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First vertebrate BRICHOS antimicrobial peptides: β-hairpin host defense peptides in limbless amphibia lung resemble those of marine worms
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 2024. Vol. 712-713. Article 149913.
Smetanin R., Sukhareva M., Vladimirova E., Zharkova M., Mikushina A., Komlev A., Khaydukova M., Filatenkova T., Kalganova A., Pipiya S., Terekhov S., Orlov D., Shamova O., Igor E. Eliseev
Innate immunity of invertebrates offers potent antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against drug-resistant infections. To identify new worm β-hairpin AMPs, we explored the sequence diversity of proteins with a BRICHOS domain, which comprises worm AMP precursors. Strikingly, we discovered new BRICHOS AMPs not in worms, but in caecilians, the least studied clade of vertebrates. Two precursor proteins from Microcaecilia unicolorand Rhinatrema bivittatum resemble SP-C lung surfactants and bear worm AMP-like peptides at C-termini. The analysis of M. unicolor tissue transcriptomes shows that the AMP precursor is highly expressed in the lung along with regular SP-C, suggesting a different, protective function. The peptides form right-twisted β-hairpins, change conformation upon lipid binding, and rapidly disrupt bacterial membranes. Both peptides exhibit broad-spectrum activity against multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens with 1–4 μM MICs and remarkably low toxicity, giving 40–70-fold selectivity towards bacteria. These BRICHOS AMPs, previously unseen in vertebrates, reveal a novel lung innate immunity mechanism and offer a promising antibiotics template.
Boldyreva M., Mohammad R., Agareva M. et al., FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2026 Vol. 7 Article 1837838
Mammals from arid ecosystems face distinct physiological challenges: water scarcity and unpredictable food availability require the integration of energy storage, maintenance of water balance, and flexible switching between nutrients. Our previous study demonstrated lower fasting blood glucose levels in the desert rodent Acomys cahirinus (African spiny mouse), which also possesses a unique regenerative ability. The aim of ...
Added: June 3, 2026
Kazantseva A. V., A.V. Toropova, Khusnutdinova E. K. et al., ВАВИЛОВСКИЙ ЖУРНАЛ ГЕНЕТИКИ И СЕЛЕКЦИИ, Федеральный исследовательский центр Институт цитологии и генетики Сибирского отделения Российской академии наук» (ИЦиГ СО РАН) (Новосибирск) 2025 Vol. 30 No. 3 P. 470–481
The development of musical abilities, including absolute pitch, musical memory, rhythm sense, and musicality, at a high degree is determined by a hereditary component (up to 68 %). The studies implementing a genome-wide linkage and association approach to musical aptitude have revealed more than 100 genetic loci. This spectrum is comprised of the genes encoding ...
Added: May 29, 2026
Anna Davidovich, Anna N. Shestakova, Arzumanyan N. et al., Frontiers in Psychology 2026 Vol. 17 Article 1764306
Background:
Delay discounting refers to the tendency to choose sooner, smaller rewards over larger, later rewards. Many previous studies link this tendency positively to reward sensitivity, yet the specific mechanisms behind this association remain poorly understood. Reward sensitivity may relate to delay discounting through at least three possible pathways: increased sensitivity to reward size, increased sensitivity ...
Added: May 27, 2026
Kochetkova E., Kostanian D., Martynova O. et al., Brain Topography 2026 Vol. 39 No. 4 Article 51
Letter recognition is assumed to involve several levels of analysis, including coarse tuning for category and novelty and more fine tuning for specific features, related to letter orientation. We employed an oddball fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm with magnetoencephalography (Elekta VectorView, 306 sensors) to study neural discrimination responses in the source space. Using contrasts ...
Added: May 24, 2026
Borovikova I., Uporov I., Okhrimenko G. et al., Journal of Structural Biology 2026 Vol. 218 No. 2 Article 108315
Single amino acid substitutions in the ATP-binding domain of ACVRL1, a key receptor in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway, are frequently classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUS), complicating molecular diagnosis for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT). Since aberrant ATP binding disrupts downstream SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation, we employed molecular dynamics ...
Added: May 20, 2026
Goltseva Y., Tsokolaeva Z., Beloglazova I. et al., Stem Cell Research and Therapy 2026 Vol. 17 No. 1 Article 112
Background Cardiac fibrosis represents a significant health burden, with endothelial dysfunction and damaged
perivascular microenvironment increasingly recognized as key contributors to fibrotic remodeling. The urokinase
plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), a critical component of the urokinase system, plays a pivotal role in vascular
remodeling and fibrosis. While prior evidence indicates that uPAR deficiency leads to microvascular dysfunction and
perivascular fibrosis, ...
