Participation of Free-Radical Processes in Structural and Metabolic Disturbances in the Lung Tissues Caused by Exposure to Coal-Rock Dust and their Adaptogenic Correction.

Adaptive correction of structural and metabolic disturbances in the lungs caused by longterm exposure to coal-rock dust were studied in experiments on rats. It was shown that the complex antioxidant preparation containing dihydroquercetin compensated disturbances in the redox balance in the lung tissue, prevented the formation of dust granulomas, and reduced the severity of degenerative changes in the bronchopulmonary system.

Complex approach for analysis of snake venom α-neurotoxins binding to HAP, the high-affinity peptide.

Snake venom α-neurotoxins, invaluable pharmacological tools, bind with high affinity to distinct subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The combinatorial high-affinity peptide (HAP), homologous to the C-loop of α1 and α7 nAChR subunits, binds biotinylated α-bungarotoxin (αBgt) with nanomolar affinity and might be a protection against snake-bites. Since there are no data on HAP interaction with other toxins, we checked its binding of α-cobratoxin (αCtx), similar to αBgt in action on nAChRs.

Dysfunction telomeres in embryonic fibroblasts and cultured pluripotent stem cells of (Rodentia, Muridae).

We studied the level of spontaneous telomere dysfunction in Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) (Rodentia, Muridae) embryonic fibroblasts (rEFs) and in cultured in vitro rat pluripotent stem cells (rPSCs), embryonic stem cells (rESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (riPSCs), on early passages and after prolonged cultivation. Among studied cell lines, rESCs showed the lowest level of telomere dysfunction, while the riPSCs demonstrated an elevated level on early passages of cultivation. In cultivation, the frequency of dysfunctional telomeres has increased in all studied cell lines; this is particularly true for dysfunctional telomeres occurring in G1 stage in riPSCs.

Replication timing of large Sorex granarius (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla) telomeres.

Previously, we described the unique feature of telomeric regions in Iberian shrew Sorex granarius: its telomeres have two ranges of size, very small (3.8 kb of telomeric repeats on average) and very large discontinuous telomeres (213 kb) interrupted with 18S rDNA. In this study, we have demonstrated extraordinary replication pattern of S.

Tyrosine fluorescence probing of conformational changes in tryptophan-lacking domain of albumins.

We addressed the possibility of using tyrosine (Tyr) fluorescence for monitoring conformational changes of proteins which are undetectable via tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence. The model objects, human (HSA) and bovine (BSA) serum albumins, contain one and two Trp residues, respectively, while Tyr is more uniformly distributed over their structure. The results of the investigation of albumins interaction with ethanol using intrinsic Trp and Tyr steady-state and time-resolved picosecond fluorescence indicated the presence of an intermediate at 10% (v/v) of ethanol in solution, that was supported by the results of extrinsic fluorescence measurements with the Nile Red dye.