by cognitive performance

This article contains data on the frequencies of alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2279590 and rs1532278 in the CLU gene in a cohort of normal elderly from the Russian population. The SNPs have been reported to be associated with Alzheimer's disease and cognitive functions in genome-wide and candidate genes association studies. Cognitive performance in sample set was estimated by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The frequencies of alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of two SNPs were calculated in 3 groups: total sample set, sample set with MoCA score less than 21 (the first quartile) and group with MoCA score more than 24 (the fourth quartile)

Beringian Standstill and Spread of Native American Founders

Native Americans derive from a small number of Asian founders who likely arrived to the Americas via Beringia. However, additional details about the intial colonization of the Americas remain unclear. To investigate the pioneering phase in the Americas we analyzed a total of 623 complete mtDNAs from the Americas and Asia, including 20 new complete mtDNAs from the Americas and seven from Asia. This sequence data was used to direct high-resolution genotyping from 20 American and 26 Asian populations. Here we describe more genetic diversity within the founder population than was previously reported. The newly resolved phylogenetic structure suggests that ancestors of Native Americans paused when they reached Beringia, during which time New World founder lineages differentiated from their Asian sister-clades. This pause in movement was followed by a swift migration southward that distributed the founder types all the way to South America. The data also suggest more recent bi-directional gene flow between Siberia and the North American Arctic

Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent

Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe

Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology

We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe

Genetic Markers in Coronary Artery Disease in a Russian Population

The association of genetic markers at the apolipoprotein B gene (APOB) (Xbal, Mspl, and ZscoRI polymorphisms) and the lipoprotein lipase gene (LPL) (PvuU polymorphism) with coronary artery disease (CAD) and with variation in plasma lipid levels (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total triglycerides) was studied in 94 male patients with CAD diagnosed by angiography and in 122 unrelated men of Russian descent free of clinical signs of CAD. The frequent allele (M + ) of the APOB Mspl RFLP was seen more frequently in CAD patients than in control subjects (0.963 vs. 0.898, p \u3c 0.025). No significant differences in allele frequencies were observed for the APOB Xbal and EcoRl polymorphisms or for the LPL Pvull polymorphism. In patients, carriers of the rare allele ( E - ) of the EcoRl RFLP had higher mean triglyceride levels than homozygotes for E+ (p \u3c 0.05). No significant differences in lipid variables were determined for the other three polymorphisms studied. Analysis of intragenotype variances and the multivariate measure of mean values of lipid concentrations showed that genetic variability within the APOB locus may contribute to a certain extent to the level and variability of serum lipid levels in this Russian population

The Influence of a High-Voltage Discharge in a Helicoidal Twisted-Pair Structure on Enzyme Adsorption

The effect of a high-voltage discharge in a helicoidal structure on the adsorption properties of an enzyme on mica has been studied with the example of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The discharge was generated at the expense of a sparkover in a 3 mm gap between two electrodes, to which a 10 kV, 50 Hz AC voltage was applied. The electrodes were connected to a twisted pair, which was wound onto a cone, forming the helicoidal structure. The incubation of the enzyme solution near the top of the helicoidal structure has been found to cause an increase in the degree of aggregation of HRP adsorbed on mica in comparison with the control HRP sample. The results obtained should be taken into account in studies of enzymes using biosensors with helicoidal structures as heating elements, as well as in refining models describing effects of low-frequency alternating current, flowing through helicoidal structures, on proteins and biological objects

AFM Investigation of the Influence of Steam Flow through a Conical Coil Heat Exchanger on Enzyme Properties

