Chromosome counts were examined for 18 populations of 4 species of the genus Hypericum in the Western Himalayas (India). The chromosome numbers n = 8, 9 for H. dyeri and n = 16 for H. japonicum, respectively add new diploid and tetraploid cytotypes for these species. Whereas, n = 8 in H. elodeoides and H. japonicum; as well as n = 7, 8, 16 in H. perforatum were reported for the first time from the Indian region. The base chromosome numbers in the genus make a descending series (x = 7, 8, 9, 10, 12) with the most common ones as x = 8, 9, whereas x = 8 is considered to be primarily evolved. The genus displays 33.3% polyploidy with 14 species each depicting euploidy and aneuploidy. Further, analyses of these polyploids suggest a high percentage of tetraploids that are geographically concentrated along the Northern Hemisphere in Europe. From the quantitative analysis of chromosome numbers, ICNH is calculated to be 22.7 indicating high variability among chromosome numbers. The revision of base chromosome numbers, an assessment of polyploids and their geographical distribution in the genus along with intraspecific genetic variability among the populations of the species were discussed.

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.3103/S0095452725030119

An important model system for studying the role of genetic diversity and hybridization in plant invasions is the species complex of the genus Reynoutria Houtt. Within the secondary distribution range, two species of this genus are widespread, R. japonica Houtt. and R. sachalinensis (F. Schmidt) Nakai, as well as their derivatives, the hexaploid R. × bohemica Chrtek & Chrtková and the tetraploid R. × moravica (Hodálová and Mereďa) Olshanskyi and Antonenko, which are recognized as separate species. The genetic diversity of the species of the genus Reynoutria in Ukraine is still almost unexplored by molecular methods. In this work, we determined chloroplast haplotypes for samples of R. japonica, R. sachalinensis and R. × bohemica from Ukraine and other European countries and compared them with haplotypes of Reynoutria from the primary distribution range in China and Korea. The genetic diversity of R. japonica from the primary distribution range was significantly higher compared to European samples, which are mainly represented by the haplotype J1.1. At the same time, we identified haplotypes J1.2 and J1.3 specific to the Eastern European area, which probably arose as a consequence of the divergence of the chloroplast genome within the secondary distribution range. Of the five samples morphologically identified as R. × bohemica, three carry the haplotype J1.1, which is consistent with the idea that R. japonica var. japonica was involved as a maternal form in the formation of R. × bohemica. However, a chloroplast haplotype identical to R. sachalinensis was detected in two samples from the Alpine region of Europe. These samples likely represent another hybrid species of R. × moravica. Therefore, the use of chloroplast DNA markers is crucial for identifying the donor of maternal subgenomes in hybrid forms of the genus Reynoutria.

Since Ukraine is a powerful maize exporter in the world, screening genotypes susceptible to genetic transformation among those cultivated on its territory and the development of an effective technology for the transformation of maize of Ukrainian breeding are relevant. Precultivated immature maize embryos of nine genotypes (inbred lines and hybrids) were subjected to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Three strains of A. tumefaciens and three vector constructs, which contained the selective marker gene of neomycin phosphotransferase II, as well as the reporter genes of green fluorescent protein or β-glucuronidase, were used in the work. Transgenic plants were selected on nutrient media with paromomycin. For six genotypes, shoot regeneration was observed after transformation on selective media. The presence of transgenes in 43 clones obtained from four genotypes using all available vectors was revealed by the PCR method. The transformation frequency varied from 0 to 27% in individual experiments. A strong correlation was found between frequencies of the regeneration and the transformation between genotypes and donor plants of the same genotype. The use of the pCB271 vector, which contained monocot nucleotide sequences of gene expression regulation upstream of the selective marker gene, namely the intron of the maize hsp70 gene, significantly increased the frequency of shoot regeneration after transformation. Analysis of T1 generation plants revealed single-locus integration of transgenes into the plant genome. The proposed protocol of genetic transformation using paromomycin as a selective agent is effective in obtaining transgenic maize lines and hybrids of Ukrainian breeding. Three genotypes (inbred line DK232 and hybrids KP7×PRZh5 and KS277×RS15) were selected as the most susceptible among tested genotypes to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and promising for further research on the production of transgenic maize plants.

Yellow (stripe) rust, the agent of which is a biotrophic fungus, Puccinia striiformis West. f. sp. tritici (Pst), is one of the most harmful diseases of wheat. Creating resistant genotypes is considered an ecologically safe and economically profitable technology for plant protection. At present, there are over 80 known and officially recognized genes of resistance to stripe rust (Yr) as well as dozens of genes with temporary labeling. Some Yr genes were characterized, and the corresponding molecular markers to them were selected. An urgent direction of studies is the search for effective quantitative trait loci (QTL) to be used in breeding programs for resistance to yellow rust. In current views, the genetic resistance of wheat to yellow rust is divided into adult seedling resistance (ASR) and adult plant resistance (APR). Most identified genes of resistance to yellow rust are considered race-specific ASR-genes. At present, the unification and systematization of all races were performed using the global pathogen collections, which allowed for the practical application of approximately 20 identified genetic groups of Pst. Triticum aestivum L. is believed to be the source of most genes of resistance to yellow rust: more than 50 Yr genes originate from bread wheat. Relevant sources of resistance genes can also be found in wild and cultivated Triticum species and genetically related plants, including different species of goat grass. The localization of Yr genes of the chromosomes of genomes А, B, and D of T. aestivum L. demonstrated their highest number in genome В. The genotypes with a complex of genes, controlling resistance to several diseases, are considered especially valuable and widely used in breeding programs worldwide.

