The development of the human brain is a complex multi-stage process including the formation of various types of neural cells and their interactions. Many fundamental mechanisms of neurogenesis have been established due to the studying of model animals. However, significant differences in the brain structure compared to other animals do not allow considering all aspects of the human brain formation, which could play the main role in the development of unique cognitive abilities for human. Four years ago, Lancaster’s group elaborated human pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional cerebral organoid technology, which opened a unique opportunity for researchers to model early stages of human neurogenesis in vitro. Cerebral organoids closely remodel many endogenous brain regions with specific cell composition like ventricular zone with radial glia, choroid plexus, and cortical plate with upper and deeper-layer neurons. Moreover, human brain development includes interactions between different brain regions. Generation of hybrid three-dimensional cerebral organoids with different brain region identity allows remodeling some of them, including long-distance neuronal migration or formation of major axonal tracts. In this review, we consider the technology of obtaining human pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional cerebral organoids with different modifications and with different brain region identity. In addition, we discuss successful implementation of this technology in fundamental and applied research like modeling of different neurodevelopmental disorders and drug screening. Finally, we regard existing problems and prospects for development of human pluripotent stem cell-derived threedimensional cerebral organoid technology.

Self-renewal of cultured pluripotent stem cells is a complex process, which includes multiple functional and regulatory levels. Transcription factors, their target genes, chromatin modifiers, signaling pathways, and regulatory noncoding RNAs are involved in the maintaining of self-renewal. Studies of molecular and genetic bases of maintaining self-renewal and pluripotency in cultured mammalian cells are important to understand processes in preimplantation embryogenesis and to develop efficient techniques to obtain pluripotent stem cell lines for experimental biology and medicine. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in pluripotency maintaining and reprogramming. However, involvement of this class of noncoding RNAs and functions of individual molecules are poorly studied. The goal of this study was the search for the miRNAs potentially involved in the pluripotency maintaining and reprogramming of Rattus norvegicus cells. We analyzed the expression of miRNAs in rat embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic fibroblasts using bioinformatic methods and data obtained with next generation sequencing. The analysis of differential expression between groups of rat pluripotent cells and fibroblasts, and the analysis of experimentally confirmed target genes of differentially expressed known rat miRNAs revealed novel potential players of pluripotency maintaining and reprogramming processes. In addition, novel members of these processes were revealed among novel rat miRNAs. The use of bioinformatic and systems biology approaches is the first step, which is necessary for choosing candidates for the subsequent experimental studies. The results obtained substantially improve our understanding of the self-renewal regulation system of the laboratory rat, a popular biomedical object, and our knowledge about the system in mammals.

There are risk factors that lead the normal conduction of excitation in the heart into a chaotic one. These factors include hereditary and acquired channelopathies. Many dangerous changes in the work of the heart can be identified using the patient’s electrocardiogram. Such relatively easily detectable changes include the long QT interval syndrome (LQTS). Despite a relatively high prevalence of hereditary LQTS, to which it is necessary to add both hereditary and induced LQTS as well as the ease of detection on the ECG, the mechanism of reentry formation in this syndrome is still un­known. What should be noted is a high variability of the hereditary syndrome and the fact of the connection between the increase in the heart rate and the risk of cardiac arrest. After an electrophysiological study on individual cardiac cells from patients with the LQT syndrome, it became apparent that the search for a mechanism for the transition of the normal heart rhythm to chaotic and fibrillation cannot be limited to recording ion currents in single cells. To solve this problem, we need a model of the behavior of cardiac tissue which reflects the relationship of various factors and the risk of reentry. In order to create an experimental model of LQTS in our work, the iPSC of a pati­ent-specific line from a healthy patient was differentiated into a monolayer of cardiac cells and the parameters of the excitation propagation were studied depending on the stage of differentiation. It was shown that a stable value of the propagation velocity and the response to periodic stimulation in the range of physiological values, are reached after the 30th day of dif­ferentiation.

