Development Of Organisms Research Articles

РОЗРОБКА ТА ВИРОБНИЦТВО ЛЕГКИХ ЛІТАЛЬНИХ АПАРАТІВ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКОГО ПРИЗНАЧЕННЯ

Issues of protecting plants from diseases and pests are becoming more and more urgent. Climate change causes an increase in the activity of weedy plants and insects harmful to agriculture. Because of this, the chemical treatment of fields by aviation in modern agriculture should serve the purpose of preserving the future harvest in both a qualitative and quantitative sense. An important role in this is played by the biological method of plant protection, which is quite effective and environmentally friendly. It is based on the use of living organisms, their waste products and biologically active substances that regulate the development and reproduction of harmful plant organisms. Scientists have developed technologies for the breeding of such zoophages to protect plants from plant pests: Trichogramma, predatory mite Phytoseiulus, encarzia, Aphidimyza gallica, etc., as well as the production of microbiological preparations to protect plants from diseases and pests, the high efficiency of their use has been proven. Aircraft (planes, helicopters, ultralight aircraft) that are registered in the State Register of Civil Aviation Aircraft of Ukraine and have a certificate for the right to perform aerochemical work are allowed to carry out aerial work on the application of pesticides during agrochemical activities on agricultural and forest crops. The requirements for the characteristics of the aircraft, directive requirements for the technology of production, operation and maintenance of airworthiness were formulated. The evaluation of the manufacturability of the considered products (agricultural LA) cannot be evaluated without taking into account the operational manufacturability, which largely determines the costs when performing work in the field. Along with the requirements for the manufacturability of the aircraft design, the so-called operational requirements are of great importance. These requirements determine the suitability of the structure and equipment for its maintenance and repair during the operation of the aircraft, taking into account the high quality of work, the least consumption of time, labor and materials. Satisfying operational requirements ensures reliability, durability of the aircraft, high labor productivity during maintenance, reduction of operational costs and efficiency of use of the aircraft fleet. The appearance of the trichogram required the development of special means for its introduction. An attempt to use existing means showed their unsuitability due to their low functional efficiency and high cost of work. The task was solved by increasing the manufacturability of agricultural aircraft during their production and operation. This made it possible to organize its serial production and operation in many farms of the country.

Melatonin protects spermatogenic cells against DNA damage and necroptosis induced by atrazine

Atrazine (ATZ), a widely used triazine herbicide, has been shown to disrupt reproductive development in organisms. Melatonin (MLT) is a natural hormone and has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties. Due to its lipophilicity, it can cross biological barriers freely and act on germ cells directly. However, the mechanism through which melatonin affects atrazine-induced damage to male sperm cells remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ATZ on spermatocyte development and to elucidate MLT's role in preventing ATZ-induced spermatogenesis failure. Pubertal mice were randomly divided into four groups: blank control group (Con), 5 mg/kg melatonin group (MLT), 170 mg/kg atrazine group (ATZ), and ATZ + MLT group. GC-1 cell culture was employed to access the in vitro effects of MLT and ATZ on spermatogonia. The results indicate that atrazine affected protein and metabolite composition, and reduced sperm viability, sperm motility (VAP, VSL and VCL) and levels of proteins related to spermatogenesis function in the mice testis. Melatonin alleviated the development of cellular DNA damage and necroptosis caused by atrazine both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, we proposed that it was GC-1 cells developing necroptosis, but not other cell types in the testis. In conclusion, this study suggests that atrazine disrupts the development process, causing DNA damage in spermatozoa during spermatogenesis. Additionally, ATZ-induced necroptosis specifically targets spermatogenic cells. Notably, melatonin alleviates atrazine-induced necroptosis and DNA damage in spermatogenic cells. This study provides new insights into potential therapeutic strategies for atrazine-induced male infertility.

Effects of ttk on development and courtship of male Nilaparvata lugens.

