All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Food Biotechnology

Biofortification of wheat with anthocyanins is a strategy for solving the problem of “hidden hunger” and preventing chronic diseases. In this study, the blue aleurone trititrigia line ‘Istra 116’ is characterized as a new genetic resource for wheat breeding. Field and laboratory assessments (the years 2021–2024) compared its characteristics with the commercial trititrigia variety in ‘Pamyati Lyubimovoy’ and wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum L.). ‘Istra 116’ showed excellent agronomic qualities: a higher coefficient of productive tillering (1.93 versus 1.2), longer spikes (up to 17.5 cm) and grain yield (4.2 t/ha), exceeding the control for trititrigia (2.6 t/ha) and comparable to winter wheat (4.5 t/ha). A laboratory baking assessment confirmed its satisfactory quality (overall score 4.5/5). The blue pigment from the aleurone layer partially passed into the flour, giving the bread a darker crust but retaining the anthocyanins in the finished product. The results position ‘Istra 116’ as a dual-purpose genetic resource: a potential commercial biofortified crop and a valuable donor of the blue aleurone layer trait for traditional wheat breeding, offering a practical way to increase the nutritional value of basic foodstuffs.

Introduction: Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is a key factor in communication between cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and cancer cells, enhancing cancer cell survival. CAFs produce IGF2, which activates signaling pathways in cancer cells and has immunosuppressive effects. IGF-binding protein 6 (IGFBP6) is a specific IGF2 inhibitor that affects tumor behavior. Previous findings linked low IGFBP6 expression in triple‑negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells to increased metastatic potential. Method: Single-cell RNA-seq and mRNA bulk sequencing of tumors from the Cancer Genome Atlas portal were analyzed. Results: CAFs were the primary IGF2-producing population, accounting for 66.5% of IGF2-positive tumor cells. IGFBP6-positive cells were distributed between CAFs (48%) and cancer cells (30%). IGF2 was mainly expressed in CAFs and vascular cells; IGFBP6 was expressed in a broader range of cells. A negative correlation between IGFBP6 expression and macro-phage proportion was observed in breast cancer samples. Higher macrophage content in tumors was found to be associated with earlier disease recurrence. Discussion: The findings supported a stromal‑led paracrine circuit in which CAF–derived IGF2 was locally buffered by IGFBP6 6 from stromal and cancer compartments, reducing free ligand and macrophage accumulation. This axis offers mechanistic insight into immune re-modeling and may explain links between low IGFBP6, increased macrophages, and earlier recurrence. Conclusion: CAFs are the principal source of IGF2 in TNBC, and higher IGFBP6 expression associates with fewer tumor macrophages and delayed recurrence, highlighting the CAF–IGF2–IGFBP6–macrophage pathway as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target.

The influence of crown illumination on leaf damage of horse chestnut species (Aesculus hippocastanum L., Aesculus glabra Willd, Aesculus flava Aiton, Aesculus pavia L., Aesculus × carnea Hayne, Aesculus parviflora Walter, Aesculus chinensis Bunge) affected by ohrid leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dymić) was studied using some accessions from the arboretum botanical tree collection. A. hippocastanum, A. glabra, A. flava had the lowest chl a content in the foliage on the sunlit side of the crown, while in A. pavia, A. parviflora and A. chinensis this indicator was the highest. The chl a content in the leaves of A. hippocastanum and A. flava under shaded conditions was 1.3 and 2.4 times higher than in the sunlit part, while in A. pavia, A. parviflora and A. chinensis the chl a content on the shaded side was 1.2, 1.6 and 1.3 times lower. The quantitative content of chl b in the sunlit part of the crown in A. hippocastanum and A. flava was significantly higher than in the other species. Moreover, while A. flava and A. parviflora had the highest chl b content in the foliage of the shaded part of the crown, A. glabra and A. × carnea had the lowest. Similarly, differences in proline levels were found in the leaves of different horse chestnut species on the sunny side of the crown. Higher proline levels in less infested species were identified. Water content imbalances due to feeding by leaf miners were most characteristic of the severely affected species. Chlorophyll fluorescence determination revealed high photochemical activity with an effective defense system in resistant species, while non-resistant species exhibited weak defense mechanisms in both sunlight and shade. To assess horse chestnut species the hyperspectral analysis indices (DSWI and SIPI) were also successfully applied. Changes in chl a and chl b content, proline levels, and leaf water-holding properties can be used to assess the resistance of horse chestnut species using classical physiological and biochemical methods. Hyperspectral analysis indices (DSWI and SIPI) can also be successfully applied.

