[The latex agglutination with video digital registration: the enhancement of diagnostic significance of conventional technique].

The rapid semiquantitative latex-tests, because of their analytic characteristics and convenient application, became widespread in the practice of laboratory diagnostics. Though, in spite of high sensitivity and specificity, their diagnostic effectiveness is lower that it could be mainly because of the impossibility to document the results of latex agglutinative re4actions and to manage the objective quality control. The application of systems of video digital registration permits to enhance the clinical significance of these analyses. By means of scanner systems (control and program complex "Expert Lab") the image of analytic objects is received with the results of latex agglutination reaction. The application of program techniques (the programs "Expert Lab - Agglutination" and "Expert Lab - Agglutination - Micros") in data processing permits to get the precise qualitative characteristics of active reactions, to ensure the automatic interpretation of results and gives an opportunity to proceed with the internal laboratory quality control. The saving of analytic object image in computer memory after termination of reaction favors the formation of data base, the implementation of retrospective evaluation of obtained results, additional consultations in dubious cases, including on-line. The application of complex "Expert Lab" permitted to develop the miniaturizes matrix systems permitting to decrease the withdrawal of latex reagents, to increase the productivity of analytical stage of operation preserving all analytical characteristics of method.

[Analytical characteristics micromatrix semiquantitative method used in serial tests with video digital registration].

A multiplex analytical system has been developed to carry out microformat latex agglutination tests with video digital registration. The system makes it possible to apply less than 1 microl drops of latex and samples in the matrix format to a carrier and to make the test in 30 points at once, as well as to record and to interpret the results of the test, by keeping analytical information for each sample. Comparison of the results of determination of the serum levels of C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, and antistreptolysine in the system developed by the authors with the results obtained in the macroagglutination test by the immunoturbidimetric technique leads to the conclusion that the methods are comparable. The proposed type of a latex agglutination test based on a matrix approach and miniaturization assures efficient production and the quality of laboratory studies.

[A scanner-based system for documentation, objective assessment, and recording of the results of latex-agglutination tests].

The present paper describes the use of the scanner "Expert-Lab Agglutination" system to record the results of latex-agglutination tests in making a reaction on the lids of 96-well immunoassay plates. The described system provides a possibility of having a primary image of all tests carried out on a carrier. Software offers the prospect of contrasting the images of individual and control samples, increasing the size of images, and comparing the latter. The use of special image treating techniques may also yield objective figures characterizing the rate of a reaction. The possibility of archiving primary information and retrospectively appraising the correctness of the result of an analysis at any required moment is of fundamental importance to the latex-agglutination test.

[Electron microscopic study of transcription of loach oocyte ribosomal genes]. / Elektronno-mikroskopicheskoe issledovanie transkriptsii ribosomnykh genov ootsitov v'iuna.

Transcription of ribosomal genes of a loach Misgurnus fossilis L. was studied by electron microscopy. Relative transcriptional activity in nucleoli at different vitellogenic stages was determined by direct calculation of the number of operating ribosomal genes in the nucleoli. Morphologic studies showed that the transcribing regions of mean length 2.3 +/- 0.2 mkm are separated by spacers of variable lengths. Both short (1.2--1.4 micrometer) and long (2.4--2.6 micrometer) spacers were visualised. The lateral RNP fibrils have granular structure, each granule containing 300--350 RNA bases. It was found that chromatin has nucleosomal structure in spacer regions and is of non-beaded, smooth structure in transcribing regions. The data obtained allow to suggest that in transcribing regions chromatin undergoes structural transition before the transcription process.

[Electron microscopic study of DNA compactization under the effect of putrescine]. / Elektronno-mikroskopicheskoe izuchenie kompaktizatsii DNK pod deistviem putrestsina.

