Biology subjects

Platonova, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Platonova, E..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Geroprotective effects of Aronia melanocarpa fruit extract on Drosophila melanogaster

Aging and its consequences is one of the main problems of humanity. Phytochemicals such as polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins have great potential as geroprotectors. Plants including Aronia used as dietary supplements are an excellent source of these compounds. We have studied the effects of the ethanol extract from Aronia fruits on Drosophila melanogaster lifespan, locomotor activity, stress resistance (oxidative stress, heat shock and starvation). And also, in order to reveal the influence of Aronia extract applied to different life cycles of Drosophila melanogaster, we selected different dietary schemes for imago: throughout life, during the first two weeks (1 - 2) and during average age (4 - 6 weeks). It was revealed that the ethanol extract of chokeberry increases the median life expectancy in males and females by 5% when Drosophila melanogaster is added to the diet for 4 - 6 weeks of life. This suggests that intervention even in old age is sufficient to increase lifespan. In addition, no harmful effects of ABE on locomotor activity were found as an indicator of fly health. We showed that Aronia extract increased stress resistance to hyperthermia and oxidative stress. At the same time, Aronia extract did not significantly affect the resistance of flies to starvation. ABE supplementation has increased expression of heat shock proteins (Hsp27, Hsp68, Hsp83), oxidative stress resistance genes (Keap1, NRF, Sod1), some circadian clock genes (Clk, per) and gene of longevity Sirt1.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2020

In-depth characterization of layer 5 output neurons of the primary somatosensory cortex innervating the mouse dorsal spinal cord

Neuronal circuits of the spinal dorsal horn integrate sensory information from the periphery with inhibitory and facilitating input from higher CNS areas. Most previous work focused on projections descending from the hindbrain. Less is known about inputs descending from the cerebral cortex. Here, we identified cholecystokinin (CCK) positive layer 5 pyramidal neurons of the primary somatosensory cortex (CCK+ S1-CST neurons) as a major source of input to the spinal dorsal horn. We combined intersectional genetics and virus-mediated gene transfer to characterize CCK+ S1-CST neurons and to define their presynaptic input and postsynaptic target neurons. We found that S1-CST neurons constitute a heterogeneous population that can be subdivided into distinct molecular subgroups. Rabies-based retrograde tracing revealed monosynaptic input from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons, from parvalbumin (PV) positive cortical interneurons, and from thalamic relay neurons in the ventral posterolateral nucleus. WGA-based anterograde tracing identified postsynaptic target neurons in dorsal horn laminae III and IV. About 60% of these neurons were inhibitory and about 60% of all spinal target neurons expressed the transcription factor c-Maf. The heterogeneous nature of both S1-CST neurons and their spinal targets suggest complex roles in the fine-tuning of sensory processing.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

The mesoSPIM initiative: open-source light-sheet mesoscopes for imaging in cleared tissue

Over the course of the past decade, tissue clearing methods have reached a high level of sophistication with a wide variety of approaches now available1. To image large cleared samples, light-sheet microscopes have proven to be ideal due to their excellent optical sectioning capability in transparent tissue2. Such instruments have recently seen extensive technological and commercial development. However, despite this progress, the community is lacking instruments capable of exploring large samples with near-isotropic resolution within minutes. Here, we introduce the mesoscale selective plane-illumination microscopy (mesoSPIM) initiative, an open-hardware project that provides researchers with instructions and software to easily build and operate light-sheet microscopes for centimeter-sized cleared samples (http://www.mesospim.org).\n\nA wide range of commercial light-sheet microscopes have ...

neuroscience↗