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Contains fulltext : 248656.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Sex differences in incidence and/or presentation of schizophrenia (SCZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BIP) are pervasive. Previous evidence for shared genetic risk and sex differences in brain abnormalities across disorders suggest possible shared sex-dependent genetic risk. METHODS: We conducted the largest to date genome-wide genotype-by-sex (G×S) interaction of risk for these disorders using 85,735 cases (33,403 SCZ, 19,924 BIP, and 32,408 MDD) and 109,946 controls from the PGC (Psychiatric Genomics Consortium) and iPSYCH. RESULTS: Across disorders, genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphism-by-sex interaction was detected for a locus encompassing NKAIN2 (rs117780815, p = 3.2 × 10(-8)), which interacts with sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase) enzymes, implicating neuronal excitability. Three additional loci showed evidence (p < 1 × 10(-6)) for cross-disorder G×S interaction (rs7302529, p = 1.6 × 10(-7); rs73033497, p = 8.8 × 10(-7); rs7914279, p = 6.4 × 10(-7)), implicating various functions. Gene-based analyses identified G×S interaction across disorders (p = 8.97 × 10(-7)) with transcriptional inhibitor SLTM. Most significant in SCZ was a MOCOS gene locus (rs11665282, p = 1.5 × 10(-7)), implicating vascular endothelial cells. Secondary analysis of the PGC-SCZ dataset detected an interaction (rs13265509, p = 1.1 × 10(-7)) in a locus containing IDO2, a kynurenine pathway enzyme with immunoregulatory functions implicated in SCZ, BIP, and MDD. Pathway enrichment analysis detected significant G×S interaction of genes regulating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor signaling in MDD (false discovery rate-corrected p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In the largest genome-wide G×S analysis of mood and psychotic disorders to date, there was substantial genetic overlap between the sexes. However, significant sex-dependent effects were enriched for genes related to neuronal development and immune and vascular functions across and within SCZ, BIP, and MDD at the variant, gene, and pathway levels.

Background Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), described as the presence of hypertrophy of left ventricular, is the most prevalent heritable cardiovascular disease with predominantly an autosomal dominant type of inheritance. However, pathogenic alleles are not identified in at least 25% of patients with HCM, and the spectrum of pathogenic variants that contribute to the development of HCM in Russia has not been fully described. Therefore, the goal of our study was to identify genetic variants associated with the etiopathogenesis of HCM in Russian patients. Methods The study cohort included 98 unrelated adult patients with HCM. We performed targeted exome sequencing, an analysis using various algorithms for prediction of the impact of variants on protein structure and the prediction of pathogenicity using ACMG Guidelines. Results The frequency of pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants in all HCM‐related genes was 8% in our patients. We also identified 20 variants of uncertain significance in all HCM‐related genes. Conclusions The prevalence of individual pathogenic variants in HCM‐related genes in Russian population appears to be lower than in general European population, which could be explained by ethnic features of Russian population, age characteristics of our sample, or unidentified pathogenic variants in genes previously not linked with HCM., The prevalence of individual pathogenic variants in HCM‐related genes in Russian population appears to be lower than in general European population, which could be explained by ethnic features of Russian population, age characteristics of our sample, or unidentified pathogenic variants in genes previously not linked with HCM.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. A whole-transcriptome analysis of the substantia nigra and striatum of an MPTP-induced mouse models of the earliest stages of PD was performed. Functional clustering of differentially represented transcripts revealed processes associated with the functioning of synapses, dendrites, axons, and myelination of neuronal projections. All of these processes occur in both the substantia nigra and striatum, but they are aimed at the functioning of neuron terminals in the striatum. One cluster was identified at the earliest stage modeled, i.e., "neuron projection" in the substantia nigra and "transport" in the striatum, and their number increased at subsequent stages. The number of clusters in the striatum predominates over those in the substantia nigra and there is a pronounced increase in the number of clusters from the modeled early stages to the late stages. These findings indicate that the substantia nigra and striatum have unique patterns of changes at each stage. Considering the clustering of individual processes, it was seen that there is a set of hierarchical clusters that overlap only partially at different stages and in different tissues. The data indicate a consistent involvement of the transcriptome in the pathogenesis of PD and highlight the independent role of various brain structures and individual parts of nerve cells in the formation of a response to the development of neurodegeneration. Decreased myelination of neuronal projections may be associated with the development of PD in the models considered.