The transcription product of tramtrack (ttk) is an important transcription factor which plays many roles in the regulation of the development, differentiation and chromosome recombination of organisms. Few studies have been reported on the specific functions of ttk in other insects except Drosophila melanogaster. Our aims are to reveal the ttk effects on development and courtship of male rice pest brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens. In this study, we first assayed spatiotemporal expression of ttk in BPH, then treated the fourth nymphs of BPH with dsttk. We found most individuals died before emerging to adults, the adult eclosion rate was only 18.89%. No courtship behavior was found in individuals injected with dsttk. Further research showed that the main frequency of courtship vibration signal (CVS) 431.3 Hz in the individuals injected with dsttk was significantly higher than 223 Hz in the individuals injected with dsGFP, and female adults nearly had no response to the 431.3 Hz CVS. We found that about 81% of the 4-instar nymphs of BPH treated with dsttk died before they emerged as adults, the successfully emerged adults emitted the 431.3 Hz CVS to which female adults did not respond and lost the ability of courtship. This was first finding about the functions of ttk in rice planthopper and illustrated the potential of ttk as target for RNAi to control rice planthopper. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

4D Microscopy and Tracking of Chromosomes and the Spindle in C. elegans Early Embryos.

Maintaining genomic integrity throughout successive cell divisions is essential for the proper development and functioning of organisms. Chromosome alignment and segregation occur on a microtubule-based spindle originating from centrosomes. The molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in accurate chromosome segregation during early embryonic divisions are highly conserved between worms and humans. Therefore, C. elegans serves as a robust model for investigating mitotic cell divisions within a metazoan system. Throughout early embryonic development, filming and tracking successive cell divisions becomesprogressively more challenging as the number of cells increases and cell size decreases. To address this challenge, we describe a method for preparing live samples, performing 4D time-lapse imaging, and semi-automated tracking of chromosomes and spindle poles during early mitotic divisions in C. elegans embryos.

Navigating the Nano Abyss: Understanding the Ecological Ramifications of Nanoparticle Pollution on Aquatic Organisms

Increased environmental occurrences of nanoparticles are reported to be hazardous to aquatic life. The uptake of nano pollutants poses a significant impact on fish behaviour, reproductive function, endocrine system, and immune response, among other physiological factors. The review article highlighted various factors that are involved in nanotoxicity and also listed out the effects and mechanisms of nanoparticle on aquatic system. The behaviour and toxicity of nanoparticles on oxidative stress, DNA damage, and histology abnormalities are recorded from various literature. Additionally, the knowledge gaps on the effect of nanoparticles that could alter the neurological and immunological systems of aquatic creatures, influencing the release of cytokines and neurotransmitters are summarized. Various developmental defects and physiological disorders in fish are caused by mitochondrial malfunction, membrane damage, and DNA changes. Haematological, biochemical, and histological characteristics in the exposed microenvironment affect the natural growth and development of aquatic organisms. Overall, this review highlights the critical information on the toxicity of the nano exudate on the aquatic species and records of their ecotoxicological assessment of aquatic ecosystem.

Survey for Activating Oncogenic Mutation Variants in Metazoan Germline Genes.

Most cancers present with mutations or amplifications in distinctive tumor promoter genes that activate principal cell-signaling cascades promoting cell proliferation, dedifferentiation, cell survival, and replicative immortality. Somatic mutations found in this these driver proto-oncogenes invariably result in constitutive activation of the encoded protein. A salient feature of the activating mutations observed throughout many thousands of clinical tumor specimens reveals these driver missense mutations are recurrent and restricted to just one or very few codons of the entire gene, suggesting they have been positively selected during the course of tumor development. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether these characteristic oncogenic driver mutations are observed in the germline genes of any metazoan species. Six well-known tumor promoter genes were chosen for this survey including BRAF, KRAS, JAK2, PIK3CA, EGFR, and IDH1/2. The sites of all driver mutations were found to occur in highly conserved regions of each gene comparing protein sequences throughout diverse phyla of metazoan species. None of the oncogenic missense mutations were found in germlines of any species of current genome and protein databases. Despite many tumors readily selecting these somatic mutations, the conclusion drawn from this study is that these variants are negatively rejected if encountered as a germline mutation. While cancer expansion ensues from dysregulated growth elicited by these mutations, this effect is likely detrimental to embryonic development and/or survival of multicellular organisms. Although all oncogenic mutations considered here are gain-of-function where five of the six increase activity of the encoded proteins, clonal advancement promotes tumor growth by these genomic changes without conferring selection advantages benefiting the organism or species.

