[Distribution in early mouse embryos of foreign mtDNA transmitted along the paternal lineage].

Transmission of foreign mtDNA along the paternal lineage founded by male mice (F0), and distribution of that mtDNA in their progeny at early stages of prenatal development were studied. Transmitochondrial males of F0 obtained after injection of human mitochondria into mouse zygotes has been shown to transmit foreign mtDNA to subsequent generations. Individual peculiarities among the males studied, concerning transmission of foreign mtDNA to the progeny, are likely to exist. Besides, the distribution of human mtDNA among blastomeres of transmitochondrial embryos under study differed from that observed in previous investogation of its inheritance along the maternal lineage.

[The clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis in familial hypercholesterolemia].

AIM: To study the specific features of manifestations of atherosclerosis in Karelia dwellers with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The examination of 196 patients with FH involved laboratory tests, electrocardiography, echocardiography, triplex scanning of the arteries, exercise testing, and coronarography as indicated. Genetic examination was performed in 109 (55.6%) patients. RESULTS: The examinees' mean age was 48 +/- 2.3 years; there was a female predominance (68.7%). All the patients were found to have significant hypercholesterolemia due to elevated low-density lipoprotein levels. There was arcus lipoides corneae in 26% of cases, tendinous xanthomas in 17%, and xanthelasma palpebrarum in 34.9%. Carotid stenosis and lower extremity atherosclerosis obliterans were detected in 26.3 and 4.6%, respectively. 27.5% of the patients were diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) (mean age at onset 45 years): exertional angina pectoris (10.2%), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (14.8%), and an arrhythmic form (5.6%). 65.5% of the patients who had developed the first AMI were aged younger than 55 years. The most common site of AMI was the anterior wall of the left ventricle (55%); 51.7% of cases had transmural AMI. 24.1% of the patients sustained recurrent AMI. Complicated AMI was noted in 13.8% of cases. One third of the patients could achieve target blood lipid levels. CONCLUSION: The characteristics of the patients with FH in Karelia are a mean age of 48 years and a female predominance; the main criterion for the diagnosis of FH is significant dyslipidemia while its stigmas are rarely encountered. The specific features of CHD in the patients with FH are as follows: the age at onset is 45 years; AMI develops at the ages of less than 55 and 40 years in 65.5 and 26.3%, respectively; the rate of recurrent AMI is as high as 24%; transmural AMIs occur in 51.7% of the patients; 26.3% had signs of brachiocephalic artery stenotic lesion; 4.6% present with lower extremity atherosclerosis obliterans; one third of the patients could achieve target blood lipid levels.

[Familial hypercholesterolemia due to a new mutation in the low density lipoprotein receptor gene].

UNLABELLED: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FHC) is a genetic disorder manifest as a rise in serum cholesterol level responsible for the development ofcardiovascular diseases. AIM: To study genetic peculiarities of FHC in Kareliya. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 109 patients of the 196 ones with FHC (124 families) were subjected to genetic examination. Other parameters studied included the lipid spectrum, blood glucose level, ECG, 24 hr ECG monitoring, echocardiography, triplex scanning of brachiocephalic arteries and lower limb vessels, functional tests. Simon Broom criteria were used to diagnose FHC. RESULTS: "Definitive" FHC was diagnosed in 136 (69.4%) patients, (probable) FHC in 30.6%. The total encoding region of the low density lipoprotein receptor gene was sequenced in 109 (55.6%) patients in parallel with the search for major mutations in the APOB and PCSK9 genes. A total of 13 mutations (p.G20R, c. 192del110/ins8, c.195-196insT, p.S206R, c925- 931del17, p.S447C, p.13981, p.L426P, L511S, c.1686del18/insT, p.L646I, p.N640N, c.2191delG) were identified in low density lipoprotein receptor gene; seven of them are reported for the first time in the world. No major mutations in the APOB and PCSK9 genes were found. The new c.2191delG (p.(Val73 1Serfs*6)) mutation is characterized and its segregation with familial dyslipidemia is shown. The present case is characterized by the absence of clinical picture of coronary heart disease and the family history complicated by cerebral basin lesion. Phenotypic manifestations of atherosclerosis in FHC with gene mutations need further studies.

