[COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEROTONIN LEVELS IN RAT PLATELETS, SERUM AND BRAIN ON THE AGING].

Serotonin functions as neurotransmitter in central nervous system and is involved in the regulation of vascular tone, gastro-intestinal motility and blood coagulation in the periphery. The appearance of new data on the significant correlation between serotonin levels in platelets and cerebrospinal fluid (Audhya et al., 2012) renewed interest in the hypothesis in which the platelet is seen as a model of cerotoninergic neuron.

Myopathy-causing Q147P TPM2 mutation shifts tropomyosin strands further towards the open position and increases the proportion of strong-binding cross-bridges during the ATPase cycle.

The molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle dysfunction in congenital myopathies remain unclear. The present study examines the effect of a myopathy-causing mutation Q147P in β-tropomyosin on the position of tropomyosin on troponin-free filaments and on the actin–myosin interaction at different stages of the ATP hydrolysis cycle using the technique of polarized fluorimetry. Wild-type and Q147P recombinant tropomyosins, actin, and myosin subfragment-1 were modified by 5-IAF, 1,5-IAEDANS or FITC-phalloidin, and 1,5-IAEDANS, respectively, and incorporated into single ghost muscle fibers, containing predominantly actin filaments which were free of troponin and tropomyosin.

[THE ROLE OF HEME-CONTAINING GLOBINS IN HYPOXIC NO-SIGNALING OF VERTEBRATE CELLS].

Nitric oxide is one of the most important signaling molecule of living organisms. It may be produced by two ways: from arginine by means of NO-syntases and from nitrite by means of nitrite reductases. The last way is realized mostly at hypoxic state of organisms and heme-containing globins of vertebrates (hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytoglobin, neuroglobin) mediate the transformation of NO2 into NO by means of their nitrite reductase activities.

[The influence of small doses of exogenic nitrite on oxidative modifications of water-soluble proteins of rat cardiac and skeletal muscle].

The influence of small doses of exogenic nitrite on reversible and irreversible oxidative modifications of water-soluble proteins of rat cardiac and skeletal muscle was studied with the aid of redox 2D-electrophoresis and colorimetric determination of protein carbonyl group, correspondingly. To explain the absence of significant changes under hypoxia induced by nitrite the known hypothesis about nitrite inhibition of some sites of mitochondrial electron transporting chain decreasing free radical quantity was discussed.

Quantitative evaluation of tryptophan oxidation in actin and troponin I from skeletal muscles using a rat model of acute oxidative stress.

Increased levels of "ROS" cause oxidative stress and are believed to play a key role in the development of age-related diseases and mammalian aging, e.g. through the oxidation of residues, at or close to, the protein surface.

Identification, quantification, and functional aspects of skeletal muscle protein-carbonylation in vivo during acute oxidative stress.

Reactive oxidative species (ROS) play important roles in cellular signaling but can also modify and often functionally inactivate other biomolecules. Thus, cells have developed effective enzymatic and nonenzymatic strategies to scavenge ROS. However, under oxidative stress, ROS production is able to overwhelm the scavenging systems, increasing the levels of functionally impaired proteins.

Identification of cysteine, methionine and tryptophan residues of actin oxidized in vivo during oxidative stress.

Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause oxidative stress and are believed to play a key role in the development of age-related diseases and mammalian aging in general by oxidizing proteins, lipids, and DNA. In this study, we have investigated the effects of ROS on actin in an established rat model of acute oxidative stress using short-term X-ray irradiation. Relative to the control, the actin functions studied in vitro were reduced for (i) actin polymerization to a minimum of 33% after 9 h and (ii) actin activated Mg(2+)-ATPase activity of myosin to 55% after 9 h.

The in vitro motility assay parameters of actin filaments from Mytilus edulis exposed in vivo to copper ions.

One important aspect of oxidative stress is chemical modification of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Copper has been shown to be one of the agents causing oxidative stress. In muscles copper binds to Cys-374 of the actin monomer and catalyzes interchain S-S bond formation in F-actin.

Reversible and irreversible modifications of skeletal muscle proteins in a rat model of acute oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress caused by an imbalance of the production of "reactive oxygen species" (ROS) and cellular scavenging systems is known to a play a key role in the development of various diseases and aging processes. Such elevated ROS levels can damage all components of cells, including proteins, lipids and DNA. Here, we study the influence of highly reactive ROS species on skeletal muscle proteins in a rat model of acute oxidative stress caused by X-ray irradiation at different time points.

[Dynamics of rat hepatocyte histone glycoxidation after general x-ray irradiation].

Dynamics of structural parameters of hepatocyte histone glucoxidative modification 3, 9 and 24 h after general X-ray irradiation of rats at dose 5 Gy was studied. Dynamics of these parameters (content of carbonyl groups, bityrosyl cross-linkings, pentosidines, advanced glycation end products) was compared with alterations in DNA structure (according to agarose gel electrophoresis) and lipid peroxidation extent (by malondialdehyde content). Oxidative stress induced by hepatocyte irradiation results in structural damage of DNA and histones accompanied by an increase of histone bityrosyl cross-linking and carbonyl content.