In recent years, the introduction of genetic methods to create a more disease-resistant livestock of farm animals in breeding practice increased. The studies of the genes responsible for the immune status of the organism (particularly, mannose-binding lectin 1 (MBL1) gene) are of a special importance. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes of the mannose-binding lectin 1 (MBL1) gene in Ukrainian small and transboundary cattle breeds (Lebedyn, Brown Carpathian, Jersey, Ayrshire, and Swiss) were determined by a method of PCR-RFLP testing using the HaeIII restriction enzyme (c.2569 T>C polymorphism). The determination of T- and C-alleles of the MBL1 is of a practical importance since the mannose-binding lectin gene is a candidate for markers of resistance to mastitis. The frequencies of the MBL1 T-allele in the studied breeds vary from 0.27 to 0.47, those of TC-genotypes from 0.13 to 0.4, and those of TT-genotypes from 0.17 to 0.33. In four breeds, a shift in the genetic equilibrium due to an excess of homozygotes was detected. The values of effective alleles in the MBL1 locus in the studied breeds are less than the threshold value, which indicates that the number of effective alleles in the populations for this locus is less than possible. The cow population of the endangered Brown Carpathian breed was the most polymorphic (Na = 1.993). The largest degree of realization of genetic variability was also detected in the Brown Carpathian breed (V = 41.379) (which was grown and kept in the private sector of the mountain area), and the lowest was in the Ayrshire breed (V = 13.236), respectively. The calculation of genetic distances revealed that the Jersey and Lebedyn breeds were the closest, while a maximal genetic distance was registered between animals of the Jersey and Brown Carpathian breeds. The analysis of genetic structure of the studied cattle breeds in Ukraine revealed changes in the frequency of one or another genotype depending on the breed. The results obtained in this study contain important information, which can be used in cattle breeding for resistance to mastitis.

A negative answer to the question about the reducibility of genetic processes at the level of macroevolutionary events to microevolutionary ones has been obtained by analyzing the evolutionary transition-transversion bias and estimating the rates of molecular transformations in a number of vertebrates by the example of the CYTB gene. As a result, it has been established that, at a divergence at a level below families, the frequency of transitions sustains “a jump,” due to which the rate of molecular evolutions increases by an order of magnitude, whereas there occurs a slight predominance of transversion frequencies with a synchronous linear increase in the frequency of different nucleotide substitutions at the levels of orders and higher. An obvious reason for distinctions between the genetic processes of micro- and macroevolution is the leading role of spontaneous mutations in the formation of species. Their canalization results in stable morphological distinctions formed during postnatal ontogenesis. At the same time, the stages of macroevolution are associated with the transformation of organogenesis to be fixed with by changes in the sets of genes governing the nature of gene regulation and the interaction of genes in development.

The aim of the study was to determine an association of the UGT1A1 (rs8175347), MTHFR (rs1801133), GSTP1 (rs1695), and ITPA (rs1127354) polymorphic variants with response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with bladder cancer. The study group consisted of 60 patients who were treated in the National Cancer Institute. The population control groups were formed from conditionally healthy adults from different regions of Ukraine. The commercial DNA extraction kits were used to isolate genomic DNA from the blood samples of patients and the control group. Genotyping of the MTHFR, GSTP1, and ITPA alleles was carried out using PCR followed by RFLP analysis. The determination of UGT1A1 allelic variants was conducted by a method of fragment analysis of fluorescently labeled PCR products using an ALF-express II automatic laser analyzer. No significant difference was detected in the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies of the UGT1A1, MTHFR, GSTP1, and ITPA gene polymorphisms between the population sample and studied group of patients with bladder cancer. In addition, no statistically significant difference was detected in the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies for the polymorphic loci of the UGT1A1, MTHFR, and ITPA genes in codominant, dominant, and recessive models between the groups of patients with bladder cancer who had a positive response to chemotherapy and those who had no response to the therapy. It was demonstrated that the frequency of the GSTP1 gene 313G allele (0.40) was statistically significantly higher in the group of patients who responded to chemotherapy than in the group of patients who did not respond to the treatment (0.22). It was established that carriers of the GSTP1 gene 313G allele (AG and GG genotypes) have a higher probability of a positive response to chemotherapy than individuals with the AA genotype (OR = 3.05; CI 95%: 1.053–8.838). It was demonstrated that the GSTP1 gene A313G polymorphism (rs1695) is associated with a response to chemotherapy with platinum-based drugs, including cisplatin. The presence of the 313G allele in the patient genotype can indicate a better sensitivity of the tumor to platinum-based drugs.

The homeostasis and survival of a plant cell is determined by the stability of its internal environment due to the controlled movement of various molecules and ions into the cell and intercellular space and are provided by the plasma membrane. Aquaporin membrane channel proteins are one of the important components of the plant cells. Plants are characterized by a large number and variety of these proteins, which have different localization, properties, and specificity. The functions of aquaporins are not limited to the transport of water, ions, and individual small molecules; these membrane proteins also play an important role in the development of the reaction-response of plants to the action of biotic and abiotic stress factors. Unfavorable growth conditions cause a change in the activity of aquaporins at transcriptional, translational, and posttranscriptional levels. Modern scientific data on the role of aquaporins in the implementation of the plant’s protective response to the action of various abiotic factors that change the osmotic balance and intracellular homeostasis were analyzed in the review. The effect of carbon nanomaterials (graphene, single- and multiwalled nanotubes, fullerene) on the regulation of the functional activity of aquaporins of various subfamilies and the expression of relevant genes under the influence of abiotic stresses on plants were also characterized.