In this paper, we have analyzed changes in the proteomic spectrum of pea Pisum sativum L. roots during inoculation with rhizobial bacteria with the aim of revealing new regulators of symbiosis development. To study the changes in the proteome spectrum of pea roots, a differential twodimensional (2-D) electrophoresis was performed using fluorescent labels Cy2 and Cy5. The images obtained made it possible to identify differences between the control variant (uninoculated roots) and the root variant after inoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae RCAM 1026 (24 hours after treatment). 20 proteins were revealed and identified, the synthesis of which was enhanced during the inoculation of pea roots by nodule bacteria. To identify the proteins, a mass spectrometric analysis of tryptic peptides was performed on a quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer combined with a high-performance liquid chromatograph. Among such proteins, the beta-subunit of the G protein and the disulfide isomerase/phospholipase C were first found, whose function can be related to the signal regulation of symbiosis. This indicates that G-proteins and phospholipases can play a key role in the development of early stages of symbiosis in peas. Further experiments are expected to show whether the beta-subunit of the G protein interacts with the receptors to Nod factors, and how this affects the further signaling. Other proteins that might be interesting were annexin D8 and D1, protein kinase interacting with calcinerin B, actin-binding protein profilin, GTP-binding protein Ran1. They may be involved in the regulation of reactions with calcium, the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and other important processes in plants. The study of the role of such regulatory proteins will later become the basis for understanding the complex system of signal regulation, which is activated in pea plants by interaction with nodule bacteria.

The study of the gene polymorphism of the system of biotransformation of xenobiotics is an important area of modern medical and genetic research. The aim of this work is to study the frequency of the alleles of the CYP1A1 (A2455G (*2C), rs1048943), CYP2D6 (A2549del (*3), rs35742686); G1846A (*4), rs3892097) genes of Teleuts (n = 115), Eastern Buryats (n = 132), Western Buryats (n = 280), their Métis (n = 56), and Russians of East Siberia (n = 122). Genotyping was performed using real-time PCR with competitive TaqMan allele-specific probes. The frequency of the CYP1A1*2C (2455G) allele was 28.8 % in the Eastern Buryat, 34.6 % in the Western Buryat, 16.7 % in the Teleut, and 31.3 % in the Métis cohort. The frequency of CYP1A1*2C (2455G) in the Russians of Eastern Siberia (4.1 %) corresponds to the frequency range found in European populations. A high-frequency occurrence of CYP1A1*2C (2455G) among Buryats and Teleuts may be indicative of a higher population-wide risk of diseases influenced by technogenic pollutants – substrates of CYP1A1. The CYP2D6*3 (2549del) allele was not detected in cohorts of indigenous populations, among Russians it was 0.4 %, and it was 2.7 % among Métis. The frequency of CYP2D6*4 (1846A) in Eastern and Western Buryats was 5.3 % and 4.3 %, respectively, for Teleuts it was 7.4 %. It was significantly higher in the Russian population (12 %), and among Métis (9.8 %). The obtained data makes it possible to predict a reduced risk of side effects of drugs and cancer associated with CYP2D6*3 (2549del) and CYP2D6*4 (1846A) in the Buryat and Teleut populations. However, metisation introduces new polymorphic variants into indigenous populations, shifts gene frequencies and changes the degree of risks.

Biological rhythms of organisms depend on both changing conditions of the external environment and internal “biological clock”. Circadian rhythms are the response of the organism to the change of day and night. They are some of the most important biological rhythms of organisms. Circadian rhythms are regulated by the group of circadian genes. It is known that women suffer from sleep disorders more often than men. Up to 50 % of menopausal women complain of problems associated with sleeping. The study involved 403 menopausal women aged from 45 to 60 years: 214 Russians (the average age is 52.74±6.28 years) and 189 Buryats (the average age is 51.95±5.13 years) living in Eastern Siberia (Irkutsk region, Irkutsk and Republic of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude). The prevalence of genotypes and alleles of the polymorphism T3111C of the circadian rhythm gene Clock (rs1801260) was studied in these groups. To this end, we conducted genotyping of DNA samples by polymerase chain reaction. It was shown that the compared groups have statistically significant differences in genotypes frequency (р = 0.001). It was found that in the group of Russian women the frequency of the TC genotype (p = 0.004) was significantly higher and the frequency of the TT genotype (p = 0.0001) was significantly lower than those in the sample of women of Buryatia. It was shown that in the group of Russian women allele 3111C is found in 30.4 % of cases, which is statistically significantly more often than in the group of Buryat women, where the frequency of allele 3111C was 19.3 % (p = 0.014).

