Gene conversion in the mitochondrial genome on interspecific hybridization in voles of the Clethrionomys genus.

The phenomenon of interspecific hybridization accompanied by transfer of the mitochondrial genome from the northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus) to the bank vole (Cl. glareolus) in northeastern Europe is well known already for 25 years. However, the possibility of recombination between homologous segments of maternal and paternal mtDNAs of the voles during fertilization was not previously studied.

On the Y-chromosome haplogroup C3c classification.

As there are ambiguities in classification of the Y-chromosome haplogroup C3c, relatively frequent in populations of Northern Asia, we analyzed all three haplogroup-defining markers M48, M77 and M86 in C3-M217-individuals from Siberia, Eastern Asia and Eastern Europe. We have found that haplogroup C3c is characterized by the derived state at M48, whereas mutations at both M77 and M86 define subhaplogroup C3c1. The branch defined by M48 alone would belong to subhaplogroup C3c*, characteristic for some populations of Central and Eastern Siberia, such as Koryaks, Evens, Evenks and Yukaghirs.

Complete mitochondrial DNA analysis of eastern Eurasian haplogroups rarely found in populations of northern Asia and eastern Europe.

With the aim of uncovering all of the most basal variation in the northern Asian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups, we have analyzed mtDNA control region and coding region sequence variation in 98 Altaian Kazakhs from southern Siberia and 149 Barghuts from Inner Mongolia, China. Both populations exhibit the prevalence of eastern Eurasian lineages accounting for 91.9% in Barghuts and 60.

Structure of capsule around acanthocephalan Corynosoma strumosum from uncommon paratenic hosts-lizards of two species.

Micromorphology and ultrastructure of capsule forming around acanthocephalan Corynosoma strumosum in uncommon paratenic hosts-lizards Lacerta agilis and Lacerta viridis-have been studied. Experimental infestation of the lizards by acanthocephalans obtained from naturally infested sea fishes showed that only small amount of parasites occurred in the intestine of the host was able to migrate into body cavity and to be encapsulated. Micromorphology of capsules of different ages from different species of lizards and micromorphology and ultrastructure of capsules at the age of 1.

Ancient links between Siberians and Native Americans revealed by subtyping the Y chromosome haplogroup Q1a.

To investigate the structure of Y chromosome haplogroups R-M207 and Q-M242 in human populations of North Asia, we have performed high-resolution genotyping using both single nucleotide polymorphisms and short tandem repeat (STR)-based approaches of 121 M207- and M242-derived samples from 885 males of 16 ethnic groups of Siberia and East Asia. As a result, the following Y chromosome haplogroups were revealed: R1b1b1-M73 (2.0%), R1b1b2-M269 (0.

Adaptive evolution signals in mitochondrial genes of Europeans.

Since modern Europeans appear to be descendants of the Late Pleistocene European peoples who survived the last glacial period, it is quite reasonable to expect the presence of adaptive genetic variants that originated in the Ice Age in the modern gene pool of Europeans. To find such adaptive variants, mitochondrial genomes have been analyzed of the modern population from Eastern and Central Europe belonging to haplogroups U4, U5, and V, that diversified during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods. Analysis of distribution of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitutions, as well as results of search for radical amino acid changes that arose under the influence of adaptation (positive destabilizing selection) allowed us to detect signals of molecular adaptation in different mitochondrial genes and haplogroups of mtDNA.

Origin and post-glacial dispersal of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups C and D in northern Asia.

More than a half of the northern Asian pool of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is fragmented into a number of subclades of haplogroups C and D, two of the most frequent haplogroups throughout northern, eastern, central Asia and America. While there has been considerable recent progress in studying mitochondrial variation in eastern Asia and America at the complete genome resolution, little comparable data is available for regions such as southern Siberia--the area where most of northern Asian haplogroups, including C and D, likely diversified. This gap in our knowledge causes a serious barrier for progress in understanding the demographic pre-history of northern Eurasia in general.

Structure of capsule surrounding acanthocephalans Corynosoma strumosum in paratenic hosts of three species.

Morphology of capsules surrounding acanthocephalan Corynosoma strumosum in paratenic hosts (sea fishes of three species from the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk) was studied. A thick layer of glycocalyx is formed on the surface of acanthocephalan's tegument in smelts Osmerus mordax dentex and Hypomesus olidus; the surrounding capsule is formed by fibroblasts and collagen fibers and do not include inflammatory cells. Besides fibroblasts, capsule of the sole Limanda aspera consists also of macrophages, granulocytes, "dark" cells, and once of erythrocytes that indicate obvious inflammatory response of the host's organism to invasion; glycocalyx on the surface of acanthocephalans from the sole is weakly developed.

Phylogeography of the Y-chromosome haplogroup C in northern Eurasia.