Pseudo-trajectory inference for identifying essential regulations and molecules in cell fate decisions.

Cell fate decision is crucial in biological development and plays fundamental roles in normal development and functional maintenance of organisms. By identifying key regulatory interactions and molecules involved in these fate decisions, we can shed light on the intricate mechanisms underlying the cell fates. This understanding ultimately reveals the fundamental principles driving biological development and the origins of various diseases. In this study, we present an overarching framework which integrates pseudo-trajectory inference and differential analysis to determine critical regulatory interactions and molecules during cell fate transitions. To demonstrate feasibility and reliability of the approach, we employ the differentiation networks of hepatobiliary system and embryonic stem cells as representative model systems. By applying pseudo-trajectory inference to biological data, we aim to identify critical regulatory interactions and molecules during the cell fate transition processes. Consistent with experimental observations, the approach can allow us to infer dynamical cell fate decision processes and gain insights into the underlying mechanisms which govern cell state decisions.

Fungal Apoptosis-Related Proteins.

Programmed cell death (PCD) plays a crucial role in the development and homeostasis maintenance of multicellular organisms. Apoptosis is a form of PCD that prevents pathological development by eliminating damaged or useless cells. Despite the complexity of fungal apoptosis mechanisms being similar to those of plants and metazoans, fungal apoptosis lacks the core regulatory elements of animal apoptosis. Apoptosis-like PCD in fungi can be triggered by a variety of internal and external factors, participating in biological processes such as growth, development, and stress response. Although the core regulatory elements are not fully understood, apoptosis-inducing factor and metacaspase have been found to be involved. This article summarizes various proteins closely related to fungal apoptosis, such as apoptosis-inducing factor, metacaspase, and inhibitors of apoptosis proteins, as well as their structures and functions. This research provides new strategies and ideas for the development of natural drugs targeting fungal apoptosis and the control of fungal diseases.

Unusual modes of cell and nuclear divisions characterise Drosophila development.

The growth and development of metazoan organisms is dependent upon a co-ordinated programme of cellular proliferation and differentiation, from the initial formation of the zygote through to maintenance of mature organs in adult organisms. Early studies of proliferation of ex vivo cultures and unicellular eukaryotes described a cyclic nature of cell division characterised by periods of DNA synthesis (S-phase) and segregation of newly synthesized chromosomes (M-phase) interspersed by seeming inactivity, the gap phases, G1 and G2. We now know that G1 and G2 play critical roles in regulating the cell cycle, including monitoring of favourable environmental conditions to facilitate cell division, and ensuring genomic integrity prior to DNA replication and nuclear division. M-phase is usually followed by the physical separation of nascent daughters, termed cytokinesis. These phases where G1 leads to S phase, followed by G2 prior to M phase and the subsequent cytokinesis to produce two daughters, both identical in genomic composition and cellular morphology are what might be termed an archetypal cell division. Studies of development of many different organs in different species have demonstrated that this stereotypical cell cycle is often subverted to produce specific developmental outcomes, and examples from over 100 years of analysis of the development of Drosophila melanogaster have uncovered many different modes of cell division within this one species.