One of the major effects of domestication is change of animal coat colour to up to complete white colour of the whole body. It is possible that white colour of livestock animals had aesthetic significance for humans as well. The first step towards detection of genes and mutations controlling white colouring in animals is the genome-wide association studies. These studies, however, have not been done for the cattle breeds native to the Russian Federation. The aim of this study was therefore to identify genomic intervals and candidate genes that could be responsible for white face colouring in eight Russian cattle breeds. The data on genome-wide genotyping of 131,709 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on 148 animas have been used in the program ­EMMAX. Association analysis has been performed using two related phenotypes: a) the white face with the rest of the body of any colour and b) white face with the rest of the body of different (non-white) colour. In the first case, the only statistically significant marker found was the SNP BovineHD0500019319 located on cattle chromosome (BTA) 5. The same SNP was the most significant within the cluster of three SNPs on BTA5: 68,803,879–69,365,854 associated also with the second phenotype. Five genes were found within this interval in the cattle genome, out of which the most likely functional candidate was SLC41A2, with the SNP BovineHD0500019319 found within its intronic sequence. SLC41A2 encodes a magnesium transporter protein. However, the function of this gene is not well established. Other members of this gene family are the key genes controlling differences in human skin and animal coat colour. Additional significant association signals with the second phenotype have been detected in BTA 1–4, 6–15, 18, 19, 24, 27, and 29. Overall, 37 genomic intervals have been detected associated with white face colouring in eight Russian native cattle breeds.

Equine piroplasmosis is a natural tick-borne infection caused by hemoprotozoan parasites of the order Piroplasmida, Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. Animals that recover from piroplasmosis remain persistently infected carriers and can transmit pathogens to vector ticks. Cases of equine piroplasmosis are periodically observed in Siberia, however, no agent of equine piroplasmosis has yet been genetically characterized in Russia. The aim of this work was studying the prevalence of the infectious agents of piroplasmosis in horses from Siberia and genotyping the detected agents. Blood samples from 155 horses were examined for the presence of Babesia and Theileria DNA by nested PCR with the subsequent sequencing of positive samples. DNA of T. equi was found in blood samples from 57.9 %, 38.5 % and 65.0 % of horses from Novosibirsk province, Irkutsk province, and the Republic of Altai, respectively. T. equi DNA was found in the samples from almost all sampling sites included in this study, indicating that most of the studied sites are endemic for equine theileriosis. Surprisingly, DNA of B. caballi was not found in any of the samples examined, even though this agent had previously been detected in many regions in Russia, including Altai. The analysis of the determined 18S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated that T. equi samples belonged to two genetic groups, which differed significantly by the sequences of the variable (V4) region of the gene. All T. equi sequences from group B were identical and corresponded to T. equi sequences found in the blood of horses from China and Korea, while T. equi sequences from group A differed by 1–5 nucleotide substitutions and were identical to the sequences from the blood of horses from India and Brazil or differed from them by single mismatches. Notably, in this study the presence of etiological agent of piroplasmosis in blood samples from horses in Russia was genetically confirmed for the first time.