It was shown that the anxiolytic effect of Selank is comparable to that of classical benzodiazepine drugs and that the basis of their mechanism of action may be similar. These data suggest that the presence of Selank may change the action of classical benzodiazepine drugs. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the anxiolytic activity of Selank and diazepam in rats both under conditions of unpredictable chronic mild stress and in its absence, after the individual and combined administration of these compounds using the elevated plus maze test. We found that, even in the absence of chronic stress, the administration of a course of test substances changed anxiety indicators toward their deterioration, but the changes after the administration of a course of Selank were less pronounced. In conditions of chronic stress, anxiety indicator values after the simultaneous use of diazepam and Selank did not differ from the respective values observed before chronic stress exposure. The data obtained indicate that the individual administration of Selank was the most effective in reducing elevated levels of anxiety, induced by the administration of a course of test substances, whereas the combination of diazepam with Selank was the most effective in reducing anxiety in unpredictable chronic mild stress conditions.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Despite progress in the study of the molecular, genetic, and pathogenic mechanisms of PD, it is unclear which processes trigger the development of the pathology associated with PD. Models of the presymptomatic and early symptomatic stages of PD induced by MPTP have been used to analyze changes in transcriptome profile in brain tissues, to identify specific patterns and mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in PD. The whole-transcriptome analysis in the brain tissues of the mice with MPTP-induced PD showed that striatum is involved in the pathogenesis in the earliest stages and the processes associated with vesicular transport may be altered. The expression profiles of the genes studied in the substantia nigra and peripheral blood confirm that lymphocytes from peripheral blood may reflect processes occurring in the brain. These data suggest that messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in peripheral blood may provide potential biomarkers of the neurodegeneration occurring in PD. The changes in expression at the mRNA and protein levels suggest that Snca may be involved in neurodegeneration and Drd2 may participate in the development of the compensatory mechanisms in the early stages of PD pathogenesis. Our data suggest that the brain cortex may be involved in the pathological processes in the early stages of PD, including the presymptomatic stage.

Aim of the study: It was found that the mutations in the SDHD gene, encoding one of subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase complex, lead to the development of head and neck paraganglioma (HNPGL). We analyzed this gene in 91 patients with HNPGL from Russia. Materials and methods: DNA was isolated from the whole blood. A screening for mutations was performed by Sanger sequencing. Results: We revealed three missense mutations that have been described previously: p.Pro81Leu, p.His102Arg, p.Tyr114Cys. Moreover, we identified a novel potentially pathogenic variant (p.Trp105*). Conclusions: We found that mutations in the SDHD gene were less common in Russian patients compared with the majority of European populations. It was shown that the p.His102Arg mutation is a major mutation in Russia. We confirmed the previous suggestion that a bilateral localization of the tumor and the carotid type represent a marker of the genetically determined form of HNPGL.

Mutations in PARK2 are one of the causes of Parkinson's disease (PD). Deletions and duplications/triplications of one exon or exon groups account for a large proportion of mutations in the gene. At the present time, it is still not fully clear whether heterozygous mutations cause the development of PD. Our study aimed at conducting screening for mutations in PARK2 in patients with a sporadic form of PD to clarify the role of PARK2 in the development of PD.The cohort of 327 patients with PD was screened by quantitative real-time polimerase chain reaction (PCR) with subsequent Sanger sequencing.It was found that a sufficiently large proportion of these patients (21 patients, 6.4%) were carriers of heterozygous deletions or duplications in PARK2. Analysis of PARK2 exon rearrangement carriers for the presence of point mutations in PARK2 did not reveal any variants with pathogenic significance.Thus, our data indicate that heterozygous deletions and duplications can play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD and can be considered as dominant mutations with low penetrance.

Aim of study: Since the discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the 1990s, our knowledge about their biology has grown considerably. The increasing number of studies addressing the role of miRNAs in development and in various diseases emphasizes the need for a comprehensive catalogue of accurate sequence, expression and conservation information regarding the large number of miRNAs proposed recently in all organs and tissues. The objective of this study was to provide data on the levels of miRNA expression in 15 tissues of the normal human brain. Materials and methods: We conducted an analysis of the relative levels of 88 of the most abundantly expressed and best characterized miRNA derived postmortem from well-characterized samples of various regions of the brains from five normal individuals. Results: The cluster analysis revealed some differences in the relative levels of these miRNAs among the brain regions studied. Such diversity can be explained by different functioning of these brain regions. Conclusion: We hope that the data from the current study are a resource that will be useful to our colleagues in this exciting field, as more hypotheses will be generated and tested with regard to small noncoding RNA in the human brain in healthy and disease states.

Previous studies have shown that synthetic tuftsin analogue Selank causes a transcriptomic response in the rat hippocampus and in spleen cells and may participate in the regulation of inflammatory processes in the body. In this work we studied the effect of Selank and two of its fragments on the expression of genes involved in processes of inflammation. We analyzed the expression of 84 genes involved in processes of inflammation (e.g., chemokines, cytokines, and its receptors) in mouse spleen 6 and 24 h after Selank single intraperitoneal injection (100 μg/kg) using real-time PCR method. We found significant changes in the expression of 34 genes involved in inflammation processes. The detailed analysis of quantitative data showed that the Bcl6 gene, which plays a main role in the formation and development of the immune system, exhibited significant changes in its expression levels in response to injection of each of the peptides. Also, we observed expression changes for Bcl6 target and corepressor genes under the influence of Selank and its fragments. Our results showed that Selank and its fragments caused a number of alterations in the expression of genes involved in inflammation. The data obtained confirmed the participation of Selank in the processes of regulation of inflammation in the body. The complex biological effect of Selank may be partially determined by the systematic effect of this peptide on genomic expression.