Plants of the Citrus L. genus are genetically closely related and crossbreed easily, forming interspecific hybrids. The pedigree of many cultivars (or groups of cultivars) can be difficult to trace, so molecular markers that detect polymorphism between Citrus plants are valuable tools for studying them. DNA markers developed using minisatellite loci are often effective in detecting polymorphism even between closely related genomes. The OrV890 minisatellite DNA marker recently developed in the Orange ‘Valencia’ genome was tested on 7 orange cultivars by electronic-PCR (e-PCR). In this study, the OrV890 marker was tested with 48 genotypes of Citrus genus using PCR and fragment analysis. These experiments showed the presence of PCR products for 21 samples and no amplification found for 27 samples. Eight alleles of the studied locus were detected. The fragments of 736 and 750 bp in length were found more frequently than others, while the 771 (in Myrtle-leaved bitter orange), 867 (Lime ‘Kaffir’ and Orange ‘Canaliculata’), 756 (Orangelo ‘Chironja’), 760 (Lime ‘Palestinian sweet’), and 768 bp (Tangor ‘Honey Artounik’) alleles found rare. The 769 bp allele was observed in pomelo variety and their hybrids only. The absence of amplification was observed in lemon, kumquat, and some lime varieties, as well as in a whole group of orange varieties (American varieties), most mandarin varieties, and one grapefruit variety (‘Star Ruby’). Thus, the experimental results showed that the OrV890 marker can be useful for analysis of hybrids, establishing the origin of Citrus plant varieties, as well as for creating breeding programs and accelerating the breeding process.

The production and productivity of cereal crops, which form the foundation of global food security, are increasingly threatened by unstable water regimes and recurring droughts linked to climate change. Fortunately, a wide diversity of cereal crops is endowed with natural resilience to drought and heat stress, enabling them to survive under conditions that are critical for other plants. Understanding the key morphological, genetic, physiological, biochemical, and ecological mechanisms—and their interactions—is crucial for unraveling the processes involved in drought tolerance in these species. A comprehensive study of cereal crops, their variability, and their ability to survive and thrive under arid conditions will unlock new opportunities for breeding drought-resistant agricultural varieties. This review highlights the role of root system architecture (RSA) and gravitropic mechanisms (e.g., EGT1, DRO1), the integration of phytohormonal crosstalk, the potential of wild relatives and genome editing, and the emerging role of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in enhancing drought resilience. We propose a novel synthesizing concept focused on overcoming the fundamental yield-survival trade-off by framing drought resilience through the lens of optimizing three interconnected functional modules: water budget architecture, metabolic homeostasis, and integrative signaling networks. The central advance of this framework is its systems-level perspective that redefines these well-studied components as dynamically interacting, tunable modules, providing a practical blueprint for designing crop ideotypes that break the yield-survival trade-off.

The aim of the study is to examine the dietary patterns of indigenous and migrant populations of the Far North, stipulated by harsh climatic conditions, traditional lifestyles, and dietary habits in the modern era. This study also explored possible ways to address the disruption to the structure and quality of nutrition through the use of local animal and plant materials in the design of fortified and specialized food products. A systematic search of scientific electronic library databases, including eLIBRARY.RU, CyberLeninka, PubMed, Mendelay, and others, was conducted, resulting in the selection of 78 sources for inclusion in the paper. It was established that prolonged exposure to the Far North leads to the development of a polar metabolic type of nutrition, in which, as a result of changes in the ratio of essential nutrients in the diet, a protein-lipid diet becomes the physiologically rational dietary pattern, replacing the protein-carbohydrate pattern traditionally found in the central and southern regions of the Russian Federation. An analysis of the diets of the indigenous and migrant populations revealed a significant disruption in the structure and quality of nutrition, including insufficient levels of vitamins A, D, E, K, C, and B vitamins, as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, fluorine, and chromium. These were caused by a shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables, dependence on foods high in sugar, and a decrease in the consumption of traditional food products (reindeer herding, hunting, and fishing) with an increase in the consumption of readily available, biologically inferior foods. This leads to metabolic maladaptation of the body and increases the risk of developing nutrition-related diseases. An analysis of literature data on the chemical composition of reindeer meat and wild berries (lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries, and rose hips) from various regions of the Far North indicates their value as sources of scarce biologically active substances, including those with high adaptogenic properties, which justifies their use in the development of food products that contribute to the adjustment of the diet of the population of the Far North.

