Pathological Changes in the Gastrocnemius Muscle throughout Hind Limb Ischemia Modeling in Rats.

We present a two-stage model for the study of chronic hind limb ischemia in rats. In the area of ischemia, sclerotic changes with atrophic rhabdomyocytes and reduced vascularization were revealed. CD31 expression in the endothelium increased proportionally to the number of vessels in the ischemic zone, and at the same time, focal expression of ßIII-tubulin was detected in the newly formed nerve fibers. These histological features are equivalent to the development of peripheral arterial disease in humans, which allows using our model in the search for new therapeutic strategies.

[Differentiation of tortoises of the genera Testudo and Agrionemys (Testudinidae) based on the polymorphism of nuclear and mitochondrial markers].

Based on polymorphism of the 12S rRNA gene and RAPD markers, differentiation of 122 tortoise individuals belonging to the three species of genus Testudo (T. kleinmanni, T. marginata, and T. graeca), six subspecies of T. graeca (T. g. nikolskii, T. g. pallasi, T. g. armeniaca, T. g. zarudnyi, T. g. terrestris, T. g. ibera), and two subspecies of the Central Asian tortoise Agrionenemys horsfieldii (A. h. horsfieldii, A. h. kazakhstanica) was performed. For comparison, 32 known sequences of 12S rRNA gene (392 bp) from tortoises of the two genera inhabiting the territories of Europe, Asia, and Africa were used. In the populations of A. horsfieldii, a total of six haplotypes; including three newly described variants, were identified. In the examined tortoises of the genus Testudo, eleven 12S rRNA haplotypes were identified. One new haplotype was detected in T. kleinmanni. Among the eight subspecies of T. graeca, eight haplotypes were identified, with four newly described ones. The reported RAPD markers generally supported the reconstructions obtained with the use of the mitochondrial marker. Similarly to the 12S rRNA-based reconstructions, two independent clusters included representatives of the two genera, Agrionemys and Testudio. Among the latter, representatives of T. marginata and T. kleinmanni, as well as T. graeca, with high statistical support values, formed two reciprocally monophyletic groups. Compared to the mitochondrial markers, RAPDs more statisticallysignificantly discriminated the sample of T. g. terrestris and the four subspecies, T. g. ibera, T. g. armeniaca, T. g. pallasi, and T. g. nikolskii. In almost all cases except the representatives of T. g. ibera, the representatives of each of four subspecies formed individual subclusters. The geographical haplotype distribution patterns and possible evolutionary scenario of the origin and dispersal of tortoises of the two genera are discussed.

[Polymorphism of the 12S rRNA gene and phylogeography of the Central Asian tortoises Agrionemys horsfieldii gray, 1844].

Based on intraspecific polymorphism of 12S rRNA gene, genetic variation of isolated populations of the Central Asian tortoise, Agrionemys horsfieldii, was for the first time investigated on a large part of the species distribution range, encompassing Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan, and northern and eastern Iran. In 59 tortoises, four haplotypes were discovered, including two (AH1 and AH2), described earlier. Haplotype AH1 was detected in 52 tortoises, inhabiting southern Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Haplotype AH2 was found in four tortoises from the border territory between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. Two novel haplotypes, AH3 and AH4, were detected in the three tortoises from Iran. Based on nucleotide substitutions in the 12S rDNA sequence, the possible divergence time between the tortoises from different parts of the range was estimated. Possible pathways of the formation of modern intraspecific groups of A. horsfieldii are discussed.