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We announce a call for contributions to a Special Issue of Biophysical Reviews associated with the VII Congress of Russian Biophysicists (to be held in Krasnodar, Russia, 17-23 April 2023). The Congress is the main biophysical meeting held within Russia and is organized every four years. The Congress will focus on both the physical principles and mechanisms of biological processes occurring at different levels of structural organization, from molecular to cellular to organism and to population levels. The Special Issue will accept reviews on topics from molecular biophysics, structure and dynamics of biopolymers, biophysics of the cell, energy transformation mechanisms, biophotonics, ecological biophysics, and medical biophysics, following the sections of the Congress. The VII Congress of Russian Biophysicists is supported by International Union of Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB). Here we describe main topics and sections of the coming event, the paper types for the journal issue, and the key deadline dates., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare no competing interests., (© International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022.)

In this article we minutely discuss the so-called "oxidative" mechanism of mononuclear form of dinitrosyl iron complexes (M-DNICs) formations proposed by the author. M-DNICs are proposed to be formed from their building material-neutral NO molecules, Fe 2+ ions and anionic non-thiol (L - ) and thiol (RS - ) ligands based on the disproportionation reaction of NO molecules binding with divalent ion irons in pairs. Then a protonated form of nitroxyl anion (NO - ) appearing in the reaction is released from this group and a neutral NO molecule is included instead. As a result, M-DNICs are produced. Their resonance structure is described as [(L - ) 2 Fe 2+ (NO)(NO + )], in which nitrosyl ligands are represented by NO molecules and nitrosonium cations in equal proportions. Binding of hydroxyl ions with the latter causes conversion of these cations into nitrite anions at neutral pH values and therefore transformation of DNICs into the corresponding high-spin mononitrosyl iron complexes (MNICs) with the resonance structure described as [(L - ) 2 Fe 2+ (NO)]. In case of replacing L - by thiol-containing ligands, which are characterized by high π-donor activity, electron density transferred from sulfur atoms to iron-dinitrosyl groups neutralizes the positive charge on nitrosonium cations, which prevents their hydrolysis, ensuring relatively a high stability of the corresponding M-DNICs with the resonance structure [(RS - ) 2 Fe 2+ (NO, NO + )]. Therefore, M-DNICs with thiol-containing ligands, as well as their binuclear analogs (B-DNICs, respective resonance structure [(RS - ) 2 Fe 2+ 2 (NO, NO + ) 2 ]), can serve donors of both NO and NO + . Experiments with solutions of B-DNICs with glutathione or N-acetyl-L-cysteine (B-DNIC-GSH or B-DNIC-NAC) showed that these complexes release both NO and NO + in case of decomposition in the presence of acid or after oxidation of thiol-containing ligands in them. The level of released NO was measured via optical absorption intensity of NO in the gaseous phase, while the number of released nitrosonium cations was determined based on their inclusion in S-nitrosothiols or their conversion into nitrite anions. Biomedical research showed the ability of DNICs with thiol-containing ligands to be donors of NO and NO + and produce various biological effects on living organisms. At the same time, NO molecules released from DNICs usually have a positive and regulatory effect on organisms, while nitrosonium cations have a negative and cytotoxic effect.

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), one of the major precursors of free radicals in body cells and tissues, is endowed with strong prooxidant activity. In living systems, dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) with glutathione ligands play the role of nitric oxide donors and possess a broad range of biological activities. At micromolar concentrations, DNIC effectively inhibit HOCl-induced lysis of red blood cells (RBCs) and manifest an ability to scavenge alkoxyl and alkylperoxyl radicals generated in the reaction of HOCl with tert -butyl hydroperoxide. DNIC proved to be more effective cytoprotective agents and organic free radical scavengers in comparison with reduced glutathione (GSH). At the same time, the kinetics of HOCl-induced oxidation of glutathione ligands in DNIC is slower than in the case of GSH. HOCl-induced oxidative conversions of thiolate ligands cause modification of DNIC, which manifests itself in inclusion of other ligands. It is suggested that the strong inhibiting effect of DNIC with glutathione on HOCl-induced lysis of RBCs is determined by their antioxidant and regulatory properties.