[A case of familial hypercholesterolemia caused by a novel mutation p. FsS65:D129X of human low density lipoprotein receptor gene].

Novel mutation p. FsS65:D129X in human low density lipoprotein receptor gene in a female patient with typical clinical symptoms of familial hypercholesterolemia is described in this paper. Segregation of this mutation with hypercholesterolemia in the family of the patient from Petrozavodsk is demonstrated.

[Increased myelopepoxidase activity is a risk factor for ishemic heart disease in patients with diabetes mellitus].

Using previously developed spectro-photonmetrical method (Bioorg. Khim. 2009. V. 35. pp. 629-639), a significant increase of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was found in blood plasma of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) without of cardiovascular complications, as well as with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Plasma MPO concentration measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was significantly higher only in blood plasma of patient with DM2 and IHD. A direct and significant correlation between MPO activity and MPO concentration was observed only in blood plasma samples from healthy donors. Increased MPO activity did not correlate with MPO concentration in blood plasma of patients with DM2 and DM2 with IHD. Taken together, these results highlight the necessity for studying of the MPO role in the development of pathological processes to determine both the amount of enzyme and its peroxidase activity in the blood. The proposed approach gives comprehensive information about the relationship between MPO activity and MPO concentration in patient blood. Since the high concentration of MPO is a diagnostically significant parameter in the prediction of endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease development, the obtained results evidence the contribution of MPO-dependent reactions in cardiovascular complications associated with diabetes. MPO activity may serve as an additional diagnostic criterion for determination of risk of IHD in DM patients.

[Myeloperoxidase-induced biodegradation of single-walled carbon nanotubes is mediated by hypochlorite].

Broad prospects for the use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in medicine and biotechnology raise the concerns about both their toxicity, and the mechanisms of biodegradation and excretion from the body. SWNTs biodegradation as a result of catalytic activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) was shown in the isolated MPO system as well as in the suspension of neutrophils [Kagan V.E., et al., 2010]. In the present study we analyzed the ability of different MPO-produced oxidants to participate in the modification and degradation of SWNTs. The comparison of the ability of various peroxidases to degrade SWNTs in vitro revealed that myeloperoxidase, due to its ability to produce hypochlorite, and lactoperoxidase, due to its ability to produce hypobromite, are extremely efficient in the degradation of carbon nanotubes. The biodegradation of SWNTs in the model system can also be caused by free radicals generated as a result of heme degradation and, to a lesser extent, by active oxoferryl intermediates of peroxidases. Our experiments showed that in the presence of blood plasma, peroxidase intermediates or free radical products of heme degradation were unable to initiate biodegradation of carbon nanotubes, only the generation of hypochlorite by MPO can cause the biodegradation of carbon nanotubes in vivo. Titration of SWNTs suspension containing plasma with hypochlorite at high concentrations resulted in the decrease in the optical absorbance of the suspension indicating the degradation of nanotubes. Our results clearly indicate that hypochlorite can serve as a main oxidizing agent which is able to modify and degrade nanotubes in the sites of inflammation and in the phagosomes.

[Analysis of morphological manifestations of the inflammatory reaction in wistar rat spinal cord in experimental model].

Morphological changes in the spinal cord of rats with different intensity of pathological symptoms were studied at the peak of the experimental encephalomyelitis development. Light-microscopical and immunohistochemical methods were used. Distribution of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), astrocyte marker - glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP), and microglia and macrophage marker Iba-1, was studied. Heterogeneity in morphological manifestations of the experimental allergic encephalomyelitis was shown. Four typical patterns of morphological manifestations of the disease were demonstrated depending on the preferential involvement of pia mater, vessels, spinal cell nuclei or conductive tracts in the pathological process.