In many cases, stress reactivity is one of the important bases of aggressive behavior. It appears as if reduced stress reactivity underlies an abrupt decrease in aggression towards man in domesticated animals. However, the mechanisms of this reduction have yet to be resolved. In this work, we used an experimental domestication model, the silver fox selected for many years for the response to humans to study cortisol stress reactivity in tame and aggressive foxes in response to immobilization in human arms. Additionally, these behavioral fox groups were explored for one of the important mechanisms of glucocorticoid negative feedback, the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) in a portion of the dorsal hippocampus. In recent years, attention has been paid to differences in miRNA expression patterns between animals with different behavior and stress reactivity, as well as to miRNA regulation under stress. The same applies to NR3C1 mRNA as well. That is why we performed a miRNA-seq analysis on a portion of the fox dorsal hippocampus. It has been demonstrated that immobilization in human arms leads to significantly higher stressinduced cortisol levels in aggressive than tame foxes. At the same time, no differences have been found between hippocampal NR3C1 gene expression and the pattern of miRNA expression. Thus, reduced stress reactivity in foxes during selection for the absence of aggressive responses and for the presence of emotionally positive responses to humans does not seem to be associated with important mechanisms of regulation such as alterations in hippocampal NR3C1 gene expression or microRNA-mediated silencing.

Deviations in brain metabolism are the result of longterm pathological processes, which finally are manifested as symptoms of Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases or multiple sclerosis and other neuropathologies, as for example diabetic neuropathy. A deficiency of available energy for brain cells under neurodegenerative diseases is either developed due to age-dependent underexpression of genes that encode glycolytic enzymes or induced due to the uncoupling of oxidation and phosphorylation that could be mediated by inflammatory cytokines. Since the activity of many enzymes is under the control of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or cofactors, such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), energy deficiency can cause metabolic changes in brain tissue. Some clinical studies using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR spectroscopy) revealed metabolic changes in brain tissue in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. However, data from different authors are quite contradictory, probably because of the complex genesis of metabolic disorders. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis of multidirectional changes in metabolism under the impact of the oxidation and phosphorylation uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) and under the impact of 2-deoxy-Dglucose (2-DG), blocking the access of glucose to the brain cells. 1H NMR spectroscopy showed that 2-DG leads to the predominance of excitatory (glutamine + glutamate) neurotransmitters over inhibitory ones (gamma-aminobutyric acid), and 2,4 DNP causes opposite effects. The biochemical mechanisms of the observed changes require a special study, but it can be noted that the ATP deficiency caused by inhibition of glycolysis and the ATP deficiency caused by the uncouplers are accompanied by differently directed changes in the intensity of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. These changes in the intensity of the Krebs cycle are correlated with differently directed changes in the balance of the exciting and inhibitory neurotransmitters. The obtained results show that 1H NMR spectroscopy can be an effective method of differentiated lifetime assessment of the available energy deficit caused by a general suppression of energy exchange in nerve cells or oxidation and phosphorylation uncoupling.

Arterial hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases in adults all over the world. This pathology can not only reduce patients’ life quality, but can also be accompanied by a number of complications. Despite the fact that there is a large group of antihypertensive drugs on the market, mainly representing different combinations of inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system, adrenoreceptor blockers in combination with diuretics, there is no generally accepted “gold standard” for drugs that would not have side effects. The review discusses the main aspects of antisense oligonucleotides use in the context of arterial hypertension. It is well known that the medical implementation of antisense oligonucleotides aims to block the expression of particular genes involved in the pathology development, and a key advantage of this technique is a high selectivity of the effect. However, with the undoubted advantages of the method, there are difficulties in its application, related both to the properties of the oligonucleotides themselves (insufficient stability and poor penetration into cells), and to the variety of mechanisms of the origin of a particular pathology, arterial hypertension, in our case. The review provides a brief description of the main molecular targets for antisense treatment of hypertensive disease. The newest targets for therapy with oligonucleotides – microRNAs – are discussed. The main modifications of antisense nucleotides, designed to increase the duration of their effects and simplify the delivery of this type of drugs to the targets are discussed, in particular, combining antisense oligonucleotides with adenovirus-based expression vectors. Particular attention is given to antisense oligonucleotides in the complex with nanoparticles. The review discusses the results of the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) containing antisense nanocomposites for the angiotensin converting enzyme in rats with stress induced arterial hypertension (ISIAH). It was shown that the use of antisense oligonucleotides continues to be a promising technique for studying the mechanisms of various forms of hypertensive disease and has a high potential for therapeutic use.