To reconstruct the phylogenetic structure of Y-chromosome haplogroup (hg) C in populations of northern Eurasia, we have analyzed the diversity of microsatellite (STR) loci in a total sample of 413 males from 18 ethnic groups of Siberia, Eastern Asia and Eastern Europe. Analysis of SNP markers revealed that all Y-chromosomes studied belong to hg C3 and its subhaplogroups C3c and C3d, although some populations (such as Mongols and Koryaks) demonstrate a relatively high input (more than 30%) of yet unidentified C3* haplotypes. Median joining network analysis of STR haplotypes demonstrates that Y-chromosome gene pools of populations studied are characterized by the presence of DNA clusters originating from a limited number of frequent founder haplotypes.

Mitogenomic diversity in Tatars from the Volga-Ural region of Russia.

To investigate diversity of mitochondrial gene pool of Tatars inhabiting the territory of the middle Volga River basin, 197 individuals from two populations representing Kazan Tatars and Mishars were subjected for analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region variation. In addition, 73 mitochondrial genomes of individuals from Mishar population were sequenced completely. It was found that mitochondrial gene pool of the Volga Tatars consists of two parts, but western Eurasian component prevails considerably (84% on average) over eastern Asian one (16%).

The peopling of Europe from the mitochondrial haplogroup U5 perspective.

It is generally accepted that the most ancient European mitochondrial haplogroup, U5, has evolved essentially in Europe. To resolve the phylogeny of this haplogroup, we completely sequenced 113 mitochondrial genomes (79 U5a and 34 U5b) of central and eastern Europeans (Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Russians and Belorussians), and reconstructed a detailed phylogenetic tree, that incorporates previously published data. Molecular dating suggests that the coalescence time estimate for the U5 is approximately 25-30 thousand years (ky), and approximately 16-20 and approximately 20-24 ky for its subhaplogroups U5a and U5b, respectively.

Phylogeography and molecular adaptation of Siberian salamander Salamandrella keyserlingii based on mitochondrial DNA variation.

We assessed the phylogeographic pattern of Siberian salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii, Dybowski, 1870), which appear to be the most northern ectothermic, terrestrial vertebrate in Northern Eurasia, by sequence analysis of a 611-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in 159 specimens from different localities (Khabarovsk region, Sakhalin, Yakutia, Magadan region, Chukotka, Kamchatka and others). The data revealed that cytochrome b lineages of S. keyserlingii are divided into haplogroups A, B and C.

Cytoplasmic DNA variation and biogeography of Larix Mill. in northeast Asia.

Range-wide variation in 54 populations of Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii) and related taxa in Northeast Asia was assessed with four mitochondrial PCR-RFLP and five chloroplast SSR markers. Eleven mitotypes and 115 chlorotypes were detected. The highest diversity was observed in the southern Russian Far East where hybrids of L.

A review of the Holarctic genus Tmeticus Menge, 1868 (Araneae, Linyphiidae), with a description of a new genus.

Eight species attributed to Tmeticus are reviewed; five are redescribed and illustrated: Tmeticus affinis (Blackwall, 1885), Tmeticus bipunctis (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906), Tmeticus nigriceps Kulczyński, 1916, Tmeticus ornatus (Emerton, 1914) and Tmeticus tolli Kulczyński, 1908. The new genus, Paratmeticus gen. n.

Description and morphological variability of Neoechinorhynchus beringianus n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae) from north-eastern Asia.

Neoechinorhynchus beringianus sp. n. is described from Pungitius pungitius L.

Mitochondrial DNA phylogeny in Eastern and Western Slavs.

To resolve the phylogeny of certain mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups in eastern Europe and estimate their evolutionary age, a total of 73 samples representing mitochondrial haplogroups U4, HV*, and R1 were selected for complete mitochondrial genome sequencing from a collection of about 2,000 control region sequences sampled in eastern (Russians, Belorussians, and Ukrainians) and western (Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks) Slavs. On the basis of whole-genome resolution, we fully characterized a number of haplogroups (HV3, HV4, U4a1, U4a2, U4a3, U4b, U4c, U4d, and R1a) that were previously described only partially. Our findings demonstrate that haplogroups HV3, HV4, and U4a1 could be traced back to the pre-Neolithic times ( approximately 12,000-19,000 years before present [YBP]) in eastern Europe.

Reconstructing the phylogeny of African mitochondrial DNA lineages in Slavs.

To elucidate the origin of African-specific mtDNA lineages, revealed previously in Slavonic populations (at frequency of about 0.4%), we completely sequenced eight African genomes belonging to haplogroups L1b, L2a, L3b, L3d and M1 gathered from Russians, Czechs, Slovaks and Poles. Results of phylogeographic analysis suggest that at least part of the African mtDNA lineages found in Slavs (such as L1b, L3b1, L3d) appears to be of West African origin, testifying to an opportunity of their occurrence as a result of migrations to Eastern Europe through Iberia.