[New approaches to the measurement of the concentration and peroxidase activity of myeloperoxidase in human blood plasma].

A novel method for spectrometrical measurement of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in plasma with o-dianisidine (DA) as a substrate is proposed. We have determined the optimal conditions, including the pH and hydrogen peroxide concentration, under which MPO is the main contributor to DA oxidation in plasma. Specific MPO inhibitors, salicylhydroxamic acid or (4-aminobenzoyl)hydrazide, are added to measure the activity of other heme-containing peroxidases (mainly hemoglobin and its derivatives) and subtract their contribution from the total plasma peroxidase activity. Plasma MPO concentrations are quantified by a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) developed by us and based on the use of antibodies raised in rats and rabbits. The sensitivity of this ELISA is high: 0.2-250 ng/ml. A direct and significant (P < 0.0001) correlation was observed between the MPO activities measured spectrometrically and by ELISA in blood samples from 38 healthy donors. The proposed approaches to MPO measurement in plasma can be used to evaluate the enzyme activity and concentration, as well as the efficacy of mechanisms by which MPO is regulated under physiological conditions and against the background of various inflammatory diseases.

[Determination of melatonin receptors in human blood mononuclear cells: clinical and experimental rationale].

Melatonin is a mammalian hormone that has a great variety of effects. At present there is evidence that this hormone considerably reduces the manifestations of many gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases. The biological effects of melatonin are realized through the receptors located on the membranes of different animal cells. Three types of melatonin receptors are now known; of them two (MT1 and MT2) receptors were detected in mammals. Varying clinical forms of gastrointestinal diseases may be pathogenetically caused by the quality and amount of MT1 and MT2 receptors, their ratio, and endogenous melatonin activation. The purpose of this study was to develop a procedure for measuring the human blood cell levels of MT1 and MT2 receptors. For this, specific antibodies to MT1 and MT2 receptors were experimentally obtained; then indirect immunofluorescence was used to determine the content and ratio of blood mononuclear cells having these receptors onto the surface in 23 volunteers. The findings are an initial stage of this study and provide considerable opportunity to study a role of melatonin and its receptors in the pathogenesis of many diseases of the human digestive system.

[Genetic variants of CYP1B1 and WDR36 in the patients with primary congenital glaucoma and primary open angle glaucoma from Saint-Petersburg].

In 32 patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG), a search for mutations in the myocilin (MYOC), cytochrome P450B1 (CYP1B1), and WDR36 genes was performed. The Q368X mutation in myocilin gene, typical of the patients with adult-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), was not detected in the PCG patients. Screening of the CYP1B1 introns 2 and 3 for the presence of mutations in PCG patients revealed only six DNA polymorphisms, including IVS1-12ntT>C (g.3793 T>C), A119S (g.4160 G>T; GCC>TCC), G188G (g.4369 C>A; GGC>GGA), L432V (G.8131 C>G; CTG>GTG), D449D (g.8184 C>T; GAC>GAT), and N453S (g.8195 A>G; AAC>AGC) (nucleotide numbering is given in accordance with the GenBank sequence U56438). In the groups of PCG patients and donors without eye diseases, the frequencies of these variants were not statistically significantly different, pointing to the neutrality of these polymorphisms. Furthermore, the CYP1B1 polymorphism L432V, considered to be associated with POAG in some world populations, was not associated with this disease in the patients from St. Petersburg. DNA collections obtained from the POAG and PCG patients and from the control group were tested for the carriage of the worldwide distributed mutations of the WRD36 gene, D658G, R529Q, A449T, and N355S. D658G variant was found with equally low frequencies in the groups of POAG and PCG patients, as well as in the control group. Mutations A449T and R529Q were found only once each, while mutation N355S was not detected in any of the groups examined. Our results indicate that the WDR36 variants make no substantial contribution to the development of POAG and PCG in the patients from St. Petersburg and represent normal DNA polymorphism. It is likely that in most of the PCG patients from the population examined the disease is not associated with the CYP1B1 gene defects.

