Direct interaction between marine cyanobacteria mediated by nanotubes.

Microbial associations and interactions drive and regulate nutrient fluxes in the ocean. However, physical contact between cells of marine cyanobacteria has not been studied thus far. Here, we show a mechanism of direct interaction between the marine cyanobacteria and , the intercellular membrane nanotubes.

Phytoplankton transcriptomic and physiological responses to fixed nitrogen in the California current system.

Marine phytoplankton are responsible for approximately half of photosynthesis on Earth. However, their ability to drive ocean productivity depends on critical nutrients, especially bioavailable nitrogen (N) which is scarce over vast areas of the ocean. Phytoplankton differ in their preferences for N substrates as well as uptake efficiencies and minimal N requirements relative to other critical nutrients, including iron (Fe) and phosphorus.

Use of the high-affinity phosphate transporter gene, pstS, as an indicator for phosphorus stress in the marine diazotroph Crocosphaera watsonii (Chroococcales, Cyanobacteria).

The marine diazotroph Crocosphaera watsonii provides fixed carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) to open-ocean regimes, where nutrient deficiency controls productivity. The growth of Crocosphaera can be limited by low phosphorus (P) concentrations in these oligotrophic environments. Biomarkers such as the high-affinity ABC transporter phosphate-binding gene, pstS, are commonly used to monitor when such organisms are under P stress; however, transcriptional regulation of these markers is often complex and not well-understood.

The Transcriptional Cycle Is Suited to Daytime N Fixation in the Unicellular Cyanobacterium " Atelocyanobacterium thalassa" (UCYN-A).

Symbiosis between a marine alga and a N-fixing cyanobacterium ( UCYN-A) is geographically widespread in the oceans and is important in the marine N cycle. UCYN-A is uncultivated and is an unusual unicellular cyanobacterium because it lacks many metabolic functions, including oxygenic photosynthesis and carbon fixation, which are typical in cyanobacteria. It is now presumed to be an obligate symbiont of haptophytes closely related to N-fixing cyanobacteria use different strategies to avoid inhibition of N fixation by the oxygen evolved in photosynthesis.

Effects of nutrient enrichment on surface microbial community gene expression in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

Marine microbial communities are critical for biogeochemical cycles and the productivity of ocean ecosystems. Primary productivity in the surface ocean is constrained by nutrients which are supplied, in part, by mixing with deeper water. Little is known about the time scales, frequency, or impact of mixing on microbial communities.

Distinct ecological niches of marine symbiotic N -fixing cyanobacterium Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa sublineages.

A recently described symbiosis between the metabolically streamlined nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium UCYN-A and a single-celled eukaryote prymnesiophyte alga is widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical marine waters, and is thought to contribute significantly to nitrogen fixation in these regions. Several UCYN-A sublineages have been defined based on UCYN-A nitrogenase (nifH) sequences. Due to the low abundances of UCYN-A in the global oceans, currently existing molecular techniques are limited for detecting and quantifying these organisms.

Molecular markers define progressing stages of phosphorus limitation in the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium, Crocosphaera.

Crocosphaera watsonii is a marine cyanobacterium that frequently inhabits low phosphate environments in oligotrophic oceans. While C. watsonii has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, its growth may be limited by availability of phosphorus.

Genetic Diversity Affects the Daily Transcriptional Oscillations of Marine Microbial Populations.

Marine microbial communities are genetically diverse but have robust synchronized daily transcriptional patterns at the genus level that are similar across a wide variety of oceanic regions. We developed a microarray-inspired gene-centric approach to resolve transcription of closely-related but distinct strains/ecotypes in high-throughput sequence data. Applying this approach to the existing metatranscriptomics datasets collected from two different oceanic regions, we found unique and variable patterns of transcription by individual taxa within the abundant picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, the alpha Proteobacterium Pelagibacter and the eukaryotic picophytoplankton Ostreococcus.

Nootropic Effects of Filipendula Vulgaris Moench Water Extract Fractions.

Nootropic activity of water extract fractions from aerial parts of Filipendula vulgaris Moench was demonstrated on the models of hermetic volume hypoxia, conditioned passive avoidance response, open field test, and forced swimming with a load. The fractions stimulated hypoxic resistance, normalized orientation and exploratory behavior, improved conditioned response reproduction during testing after hypoxic injury, and increased exercise tolerance. Fractionation of the extract led to dissociation of the effect components, which suggests that individual constituents have specific characteristics.

Nootropic effect of meadowsweet (Filipendula vulgaris) extracts.

The effects of the extracts of the aboveground parts of Filipendula vulgaris Moench on the behavior and memory of mice after hypoxic injury and their physical performance in the open-field test were studied using the models of hypoxia in a sealed volume, conditioned passive avoidance response (CPAR), and forced swimming with a load. The extracts improved animal resistance to hypoxia, normalized orientation and exploration activities, promoted CPAR retention after hypoxic injury, and increased physical performance. Aqueous extract of meadowsweet had the most pronounced effect that corresponded to the effect of the reference drug piracetam.

[EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC ANTIOXIADNT THIOPHAN AND SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS ROOT EXTRACT ON DRUG-INDUCED MUTAGENESIS].

Gene protective properties of synthetic antioxidant thiophane and the extract of in vitro cultivated roots of Scutellaria baicalensis were studied on the model of Dr. melanogaster larvae genetic structure damage by drugs cisplatin and cyclophosphan (cyclophosphamide). It is established that adding thiophane or Scutellaria baicalensis root extract to a nutrient medium leads to a decrease in amount of Dr.