Neurotrophins are a family of structurally related proteins that regulate the survival, differentiation, and maintenance of function of different neuron populations. Some peptides are able to affect the production and activity of neurotrophins. One of these synthetic peptides is heptapeptide Semax, an analog of the N-terminal adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment 4-10. It is known that Semax has effects on learning and memory formation and exerts some neuroprotective effects in rodents and humans. Male Wistar rats were treated for 20 min, 40 min, 90 min, 3 h, 8 h, and 24 h with Semax. Nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression in rat brain and retina was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. It was revealed that after Semax administration the multidirectional activation of the expression of the genes under investigation in the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and retina was observed. The expression of both neurotrophin genes was decreased in rat hippocampus and retina 20 min after Semax administration and was increased in the frontal cortex. The expression levels of NGF remained practically constant in the retina at the initial stage, whereas the expression levels of BDNF were significantly increased 90 min after Semax administration.

The heptapeptide Semax, an analogue of the N-terminal adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment (4–10) (ACTH 4–10 ), has been shown to exert a number of neuroprotective effects. There are some investigations that connected these effects with the increase of neurotrophin gene expression under the peptide drug application in neuron cell cultures [M.I. Shadrina, O.V. Dolotov, I.A. Grivennikov, P.A. Slominsky, L.A. Andreeva, L.S. Inozemtseva, S.A. Limborska, N.F. Myasoedov, Rapid induction of neurotrophin mRNAs in rat glial cell cultures by Semax, an adrenocorticotropic hormone analogue, Neurosci. Lett. 308 (2001) (2) 115–118]. In this work, we examined the action of Semax on rapid changes of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression in vivo. Male Wistar rats were treated for 1 h with Semax (50 μg/kg, single intranasal application) and neurotrophin gene expression in rat brain was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It was revealed that an intranasal application of Semax increased the expression of both neurotrophin genes in rat hippocampus. Bdnf gene expression also increased in the brainstem and cerebellum. Ngf gene expression decreased in rat frontal cortex. Thus, Semax induces rapid, gene- and region-specific changes in neurotrophin gene expression in normal rat brain.

Background: miRNAs may play a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. It is necessary to continue the search for new miRNAs that may affect the development of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. Methods: 20 untreated patients with Parkinson's disease and 18 treated patients with Parkinson's disease (Hoehn and Yahr scores 1e2) were studied. An analysis of the levels of 11 miRNAs in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients was carried out using reverse transcription followed by real-time PCR. Results: The levels of miR-7, miR-9-3p, miR-9-5p, miR-129, and miR-132 were increased by more than three times in treated patients with Parkinson's disease compared with those of the controls. Conclusions: It is probable that miRNAs are very sensitive to drug therapy and that the effects of therapy observed may be associated with changes in the levels of these miRNAs and their target genes in patients with Parkinson's disease.

The Parkinson disease (PD) is a severe neurological disorder. Diverse genetic systems and environmental factors are involved in the pathogenesis of this disease. However, despite extensive research into the disease, its causes are not fully elucidated, and the exact spectrum of genes and mutations involved in the development of hereditary forms of PD has not been fully clarified yet. The present work is devoted to the analysis of mutations that lead to the development of monogenic forms of PD in patients with suspected autosomal dominant form of PD using Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA). We have identified several mutations (G2019S in LRRK2, heterozygous deletions of 2-3, 3-4 exons and heterozygous duplication of 2-4 exons in PARK2, deletion of 3 exon in PARK7) that lead to the development of PD in only 7 people out of 70 (18.4%), which suggests the need for further search of new mutations, for example, using exome sequencing. In the future it will help to develop the molecular genetic tests for early preclinical diagnosis and risk evaluation of the development of PD, and to understand better the causes and mechanisms of this disease.

Twenty blood samples from Russian patients (Moscow) with idiopathic motor neurone disease were analysed for mutations in the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD) gene. Two patients (10%) with the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) form of the disease were found to have a disease-related mutation. One patient appears to have autosomal recessive adult-onset ALS associated with homozygosity for D90A and presents the characteristic phenotype of very slowly ascending paresis with both lower and upper motor neurone signs. Another patient, heterozygous for D90A, presents ALS with lumbar onset and rapid progression. This is the first report of a Cu,Zn SOD mutation in ALS in Russia.