[Monogenic hypercholesterolemias: new genes, new drug targets].

This review is focused on recent data on structure and functions of PCSK9 proprotein convertase, a newly identified participant in cholesterol metabolism in mammalian organisms, including humans. Proprotein convertase acts as a molecular chaperone for the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, targeting it to the lysosomal degradation pathway. Various mutations increasing the PCSK9 affinity toward the LDL receptor cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia. In contrast, loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 gene decrease the blood plasma cholesterol level, thus acting as a protection factor against atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. It is supposed that pharmacological agents inhibiting the interaction between PCSK9 and LDL receptor may substantially amplify the benefits of drugs--statins and cholesterol absorption blockers--in the treatment of all types of hypercholesterolemia, including its widespread multigenic and multifactorial forms.

[A study of the effect of ceruloplasmin and lactoferrin on the chlorination activity of leukocytic myeloperoxidase using the chemiluminescence method].

The chlorination activity of free myeloperoxidase and myeloperoxidase bound with ceruloplasmin or with both ceruloplasmin and lactoferrin has been studied by luminal-dependent chemiluminescence. It was shown that the addition of hydrogen peroxide to the "myeloperoxidase + Cl- + luminal" system is accompanied by a fast flash of light emission. In the absence of myeloperoxidase or Cl-, the flash intensity was considerably reduced. The inhibitor of myeloperoxidase NaN3, the HOCl scavengers taurine and methionine, and guaiacol, a substrate for peroxidation cycle of myeloperoxidase, prevented luminescence. These results suggest that the generation of luminescence was due to the halogenating activity of myeloperoxidase, and hence, the flash light sum may serve as a measure of chlorination activity of myeloperoxidase. The activity of myeloperoxidase was suppressed by ceruloplasmin. Lactoferrin exhibited no significant influence on the myeloperoxidase activity, nor did it prevent the inhibitory effect of ceruloplasmin when they both were combined with myeloperoxidase. These data were confirmed using alternative approaches for evaluating the myeloperoxidase activity, namely, the assessment of peroxidation activity and the taurine chlorination assay. It is noteworthy that the inhibitory effect of ceruloplasmin on chlorination and peroxidation activities of myeloperoxidase is seen with the latter, traditional approaches only if ceruloplasmin is present in a large excess relative to myeloperoxidase, whereas the chemiluminescence method allows the detection of the inhibitory effect of ceruloplasmin using lower proportions of the protein with respect to myeloperoxidase, which are close to the stoichiometry of the myeloperoxidase/ceruloplasmin and the myeloperoxidase'ceruloplasmin'lactoferrin complexes.

[Distribution of foreign mitochondrial DNA during the first splittings of the transmitochondrial mouse embryos].

Distribution of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) among separate murine blastomeres was analyzed during the splitting of embryos in which the suspension of human mitochondria had been injected at the one- or two-cell stage. Human mtDNA was detected by PCR with species specific primers. The total amount of the two- and four-cell murine embryos analyzed in the study was 339. In all embryos examined the copies of human mitochondrial genome were revealed along with murine mtDNA, which indicated the phenomenon of an artificially modeled heteroplasmy. The foreign mtDNA was not ubiquitous among the blastomeres of transmitochondrial embryos. Mathematical analysis of the results showed that in the period between the injection of human mitochondria and the subsequent splitting no equal distribution of the human mtDNA occurred in the cytoplasm. These results also point at the presence of more than 2-3 segregation units of mtDNA in the entire pool of mitochondria (about 5 x 10(2)) introduced into an embryo by microinjection.

[Familial hypercholesterolemia in St. Petersburg: diversity of mutations argues against a strong founder effect].

