Vol 51, No 3 (2017)

It was shown that, for efficient production of regenerants in bread wheat, 18-day-old calli obtained from apical meristems of 3-day-old aseptic seedlings should be used. These calli show proliferative centers, with developed vascular system elements, that support the development of meristematic centers that later produce regenerants. It was shown that regeneration from the calli occurs by direct organogenesis but not by somatic embryogenesis. Under the influence of the antibiotic Ceftriaxone, which was added to the regeneration medium in a concentration of 400 mg/L, two different bread wheat genotypes showed, firstly, changes in apical origin callus morphology; secondly, an intensification of the regeneration processes; thirdly, root development in the regenerants that allows one to avoid the additional step of plant rooting.

The article describes the effect of alkaloid-free fraction of the Galega officinalis extract (AFFGE) on the aggregation ability of immunocompetent blood cells, as well as on the process of actin polymerization and structural rearrangements among sialylated glycoconjugates of the peripheral blood leukocyte membranes of rats in the norm and under experimental diabetes mellitus (EDM) conditions. The flow cytometry method (using phalloidin labelled with fluorescent tetramethyl rhodamine-5-isothiocyanate (TRITC)) and the western blot analysis have allowed us to detect an increase in the rat leukocyte F-actin content in the event of diabetes mellitus, which indicated changes in the structural and functional properties of the leukocytes and their preactivation phase. A quantitative analysis of the total polymerized actin pool redistribution between its constituent fraction (represented by cytoskeletal filaments) and short actin filaments has shown that, against an increase in the total F-actin level, the number of actin filaments of the cytoskeleton decreased and the content of short actin filaments increased in leukocytes of animals with EDM. The use of sialylated lectins has allowed a conclusion to be made on the study of the pathology that the number of exposed oligosaccharide determinants on leukocyte membrane, the structure of which contained N-acetyl-β-D-glucosamine and sialic acid residues, increased, whereas the number of sialic acid-containing surface glycoconjugates bound to subterminal galactose residues by α2→3 and α2→6-glycoside bonds decreased. The administration of AFFGE to diabetic animals led to an increase in the content of F-actin and short filaments of the leukocyte cytoskeleton and a reduction in the lectin-induced leukocyte aggregation. The correction effect of the studied extract on the functional state of leukocytes can be realized through the action on the processes underlying the formation of the actin cytoskeletal elements and due to the quantitative redistribution of leukocyte membrane glycoconjugates with different structures of carbohydrate determinants, such as, due to a decrease in the exposure of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosamine residues and an increase in the exposure of sialic acids bound to subterminal galactose residues by α2→3 and α2→6-glycoside bonds.

Polymorphic variants in the myostatin, prolactin, and D2 dopamine receptor genes were analyzed in Pushkin breed chickens (n = 231). The rs313744840 single nucleotide polymorphism was studied in the myostatin gene by means of the PCR–RFLP method. The cocks with different genotypes did not differ from each other by the live weight. Chickens with AA genotype were found to be significantly larger than their coevals with AG and GG genotypes at the age of 49 days (P < 0.01). Polymorphism based on the insertion–deletion of a small gene region (indel-polymorphism) was considered in the prolactin and D2 dopamine receptor genes. Differences by the prolactin gene were observed at 7 days of age. The cocks homozygous by the DD deletion were significantly larger than heterozygous ID coevals (P < 0.05). The II cocks significantly differed by the D2 dopamine receptor gene from heterozygous ID coevals by the live weight at 49 and 110 days. In chickens, II homozygotes by the mutation in the D2 dopamine receptor gene were larger than coevals at 7 days, while they had a lower live weight at 110 days (P < 0.05).

Subcellular mobility, positioning, and directional movement of the nucleus in a certain site of the cell or cenocyte and, less frequently, intercellular translocation of the nucleus accompany the cell and tissue differentiation, change of their functions, and the organism growth and development and its response to stress, plant–microbial interactions, symbiosis, and many other processes in plants and animals. The nucleus movement is performed and directed through the interaction between dynamic cytoskeleton components and nucleus by means of signal-binding proteins, including motor and linker. The cell responds to the external signal by mobilization and polar reconstruction of the cytoskeleton components, as a result of which the nucleus displacement by means of actomyosin or microtubule mechanisms in cooperation with dynein and kinesin occurs. In plants, the actomyosin mechanism is involved in the nucleus migration; it allows the nucleus to move rapidly and over significant distances in response to environmental stimuli. An important role in the nucleus translocation belongs to the linker complexes of the proteins that are inserted in the nuclear envelope, that connect and transmit signals from the plasmalemma to the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm, and that provide the skeletal basis for many subcellular compartments. Changes in the protein composition, conformational modifications of the proteins, and displacement of linkers from the nuclear envelope result in the nucleus detachment from the cytoskeleton, and change in the form, mechanical rigidity, and positioning of the nucleus.

Vascular inflammation is an important hallmark of atherosclerosis caused by high-fat diet. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is a key initiator of inflammation as it activates vascular endothelial cells to induce the expression of inflammatory genes. Sodium ferulate (SF), an active component from Chinese medicine, was reported to have potential of anti-atherosclerotic activity. However, little is known about the mechanism. In present research we investigated how SF changed the cellular gene expression profile and restored ox-LDL-triggered inflammation in HUVECs. Cellular gene expression profile, the production of inflammatory genes and NF-κВ activation were investigated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells with or without SF (5 μM) treatment after precondition with ox-LDL (50 μg/mL). Ox-LDL treatment increased the production of inflammatory factors, including IL-1β, CCL20, IL-6, IL-8 and CXCL1. SF stimulation modulated the translocation of NF-κВ between cytoplasm and nucleus, and alleviated the inflammatory response induced by ox-LDL. Collectively, SF appeared to be able to suppress the expression of inflammatory factors in ox-LDL-stimulated endothelial cells, and transcription factor NF-κB might be involved in such process.

Cytological analysis with respect to meiotic behaviour is considered to be the one of the most dependable indices to estimate the potency of mutagens and to elucidate the response of various genotypes to a particular mutagen. Seeds of Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet var. typicus cv. CO(Gb)14 were subjected to different doses/concentrations of gamma rays and EMS. The effects of different mutagenic treatments on meiosis were studied on treated and control plants. Various types of meiotic aberrations such as stickiness, clumping of chromosomes, laggards, ring chromosomes and precocious movements were observed in the mutagenic treatments. As increase in the concentration, the frequency of cells showing chromosomal aberrations shows a linear increase up to a certain level. However, the EMS treatments proved to be more effective in inducing meiotic aberrations as compared to gamma rays.