Early-life gut microbiota assembly patterns are conserved between laboratory and wild mice

Assembly of the mammalian gut microbiota during early life is known to shape key aspects of organismal development, including immunity, metabolism and behaviour. While house mice (Mus musculus) are the major laboratory model organism for gut microbiota research, their artificial lab-based lifestyle could fundamentally alter ecological processes of microbiota assembly and dynamics, in ways that affect their usefulness as a model system. To examine this, here we directly compared patterns of gut microbiota assembly in house mice from the lab and from the wild, making use of a tractable, individually-marked wild population where we could examine patterns of gut microbiota assembly during early life. Despite lab and wild mice harbouring taxonomically distinct communities, we identify striking similarities in multiple patterns of their gut microbiota assembly. Specifically, age-related changes in both alpha and beta diversity, as well as the abundance of predominant phyla and aerotolerance of the microbiota followed parallel trajectories in both settings. These results suggest some degree of intrinsic programme in gut microbiota assembly that transcends variation in taxonomic profiles, and the genetic and environmental background of the host. They further support the notion that despite their artificial environment, lab mice can provide meaningful insights into natural microbiota ecological dynamics in early life and their interplay with host development.

Biomimetic Folding Strategies for Chemical Synthesis of Disulfide-Bonded Peptides and Proteins.

Disulfide-bonded peptides and proteins, including hormones, toxins, growth factors, and others, are abundant in living organisms. These molecules play crucial physiological roles such as regulating cell and organism growth, development, and metabolism. They have also found widespread applications as drugs or tool molecules in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. However, the chemical synthesis of disulfide-bonded proteins is complicated by the challenges associated with their folding. This review focuses on the latest advancements in disulfide-bonded peptide and protein folding technologies. Particularly, it highlights biomimetic folding strategies that emulate the naturally occurring oxidative folding processes in nature. These strategies include chaperone-assisted folding, glycosylation-assisted folding, and organic-based oxidative folding methods. The review also anticipates future directions in folding technology. Such research offers innovative approaches for the chemical synthesis of complex proteins that are otherwise difficult to fold.

TRBP2, a Major Component of the RNAi Machinery, Is Subjected to Cell Cycle-Dependent Regulation in Human Cancer Cells of Diverse Tissue Origin.

Transactivation Response Element RNA-binding Protein (TRBP2) is a double-stranded RNA-binding protein widely known for its critical contribution to RNA interference (RNAi), a conserved mechanism of gene-expression regulation mediated through small non-coding RNA moieties (ncRNAs). Nevertheless, TRBP2 has also proved to be involved in other molecular pathways and biological processes, such as cell growth, organism development, spermatogenesis, and stress response. Mutations or aberrant expression of TRBP2 have been previously associated with diverse human pathologies, including Alzheimer's disease, cardiomyopathy, and cancer, with TRBP2 playing an essential role(s) in proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of tumor cells. Hence, the present study aims to investigate, via employment of advanced flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, cell transgenesis and bioinformatics technologies, new, still elusive, functions and properties of TRBP2, particularly regarding its cell cycle-specific control during cancer cell division. We have identified a novel, mitosis-dependent regulation of TRBP2 protein expression, as clearly evidenced by the lack of its immunofluorescence-facilitated detection during mitotic phases, in several human cancer cell lines of different tissue origin. Notably, the obtained TRBP2-downregulation patterns seem to derive from molecular mechanisms that act independently of oncogenic activities (e.g., malignancy grade), metastatic capacities (e.g., low versus high), and mutational signatures (e.g., p53-/- or p53ΔΥ126) of cancer cells. Taken together, we herein propose that TRBP2 serves as a novel cell cycle-dependent regulator, likely exerting mitosis-suppression functions, and, thus, its mitosis-specific downregulation can hold strong promise to be exploited for the efficient and successful prognosis, diagnosis, and (radio-/chemo-)therapy of diverse human malignancies, in the clinic.

Nutrient control of growth and metabolism through mTORC1 regulation of mRNA splicing

Cellular growth and organismal development are remarkably complex processes that require the nutrient-responsive kinase mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Anticipating that important mTORC1 functions remained to be identified, we employed genetic and bioinformatic screening in C.elegans to uncover mechanisms of mTORC1 action. Here, we show that during larval growth, nutrients induce an extensive reprogramming of gene expression and alternative mRNA splicing by acting through mTORC1. mTORC1 regulates mRNA splicing and the production of protein-coding mRNA isoforms largely independently of its target p70 S6 kinase (S6K) by increasing the activity of the serine/arginine-rich (SR) protein RSP-6 (SRSF3/7) and other splicing factors. mTORC1-mediated mRNA splicing regulation is critical for growth; mediates nutrient control of mechanisms that include energy, nucleotide, amino acid, and other metabolic pathways; and may be conserved in humans. Although mTORC1 inhibition delays aging, mTORC1-induced mRNA splicing promotes longevity, suggesting that when mTORC1 is inhibited, enhancement of this splicing might provide additional anti-aging benefits.

