[Programmed death of the eukaryote cells]. / Zaprogrammirovannaia gibel' éukarioticheskikh kletok.

The authors review literary and own data on programmed death of cells (PDC) in animals and plants, molecular mechanisms of apoptosis in animals, and key PDC regulating genes.

[Evaluation of gene protective effects of some natural anti-mutation substance]. / Issledovanie antimutagennykh éffektov nekotorykh prirodnykh veshchestv.

Antimutation activity of some bee products was evaluated with a battery of test-systems. Tablets of apilac prepared out of queen bee milk did not demonstrate gene-protective effects in Ames' test. Other bee products, i.e. propolis, beebread, honey preparations 1 and 2 and queen bee milk were able to mitigate to a degree ill effects of some chemical and physical mutagenes. Propolis was found to be toxic to the yeast cell. Antimutation properties of natural queen bee milk revealed in the experiment with test-objects were lost after the product had been processed into the tabloid form or stored at room temperature.

[Gene pool of the population of Ukraine: Current state and new approaches to maintenance and conservation]. / Genofond narodonaselennia Ukraïny: Suchasnyi stan ta novi pidkhody do problemy zakhystu i zberezhennia.

Defense and conservation of the Ukraine Population genofond are the most topical problem of nowadays. Stating of the criteria of population genofond status valuation, revealing all the damaging factors and applying of scientific methods of modern genetics are necessary for the development of theoretical and methodological bases of this problem. The authors try to analyze in detail negative factors causing damage in genofond of the Ukraine population, to forecast the dynamics of further development of ecological-genetic situation in the Ukraine, to analyze new approaches to the problem of genofond defense and conservation, as well as estimation of possible consequences caused by changes in population genofond.

[The antimutagenic action of apiculture products]. / Antimutagennoe deistvie produktov pchelovodstva.

Using the battery of test-systems, we studied the possible antimutagenic activity of some products of apiculture. It is established that apilak-preparation made on the basis of queen bee milk didn't show gene-protective abilities in Ames test. The rest products of apiculture: propolis, beebread, honey preparations N1 and N2, and queen bee milk manifested to some degree their ability to decrease the mutagenic effects of some chemical and physical mutagens. The toxic effect of propolis upon yeast cells was established. Queen bee milk manifested the least antimutagenic properties (on all test-objects used in experiments).

[Characteristics of digital and palmar dermatoglyphics in people of different ages living in the territory of the Ukrainian Polesie]. / Nekotorye osobennosti pal'tsevoi i ladonnoi dermatoglifiki u lits raznogo vozrasta, prozhivaiushchikh na territorii Ukrainskogo Poles'ia.

Examination of dermatoglyphs in people aged 50-103 living in the territory of the Ukrainian Polesie has revealed age differences in some indices of dermatoglyphics: total crest count, palmar angle, character of the cutaneous pattern of fingers. It assumed that these differences have arisen as a consequence of selection of persons characterized by high reliability of the genotype functioning. The data obtained permit supposing that it is possible to use dermatoglyphics for determining hereditary predisposition of people to longevity.

[Primary structure of the basic nuclear protein from spermatozoa of the mollusk Illex argentinus and its comparison with the structure of sperm proteins in other animals]. / Pervichnaia struktura osnovnogo iadernogo belka iz spermatozoidov golovonogogo molliuska Illex argentinus i sravnenie ee so strukturami spermal'nykh belkov drugikh zhivotnykh.

The spermatic protein of chromatin I2 of squid Illex argentinus was separated by HPLC into two components I2-1 and I2-2. Amino acid sequences of the major portion of protein I2-1 (52 residues) and the N-terminal sequence of protein I2-2 (21 residues) were determined. Arginines in protein I2-1 are arranged in clusters typical of protamines; the first cluster is in the N-terminus, the longest heterogeneous basic cluster is in the central part of the protein chain, the C-terminal part of the molecule contains two clusters of three hydroxyamino acids each. The N-terminal sequences of illexins I2-1 and I2-2 (1-14 residues) are highly homologous. Homologous regions were found in illexin I2-1, tunnin of tuna fish and avian gallin thus defining the notion of proteins of an intermediate type from mollusc spermatozoa chromatin exemplified by the squid protamine-like protein.

