[Craniometric differences between karyotypic races of the common shrew Sorex araneus (Mammalia) as a result of limited hybridization].

The contact points of four karyotypic races (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Seliger and West Dvina) of the common shrew Sorex araneus L. were studied at the Valdai Hills (European Russia) in an area unimpeded by geographic barriers.

[Stability of the population variants of the B-chromosome system in the East-Asian mouse Apodemys peninsulae from the Baikal region and northern Mongolia].

Analysis of the B-chromosome frequency and morphotypes in 160 mice Apodemus peninsulae from 17 localities of the Baikal region, Northern Mongolia, Trans-Baikalia, and the Russian Far East showed that the mice were from five geographical populations. The interpopulation difference was determined by variations of 0-4 macro B chromosomes and 0-11 micro B chromosomes. The B-chromosome number and morphotypes proved to be stable over the past 30 years in the geographical populations under study.

[The polymorphism and distribution of B chromosomes in germline and somatic cells of Tscherskia triton de Winton (Rodentia, Cricetinae)].

The karyotypes of 13 greater long-tailed hamsters (Tscherskia triton de Winton, 1899) (eight males and five females) from Primorskii krai (Russia), including six males and one female from the vicinity of the city of Ussuriisk and two males and four females from the vicinity of the village of Pogranichnyi, have been studied. The karyotypes of five males (four from the vicinity of Ussuriisk and one from the vicinity of Pogranichnyi) have been found to contain one or two small acrocentric B chromosomes each. In males with B chromosomes, each germline cell contains one or two B chromosomes.

[Narrow hybrid zone between Moscow and Western Dvina chromosomal races and specific features of population isolation in common shrew Sorex araneus (mammalia)].

The contact zone between Moscow and Western Dvina chromosomal races of common shrew Sorex araneus L. at the south of the Valdai Hights was traced over a distance of 20 km. Within this, close to parapatric, contact zone of chromosomal races the width of sympatry zone was about 500 m (the narrowest among currently known hybrid zones), and the proportion of hybrids was 24.

[The microsatellite polymorphism and gene flow in the contact zone of four common shrew (Sorex araneus L., Mammalia) chromosome races].

The variation of microsatellite loci in 130 individuals of four common shrew chromosome races (Moscow, Western Dvina, Seliger, and St. Petersburg) contacting on the Valdai Hills was studied. A low level of genetic differences between the chromosome races, which differ at three-five fixed diagnostic metacentric chromosomes, was found.

[Phylogenetic relationships of Caucasian shrew Sorex satunini Ogn. (mammalia) in the superspecies Sorex araneus inferred from the data of karyological analysis and the mtDNA cyt b gene sequencing].

Using the data of karyological analysis, the phylogenetic relationships of Caucasian shrew Sorex satunini and the cryptic species of superspecies Sorer araneus were examined. In the population of Sorex satunini from the plain of North Ciscaucasia two deeply radiated cytochrome b genes (A and B) were identified. Genetic distance between haplotype A and B groups constituted 0.

[Multiplicity of B microchromosomes in a Siberian population of mice Apodemus peninsulae (2n = 48 + 4-30 B chromosomes)].

Differentiation of four Siberian populations of East-Asian (Korean) field mice (Apodemus peninsulae) inhabiting the basin of the mid-stream of the Yenisei River was carried out according to the variants of the B chromosome system. A multiplicity of B microchromosomes (from 4 to 30) was found for the first time in all 26 mice from the left shore of the Yenisei River in the mid-stream area. All of them probably belong to a population with B microchromosomes.

[The mechanisms of formation and evolution of B chromosomes in Korean field mice Apodemus peninsulae (Mammalia, Rodentia)].

Several hypotheses concerning variations in the frequency of some elementary events determining the formation and reorganization of mammalian B chromosomes are proposed on the basis of the data on their number, morphology, and DNA composition in Korean field mice Apodemus peninsulae (Mammalia, Rodentia) from natural populations of Altai, Buryatia, Irkutsk oblast, and Primorye. The mechanisms and causes responsible for the formation of B chromosomes and differences in their organization in populations of mice from geographically separated regions are discussed.

[Diversity and individuality of variants of the system of B chromosomes in mice Apodemus peninsulae].

A complicated population system of B chromosomes has been revealed in the karyotypes of the East-Asian mouse Apodemus peninsulae over the whole range. Based on our previous data for mice from Altai, Siberia, Pribaikal'e, and Mongolia and on the results of the present work, we infer that most of animals studied (196 out of 312, or 63%) have an individual variant of the B chromosome system. Only three mice lacked B chromosomes.

[Increase in the number of the B-chromosomes and variants of their system in mouse Apodemus peninsulae in Mountain Altai population over 26 years].

A new evolutionary genetic phenomenon - increase in the number of B-chromosomes (almost threefold) accompanied by change in B chromosome morphotypes - was discovered in the Artybash population of East Asian mouse Apodemus peninsulae (Mountain Altai) over a historically short period (22 years), comparable with a small number of mouse generations (ten generations). The process of increase in the number of A. peninsulae B-chromosomes in Mountain Altai has been monitored over 26 years (1980, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2002, and 2006).

[Instability of B-chromosomes in somatic and germline cells of Apodemus peninsulae].

