Vol 53, No 5 (2017)

Apart from major molecules involved in angiogenesis, such as growth factors, cytokines and chemokines, much attention is now being paid to guidance molecules that determine growth trajectories of the de novo formation of blood vessels (ephrins and their receptors, semaphorin receptors neuropilins and plexins, Slit receptor Robo, netrin receptor UNC5B, urokinase and its receptor uPAR, T-cadherin). Guidance receptors play an important role in the regulation of vascular growth trajectory during embryogenesis and vascular regeneration in adults. Besides, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and serine proteases (plasmin and urokinase) are also essential for angiogenesis and vascular wall remodeling. Aberrant gene expression profiles or signaling pathways related to the above proteins can lead to various pathologies.

The effect of Actara insecticide on the common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus) was studied, and its sublethal concentration (LC50) for this species was estimated. Exposure to Actara at a concentration of 400 mg/L in freshwater was shown to kill all the common carp individuals within 24 h, while 24-h preconditioning at an Actara concentration of 100 mg/L promoted survival of animals when they were subsequently exposed to the insecticide at a concentration of 400 mg/L for 5 days. Estimates of serotonin-modulated anticonsolidation protein (SMAP) in the common carp brain and liver by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) following exposure to Actara at a concentration of 100 mg/L for 24 h showed its increased level in both organs (p < 0.001), particularly manifest in the liver. It is concluded that preconditioning elevates SMAP tissue levels and promotes thereby protection of the organism against damaging effects of lethal Actara concentrations.

The study addresses the effects of higher and lower temperatures experienced during the early stages of ontogeny on the parameters of the subsequent growth and development of the butterfly Inachis io. The caterpillars reared at a temperature of 22°С during instars I–III and then transferred to lower temperatures (16, 18, and 20°C) had higher instantaneous growth rates, larger body mass, and shorter duration of instars IV and V than the caterpillars that developed permanently at these lower temperatures. Vice versa, the caterpillars reared at 16°С during instars I–III and transferred to higher temperatures (18, 20, and 22°C) developed and grew slower than the caterpillars reared at these higher temperatures from the beginning. Possible physiological mechanisms underlying the observed phenomena and their ecological consequences are discussed. Our results are compared with the previously published data on fish—another group of ectothermic organisms, on which similar experiments have been carried out.

The role of the ovarian area of the uterine horn in coordination of spontaneous activity of myometrial rhythmogenic areas was studied in nonpregnant rats both under normal conditions and following transection of the uterine horn in its middle part to isolate the ovarian locus from the distally located uterine active areas. The effect of oxytocin as a factor that reveals a leading role of the ovarian locus in synchronization of myometrial spontaneous activity was studied under the above conditions. Intravenous oxytocin administration (10^–1 μg/kg) under normal conditions promotes a considerable increase in the peak amplitude and mean rise rate in all the three rhythmogenic areas (%; ovarian horn area—by 148.63 ± 6.1, p ≤ 0.001 and 141.04 ± 7.6, p ≤ 0.01; cervical horn area—by 143.85 ± 3.5, p ≤ 0.001 and 146.89 ± 8.5, p ≤ 0.001; uterine corpus—by 146.20 ± 7.2, p ≤ 0.001 and 139.73 ± 8.2, p ≤ 0.05, respectively). Under the same conditions, also there is a similar increase in the active state duration in all the three areas (%; 132.70 ± 4.5, p ≤ 0.05; 124.90 ± 9.6, p ≤ 0.05; 128.03 ± 7.2, p ≤ 0.05, respectively). Following transection of the uterine horn, oxytocin administration causes an increase in all the three activity indicators only in the ovarian horn area (%; 134.86 ± 2.5, p ≤ 0.05; 139.49 ± 4.5, p ≤ 0.001; 123.8 ± 7.3, p ≤ 0.05, respectively). In the cervical horn area and uterine corpus, no appreciable changes in these indicators were detected under both conditions. We believe that the ovarian locus is involved in coordination of activities of all the three myometrial rhythmogenic areas as revealed by oxytocin.

Arborization of dorsal root afferents was studied in the lamprey spinal cord by the method of horseradish peroxidase transport. Direct evidence was obtained for the presence of efferent fibers in dorsal roots, representing collaterals that depart from ascending and descending intraspinal branches of sensory axons and travel towards the periphery through the adjacent roots.