[Heteromorphism of chromosome 1, 9 and 16 homologs in persons living in regions differing in the level of longevity]. / Geteromorfizm gomologov khromosom 1, 9, 16 u lits, prozhivaiushchikh v regionakh s razlichnym urovnem dolgoletiia.

Regional and age-related peculiarities of chromosomal polymorphism are established as a result of studies in C-band heteromorphism of chromosomes 1, 9 and 16 in the long-lived subjects, their relatives and population groups of the Abkhaz and Ukrainian Republics. Heteromorphism frequencies of chromosomes 1 and 9 homologs are higher in the Abkhaz as compared with the Ukrainian Republic. Age-related differences as to the degree of expression of chromosome 9 C-band heteromorphism are found: in the Abkhaz Province the frequency of variants with a high heteromorphism degree increases with age, while in the Ukrainian one--with a low heteromorphism degree.

[Incidence of familial longevity among the population of the Ukrainian SSR]. / Chastota semeinogo dolgoletiia sredi naseleniia Ukrainskoi SSR.

The genealogical method was used to study the family longevity in 220 individuals aged 80 and older in the Ukrainian SSR. The family longevity rate and total index are found to increase with the age of individuals examined. These indices in most cases are higher in men than in women and can be used as genetic markers to estimate the potential longevity.

[Interaction of histone H1 molecules in a solution]. / Vzaimodeistvie molekul gistonov H1 v rastvore.

Molecules of histones H1 isolated from the calf thymus, carp testicles and spermatozoa as well as trypsin-stable fragments of these proteins have been studied from the standpoint of their structure and interaction using methods of differential spectrophotometry, gel filtration and turbidimetry. The globular structure of histone H1 of the calf thymus is formed with an increase in the ionic strength of the medium and it is eluted as dimer with gel chromatography. With a considerable local increase of ionic strength (by addition of NaCl crystals) molecules of histones H1 form high-molecular aggregates from all the studied tissues. This aggregation is a result of interaction of globular trypsin-stable sites. Molecules of histone H1 from carp testicles and spermatozoa as well as their trypsin-stable fragments revealed no differences in the ability to form dimers and aggregates.

[Changes in the compactness of nucleosome chromatin from the bovine liver during aging]. / Izmenenie kompaktnosti nukleosom khromatina pecheni krupnogo rogatogo skota pri starenii.

Electrophoresis methods used to study the fragments of chromatin revealed under the effect of Ca,Mg-dependent endonuclease on it have permitted establishing that stability of chromatin to the nucleosome level increases with aging. Changes in the compactness of the chromatin structure with aging make the accessibility of the linker DNA to nuclease lower the size of DNA fragments corresponding to mononucleosomes increasing from 192 +/- 5 pairs of bases to 209 +/- 5 pairs. Stabilization of the chromatin structure begins from certain nucleosomes which become more compact with the age. When analyzing basic proteins of chromatin by electrophoresis in different systems no qualitative changes were found in the subfraction composition of histones with aging, that permits supposing nonhistone proteins of chromatin and histone H1 to participate in the change of the chromatin structure compactness with the age.

cAMP and cGMP (EVE) changes in immune competent cells under sensibilization and anaphylactic shock of animals of different age.

The studies performed proved that there were no substantial differences in intracellular content of cAMP and cGMP in immune systems of both old and young animals. The influence of equine serum upon lymphocytes in accompanied by the most substantial changes in concentrations of cyclic nucleotides in spleen B-cells. The amplitude of level changes in cAMP and cGMP in these cells under anaphylactic shock doubles the value of old animals. Thus together with genetically preprogrammed change in functional activity of immune competent cells, expressed in different force of immune response, the correlative changes in cyclase system of animals of different ages have been observed.

[Structure of histone octamers in reconstituted polynucleosomes]. / Struktura oktamera gistonov v sostave rekonstruirovannykh polinukleosom.