Abstract Background and Aims The study of the metabolites in patients with CKD on hemodialysis, is of great interest due to the involvement their in the development of typical complications (cardiovascular diseases, vascular calcification, infection s and so on), and deciding the appropriate treatment. The resulted metabolic disturbances associated with the severity of the disease mirror the phenotype of an organism and provide a detailed understanding of the metabolic processes involved in a disease. In addition, the use of synbiotics (probiotics and prebiotics) can significantly affect the intestinal microflora and metabolites. The patients included in the study were clinically stable (men and women) with HD for at least 6 months before the study. The patients underwent a standard haemodialysis procedure 3 times a week. The aim of this study was to investigate the blood metabolic profile in patients on hemodialysis and the effect of the treatment with with “Maxilac”, a synbiotic drug on the blood metabolic profile. Method In our study we included 22 patients, age 53 ± 12.4 years (12 f/10 m), who received hemodialysis at our nephrology center. The study of metabolites included 2 stages before taking “Maxilac” and after two months. Blood samples were analyzed using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy focusing on low-molecular-weight metabolites. We used standard statistical methods and OPLS-DA analyses employing the MetaboAnalyst 5.0 platform. Results A total of 55 metabolites were identified in serum samples from hemodialysis patients with CKD. The t-test demonstrated statistically significant changes in several metabolites after “Maxilac” treatment, including threonine, hippurate, myoinosotole, xanthosine, carnitine, acetone, aspartate, formate, proline, creatinine, 2-oxoisocaproate, lactate (Fig. 1). The oPLS-DA statistical analysis score plot is presented in the Fig. 2 with component changes including 15 metabolites with significant changes in concentration before and after “Maxilac” treatment. These metabolites included threonine, formate, acetone, xanthosine, aspartate, acetate, proline, myoinositol, inosine, 1-methylhystidine, carnitine, lactate, 2-oxoisocaproate, dimethylamine, 3-methyl-2-oxovalerate. These findings indicate that “Maxilac” therapy induces specific metabolic alterations in patients on hemodialysis, predominantly impacting amino acid, purine, and glucose metabolism. Conclusion The use of “Maxilac” in patients on hemodialysis leads to an improvement in the metabolic profile.

Cell death is an essential part of both normal development and pathological processes. This review provides a bird's-eye view of the most important aspects of programmed cell death in different groups of organisms-bacteria, protists, fungi, and animals in comparison with plants-and highlights the possible tendencies in the evolution of cell death machinery.

Improving plant toleranceagainst abiotic stress factors is importantfor sustaining global food security. Plants show prolonged, increasedtolerance upon exposure to suboptimal environmental conditions whentreated at the seed stage with certain chemical agents of naturalor synthetic origin, resulting in higher crop yields. Polymers suchas naturally derived hydrogels (HYDR) provide a smart delivery systemfor phytohormones. The protective effect of melatonin (Mel) and FOLICIST(Fol) applied directly or as calcium alginate-based hydrogel coatingswith embedded Mel (HYDR-Mel) was studied in the “Dafni F1”tomato cultivar against salinity stress under in vitro conditions.An array of agronomic and biochemical parameters was evaluated, furtherto detailed material characterization, including germination-relatedparameters (such as the germination rate index, mean germination rate,speed of germination, and emergence index), morphological alternations(such as the main root length and root fresh weight), as well as cellulardamage indicators (such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 content). Findings suggest that engineered HYDR-Melformulations are a promising “green” approach to mitigateabiotic stress effects in plants.

The article examines the impact of digital technologies on the process of teaching technical subjects in the context of globalization and rapid technological progress. The need to integrate modern digital tools into the educational process is discussed, which is becoming vital for preparing students for the demands of the modern labor market. Special attention is paid to the advantages provided by digital technologies, such as the individualization of learning, the availability of educational resources and the possibility of interaction between participants in the educational process. The article also includes an overview of modern digital technologies, their functionality and application in educational practice.