The present study is aimed at the revelation of subtle effects of steam flow through a conical coil heat exchanger on an enzyme, incubated near the heat exchanger, at the nanoscale. For this purpose, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been employed. In our experiments, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used as a model enzyme. HRP is extensively employed as a model in food science in order to determine the influence of electromagnetic fields on enzymes. Adsorption properties of HRP on mica have been studied by AFM at the level of individual enzyme macromolecules, while the enzymatic activity of HRP has been studied by spectrophotometry. The solution of HRP was incubated either near the top or at the side of the conically wound aluminium pipe, through which steam flow passed. Our AFM data indicated an increase in the enzyme aggregation on mica after its incubation at either of the two points near the heat exchanger. At the same time, in the spectrophotometry experiments, a slight change in the shape of the curves, reflecting the HRP-catalyzed kinetics of ABTS oxidation by hydrogen peroxide, has also been observed after the incubation of the enzyme solution near the heat exchanger. These effects on the enzyme adsorption and kinetics can be explained by alterations in the enzyme hydration caused by the influence of the electromagnetic field, induced triboelectrically by the flow of steam through the heat exchanger. Our findings should thus be considered in the development of equipment involving conical heat exchangers, intended for either research or industrial use (including miniaturized bioreactors and biosensors). The increased aggregation of the HRP enzyme, observed after its incubation near the heat exchanger, should also be taken into account in analysis of possible adverse effects from steam-heated industrial equipment on the human body

Atomic Force Microscopy Study of the Effect of an Electric Field, Applied to a Pyramidal Structure, on Enzyme Biomolecules

The influence of an external constant strong electric field, formed using a pyramidal structure under a high electric potential, on an enzyme located near its apex, is studied. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is used as a model. In our experiments, a 27 kV direct current (DC) voltage was applied to two electrodes with a conducting pyramidal structure attached to one of them. The enzyme particles were visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) after the adsorption of the enzyme from its 0.1 µM solution onto mica AFM substrates. It is demonstrated that after the 40 min exposure to the electric field, the enzyme forms extended structures on mica, while in control experiments compact HRP particles are observed. After the exposure to the electric field, the majority of mica-adsorbed HRP particles had a height of 1.2 nm (as opposed to 1.0 nm in the case of control experiments), and the contribution of higher (>2.0 nm) particles was also considerable. This indicates the formation of high-order HRP aggregates under the influence of an applied electric field. At that, the enzymatic activity of HRP against its substrate 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) remains unaffected. These results are important for studying macroscopic effects of strong electromagnetic fields on enzymes, as well as for the development of cellular structure models

Effect of a Conical Cellulose Structure on Horseradish Peroxidase Biomacromolecules

The effect of a dielectric conical structure on the adsorption properties of an enzyme on mica was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the example of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The cone used was a cellulose cone with a 60° apex angle. Namely, AFM allowed us to reveal an increase in the enzyme’s aggregation during its adsorption onto mica from the solution incubated near the cone apex for 40 min—as compared with the control enzyme samples incubated far away from the cone. In contrast, no change in the HRP adsorption properties was observed after shorter (10 min) incubation of the sample near the cone. The enzymatic activity of HRP was found to be the same for all the enzyme samples studied. Our findings should be considered upon designing biosensors (in particular, those intended for highly sensitive diagnostic applications) and bioreactors containing conical structural elements. Furthermore, since HRP is widely employed as a model enzyme in studies of external impacts on enzymes determining food quality, our data can be of use in the development of food-processing methods based on the use of electromagnetic radiation (microwave treatment, radiofrequency heating, etc.)

Effect of a Conical Cellulose Structure on Horseradish Peroxidase Biomacromolecules

The effect of a dielectric conical structure on the adsorption properties of an enzyme on mica was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the example of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The cone used was a cellulose cone with a 60° apex angle. Namely, AFM allowed us to reveal an increase in the enzyme’s aggregation during its adsorption onto mica from the solution incubated near the cone apex for 40 min—as compared with the control enzyme samples incubated far away from the cone. In contrast, no change in the HRP adsorption properties was observed after shorter (10 min) incubation of the sample near the cone. The enzymatic activity of HRP was found to be the same for all the enzyme samples studied. Our findings should be considered upon designing biosensors (in particular, those intended for highly sensitive diagnostic applications) and bioreactors containing conical structural elements. Furthermore, since HRP is widely employed as a model enzyme in studies of external impacts on enzymes determining food quality, our data can be of use in the development of food-processing methods based on the use of electromagnetic radiation (microwave treatment, radiofrequency heating, etc.)