The salt-dependent structural changes of the histone octamer in complex with high-molecular-weight DNA have been studied by fluorescent spectroscopy. Changes in both the spectra maximum position and anisotropy of the histone tyrosine fluorescence reveal structural transitions in nucleosome within the ranges of 0.5-3 mM and 20-30 mM NaCl. Comparison of the octamer fluorescent parameters in complex with DNA as well as in a free state permits to interpret the revealed structural transitions as a change in degree of contacts stability between (H2A-H2B) dimer and (H3-H4)2 tetramer. More pronounced conformational changes in histone octamer are observed under the conditions of polynucleosome fibers interaction within the range of physiological ionic strength (100-600 mM NaCl). As far as fluorescent parameters are concerned, the aforementioned changes are connected with entire destruction of (H2A-H2B) dimer specific contacts with (H3-H4)2 tetramer. The obtained results suggest the possibility of existence of different structural states of histone octamer in the chromatin composition including those which are quite dissimilar from the octamer structure in the 2M NaCl solution.

On the maximal chronological age of man.

With the aim of clarifying the question on the maximal life span of man 144 the long-lived persons of the Azerbeijan SSR aged 90 and over were studied. To determine chronological age different research method, documents confirming age (passports, registers in village Soviets, etc.) were used, wedding dated, date of birth of their children were studied, memories on remembering historic events, ect., were checked. As a result of the complex determination of age, it was established that in 24.3% of the cases the age of the long-lived persons had been exaggerated. The maximal chronological age of man has been established as being 121 years. This age has been reached in the Azerbaijan SSR by men and women alike.

[Analysis of the dynamic equilibrium of histone oligomers in a solution. The nature of forces stabilizing the (H2A-H2B-H3-H4)2 octamer structure]. / Analiz dinamicheskogo ravnovesiia oligomerov gistonov v rastvore. Priroda sil, stabiliziruiushchikh strukturu oktamera (H2A-H2B-H3-H4)2.

Dynamic equilibrium analysis of the (H2A-H2B-H3-H4)2 histone octamer with lower oligomers was performed in 2 M NaCl. Calculated data on the relative content of histone oligomers upon changing protein concentration in solution are given. The red shift of lambda max for histone tyrosine fluorescence spectra is shown to be due to hydrogen bond formation by tyrosyl OH-groups. Analysis of free energy changes of histone oligomers upon association (delta G = -17,37 +/- 0,14 kcal/mole) as well as the effect of urea on histone octamer dissociation made it possible to conclude that virtually all tyrosyls in octamer form hydrogen bonds. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed by tyrosyls contribute substantially to octamer stabilization. The (H2A-H2B) dimer positive cooperativity in association with the (H3-H4)2 tetramer was found. This cooperativity is caused by interaction between association sites with a two order increase in an apparent constant of dimers with tetramer association. The histone octamer was determined to be of asymmetric structure due to unequivolency of the two binding sites for the (H2A-H2B) dimers.

[Two structural forms of histone octamer]. / Dve strukturnye formy oktamera gistonov.

It has been found that histone octamer of calf thymus (H2A--H2B--H3--H4)2 can exist in two structural states--"loose" (2M NaCl) and "compact" one (4M NaCl). The compact state of the octamer is characterized by screening of part of tyrosyls for quenching effect of ions I-, longer relaxation time of tyrosyls, greater stability of histone H3 towards trypsinolysis, complete absence of interactions between histone H3 SH-groups and parachlormercuribenzoate.

[Spatial organization of the (H3-H4-H2A-H2B)2 histone octamer]. / Prostranstvennaia organizatsiia oktamera gistonov (H3-H4-H2A-H2B)2.