The ability of mononuclear dinitrosyl iron commplexes (M-DNICs) with thiolate ligands to act as NO donors and to trigger S-nitrosation of thiols can be explain only in the paradigm of the model of the [Fe(+)(NO(+))(2)] core ({Fe(NO)(2)}(7) according to the Enemark-Feltham classification). Similarly, the {(RS(-))(2)Fe(+)(NO(+))(2)}(+) structure describing the distribution of unpaired electron density in M-DNIC corresponds to the low-spin (S = 1/2) state with a d(7) electron configuration of the iron atom and predominant localization of the unpaired electron on MO(d(z2)) and the square planar structure of M-DNIC. On the other side, the formation of molecular orbitals of M-DNIC including orbitals of the iron atom, thiolate and nitrosyl ligands results in a transfer of electron density from sulfur atoms to the iron atom and nitrosyl ligands. Under these conditions, the positive charge on the nitrosyl ligands diminishes appreciably, the interaction of the ligands with hydroxyl ions or with thiols slows down and the hydrolysis of nitrosyl ligands and the S-nitrosating effect of the latter are not manifested. Most probably, the S-nitrosating effect of nitrosyl ligands is a result of weak binding of thiolate ligands to the iron atom under conditions favoring destabilization of M-DNIC.

Cultured bEND.3 endothelial cells show a marked increase in NO production when subjected to anoxia, even though the normal arginine pathway of NO formation is blocked due to absence of oxygen. The rate of anoxic NO production exceeds basal unstimulated NO synthesis in normoxic cells. The anoxic release of NO is mediated by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), can be abolished by inhibitors of NOS and is accompanied by consumption of intracellular nitrite. The anoxic NO release is unaffected by the xanthine oxidase inhibitor oxypurinol. The phenomenon is attributed to anoxic reduction of intracellular nitrite by eNOS, and its magnitude and duration suggests that the nitrite reductase activity of eNOS is relevant for fast NO delivery in hypoxic vascular tissues.

We used animal models to study connection between oxidating system and sphingomyelin signaling cascade, because this models are more close related to people disease. Activation of n-sphingomyelinase (n-SMase) in mice liver and brain is coincided in time with increased level of peroxide products (conjugated dienes) after injection of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). We found that ceramide can induce peroxide oxidation and lead to accumulation of TNF-alpha in animal organs. Nitric oxide (NO) donors (S-nitrosoglutathione and dinitrosyl iron complex) reversibly inhibited activity of n-SMase and decreased level of lipid peroxidation products. This data proposed that both SMase and messengers of oxidative systems could be targets for NO-derived oxidants.

We have quantitatively measured nitric oxide production in the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana and Vicia faba by adapting ferrous dithiocarbamate spin tapping methods previously used in animal systems. Hydrophobic diethyldithiocarbamate complexes were used to measure NO interacting with membranes, and hydrophilic N-methyl-d-glucamine dithiocarbamate was used to measure NO released into the external solution. Both complexes were able to trap levels of NO, readily detectable by EPR spectroscopy. Basal rates of NO production (in the order of 1 nmol g(-) (1) h(-1)) agreed with previous studies. However, use of methodologies that corrected for the removal of free NO by endogenously produced superoxide resulted in a significant increase in trapped NO (up to 18 nmol g(-) (1) h(-1)). Basal NO production in leaves is therefore much higher than previously thought, but this is masked by significant superoxide production. The effects of nitrite (increased rate) and nitrate (decreased rate) are consistent with a role for nitrate reductase as the source of this basal NO production. However, rates under physiologically achievable nitrite concentrations never approach that reported following pathogen induction of plant nitric-oxide synthase. In Hibiscus rosa sinensis, the addition of exogenous nitrite generated sufficient NO such that EPR could be used to detect its production using endogenous spin traps (forming paramagnetic dinitrosyl iron complexes). Indeed the levels of this nitrosylated iron pool are sufficiently high that they may represent a method of maintaining bioavailable iron levels under conditions of iron starvation, thus explaining the previously observed role of NO in preventing chlorosis under these conditions.

