Vic9 mycobacteriophage: the first subcluster B2 phage isolated in Russia.

Mycobacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect bacteria of the Mycobacterium genus. A substantial collection of mycobacteriophages has been isolated and characterized, offering valuable insights into their diversity and evolution. This collection also holds significant potential for therapeutic applications, particularly as an alternative to antibiotics in combating drug-resistant bacterial strains.

Toward Virulence Inhibition: Beyond Cell Wall.

(Mtb) is one of the most successful bacterial pathogens in human history. Even in the antibiotic era, Mtb is widespread and causes millions of new cases of tuberculosis each year. The ability to disrupt the host's innate and adaptive immunity, as well as natural persistence, complicates disease control.

Ascorbate Biosynthesis and Recycling Genes Are Involved in the Responses of Garlic Allium sativum L. Plants to Fusarium proliferatum Infection.

The expression profile of the key genes of biosynthesis (VTC2, GPP, GalDH, and GalLDH) and recycling (MDHAR1, MDHAR4, and MDHAR5) of ascorbate in response to infection with the fungal pathogen Fusarium proliferatum in garlic cultivars resistant (Podnebesny) and sensitive (Dubkovsky) to Fusarium rot was determined. It was found that differences in resistance to Fusarium lead to discrepancies in the dynamics and expression of individual genes of the ascorbate pathway, as well as in the ascorbate content. It was shown that, in response to infection, the expression level of the MDHAR4 gene increases in the resistant cultivar and decreases in the Fusarium-sensitive accession.

SUMOylation of TRIM28 is positively modulated by the BTB/POZ domain of Kaiso.

Background: TRIM28 plays a crucial role in maintaining genomic stability and establishing imprinting, facilitated by the diversity of KRAB zinc finger proteins. The SUMOylation of TRIM28 is essential for its function and is enhanced in the presence of the KRAB domain. Previously, we demonstrated that Kaiso, another factor capable of interacting with TRIM28, can promote its SUMOylation.

Physico-chemical properties and substrate specificity of α-(1→3)-d-glucan degrading recombinant mutanase from expressed in .

Unlabelled: The gene encoding fungus mutanase (MutA, GH71 family, α-1,3-glucanase, EC 3.2.1.

UV-irradiated BSA: The details of aggregation kinetics and structural rearrangements.

UV-irradiation is a stress factor for proteins, leading to disruption of their native structure. Test systems based on UV-irradiated proteins are relevant for researchers, as they allow working directly with damaged protein molecules, which can be important when studying the properties and mechanisms of action of various antiaggregation agents. The study of UV-irradiated proteins can also have applied significance, including medical.

Comparative Genomic Analysis Reveals Key Changes in the Genome of That Occurred During Classical Strain Improvement for Production of Antibiotic Cephalosporin C.

From the 1950s to the present, the main tool for obtaining fungal industrial producers of secondary metabolites remains the so-called classical strain improvement (CSI) methods associated with multi-round random mutagenesis and screening for the level of target products. As a result of the application of such techniques, the yield of target secondary metabolites in high-yielding (HY) strains was increased hundreds of times compared to the wild-type (WT) parental strains. However, the events that occur at the molecular level during CSI programs are still unknown.

Domain Mobility in the ORF2p Complex Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Big Data Analysis.

ORF2p (open reading frame 2 protein) is a multifunctional multidomain enzyme that demonstrates both reverse transcriptase and endonuclease activities and is associated with the pathophysiology of cancer. The 3D structure of the entire seven-domain ORF2p complex was revealed with the recent achievements in structural studies. The different arrangements of the CTD (carboxy-terminal domain) and tower domains were identified as the "closed-ring" and "open-ring" conformations, which differed by the hairpin position of the tower domain, but the structural diversity of these complexes has the potential to be more extensive.

Transcription Factors ClrB and XlnR and Their Effect on the Transcription of Cellulase Genes in the Filamentous Fungus .

