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Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease worldwide, affecting approximately 40% of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and 30% of those with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). As the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, the burden of DKD is expected to grow correspondingly. This review explores the roles of key molecular pathways, including the apelinergic system, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGF receptor (VEGFR) axis, and nitric oxide (NO)/nitric oxide synthase (NOS) signaling, in DKD pathogenesis and potential therapeutic applications. The apelinergic system, involving apelin and its receptor (APLNR), influences endothelial function, glucose metabolism, and renal health. Preclinical studies highlight its dual role in renal protection and injury through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant pathways, while other evidence suggests that it may exacerbate DKD through podocyte damage and angiogenesis. Similarly, the VEGF/VEGFR axis demonstrates a complex contribution to DKD, where VEGF-A promotes pathological angiogenesis and glomerular damage, but its inhibition requires careful modulation to prevent adverse effects. The NO/NOS system, integral to vascular and renal homeostasis, also exhibits altered activity in DKD, with reduced bioavailability linked to oxidative stress and inflammation. This review underscores the intricate interplay between these pathways in DKD, revealing both challenges and opportunities in their therapeutic targeting. Further research is essential to refine strategies and develop effective interventions for DKD management.

More than ten species of the Actinidia Lindl. genus bear edible fruits rich in biologically active compounds, which are essential and beneficial for human health. The most popular cultivars today are the large-fruited Actinidia species, A. deliciosa and A. chinensis, commonly known as kiwi. However, small-fruited kiwi cultivars are gaining prominence due to their high nutritional value, superior cold resistance, and suitability for temperate climates. In Russia, these are represented by Far Eastern species: A. arguta, A. kolomikta, and A. polygama. Despite increasing consumer interest, Russian Actinidia cultivars remain little studied, with fragmented genetic data available for breeding purposes. Our objective was to analyze the Actinidia collection at the Federal Horticultural Center for Breeding, Agrotechnology, and Nursery and the N.V. Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden (MBG RAS, Moscow), which includes samples from four species, A. kolomikta, A. arguta, A. polygama, A. purpurea, interspecific hybrids, and derived varieties, using RAD sequencing. We assessed the genetic variability of all species, identified population groups within A. kolomikta and A. arguta based on origin, determined ploidy levels across the collection, and identified a set of SNP markers associated with valuable agronomic traits.

Introduction. The origin of the Jetyasar culture’s population remains a subject of debate. It was generally accepted that the Xiongnu penetrated into the Aral Sea region and participated in the formation of the local population. Previous studies have shown a complex and admixed origin of the Jetyasar people. But the spread of the head deformation tradition in this population imposes serious limitations on the application of craniometric methods for studying Jetyasar samples. Those limitations can be potentially mitigated with the use of geometric morphometrics (GM). The purpose of this work was to assess the degree of variation in the facial skeleton of the Jetyasar people in comparison with populations of the Early Iron Age and the Hunno-Sarmatian period. Material and methods. Digital, three-dimensional models of the skulls were created. Ten landmarks were placed on each of the models and subjected to general Procrustes analysis (GPA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Results. The first PC of the analysis of the total male sample reflects variation in the height of the face, nasal bridge protrusion, and the relative width of the infraorbital region. The second component describes the height of the lateral part of the zygomatic process of the maxilla and the adjacent part of the zygomatic bone. The Kosasar 2 male sample is the most diverse morphologically. This burial ground, according to archeological data, belonged to a migrant population related to the Xiongnu. In the female total sample, high values of the first PC are associated with a tall face, a weak nasal bridge protrusion, and a long zygomatic-maxillary suture. The second PC describes the morphology of the zygomatic process of the upper jaw. The Jetyasar samples are morphologically distinct from the skulls from China, Mongolia, Western Siberia, and Southern Siberia. An exception are the crania from the burial grounds of Kosasar 2, 3, and Altyn-Asar 4t which are similar to the early Iron Age samples from China (inner Mongolia, Warring States period, 5 th – 3rd centuries BC), Mongolia (Xiongnu period), and Tuva (Arzhan-2). Discussion. The Xiongnu migration could become a catalyst for the admixture and ethnogenetic processes in the region. Conclusion. Our study shows that the population of the Jetyasar culture was morphologically heterogeneous at all stages of the culture’s development. The hypothesis about the migrant roots of a part of the population is confirmed by our data.

About ten species of the genus Actinidia Lindl. are known as cultivated plants—alongside the most known A. chinensis var. deliciosa, there are many others, including Far-Eastern cold-hardy kiwifruits such as A. arguta, A. kolomikta, and A. polygama. Unlike most plant species, in which the chloroplast genome is maternally inherited, the family Actinidiaceae possesses a complex system of plastid inheritance with possible transmission through both maternal and paternal lines. The main aim of this work was the assembly of the plastid genomes of three species of Actinidia, their comparison with already-available sequences from databases, and evolutionary analyses. We discovered that the gene composition and gene sequences are conserved; the studied species are either subject to purifying selection or not subject to selection at all (with some exceptions, such as the ycf2 gene). However, the chloroplast chromosomes of some Actinidia species have undergone significant structural rearrangements, leading to the persistence of two main forms, both on an intrageneric and intraspecific level. These results expand our understanding of plastid genomics and genetic diversity within the genus Actinidia, providing a basis for future research in molecular marker development, phylogenetic analysis, and population studies.