Examination of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, its promoter, and major exon-intron boundaries from a sample of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) from 74 probands of St. Petersburg revealed 34 mutations and 8 widely spread polymorphisms at this locus. Only four mutations were considered silent, while the other 30 are likely associated with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Mutations in the LDL receptor gene, inducing the disease, were identified in 41 (55%) out of 74 families with FH. Mutation R3500Q in apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene was not detected in all probands. Therefore in the families lacking mutations hypercholesterolemia was induced by mutations in the introns of the LDL receptor gene or by other genetic factors. Nineteen mutations causing disease progression were described in St. Petersburg for the first time, while 18 of them are specific for Russia. Among Ashkenazi Jews, major mutation G197del was detected in 30% (7 out of 22) of patients with FH. In the Slavic population of St. Petersburg, no major mutations were detected. Only five mutations were identified in two families, while 24 were found in isolated families. These data are indicative of the lack of a strong founder effect for FH in the St. Petersburg population.

Identification of leukocyte cationic proteins that interact with ceruloplasmin.

Proteins from leukocytes were investigated for their ability to interact with ceruloplasmin (Cp), a copper-containing glycoprotein of human plasma. Extract from leukocytes was subjected to affinity chromatography on Cp-Sepharose, after which proteins were eluted from the resin with 0.5 M NaCl in Tris-HCl, pH 7.4. SDS-PAGE of the eluate revealed protein bands with molecular weights 78, 57, 40, 30, 16, and 12 kD. Among these, Western blotting detected myeloperoxidase (57, 40, and 12 kD) and lactoferrin (78 kD). Also, the 30-kD component had a sequence (1)I-(2)I/V-(3)G-(4)G-(5)R/H at the N-terminus that is likely to indicate the presence of neutrophilic elastase, cathepsin G, proteinase 3, and azurocidin (CAP 37) - all from the family of serprocidins. Mass spectrometry of tryptic fragments indicated the presence of the 16-kD eosinophilic cationic protein (seven peptides), 27-kD cathepsin G (eleven peptides), 27-kD azurocidin (eight peptides), 29-kD neutrophilic elastase (seven peptides), and 27-kD proteinase 3 (six peptides). Myeloperoxidase was represented by 57-, 40-, and 12-kD fragments (thirteen, ten, and four peptides, respectively). Thus, interaction with Cp of five cationic proteins, i.e. of eosinophilic cationic protein, cathepsin G, neutrophilic elastase, proteinase 3, and azurocidin is reported for the first time.

[Mutations and polymorphisms in the genes for myocilin and optineur in as the risk factors of primary open-angle glaucoma].

A collection of DNA samples obtained from primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients from St. Petersburg was analyzed for single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) to reveal sequence variants in exon 3 of the myocilin gene (MYOC/TIGR) and in exons 4 and 5 of the optineurin gene (OPTN), where most of the mutations revealed worldwide are located. The Q368X mutation (c. 1102 C --> T) in exon 3 of MYOC/TIGR was detected in 1.2% (2/170) of the POAG patients from St. Petersburg, i.e., with the frequency close to that observed in other world populations. Three known polymorphisms in exon 3 of MYOC/TIGR, Y347Y (c. 1041 T --> C) (12.4%), T325T (c. 975 G --> A) (0.6%), and K398R (c. 1193 A --> G) (0.6%) were also detected. No statistically significant differences in frequencies of these polymorphisms were revealed between the POAG patient and control groups. The L41L polymorphism (c. 433 G --> A) in exon 4 of OPTN was detected in 2.9% of probands and in 1% of controls. The frequency of heterozygotes for the M98K polymorphism (c. 603 T --> A) in the OPTN exon 5 was statistically significantly higher (P = 0.036; Fisher's exact test) among the POAG patients (6.5%) than among the controls (1%). In the sample examined the E50K mutation, typical of the patients with pseudonormal intraocular pressure glaucoma, was not found.