A scenario for an evolutionary selection of ageing.

Signs of ageing become apparent only late in life, after organismal development is finalized. Ageing, most notably, decreases an individual's fitness. As such, it is most commonly perceived as a non-adaptive force of evolution and considered a by-product of natural selection. Building upon the evolutionarily conserved age-related Smurf phenotype, we propose a simple mathematical life-history trait model in which an organism is characterized by two core abilities: reproduction and homeostasis. Through the simulation of this model, we observe (1) the convergence of fertility's end with the onset of senescence, (2) the relative success of ageing populations, as compared to non-ageing populations, and (3) the enhanced evolvability (i.e. the generation of genetic variability) of ageing populations. In addition, we formally demonstrate the mathematical convergence observed in (1). We thus theorize that mechanisms that link the timing of fertility and ageing have been selected and fixed over evolutionary history, which, in turn, explains why ageing populations are more evolvable and therefore more successful. Broadly speaking, our work suggests that ageing is an adaptive force of evolution.

Lineage-Specific Transcription Factors in Carcinogenesis

Each cancer is the result of an individually unique evolutionary process. Yet, as demonstrated by extensive genetic analyses of human specimens, the genetic endpoints of cancers across different tissues are remarkably specific, with individual cancer driver genes being typically associated with only a limited set of tumor types. Tissue and cellular contexts thus impose strong and genetically predictable evolutionary constraints on carcinogenesis. Lineage-specific transcription factors, central regulators of organismal development, tissue homeostasis, and regeneration, often also support cancer cell fitness in a lineage-specific manner. In this review, we discuss recent results on the interactions between transcriptional lineage factor programs and oncogenic pathways and how such interactions may determine the oncogenic competence of cancer-associated genetic alterations. These developments are starting to shed light on the molecular basis of tissue specificity in carcinogenesis, with relevance for cancer prevention and therapy.

A quest of Vera M. Danchakoff, a pioneer of stem cell research.

Vera Mikhailovna Danchakova (1877-1950), also written in English as Danchakoff and in German as Dantschakoff, was the first woman to graduate with a PhD in Russia. She was a person of many interests and a strong passion for teaching and social justice that may have interfered with her pioneering stem cell research and cell biology, which was far ahead of its time. Danchakova significantly contributed to the unitarian theory of haematopoiesis along with its founder Alexander A. Maximow. She studied the origin of blood cells, the differentiation of tissues and organs in the process of embryonic development of animals, the formation of germ cells and the effect of hormones on the development of organisms. She discovered the role of stem cells in the laying of new tissues, the proof of the extragonadal origin of primary germ cells in birds and the development of methods for transplanting tissues into live embryos. She has been named 'the mother of stem cells' for her investigations of progenitors of cells.

BGC Atlas: a web resource for exploring the global chemical diversity encoded in bacterial genomes.

Secondary metabolites are compounds not essential for an organism's development, but provide significant ecological and physiological benefits. These compounds have applications in medicine, biotechnology and agriculture. Their production is encoded in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), groups of genes collectively directing their biosynthesis. The advent of metagenomics has allowed researchers to study BGCs directly from environmental samples, identifying numerous previously unknown BGCs encoding unprecedented chemistry. Here, we present the BGC Atlas (https://bgc-atlas.cs.uni-tuebingen.de), a web resource that facilitates the exploration and analysis of BGC diversity in metagenomes. The BGC Atlas identifies and clusters BGCs from publicly available datasets, offering a centralized database and a web interface for metadata-aware exploration of BGCs and gene cluster families (GCFs). We analyzed over 35000 datasets from MGnify, identifying nearly 1.8 million BGCs, which were clustered into GCFs. The analysis showed that ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptidesare the most abundant compound class, with most GCFs exhibiting high environmental specificity. We believe that our tool will enable researchers to easily explore and analyze the BGC diversity in environmental samples, significantly enhancing our understanding of bacterial secondary metabolites,and promote the identification of ecological and evolutionary factors shaping the biosynthetic potential of microbial communities.