Many xenobiotics in the human environment, such as benzo[a]pyrene (B(a)P) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), may act as non-genotoxic carcinogens through epigenetic mechanisms, including changes in microRNA expression profile. In part, such disorders can be mediated by the activation of nuclear receptors, resulting in the activation of protein coding gene expression and microRNAs involved in malignant transformation of cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the chain of events “xenobiotic administration – receptor activation – up-regulating microRNA expression – down-regulation target genes expression” as one of the key factors in the chemically-induced carcinogenesis. Using in silico methods, an analysis of the rat genome was carried out to find microRNAs putatively regulated by AhR (aryl hydrocarbon receptor) and CAR (constitutive androstane receptor), activated by BP and DDT, respectively. In particular, miR-3577 and -193b were selected as potentially regulated CAR, miR-207 was selected as a candidate for miR under AhR regulation. The results of the study showed that the treatment of female rats with DDT and B(a)P caused a tissue-specific changes in the expression of microRNAs and host genes in both acute and chronic administration of xenobiotics. To confirm the effects of xenobiotics on the microRNA expression, we also estimated the mRNA level of PTPN6, EIF3F, Cbx7, and Dicer1 genes potentially targeting miR-193b, -207, and -3577. The study has shown a high correlation between the expression of target genes and microRNAs; however these changes depended on the tissue types, the dose and time after xenobiotic treatment.

It is important to search for new highly effective multicomponent compounds that are able to influence several of animals’ homeostasis systems simultaneously to improve the physiological adaptation of fur animals to different conditions of nutrition. This is the function of the feed additive Floravit® – a natural bioregulator. The compound is a combination of biologically active ingredients produced by the mycelial fungus Fusarium sambucinum. Studied was the effect of Floravit® on the structure of the skin and hair in adult female sable (Martes zibellina). The scientific and economic experiment was conducted at the JSC “Plemzavod Pushkinskyi” in the Moscow Region during the period of winter fur formation in October-November. The study of the morphological structure of the hair and skin cover was carried out in the chine, side and rump topographical areas. The structure of the guard hairs in the main topographical areas was examined on a scanning electron microscope. The experiment showed that administration of Floravit® per os to adult female sable at a dose of 1.0 ml per head per day throughout the period of winter pelt formation in October-November has an influence on the morphological structure of all the categories of hair on all topographic pelt areas. Animals in the test group exposed to Floravit® exhibited an increase in guide hair length on the chine and side, when compared to controls, by 4.1 mm (p < 0.001) and by 2.8 mm (p < 0.01), respectively. The length of guard hair on the chine, side and rump increased by 8.1, 7.8 and 7.8 mm (p < 0.001), respectively. An increase in down hair length was recorded in all areas of the pelt, when compared to controls, by 13.0, 4.5 and 6.3 mm (p < 0.001). An increase in dermal thickness was recorded in the chine area by 0.7 mm (p < 0.001). The specified changed in the skin and hair structure in sable adult females after using Floravit® have shown a positive influence on the quality of hair cover. As a result, bioregulator Floravit® takes part in the adaptation process of the sable organism to external factors.