Previous studies have shown that synthetic tuftsin analogue Selank and its fragments cause a number of alterations in the expression of certain genes involved in inflammation in mouse spleen. In this work we studied the effect of Selank and its short fragment Gly-Pro on the temporary dynamics of C3, Casp1, Il2rg, and Xcr1 genes expression in mouse spleen after single intraperitoneal injection (100 μg/kg) of peptides using real-time PCR method. We found a significant 3-fold decrease in the C3 mRNA level just 30 min after Selank injection and similar alteration this gene mRNA level after Gly-Pro administration. A wave-like alteration in the Casp1 mRNA level was observed after Selank injection. We found a significant alteration in the mRNA level of the Il2rg gene at early time points after Selank and Gly-Pro administration and an almost equal reduction in the Xcr1 mRNA level 90 min after the administration of Selank and its fragment. Our results showed that, Selank and its short fragment Gly-Pro influence the expression of genes that mediate different types of immune responses, thereby maintaining the balance of the immune system. It should be noted that in most cases, there was a coincidence in the expression profiles of the studied genes after Selank and Gly-Pro administration. This might indicate an active contribution of the dipeptide to the final effect of Selank.

The comparative analysis of the associations between G20210A polymorphism of F2 gene, G1691A polymorphism of F5 gene, -5T/C polymorphism of gene GP1BA, I/D polymorphism of gene ACE and the risk of development of the stroke in two ethnical samplings--Russian and Ukrainian populations--was conducted. It was shown that the patients of the Russian population with genotype DD have a higher level of the risk of ischemic stroke development (OR = 1.4, 95% CI [1.05; 1.78], p = 0.02), whereas genotypes I/I and I/D are associated with the lower level of risk of ischemic stroke (OR = 0.7, 95% CI [0.56; 0.95], p = 0.02). In the Ukrainian ethnical sampling, differences in distribution of genotypes and alleles frequencies between patients with stroke and healthy persons upon given polymorphic locus are not significant, and I/D polymorphism of gene ACE is not associated with the risk of development of the stroke (OR = 0.8, 95% CI [0.48; 1.32], p = 0.45). The G20210A polymorphism of gene F2, G1691A polymorphism of gene F5, -5T/C polymorphism of gene GP1BA are not associated with the risk of stroke in two ethnical samplings.

We studied SNP41 (rs152312) and SNP87 (rs2910829) of the PDE4D gene in 577 stroke patients and 270 healthy controls. The significant differences in the distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of the SNP41 between patients and controls were revealed. Genotypes AA and AG were associated with the higher risk of stroke in the Moscow population (OR 1,6). No association between SNP87 and stroke was found.

The analysis of alleles and genotypes frequencies of 14 SNP in genes of rennin-angiotensin system (REN, AGT, AGTR1, AGTR2, BKR2, ADRB2) and hemostasis system (FGB, F2, F5, F7, ITGB3, SERPINE1, MTHFR), as well as ACE insertion-deletion polymorphism in patients with stroke comparing to healthy controls matched by age, sex and ethnicity has been carried out. The genotyping procedure included the amplification of selected gene sequences following by hybridization of fluorescently labeled fragments with SNP-specific DNA probes. The analysis of allele frequencies of each gene separately revealed no statistically significant differences between groups of patients with stroke and healthy donors. Also the complex study has been performed to estimate the contribution of rennin-angiotensin system and hemostasis system genes to the genetic susceptibility to ischemic stroke among Russians from Central Russia using method MDR (Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction). The combination with increased risk for development of ischemic stroke was presented by complex genotype FGB G/- x ACE I/- x MTHFR C/- x SERPINE1 5G/5G (p = 0.03, OR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.1-5.3), which frequency was statistically significant higher in patients with stroke compared to healthy control.

Polymorphisms c.202GA of prothrombin F2 gene, c.1691GA of coagulation factor V F5 gene, c.675delinsG of plasminogen activator1 gene, and (-5)TC Kozak gene of thrombocytic receptor were studied in the Russian and Moldavian ethnic groups. We have found no association between these polymorphisms and the risk of ischemic stroke development in both ethnic groups. No association was revealed between the risk of stroke development and various combinations of the single nucleotide polymorphisms examined in the sample of ischemic stroke patients from Russia.

Chromosomal locus 6q23 is strongly linked to type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and related features including insulin secretion in various ethnic populations. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) gene is an interesting T2DM candidate gene in this chromosome region. CTGF is a key mediator of progressive pancreatic fibrosis up-regulated in type 2 diabetes. In contrast,CTGFinactivation in mice compromises islet cell proliferation during embryogenesis. The aim of our study was to investigate an impact ofCTGFgenetic variation on pancreatic beta-cell function and T2DM pathogenesis. We studied the effect of a commonCTGFpolymorphism rs9493150 on the risk of the T2DM development in three independent German cohorts. Specifically, the association betweenCTGFpolymorphism and non-invasive markers of beta-cell area derived from oral glucose tolerance test was studied in subjects without diabetes. Neither in the Metabolic Syndrome Berlin Potsdam (MESYBEPO) study (n= 1026) (OR = 0.637, CI (0.387–1.050);p= 0.077) nor in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam (EPIC-Potsdam) (n= 3049) cohort (RR = 0.77 CI (0.49–1.20),p= 0.249 for the recessive homozygote in general model), a significant association with increased diabetes risk was observed. The risk allele of rs9493150 had also no effect on markers of beta-cell area in the combined analysis of the MESYBEPO and Tübingen Family Study (n= 1826). In conclusion, the polymorphism rs9493150 in the 5’-untranslated region of theCTGFgene has no association with T2DM risk and surrogate markers of beta-cell area.