DNA-putrescine complexes were studied by electron-microscopy with the use of protein-free method. The latter gives the opportunity to investigate the interaction of DNA molecules spread on the surface layer of hypophase and the polyamine molecules in the thick layer of hypophase. Polyamine concentration varied from 5 x 10(-4) mM to 5 x 10(-1) mM. Under the low concentration of putrescine the complexes are represented by agglomerations of kinked knobbed fibres 10 to 20 nm thick, consisting of several fibres of duplex DNA. Upon increasing of putrescine concentration from 5 x 10(-4) to 1.5 x 10(-1) mM, the fibres become more thick (up to 25 nm), highly twisted and have the appearance of cylinders. Very often in the composition of complexes, it is possible to encounter the circular structures, which were formed at the expense of intermolecular interaction of different parts of the complex. The circular structures can serve as "embryos" of toroids of different sizes, that is of different degree of saturation with DNA and putrescine. At the concentration of putrescine 5 x 10(-1) mM the complexes have the appearance of toroids and structures on the basis of toroids, cylinders. The scheme of possible transitions of fibres of various thickness is proposed. The regularities of the compactization process, stimulated by polyamines, don't depend on the degree of compactization (the thickness of compacting fibre), that is they are similar for duplex DNA and for the fibres 25 nm thick, consisting of dozens of DNA molecules.

[Electron microscopic study of compactization of individual DNA molecules in films during the interaction with histone H1]. / Elektronno-mikroskopicheskoe izuchenie kompaktizatsii individual'nykh molekul DNK v plenkakh pri vzaimodeistvii s gistonom H1]

The protein-free method was applied for the investigation of histone H1 DNA complexes formation. The main advantage of this method is the possibility to get intramolecular compact structures at interaction of individual spread molecules of DNA with histone H1. It was shown that in the presence of 0.2-5 micrograms/ml of histone H1 in hypophase there are three types of structures on electronmicroscopic preparations: fibres of non-compacted DNA, compact fibres with twisted strands of duplex DNA and compacted rod-like and circular structures where separate fibres of duplex DNA could not be distinguished. The study of compact structures morphology allows to conclude that they are formed by side-by-side association of DNA fibres, as it takes place in the case of triple rings formation at the compactization of circular DNA due to trivaline binding. At increasing ionic strength there is a tendency for transition from second type structures to the third type structures. The latter can be explained by transition from non-cooperative to cooperative binding of histone H1 to DNA.

[Interaction of synthetic pentapeptide with DNA: specificity of binding and compactness of DNA]. / Vzaimodeistvie sinteticheskogo pentapeptida s DNK: spetsifichnost' sviazyvaniia i kompaktizatsiia DNK.

Binding of synthetic pentapeptide Val-Thr-Thr-Val-Val-N2H2Dns (where Dns is a residue of 5-dimethylamino naphthyl-1-sulfonic acid) is studied by circular dichroism, electron microscopy and fluorescence methods. It is found that this peptide can self-associate in aqueous solution as revealed from the concentration-dependent changes in the UV absorbance and fluorescence spectra. At high peptide concentration (3.10(-4) M) massive peptide aggregates are formed in solution and can be visualized by electron microscopy. It is shown that pentapeptide binds to DNA predominantly in a self-associated form and exhibits preferences for certain nucleotide sequences. It binds more strongly to poly(dG).poly(dC) and poly[d(A-C)].poly[d(G-T)] than to poly(dA).poly(dT). The complex with poly(dA).poly(dT) dissociates in the presence of 0.05 M NaCl, whereas the complex with poly(dG).poly(dC) is stable even in the presence of 0.2 M NaCl. The binding is a cooperative process which is accompanied by compaction of DNA at peptide/DNA base pair ratios greater than 2. At the initial stage of the compaction process the coalescence of DNA segments covered by bound peptide molecules results in the formation of DNA loops stabilized by interaction between bound peptide molecules. Increasing peptide/DNA ratio leads to the formation of rod-like particles as revealed from electron microscopy studies. Further increase in the peptide concentration leads to folding of fibrillar macromolecular complexes into globula each containing a single DNA molecule.