Actin is related to main structural proteins in eukaryotes. In opposite to muscle alpha-actin, beta-actin is expressing in all types of cells. The constant reorganization of actin cytoskeleton takes place in non-muscle cells. Fibrillar actin, organized by globular monomers, interacts with the actin-binding proteins. Alpha-actinin forms a transverse links in actin fibrillar network, as well as concentrates in the fields of focal contacts. Tropomyosin is related to regulatory components of beta-actin, and due to the expense of longitudinal localization of the molecule in the groove of actin microfilament, stereochemically shields the sites of other actin-binding proteins. The most important function of actin cytoskeleton is the participation in the transportation of vesicles with aquaporins of second type in principal cells of an epithelium of collecting ducts in renal medulla. Vasopressin is stimulating the release of aquaporin tetramers from cytoplasmic store to apical plasmatic membrane. The participation and role of separate cytoskeleton proteins in the process of aquaporin trafficking and forming additional pores for water stays a poorly studied place in the molecular physiology of kidney. We explored the osmoregulatory action of prolonged hydration and dehydration on the protein composition of actin cytoskeleton in rats depending on the presence or absence of the actively expressing vasopressin gene in the genome. We found that the efficiency of the renal concentrating system, controlled by vasopressin, depends on expression of actin-binding proteins in the renal medulla. On the background of a stable level of inner cellular beta-actin, a change of expression an alpha-actinin and tropomyosin is observed. Dehydration of the organism is accompanied by essential reducing of alpha-actinin. In the absence of vasopressin, reduction of alpha-actinin has a smaller amplitude. The presence of the normal vasopressin gene in the genome, regardless of transitory expression level and secretion of hormone, is a factor of lower tropomyosin in the kidney. The most probable molecular mechanism of changing the expression of the genes for alpha-actinin and tropomyosin is transduction of the V2-mediated vasopressin hormonal signal to protein kinase A, phosphorylation of the cAMPresponsible transcriptional factor CREB, and nuclear CREB interaction with gene CRE sites sensitive to it.

The lethal yellow mutation in agouti loci (Ay mutation) reduces the activity of melanocortin (MC) receptors and causes hyperphagia, obesity and type two diabetes mellitus in aging mice (Ay mice). It is unknown if changes in distinct elements of the metabolic system such as white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), and skeletal muscle will manifest before the development of obesity. The aim of this work was to measure the relative gene expression of key proteins that regulate carbohydrate-lipid metabolism in WAT, BAT and skeletal muscle in Ay mice before the development of obesity. C57Bl/6J mice bearing a dominant autosomal mutation Ay (Ay /a mice) and mice of the standard genotype (a/a mice, control) have been studied in three age groups: 10, 15 and 30 weeks. The relative mRNA level of genes was measured by real-time PCR in skeletal muscles (uncoupling protein 3 (Ucp3) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1b (Cpt1b) (free fatty acids oxidation), solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 4 (Slc2a4) (glucose uptake)), in WAT lipoprotein lipase (Lpl) (triglyceride deposition), hormone-sensitive lipase (Lipe) (lipid mobilization), and Slc2a4 (glucose uptake)), and in BAT: uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) (energy expenditure). The expression of Cpt1b was reduced in young Ay mice (10 weeks), there was no transient peak of transcription of Cpt1b, Ucp3 in skeletal muscle tissue and Lipe, Slc2a4 in WAT in early adult Ay mice (15 weeks), which was noted in а/а mice. Reduction of the transcriptional activity of the studied genes in skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue can initiate the development of melanocortin obesity in Ay mice.

Agrobacterium mediated transformation is the most common way for obtaining transgenic plants in laboratory conditions. At the same time, there are species inside the genera Nicotiana, Linaria and Ipomoea that contain homologs of agrobacterial T-DNA genes as a result of genetic transformation of their ancestral forms in natural conditions. Such plants are called naturally transgenic plants, and T-DNA in their genomes is called cellular (cT-DNA). It is proposed that in the evolution of these genera, the introduced sequences played an important role. This idea is confirmed by the data on the expression of some T-DNA genes in Nicotiana and Ipomoea. Until the last moment, the expression of cT-DNA genes in Linaria has not been documented. However, the analysis of the nucleotide sequence indicates the functionality of rolC gene in L. vulgaris Mill., L. acutiloba Fisch. ex Rchb., L. genistifolia (L.) Mill. In this research work, we have sequenced the rolC homolog in one more toadflax species (Linaria creticola Kuprian). The in silico analysis of this gene has shown that it can encode a full-length peptide. Using the real time RT-PCR method, we have demonstrated that the rolC homolog is expressed in vitro in shoots, roots and calli of L. vulgaris Mill., as well as in shoots of L. creticola Kuprian. The results obtained are an important argument in favor of the fact that cT-DNA is functional and that its fixation in genomes played a certain role in the evolutionary process. However, the level of expression of the gene studied is quite low. A similar trend was observed in other naturally transgenic species. This can explain the absence of explicit morphological differences of species containing cT-DNA from their non-transgenic relatives.

