Doklady Biochemistry and Biophysics
Doklady Biochemistry and Biophysics is a peer-reviewed journal that serves as a platform for disseminating research in the fields of biochemistry and biophysics. The journal publishes original manuscripts submitted in English, as well as works translated from several other journals. The sources of content are indicated at the article level. The peer review policy of the journal is independent of the manuscript source, ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation process for all submissions. As part of its aim to become an international publication, the journal welcomes submissions in English from all countries.
Peer review and editorial policy
The journal follows the Springer Nature Peer Review Policy, Process and Guidance, Springer Nature Journal Editors' Code of Conduct, and COPE's Ethical Guidelines for Peer-reviewers.
At least 30% of the manuscripts are rejected without review based on formal criteria as they do not comply with the submission guidelines. Each manuscript is assigned to one peer reviewer and must also be recommended by a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Alternatively, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences may be one of the co-authors. The journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. The period from submission to the first decision is usually at most 16 days. The approximate rejection rate is at least 15%. The final decision on the acceptance of a manuscript for publication is made by the Meeting of the Members of the Editorial Board, Editor-in-Chief, or Coordinating Editor.
If Editors, including the Editor-in-Chief, publish in the journal, they do not participate in the decision-making process for manuscripts where they are listed as co-authors.
Special issues published in the journal follow the same procedures as all other issues. If not stated otherwise, special issues are prepared by the members of the Editorial Board without guest editors.
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Vol 489, No 1 (2019)
- Year: 2019
- Articles: 14
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/1607-6729/issue/view/13258
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology
Role of Oxidation of XRCC1 Protein in Regulation of Mammalian DNA Repair Process
Abstract
The influence of XRCC1 protein oxidation on the modification of proteins catalyzed by poly(ADP-ribose)polymerases (PARP1 and PARP2) was studied for the first time. XRCC1, PARP1, and PARP2, functioning as scaffold proteins, are responsible for coordination of multistep repair of most abundant DNA lesions. We showed that the XRCC1 oxidation reduces the efficiency of its ADP-ribosylation and the protein affinity for poly(ADP-ribose). The ADP-ribose modification of various XRCC1 forms is enhanced in the presence of DNA polymerase β (Polβ), capable of forming a stable complex with XRCC1. Oxidation suppresses the inhibitory effect of XRCC1 and its complex with Polβ on the automodification of PARP1 and PARP2, which may enhance the efficiency of repair. The results of this study indicate that the oxidation of XRCC1 plays a role in fine regulation of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation levels of proteins and their coordinating functions in DNA repair.
357-361
Effects of Gamma-Radiation on DNA Damage in Onion (Allium cepa L.) Seedlings
Abstract
The effect of γ-radiation on the level of nuclear DNA damage in onion seedlings (Allium-test) was studied using the comet assay. DNA breaks were first found in cells of onion seedlings exposed to low-dose radiation (≤ 0.1 Gy). Dose dependence of DNA damage parameters showed nonlinear behavior: a linear section in the low-dose region (below 0.1 Gy) and a dose-independent plateau in the dose range between 1 and 5 Gy. Thus, the comet assay can be used to estimate the biological effects of low-dose γ-radiation on Allium cepa seedlings.
362-366
Melatonin Inhibits Peroxide Production in Plant Mitochondria
Abstract
The effect of melatonin on respiration and production (release) of hydrogen peroxide during succinate oxidation in mitochondria isolated from lupine cotyledons and epicotyls of pea seedlings was studied. It was shown for the first time that melatonin (10–7–10–3 M) had a significant inhibitory effect on the production of peroxide by plant mitochondria, which was characterized by concentration dependence and species specificity. At the same time, melatonin (at a concentration of up to 100 μM) had virtually no effect on mitochondrial respiration rate and respiratory control coefficient. The results confirm the antioxidant function of melatonin and indicate that it is involved in the regulation of ROS levels and maintenance of redox balance in plant mitochondria.