The risk of the ischemic stroke is mediated by both environmental and genetic factors. Recent studies of DeCode group identified the risk of polymorphisms for ischemic stroke in the phosphodiesterase 4D gene (PDE4D). The goal of this study was to explore the role of two variants of the gene encoding PDE4D [SNP41 (rs152312) and SNP87 (rs2910829)] in the Moldavian patients with ischemic stroke and in control. No significant association with ischemic stroke was observed with SNP41 and 87.

A protein capable of activating 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5AP) is considered a presumable risk factor of acute stroke development. Polymorphic variants of the ALOX5AP gene were examined. Two ALOX5AP gene polymorphisms (SG13S114 (rs10507391) and SG13S32 (rs9551963)), which previously had shown association with the risk of ischemic stroke in other populations, were studied. These single nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed using a sample of acute stroke patients (N = 1320) and a control sample (N = 467). No statistically significant associations were found between acute stroke and the ALOX5AP gene polymorphisms examined.

Two PDE4D gene polymorphisms [SNP41 (rs152312 and SNP87 (rs 2910829)] were studied in patients with acute stroke (n = 577) and in control sample (n = 270). Significant differences in the genotype and allele frequency distribution were found between these samples for polymorphism SNP41. We showed that the AA and AG genotypes of SNP41 polymorphism were associated with higher risk of acute stroke development in the Moscow population (OR = 1.6). No association of SNP87 polymorphism with the disease was observed.

Association of 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of insulinase (IDE) gene with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in the Moscow population has been examined. Three polymorphic markers (rs7078413, rs7899603, and rs551266) associated with the risk of T2D development have been revealed. Allele and genotype frequency distribution for these three markers differed significantly only in the sample of females between T2D patients and control individuals, while only in case of rs7078413 SNP genotype frequencies varied significantly in the total population.

A PARK8 form of Parkinson's disease (PD) is caused by a novel gene, leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), and a single mutation G2019S was found in a proportion of LRRK2-associated cases of diverse ethnic origins. We performed the LRRK2 G2019S mutation analysis in 304 Russian patients with PD, including 291 sporadic and 13 autosomal dominant cases. The frequency of the LRRK2 G2019S was 0.7% amongst the sporadic patients (2/291) and 7.7% amongst familial PD (1/13). The mutation was also found in three unaffected relatives and absent in 700 control chromosomes. One patient carrying the LRRK2 G2019S was found earlier to have an additional mutation, a heterozygous duplication of exon 5 of the parkin gene. All patients carrying the LRRK2 G2019S exhibited typical levodopa-responsive parkinsonism, and severe levodopa-induced dyskinesia was observed in the patient carrying the LRRK2 and parkin mutations. There was notable variability in ages of the disease onset in G2019S carriers not explained by APOE genotypes. Two subsets of G2019S-positive patients had different PARK8 haplotypes suggesting that the LRRK2 G2019S in Russian patients had arisen independently on different chromosomes. Identification of common LRRK2 mutations in some PD patients without an overt family history has notable implications for genetic counseling.

Most patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have sporadic form of the disease with a multifactorial etiology due to interactions between environmental conditions and the genetic constitution of the individuals. We have analyzed by APEX technology 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 19 genes related to cholecystokinin, serotonin, dopamine and opioid neurotransmission. Significant differences in the allele and genotype frequencies between the controls and PD patients were detected for four SNPs from three genes (serotonin 2A receptor (rs6311, P=0.043), Wolfram syndrome 1 (rs1801211, P=0.007), proopiomelanocortin (rs28930368, P=0.026 and rs2071345, P=0.027) genes). Two SNPs in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene were also associated with different clinical forms of PD. Our data suggest that at least three genes involved in neurotransmitter systems may have more specific role in genetic predisposition to PD.

The aim of our investigation was to study the connection between p53 gene Bam HI RFLP polymorphism and the brain infarction volume in patients with atherothrombotic ischemic stroke that could highlight certain genetic aspects of the individual sensibility of brain tissue to acute ischemia.Diallelic Bam HI RFLP polymorphism in 5' flanking region p53 gene was studied in 96 patients with carotid atherothrombotic stroke from Moscow population. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted on day 7 after the stroke onset. The manual morphometry and "Osiris" morphometric hardware (by the Hospital of the University of Geneva) were used for assessment of the infarction volume.The predominance of small-size infarctions (40 cm3) was revealed in patients with (-/-) Bam HI RFLP p53 genotype versus patients with (-/+) (X2 = 19.7; P0.001) and (+/+) (X2 = 12.288; P0.001) genotypes. According to the Bayesian's statistics, in patients with (-/-) p53 Bam HI genotype the development of a small-size infarction in atherothrombotic ischemic stroke can be prognosticated with probability more than 65%.A significant association between p53 gene Bam HI RFLP polymorphism and the infarction volume was found in patients with carotid atherothrombotic stroke from Moscow population. These results additionally confirm that apoptosis plays an important role in the formation of ischemic brain lesion and that drugs with anti-apoptotic properties may prove beneficial in stroke patients.