No effects of gaseous NO added at a pressure of 19.95 kPa on the stability of the binuclear iron-sulphur centre (ISC) of reduced iron-sulphur protein adrenodoxin (0.2 mM) have been observed using the EPR method. However, the incubation of the protein with NO in the presence of ferrous iron (1.8 mM) led to complete ISC degradation, accompanied by the formation of protein-bound dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs; 0.3+/-0.1 mM). Similar results were obtained when low-molecular-mass DNIC with phosphate or cysteine (1.8 mM) were added to solutions of pre-reduced adrenodoxin. The degradation of the ISC was suggested to be due to the attack of the Fe(+)(NO(+))(2) group from low-molecular-mass DNICs added or formed during the interaction between NO and ferrous ions on the thiol groups in active centres of adrenodoxin. This attack leads to a release of endogenous iron from the centres, which is capable of forming both low-molecular-mass and protein-bound DNIC, thereby ensuring further ISC degradation.

The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that NO-dependent regulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) gene expression can play an important role in prevention of calcium overload under the influence of detrimental factors. It was shown that 2 hours after the administration of the NO donor dinitrosyl iron complex (DNIC), the gene expression of myocardial SERCA was increased by 20% as compared to the control. In skeletal muscles, the maximum increase in SERCA expression was observed in 6 hours and amounted to 156% as compared with the initial value. Simultaneously DNIC enhanced the resistance of isolated heart and the organism as a whole to damaging effects of intracellular calcium overload induced by post-ischemic reperfusion or vigorous exercise, respectively. The results obtained confirm the existence of NO-dependent activation of SERCA expression and the important role of this mechanism in restriction of calcium overload.

Adaptation to hypoxia is beneficial in cardiovascular pathology related to NO shortage or overproduction. However, the question about the influence of adaptation to hypoxia on NO metabolism has remained open. The present work was aimed at the relationship between processes of NO production and storage during adaptation to hypoxia and the possible protective significance of these processes. Rats were adapted to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia in an altitude chamber. NO production was determined by plasma nitrite/nitrate level. Vascular NO stores were evaluated by relaxation of the isolated aorta to diethyldithiocarbamate. Experimental myocardial infarction was used as a model of NO overproduction; stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-SP) were used as a model of NO shortage. During adaptation to hypoxia, the plasma nitrite/nitrate level progressively increased and was correlated with the increase in NO stores. Adaptation to hypoxia prevented the excessive endothelium-dependent relaxation and hypotension characteristic for myocardial infarction. At the same time, the adaptation attenuated the increase in blood pressure and prevented the impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxation in SHR-SP. The data suggest that NO stores induced by adaptation to hypoxia can either bind excessive NO to protect the organism against NO overproduction or provide a NO reserve to be used in NO deficiency.

In this work, we evaluated the effect of adaptation to heat on the fall of blood pressure (BP) induced by heat shock (HS) and the interrelation between nitric oxide (NO) and heat shock protein, HSP70. Experiments were carried out on Wistar rats. It was shown that HS resulted in a generalized and transient increase in NO production (the electron paramagnetic resonance method) and a fall of BP from 113+/-3 to 88+/-1 mm Hg (p<0.05). Adaptation to heat itself did not affect BP, but completely prevented the NO overproduction and hypotension induced by HS. The adaptation simultaneously increased the brain NO-synthase content and induced HSP70 synthesis (the Western blot analysis) in various organs. Both the antihypotensive effects of adaptation and HSP70 accumulation were completely prevented by L-NNA, an inhibitor of NO synthesis, or quercetin, an inhibitor of HSP70 synthesis. The data suggest that adaptation to heat stimulates NO synthesis and NO activates synthesis of HSP70. HSP70, which hampers NO overproduction, thus restricts the BP fall induced by heat shock.

