


Vol 469, No 1 (2016)
- Year: 2016
- Articles: 16
- URL: https://journal-vniispk.ru/0012-4966/issue/view/9231
Physiology
Metabotropic glutamate receptors as targets of neuromodulatory influence of nitric oxide
Abstract
A possible effect of nitric oxide (NO) on metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) function in the amino acid afferent synapse was investigated in the isolated labyrinth of the frog Rana temporaria. The modification of the amplitude of responses of metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist trans-ACPD was analyzed during bath applied NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine SNAP (0.1–100 μM) or nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME. It was shown that NO donor SNAP (1 μM) inhibited mGluR induced responses, and the inhibitor of NO-synthase L-NAME (100 μM) increased the amplitude of trans-ACPD evoked answers. The results suggest that NO can depress mGluR function due to modulation of functions of the endoplasmic reticulum channels.



The role of cytoplasmic calcium in the regulation of the resting potential in the pulmonary veins myocardium in rats and mice
Abstract
We have demonstrated the phenomenon of Са2+-induced hyperpolarization in the myocardium of pulmonary veins (PVs) in rats. An increase in cytoplasmic calcium [Са2+]i was shown to shift the resting potential (RP) in the PVs towards more negative values. The compounds inducing an increase in [Са2+]i, such as isoproterenol (10 μM), caffeine (5 mM), and ryanodine (0.01 μM), caused hyperpolarization of 10 ± 2, 9 ± 1.3, and 4.1 ± 2 mV, respectively. The inhibition of calcium-dependent potassium currents (IKCa) did not change RP of PVs under the control conditions and did not affect the Са2+-induced hyperpolarization.



The mechanism of glucagon-like peptide-1 participation in the osmotic homeostasis
Abstract
We have found the physiological mechanism of intensification of the excessive fluid removal from the body under the action of glucagon-like peptide-1 and its analog exenatide. Under the water load in rats, exenatide significantly increased the clearance of lithium, reduced fluid reabsorption in the proximal tubule of the nephron and intensified reabsorption of sodium ions in the distal parts, which contributed to the formation of sodium-free water and faster recovery of osmotic homeostasis. Blocking this pathway with a selective antagonist of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors slowed down the elimination of excessive water from the body.



The ability to solve elementary logic tasks in mice with the knockout of sodium–calcium exchanger gene 2 (NCX2)
Abstract
Mice with a knockout of the sodium–calcium exchanger 2 (NCX2) gene were statistically significantly more successful than wild-type controls in the solution of two cognitive tasks, the test for the capacity to extrapolate the direction of the stimulus movement and the “puzzle-box” test for the capacity to find a hidden route to safe environment, which were based on food and aversive motivations, respectively. In both tests, the success of task solution was based on the animal’s ability to use the object’s “permanence” rule (according to J. Piaget). The data confirm that the knockout of this gene, which is accompanied by modulation of the temporal pattern of calcium membrane flux, also induces changes in mouse CNS plasticity.



Myelinated fibers of the mouse spinal cord after a 30-day space flight
Abstract
Myelinated fibers and myelin-forming cells in the spinal cord at the L3–L5 level were studied in C57BL/6N mice that had spent 30 days in space. Signs of destruction of myelin in different areas of white matter, reduction of the thickness of myelin sheath and axon diameter, decreased number of myelin-forming cells were detected in “flight” mice. The stay of mice in space during 30 days had a negative impact on the structure of myelinated fibers and caused reduced expression of the markers myelin-forming cells. These findings can complement the pathogenetic picture of the development of hypogravity motor syndrome.



General Biology
The role of neighborhood relations in maintenance of the spatial–ethological structure of local settlements as exemplified by the water vole (Arvicola amphibius)
Abstract
Adult males of the water vole have been found experimentally to recognize their neighbors and react to them differently depending on the degree of spatial proximity in nature. Most tensions (estimated by the number of aggressive acts in the encounters) were observed between distant neighbors (from neighboring settlements), which did not belong to the same groups with established hierarchy and a relatively reduced aggression. These are probably perceived as the most likely competitors (because of their spatial proximity). At the same time, male voles kept away from the obviously unfamiliar ones, though they do not express any apparent aggression.



New data on avifauna of the Ustyurt plateau in the Holocene
Abstract
Bone remains of birds from a location of the middle Subboreal period and from three locations of the early Subatlantic period were studied on the Ustyurt plateau (Kazakhstan). Three out of 17 avian species that have been identified (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus, Falco peregrinus, and Nyctea scandiaca) proved to be absent in the modern fauna of the region. Our data on the bird fauna of the Ustyurt Plateau in the second half of the Middle Holocene and at the beginning of the Late Holocene indicate that, in that time, the migration routes of the little cormorant, peregrine, and snowy owl passed across the Ustyurt territory and the wintering sites of peregrine and snowy owl were more extensive and were also situated in Ustyurt. In the second half of the Late Holocene, the number of wintering sites of these species diminished and their migration routes have been altered.



