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Biomedical subjects

A G Romashchenko

Publications and source records attributed to A G Romashchenko.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Deletional polymorphism of the 11th intron of the human c-fms gene: allele frequency in certain Russian populations and possible functional significance].

Analysis of deletion polymorphism of human c-fms gene intron 11 (approximately 425-bp deletion) is of particular interest because of the increased proportion of the deletion heterozygotes among the infants born from the parents, one of which lacks the deletion allele, and the other is heterozygous for the deletion. In this study, allele and haplotype frequencies of the polymorphism examined were assessed in a number of Caucasoid and Mongoloid populations of Russia. In all populations tested, relatively high prevalence of the deletion-bearing allele, ranging from 9.45% in ethnic Germans to 20.75% in Altaians, was detected. Russians and Kazakhs were characterized by intermediate frequencies of the rare allele, constituting in these populations 12.89 and 14.93%, respectively. Hardy-Weinberg expectations were met in all populations examined, pointing to a stable level of polymorphism at the c-fms intron 11. It was established by the context analysis of DNA of the deleted fragment along with the flanking sequences that this region contained a number of transcription factor motifs (Ets, SRF, and Myc), potentially capable of the regulation of the M-CFF-dependant c-fms transcription. The deletion breakpoint was localized within the CArG motif, which, together with the neighboring ets motif, form the potential CArG/ets composite element. It was suggested that allele lacking the fragment of intron 11 could be restricted in its ability to modulate the level of the c-fms transcription in response to the action of M-CSF. The data of molecular epidemiological survey serve as the indirect evidence favoring the suggestion on the possible functional value of this gene fragment. It was demonstrated that in the samples of acute bronchitis and trichomoniasis patients allelic and genotype frequencies were statistically significantly different from those in the population sample. In case of trichmoniasis, the frequency of rare allele was 2.4 times lower, and in case of acute bronchitis it was 2.1 times higher than in the control sample.

Base Sequence↗

[Polymorphism of the HFE gene associated with hereditary hemochromatosis in populations of Russia].

Expression of hereditary hemochromatosis as well as predisposition to iron overload syndrome and sporadic porphyria cutanea tarda are currently believed to be associated with the inheritance of certain allelic variants of the HFE gene. Allele frequencies of the C282Y (845A) and H63D (187G) mutations in the HFE gene in human populations of different races are remarkably different, and the prevalence of the S65C (193T) mutation is still poorly studied. In the present study we estimated allele frequencies of HFE mutations in Russians and in a number of Siberian ethnic indigenous populations. In Russians, allele frequencies of the C282Y, H63D and S65C mutations were 3.7, 13.3 and 1.7%, respectively. These values were similar to those observed in populations of Europe. The C282Y mutation was not detected in the population samples of Siberian ethnic groups, including Mansis, Khantys (Finno-Ugric group), Altaians, and Nivkhs (Mongoloids), suggesting that the frequency of this allele in the populations examined was lower than 1%. The frequency of the C282Y allele in the Tuvinian and Chukchi samples (Mongoloids) constituted 0.45 and 0.8%, respectively. Furthermore, pedigree analysis of both Chukchi carriers discovered showed that some of their ancestors were from other ethnic groups. Low frequencies of this allelic variant is typical of many Eastern Asian populations, which are also characterized by rather low frequencies of the H63D variant. In contrast, in some ethnic groups of Western Siberia allelic frequency of the H63D mutation is rather high, constituting 8.7% in Altaians, 15.5% in Mansis, and 11.3% in Khantys. The frequency of this allele in Tuvinians, Nivkhs, and Chukchis constituted 5, 4.7, and 0.8%, respectively. These findings make it possible to estimate the proportion of individuals predisposed to iron overload syndrome in different Russian ethnic groups. The HFE allele frequency distribution patterns observed in the populations examined pointed to pre-Celtic appearance of the CY82 allele. It also provides elucidation of the evolutionary genetic relationships between Siberian ethnic groups and the contemporary populations of Eastern and Western Europe.

Asian People↗

[Polymorphism of the gene of angiotensin-converting enzyme and apolipoprotein E gene in long-livers of Novosibirsk city].