[Isolation of stable human ceruloplasmin and its interaction with salmon protamine].

An interaction was discovered between ceruloplasmin (CP, a ferro-O2-oxidoreductase, EC 1.16.3.1), a copper-containing protein of human blood plasma, and salmon protamine (PR), a cationic polypeptide of vertebrates that provides a compact structure of spermatozoid DNA. Addition of PR to CP at a molar ratio of 2: 1 decreases the CP electrophoretic mobility. Two types of CP binding centers for PR were determined: two centers with a high (Kd1 of 5.31 x 10(-7) M) and four centers with a low affinity (Kd2 of 1.56 x 10(-5) M). PR was shown to form complexes with CPs of various animal species. The CP-PR complex dissociates at an increased ionic strength (0.3 M NaCl), at pH decreased below 4.7, or in the presence of added polyanions (DNA, lipopolysaccharides, or heparin) and/or polylysine, which indicates the electrostatic nature of the interaction. The CP-PR interaction increased 1.5-fold the rate of CP-catalyzed oxidation of Fe2+. The preliminary treatment of blood plasma with arginine-Sepharose and heparin-Sepharose (to remove the blood coagulation factors) and affinity chromatography on PR-Sepharose helped isolate the practically unproteolyzed monomeric CP in 90% yield; it remained stable for more than two months at 37 degrees C. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2005, vol. 31, no. 3; see also http://www.maik.ru.

[Instability of repetitive units of foreign centromeric satellite DNA in transgenic mice and transfected cells]. / Analiz nestabil'nosti povtoriaiushchikhsia edinits chuzherodnoi tsentromernoi satellitnoi DNK u transgennykh myshei i v transfektnykh kletkakh.

Cytologically detectable instability of centromeric satellite DNA may cause hereditary disorders in human. To study the mechanisms of such instability, two transgenic mouse lines and 11 clones of transfected F9 mouse embryonic teratocarcinoma cells were obtained with the 3.8-kb repetitive unit (Sat) of Bos taurus satellite DNA IV. Intergeneration and somatic instability of exogenous satellite DNA (satDNA) was observed in transgenic mice and transfected cells as a change in nucleotide sequence of an internal Sat region approximately 1000 bp in size. Since Sat was in the hemizygous state in both cases by the experimental protocol, the instability was attributed to intra-allelic processes. Intergeneration instability probably took place in the premeiotic period of gametogenesis or in early embryo development and led to prenatal death of transgenic embryos after at least one generation. No direct or inverse correlation was observed between methylation and instability of Sat. The results testify that submicroscopic changes in highly repetitive noncoding DNA sequences may already affect the genome function in higher eukaryotes.

[Spectral studies of the ceruloplasmin active site during its copper repletion and depletion]. / Spektral'nye issledovaniia aktivnogo tsentra tseruloplazmina pri udalenii i vozvrashchenii v nego ionov medi.

Ceruloplasmin (CP; ferro-O2-oxidoreductase, EC 1.16.3.1) was gradually depleted of different type Cu2+ by dialysis against KCN. Protein samples were taken 2, 4, 6, 22 and 28 hrs after the beginning of dialysis. The number of copper atoms per CP molecule was estimated using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Light absorption in UV and visible regions, fluorescence and EPR spectra were also recorded. The experimental results allowed to trace the sequence of release of certain Cu2+ ions from the CP molecule. The same methods used in the course of CP active center reconstitution made it possible to determine the dependence of its repletion with certain Cu2+ on the degree of the preceding catalytic center destruction. It was shown that efficient recurrence of the CP oxidase activity is achieved if after dialysis against KCN the enzyme retains type III Cu2+ in its active center. The data obtained allow to specify more precisely the role of different types of Cu2+ in the assembly of the complex catalytic center of CP and in exercising by the enzyme of its multiple functions.