Structure of the (H2A-H2B-H3-H4)2 histone octamer isolated from calf thymus chromatin at ionic strength 0.1 to 4.0 M NaCl, pH 7.6, was studied spectrofluorometrically. Sensitivity of lambda max tyrosine fluorescence position to structural changes of histone oligomers and to the processes of their association was shown. It were detect two ranges of cooperative changes in histone optical parameters at 0.6-1.4 M NaCl (transition I) and at 2.4-3.4 M NaCl (transition II): Transition I corresponds to the formation of equilibrium system (hexamer) + (dimer) in equilibrium octamer. Transition II corresponds to the structural changes of the histone octamer. Thus, fluorescence anisotropy increases, lambda max for fluorescence spectrum is shifted to the longer wavelengths, contributions of two components to fluorescence decay change, a fraction of fluorescence accessible to the quenching by I- decreases. Histone octamer formation is characterized by making specific contacts between the (H2A-H2B) dimer and (H3-H4)2 tetramer. These contacts are realized at gradual changing of ionic strengths (by dialysis). In the case of abrupt local changes of the environment the process is irreversibly shifted to formation of unspecific high molecular aggregates. The important function role for energetically degenerated states of histone oligomers, energy barriers between which can be overcome by changing total conditions of histone microenvironment in chromatin is discussed.

[Accessibility of histone oligomers to the action of trypsin in a solution or in chromatin with different degrees of compactness]. / Dostupnost' oligomerov gistonov deistviiu tripsina v rastvore i v sostave khromatina s razlichnoi stepen'iu kompaktnosti.

The accessibility to trypsin of "core" histones within the dimer (H2A-H2B), tetramer (H3-H4)2, octamer (H2A-H2B-H3-H4)2 and in chromatin was studied. It was shown that the hydrolysis of histones H2A and H2B within the dimer and octamer occurs in essentially the same way. The tetramer (H2-H4)2 becomes more compact with an increase in the ionic strength. Some of the tetramer (H3-H4)2 sites within the octamer are protected against trypsin. It was demonstrated that in terms of the histone accessibility to trypsin chromatin can exist in three states, i.e., tightly packed (in the presence of histone H1 and bivalent cations), intermediate (in the absence of histone H1 or bivalent cations) and folded (in the absence of histone H1 and bivalent cations). The folding of histones in neither of these chromatin states coincides with that within the octamer in 2M NaCl.

[Statistics on familial longevity in different regions of the USSR]. / Chastota semeinogo dolgoletiia v raznykh regionakh SSSR.

The genealogical method was used to study family longevity among 416 individuals at the age of 80-121 and older in the Ukrainian SSR, Abkhazian ASSR and Azerbaijan SSR. The rate of family longevity and total index of family longevity increase with the age of individuals examined. These indices are higher in most cases in men than in women.

Intrinsic fluorescence, difference spectrophotometry and theoretical studies on tertiary structure of calf thymus histone H1.

Tyr-72 is included in the hydrophobic cleft which is formed in the histone H1 globular head. Tyr-72 is screened against polar aqueous environment and its intramolecular mobility is sharply retarded. This microenvironment causes a red shift (lambda max = 279 nm) and a sharpening of the longer wavelength shoulder of absorption spectra, a high fluoresence anisotropy value (A = 0,11), high quantum yield of fluoresence (approximately 0.2) and a decrease of the Stern-Volmer Constant during quenching of histone H1 fluorescence by acrylamide. It has been found that the change in the intensity of histone fluorescence at lambda excit = 265 nm, but not at lambda excit = 280 nm, is due to the changes in the quantum yield of fluorescence. The increase of fluorescence intensity at lambda excit = 280 nm depends on the changes in the quantum yield and molar extinction coefficient of histone H1 tyrosyl chromophore. The change in the ratio of fluorescence intensity exited at 280 nm (F280) to the fluorescence intensity excited at 265 nm (F265) corresponds to the change of delta epsilon 286 in difference absorption spectra. The introduction of the parameter Cf = F280/F265 allows one to go over to studying excitation spectrum shifts instead of histone absorption spectrum shifts, which is much more convenient methodologically since in this case it is possible to carry out research using lower protein concentrations and turbid solutions. The results make it possible to designate Tyr-72 of histone H1 as a special class of fluorescent tyrosyls whose properties differ from those of tyrosyls of other tryptophane-free proteins: RNAase, insulin, core histones--H2A, H2B, H3, H4 and some others.