The levels of polymorphism of genes of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and apolipoprotein E (Apo E) were studied in elderly and long-living people in Novosibirsk. The results of the study in the investigated group (97 subjects) were compared with polymorphism of these genes in Novosibirsk population group aged 25-64 who were investigated in MONICA Project survey and had DNA data base formed. Frequency of D/D genotype among senile and long-living men was 5.9%. It is 5 times lower than in men 55-64 years of age (p = 0.04). Similar decrease of this gene frequency was also found in women of the same age. In men older than 83 years of age 4 times lowering of 3/4 genotype of Apo E gene and 2 times increasing of frequency of 2/3 genotype were revealed when comprising frequency of these genotypes in people of middle age. In subjects of senile age and long-livers of both sexes genotype 4/4 was not revealed. Lipid levels were more favorable in women with genotype 2/3 of Apo E gene (comparatively lower mean level of total cholesterol and higher level of HDL cholesterol) if compared with genotypes 3/3 and 3/4.

Adult↗

Transcription Regulatory Regions Database (TRRD): its status in 2002.

Transcription Regulatory Regions Database (TRRD) is an informational resource containing an integrated description of the gene transcription regulation. An entry of the database corresponds to a gene and contains the data on localization and functions of the transcription regulatory regions as well as gene expression patterns. TRRD contains only experimental data that are inputted into the database through annotating scientific publication. TRRD release 6.0 comprises the information on 1167 genes, 5537 transcription factor binding sites, 1714 regulatory regions, 14 locus control regions and 5335 expression patterns obtained through annotating 3898 scientific papers. This information is arranged in seven databases: TRRDGENES (general gene description), TRRDLCR (locus control regions); TRRDUNITS (regulatory regions: promoters, enhancers, silencers, etc.), TRRDSITES (transcription factor binding sites), TRRDFACTORS (transcription factors), TRRDEXP (expression patterns) and TRRDBIB (experimental publications). Sequence Retrieval System (SRS) is used as a basic tool for navigating and searching TRRD and integrating it with external informational and software resources. The visualization tool, TRRD Viewer, provides the information representation in a form of maps of gene regulatory regions. The option allowing nucleotide sequences to be searched for according to their homology using BLAST is also included. TRRD is available at http://www.bionet.nsc.ru/trrd/.

Animals↗

[Detection of two polymorphic sites in the human c-fms gene: allele frequency and genotype in some populations of Russia].

Two polymorphic sites were found in the human c-fms gene: one (G-->A) was in position 34,047 in the last intron, and the other (dinucleotide TC-->CA) was in positions 34,293 and 34,294 in the 3'-untranslated gene region, 34 bp downstream of the translation stop codon. The polymorphic dinucleotide appeared to be immediately upstream of an octamer showing 100% homology to cis element -CAAACTTC-, which is responsible for controlled instability of mRNAs of several genes. Based on these data, functional significance was assumed for this polymorphism of the c-fms gene. Allele frequencies were established for several populations. The mutant allele of the polymorphism located in the intron were detected only in one family of ethnic Germans from the Altaiskii krai. Polymorphism of the second site, which is in the 3'-untranslated region of the c-fms gene, was observed in all Caucasoid and Mongoloid populations examined. Frequency of the rare allele varied from 19.7-25% in Arctic Mongoloids to 31-42.6% in Central Asian Mongoloids and was similar in two Caucasoid populations (22.6% in ethnic Russians and 26.5% in ethnic Germans). The wide distribution of the mutant allele in human populations of the two races was considered indicative of an adaptive role of the polymorphism in providing a certain level of the gene product, a receptor, in certain cell processes.

Alleles↗

Transcription regulatory regions database (TRRD): its status in 2000.

Transcription Regulatory Regions Database (TRRD) has been developed for accumulation of experimental information on the structure-function features of regulatory regions of eukaryotic genes. Each entry in TRRD corresponds to a particular gene and contains a description of structure-function features of its regulatory regions (transcription factor binding sites, promoters, enhancers, silencers, etc.) and gene expression regulation patterns. The current release, TRRD 4.2.5, comprises the description of 760 genes, 3403 expression patterns, and >4600 regulatory elements including 3604 transcription factor binding sites, 600 promoters and 152 enhancers. This information was obtained through annotation of 2537 scientific publications. TRRD 4.2.5 is available through the WWW at http://wwwmgs.bionet.nsc.ru/mgs/dbases/trrd4/

Databases, Factual↗

COMPEL: a database on composite regulatory elements providing combinatorial transcriptional regulation.

