Subtype-Selective Peptide and Protein Neurotoxic Inhibitors of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Enhance Proliferation of Patient-Derived Glioblastoma Cell Lines.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive type of brain cancer, with a poor prognosis. GBM cells, which develop in the environment of neural tissue, often exploit neurotransmitters and their receptors to promote their own growth and invasion. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), which play a crucial role in central nervous system signal transmission, are widely represented in the brain, and GBM cells express several subtypes of nAChRs that are suggested to transmit signals from neurons, promoting tumor invasion and growth.

Dependence of Biocatalysis on D/H Ratio: Possible Fundamental Differences for High-Level Biological Taxons.

The kinetics of biological reactions depends on the deuterium/protium (D/H) ratio in water. In this work, we describe the kinetic model of biocatalytic reactions in living organisms depending on the D/H ratio. We show that a change in the lifetime or other characteristics of the vital activity of some organisms in response to a decrease or increase in the content of deuterium in the environment can be a sign of a difference in taxons.

Comparison of two lipid/DNA complexes of equal composition and different morphology.

Two types of complexes were prepared from a cationic cholesterol derivative, dioleoylphos-phatidylcholine and DNA. Depending on the preparation procedure complexes were either dense snarls of lipid covered DNA (type A) or multilayer liposomes with DNA between layers (type B). The transfection efficiency of the snarl-shaped complexes was low but positive.