The concentration-dependent effect of various nitric oxide donors on synthesis of different heat shock proteins was evaluated in Reuber H35 hepatoma cells and their heat shock protein-inducing ability was compared with the effect of a heat shock. A 6 h incubation of H35 cells with the dimeric (diamagnetic) form of dinitrosyl iron complex with glutathione or N-acetyl-L-cysteine activated synthesis of various heat shock proteins, heat shock protein 28, 32, 60, 70, 90 and 100. Synthesis of these proteins was evaluated by [35S]methionine and [35S]cysteine labelling with subsequent separation of proteins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The dinitrosyl iron complex with glutathione appeared to be the most efficient inductor of heat shock protein synthesis and initiated the synthesis of heat shock protein 28 even more efficiently than a 30 min heating of cells. In the same experiments, S-nitroso-D,L-penicillamine exerted a considerably lesser effect on the synthesis of heat shock proteins. It was suggested that the active moiety of dinitrosyl iron complexes as inductors of heat shock protein synthesis is represented by their Fe+(NO+)2 groups which move to thiol groups of the proteins participating in the initiation of heat shock protein synthesis.

The ability of nitric oxide (NO) donor compounds to induce the SOS DNA repair response in Escherichia coli is reported. Dinitrosyl iron complexes with glutathione and cysteine (DNIC) are the most potent SOS-inducers. S-Nitrosothiols (RSNO) mediate a similar response at 10-100 microM, but the response decreases sharply at concentrations above 0.5 mM. Pretreatment of the cells with the chelating agent o-phenanthroline (OP) prevents induction of the SOS response by all agents used. On the other hand, the toxicity of S-nitrosothiols is higher than that of DNIC. The EPR study shows the appearance of an EPR DNIC-type signal after incubation of the cells with S-nitrosoglutathione because of mutual transformation between RSNO and DNIC in the presence of accessible iron inside the cells. Pretreatment of the cells with OP leads to a decrease in this signal. Analysis of NO donor effects reveals a dual role of the iron ions in reactivity and toxicity of the compounds studied, i.e. (i) stabilization of the cytotoxic RSNO and (ii) generation of the SOS signal.

As our group has shown, the NO-synthase inhibitor L-NNA decreased 2-3 times heat shock-induced synthesis of the heat shock protein HSP70 (FEBS Lett. 370 (1995) 159-162). It was suggested that NO is involved in such induction. In the present study, it was found that (1) injection of the NO donor dinitrosyl iron complex (DNIC) into rats results in accumulation of HSP70 in the heart; (2) heat shock is accompanied by increased generation of NO (EPR assay) and HSP70 accumulation in cultured cells; (3) DNIC induces HSP70 accumulation in cultured cells not exposed to heat shock.

It is known that HSP70 plays an important role in the antiischaemic effect of adaptation to stress. The aim of our study was to verify the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) may contribute to the activation of HSP70 synthesis and to enhance thereby the resistance of organism to the ischaemic and reperfusion damages. We observed that heat shock potentiated NO production in the heart. NO formation was completely blocked by the NO synthase inhibitor N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA). L-NNA also significantly attenuated the heat shock-induced accumulation of HSP70 (by 45% in heart). Both heat shock and NO donor induced time- and concentration-dependent HSP70 synthesis in the culture of human hepatoblastoma cells Hep G2. Prior injection of NO donor (30-100 mg per rat) exerted a dose-dependent protective effect on the isolated heart in ischaemia and reperfusion within 24 hours. We suggest that NO is involved in the activation of HSP70 synthesis which can play an important role in the delayed protective effect of NO donors.

