In the last decade, glial cells, primarily astrocytes, have received increasing attention in studying various aspects of brain functioning. Although astrocytes are not electrically excitable cells, they are able to generate and transmit Ca2+ signals, which can propagate from cell to cell, forming «calcium waves». Calcium signaling allows astrocytes to interact with each other, as well as regulate neuronal function. Despite numerous studies on calcium events in astrocytes under various pathological conditions, the features of astrocytic calcium dynamics in aging are currently understudied. Our work aimed to analyze the features of calcium activity in primary astrocyte cultures during physiological and accelerated aging, as well as to assess the effect of hypoxic damage on calcium activity. For this purpose, we developed an algorithm for the accurate detection of calcium events and the calculation of indicators describing the main parameters of calcium events in a cell. It was shown that the frequency of calcium event generation in astrocytes decreases during aging while their duration and amplitude increase. Hypoxia aggravates the changes caused by cell aging.
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 5 FEATURES OF CALCIUM ACTIVITY OF ASTROCYTES.pdf | 740.15 KB |
The visceral system can influence consciousness and emotions. In this paper, we investigated whether the processing of short-term emotional stimuli along different phases of the cardiac cycle is selectively regulated. Emotional and neutral faces were presented to the volunteers during cardiac systole, when the release of blood from the heart causes arterial baroreceptors to centrally signal the strength and time of the heartbeat, and in diastole, the period between heartbeats when the baroreceptors are at rest. Participants passively observed the faces appearing in the oddball paradigm in immersive virtual reality (VR). Combining electroencephalography and electrocardiography, cardio synchronous ERP was recorded. The ERP data at the occipital Oz electrode demonstrate the dependence of emotional stimuli in respect to the cardiac cycle. ERP in VR were higher during diastole than systole. More specifically, the cardiac phase influenced late component P300 of the ERP, did not influence early P100 and affected P200 only to angry face. This new evidence that events related to cardiac function can modulate emotional perception in virtual reality might be one more prime example of how body feedback shapes emotions.
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| 4 FACE-RELATED ERP.pdf | 530 KB |
Erythrocytes, performing their basic oxygen transport function, simultaneously affect blood viscosity by changing the deformability of their structure, and also have a vasodilating effect on the walls of blood vessels using NO. An important role in this regulation is played by the purinergic signaling system, which was confirmed by this study of the morphofunctional parameters of red blood cells in the presence of ATP and sodium nitroprusside (SNP). We found that under the action of 0.5 mM ATP on red blood cells, the ability of hemoglobin (Hb) to bind oxygen decreases against the background of a slight increase in complexes with oxygen, while the total number of membrane-cytoskeletal proteins also decreases. This, in turn, is accompanied by a redistribution of Hb molecules and an increase in the area of red blood cells. In the presence of 5.0 mM ATP, the oxygen transport function of erythrocytes and the quantitative composition of membrane proteins change similarly, while the geometric height and volume of the cells are significantly reduced. The combined effect of 100 μM SNP and 0.5 mm ATP has the greatest effect on the conformation of hemoporphyrin molecules, which leads to a sharp increase in hemoglobin complexes with oxygen, while the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen decreases. The membrane-cytoplasmic component of the cell also undergoes changes. Thus, ATP, both separately and in combination with SNP, affects the oxygen transport and regulatory function of red blood cells, activating the purinergic signaling pathway and triggering a cascade of adaptation reactions in the cell.
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| 3 STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FUNCTIONING.pdf | 2.14 MB |
The paper focuses on studying the rheological properties of erythrocytes in patients with a new coronavirus infection in the acute period and during early convalescence. A significant decrease in erythrocyte membrane plasticity was found in all patients in the acute period of the disease and every second recovering patients in the early post-COVID period. An increase in the degree and rate of erythrocyte aggregation in a quarter of cases, regardless of the observation period, was accompanied by inhibition of erythrocyte disaggregation mechanisms, which can serve as a pathophysiological basis for the formation of hemorheological disorders both in the micro- and macrovasculature in the first 3 months after recovery.
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| 2 RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ERYTHROCYTES.pdf | 604.31 KB |
This year Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Swedish paleogeneticist Svante Pääbo demonstrated the significance of ancient genomes investigation, shedding bright light to the aDNA science. As an ancient DNA study has evolved from the 1980s to the present days it has experienced peak of inflated expectations, dramatic fall to trough of disillusionment and slope of enlightenment with exponential data accumulation after the successful introduction of NGS approach. Today ancient DNA study is a rapidly developing and facilitated by advanced technologies science that challenges our assumptions about the past by analyzing over a million-year-old ancient specimens. Here we provide an overview of peculiar properties of ancient DNA analysis of human and microbes genomes.
