Phages reconstitute NAD to counter bacterial immunity.

Bacteria defend against phage infection through a variety of antiphage defence systems. Many defence systems were recently shown to deplete cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) in response to infection, by cleaving NAD into ADP-ribose (ADPR) and nicotinamide. It was demonstrated that NAD depletion during infection deprives the phage of this essential molecule and impedes phage replication.

IFT cargo and motors associate sequentially with IFT trains to enter cilia of C. elegans.

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) orchestrates entry of proteins into primary cilia. At the ciliary base, assembled IFT trains, driven by kinesin-2 motors, can transport cargo proteins into the cilium, across the crowded transition zone. How trains assemble at the base and how proteins associate with them is far from understood.

RNA Interference Effectors Selectively Silence the Pathogenic Variant c.607 G > A .

RNA interference (RNAi)-based therapeutics hold the potential for dominant genetic disorders, enabling sequence-specific inhibition of pathogenic gene products. We aimed to direct RNAi for the selective suppression of the heterozygous c.607 G > A variant causing encephalopathy.

Single-Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy in Sensory Cilia of Living Caenorhabditis elegans.

Intracellular transport of organelles and biomolecules is vital for several cellular processes. Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy can illuminate molecular aspects of the dynamics of individual biomolecules that remain unresolved in ensemble experiments. For example, studying single-molecule trajectories of moving biomolecules can reveal motility properties such as velocity, diffusivity, location and duration of pauses, etc.

Application of Fiber Bragg Gratings as a Sensor of Pulsed Mechanical Action.

The pulsed elongation of fiber Bragg gratings is considered in order to be used to measure the displacement or deformation rate of objects. Optimal measurement modes were determined, numerical simulation of the output signal was performed during pulsed elongation or compression of the fiber grating, and the main patterns were analyzed. The results of the application of the Bragg gratings for the experimental determination of the deformation rate of materials under pulsed magnetic action are presented.

Characteristics of the Airway Microbiome of Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

Microbiota as an integral component of human body is actively investigated, including by massively parallel sequencing. However, microbiomes of lungs and sinuses have become the object of scientific attention only in the last decade. For patients with cystic fibrosis, monitoring the state of respiratory tract microorganisms is essential for maintaining lung function.

Cutting off ciliary protein import: intraflagellar transport after dendritic femtosecond-laser ablation.

Primary cilia, organelles protruding from the surface of eukaryotic cells, act as cellular antennae to detect and transmit signals from the extracellular environment. They are built and maintained by continuous cycles of intraflagellar transport (IFT), where ciliary proteins are transported between the ciliary base and tip. These proteins originate from the cell body because cilia lack protein synthesis machinery.

codes for a mitochondrial peptide linking respiration and lipid metabolism.

Genes coding for small peptides have been frequently misannotated as long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) genes. Here we have demonstrated that one such transcript is translated into a 56-amino-acid-long peptide conserved in chordates, corroborating the work published while this manuscript was under review. The Mtln peptide could be detected in mitochondria of mouse cell lines and tissues.

Depressive Behavior and Monoamine Contents in Brain Structures of Rats During Chronic Overcrowding.

Effects of chronic overcrowding on the development of depressive-like behavior and changes in monoamine contents in the brain structures involved in the development of depression were studied in rats. It was shown that overcrowding increased grooming duration and did not change the number of crossed squares and postures in the open-field test. In the forced swimming test, overcrowding increased immobility time and deceased the duration of the first episode of active swimming, which attested to depressive-like behavior.

A phenol-free method for isolation of microRNA from biological fluids.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) found in biological fluids such as blood and urine have been identified as promising biomarkers for many human disorders, including cancer, cardiopathies, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, circulating miRNAs are either encapsulated into vesicles or found in complexes with proteins and lipoproteins and, thus, require a special approach to their isolation. Acid phenol-chloroform extraction can solve this problem, but it is a labor-intensive procedure that relies heavily on the use of hazardous chemicals.

Immunological parameters of the blood and monoamine content in the brain of rats during long-term overcrowding.

Blood immunological parameters (cytokine profile and interferon status) and the level of monoamines and their metabolites in various brain structures (amygdala, hippocampus, septum, and hypothalamus) were studied in rats kept under standard conditions or in overpopulated cages. Long-term overcrowding was associated with reduced expression of IL-4 gene, increased transcription of IL-17, and decreased production of IFN-γ, which attested to impaired humoral and cell-mediated immunity and disturbances in IFN-γ synthesis at the post-transcriptional level. Under these conditions, the levels of norepinephrine and dopamine decreased in the septum, but increased in the hypothalamus.

Anxiety level and body weight changes in rats living in overpopulated cages.

Behavioral indicators of anxiety and body weight dynamics were compared in rats kept under standard conditions (4-5 animals per cage) and in overpopulated cages (17 rats per cage). The behavior of rats exposed to overcrowding for a short and long period was evaluated in the open field, light-darkness, and elevated plus-maze tests. The anxiety parameters of animals increased only in the light-darkness test during the acute period of overcrowding and in all tests during chronic overcrowding.

[Detection of c-fos expression in animal brain in a pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy].

The dynamics of the involvement of different brain structures in a pathological process is very important for decoding the mechanisms of temporal lobe epilepsy. In this work, the experimental model of temporal lobe epilepsy induced by lithium chloride and pilocarpine was used. The method of immunochemical detection of the immediate early gene c-fos was used as an indicator of functioning neurons in the brain.

A comparative study of cell-free apoptotic and genomic DNA using FISH and massive parallel sequencing.

Objective: Study of circulating DNA (cirDNA) generation mechanisms with respect to their influence on the content of cirDNA is very important since it could indicate the best molecular targets for diagnostic applications. Since apoptosis was shown to be one of the main sources of cirDNA, we performed in vitro comparative study of cell-free apoptotic and genomic DNA (gDNA).