Virus diseases affect the yield and fruit quality and shorten the productive life of stone fruits (Prunus spp. in the family Rosaceae). Of over fifty known viruses infecting these crops, cherry virus A (CVA) is among the most common, and little cherry virus 1 (LChV1) is one of the most economically important. Using high-throughput sequencing, full-length genomes of CVA and LChV1 isolates, found on interspecies hybrids in the Prunus collection of the Nikita Botanical Gardens, Russia, were sequenced, assembled, and characterized. CVA was found in the P. cerasifera × P. armeniaca hybrid and in phylogenetic analysis clustered with non-cherry virus isolates. The LChV1 isolate Stepnoe was detected in ((P. cerasifera Ehrh. × P. armeniaca L.) × P. brigantiaca Vill.) trihybrid suggesting that both P. cerasifera and P. brigantiaca potentially can be the LChV1 hosts. The isolate Stepnoe was most closely related to the Greece isolate G15_3 from sweet cherry, sharing 77.3% identity at the nucleotide level. Possibly, the highly divergent Russian isolate represents one more phylogroup of this virus. This is the first report of CVA and LChV1 from Russia, expanding the information on their geographical distribution and genetic diversity.

We conducted a survey of the phytosanitary status of the Prunus germplasm collection in the Nikita Botanical Gardens, Yalta, Russia. The virome of plants displaying virus-like symptoms was studied using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing. Reads related to prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), prune dwarf virus (PDV), and ourmia-like virus 1 (OuLV1) were generated in a number of samples. Near complete genomes of two divergent PNRSV isolates, PDV isolate, and a contig partly covered OuLV1 genome were assembled de novo using the metaSPAdes program. The structure of the genomic RNA1, RNA2, and RNA3 of the new ilarvirus isolates was shown to be typical of PNRSV and PDV. This is the first report and characterization of the PNRSV and PDV full-length genomes from Russia, expanding the information on their geographical distribution and genetic diversity. An open reading frames (ORF)-based phylogeny of all full-length PNRSV and PDV genomes available in GenBank divided each ORF into two or three main clusters. A number of isolates migrated from one cluster to another cluster, depending on the analyzed genome segment. The different branching order may indicate reassortment in the evolutionary history of some PDV and PNRSV isolates.

Komagataella phaffii yeast plays a prominent role in modern biotechnology as a recombinant protein producer. For efficient use of this yeast, it is essential to study the effects of different media components on its growth and gene expression. We investigated the effect of methionine on gene expression in K. phaffii cells using RNA-seq analysis. Several gene groups exhibited altered expression when K. phaffii cells were cultured in a medium with methanol and methionine, compared to a medium without this amino acid. Methionine primarily affects the expression of genes involved in its biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and methanol utilization. The AOX1 gene promoter, which is widely used for heterologous expression in K. phaffii, is downregulated in methionine-containing media. Despite great progress in the development of K. phaffii strain engineering techniques, a sensitive adjustment of cultivation conditions is required to achieve a high yield of the target product. The revealed effect of methionine on K. phaffii gene expression is important for optimizing media recipes and cultivation strategies aimed at maximizing the efficiency of recombinant product synthesis.

Prunus persica is one of the main stone fruit crops in Crimea and southern Russia. The P. persica genome has recently been sequenced and annotated in good quality. However, for a deeper assessment of the peach genome, it is necessary to include in the research other cultivars that are in the collection of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. The cultivars of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden are unique and differ from Western European and American ones, as they are derived from cultivars and forms originating from Central Asian, North Caucasian, Transcaucasian and Eastern European countries. In this paper, we present the assembly of the P. persica cv. ’Sovetskiy’ genome obtained using Oxford Nanopore long reads and Illumina short reads by hybrid assembly methods. The assembled genome of P. persica cv. ’Sovetskiy’ is 206.26 MB in 226 scaffolds, with N50 24 Mb, including 8 chromosomes. It contains 27140 coding genes, 26973 (99.38%) of which are annotated in at least one functional database. More than 36.05% of the genome regions were identified as repeating elements.

Armed conflict and economic growth are inherently coupled; armed conflict substantially reduces economic growth, while economic growth is strongly correlated with a reduction in the propensity of armed conflict. Here, we simulate the incidence of armed conflict and its effect on economic growth simultaneously along the economic pathways defined by the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). We argue that gross domestic product per capita projections through the 21st century currently in use are too optimistic since they disregard the harm to growth caused by conflict. Our analysis indicates that the correction required to account for this is substantial—expected income is 25% lower on average across countries when taking conflict into account. The correction is particularly strong for the more pessimistic SSP3 and SSP4 where expected future incidence of armed conflict is high. There are strong regional patterns with countries with contemporaneous conflicts experiencing much higher conflict burdens and reduced economic growth by the end of the century. The implications of this research indicate that today’s most marginalized societies will be substantially more vulnerable to the impact of climate change than indicated by existing income projections.