DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR BASES OF ONTOGENESIS


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Boris Fedorovich Vanyushin

Head of Department, Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Sc.D., Professor


Department was organized in 1977 and is headed since that time by Professor B.F. Vanyushin

It includes Laboratory of Genome Structure (Head, Prof. G.I. Kiryanov) and Laboratory of Topogenesis of Proteins (Head, Prof. V.N. Luzikov).  Department leading researchers:  PhD N.I. Aleksandrushkina, PhD V.V. Ashapkin, PhD V.A. Zamyatnina, PhD L.V. Isaeva, PhD I.E. Kovaleva, PhD L.I. Kutueva, PhD L.A. Novikova, PhD E.B. Romanenko, PhD T.A. Savostina, PhD T.A. Smirnova.

Main lines of investigation:
  Genome structure and gene expression. Enzymatic DNA methylation

Grants: Apoptosis and DNA methylation (Russian Foudation of Basic Research). Research is supported also by Russian Federal Programme - Leading Scientific Schools..

Main research advances:  Tissue, organelle and age specificity of DNA methylation in plants and animals was discovered. Crucial role of DNA methylation in regulation of gene expression, genome replication and cell differentiation was first predicted and proved. This became a fundament and materialization of epigenetics [Vanyushin BF, Tkacheva SG, Belozersky AN. Rare bases in animal DNA. Nature. 1970; 225: 948-9]. The principle of selection by performance criterion in the mitochondria biogenesis was formulated and experimentally evidenced [Luzikov VN. "Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Breakdown". Plenum Publ. Corp., N.Y.-London, 1985]. The  features of formation and interaction of catalytic domains in multicomponent fused proteins were investigated [Nazarov et al., DNA Ñell Biol. 2003; 22: 243-52]. First supranucleosomal level of chromatin organization in animal cells was discovered and thoroughly investigated [Kirjanov GI, Smirnova TA, Polyakov VYu. Eur J Biochem. 1982; 124: 331-5].

Awards: Prof. B.F. Vanyushin (M.V. Lomonosov Prize of Moscow State University, 2002; A.N. Belozersky Prize of Russian Academy of Science, 2004). 

Main research publications:

1.      Kovaleva IE, Novikova LA, Nazarov PA, Grivennikov SI, Luzikov VN. Effects of various N-terminal addressing signals on sorting and folding of mammalian CYP11A1 in yeast mitochondria. Eur J Biochem. 2003; 270: 222-9.
2.      Nazarov PA, Drutsa VL, Miller WL, Shkumatov VM, Luzikov VN, Novikova LA. Formation and functioning of fused cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzymes. DNA  Cell Biol. 2003; 22: 243-52.
3.      Fedoreyeva LI, Vanyushin BF. N6-Adenine DNA-methyltransferase in wheat seedlings. FEBS Lett. 2002; 514: 305-8.
4.     Ashapkin VV., Kutueva LI., Vanyushin BF. The gene for domains rearranged methyltransferase (DRM2) in Arabidopsis thaliana plants is methylated at both cytosine and  adenine residues. FEBS Lett. 2002; 532: 367-372.
5.    Bakeeva LE, Kirnos MD, Aleksandrushkina NI, Kazimirchyuk SB, Shorning BYu,  Zamyatnina VA, Yaguzhinsky LS, Vanyushin BF. Subcellular reorganization of  mitochondria producing heavy DNA in aging wheat coleoptiles. FEBS Lett. 1999;  457: 122-5.
6.    Lopatina NG, Vanyushin BF, Cronin GM, Poirier LA. Elevated expression and altered pattern of activity of DNA methyltransferase in liver tumors of rats fed methyl-deficient diets. Carcinogenesis. 1998; 19: 1777-81.
7.     Kirnos MD, Aleksandrushkina NI, Vanyushin BF Apoptosis in the cells of initial leaf and coleoptile of wheat seedlings. Biochemistry(Moscow) 1997; 62: 1008-14.
8.     Kirnos MD, Aleksandrushkina NI, Vlasova TI, Vanyushin BF. Structural and functional  organization of methylation replicating genome in plants. Mol. Biology (Moscow) 1995; 29: 1242-57.
9.     Vanyushin BF, Kirnos MD. DNA methylation in plants. Gene 1988; 74: 117-21.
10.   Vanyushin BF. Replicative DNA methylation in animals and higher plants. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1984; 108: 99-114.
11.   Kirnos MD, Khudyakov IY, Alexandrushkina NL, Vanyushin BF. 2-aminoadenine is an adenine substituting for a base in S-2L cyanophage DNA. Nature. 1977; 270: 369-70.
12.   Vanyushin BF, Berdyshev GD. Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms of Ageing. Meditsina Press, M. 1977.
13.   Vanyushin BF, Buryanov YaL, Belozersky AN. Distribution of N6-methyladenine in DNA of  T2 phage and its host E. coli Â. Nature.1971; 230: 25-7.
14.   Vanyushin BF, Tkacheva SG, Belozersky AN. Rare bases in animal DNA. Nature. 1970; 225; 948-9.
15.   Vanyushin BF, Belozersky AN, Kokurina NA, Kadirova DX. 5-methylcytosine and 6-methylaminopurine in bacterial DNA. Nature. 1968; 218: 1066-67.
16.   Luzikov VN. Regulation of Mitochondria Formation. Nauka Press, M. 1980.
17.   Luzikov VN. Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Breakdown. Plenum Publ. Corp. New York-London, 1985.
18.   Luzikov VN. Selection by a performance criterion: a new approach to the problem of  mitochondrial biogenesis. Biol Reviews, Soviet Scientific Reviews, Sec D. 1982. 3: 307-41.
19.   Luzikov VN. Proteolytic control over protein topogenesis. Cell Biol Rev. 1991; 25: 245-91.
20.   Luzikov VN. Quality control: proteins and organelles. Biochemistry (Moscow). 2002; 67: 205-19.
21.  Kalnov SL, Novikova LA, Zubatov AS, Luzikov VN. Proteolysis of the products of  mitochondrial protein synthesis in yeast mitochondria and submitochondrial particles. Biochem J. 1979; 182: 195-202.
22.   Galkin AV, Tsoi TV, Luzikov VN. Regulation of Mitochondrial Biogenesis. Biochem J. 1980; 190: 145-56.
23.   Kirjanov GI, Manamshjan ÒÀ, Fais D, Polyakov VYu, Chentsov YuS. Levels of  granular organization of chromatin fibers. FEBS Lett. 1976; 67: 323-7.
24.   Kirjanov GL, Smirnova TA, Polyakov VYu. Nucleomeric organization of  chromatin. Eur J Biochem. 1982. 124: 331-5.
25.  Kirjanov GL, Isaeva LV, Kirnos MD, Ganicheva NI, Vanyushin BF. Replicative DNA  methylation in L-cells: action of S-isobutyladenosine and cycloheximide, possible existence of two DNA-methylases. Biokhimiya. 1982; 47: 153-61.
26.    Zatsepina YuS, Kirjanov GL, Polyakov VYu. Nucleolar activation during artificial demethylation of DNA in cultured pig embryonic kidney cells. Biomed  Sci. 1990; 1: 487-93.