Methods: DNA isolated from culture medium of apoptotic human umbilical vein endothelial cells (cm-apoDNA) and the gDNA from the same living cells was analyzed using FISH and sequenced on SOLiD 3 platform.

Cell-free and cell-bound circulating nucleic acid complexes: mechanisms of generation, concentration and content.

Introduction: Extracellular nucleic acids are found in human blood and cell culture medium as cell-free or being adsorbed at cell surface. In the last years, the circulating extracellular nucleic acids in blood were shown to be associated with certain diseases. Attempts are made to develop non-invasive methods of early tumor diagnostics based on analysis of circulating DNA and RNA.

A method for generating selective DNA probes for the analysis of C-negative regions in human chromosomes.

Linker-adapter polymerase chain reaction (LA-PCR) is among the most efficient techniques for whole genome DNA amplification. The key stage in LA-PCR is the hydrolysis of a DNA sample with restriction endonucleases, and the choice of a restriction endonuclease (or several endonucleases) determines the composition of DNA probes generated in LA-PCR. Computer analysis of the localization of the restriction sites in human genome has allowed us to propose an efficient technique for generating DNA probes by LA-PCR using the restriction endonucleases HaeIII and RsaI.

[Effects of human cultural neuronal and mesenchymal stem cells on the rat learning and brain state after acute hypoxia].

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of neurotransplantation of cultural neural stem cells (NSC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on the rat behaviour and brain state after acute hypoxia. It was shown that development of two-way avoidance defensive conditioning in a shuttle box improved in rats-recipients with NSC, but not MSC as compared to control. Both the transplants of NSC and transplants of MSC exert neuroprotective influence on the rat brain.

[Dose-dependent effects of neuroimmunomodulator interferon alpha on behavior of humans and animals].

The review analyses the literature on polyfunctional activity of the cytokine interferon-alpha (IA) which has neuroimmunomodulatory properties and is used for treatment of viral and oncologic diseases. The major intention is devoted to action of small and high doses of IA on different forms of animals and human behavior. We suggest that chronic treatment with small IA doses is more effective than high dose therapy.

[Effects of human and rat interferons-alpha on the behavior of rats of different ages. Comparative study of the homology of amino acid sequences].

Effects of chronic intranasal administration of human and rat interferons alpha on feeding and defensive behavior of rats were studied. Natural leukocyte human interferon "Lokferon" (a mixture of alpha interferon subtypes) and recombinant rat interferon alpha of the first subtype were used in the dose of 350 ME per rat daily. In addition, using the databases NCBI and EBI, we quantitatively estimated homology of amino-acid sequences between different subtypes of human and rat interferons.

Neurogliogenesis in the mature olfactory system: a possible protective role against infection and toxic dust.

The outpost position of the olfactory bulb (OB) between the direct inputs from sensory neurons of the nasal epithelium and other parts of the brain suggests its highest vulnerability among all brain structures to penetration of exogenous agents. A number of neurotropic viruses have been found to invade the brain through the OB. There is growing evidence that microscopic particles of toxic dusts can propagate from the nasal epithelium to the OB and further into the brain.

[The role of interferon-alpha in regulation of nervous system functions].

The review analyses contemporary data on the role of the interferon-alpha in the central nervous systems. Interferon-alpha is one of the key polyfunctional cytokines providing integrative activity of the neuro-immuno-endocrine complex. The emphasis is made on the molecular mechanisms of anti-viral, anti-proliferative and neuromodulating actions of the interferon-alpha in the brain.

[Effect of small doses of interferon-alpha on food conditioning in young and ageing rats].

Low doses (10 or 350 ME) of human interferon-alpha (HIA) were intranasally applied to young (3-4 months) and ageing (12-15 months) Wistar rats during food conditioning. In control groups, development of the conditioned reflex to acoustic stimulus (tone) did not differ significantly in young and ageing rats in the course of chronic applications of the HIA. However, the control ageing rats were better than young rats in time-interval conditioning.

[Influence of small doses human interferon-alpha intranasal injection on behavior of rats of different age].

Behavior of young (3-4 month old) and ageing (12-15 month old) rats was studied during chronic intranasal application of low doses (10 ME or 350 ME) of human interferon-alpha (HIA). In ageing rats HIA did not affect dynamics (days 0th, 8th and 16th) of (a) locomotive and (b) investigative activity in the "open field" test and in two-side defensive conditioning, and (c) decreased anxiety ("open field", "light-darkness" test). In young rats HIA (a) increased locomotive activity by 16th day (it decreased in control), (b) investigative activity did not change (in control it decreased by 8th day; "open field" test), (c) anxiety decreased in the "open field" and increased in "light-darkness" tests, (d) development of conditioned reflex improved (during 2nd learning session in 5 days after the first one).

[Structural-metabolic changes in neurons of hippocampus and neocortex under the influence of "polydan"].

The aim of this work was to study the influence of different regimens of polydan administration on the structural and metabolic state of neurons of rat hippocampus and neocortex. The animals of experimental groups were administered 75 mg/kg of polydan intraperitoneally once or 5 times. Animals of control groups received similar injections of sodium chloride isotonic solution.

Influences of an acoustic signal with ultrasound components on the acquisition of a defensive conditioned reflex in Wistar rats.

The effects of short (90 sec) exposures to a complex acoustic signal with ultrasound components on the acquisition of a defensive conditioned two-way avoidance reflex using an electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus in a shuttle box were studied in female Wistar rats. This stimulus induced audiogenic convulsions of different severities in 59% of the animals. A scale for assessing the ability of rats to acquire the conditioned two-way avoidance reflex was developed.