367-369
Removal of the Translocation Domain and the Furin Cleavage Site Decreases the Relative Hepatotoxicity of the Targeted Antitumor Toxins
Abstract
Targeted toxins are promising anticancer agents that allow selectively destroying cancer cells due to the increased content of onco-specific markers on their surface. The use of such anti-cancer toxins in medicine is mainly hampered by their high non-specific toxicity, in particular, hepatotoxicity. In our work on human cell line, we have shown that the removal of the DARPin-PE40 translocation toxin domain leads to a decrease in hepatotoxicity. The same effect is also observed when inactivation of the furin cleavage site in the DARPin-PE40 molecule was done. Simultaneous removal of both the translocation domain and the furin cleavage site showed the best results. This toxin modification can be used to create more selective anti-cancer toxins.
370-372
The Role of Catecholamines in the Development of Pathological Retina Neovascularization in an Experimental Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Rats
Abstract
This work is dedicated to proving our hypothesis that catecholamines and their metabolites play a crucial role in the development of retinopathy of prematurity, which leads to progressive uncontrollable vascularization in the retina, leading to blindness. The study was performed in an animal model of retinopathy of prematurity, which was achieved by hyperoxygenation in rats on postnatal days 7, 14, 21, and 30. The content of catecholamines and their metabolites in the retina of rats was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. It was shown that, in the rats with retinopathy, the content of L-DOPA on days 21 and 30 was decreased as compared to the control, whereas the content of noradrenaline on day 14 life increased compared to the control. However, we did not observe changes in the content of dopamine in the experimental animals relative to the control in any period studied. Given the published data on the involvement of catecholamines in the regulation of vasculogenesis in the retina in normal state, our data on the changes in the catecholamine metabolism in the retina in the model of retinopathy of prematurity can be regarded as evidence of the important role of catecholamines in the pathogenesis of this severe disease.
373-376
Histone Tails Promote PARP1-Dependent Structural Rearrangements in Nucleosomes
Abstract
PARP 1 alters the wrapping of nucleosomal DNA on the histone octamer, thereby modulating the accessibility of different genome sites to nuclear protein factors. Here, we show that non-structured histone tails are involved in the PARP1-induced structural rearrangements in nucleosomes, facilitate and stabilize them, but do not affect the enzymatic activity of PARP1.
377-379
Ascorbate Peroxidase of Moss Dicranum scoparium: Gene Identification and Enzyme Activity
Abstract
In the present work, the APX gene encoding ascorbate peroxidase in the moss Dicranum scoparium was for the first time cloned and sequenced, and a high homology of APX with ascorbate peroxidase genes of the mosses Grimmia pilifera and Physcomitrella patens was shown. The structure of the protein was characterized using bioinfomatics approach, and the activity of the enzyme under abiotic stresses was studied. An increase in the activity of ascorbate peroxidase was detected during desiccation of D. scoparium shoots. When exposed to heat shock, a decrease in the activity of ascorbate peroxidase correlated with a decrease in the expression of APX. Conserved elements, which were found in the structure of ascorbate peroxidase gene and protein, indicate that these sequences are conserved in the plant genome during evolution, in support of the importance of this enzyme in maintaining cellular redox status.
380-384
Magnificamide Is a New Effective Mammalian α-Amylase Inhibitor
Abstract
Recombinant analogue of the sea anemone Heteractismagnifica peptide was obtained, and the kinetic parameters of its interaction with mammalian α-amylases were determined. Magnificamide inhibits α-amylases significantly stronger than the medical drug acarbose (PrecoseTM or GlucobayTM). Magnificamide is assumed to find application as a drug for prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
385-387
Resistance of THP-1 Leukemia Cells Infected with Cytomegalovirus to Anti-tumor Antibiotic Doxorubicin and Restoration of the Sensitivity by Inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Molecular Pathway
Abstract
Results obtained showed that infection with HCMV prevented the death of THP-1 cells treated with DOX in both active and latent forms of infection. In the presence of mTOR inhibitors (rapamycin and Torin2), the sensitivity of the infected cells to DOX was restored. Rapamycin inhibited the expression of the HCMV protein IE1-p72 and increased sensitivity to DOX. Molecular targets for the creation of new drugs for the treatment of leukemia in patients infected with HCMV were determined.
