Vol 59, No 5 (2023)

When discussing phenomena of the whole genome duplication (WGD), the terms neopolyploid, mesopolyploid, and paleopolyploid are used in their modern “post-genomic” interpretation. In our opinion, in the flow of changing genome states between neopolyploids and paleopolyploids, it makes sense to single out the eupolyploid stage – a state of a polyploid, when its polyploid nature is beyond doubt, but the genome (karyotype) of the eupolyploid, unlike the neopolyploid, is already relatively stable. Most of so-called polyploid plant species are actually eupolyplids, the polyploid nature of the karyotype of which is beyond doubt among researchers – geneticists, karyologists, and florists. Optionally, eupolyploids can enter new rounds of interspecific hybridization with the hybrid maintaining the level of ploidy of the parents or with the emergence of an allopolyploid of a higher level of ploidy. Eupolyploidization of the genome is a radical and rapid method of speciation and genus formation in plants. In this way, tens of thousands of species of modern plants arose. Successful combinations of alleles of eupolyploid subgenomes, large sizes characteristic of high polyploids, frequent transition to asexual reproduction can contribute to the successful development of new areas by eupolyploids, adaptation to extreme conditions of existence at the edge of areas, but not to the acquisition of new aromorphoses – this is speciation, but speciation on already mastered level of evolutionary complexity, a step that does not in itself lead to progressive evolution.

For the first time, lux biosensors of E. coli and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans were used to study the genotoxicity of beta-propiolactone (BPL) used in the production of inactivated viral vaccines as an inactivator. It has been shown that the DNA-damaging activity of BPL is due not only to its ability to bind to bacterial DNA, but also to the ability to generate in the cell such reactive oxygen species as superoxide anion and peroxide, which have genotoxic activity. It was found that BPL in a dose-dependent manner, starting from a concentration of 0.001 mol/L, reduces the survival of bacteria. However, the intensity of expression of the antioxidant defense gene of superoxide dismutase soxS and the DNA repair gene colD increased. BPL induced DNA breaks in nematode cells detected by electrophoresis. The antioxidant acetylcysteine (ACC) reduced the genotoxic effects of BPL on both bacteria and nematode.

In pepper (Capsicum spp.), anthocyanins are important not only for the photolabile compounds protection, but also for the regulation of fruit color pattern. Anthocyanidin-3-O-glucosyltransferases (UFGTs) play a key role in the biosynthesis of stable anthocyanins. In this work, the structure and phylogeny of three pepper UFGT homologue genes are characterized. Biochemical analysis of C. annuum cultivars (cv. Syrenevii cube, Othello and Sibiryak) and C. frutescens (cv. Samotsvet), which differ in the pattern of fruit pigmentation during ripening, showed the presence of anthocyanins in leaves and fruit peel of all accessions (except for the cv. Sibiryak fruit). The highest anthocyanins content was found in the purple leaves of the cv. Samotsvet. In the fruit peel of all accessions, the anthocyanins content decreased with ripening. Expression analysis of the same tissues showed that UFGT1 (LOC107843659) and UFGT2 (LOC107843660) transcripts are present in the leaves of all cultivars. In the fruit peel, UFGT1 transcripts were detected at maturation stages 1 (cv. Syrenevii cube and Othello) and 1–3 (cv. Samotsvet), while UFGT2 transcripts were found in all accessions with the maximum in the cv. Sibiryak, where anthocyanins were absent. Transcripts of the MBW complex (anthocyanin2, MYC, and WD40), which regulates the biosynthesis of anthocyanins, were present in the leaves of all cultivars with a maximum in the purple leaves of the cv. Samotsvet. Comparison of biochemical and expression data revealed a positive correlation between the amount of anthocyanins in fruit peel and leaves and UFGT1 expression level. For UFGT2 such correlation was no found. Analysis of UFGT1 sequence, including the promoter region, in 18 pepper cultivars that differ in fruit color pattern, revealed sequence invariance, regardless of the color of the immature fruit. Analysis of the UFGT1 and UFGT2 promoter sequences of the showed differences in the composition of cis-regulatory elements involved in response to stress and hormones, and in MYB and MYC transcription factors binding sites.

Skull morphology was studied in three populations of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes): tame, which was produced by long-term selection for friendly behavior to humans; aggressive, which was produced by long-term selection for aggressive behavior to humans; and conventional farm-bred, which was not deliberately selected for behavior. We have collected skulls measurements from two sets of foxes: (1) 140 backcross foxes produced by breeding of tame and aggressive foxes to each other and then crossing F1 foxes to tame strain, and (2) 150 foxes from original populations (50 tame, 50 aggressive and 50 conventional farm-bred). The backcross foxes have been genotyped with 350 microsatellite markers and analyzed using 2B-PLS analysis. A significant correlation between microsatellite genotypes and skull shape was identified for three microsatellite markers on 10-th fox chromosome: FH2535, RVC1, REN193M22. The second set of foxes (tame, aggressive and conventional) was genotyped for these three markers and also analysed with 2B_PLS. Significant correlation was identified between genotypes and skull size for males, but not for females. The genomic region identified in this study contains IGF-1 gene, which is responsible for 15% of body size variation in dogs. Our findings suggest that IGF-1 gene is also involved in skull size regulation in red foxes.

Real-time PCR was used to analyze the carriage of alleles in 13 genetic loci that affect pterin metabolism in 116 patients with schizophrenia and 62 healthy volunteers. To analyze the accuracy of predicting the risk of schizophrenia, we used the binary logistic regression method with the assessment of the contribution of all studied loci. Results: A mathematical model was developed that makes it possible to predict the risk of schizophrenia manifestation in a carrier of the combination of genotypes MTHFD1 1958CC/MTRR 66GG with a probability of 90.6%, MTHFD1 1958CC/MTRR66AG with a probability of 81.9%. The use of this model is expedient in routine psychiatric practice among individuals at high risk of schizophrenia manifestation after replication in other samples and obtaining a larger volume of observations.

The karyotypes of 95 individuals (57 males and 38 females) of the yellow-throated mouse (Sylvaemus flavicollis Melchior, 1834), caught at seven points in Eastern Europe, were studied. Only one individual had one extra chromosome. It was shown that in Sylvaemus flavicollis in the surveyed sites from the central part of the range (Eastern Europe), the frequency of occurrence of individuals with B chromosomes is very low and probably does not depend on the ecological conditions of habitats.

Professor Yu.A. Filipchenko founded the first department of genetics (then genetics and experimental zoology) in Russia in 1919. The first department of genetics in Russia made its first steps in the context of world science was facilitatedthrough contacts between leading scientists in genetics, who today are recognized as classics of genetics – T.H. Morgan, Yu.A. Filipchenko, N.I. Vavilov, W. Bateson, G.A. Levitsky, G.D. Karpechenko, F.G. Dobzhansky, H.J. Muller, M.E. Lobashev and others. The modern scientific and educational activities of the department are predetermined by its previous history and the staff of the department continues to develop the traditions of the educational and scientific complex. Teaching work is link inextricably with research work within the framework of a common problem – “Mechanisms of the genetic processes integration”. The formulation of a broad problem makes it possible to resist centrifugal tendencies, the cause of which may be the differentiation of interests and specific tasks of researchers, what, in turn, is fraught with the danger of training narrow specialists. The formularization of some unifying problem is traditional for the department and preserves the basis of mutual understanding between different geneticists, and emphasizes that geneticsis one of the most important general biological disciplines.