[Structure of the interphase chromatin in the ciliata Bursaria truncatella macronucleus. II. Loop organization of inactive chromatin clumps]. / Struktura interfaznogo khromatina makronukleusa infuzorii Bursaria truncatella. II. Petel'naia organizatsiia glybok neaktivnogo khromatina.

Electron microscopic study of chromatin organization in isolated macronuclei of a ciliate Bursaria truncatella showed macronuclear chromatin to be organized in compact clumps 120--180 nm in diameter linked with each other by one or several chromatin fibres. Macronucleus being dispersed in a solution of low ionic strength, radial loops basically of nucleosomal structure start appearing around chromatin clumps. Long-time dispersing of macronuclear chromatin brings complete decompactization of chromatin clumps into a set of nucleosome fibres. The way the fibres of interphase chromatin are packed in a chromatin clump is discussed.

[Unfolding of nucleosome cores induced by chemical acetylation of histones]. / Razvorachivanie korovykh nukleosom, vyzvannoe khimicheskim atsetilirovaniem gistonov.

Relative accessibility of nucleosomal histones to acetic anhydride during acetylation has been studied as a function of concentration, pH and ionic strength of the solution using high-resolution gel-electrophoresis. It was shown that about 80% of lysine residues in nucleosomal histones and 100% of the same residues in histone complexes without DNA in 2 M NaCl are accessible to the modification, which is proved by the localization of the majority of lysine residues in nucleosomes near the surface of the histone octamer, by their participation in ionic interactions with DNA and, probably, in histone-histone contacts. Gel-electrophoretic experiments with nucleosomes and studies of the histone resistance to mild trypsinolysis indicated that neither nucleosomes themselves nor histone octamers are affected even though 50% of lysine residues in histones have been acetylated. The process of acetylation is accompanied by the growing tendency of histones to participate in mild trypsinolysis and by a gradual decline in electrophoretic mobility and in the value of the sedimentation constant. The circular dichroism spectra and the microscopic appearance of nucleosomes are also markedly changed. These results suggest that a gradual unfolding of nucleosomes occurs when 5 or more lysine residues in the nucleosomal histones have been acetylated.

[Intramolecular compactization of circular DNA in interaction with dansyl hydrazide trivaline leading to a formation of a new type of structure--triple rings]. / Vnutrimolekuliarnaia kompaktizatsiia kol'tsevoi DNK pri vzaimodeistvii s danzilgidrazidom trivalina s obrazovaniem struktur novogo tipa--troinykh kolets.

Compactization of supercoiled circular plasmid pBR322 caused by interaction with synthetic oligopeptide dansyl hydrazide trivaline capable of beta-structure formation was studied by electron microscopy. The results show that at rising input peptide concentration circular DNA molecules undergo intramolecular structural transition with the formation of compact ring structures. The compact ring structures are formed by the fiber having the thickness of 60 A. The analysis of morphology of intermediate structures and the contour length measurements enable us to conclude that 60 A-fiber contains three lying side-by-side and interwound double-stranded DNA segments. Thus, the compact ring structures are addressed to as triple rings. The triple ring have one special point, where the triple region ends are locked by a duplex DNA segment. The mechanisms responsible for the triple ring formation may be of importance for DNA and chromatin compactization processes in vivo.

[Complexes of histone H1 with supercoiled DNA]. / Issledovanie kompleksov gistona H1 s superspiral'noi DNK.