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| 1 PECULIARITIES OF WORKING WITH ANCIENT DNA.pdf | 432.64 KB |
B. pumilus metalloproteinase was firstly isolated and characterized by Kazan Federal University scientists. Primary structure analysis showed that the novel enzyme has no analogs among prokaryotic enzymes and occupies an intermediate position between two large families of the metzinkin clan metalloproteinases – adamalysins and astacins. These families are mainly represented by eukaryotic enzymes, which play an important role in human life and health. A more detailed study of the structure and functions of novel metalloproteinase requires an efficient expression system. B. pumilus metalloproteinase gene (mprBp) was cloned into the pGP382 expression vector under a strong constitutive promoter of the degQ36 gene (PdegQ36). The resulting construct was used to transform B. subtilis Δ6 strain. This strain was constructed by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology with deletion of some prophage genes of B. subtilis 168. The functional role of prophage genes is poorly understood. It is possible that prophage deletion will increase the expression of secreted enzymes. For the transformed strain we determined the dynamics of growth and accumulation of proteolytic activity by hydrolysis of azocasein. The dynamics of proteolytic activity accumulation by this strain has a different character in contrast to the protease-deficient strains carrying the gene of the investigated enzyme. The result of this work was to obtain an effective producer strain of adamalizin-like metalloproteinase of B. pumilus, which can be used in the production of the enzyme for subsequent studies.
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| 12 CRISPR:Cas9-REDACTED BACILLUS SUBTILIS STRAIN.pdf | 636.91 KB |
Along with the wide spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance over the world, the treatment efficiency of infectious disease is greatly affected by the mixed biofilm formation by pathogenic bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a frequent cause of nosocomial infections, exhibit both synergistic and antagonistic interactions in co-culture, leading to various changes in the metabolic profile of bacteria, which in turn affect their sensitivity to antimicrobials. Here we show that S. aureus cell-free culture liquid exhibits bacteriostatic properties and increases the efficacy of antimicrobials against P. aeruginosa. Thus, the MICs of amikacin, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin decreased 2-4 fold in the presence of cell-free supernatant of S. aureus 24 h culture. Furthermore, the combination of the latter with antimicrobials increased the efficacy of amikacin up to 64-fold. Thus, the combined use of cell-free culture liquid of S. aureus with broad-spectrum antibiotics can be used to increase the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy of P. aeruginosa.
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| 11 CELL-FREE SUPERNATANT OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS CULTURE.pdf | 911.25 KB |
The problem of the influence of inflammation on the processes of higher nervous activity is still relevant. In particular, it implies an analysis of the safety and effectiveness of biological regulators’ effects with neurotropic and immunomodulatory potential. The study examined the effects of Salmonella tiphy LPS on behaviour and cognitive function in adult male Wistar rats with different levels of melatoninergic system activity, using various tests. It was found that daily injection of LPS to rats of the group А (50 μg/kg, i.p.) for 10 days leads to the formation of a special pattern of behavior with a low level of tentative research activity in the presence of increased anxiety. The rats of the group В received combined exposure to LPS (50 μg/kg, i.p.) and melatonin (5 mg/kg, orally) distinguished a higher level of various variants of motor and research activity in conditions of relatively low anxiety in contrast to the rats of the group А. The paper discusses the features and mechanisms of the formation of "painful" behavior in an experimental model of inflammation, depending on the level of activation of the components of the melatoninergic system.
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| 10 MODULATING THE EFFECT OF MELATONIN.pdf | 637.05 KB |
Microbial production of testosterone from phytosterol is a promising alternative to the chemical synthesis from androstenedione, which is currently used. It is possible using wild-type or recombinant strains of Mycolicibacterium neoaurum. One of the key steps of biotechnology development is inoculum preparation which determines the volumetric/mass ratios of the bioreactors and affects the biotransformation rate and duration. In the present work, the conditions for the growth of testosterone-producing strain of Mycolicibacterium neoaurum recombinant strain with enhanced 17β-HSD activity were optimized. The effects of medium composition, temperature, and glucose supplements on biomass size and density were estimated. The results are of importance for the development of microbial technology for testosterone production.
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| 9 OPTIMIZATION OF GROWTH CONDITIONS.pdf | 688.63 KB |
Noroviruses with the GII.P16 polymerase gene have long been considered rare. However, since 2015, there have been reports from different geographical regions about the spread of new recombinant strains of norovirus in which GII.P16 polymerase is associated with a capsid protein of various genotypes. In the autumn of 2016, a sharp increase in the frequency of detection of noroviruses was observed in Nizhny Novgorod, which coincided with the appearance of new recombinants GII.4_Sydney and GII.2 – with GII.P16 polymerase. Based on the sequences of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene present in the GenBank database, a phylogenetic analysis of noroviruses with GII.P16 specificity was performed by constructing Bayesian phylogenetic trees. Analysis of amino acid sequences showed that representatives of the novel variant of the GII.P16 polymerase gene had five substitutions compared to earlier strains. These substitutions are located near sites responsible for the enzyme activity of polymerase and could affect the transmissivity of the virus. Acquisition of a novel variant of the GII.P16 polymerase gene by noroviruses with different capsid protein genotypes probably provides certain advantages for recombinants and creates prerequisites for their wide distribution.
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| 8 PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF NOROVIRUSES.pdf | 964.92 KB |