Instability of B-chromosomes was estimated in somatic and germline cells of samples Apodemus peninsulae from different localities of the species range. In 84 out of 188 animals (45%), in cells assessed for B-chromosome mosaicism, bone marrow cells with different B-chromosome number were observed. The numbers of B-chromosomes in spermatocytes at the pachytene stage were estimated in ten males.

[Fixation of metacentric chromosomes in populations of the common shrew Sorex araneus L. from populations of Eastern Europe].

In this review, we discuss the processes of fixation of Robertsonian chromosome fusions in populations of the common shrew Sorex araneus L. Various Robertsonian fusions, accumulating in populations, create an illusion of large chromosomal rearrangements, reciprocal translocations of complete chromosome arms. The use of these rearrangements for phylogenetic reconstructions results in false conclusions.

[Karyotype evolution in the genus Ellobius (Microtinae, Rodentia)].

Comparative analysis was undertaken of the pattern of G-dyed chromosome sets of three Ellobius species: E. tancrei, E. fuscocapillus, E.

[The clinal variability of the B-chromosome system in the East Asian mouse Apodemus peninsulae from Buryatia and Mongolia].

Karyological investigation of 22 East-Asiatic mice from different points of the North Mongolia showed the availability in all the mice from 1 to 13 B chromosomes, including from 1 to 5 middle-sized and small two-shoulder chromosomes, from 0 to 11 dot-like B chromosomes, and, seldom, 1 small acrocentric B chromosome. Nearly every mouse is characterized by its variant of B-chromosome system. Most frequent mice with 3, 4 and 8 B chromosomes were met.

[The B-chromosome system--a marker of Apodemus peninsulae (Rodentia, Muridae) populations in the Baĭkal region].

Karyological studies of 56 Apodemus peninsulae mice from 6 points in the neighbourhood of the Baikal lake revealed both considerable likeness and difference in the variants of the B-chromosomes system of this species. The mice from the regions situated at a distance of 150 kilometers from each other have similar karyotype variants, which allowed to consider these animals as one geographical population. The mice from the south-west, South Pribaikal and south-east regions considerably differ in the variants of the B-chromosomes system and may belong to 3 separate geographical populations.

[Cytogenetic differentiation of Apodemus peninsulae populations (Rodentia, Muridae) in eastern Siberia].

Population and cytogenetics studies of geographical karyotype changes in East Asiatic mice in East Siberia showed that each population has unique cytogenetic structure, owing to different variants of B-chromosomes system, including 1 to 18 B-chromosomes differing in morphology and size. For each population, we observed the prevalence of mice with a definite number and morphology of B-chromosomes, which is probably the result of homeostatic processes in the population. Local changes were revealed, due to increase in the number of dot-like B-chromosomes in the direction from the West to the East.

[Variability of the cytogenetic structure of Apodemus peninsula (Rodentia, Muridae) population from the West Sayans region].

Karyological investigations of East-Asiatic mice (28 animals) from 5 catching points in the region of West Sayans revealed the presence of 1-12 B-chromosomes in these animals. Nearly all the mice had their individual variant of B-chromosomes system, including combinations of two-shoulder-like chromosomes of different size (from 1 to 5), and also small acrocentric (from 0 to 1) and dot-like B-chromosomes (from 0 to 9). Most frequent were the mice with 5 and 6 (21%) B-chromosomes.

[Synaptonemal complexes of the A- and B-chromosomes of the spermatocytes from the East Asian mouse Apodemus peninsulae].

The analysis of whole-mount preparations of synaptonemal complexes (SCs) from surface-spread spermatocytes of A. peninsulae (2n = 48A + 1, 2, ..

[Mutagenic and cytotoxic effects of acrylates].

Increasing amount of fructose-1-phosphate aldolase activity in rat blood serum and induction of chromosomal aberrations in rat bone marrow cells were observed after injection of acrylamide. The cytotoxic activity of acrylamide in rat depended on the dose. Methylmethacrylate and butyl methacrylate demonstrated no such activity.

[Heterochromatin of the rat-like hamster Tscherskia triton de Winton (Rodentia, Cricetinae), II].

Differential staining of rat-like hamster chromosomes revealed: 1) C- and G-banding of chromosomes depending upon the Giemsa solvent (distilled H2O and phosphate buffer correspondingly) in case of ordinary staining; 2) dependence of C-banding pattern on the C-method; 3) different resistance of C-bands to trypsin action; 4) dependence of Q-bands on the fluorochroms employed (A, 33258 H, AO), the second non-fluorescent (A, 33258 H) near-centrometric heterochromatic region is brilliantly fluorescing when AO is employed; 5) heterogeneity of C-, G- and Q-bands, i.e. similarly stained region, may differ in their structural-functional peculiarities.

[Relationship between the study of DNA reassociation kinetics of various chromosomal forms of Ellobius and questions concerning the pathways of chromosome rearrangement during evolution].

Fifteen chromosome forms of Ellobius talpinus (from 2n = 31 to 2n = 54) were found in the small area in the Pamirs. Low-chromosome karyotypes evolved from 54-chromosomal ancestral form by Robertsonia centric fusions. The DNA reassociation kinetics of 34- and 54-chromosome forms of E.