The filamentous fungus (anamorph ) has been shown to be an efficient producer of secreted cellulases, used in biorefinery processes. Understanding the mechanisms of regulation of cellulase gene expression in the fungus is a current task in industrial biotechnology, since it allows for targeted changes in the composition of the complex secreted by the fungus. Expression of cellulase genes in fungi is regulated mainly at the level of transcription via pathway-specific transcription factors (TF), the majority of which belong to the Zn(II)2Cys6 family of zinc binuclear cluster proteins.

Novel Selectable Marker Sesquiterpenoid Antibiotic Pentalenolactone.

Antibiotic resistance has been and remains a major problem in our society. The main solution to this problem is to search and study the mechanisms of antibiotic action. Many groups of secondary metabolites, including antimicrobial ones, are produced by the phylum.

The Role of Sphingolipid Metabolism in Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer After Chemotherapy.

Background: The aim of our study was to determine the role of sphingolipids, which control proliferation and apoptosis, in the placenta of pregnant women with pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) after chemotherapy compared with healthy patients.

Methods: We analyzed (by the PCR method) the gene expression of key sphingolipid metabolism enzymes (sphingomyelinases (SMPD1 and SMPD3), acid ceramidase (ASAH1), ceramide synthases (CERS 1-6), sphingosine kinase1 (SPHK1), sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase 1 (SGPL1), and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors (S1PR1, S1PR2, and S1PR3)) and the content of subspecies of ceramides, sphingosine, and sphingosine-1-phosphate in seven patients with PABC after chemotherapy and eight healthy pregnant women as a control group.

Results: We found a significant increase in the expression of genes of acid ceramidase (ASAH1), sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase 1 (SGPL1), sphingosine kinase (SPHK1), and ceramide synthases (CERS 1-3, 5, 6) in the samples of patients with PABC during their treatment with cytostatic chemotherapy.

Microbial diversity of hot springs of the Kuril Islands.

The Kuril Islands are located in the Far-East of Russia and enriched with shallow and terrestrial hot springs. Prokaryotic diversity of Kuril geothermal environments has been studied fragmentarily and mainly by culture-dependent methods. We performed the first large-scale investigation of microbial communities, inhabited more than 30 terrestrial hot springs of Kunashir and Iturup Islands, analyzed by 16S rRNA gene fragment amplicon sequencing, together with chemical analysis of thermal waters and sediments.

Inability of Ogataea parapolymorpha pho91-Δ mutant to produce active methanol oxidase can be compensated by inactivation of the PHO87 gene.

Cells of the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea parapolymorpha have two genes encoding low-affinity phosphate transporters: PHO87, encoding the plasma membrane transporter, and PHO91, encoding a protein, which is homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuolar membrane transporter. Earlier, we reported that inactivation of PHO91 in O. parapolymorpha interferes with methanol utilization due to the lack of activity of methanol oxidase encoded by the MOX gene.

The Protein Engineering of Zearalenone Hydrolase Results in a Shift in the pH Optimum of the Relative Activity of the Enzyme.

An acidic shift in the pH profile of zearalenone hydrolase (ZHD), the most effective and well-studied zearalenone-specific lactone hydrolase, is required to extend the range of applications for the enzyme as a decontamination agent in the feed and food production industries. Amino acid substitutions were engineered in the active center of the enzyme to decrease the pKa values of the catalytic residues E126 and H242. The T216K substitution provided a shift in the pH optimum by one unit to the acidic region, accompanied by a notable expansion in the pH profile under acidic conditions.

Conformational dynamics of the enzyme-substrate complex of protein kinase A with pseudosubstrate SP20 and adenosine triphosphate.

The phosphorylation reaction, catalyzed by the enzyme protein kinase A (PKA), plays one of the key roles in the work of the glutamatergic system, primarily involved in memory functioning. The analysis of the dynamic behavior of the enzyme-substrate complex allows one to learn the mechanism of the enzymatic reaction. According to the results of classical molecular dynamics calculations followed by hierarchical clustering, the most preferred proton acceptor during the phosphorylation reaction catalyzed by PKA is the carboxyl group of the amino acid residue Asp166; however, the γ-phosphate group of ATP can also act as an acceptor.