388-391
Recombinant Analogue of the Human Protein SLURP-1 Inhibits the Growth of Multicellular Spheroids Reconstructed from Carcinoma Cells
Abstract
In the present study we showed that the recombinant analogue of the SLURP-1 protein effectively inhibits the growth of a 3D model of tumors—multicellular spheroids reconstructed from human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells and human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The combined application of rSLURP-1 with gefitinib (inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)) leads to the synergistic antiproliferative effect on spheroids from A431 cells. The results obtained suggest the possibility for design of first-in-class anticancer drugs based on recombinant SLURP-1.
392-395
Low-Molecular-Weight Compound GSB-106 Mimics the Cellular Effects of BDNF after Serum Deprivation
Abstract
The in vitro model of serum deprivation shows that the survival of SH-SY5Y neuronal cells is ensured by the intrinsic trophic activity of BDNF loop 4 mimetic GSB-106 (10–7 М), which is comparable to that of endogenous neurotrophin (10–9 М). The analysis of the cell cycle and S-phase showed that GSB-106, similarly to BDNF, induces the cell-cycle arrest in the G1 phase, diminishes the number of cells in the S-phase, reduces the number of apoptotic cells, and does not stimulate proliferation.
396-398
Proteins of the Vesicular Cycle as a Marker of Neuroplasticity of Dopaminergic Neurons in the Substantia Nigra of the Brain
Abstract
Nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons (DNs), involved in the regulation of motor function, are characterized by a high plasticity. Indeed, at the death of up to 50% of DNs in Parkinson’s disease, the survived neurons provide normal regulation. This study was aimed to determine whether the vesicle cycle proteins, syntaxin Ia (Syn Ia), synaptotagmin I (Syt I), Rab5a, and complexins I and II (Cmpx I and II) are involved in the mechanisms of neuroplasticity in the substantia nigra, which mainly contains cell bodies and processes of the DNs. In the neurotoxic models of Parkinson’s disease in mice, it was shown that, at the degeneration of up to 50% of DNs, the content of Syt I, Syn Ia, and Cmpх I and II, involved in vesicle exocytosis, does not change in the substantia nigra as a whole but is compensatorily increased in individual survived DNs. Thus, the data obtained in this study suggest that the impairment of motor behavior, which occurs at the death of half of the nigrostriatal DNs, is not caused by the impairment of the production of vesicle cycle proteins in the survived DNs.
399-402
Fluorescent DNA Probes: Study of Properties and Methods of Application
Abstract
The results of long-term author’s studies of the optical and complex-forming properties of more than 30 synthetic low-molecular-weight fluorophores specific for DNA are described. These studies made it possible to significantly expand the already existing database of properties of such compounds, clarify the ideas about the patterns linking the mentioned properties of fluorophores with their structure, and formulate recommendations on designing new effective DNA-specific fluorophores. The results of these studies can be used, in particular, in the development of new rapid methods for diagnosing various diseases, biotesting of probiotic and antibiotic properties of various products and wastes, etc.
403-406
Multifunctional ENY2 Protein Interacts with RNA Helicase MLE
Abstract
ENY2 protein of Drosophila melanogaster was previously discovered and characterized in our laboratory [1, 2]. It was found that ENY2 is a subunit of several multiprotein complexes and connects various stages of gene expression [3–5]. This work is devoted to studying the interaction of ENY2 with RNA helicase MLE. This interaction was confirmed by independent methods. Data indicating that this interaction is conserved in evolution and is important for the functioning of MLE in both sexes were obtained.
407-410