A microarray for assessing transcription from pelagic marine microbial taxa.

Metagenomic approaches have revealed unprecedented genetic diversity within microbial communities across vast expanses of the world's oceans. Linking this genetic diversity with key metabolic and cellular activities of microbial assemblages is a fundamental challenge. Here we report on a collaborative effort to design MicroTOOLs (Microbiological Targets for Ocean Observing Laboratories), a high-density oligonucleotide microarray that targets functional genes of diverse taxa in pelagic and coastal marine microbial communities.

Antidepressant, psychostimulant, and nootropic effects of major and trace element composition.

The antidepressant, psychostimulant, and nootropic effects of a composition of major and trace elements including KCl, RbNO3, magnesium sulfate, and zinc sulfate were studied on the models of behavioural despair (Porsolt test) and conditioned passive avoidance test. The preparation was found to shorten the immobilization time in the Porsolt test and promote retention of the conditioned passive avoidance. The most pronounced psychostimulant effect of the substance was observed at a dose of 4.

Whole genome comparison of six Crocosphaera watsonii strains with differing phenotypes.

Crocosphaera watsonii, a unicellular nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium found in oligotrophic oceans, is important in marine carbon and nitrogen cycles. Isolates of C. watsonii can be separated into at least two phenotypes with environmentally important differences, indicating possibly distinct ecological roles and niches.

[State of the structure and functions of the arterial wall in patients with chronic heart failure against the background of permanent atrial fibrillation and assessment of vasoprotective effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids].

Purpose: to evaluate the state of the structure and function of the arterial wall in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) of ischemic etiology in combination with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) AF and the dynamics of their changes during therapy with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA).

Material And Methods: in the first phase in order to identify characteristics of a CCF and the restructuring of the arterial wall 120 patients with coronary artery disease and chronic heart failure II-III functional class (FC) were included in the study, then were divided into two equal groups according to the presence of persistent AF. In the second phase patients with CHF and persistent AF were randomized into 2 groups of 30 people to determine the vasoprotective effect of omega-3 fatty acids compared with the standard treatment of CHF.

Psychostimulant and nootropic effect of major and trace element composition.

We studied the effect of a composition of major and trace elements including calcium chloride, sodium chloride, iron (II) sulfate, zinc sulfate, chromium (III) chloride, and potassium bromide on orientation and exploratory behavior and conditioned response of animals in the open field test and conditioned drinking response in a multiple T-maze with three junctions. The test compound exhibited psychostimulant and nootropic activities.

[Effect of Scutellaria baicalensis root extract on cytogenetic damage induced by paclitaxel and cisplatin in mice].

The effect of root extract of Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) cultivated in vitro, on the gene structure of CBA/CaLac mice bone marrow cells damaged by anticancer drugs paclitaxel and cisplatin has been studied. It is established that the root extract exhibits gene protective property upon both single and chronic administration.

[The role of the functional sites of the Merlin tumor suppressor in Drosophila spermatogenesis].

The Merlin gene of Drosophila is homologous to the human Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) gene an important regulator of proliferation and endocytosis of cell receptors. It was earlier shown that the Thr5 residue of the Drosophila Merlin protein was homologous to Ser518 of the human protein (which was already known to undergo phosphorylation); hence, it was assumed that Thr559 of Drosophila also was a substrate of phosphorylation. The mutant Merlin proteins MerT559D (an analog of the phosphorylated form) and MerT559A (a nonphosphorylated form) were constructed and tested, under the conditions of ectopic expression for the ability to correct the spermatogenesis defects induced by the Mer4 mutation.

Nootropic activity of extracts from wild and cultivated Alfredia cernua.

Antihypoxic and nootropic activities of extracts from aerial parts of wild and cultivated Alfredia cernua (L.) Cass. were studied on the models of pressure chamber hypoxia, open field test, and passive avoidance conditioning.

[Effect of Alfredia cernua extracts on the behavior, memory, and physical work capacity of experimental animals].

It is established, that Alfredia cernua extracts possess nootropic properties. The extracts favor improvement of the indices of orientation and exploration behavior, retention of the passive avoidance reflex upon hypoxic shock, and increase in physical work capacity in mice. The most pronounced effect was observed upon the administration of a 95% ethanol extract of Alfredia cernua.

Hepatoprotective properties of fractions from meadowsweet extract during experimental toxic hepatitis.

Fractions of the extract from meadowsweet aerial parts in 70% ethanol exhibited hepatoprotective properties during CCl4-induced toxic hepatitis. This extract produced a normalizing effect on activity of enzymes, markers of cytolysis, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant defense system in liver cells. Fractionation of the extract was accompanied by dissociation of the effect.

[Effect of Filipendula ulmaria extract on immune system of CBA/CaLac and C57Bl/6 mice].

Extract of Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim administered intragastrically in doses 10, 50, 150 and 500 mg/kg stimulated both inductive and productive phases of the humoral immunity response in CBA/CaLac and C57BL/6 mice. The extract also exhibited pronounced antiinflammatory effect, which was manifested by a decrease in the synthesis of interleukin-2 by splenocytes and by suppression of proinflammatory cytokines production in delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction.

Hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of meadowsweet extract during experimental toxic hepatitis.

The extract of meadowsweet aerial parts exhibits hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity during experimental toxic CCl(4) hepatitis. This extract improved liver function. Meadowsweet extract in 70% ethanol (100 mg/kg) was most potent and exhibited low toxicity.