The action of DNA topoisomerase I on the complexes of supercoiled DNA (DNA I) with histone H1 and other histones was studied at different ionic conditions and histone/DNA ratios. In the presence of 0.15 M NaCl at histone H1/DNA ratios lower than 0.25 (w/w) the relaxation of DNA I is not inhibited. Raising of H1/DNA I ratio up to 0.7 is followed by significant inhibition of DNA I relaxation. At fixed H1/DNA I ratio maximal inhibition is detected at 0.25 M NaCl. At NaCl concentrations lower than 0.1 M and higher than 0.3 M increasing of DNA I relaxation in the presence of H1 was observed. Electron microscopic studies show that increase of ionic strength or H1/DNA I ratio causes more dense packing of DNA molecules in the H1.DNA complexes. Changes in the structure of complexes agree with the increase of DNA I relaxation inhibition in these conditions. DNA I relaxation inhibition by H1 is drastically decreased by iodination of tyrosine 72 residue in the globular part of H1 molecule. Individual core histones inhibit DNA I relaxation at much higher histone/DNA ratios and show different dependence of inhibition on ionic strength. The results are discussed in terms of the possible role of H1 in chromatin condensation-decondensation.

[Structure of the interphase chromatin in Bursaria truncatella macronucleus. I. Electron microscopic and autoradiographic study of the structural chromatin changes during differentiation and growth after division]. / Struktura interfaznogo khromatina makronukleusa infuzorii Bursaria truncatella. I. Elektronno-mikroskopicheskoe i avtoradiograficheskoe izuchenie strukturnykh izmenenii khromatina v protsesse differentsirovki i rosta infuzorii posle deleniia.

The structure of interphase chromatin from isolated individual macronuclei of Bursaria truncatella was studied at different moments after cell division. During the period 0,5-3 hours after division most of the macronuclear chromatin is represented by loose agglomerations of decondensed chromatin, where transcription complexes can be seen. The maximum quantity of decondensed chromatin is observed 0,5-1,5 hours after cell division. During the period 1,5-3 hours after the division the part of decondensed chromatin decreases along with the increase of the quantity of dense chromatin organized in chromatin clumps 0,12-0,18 mu in diameter. In completely developed vegetative cells nearly all the chromatin has the structure of closely packed chromatin clumps. Electronmicroscopic autoradiography data show that chromatin clumps are transcriptionally inert, whereas all the transcription processes take place in decondensed chromatin agglomerations. The structure of transcription complexes of B. truncatella macronucleus is discussed in detail.

[Spatial structure of DNA complex with the oligopeptide dansyl hydrazide trivaline]. / Prostranstvennaia struktura kompleksa DNK s oligopeptidom--dansilgidrazidom trivalina.

The structure of complexes between double-stranded DNA and oligopeptide dansyl hydrazide trivaline was studied by linear dichroism, electron microscopy and hydrodynamical methods. The results show that the binding of the oligopeptide to DNA is a cooperative process that leads to the formation of particles significantly differing in the structure from free DNA. The linear dichroism studies were carried out in a wide range of flow-speed gradients. From the theoretical analysis of these data a conclusion can be drawn that the DNA-oligopeptide complexes possesses a higher rigidity as compared with that of free DNA. The hydrodynamical behaviour of these particles is consistent with the rigid rod-like structure of the particles with a long axis nearly parallel to the DNA helix axis in the complexes. The sedimentation patterns of the complexes suggest the existence of the fast and slow sedimenting species. The sedimentation coefficient measured for a fast sedimenting species is about 3 times higher than that of free DNA. The linear dichroism spectra obtained for the floworiented DNA-oligopeptide complexes correlate with the existence of a superhelical organization of DNA in the complex. This offers a possibility for the determining of the angle of the DNA local axis inclination with respect to the superhelix axis. On electron micrographs the DNA-oligopeptide complexes look like rod-shaped structures with the thickness of about 180 A and 80 A on the rotatory-shadowed preparations and on the uranylacetate stained preparations, respectively. The rod-shaped structures are formed by two interwound DNA molecules. The superhelix has a pitch of about 150 A with an angle of twist inclination of about 40 degrees. These values are in good agreement with the optical anisotropic data. It is suggested that the complex structure is stabilized by periodically spaced hydrophobic contacts between the dimeric oligopeptide species bound to the DNA molecules.

