Published: Jan. 1, 2017

The emergence of whole-genome assays has initiated numerous genome-wide studies of transcription factor localizations at genomic regulatory elements (enhancers, promoters, silencers, and insulators), as well as facilitated the uncovering of some of the key principles of chromosomal organization. However, the proteins involved in the formation and maintenance of the chromosomal architecture and the organization of regulatory domains remain insufficiently studied. This review attempts to collate the available data on the abundant but still poorly understood family of proteins with clusters of the C2H2 zinc finger domains. One of the best known proteins of this family is a well conserved protein …

---

Published: Jan. 1, 2016

Although the heat-stress response has been extensively studied for decades, very little is known about its effects on nucleic acids and nucleic acid-associated processes. This is due to the fact that the research has focused on the study of heat shock proteins and factors (HSPs and HSFs), their involvement in the regulation of transcription, protein homeostasis, etc. Recently, there has been some progress in the study of heat stress effects on DNA integrity. In this review, we summarize and discuss well-known and potential mechanisms of formation of various heat stress-induced DNA damage.

---

Published: Jan. 1, 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level through base-pairing predominantly with a 3’-untranslated region of target mRNA, followed by mRNA degradation or translational repression. Totally, miRNAs change, through a complex regulatory network, the expression of more than 60% of human genes. MiRNAs are key regulators of the immune response that affect maturation, proliferation, differentiation, and activation of immune cells, as well as antibody secretion and release of inflammatory mediators. Disruption of this regulation may lead to the development of various pathological conditions, including autoimmune inflammation. This review summarizes the data on biogenesis …

---

Published: Jan. 1, 2015

The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) enzyme is one of the promising molecular targets for the discovery of antitumor drugs. PARP1 is a common nuclear protein (1-2 million molecules per cell) serving as a “sensor” for DNA strand breaks. Increased PARP1 expression is sometimes observed in melanomas, breast cancer, lung cancer, and other neoplastic diseases. The PARP1 expression level is a prognostic indicator and is associated with a poor survival prognosis. There is evidence that high PARP1 expression and treatment-resistance of tumors are correlated. PARP1 inhibitors are promising antitumor agents, since they act as chemo- and radiosensitizers in the conventional …

---

Published: Jan. 1, 2014

Precise studies of plant, animal and human genomes enable remarkable opportunities of obtained data application in biotechnology and medicine. However, knowing nucleotide sequences isn’t enough for understanding of particular genomic elements functional relationship and their role in phenotype formation and disease pathogenesis. In post-genomic era methods allowing genomic DNA sequences manipulation, visualization and regulation of gene expression are rapidly evolving. Though, there are few methods, that meet high standards of efficiency, safety and accessibility for a wide range of researchers. In 2011 and 2013 novel methods of genome editing appeared - this are TALEN (Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases) and CRISPR …

---

Published: Jan. 1, 2015

Senescence has been the focus of research for many centuries. Despite significant progress in extending average human life expectancy, the process of aging remains largely elusive and, unfortunately, inevitable. In this review, we attempted to summarize the current theories of aging and the approaches to understanding it.

---

Published: Sept. 26, 2014

One of the urgent problems in cognitive studies and in neurobiology as a whole is to delineate the impact of genetic factors in the variability of animal cognitive abilities. The concept of animal cognition is frequently used in a broad sense to include all phenomena with behavioral manifestations of neural plasticity. The variable phenomena related to animal cognition could be subdivided into two main categories, although only the first of them will be analyzed in this paper. The first category is represented by “basal” cognitive abilities, which embrace spatial cognitive behavior and elementary reasoning (simple logic task solutions). The second …

---

Published: Oct. 31, 2016

A wide range of life-history tactics can be found within salmonid fish. The genetic basis for these adaptations remains largely unknown, but we have sought to investigate any large scale genetic changes associated with a non-anadromous life cycle. After the most recent ice age (approximately 9,500 years ago), some populations of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., were trapped in fresh water and developed into isolated landlocked populations that managed to complete a full life cycle without ever reaching the marine environment. To explore whether this transition was accompanied by gene-loss events, high-throughput sequencing of a non-migratory Namsblank (‘småblank’), an Atlantic …

---