Биология

The article is devoted to the study of bacteria in the system of technical water supply of Balakovo nuclear power plant (BNPP). The work was carried out in 2017. The samples were taken at the following sites: backup diesel generator of the 3rd unit (rode’s-3), pumping station of feeding pond-cooler (PSFPC), coastal pump station of unit 3 (CPS-U3), coastal pumping station of power unit № 4 (CPSP-U4), turbine hall of power unit № 3 (TH-PU3), turbine hall of power unit № 4 (TH-PU4).

Methods of differentiation and identification of Yersinia pestis strains of medieval biovar by real-time PCR method with hybridization-fluorescent results’ registration and SNP typing method have been developed. Ninety-one Y. pestis strains of medieval biovar from the plague foci of Russia and other CIS countries, received from the State Collection of Pathogenic Bacteria at the Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute “Microbe”, were used in this work. The strains of medieval biovar are represented by four already known phylogenetic lines: 2.MED0, 2.MED1, 2.MED2, 2.MED3.

Extracellular and membrane polysaccharides of halophilic bacteria arouse the interest of researchers as promising biopolymers involved in adaptation and maintenance of normal physiology of microorganisms in saline environments that accompany many biotechnological processes. This work aimed at structural characteristic of surface glycopolymers of halophilic Gram-negative bacteria isolated from the salt samples of the lakes Qarun (Egypt) and Elton (Russia) – strains Chromohalobacter salexigens EG1QL3 and Halomonas ventosae RU5S2EL, respectively.

Cholera remains a global threat to public health. Even sporadic cases of importation of the infection cause significant socio-economic damage. In connection with the current situation, the development and improvement of modern safe chemical vaccines against cholera caused by V. cholerae O1 and O139 serogroups plays an important role in reducing the incidence, which is an important and promising direction of scientific research. 

Many modern selection technologies are based on the use of haploid plants as a starting material. The spontaneous frequency of haploid development is very low (0.01–0.1%). In this regard, the creation of plant forms with increased frequency of parthenogenesis is important. The collection of corn lines with an increased frequency of haploid plants in the progeny was created at the Department of Genetics of the Saratov State University. High costs are required for maintain of a plant collections in the field.

Characterization of the species composition of the dominant representatives of Protozoa in natural plague foci is important for the study of certain aspects of ecology and persistence mechanisms of Yersinia pestis. Determination of systematic belonging of amoebas isolated from the soils of the Gorno-Altai high-mountain plague focus in 2016 year was carried out by analyzing nucleotide sequences of ribosomal genes of these protozoans. The analyzed sequences of ribosomal genes were obtained by PCR with specific primers followed by sequencing of PCR products.

Many bacteria, in response to unfavourable environmental conditions, can synthesise polyesters of the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) class. These biopolymers, accumulating intracellularly in the form of granules, help the bacteria to cope with negative environments and are utilised as reserve sources of carbon and energy. Rhizobacteria of the species Azospirillum brasilense synthesise a single type of PHA, poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), in response to stress factors.

Until this article in the Saratov Province special studies of fungivorous beetles fauna of Coleoptera was carried out. The collection material was conducted by the authors in the spring and summer of 2017 with fruiting bodies of different species of xylotrophic Basidiomycetes of the families Polyporaceae and Fomitopsidaceae on the territory of 4 districts of the Saratov Province (Voskresenskiy, Khvalynskiy, Saratovskiy, Engelskiy). As a result, on 4 species of xylotrophic fungi were found 13 species of Coleoptera from 6 families.

Oculomotor activity is a necessary component of the human mental processes, thanks to which the acquisition, transformation and use of visual information takes place. Therefore, by registering and analyzing eye movements, we are able to access the hidden (internal) forms of activity that occur extremely quickly and unconsciously. Thanks to the appearance in Russia of modern trainees, interest in the oculomotor theme has now increased significantly.

Microorganisms inhabiting saline environments can produce compounds unique in structure and properties. This ability recently prompted researchers to study the biotechnological potential of halophiles. This work aimed at screening the exopolysaccharideproducing halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms of two saline lakes, one in in Egypt and the other in Russia. For strain isolation and characterization, we used microbiological and physico-chemical methods, as well as light and transmission electron microscopy.