Multivalent DNAzyme agents for cleaving folded RNA.

Multivalent recognition and binding of biological molecules is a natural phenomenon that increases the binding stability (avidity) without decreasing the recognition specificity. In this study, we took advantage of this phenomenon to increase the efficiency and maintain high specificity of RNA cleavage by DNAzymes (Dz). We designed a series of DNA constructs containing two Dz agents, named here bivalent Dz devices (BDD).

Molecular properties of lysine dendrimers and their interactions with Aβ-peptides and neuronal cells.

Prevention of amyloidosis by chemical compounds is a potential therapeutic strategy in Alzheimer's, prion and other neurodegenerative diseases. Regularly branched dendrimers and less regular hyperbranched polymers have been suggested as promising inhibitors of amyloid aggregation. As demonstrated in our previous studies, some widely used dendrimers (PAMAM, PPI) could not only inhibit amyloid aggregation in solution but also dissolve mature fibrils.

[The application of synthetic peptides to characterize the site-directed antiviral humoral immune response in patients with respiratory syncytial viral infection].

The article deals with the study of characteristics of epitope-specific humoral immune response to respiratory syncytial viral infection depending on nature of disease and patients' age. The couple serums from 226 children and adults with respiratory syncytial viral infection were analyzed. To detect in enzyme immunoassay the epitope-specific IgG the synthetic peptides were applied imitating the structure of functionally depended epitopes of F-protein of respiratory syncytial virus with amino acid sequences 221-232 (F = SP12), 479-491 (F-SP13) and G-protein with amino acid sequences 152-164 (G-H13), 184-198 (G-T15).

[Peptides derived from the third cytoplasmatic loop of serotonin 1B receptor subtype selectively inhibit serotonin signal transduction via a homologous receptor].

The third intracellular loops of hormonal receptors play the main role in the interaction of majority of the serpentine type receptors with heterotrimeric G-proteins. In recent years, it was shown that synthetic peptides corresponding to membrane-proximal regions of these loops could be selectively influenced with hormonal signal transduction via the receptors homologous to them and trigger signalling cascade in absence of the hormone. For the first time, we succeeded in synthesizing the peptides derived from C-terminal region of the third intracellular loop of the IB-subtype serotonin receptor and studied their influence on serotonin-sensitive adenylyl cyclase system in the rat brain.

[Hyperbranched polylysines modified with histidine and arginine: the optimization of their DNA compacting and endosomolytic properties].

The DNA compacting and transfection properties of hyperbranched polylysines whose N-terminal amino groups were modified with histidine and arginine were studied. The histidine-modified hyperbranched polylysines were shown to provide higher efficacy of binding and transfection in comparison with unmodified or hyperbranched arginine-containing polylysines. This fact was explained by the intrinsic endosomolytic activity of the histidine-modified polymers.