[Nonenzymatic glycosylation of and oxidative damage to actin in vitro and in vivo].

A study was made the influence exerted by non-enzymatic glycosylation (glycation) and oxidative destruction on structural and functional parameters of actin (free NH2-groups, advanced glycation end product and bityrosine cross-linking content, DNase inhibition by G-actin and myosin Mg(2+)-ATPase activation by F-actin). The functional properties of actin were shown to change under high molecular weight product formation and oxidative destruction: the extent of DNAase I inhibition decreases (from 70 to 40%) and the extent of myosin Mg(2+)-ATPase decreases (by 40%). Carnosine prevents actin oligomer formation and oxidative destruction which favours preservation of the protein functional properties.

Change in the functional properties of actin by its glycation in vitro.

The influence of glycation (non-enzymatic glycosylation) on structural and functional properties of actin of rabbit skeletal muscle and the effects of the natural anti-glycating dipeptide carnosine were studied. Glucose (0.5 M), fructose (0.

Polarization microfluorimetry study of interaction between myosin head and F-actin in muscle fibers.

Changes in conformation of F-actin induced by the binding of myosin molecule subfragment 1 were studied in myosin-free single ghost muscle fibers with the method of polarization microfluorimetry. The modification of the structure of subfragment 1 by proteolytic digestion with one or two cuts in subfragment 1 or degradation of 50 kDa domain did not influence the character of changes in the conformation of F-actin. The use of preparations of subfragment 1 devoid of the 20 kDa domain or both cross-linked SH1 and SH2-groups changed the character of conformational rearrangements in F-actin.

[The effect of proteolysis of myosin heads on conformational changes induced by them in F-actin].

The effect of limited proteolysis of myosin subfragment I (S1) on conformational changes in F-actin during the formation of a rigor F-actin-S1 complex was studied, using polarized microfluorimetry. Upon the decoration of thin filaments made up of rhodaminyl-phalloin modified F-actin with subfragment I, the anisotropy of fluorescence increased. Limited proteolysis of S1 at the junctions of 27 kD-70 kD and 27 kD-50 kD-20 kD fragments as well as the destruction of the 50 kD fragment by methanol had no effect on the nature of these changes.

[Study of dynein ATPase by oxygen isotope exchange H2(18)O in equilibrium with [16O]-Pi].

The oxygen isotope exchange reactions catalyzed by sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius spermatozoa dynein I were studied with a view of comparing molecular mechanisms of ATP hydrolysis by dynein and myosin ATPases. It was demonstrated that the isotope exchange takes place during ATP hydrolysis and during enzyme incubation with ADP and Pi and is absent when the enzyme is incubated with Pi. It was assumed that the molecular mechanisms of ATP hydrolysis by dynein I and myosin are identical.

[18O-exchange reactions in skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle myosin].

18O-exchange reactions of skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle myosin were studied. All investigated preparations of myosin catalyse two types of 18O-exchange--intermediate and direct exchanges in the presence of Mg2+. The dependence of 18O-exchange extent on divalent cations have appeared to be similar for different muscle types.

A study of the 18O-exchange reactions catalyzed by cardiac myosin and its subfragment 1.

Isotope-exchange reactions (H2(18)O in equilibrium with KH2PO4) during ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by myosin and its subfragment 1 from rabbit, dog, and human cardiac muscle were studied. All preparations of myosin and subfragment 1 in the presence of Mg2+ catalyzed two types of 18O-exchange reactions similar to those of skeletal muscle: intermediate and direct 18O exchange. The dependences of both reactions on divalent metals and nucleotides were studied.

Arsenazo III as a spectrophotometric reagent for determination of lead.

Arsenazo III is proposed as a spectrophotometric reagent for the determination of lead. The complex formation begins at pH > 2 and is greatest at pH 4-6. The molar absorptivity of the complex has a mean value of 2.

[18 O-exchange reactions catalyzed by myosin of calf intestine smooth muscle].

18O-exchange reactions of smooth muscle myosin of calf intestine were studied. Smooth muscle myosin, similar to skeletal myosin, catalyses two types of 18O-exchange reactions--intermediate and direct. Only quantitative differences of the exchange intensity are observed.

[Oxygen isotope exchange reactions in synaptosomal plasmatic membrane system].

Mg2+-Dependent, Ca2+-activated adenosine triphosphatase (E. C. 3.

18O-exchange catalyzed by myosin, heavy meromyosin, heavy meromyosin subfragment 1 and their complexes with actin.

Myosin, HMM and HMM S1 catalyze 18O-exchange between P1 and H218O of the medium at an intermediate stage of ATP hydrolysis ("intermediate 18O-exchange") in the presence of Mg2+. Natural complexes of actomyosin and acto-HMM S1 do not catalyze intermediate 18O-exchange but facilitate "direct" or "medium" 18O-exchange (KH2P18O4 in equilibrium H2O) even without ATP. Reconstituted complexes of actomyosin, acto-HMM, acto-HMM S1, PABC-HMM S1, congo-myosin and TNP-myosin do not catalyze direct 18O-exchange in the presence of Mg2+ and absence of ATP.