Bifidobacteria are frequently proposed to be associated with good intestinal health primarily because of their overriding dominance in the feces of breast fed infants. However, clinical feeding ...studies with exogenous bifidobacteria show they don't remain in the intestine, suggesting they may lose competitive fitness when grown outside the gut.
To further the understanding of genetic attenuation that may be occurring in bifidobacteria cultures, we obtained the complete genome sequence of an intestinal isolate, Bifidobacterium longum DJO10A that was minimally cultured in the laboratory, and compared it to that of a culture collection strain, B. longum NCC2705. This comparison revealed colinear genomes that exhibited high sequence identity, except for the presence of 17 unique DNA regions in strain DJO10A and six in strain NCC2705. While the majority of these unique regions encoded proteins of diverse function, eight from the DJO10A genome and one from NCC2705, encoded gene clusters predicted to be involved in diverse traits pertinent to the human intestinal environment, specifically oligosaccharide and polyol utilization, arsenic resistance and lantibiotic production. Seven of these unique regions were suggested by a base deviation index analysis to have been precisely deleted from strain NCC2705 and this is substantiated by a DNA remnant from within one of the regions still remaining in the genome of NCC2705 at the same locus. This targeted loss of genomic regions was experimentally validated when growth of the intestinal B. longum in the laboratory for 1,000 generations resulted in two large deletions, one in a lantibiotic encoding region, analogous to a predicted deletion event for NCC2705. A simulated fecal growth study showed a significant reduced competitive ability of this deletion strain against Clostridium difficile and E. coli. The deleted region was between two IS30 elements which were experimentally demonstrated to be hyperactive within the genome. The other deleted region bordered a novel class of mobile elements, termed mobile integrase cassettes (MIC) substantiating the likely role of these elements in genome deletion events.
Deletion of genomic regions, often facilitated by mobile elements, allows bifidobacteria to adapt to fermentation environments in a very rapid manner (2 genome deletions per 1,000 generations) and the concomitant loss of possible competitive abilities in the gut.
Many human diseases including cancer, degenerative and autoimmune disorders, diabetes and others are multifactorial. Pharmaceutical agents acting on a single target do not provide their efficient ...curation. Multitargeted drugs exhibiting pleiotropic pharmacological effects have certain advantages due to the normalization of the complex pathological processes of different etiology. Extracts of medicinal plants (EMP) containing multiple phytocomponents are widely used in traditional medicines for multifactorial disorders’ treatment. Experimental studies of pharmacological potential for multicomponent compositions are quite expensive and time‐consuming. In silico evaluation of EMP the pharmacological potential may provide the basis for selecting the most promising directions of testing and for identifying potential additive/synergistic effects. Multiphytoadaptogen (MPhA) containing 70 major phytocomponents of different chemical classes from 40 medicinal plant extracts has been studied in vitro, in vivo and in clinical researches. Antiproliferative and anti‐tumor activities have been shown against some tumors as well as evidence‐based therapeutic effects against age‐related pathologies. In addition, the neuroprotective, antioxidant, antimutagenic, radioprotective, and immunomodulatory effects of MPhA were confirmed. Analysis of the PASS profiles of the biological activity of MPhA phytocomponents showed that most of the predicted anti‐tumor and anti‐metastatic effects were consistent with the results of laboratory and clinical studies. Antimutagenic, immunomodulatory, radioprotective, neuroprotective and anti‐Parkinsonian effects were also predicted for most of the phytocomponents. Effects associated with positive effects on the male and female reproductive systems have been identified too.
Thus, PASS and PharmaExpert can be used to evaluate the pharmacological potential of complex pharmaceutical compositions containing natural products
The rise of antibiotic resistance has necessitated the development of alternative strategies for the treatment of infectious diseases. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), components of the innate immune ...response in various organisms, are promising next-generation drugs against bacterial infections. The ability of the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis to store blood for months with little change has attracted interest regarding the identification of novel AMPs in this organism. In this study, we employed computational algorithms to the medicinal leech genome assembly to identify amino acid sequences encoding potential AMPs. Then, we synthesized twelve candidate AMPs identified by the algorithms, determined their secondary structures, measured minimal inhibitory concentrations against three bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Chlamydia thrachomatis), and assayed cytotoxic and haemolytic activities. Eight of twelve candidate AMPs possessed antimicrobial activity, and only two of them, 3967 (FRIMRILRVLKL) and 536–1 (RWRLVCFLCRRKKV), exhibited inhibition of growth of all tested bacterial species at a minimal inhibitory concentration of 10 μmol. Thus, we evidence the utility of the developed computational algorithms for the identification of AMPs with low toxicity and haemolytic activity in the medicinal leech genome assembly.