Added: May 19, 2026
Perevoznyuk G., Batov A., Pleskovskaya A. et al., Scientific Reports 2026 Vol. 16 Article 13098
Motor imagery (MI) allows individuals to mentally simulate movements without execution, engaging neural pathways that overlap with those used during real actions. However, how imagery perspective influences corticospinal excitability across different effectors remains unclear. Using neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we compared kinesthetic (KMI), first-person visual (VMI-1PP), and third-person visual (VMI-3PP) imagery of elbow flexion-extension ...
Added: May 5, 2026
Назаренко А. Г., Федоров М. В., Moshkin A. et al., Вестник Росздравнадзора 2026 № 1 С. 14–29
Multimodal foundation models and medical multimodal large language models are establishing a new class of diagnostic clinical decision support systems capable of operating on heterogeneous data sources, including medical imaging (X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, histopathology), physiological signals (ECG, EEG), clinical text (electronic health records, reports, discharge summaries), laboratory measurements, molecular profiling data, and related modalities. ...
Added: May 4, 2026
Kashevnik A., Glekler E., Artemenko E. et al., Scientific data 2026 Article 7209
We present a multimodal dataset containing electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiography (ECG), and video recordings from 49 participants. Each participant completed a single session lasting approximately 45 minutes. During each session they performed five tasks: resting state, inward concentration (focusing on the center of the forehead), outward concentration (visual search), and mind-wandering. EEG data were recorded from ...
Added: April 23, 2026
Kopoleva E., Sergey A. Tsymbal, Kuchur O. et al., Drug Delivery and Translational Research 2026 P. 1–16
Multidrug resistance (MDR) remains one of the principal challenges in cancer chemotherapy, necessitating new strategies to restore drug efficacy. In this study we developed and characterize a redox-responsive nanoplatform based on trithiocyanuric acid and polyethylene glycol (TTCA-PEG NPs) as a potential tool to overcome MDR and provide a biocompatible delivery system for conventional antitumor drugs. ...
Added: April 20, 2026
Гулов Д. М., Елумеева Т. Г., Федоров Н. И. et al., Журнал общей биологии 2024 Т. 85 № 2 С. 83–94
Plant functional traits are important for the formation of plant communities and for the ability of plants to dominate there. The comparison of mean trait values of organisms within community with that for the random samples of the local biota allows estimating the importance of the trait for the formation of the community composition. The ...
Added: April 19, 2026
Enchilik P. R., G.V.Klink, Semenkov I. N., Science of the Total Environment 2025 Vol. 998 Article 180219
Natural regeneration of forest soils affected by agricultural practices is a common phenomenon in many regions worldwide, particularly in boreal ecosystems. Affecting soil quality, the partitioning of extractable fractions of heavy metals and metalloids (HMMs) is not studied during natural regeneration. The following stages of natural regeneration after plowing have been identified in the Smolenskoye ...
Added: April 19, 2026
Makarova M., Fedosov N., Mikhailova I. et al., FRONTIERS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING 2026 Vol. 6 Article 1776807
Introduction:
While self-referential attention is thought to enhance interoceptive sensitivity, its effect on cardiac modulation of corticospinal excitability remains unexplored. This pilot study investigated how viewing one’s own face (self-face processing) modulates the cardiac-phase coupling of motor output and whether this heart-brain coupling depends on interoceptive accuracy (heartbeat perception).
Methods:
In 15 healthy adults, motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were ...
Added: April 17, 2026
Pogodaeva S. S., Miletina O. O., Mammadova L. V. et al., Frontiers in Bioscience - Landmark 2026 Vol. 31 No. 4 Article 48544
Background: Neuroblastoma (NB), a transcriptionally driven pediatric malignancy, exhibits a remarkable clinical and biological heterogeneity. Two major subtypes, adrenergic and mesenchymal, are differentially governed by distinct subsets of transcription factors that constitute the core regulatory circuitry (CRC). The adrenergic subtype is often associated with MYCN amplification and is particularly aggressive and therapy-resistant, underscoring the need ...
Added: April 15, 2026
Chernov I., Protas A., Popova E. et al., Biochemistry. Biokhimiia 2025 Vol. 19 No. 3 P. 279–287
This article reports the synthesis, characterization, cytotoxic activity, DNA binding study and antioxidant activity of N-(2-(2-(2-azidoethoxy)ethoxy)ethyl)-4,6-di(aziridin-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazin-2-amine. The synthesized compound was found to possess cytotoxic effects against six various cancer cell lines including HeLa, HCT116, T96G, A549, MCF7, and PANC-1 and non-cancer ECV cell line. Additionally, the capacity for DNA binding was assessed. The addition of 1,3,5-triazine ...