[DNA compact form. VI. Changes of DNA secondary structure under conditions preceding its compaction in a solution]. / Kompaktnaia forma DNK v rastvore. VI. Izmenenie struktury dvukhtsepochechnoi DNK v usloviiakh, predshestvuiushchikh ee kompaktizatsii.

Optical and thermochemical properties of E. coli DNA molecules are compared in solutions containing poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) in concentrations at which compactization is not yet observed. It is shown that under conditions preceding DNA compactization (CPEG less than 60 mg/ml) changes in CD spectra occur which suggest that the secondary structure of some DNA fragments is altered. These changes of the secondary structure result from dehydration of DNA molecules in PEG-containing solutions. Electron micrographs of DNA molecules obtained under conditions preceding compactization suggest that under these conditions linear DNA molecules may form "four-stranded" fragments as well as double-stranded "loops".

[Structural organization of kinetoplast DNA and its compactization in a model system in vitro]. / Strukturnaia organizatsiia kinetoplastnoi DNK i ee kompaktizatsiia v model'noi sisteme in vitro.

Studies on compactization and decompactization of the genome are of great importance for elucidation of structural mechanisms taking part in the regulation of gene activity. Kinetoplast DNA (kpDNA) is a convenient model for studies of compactization processes. KpDNA represents unique structure ("network"), consisting of catenated circular molecules of two types: minicircles (900 b.p.) and maxicircles (40 000 b.p.). The compactization process of kpDNA in vitro caused by interaction with synthetic peptide-dansylhydraside trivaline was studied. It was shown that at the initial stages the hairpins are observed on minicircles as if triple rings are being organized. The formation of hairpin is probably favoured by the presence in the minicircles of bent DNA, a specific nucleotide sequence causing rigid bending of the DNA helix. The hairpin does not make contact with the neighbouring DNA segment to form a triple ring, because the sizes of minicircles are too small. The minicircles compactization is finished with a complete collapse of the minicircles with the formation of rod-like structures. The catenation causes branching of rod-like structures. As a result of their intermolecular interaction, the branched rod-like structures become thicker. The process is completed with formation of the compact network, its diameter being 3-6 times smaller compared to the initial one.

[Interaction of trivaline with single-stranded polyribonucleotides]. / Vzaimodeistvie trivalina s odnonitevymi poliribonukleotidami.

Binding of tripeptide H-Val3-(NH)2-Dns (TVP) to polyribonucleotides was studied by fluorescence methods, circular and flow linear dichroism, equilibrium dialysis and electron microscopy. It was found that TVP binds to poly(U) in monomer, dimer and tetramer forms with binding constants of about 10(3), 40, 18.10(4) M, respectively. The cooperativity parameter for peptide dimer binding is 2000. The peptide forms tetramer complexes with poly(A), poly(C), poly(G) also. The formation of a complex between the peptide tetramer and nucleic acid is accompanied by a significant increase in the fluorescence intensity. The cooperative binding of TVP dimers to poly(U), poly(A), poly(C) is accompanied by a dramatic decrease in the flexibility of polynucleotide chains. However, it has a small effect (if any) on the flexibility of the poly(G) chain. The observed similarity of thermodynamic, optical and hydrodynamic++ properties of TVP complexes with single-stranded and double-stranded nucleic acids may reflect a similarity in the geometries of peptide complexes with nucleic acids. Electron microscopy studies show that peptide binding to poly(U) and dsDNA leads to compactization of the nucleic acids caused by interaction between the peptide tetramers bound to a nucleic acid. At the first stage of the compactization process the well-organized rod-like particles are formed, each consisting of one or more single-stranded polynucleotide fibers. Increasing the peptide concentration stimulates a side-by-side association and folding of the rods with the formation of macromolecular "leech-like" structures with the thickness of 20-50 nm.

