Genomic Analysis of European Drosophila melanogaster Populations Reveals Longitudinal Structure, Continent-Wide Selection, and Previously Unknown DNA Viruses.

Genetic variation is the fuel of evolution, with standing genetic variation especially important for short-term evolution and local adaptation. To date, studies of spatiotemporal patterns of genetic variation in natural populations have been challenging, as comprehensive sampling is logistically difficult, and sequencing of entire populations costly. Here, we address these issues using a collaborative approach, sequencing 48 pooled population samples from 32 locations, and perform the first continent-wide genomic analysis of genetic variation in European Drosophila melanogaster.

Disordered Expression of , the Gene Encoding a Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase GSK3, Affects the Lifespan in a Transcript-, Stage-, and Tissue-Specific Manner.

GSK3 (glycogen synthase kinase 3) is a conserved protein kinase governing numerous regulatory pathways. In , GSK3 is encoded by (), which forms 17 annotated transcripts corresponding to 10 protein isoforms. Our goal was to demonstrate how differential transcription affects lifespan, which GSK3 isoforms are important for the nervous system, and which changes in the nervous system accompany accelerated aging.

[Early diagnosis of risk for developing calcium oxalate urolithiasis].

Aim: To identify risk groups for calcium oxalate urolithiasis among healthy individuals and patients with urolithiasis in the Russian population using molecular genetics.

Materials And Methods: The study comprised 72 patients with calcium oxalate urolithiasis (study group) and 189 healthy adults from the general Russian population (control group). The study group consisted of 39 (54.

[Genetic risk factors for recurrence-free urolithiasis in the russian population].

Purpose: Search for and identification of possible associations of recurrence-free urolithiasis with polymorphisms of urolithiasis candidate genes in the Russian population.

Materials And Methods: The study involved 43 patients with recurrence-free urolithiasis, 13 (30.2%) women and 30 (69.

Anxiolytic activity of the neuroprotective peptide HLDF-6 and its effects on brain neurotransmitter systems in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice.

This study is focused on a new amide derivative of the peptide HLDF-6 (Thr-Gly-Glu-Asn-His-Arg). This hexapeptide is a fragment of Human Leukaemia Differentiation Factor (HLDF). It displays a broad range of nootropic and neuroprotective activities.

The Mitochondria-Targeted Plastoquinone-Derivative SkQ1 Promotes Health and Increases Drosophila melanogaster Longevity in Various Environments.

Mitochondria play an important role in aging. Strongly reduced function of the mitochondria shortens life span, whereas moderate reduction prolongs life span, with reactive oxygen species production being the major factor contributing to life span changes. Previously, picomolar concentrations of the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 were shown to increase the life span of Drosophila by approximately 10%.

Comparative study of the neuroprotective and nootropic activities of the carboxylate and amide forms of the HLDF-6 peptide in animal models of Alzheimer's disease.

A comparative study of the neuroprotective and nootropic activities of two pharmaceutical substances, the HLDF-6 peptide (HLDF-6-OH) and its amide form (HLDF-6-NH2), was conducted. The study was performed in male rats using two models of a neurodegenerative disorder. Cognitive deficit in rats was induced by injection of the beta-amyloid fragment 25-35 (βA 25-35) into the giant-cell nucleus basalis of Meynert or by coinjection of βA 25-35 and ibotenic acid into the hippocampus.

Reproducible effects of the mitochondria-targeted plastoquinone derivative SkQ1 on Drosophila melanogaster lifespan under different experimental scenarios.

Previously, extremely low, nanomolar concentrations of the mitochondria-targeted plastoquinone derivative SkQ1 (10-(6'-plastoquinonyl) decyltriphenylphosphonium) were shown to prolong the lifespan of male and female Drosophila melanogaster by about 10 % (Anisimov et al., Biochemistry (Moscow) 73:1329-1342, 2008). Using long-term monitoring of SkQ1 effects on the Drosophila lifespan, we analyzed different integral parameters of Drosophila survival and mortality under SkQ1 treatment.

A naturally occurring polymorphism at Drosophila melanogaster Lim3 Locus, a homolog of human LHX3/4, affects Lim3 transcription and fly lifespan.

Lim3 encodes an RNA polymerase II transcription factor with a key role in neuron specification. It was also identified as a candidate gene that affects lifespan. These pleiotropic effects indicate the fundamental significance of the potential interplay between neural development and lifespan control.

Dissection of a natural RNA silencing process in the Drosophila melanogaster germ line.

To date, few natural cases of RNA-silencing-mediated regulation have been described. Here, we analyzed repression of testis-expressed Stellate genes by the homologous Suppressors of Stellate [Su(Ste)] repeats that produce sense and antisense short RNAs. The Stellate promoter is dispensable for suppression, but local disturbance of complementarity between the Stellate transcript and the Su(Ste) repeats impairs silencing.

Mitochondrial DNA variations in Russian and Belorussian populations.

The sequence of the first hypervariable segment (HVS-I) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was determined in 251 individuals from three eastern Slavonic populations, two Russian and one Belorussian. Within HVS-I, 78 polymorphic positions were revealed. Within-population diversity of HVS-I varies slightly among three samples; its estimates do not differ strongly from those for European populations.

Enzyme self-inactivation is a main limitation of the preparation of eicosanoids. Enzymatic synthesis of thromboxane and 12(S)-hydroxytetraenoic acid.

Synthesis of prostanoids is accompanied by various processes reducing the product yield. These processes are also known to affect syntheses of thromboxane (TX) and 12(S)-hydroxy-5(Z),8(Z),10(E),14(Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE). Partially purified preparations of TX synthase and prostaglandin (PG) synthase were used to optimize TX synthesis with respect to concentrations of the enzymes and eicosapolyenoic acid (EPA).

The relationship between the rate of transposition and transposable element copy number for copia and Doc retrotransposons of Drosophila melanogaster.

We present data on the relationship between the rate of transposition and copy number in the genome for the copia and Doc retrotransposons of Drosophila melanogaster. copia and Doc transposition rates were directly measured in sublines of the isogenic 2b line using individual males or females, respectively, with a range of copia copy numbers from 49 to 103 and Doc copy numbers from 112 to 235 per genome. Transposition rates varied from 3 x 10(-4) to 2 x 10(-2) for copia and from 2 x 10(-4) to 2 x 10(-3) for Doc.

Age dependence of the copia transposition rate is positively associated with copia transcript abundance in a Drosophila melanogaster isogenic line.

In males of an inbred Drosophila melanogaster line (2b), a significant age dependence of the transposition rate of the retrotransposon copia was noted. Among males of seven different age groups, the lowest transposition rate was detected in 12- to 15-day-old males, and the highest transposition rates were observed in 1- to 3- and in 24- to 27-day-old males: rates of 0.36 +/- 0.