Fifty-one blood samples of Russian patients with sporadic motor neuron disease were examined for mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) gene. One female patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was heterozygous for G12R mutation. This patient suffered from ALS with cervical cord onset, pyramidal variant and fast progression. Mutation was also detected in her healthy son. Earlier, such mutation was described in 5 Italian patients with slow progressive ALS. Also, D90A SOD-1 gene associated haplotypes of the female ALS patients previously examined by the authors have been analyzed. A homozygous female patient with ALS was characterized by typical lumbar onset and extremely slow progression, as well as a female patient with heterozygous mutation and moderate progression carried so-called "Scandinavian" haplotype. To our knowledge, it is the first report on the finding of the haplotype considered as a "protective" one in the subjects heterozygous for D90A mutation with clinical symptoms of ALS. Mechanisms of "protective" influence of this haplotype on ALS course are not yet elucidated. Our finding suggests that the presence of "Scandinavian" haplotype does not completely protect from the disease development in patients exposed to other more pathogenic causative factors. This assumption is in line with modern conceptions on motor neuron disease as a complicated multifactor disorder.

Polymorphic variants of genes for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensinogen (ATG) were studied in 110 patients with different types of brain ischemic disease--carotid atherothrombotic ischemic stroke (one of the pathogenic brain infarction variants) as well as in 119 their siblings with the main risk factors of cerebrovascular pathology development being taken into account. No association has been found between ACE and ATG genes polymorphisms and carotid atherothrombotic ischemic stroke. However, the presence of a homozigous DD ACE genotype was shown to be an independent risk factor for development of hemodynamically relevant stenosis of the major brain arteries. The absence of differences in genetic variants distribution in patients with acute ischemic stroke, comparing to those with prolonged chronic brain ischemic disease (without infarction formation) and the highest frequency of this polymorphism in "longevity" group (without lifetime stroke) imply a relatively independent character of the atherothrombogenic process, which may probably underlie a further development of pathological process.

The aim of the present study was to define participation of gene angiotensine converting enzyme (ACE) in the development of atherothrombotic ischemic stroke. 153 patients with cerebrovascular disease were enrolled. The first group consisted of 50 patients with hemispheric atherothrombotic ischemic stroke and their 55 siblings. The second group consisted of 23 patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease with not less than 10 year history but with no history of strokes, including silent ones, and their 25 siblings. All the patients underwent standard clinical and laboratory study, insertion-deletion polymorphism of ACE gene was determined with polymerase chain reaction. chi 2-Test found no statistically significant differences in frequencies of I/D alleles between two groups as well as between genotypes of each group: p0.05. During analysis of ACE gene polymorphism in relation to level of arterial hypertension, presence of type II diabetes mellitus as risk factors no statistically significant differences in frequencies of I/I, I/D and D/D genotypes in both groups were found. We studied correlation between insertion-deletion polymorphism of ACE gene and the development of stenosis significantly affecting haemodynamics (over 70%). We found that among patients with stenosis in both groups D/D genotype significantly predominated (p0.05).

Allelic polymorphism of five microsatellite loci of the human Y chromosome (DYS19, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, and DYS393) was analyzed in samples of male populations from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus (152 subjects in total). The allelic diversity indices (Dg) were determined for all loci; they varied from 0.23 to 0.72. The mean values of this parameter in the Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarussian populations were 0.45, 0.47, and 0.52, respectively. A total of 53 different haplotypes were found in 152 subjects from three populations. The most frequent haplotype was found in 14.5% of the subjects, whereas 35 haplotypes (23%) were each found in only one person. The haplotypic diversity index (Dhp) was 0.94. The genetic distances between the populations studied and some populations of Western and Central Europe were estimated. These data were used to construct a phylogram (tree) of genetic similarity between the populations, which demonstrated that the three Eastern Slavic populations are genetically close to one another and remote from Western European populations.

Distribution of CTG repetitive sequences in the myotonic dystrophy (MD) gene was analyzed in ten populations of the Volga-Ural region, including Tatars, Chuvashes, Maris, Udmurts, Mordovians, Komis, and four ethnogeographical groups of Bashkirs. A total of 25 alleles were found (9 to 14 in individual populations), with each allele containing 5 to 34 trinucleotide repeats. The allele frequency distribution had two peaks corresponding to alleles with 5 and 11-14 CTG repeats. The frequency of the (CTG)5 allele varied from 0.23 to 0.47 in Maris and Mordovians, respectively. Regarding the (CTG)11-14 alleles, those containing 13 and 12 trinucleotides were most frequent in all populations; their frequencies varied from 0.15 in Mordovians to 0.24 in Maris and Bashkirs from the Abzelilovskii raion (district). Alleles with large numbers of repeats (more than 30) were only found in Tatars and Bashkirs from the Abzelilovskii raion, where their frequency was 0.01. The data obtained were compared with those on other human populations from various regions of the world. In general, the populations of the Volga-Ural region took an intermediate position between European and Asian populations (although were somewhat more similar to the latter ones) with respect to the distribution of allelic frequencies of the CTG repetitive sequences. In individual populations, the number of genotypes varied from 13 to 27 in Mordovians and Bashkirs from the Ilishevskii raion, respectively. The observed heterozygosity was the highest (91%) in Udmurts and the lowest (58%) in Mordovians; the average heterozygosity was 81%. Such a high heterozygosity, as well as the revealed differentiation of the populations with respect to the distribution of the allelic frequencies of CTG repetitive sequences in the MD gene, allow this polymorphic DNA locus to be considered a highly informative genetic marker of populations.