COMPEL is a database on composite regulatory elements, the basic structures of combinatorial regulation. Composite regulatory elements contain two closely situated binding sites for distinct transcription factors and represent minimal functional units providing combinatorial transcriptional regulation. Both specific factor-DNA and factor-factor interactions contribute to the function of composite elements (CEs). Information about the structure of known CEs and specific gene regulation achieved through such CEs appears to be extremely useful for promoter prediction, for gene function prediction and for applied gene engineering as well. The structure of the relational model of COMPEL is determined by the concept of molecular structure and regulatory role of CEs. Based on the set of a particular CE, a program has been developed for searching potential CEs in gene regulatory regions. WWW search and browse routines were developed for COMPEL release 3.0. The COMPEL database equipped with the search and browse tools is available at http://compel.bionet.nsc.ru/. The program for prediction of potential CEs of NFAT type is available at http://compel.bionet.nsc. ru/FunSite.html and http://transfac.gbf.de/dbsearch/funsitep/ s_comp.html

Database Management Systems↗

Transcription Regulatory Regions Database (TRRD):its status in 1999.

The Transcription Regulatory Regions Database (TRRD) is a curated database designed for accumulation of experimental data on extended regulatory regions of eukaryotic genes, the regulatory elements they contain, i.e., transcription factor binding sites, promoters, enhancers, silencers, etc., and expression patterns of the genes. Release 4.1 of TRRD offers a number of significant improvements, in particular, a more detailed description of transcription factor binding sites, transcription factors per se, and gene expression patterns in a computer-readable format. In addition, the new TRRD release provides considerably more references to other molecular biological databases. TRRD 4.1 is installed under SRS and is available through the WWW at http://www.bionet.nsc.ru/trrd/

Animals↗

[Characteristics of the mitochondrial genome of russian germans].

Nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region were studied in Germans living in the Altai, Russia. Although this ethnic group has been living in Russia for a long time, the obtained data indicate that its mitochondrial gene pool retains the main characteristics of the Western and Central European gene pools. Regarding the mitochondrial gene pool, Russian Germans were more similar to Germans living in Germany than to Russians with regard to the frequency of the Cambridge nucleotide sequence, frequencies and composition of five European haplotypic groups (classification of Richards et al.), and average intra- and interpopulation pairwise nucleotide differences. However, the mitochondrial gene pool of Altaian Germans also differed from that of Western European populations. The gene pool of Altaian Germans contained the ancestral variants of the main haplotypic groups. To date, these variants have not been found in modern Western and Central European populations, which is apparently due to their lower frequencies. In addition, some previously unknown mtDNA variants with specific nucleotide substitutions were found in Altaian Germans. The obtained results suggest that the modern mitochondrial gene pool of Europeans, including Germans from Germany, was largely affected by the demographic processes that occurred in the past two centuries. The Germans that lived in Russia were relatively isolated and, hence, retained more characteristics of the ancestral gene pool.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗

GeneExpress: a computer system for description, analysis, and recognition of regulatory sequences in eukaryotic genome.

GeneExpress system has been designed to integrate description, analysis, and recognition of eukaryotic regulatory sequences. The system includes 5 basic units: (1) GeneNet contains an object-oriented database for accumulation of data on gene networks and signal transduction pathways and a Java-based viewer that allows an exploration and visualization of the GeneNet information; (2) Transcription Regulation combines the database on transcription regulatory regions of eukaryotic genes (TRRD) and TRRD Viewer; (3) Transcription Factor Binding Site Recognition contains a compilation of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSC) and programs for their analysis and recognition; (4) mRNA Translation is designed for analysis of structural and contextual features of mRNA 5'UTRs and prediction of their translation efficiency; and (5) ACTIVITY is the module for analysis and site activity prediction of a given nucleotide sequence. Integration of the databases in the GeneExpress is based on the Sequence Retrieval System (SRS) created in the European Bioinformatics Institute.

Artificial Intelligence↗

Eukaryotic promoter recognition by binding sites for transcription factors.

A method for identification of eukaryotic promoters by localization of binding sites for transcription factors has been suggested. The binding sites for a range of transcription factors have been found to be distributed unevenly. Based on these distributions, we have constructed a weight matrix of binding site localization. On the basis of the weight matrix we have, in turn, designed an algorithm for promoter recognition. To increase the accuracy of the method, we have developed a routine that breaks any promoter sample into subsamples. The method to be reported on allows much better recognition accuracy than does the approach based on detection of the TATA box. In particular, the overprediction error is three times lower following our method. The program FunSiteP recognizes promoters from newly uncovered sequences and tentatively identifies the functional class the promoters must belong to. We have introduced the notion of 'regulatory potential' for the degree to which any region of the sequences is similar to the real eukaryotic promoter. By making use of the potential, we have revealed putative transcription start sites and extended regions of transcription regulation.