Dissecting the Kaiso binding profile in clear renal cancer cells.

Background: There has been a notable increase in interest in the transcriptional regulator Kaiso, which has been linked to the regulation of clonal hematopoiesis, myelodysplastic syndrome, and tumorigenesis. Nevertheless, there are no consistent data on the binding sites of Kaiso in vivo in the genome. Previous ChIP-seq analyses for Kaiso contradicted the accumulated data of Kaiso binding sites obtained in vitro.

Matrikines of Sea Cucumbers: Structure, Biological Activity and Mechanisms of Action.

Matrikines (MKs), the products of enzymatic fragmentation of various extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, regulate cellular activity by interacting with specific receptors. MKs affect cell growth, proliferation, and migration, can induce apoptosis and autophagy, and are also effectively used in biomedicine and functional nutrition. Recently, there has been great interest in the structural features and biological activity of MKs from various sources.

Oestrogen Detoxification Ability of White Rot Fungus LE-BIN 072: Exoproteome and Transformation Product Profiling.

White rot fungi, especially representatives of the genus spp. (Polyporaceae), are effective destructors of various xenobiotics, including oestrogens (phenol-like steroids), which are now widespread in the environment and pose a serious threat to the health of humans, animals and aquatic organisms. In this work, the ability of the white rot fungus LE-BIN 072 to transform oestrone (E1) and 17β-oestradiol (E2), the main endocrine disruptors, was shown.

Structural insight into recognition of Clostridioides difficile toxin A by novel neutralizing nanobodies targeting QTIN-like motifs within its receptor-binding domain.

Clostridioides difficile causes a large proportion of nosocomial colon infections by producing toxins TcdA and TcdB as key virulence factors. TcdA and TcdB have analogous domain structures with a receptor-binding domain containing C-terminal combined repetitive oligopeptides (CROPs), an attractive target for the development of therapeutic antibodies. Here, we identify and characterize two potent neutralizing single-domain camelid anti-CROPsA antibodies, C4.

Human DNA from the oldest Eneolithic cemetery in Nalchik points the spread of farming from the Caucasus to the Eastern European steppes.

The Darkveti-Meshoko culture (c.5000-3500/3300 BCE) is the earliest known farming community in the Northern Caucasus, but its contribution to the genetic profile of the neighboring steppe herders has remained unclear. We present analysis of human DNA from the Nalchik cemetery-the oldest Eneolithic site in the Northern Caucasus-which shows a link with the LowerVolga's first herders of the Khvalynsk culture.

A systematic overview of strategies for photosensitizer and light delivery in antibacterial photodynamic therapy for lung infections.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) emerges as a viable treatment strategy for infections resistant to conventional antibiotics. A complex interplay of factors, including intracellular photosensitizer (PS) accumulation, photochemical reaction type, and oxygen levels, determines the efficacy of aPDT. Recent progress includes the development of modified PSs with enhanced lipophilicity and target-specific strategies to improve bacterial cell wall penetration and targeting.

Non-Foliar Photosynthesis in Pea ( L.) Plants: Beyond the Leaves to Inside the Seeds.

In addition to leaves, photosynthesis can occur in other green plant organs, including developing seeds of many crops. While the majority of studies examining photosynthesis are concentrated on the leaf level, the role of other green tissues in the production of total photoassimilates has been largely overlooked. The present work studies the photosynthetic behavior of leaves and non-foliar (pericarps, coats, and cotyledons) organs of pea ( L.

Cloning of Three Aflatoxin B1 Oxidases of the Dipeptidyl Peptidase III Family and Evaluation of Their Potential for Practical Applications as Decontamination Enzymes.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) produced by some species belongs to the most dangerous contaminants of animal feeds. Development of safe and cost efficient decontamination methods saving feed quality and nutritional value are of paramount importance. The use of recombinant AFB1-detoxifying microbial enzymes represents a promising biotechnological approach meeting the aforementioned requirements.