Main last publications:

1.      Fedoreeva LI, Aleksandrushkina NI, Dunaevsky YaE, Belozersky MA, Vanyushin BF. Effect of antioxidant ionol and ethylene producing ethrel on the proteolytic apparatus in wheat
      seedlings during apoptosis in coleoptile and initial leaf. Biochemistry (Moscow). 2003; 68: 570-6.
2.      Zamyatnina VA, Bakeeva LE, Aleksandrushkina NI, Vanyushin BF. Apoptosis in etiolated  wheat seedlings. Effect of antioxidant (BHT) and peroxides. Russ. J. Plant Physiol. 2003; 50:  280-90.
5.    Vanyushin B.F., Bakeeva L.Å., Zamyatnina V.A., Aleksandrushkina N.I. Apoptosis in plants: specific features of plant apoptotic cells and effect of various factors and agents. Intern. Review of Cytology. 2004; 233: 135-179.
6.     Aleksandrushkina NI, Zamyatnina VA, Bakeeva LE, Seredina AV, Smirnova EG,  Yaguzhinsky LS, Vanyushin BF. Apoptosis in wheat seedlings on the normal light day.  Biochemistry (Moscow). 2004; 69: 356-366.
7.      Vanyushin BF. Enzymatic DNA methylation is an epigenetic control for genetic functions of  the cell. Biochemistry (Moscow). 2005; 70: 598-611.
8.      Vanyushin BF. Methylation of adenine residues in DNA of eucaryotes. Mol. Biol. (Moscow). 2005; 39: 557-566.
9.    Minenko AN, Luzikov VN, Kovaleva IE. Use of the addressing sequence of yeast D-lactate dehydrogenase for insertion of CYP11A1p into the inner membrane of yeast mitochondria.      Biochemistry (Moscow). 2006; 71: 32-8.                                                                                                                                
10.    Vanyushin B.F. DNA methylation in plants. Current Topics Microbiol. Immunol. 2006; 301:  67-122.


The are two leading scientific schools functioning in the Department (Heads – Prof. Â.F. Vanyushin and Prof. V.N. Luzikov): eight Sc.D. and more than 70 PhD specialists were graduated from
the Department.