Added: April 15, 2026
Pogodaeva S., Miletina O., Antipova N. et al., Cancers 2025 Vol. 17 No. 19 Article 3228
Pediatric tumors such as neuroblastoma are characterized by a genome-wide ‘transcriptional burden’, surmising the involvement of multiple alterations of gene expression. Search for master regulators of transcription whose inactivation is lethal for tumor cells identified the non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein (NONO), a member of the Drosophila Behavior/Human Splicing family known for the ability to form ...
Added: April 15, 2026
Chernov K., Savin A., Otvodnikova D. et al., Oncology Research 2026 Vol. - No. -
The formation of drug resistance poses the ultimate threat in modern oncology. Targeted therapy lacks versatility, while conventional therapy is famous for its side effects. However, for the new therapeutics to address the challenge of drug resistance, such compounds should combine properties of both modalities. In this review, we argue that metal-based therapeutics are paramount ...
Added: April 15, 2026
Pipiya S. O., Ivanova A. O., Mokrushina Y. A. et al., Acta Naturae 2025 Vol. 17 No. 1 P. 71–77
Antibiotic resistance threatens global healthcare. In clinical practice, conventional antibiotics are becoming gradually less effective. Moreover, the introduction of new antimicrobial agents into clinical practice leads to the emergence of resistant pathogenic strains within just a few years. Hence, the development of platforms for massive creation and screening of new antimicrobial agents is of particular ...
Added: August 10, 2025
Pipiya S., Mirzoeva N., Baranova M. et al., Acta Naturae 2023 Vol. 15 No. 1 P. 74–80
Bacterial infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens pose an extremely serious and elusive problem in healthcare. The discovery and targeted creation of new antibiotics are today among the most important public health issues. Antibiotics based on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are of particular interest due to their genetically encoded nature. A distinct advantage of most AMPs is ...
Added: January 20, 2025
Eliseev I., Terterov I., Yudenko A. et al., Bioinformatics 2019 Vol. 35 No. 16 P. 2713–2717
Motivation: The rational design of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with increased therapeutic potential requires deep understanding of the determinants of their activities. Inspired by the computational linguistic approach, we hypothesized that sequence patterns may encode the functional features of AMPs.
Results: We found that α-helical and β-sheet peptides have non-intersecting pattern sets and therefore constructed new sequence ...
Added: January 20, 2025
Krenev I., Egorova E., Khaydukova M. et al., Biochemistry. Biokhimiia 2024 Vol. 89 No. 11 P. 2069–2082
The C3f peptide is a by-product of regulation of the activated complement system with no firmly established function of its own. We have previously shown that C3f exhibits moderate antimicrobial activity against some Gram-positive bacteria in vitro. Presence of two histidine residues in the amino acid sequence of the peptide suggests enhancement of its antimicrobial activity at ...
Added: January 20, 2025
Kuzovlev A., Zybalov M. D., Golovin A. V. et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023 Vol. 24 No. 22 Article 16331
Over the past decades, the problem of bacterial resistance to most antibiotics has become a serious threat to patients' survival. Nevertheless, antibiotics of a novel class have not been approved since the 1980s. The development of antibiotic potentiators is an appealing alternative to the challenging process of searching for new antimicrobials. Production of H 2 ...
Added: January 26, 2024
Panina I., Balandin S., Tsarev A. et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023 Vol. 24 No. 2 P. 1
To date, a number of lantibiotics have been shown to use lipid II — a highly conserved peptidoglycan precursor in the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria — as their molecular target. The α-component (Lchα) of the two-component lantibiotic lichenicidin (Lchα), previously isolated from the Bacillus licheniformis VK21 strain, seems to contain two putative lipid II binding ...
Added: February 21, 2023
Lohan S., Konshina A. G., Efremov R. et al., Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2023 Vol. 66 No. 1 P. 855–874
A series of small (7- to 12-mer) amphipathic cationic peptides were designed and synthesized with the ultimate goal of creating a set of short helical peptides with broad-range bactericidal activity and good selectivity toward the bacterial cells. Activity analysis identified a lead 12-mer peptide 8b with broad spectrum activity against Gram-positive (MIC=3.1-6.2 µg/mL) and Gram-negative ...
Added: February 21, 2023