Nowadays, many scientific organizations of Russia own collections of microorganisms on which large volumes of information have been generated. These data represent the descriptions of objects of diverse nature (bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists) and their properties, which have been carefully collected and cataloged by generations of researchers. Not every organization that has such collections has an open access electronic catalog, which not only complicates work with these unique materials, but also even hides the fact of the existence of such collections. This state of affairs requires the development of electronic resources for presenting these materials to the scientific community. To put together the information on microorganism collections, we have developed an internet portal (http://www.biores.cytogen.ru/microbes/) of microbial bioresource collections of FASO organizations in the Russian Federation. The portal was created under the project developing the information system for bioresource collections of FASO institutes. It is a platform where collection organizations can place information about the storage units of their collections, as well as other information on collections, including links to their own catalogs. In this paper, we describe the principles of working with the portal. The portal’s graphical interface allows users, both registered and unregistered, to receive the following information about collections of microorganisms: a list of collections represented in the database, contact details of the organization and information about the curator of the collection, summary statistics for each collection, as well as information on storage units. Registered users – owners of collections – have the opportunity to create and modify records about the storage units of their collections, and to update their description. To automate work with the portal, software access to the database through the REST API has been implemented (http://api.biores.cytogen.ru/ microbes/). At present, the portal is still being filled, but it already contains a description of more than 13,000 items of storage (of which 3500 are in the microorganisms’ part) of 65 bioresource collections in Russia’s FASO organizations. Of these collections, 12 with microorganisms have a total diversity of funds of about 50,000 strains).

The genus Oxytropis DC. is one of the largest genera in the Fabaceae family. The most plant species belonging to the Oxytropis genus have an important medicinal value. Currently the botanical taxonomy of the genus is complicated due to existence of many subgenera and sections that developed based on morphological traits. Also, in the literature there is luck of knowledge on phylogeny of Oxytropis species from Central Asian region. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was the clarification of taxonomic relationship of two Oxytropis species from SouthEast of Kazakhstan (O. almaatensis Bajt. and O. glabra DC.). The study was based on using phylogenetic analysis and haplotype network assessment based on sequences ITS (internal transcribed spacers), which is DNA marker of nuclear genome. Plant materials of O. almaatensis were collected from 2 populations in two neighboring Gorges in Trans Ili Alatau Mountains, O. glabra plant material was obtained from Herbarium of the Department of Biodiversity and Bioresources, al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Based on DNA sequences of ITS the phylogenetic and network relationships were investigated by using Neighbor Joining and Median Joining methods, respectively. The nucleotide sequences of ITS of O. almaatensis and O. glabra were aligned with sequences of 29 Oxytropis references found in the NCBI database. Out of the 601 aligned positions of ITS 33 (5.6 %) sites were found to be polymorphic nucleotides and used in evaluation of the genetic relationship of species. Constructed MJ haplotype network showed a very high congruence with the NJ phylogenetic tree. MJ network provided valuable additional hints in clarification of the taxonomic relationship among species involved in the analysis. In this study phylogenetic NJ tree and MJ network based on the variation of ITS sequences confirmed the monophyletic origin of the genus. The ITS haplotype network suggested that O. glabra is very diverse species and possibly played important role in the evolutionary processes of the genus in Central Asian region. The study is additional contribution in the molecular taxonomy of complex Oxytropis genus.