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•Twelve candidate AMPs of medicinal leech H. medicinalis were identified by the computational algorithms and synthesized.•Peptides 3967 and 536–1 inhibit the growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at a MIC of 10 μM.•Peptides 3967 and 536–1 exhibit low haemolytic activity with no cytotoxic effects.•Structure determination of the peptides in a membrane-mimetic environment was carried out by NMR spectroscopy.
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An improved prototype of the large-aperture, high-resolution spectrometer−polychromator (the so-called high-etendue spectrometer, HES) has been designed for spectroscopy diagnostics of plasma, in ...particular, for the Charge-eXchange Recombination Spectroscopy (CXRS) diagnostics at the ITER facility. Ion temperature profiles, poloidal and toroidal plasma rotation velocities, and low-
Z
impurity densities can be measured using the CXRS technique. The HES is equipped with novel, high-efficiency compact sCMOS cameras with low noise level, wide dynamic range, high quantum efficiency, and almost 100% working cycle. The HES is based on three transmission holographic gratings, which allow its simultaneous operation in three spectral bands: 468 ± 5, 529 ± 5, and 656 ± 6 nm. The main performance characteristics of the cameras, transmission gratings, and the spectrometer as a unit have been measured. It has been established that the characteristics of the developed HES satisfy the requirements for the spectroscopic equipment intended for measurements of the ITER CXRS diagnostic system.
The transition to a new reference period of 1991–2020 requires updating the estimates of agroclimatic resources in agricultural regions. The paper summarizes the results of the annual monitoring of ...agroclimatic conditions over 1961–1990 and 1991–2020 obtained by both the statistical analysis and the Climate–Soil–Yield simulation system and provides their comparative evaluation. It has been noted that along with growing aridity of the most fertile areas of the steppe and forest-steppe zones, there is an almost universal growth of spring precipitation, which compensates to some extent the negative impact of high summer temperatures on the yield. A significant decrease in the climate-driven productivity of spring wheat from the period of 1961–1990 to the new reference period of 1991–2020 has been revealed for the main grain-producing regions. Estimates of productivity trends for major grain crops, spring and winter wheat, are given in connection with climate change and the development of agricultural technologies. Estimates of changes in the wintering indices and sown areas for winter wheat are also given.
TRT (Tokamak with Reactor Technologies) is the next major step in Russia’s National Controlled Fusion Program. The TRT facility is designed to develop technologies for providing a long operating ...pulse that is possible using high-temperature superconductivity. To control the operation of the TRT facility and control the parameters of thermonuclear plasma, it is necessary to develop and create a whole complex of diagnostic systems. One of the planned diagnostic systems for TRT is the “Active spectroscopy” diagnostic abbreviated in literature as CXRS. The development of this diagnostic is possible using either the heating or the diagnostic neutral beams. Its tasks include measuring the most important plasma parameters such as ion temperature, plasma rotation velocity, and the concentration of light impurities along the entire radius of the plasma column. This work presents the development of the Active Spectroscopy diagnostic system for the TRT facility. The levels of the active and background signals, as well as the signal-to-noise ratio are estimated. The simulation results for the spectral profiles of plasma radiation are presented. Based on the simulation results, a measurement scheme is proposed that takes into account the need for simultaneous measurements for the different spatial points. A description of the proposed light collection system from the plasma is given, as well as a description of the proposed measuring equipment. The accuracy of measuring individual plasma parameters and the achievable spatial resolution are estimated.
The accumulations of iron in the halophytic species
Triglochin maritima
L.,
Plantago maritima
L.,
Aster tripolium
L., and
Zostera marina
L. were studied. Littoral soils are not contaminated with iron ...(6–16 g/kg). Seawater, on the contrary, contains high concentrations of iron (0.04–0.32 mg/l). Halophytes accumulate iron to very high values (6.49–71.63 g/kg), and 93% of this metal is found in rhizomes. The reasons for this phenomenon are discussed. Halophytes of the littoral zone of the White Sea are involved in the biogeochemical iron cycle as the main fixation sites of iron in the “coast–sea” system. They have phytoremediation potential on coastal territories.
The authors propose a dedicated mobile roof support for underground coal mining. Joint deformation of roof rocks and roof support is analyzed using the finite element method. The shapes and sizes of ...failure zones and the influence of the support on coal and host rocks are determined. The application area for the mobile roof support in underground mining is outlined, and the essentiality of the current prediction method of dynamic events during mining is substantiated. It is feasible to increase the rate of heading by means of reduction of the heading cycle duration.
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