Algorithms↗

[Features of interaction of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and its Klenow fragment with dTTP gamma-p-azidoanilide].

gamma-p-Azidoanilidate of dTTP was used to study the photoaffinity modification of DNA polymerase I and Klenow fragment. The analog was found to be a mixed-type inhibitor with respect to dTTP of the polymerization reaction catalyzed by DNA polymerase I and Klenow fragment. In the absence of the reagent both UV-irradiated enzymes were rapidly inactivated. Substrates (dNTP and template-primer) protected the enzymes from inactivation by UV-light with different efficiency. In the presence of the template-primer UV-irradiation induced activation of DNA polymerase I. The effect of the analog on both enzyme forms under irradiation is different. At concentration of 10(-5)M gamma-p-anilidate of dTTP accelerated the activation of DNA polymerase I initiated by UV-irradiation and at 10(-4)M concentration it inactivated the enzyme by 20-25%. Under such conditions one enzyme molecule covalently bound two molecules of the analog. While the template-complementary substrate (dTTP) protected DNA polymerase I both from inactivation and modification, the non-complementary one (dCTP) worked only against modification. In contrast to DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment was not inactivated when exposed to UV-irradiation and gamma-p-anilidate of dTTP neither modified the protein nor exerted any significant effect on its polymerization activity. The data accumulated suggest the presence on the DNA polymerase I molecule of a regulatory region providing additional dNTP binding sites.

Azides↗

Species- and tissue-specific transcription of complex, highly repeated satellite-like Bsp elements in the fox genome.

We have studied the transcription of highly repeated satellite-like Bsp elements containing the potential promoter boxes for RNA polymerase III in the genomes of adult silver and arctic foxes. The Bsp repeat transcripts were abundant enough to be detected by Northern blot and semiquantitative dot blot hybridizations, and the majority were found in the nuclear RNA fraction from arctic fox kidneys. Weak hybridization signals were revealed with the cytoplasmic RNA preparation from silver fox kidneys and with the nuclear RNA fraction from arctic fox liver, and their intensity was intermediate with the total RNA from arctic fox brain. Taken together, the data suggest possible genomic interspersion of some Bsp repeats in these two representatives of Canidae. The observed species-and tissue-specificity of the transcription of Bsp repeats suggests that they may potentially accomplish regulatory functions in the fox genomes.

Animals↗

[Species-specific features of the distribution of restriction sites in Bsp-repeats of Canidae genome].

Differences and similarities of the Bsp-repeats' organization in fox, dog, polar fox and raccoon dog genomes were studied. Specificity of Bsp-repeats to the Canidae family was demonstrated. The repeats are mainly organized in large clusters in all species studied. The species-specific features in restriction patterns were revealed for all five genomes, in spite of high intragenomic polymorphism exhibited in each case. This suggests that certain unique sets of structural versions of Bsp-repeats were fixed in canid genomes by amplification during the process of speciation. Fox and polar fox exhibited the highest similarity in restriction patterns of Bsp-repeats. Raccoon dog pattern is most unusual among others: its distinguishable character is the absence of large multimeric series. The EcoRI hydrolysate of raccoon dog Bsp-repeats consists mainly of one band corresponding to 1600 bp. These are in accordance with phylogenetic relations between canids.

Animals↗

[Heterogeneity of the Canidae Bsp-repeats family: discovery of the EcoRI subfamily].

A 1600 bp EcoRI fragment was cloned from genome of raccoon dog. The structure obtained is homologous to the Canidae Bsp-repeats family. Comparative blot hybridization of the EcoRI fragment and BamHI repeat from fox genome with restricted hydrolysates of the total of raccoon dog and fox DNAs revealed differences both in structure and genomic organization between these two Bsp-repeats versions. Evidently, the EcoRI fragment contains a sequence lacking from the BamHI fragment of the fox Bsp-repeats. Quantitative differences in contents of two Bsp versions in various canid genomes were revealed as well. The EcoRI version is most abundant in raccoon dog genome, while the BamHI fox version is most representative in polar fox genome. With other species studied, quantitative differences in version contents are not so dramatic, and the EcoRI fragment is always present in lower copy numbers. The discovery of the EcoRI subfamily of the Bsp-repeats is in accordance with the "library hypothesis" advanced by Salser in 1976. Connection of the Bsp-repeats' evolution with centric fusions and breaks characteristic of karyotype evolution of canids is being discussed. Comparative study of cloned EcoRI and BamHI fragments of Bsp-repeats in cytogenetical and molecular aspects may be useful, when investigating the role of tandem repeats in large chromosome rearrangements.

Animals↗