Vol 511, No 1 (2023)

The aim of the study was to investigate the growth and development of B16 melanoma in mature male C57Black/6 mice with a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) model. Behavioral, immunohistochemical, morphometric methods, enzyme immunoassay were used. A forced decrease in the level of corticosterone, which is characteristic for PTSD, was established, followed by an intensification of the production of increased concentrations of pro-inflammatory interleukins by the cells of the immune system and, at the same time, a decrease in the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Priority data were obtained: the neurohumoral imbalance that develops in PTSD is a limiting factor to the growth of B16 melanoma, at least at the initial stages of the oncological process.

Identification of a natural mutation of the ccr5 gene in humans which makes them resistant to HIV-1 infection, has opened a new direction for the development of alternative treatment approaches through genome editing. The human immunodeficiency virus, when infecting CD4+ cells, uses one of two chemokine co-receptors of the plasma membrane. During infection and in the early stages of infection, strains using the CCR5 protein circulate, while the later ones use the CXCR4 protein. It cannot be ruled out that there is a complex relationship in the regulation of the expression of these receptors, which in turn can affect the replication of the virus in cells that normally do not have the CCR5 protein on the membrane. To study the effect of ccr5 gene correction on HIV-1 replication in the in vitro system, exactly like this MT-4 cell line was used. The study of virus replication showed that genetic modification of the ccr5 gene of MT-4 cells led to an increase in the activity of the studied HIV-1 strains, and this increase was most pronounced in homozygous variant. Our results indicate that editing the genome of human cells should be treated with great caution and that such studies require in-depth and comprehensive study.

Alzheimer’s disease is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease, the development of which is associated with the accumulation of β-amyloid oligomers, dysfunction of the α7-nAChR nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and activation of inflammation. Previously, we have shown that the neuromodulator Lynx1, which belongs to the Ly6/uPAR family, competes with β-amyloid(1–42) for binding to α7-nAChR. In the present work, we studied the expression and localization of Ly6/uPAR family proteins in the hippocampus of 2xTg-AD transgenic mice that model AD and demonstrate increased amyloidosis in the brain. Using real-time PCR, we showed a decrease in the expression of the genes encoding Lynx1, Lypd6b, and the postsynaptic marker PSD95, as well as an increase in the expression of the TNFα gene in the hippocampus of 2xTg-AD mice. Histochemical analysis revealed that, in the hippocampus of 2xTg-AD mice Lynx1 does not co-localize with α7-nAChR that can lead to the development of pathology when the receptor interacts with oligomeric β-amyloid. Also, in 2xTg-AD mice, activation of systemic inflammation was shown, which manifests itself in a decrease in the serum level of SLURP-1, a Ly6/uPAR family protein capable of regulating inflammatory processes, as well as an increase in the content of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα and TNFβ. Thus, α7-nAChR dysfunction and maintenance of the inflammatory microenvironment in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease may be associated with a decrease in the expression of Ly6/uPAR family proteins that regulate α7-nAChR activity and inflammation.

For the first time it was shown that potato plants responded to salt stress by changing the profile of endogenous brassinosteroids (BS). At the same time, a group of 6-keto-BS was identified, the content of which, unlike other analyzed groups of hormones, increased significantly during salinization. It was found that a 10-fold decrease in the level of endogenous BS in mutant Arabidopsis thaliana plants with impaired biosynthesis (det2) (or reception (bri1)) of phytosteroids leads to a decrease in their salt resistance, as evidenced by a decrease in the efficiency of photochemical processes of photosystem II (PSII) and inhibition of growth. The presented data confirm the idea of the involvement of endogenous BS in the formation of salt resistance of plants.

The mandibles of two individuals of Mustela palerminea (Petenyi, 1864) are described from the Lower Pleistocene deposits of the Taurida cave in Crimea (Late Villafranchian, 1.8–1.5 Ma). This extinct mustelid species was a typical representative of the Villafranchian faunas of Europe. It is the first record of M. palerminea in Russia.

It is known that 20-hydroxyecdysone is one of the most important hormonal regulators of development, reproduction and adaptation to unfavourable conditions in insects. Here, we show for the first time that exogenous 20-hydroxyecdysone increases the content of two main insect carbohydrates, trehalose and glucose, in Drosophila melanogaster females both in normal conditions and under short-term heat stress. It has been found that the levels of both trehalose and glucose increase after thirty minutes of heat exposure, and return to their original levels after an hour and a half. A scheme of hormonal regulation of carbohydrate content under heat stress, involving 20-hydroxyecdysone, juvenile hormone and dopamine, is suggested.

Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is widely used for noninvasive assessment of the state of its regulation systems. The aim of the research was to evaluate the capabilities of the Hilbert-Huang method for calculating spectral parameters of HRV in comparison with the commonly used Fourier analysis. Fourier analysis allows to estimate averaged spectral amplitudes and power of HRV oscillations in fixed frequency intervals, which are associated with the activity of sympathetic, parasympathetic and humoral regulation systems. Using the Hilbert-Huang method, we revealed 4 spectral components, described by Gauss functions, in which HRV oscillations are concentrated, and showed the absence of fixed boundaries between them. The obtained energy quantitative characteristics of the spectral components of heart rhythm oscillations can serve as the basis for diagnostic methods of its regulation, supplementing the commonly used ones.

Coprolites of the seal Pachyphoca volkodavi from the Upper Miocene deposits (Kherson) of the Fortepyanka locality (Republic of Adygea) were studied. Two out of five seal coprolites contained a structure resembling fish muscle tissue and included objects with morphology of trematode metacercariae. Obviously, the larvae of the parasite got into the digestive tract of seals from the fish they eat. Microscopic analysis of coprolites did not reveal helminth eggs, which indicates a possible absence of infection.