[The hierarchy of complexes and compact structures of trivaline with nucleic acids. III. Complexes of trivaline with trinucleotides forms a rod-like structure with length of about 1000 A in solution]. / Ob ierarkhii kompleksov i kompaktnykh struktur trivalina s nukleinovymi kislotami. III. Kompleksy trivalina s trinukleotidami obrazuiut v rastvore palochkoobraznye struktury dlinoi 1000 A]

We demonstrated the ability of trivaline in the course of interaction with certain trinucleotides in solution to form extended fibre-like structures with lengths of up to several thousand angstroms. Such structures were observed for complexes of trivaline with both deoxyribo- and ribonucleotides with homopurine, homopyrimidine, or random sequences, with or without terminal 5'-phosphate. A model of organization of such structures is proposed. It is based on tetramer complex of trivaline with short nucleotides, two structural units of which, consisting of trivaline tetramer and two trinucleotides, form the octamer complex. It has three perpendicular axes of symmetry of the second order. The spatial location of bases in this structure is additionally fixed by nucleopeptide interactions. The latter create favourable conditions for arranging hydrogen bonds between trinucleotides belonging to different tetramer complexes and stacking interactions between the bases of each nucleotide. Octamer complexes are able to form regular aggregates in the form of a "stack", consisting of dozens of elementary units. These aggregates can be electron microscopically visualized as extended fibre-like structures.

[Effect of supporting substrates on the structure of DNA and DNA-trivaline complexes studied by atomic force microscopy]. / Vliianie podlozhek pri atomno-silovoi mikroskopii DNK i kompleksov DNK s trivalinom na ikh strukturu.

Linear DNA, circular DNA, and circular DNA complexes with trivaline (TV), a synthetic oligopeptide, were imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM) using mica as a conventional supporting substrate and modified highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) as an alternative substrate. A method of modifying the HOPG surface was developed that enabled the adsorption of DNA and DNA-TV complexes onto this surface. On mica, both purified DNA and DNA-TV complexes were shown to undergo significant structural distortions: DNA molecules decrease in height and DNA-TP displays substantial changes in the shape of its circular compact structures. Use of the HOPG support helps preserve the structural integrity of the complexes and increase the measured height of DNA molecules up to 2 nm. AFM with the HOPG support was shown to efficiently reveal the particular points of the complexes where, according to known models of their organization, a great number of bent DNA fibers meet. These results provide additional information on DNA organization in its complexes with TV and are also of methodological interest, since the use of the modified HOPG may widen the possibilities of AFM in studying DNA and its complexes with various ligands.

[DNA complexes with synthetic oligopeptides: a model for studying the regularity of DNA compactization in vivo]. / Kompleksy DNK s sinteticheskimi oligopeptidami: model' dlia izucheniia zakonomernostei DNK in vivo.

The electron microscopic data on compactization of DNA at interaction with the synthetic oligopeptides having the trend of beta-structures formation in solutions are summarized. The new types of intramolecular and intermolecular compact structures are described in brief. Sequence of compactization process steps is discussed, the models of DNA packaging in the structures are presented. On the basis of the data presented the general principles of arrangement of the described compact structures are formulated, the mechanisms are proposed for formation of different types of compact particles on the final stage of the process of DNA condensation. Some processes of the genetic material compactization in vivo are discussed in which the proposed mechanisms for compact structures formation may have realization.

[Biosynthesis of the membrane protein of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome virus (HIV) with a deleted hydrophobic region in E. coli cells]. / Biosintez obolochechnogo elka virusa sindroma priobretennogo immunodefitsita (HIV) s udalennoi gidrofobnoi oblast'iu v kletkakh E. coli.

Effect of the structure of cloned env gene of HIV virus on the level of its expression has been studied. The deletion of the hydrophobic region from the env gene has been shown to increase considerably the biosynthesis of antigen-specific proteins in Escherichia coli cells. At the same time, the low level of expression of the gene fragment the transcription of which is controlled by a powerful lac-promoter suggests the presence of toxic regions of nonhydrophobic nature in the synthesized antigen.