Characteristics of the energy metabolism of the White Sea herring Clupea pallasii marisalbi Berg (Clupeiformes, Clupeidae) of Onega Bay, Dvina Bay, and Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea
Abstract
The activity of the enzymes of the energy and carbohydrate metabolisms (cytochrome-c oxidase, L-lactate dehydrogenase, aldolase, and glycerol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase) have been studied in White Sea herring (the 1+, 2+, and 3+ age groups) sampled in Onega Bay, Dvina Bay, and Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea. The bays differ in the hydrological regime, ecological and feeding conditions. The individual variability of the enzyme activity was the largest in the herring of the age 1+. The flexibility of the intensity and vector of the basic metabolic reactions probably supports the energy homeostasis, preconditions the switching to the most effective way of using the resources, and regulates the synthesis of the structural and storage molecules, as well as vectors the adaptation strategy of herring specimens of each age group to the hydrological regime, environment, and feeding conditions of the particular bay, corresponding to their age-related characteristics.



Polychaeta of the Kara and Pechora seas: Data of the 2012 trawl survey
Abstract
The species composition of the polychaetes derived from ichthyological and Sigsbee trawls in the Pechora and Kara seas in 2012 was studied and compared with the grab survey data of 1993–1995. The distribution of the large sabellidae, nektobenthic, and bathypelagic species that are poorly caught by a grab has been determined for the first time. Changes that were observed in the biogeographical polychaete structure in the Kara Sea (a higher proportion of the boreal species and a lower proportion of the Arctic species) may reflect a response of zoobenthos to the Arctic warming in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.



Bacteria and viruses of the ice-free aquatic area of the Barents Sea at the beginning of polar night
Abstract
The most massive components of the microplankton were studied in the open sea waters for the first time at the end of the autumn season. It has been found that abundance of the virio- and bacterioplankton exceeded that observed in winter in the coastal zone. Against the background of a relatively uniform distribution of bacteria, the viral abundance and the lysis-mediated bacterioplankton death rate reached the maximum values in the most cold and salty waters of the northern sea areas.



New data on the distribution and taxonomy of fossil Soergel’s ox (Soergelia sp., Bovidae, Artiodactyla, Mammalia) in Yakutia
Abstract
Novel findings of fossil remains of the extinct artiodactyl Soergel’s ox, as well as some findings that were not analyzed previously, are presented in the article. Soergelia remains are extremely rare; therefore, the species range of these animals remains uncharacterized by now and the taxonomic positions of some findings are not clear. Analysis of the new material extends the knowledge on the species range and the limits of morphological variation of the Soergel’s ox and allowed a more precise assessment of the taxonomic position of the findings from Yakutia.



The first results of using the Allium test in estimating the chemical and radiation toxicity of bottom sediments in the Yenisei River
Abstract
The first results of the use of the Allium test for estimation of toxicity of bottom sediments in the Yenisei River and the effect of external γ-radiation under laboratory conditions are presented. The effect of stimulation of the onion root growth, i.e., the absence of toxicity was discovered in toxicological experiments using bottom sediments and under external γ-radiation. The stimulating effect of radiation on the growth of onion roots limits the use of the Allium test for testing samples from the Yenisei River ecosystem in the zone subjected to the impact of radioactive discharges from the Mining and Chemical Combine.



Cell Biology
Immune complexes that contain HIV antigens activate peripheral blood T cells
Abstract
Uninfected donor T cells were treated in vitro by model immune complexes that contained either HIV or hepatitis C virus (HCV) antigens. Unlike HCV antigen-containing complexes, the immune complexes that contained HIV antigens have been shown to activate peripheral blood T cells of uninfected donors under in vitro conditions. Both the antiviral antibodies and HIV antigen were involved in the activation process. The unique properties of the immune complexes formed by HIV antigens and antiviral antibodies are believed to result from the virus-specific antibody properties and molecular conformation of the antigen–antibody complex.



Specific effect of the HLDF differentiation factor on the cytokine production potential of immunocompetent blood cells in stomach adenocarcinoma
Abstract
The cytokine production potential of immunocompetent cells from the blood of stomach adenocarcinoma patients was analyzed after the pretreatment of cells with the HLDF differentiation factor with subsequent exposure to polyclonal activators (HLDF+PA). IL-1β, IL-1Ra, TNFα, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, IL-18, IL-18BPa, IFNγ, G-CSF, and GM-CSF were quantified in the supernatants after precipitation of the cells. Specific effects of HLDF+PA were manifested as an increase in the production of IL-8, IL-17, and GM-CSF due to suppression of Th1-dependent immune reactions in a Th17-mediated mechanism that is a part of a broader functional antagonism of Th1 and Th17 lymphocyte subpopulations.






Effect of pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein on indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase activity in human monocytes
Abstract
The role of heterogenic human pregnancy-specific glycoprotein (PSG), obtained by the authors’ technology, in the regulation of the indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity in female blood monocytes has been studied in vitro. PSG stimulated IDO activity under the conditions of induction of the monocytes by interferon-γ. Upon the induction of cell proliferation by lipopolysaccharides, the stimulating effect was obtained only with 10 μg/mL of PSG. Enhanced IDO activity is probably a factor of peripheral immunological tolerance and antimicrobial protection against intracellular infections in the gestation period.