Allele and genotype frequencies of 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms in F12, PON1, PON2, NOS2, PDE4D, HIF1a,GPIba, CYP11B2 genes were studied in a group of Russian patients with ischemic stroke (IS) from central regions of the Russian Federation and healthy donors matched for sex, age and ethnicity. The genotyping procedure included the amplification of selected DNA sequences with the following hybridization of fluorescently-labeled regions with allele-specific DNA-probes immobilized on a biochip. An analysis of allele and genotype frequencies for each gene in IS patients and controls did not reveal any significant differences. The pair-wise comparison of genes demonstrated that the frequency of the combination PON1A/-x PON2 GG was higher in the group of patients (p=0.044, OR=3.4 95% CI 1.06 − 10.4) compared to the controls and, thus, was associated with the higher risk for stroke.

The insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene was studied in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and healthy individuals randomly sampled from the Moscow population. The ACE gene proved to be associated with the plasma apolipoprotein B (ApoB) content in CHD patients, but not associated with HCD development in individuals with elevated serum cholesterol and triglycerides. An association was not revealed between the alleles of the ACE gene and hypertension in CHD patients.

The CTG repeat of the myotonic dystrophy (MD) gene was analyzed in 62 MD patients and 54 healthy members of their families. A CTG repeat expansion was revealed in 57 (92%) patients and in 12 relatives who did not express clinical signs of MD. Family analysis showed that the CTG repeat number increased, which was associated with anticipation, decreased, or remained the same (17.6%) in alleles transmitted from parents to their children. The spontaneous mutation rate of the CTG repeat was estimated at 4 x 10(-2). Instability was characteristic of alleles with more than 19 repeated units.

The hypervariable regions of the 3'-end of the apolipoprotein B gene (APOB3'-VNTR) and angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE), which had 10-15 alleles each, were studied in a sample from the Udmurt population by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From the literature data, the genetic position of Udmurts among 12 groups of Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid populations was determined. The data obtained by the method of principal components indicated that Udmurts held an isolated position in the northern branch of the Caucasoid race.

Data on the frequency of the CCR5 chemokine receptor-gene 32-bp deletion in seven Turkic (Bashkir, Tatar, and Chuvash) and Finno-Ugric (Mari, Komi, Mordvinian, and Udmurt) populations of the Volga-Ural region, obtained by means of the PCR technique, are presented. The deletion frequency varied from 2.17% in the northwestern ethnogeographic group of Bashkirs to 13.44% in the Tatar population, with a mean frequency value of 7.02% for the region. The only deletion homozygote found belonged to the Udmurt population. The results indicate that the frequency distribution of the mutant allele in Volga-Ural populations coincided with that in European populations.

The study was aimed at clarifying the relative roles of genetic and environmental factors in determination of the blood concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the Russian population. For this purpose, some polymorphic systems of the apolipoproteins B, CII, and CIII; cholesterol ether transport protein (CETP); and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) genes were compared in two groups of males living in Moscow who had high and low blood HDL-C concentrations (less than 40 and more than 50 mg/dl, respectively). No statistically significant differences were found between distributions of the allelic variants of the genes studied in males with different blood HDL-C concentrations. Thus, the given panel of proteins connected with the metabolism of blood plasma lipids has no effect on the blood HDL-C concentration in Russian males from the Moscow population.

A unique inbred Avar family from an isolate of the Dagestan highland was studied. Unusual phenotypic expression of autosomal recessive progressive muscular dystrophy was revealed in 12 members of this family from three generations. Limb-girdle (proximal) muscular dystrophy (LGMD) was detected in nine patients, while the other three patients displayed typical distal myopathy (DM). Genetic linkage analysis with several candidate loci determining various forms of muscular dystrophy allowed a gene for this polymorphic syndrome to be assigned to chromosome 2p13. In spite of the difference in clinical manifestation, all patients appeared to be homozygous for a unique haplotype. This implies the founder effect and proves the same genetic basis of LGMD and DM in the family. Recombination analysis showed that the centromeric and telomeric ends of the gene region are marked with D2S2111 and D2S327, respectively (genetic distance1 cM). This region is overlapped by two larger regions in which the genes for LGMD type 2B (LGMD2B) and Miyoshi myopathy were recently mapped. Complex analysis of clinical and genetic data indicated that LGMD2B, Miyoshi myopathy, and the revealed polymorphic syndrome may represent allelic variants of 2p13-linked autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy.