Drosophila Eye Gene Regulatory Network Inference Using BioGRNsemble: An Ensemble-of-Ensembles Machine Learning Approach

Background: Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) are complex gene interactions essential for organismal development and stability, and they are crucial for understanding gene-disease links in drug development. Advances in bioinformatics, driven by genomic data and machine learning, have significantly expanded GRN research, enabling deeper insights into these interactions. Methods: This study proposes and demonstrates the potential of BioGRNsemble, a modular and flexible approach for inferring gene regulatory networks from RNA-Seq data. Integrating the GENIE3 and GRNBoost2 algorithms, the BioGRNsemble methodology focuses on providing trimmed-down sub-regulatory networks consisting of transcription and target genes. Results: The methodology was successfully tested on a Drosophila melanogaster Eye gene expression dataset. Our validation analysis using the TFLink online database yielded 3703 verified predicted gene links, out of 534,843 predictions. Conclusion: Although the BioGRNsemble approach presents a promising method for inferring smaller, focused regulatory networks, it encounters challenges related to algorithm sensitivity, prediction bias, validation difficulties, and the potential exclusion of broader regulatory interactions. Improving accuracy and comprehensiveness will require addressing these issues through hyperparameter fine-tuning, the development of alternative scoring mechanisms, and the incorporation of additional validation methods.

Unraveling the molecular mechanism of FgGcn5 inhibition by phenazine-1-carboxamide: combined in silico and in vitro studies.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), remains a devastating disease worldwide. The histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 plays a crucial role in epigenetic regulation. Aberrant Gcn5 acetylation activity can result in serious impacts such as impaired growth and development in organisms. The secondary metabolite phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) inhibits F. graminearum by blocking the acetylation process of Gcn5 (FgGcn5), and is currently used to control FHB. However, the molecular basis of acetylation inhibition by PCN remains to be further explored. Our molecular dynamics simulations revealed that PCN binds to the cleft in FgGcn5 where histone H3 is bound, with key amino acid residues including Leu96 (L96), Arg121 (R121), Phe133 (F133), Tyr169 (Y169), and Tyr201 (Y201), preventing FgGcn5 from binding to histone H3 and affecting histone H3 from being acetylated. Experimental validation of key amino acid mutations further confirmed the impact of these mutations on the interaction of FgGcn5 with PCN and histone H3 peptide. In summary, our study sheds light on the mechanism by which PCN inhibits the acetylation function of FgGcn5, providing a foundation for the development of drugs or fungicides targeting histone acetyltransferases. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Unraveling the Molecular Mechanisms of SIRT7 in Angiogenesis: Insights from Substrate Clues.

Angiogenesis, a vital physiological or pathological process regulated by complex molecular networks, is widely implicated in organismal development and the pathogenesis of various diseases. SIRT7, a member of the Sirtuin family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide + (NAD+) dependent deacetylases, plays crucial roles in cellular processes such as transcriptional regulation, cell metabolism, cell proliferation, and genome stability maintenance. Characterized by its enzymatic activities, SIRT7 targets an array of substrates, several of which exert regulatory effects on angiogenesis. Experimental evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies consistently demonstrates the effects of SIRT7 in modulating angiogenesis, mediated through various molecular mechanisms. Consequently, understanding the regulatory role of SIRT7 in angiogenesis holds significant promise, offering novel avenues for therapeutic interventions targeting either SIRT7 or angiogenesis. This review delineates the putative molecular mechanisms by which SIRT7 regulates angiogenesis, taking its substrates as a clue, endeavoring to elucidate experimental observations by integrating knowledge of SIRT7 substrates and established angiogenenic mechanisms.