A Guide to the Russian Academy of Sciences - University of Texas ...

1997 update: FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF CHROMOSOMES
Head Alexander V. Zelenin, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., Professor
In 1995 the research in the Laboratory proceeded in the following directions: 1. Studying
the cell proliferation mechanisms. 2. The transfer of foreign genes into plant and
animal cells and investigation of transgenic cells and organisms. 3. Studying the
cereal plant chromosomes and chromosomal analysis of these plants. 4. The study
of human chromosomes in the framework of the Russian National Human Genome
Program. The following basic results were obtained: It has been shown on mouse
cell cultures that the reverse transcriptase inhibitors azidothymidine and carbovir
impair the function of telomerase, the enzyme responsible for maintenance of
telomeres. These experimental data provide new opportunities for elucidation of the
cell senescence mechanisms. The study of karyotype formation in the interspecies
and intervariety hybrids of cereals continued. The chromosome polymorphism of
wild Egylops wheat species was investigated using the differential C-banding and
fluorescent DNA hybridization in situ. A method for C-like banding of barley
chromosomes was developed. This method opens new possibilities for
investigation of this cereal genome. We also continued the work on localization of a
number of cosmids, YAC and NotI clones on human chromosomes 3 and 13 using
the fluorescent hybridization in situ (FISH). The results obtained were used for
physical mapping of these chromosomes in the framework of the respective projects
of the Russian National Human Genome Program. A contigue overlapping an area
of the chromosome 13 partially lost in B-cell chronic leucosis was created. Tissue
specific expression of the estS gene was demonstrated for transgenic drosophilae.
The development of new devices for the analysis of hybridization kinetics of
fluorescently labelled DNA using oligonucleotides immobilized on microchips
continued. This project combines the efforts of several laboratories of the Institute
interested in developing of a new method for DNA sequencing and molecular
diagnostics.
(9.) The Genome Mobility Laboratory under Iurii V. Il’in, D. Chem S., who
graduated from the Moscow State University Chemistry Department in 1966, and
defended his thesis on the study of the structure of the chromatine
deoxynucleoproteids in 1970, and defended his dissertation on the mobile elements
of the Drosophila in 1981. He joined the institute in 1966. His scientific interests at
present are on genome organization, mobile genetic elements, and the control of
gene expression.
1997 update: GENOME MOBILITY
Head Professor Yurii V. Ilyin, Ph.D., D.Sc., Member of the Russian Academy of
Sciences
The functional role of D.melanogaster retrotransposon gypsy virus-like particles as an
infectious factor was revealed. The gypsy ability to invade D. hydei cultured cells
was shown. An unusually long-term stability of extrachromosomal gypsy plasmid
constructs in transformed D. hydei cells was demonstrated. These results may be
applied in the experiments on gene expression in the systems using such vectors. A
complete nucleotide sequence of the full-length copy of D. melanogaster
retrotransposon mdg3 was determined. It has been shown that this element belongs
to the gypsy group. It contains one ORF, which includes the protease, reverse
transcriptase, RNAse H and integrase domains. The structure of a short variant of
mdg3 was also identified. Such elements have a deletion of the retrotransposon
internal part and completely lack the reverse transcriptase and partly the RNAse H
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