The highly polymorphic CTG triplet repeat in the 3'-nontranscribed region of the myotonin protein kinase (DM) gene was studied in healthy people from three rural populations (Grodnenskii, Khoinikskii, and Nesvizhskii raions) and the town Bobruisk, Belarus. The allele frequency distribution of this repeat proved to be similar in all the regional groups of Belarussians.

Semax is a synthetic peptide, which consists of the N-terminal adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment (4-7) (ACTH4-7) and C-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro peptide. Semax promotes neuron survival in hypoxia, increases selective attention and memory storage. It was shown that this synthetic peptide exerted a number of gene expressions, especially brain derived neurotrophic factor gene (Bdnf) and nerve growth factor gene (Ngf). Temporary dynamics of Bdnf and Ngf ex- pression in rat hippocampus and frontal cortex under Semax action (50 mg/kg, single intranasal administration) was studied in this work. It was shown that the studied gene expression levels changed significantly both in the hippocampus and the frontal cortex tissues 20 minutes after the peptide preparation application. The expression levels decreased in the hippocampus and increased in the frontal cortex. Forty minutes after Semax administration both gene expression levels returned to the level typical of control tissues. After that they increased significantly by 90 minutes after experiment start. Bdnf and Ngf expression levels decreased up to the control levels by 8 hours after medicine applying maximum gene expression levels were attained. Thus, Semax administration results in rapid, long-term, and specific activation of Bdnf and Ngf expression changes in different rat brain departments.

16 blood samples from Russian patients (Moscow) with idiopathic motor neuron disease were analysed for mutations in the CuZn-superoxide dismutase gene. Two patients (12.5%) with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were found to have a disease related mutation. One patient appears to have autosomal recessive adult-onset ALS associated with homozygosity for Asp90Ala and presents the characteristic phenotype of very slowly ascending paresis with both lower and upper motor neuron signs. The other patient heterozygous for Asp90Ala presents ALS with lumbar onset and rapid progression. Both of cases are apparently sporadic.

Comparison of the frequency distributions of alleles, genotypes, and genotype combinations of genes GSTM1 and GSTT1 did not show statistically significant differences between patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and a random sample from the Moscow population. Apparently, these genes are not involved in MND pathogenesis in these patients.

Possible correlation of M/T polymorphism of angiotensinogen gene with risk of ischemic stroke and basic risk factors of cerebral pathology (levels of arterial pressure and blood cholesterol; presence of diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, or myocardial infarction in anamnesis; and stenosis of major cerebral arteries) was studied. It was shown that M/T polymorphic variants of angiotensinogen gene were factors determining neither clinical variant of cerebral ischemia development (acute ischemic stroke or chronic brain ischemia) nor formation of main risk factors of stroke.

A DNA analysis of 72 patients from Bashkortostan clinically diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy and 54 their family members was conducted. CTG-repeat expansion in the myotonin proteinkinase gene was found in 67 (92%) patients and 12 their relatives without clinical symptoms of the disease at the moment of examination. A correlation between the most distinct clinical symptoms and CTG-repeat number has been studied. A CTG-repeat expansion in generations was compared to that in sib pairs with myotonic dystrophy. In 17.6% of the cases, CTG-repeat number decreased in the following generations and in 11.7% it did not change, the percentages being higher than those described elsewhere. In general, anticipation phenomenon was confirmed for CTG-repeat in myotonin proteinkinase gene.

A method for analysis of deletions and duplications of individual exons and groups of exons in the parkin gene (PARK2) in both homozygous and heterozygous states has been developed. The method is based on semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The method has been used for analysis of the frequency of deletions in gene PARK2 in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease from Bashkortostan. Two unrelated patients have been found to carry a deletion of the 12th (last) exon of gene PARK2. Possibly, this deletion has caused the disease in the given patients.

The analysis of association between DNA markers and total stroke risk was performed in 950 Slavonic patients. Patients with cardioembolic stroke were selected for a genome-wide association study. The HUMANCYTOSNP12 v.2 microchip was used to analyze all DNA samples on a panel of 301 000 single nucleotide polymorphisms. SNP rs1842993 on chromosome 7 was found to be associated with cardioembolic stroke risk.

The Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder that arises due to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. The causes of this disease are still unknown, but a number of genes involved in pathogenesis of familial and sporadic forms of PD has been identified. According to recent data of genome wide association studies (GWAS), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes (including MAPT locus) may play an important role in the development of PD. Therefore, we analyzed distribution of genotype frequencies of SNP rs415430 in the WNT3 gene in the Russian patients with sporadic PD and in the Russian population controls (OR = 0.84, Confidence Interval (95% CI) 0.58-1.23, p = 0.39). It was concluded that SNP rs415430 in the WNT3 gene was not associated with the risk of development of PD.