[Genetic diversity of modern Russian durum wheat cultivars at the gliadin-coding loci].

The allelic diversity at four gliadin-coding loci was examined in modern cultivars of the spring and winter durum wheat Triticum durum Desf. Comparative analysis of the allelic diversity showed that the gene pools of these two types of durum wheat, having different life styles, were considerably different. For the modern spring durum wheat cultivars, a certain reduction of the genetic diversity was observed compared to the cultivars bred in the 20th century.

[Effect of dendritic cell autovaccine on the treatment outcome in patients with ovarian cancer].

During I/II phase clinical trial in ovarian cancer (OC) patients two types of autologous anticancer vaccines based on dendritic cells have been tested, and a comparative analysis of their effectiveness have been performed. It was shown that the anticancer vaccines based on DC, "loaded" with autologous tumor cell lysate obtained by treatment of tumor cells by cytotoxic lectins B. subtilis had higher efficiency, compared with the standard DC--autovaccine. The presence of antigen-specific immune response observed after at least four vaccinations. Obtained results open the prospects to improve the basic treatment of OC patients by this method. The results of immunological examinations create preconditions for individual optimization of the DC-vaccine therapy.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 92-106.

Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from Australia: Diaporthe ceratozamiae on Ceratozamia robusta, Seiridium banksiae on Banksia marginata, Phyllosticta hymenocallidicola on Hymenocallis littoralis, Phlogicylindrium uniforme on Eucalyptus cypellocarpa, Exosporium livistonae on Livistona benthamii and Coleophoma eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus piperita. Several species are also described from South Africa, namely: Phoma proteae, Pyrenochaeta protearum and Leptosphaeria proteicola on Protea spp., Phaeomoniella niveniae on Nivenia stokoei, Toxicocladosporium leucadendri on Leucadendron sp. and Scorias leucadendri on Leucadendron muirii. Other species include Myrmecridium phragmitis on Phragmites australis (Netherlands) and Camarographium carpini on Carpinus betulus (Russia). Furthermore, Pseudoidriella syzygii on Syzygium sp. represents a novel genus of hyphomycetes collected in Australia. Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa.

[Efficiency of evaluating the carcinogenicity of chemical substances in short-term tests and the SAR model].

The efficiency of estimating the carcinogenic activity of chemical substances was compared for five short-term tests and structure-activity relationships (SAR) analysis. The sample included 84 substances with known biological testing results obtained by the Ames test, bacterial SOS chromotest (SOS), chromosome aberration (CA) cytogenetic test, sister chromatid exchange (SHE) test, and gene mutation (GM) test with mammalian cells in vitro and by carcinogenicity assays in rodents in vivo. Structural descriptors were selected using an original database, which included the structural formulas of substances with known carcinogenic activity in rodents. Original software was created to generate and select the descriptors that statistically coincided with carcinogenic activity. The descriptors that were associated exclusively with carcinogenic substances from the database and the tests that produced positive results exclusively with carcinogens were used to evaluate the carcinogenic activity of the substances. A combination of three short-term tests (Ames, SOS, and CA tests) and the SAR model proved to identify carcinogenicity for more than 60% of carcinogens.

[Dependence of the carcinogenicity of nitro compounds on their structural characteristics].

A new approach to the description of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR analysis) based on compound descriptors has been used. The effect of the structural characteristics of nitric compounds on their carcinogenicity has been studied. It has been found that the carcinogenicity of nitric compounds is determined by the presence of furyl and/or azole heterocycles not condensed with benzene rings in their molecular structures. The carcinogenicity of the nitric compounds in which the benzene ring is the basic structure is determined by the presence of other substituents (halogens, amines, and methyl groups) and their positions relative to the nitro group.

[Use of ensemble structural descriptors for increasing the efficiency of QSAR study].

A new concept of describing the dependence of the mutagenic activity of a chemical substance on its structure (QSAR analysis) is presented. It involves ensemble descriptors, which are combinations of unrelated fragments of molecular structure. Software has been developed to generate various structural fragments of molecules and their combinations (ensembles) and select ensemble descriptors of statistical significance for the biological activity of a chemical. By examples of univocal ensemble descriptors consisting of two structural fragments and present only in active or only in inactive compounds, it has been shown that the efficiency of QSAR study can be increased fourfold or more. The approach has been applied to a set of 105 compounds whose mutagenic effect on rodent sex cells is known.

[Population genetic analysis of the association between the BRCA1 and P53 gene polymorphisms and the risk of sporadic breast cancer].

Polymorphism of two tumor-suppressor genes, BRCA1 and P53, was examined. DNA was extracted from blood leukocytes of the women affected with breast cancer (N = 151) and of the women with no clinical symptoms of tumor diseases (N = 191). Typing of the polymorphic variants was performed using PCR-RFLP method. It was demonstrated that the genetic structure of the patient group (taking into consideration BRCA1 and P53 polymorphic variants) differed from that of the control group. The group of genotypes, found exclusively among the patients, as well as the group of "resistant" genotypes revealed predominantly among the controls, was described. Detection of the genotype A1A1 B1B1 S1S1 C1C1 F1F1 J2J2, whose frequency in control group was eight times higher than in the patient group, was an additional confirmation of the existence of "resistant" genotypes. These findings point to the association between the combinations of the BRCA1 and P53 allelic variants and the risk of breast cancer.

[Mutants of cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 with insertion of the sodB gene encoding Fe-superoxide dismutase]. / Mutanty tsianobakterii Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 s insertsiiami v gen sodB, kodiruiushchii Fe-superoksiddismutazu.

The sodB gene encoding the only superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) in cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 was inactivated with gentamycin resistance aacC1 marker insertions located in the direct or inverted order toward the sodB gene. The corresponding delta sodB12 and delta sodB22 mutants are characterized by the complete absence of superoxide dismutase activity and the loss of viability upon standard photoautotrophic cultivation. Mutant cells can grow under conditions of a decreased illumination intensity and upon addition of NaHCO3 with catalase or bovine serum albumin in the growth medium. The delta sodB22 mutant is auxotrophic for leucine due to the polar effect of insertion into the sodB gene on the downstream leuB gene controlling leucine biosynthesis. These data suggest that Fe-SOD is very important for providing tolerance of Synechocystis cells to oxidative stress and that sodB and leuB genes are organized into a single operon.

[Physical development of children in the rural area of the Gomel region in post-Chernobyl period]. / Fizicheskoe razvitie sel'skikh detei gomel'skogo raiona v post-Chernobyl'skii period.

The results of screening of 200 children (88 boys and 112 girls) aged from 8 to 13 residing in rural areas with the environment contaminated with radioisotopes-traces of Chernobyl disaster. Changes in body weight, height and height-mass coefficient were shown. Disharmonious development of the children studied was demonstrated in age-sex dependence.

[Anthropometric characteristics of rural school children 8-13 years of age living in radioactive pollution areas]. / Antropometricheskaia kharakteristika sel'skikh shkol'nikov 8-13 let, prozhivaiushchikh na territorii radioaktivnogo zagriazneniia.

The paper presents the results of a study of age- and sex-specific features of physical development in schoolchildren aged 8 to 13 years who reside in the rural areas exposed to radioisotopes. Changes in their body weight, height, and weight-height ratio are analyzed.