The objective of this study was to identify a potential mechanism for S-nitrosation of proteins. Therefore, we assessed S-nitrosation of bovine serum albumin by dinitrosyl-iron-di-L-cysteine complex [(NO)2Fe(L-cysteine)2], a compound similar to naturally occurring iron-nitrosyls. Within 5-10 min, (NO)2Fe(L-cysteine)2 generated paramagnetic albumin-bound dinitrosyl-iron complex and S-nitrosoalbumin in a ratio of 4:1. Although S-nitroso-L-cysteine was concomitantly formed in low amounts, its concentration was not sufficient to account for formation of S-nitrosoalbumin via a trans-S-nitrosation reaction. Low oxygen tension did not affect S-nitrosation by the dinitrosyl-iron complex thus excluding the involvement of oxygenated NOx-species in the nitrosation reaction. Blockade of albumin histidine residues by pyrocarbonate, which prevented formation of dinitrosyl-iron-albumin complex, did not inhibit S-nitrosation of albumin. Thus, S-nitrosation of albumin by (NO)2Fe(L-cysteine)2 can proceed by direct attack of a nitrosyl moiety on the protein thiolate, without previous binding of the iron. We conclude that protein-bound dinitrosyl-iron complexes detected in high concentrations in certain tissues provide a reservoir of S-nitrosating species, e.g. low molecular dinitrosyl iron complexes.

Heat shock potentiated the nitric oxide production (EPR assay) in the liver, kidney, heart, spleen, intestine, and brain. The heat shock-induced sharp transient increase in the rate of nitric oxide production preceded the accumulation of heat shock proteins (HSP70) (Western blot analysis) as measured in the heart and liver. In all organs the nitric oxide formation was completely blocked by the NO-synthase inhibitor N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA). L-NNA also markedly attenuated the heat shock-induced accumulation of HSP70. The results suggests that nitric oxide is involved in the heat shock-induced activation of HSP70 synthesis.

We studied the biological activity, stability and interaction of dinitrosyl-iron(II)-L-cysteine with vascular tissue. Dinitrosyl-iron(II)-L-cysteine was a potent activator of purified soluble guanylyl cyclase (EC50 10 nM with and 100 nM without superoxide dismutase) and relaxed noradrenaline-precontracted segments of endothelium-denuded rabbit femoral artery (EC50 10 nM superoxide dismutase). Pre-incubation (5 min; 310 K) of endothelium-denuded rabbit aortic segments with dinitrosyl-iron(II)-L-cysteine (0.036-3.6 mM) resulted in a concentration-dependent formation of a dinitrosyl-iron(II) complex with protein thiol groups, as detected by ESR spectroscopy. While the complex with proteins was stable for 2 h at 310 K, dinitrosyl-iron(II)-L-cysteine in aqueous solution (36-360 microM) decomposed completely within 15 min, as indicated by disappearance of its isotropic ESR signal at gav = 2.03 (293 K). Aortic segments pre-incubated with dinitrosyl-iron(II)-L-cysteine released a labile vasodilating and guanylyl cyclase activating factor. Perfusion of these segments with N-acetyl-L-cysteine resulted in the generation of a low molecular weight dinitrosyl-iron(II)-dithiolate from the dinitrosyl-iron(II) complex with proteins, as revealed by the shape change of the ESR signal at 293 K. The low molecular weight dinitrosyl-iron(II)-dithiolate accounted for an enhanced guanylyl cyclase activation and vasodilation induced by the aortic effluent. We conclude that nitric oxide (NO) produced by, or acting on vascular cells can be stabilized and stored as a dinitrosyl-iron(II) complex with protein thiols, and can be released from cells in the form of a low molecular weight dinitrosyl-iron(II)-dithiolate by intra- and extracellular thiols.

A hypothesis is put forward on the nature of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) which is released from vascular endothelial cells by acetylcholine, bradykinin and other agonists. It is suggested that EDRF is a nitrosyl iron complex with low-molecular thiol ligands, most probably with cysteine. Its active principle is nitric oxide (NO). This free radical is stabilized by inclusion into the iron complex, which promotes NO transfer within the cell and between cells. Subsequent release of NO from these complexes results from thiol group oxidation.