Parallelism in eco-morphology and gene expression despite variable evolutionary and genomic backgrounds in a Holarctic fish

Understanding the extent to which ecological divergence is repeatable is essential for predicting responses of biodiversity to environmental change. Here we test the predictability of evolution, from genotype to phenotype, by studying parallel evolution in a salmonid fish, Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), across eleven replicate sympatric ecotype pairs (benthivorous-planktivorous and planktivorous-piscivorous) and two evolutionary lineages. We found considerable variability in eco-morphological divergence, with several traits related to foraging (eye diameter, pectoral fin length) being highly parallel even across lineages. This suggests repeated and predictable adaptation to environment. Consistent with ancestral genetic variation, hundreds of loci were associated with ecotype divergence within lineages of which eight were shared across lineages. This shared genetic variation was maintained despite variation in evolutionary histories, ranging from postglacial divergence in sympatry (ca. 10-15kya) to pre-glacial divergence (ca. 20-40kya) with postglacial secondary contact. Transcriptome-wide gene expression (44,102 genes) was highly parallel across replicates, involved biological processes characteristic of ecotype morphology and physiology, and revealed parallelism at the level of regulatory networks. This expression divergence was not only plastic but in part genetically controlled by parallel cis-eQTL. Lastly, we found that the magnitude of phenotypic divergence was largely correlated with the genetic differentiation and gene expression divergence. In contrast, the direction of phenotypic change was mostly determined by the interplay of adaptive genetic variation, gene expression, and ecosystem size. Ecosystem size further explained variation in putatively adaptive, ecotype-associated genomic patterns within and across lineages, highlighting the role of environmental variation and stochasticity in parallel evolution. Together, our findings demonstrate the parallel evolution of eco-morphology and gene expression within and across evolutionary lineages, which is controlled by the interplay of environmental stochasticity and evolutionary contingencies, largely overcoming variable evolutionary histories and genomic backgrounds.

Features of cellular structure of the induced sputum and profile of cytokines at sintropiya of bronchial asthma and obesity at young patients

AIM

To estimate changes of cellular structure of the induced sputum at young patients with bronchial asthma at interrelations with BMI and level of cytokines in blood plasma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

164 patients with bronchial asthma were divided into 2 groups taking into BMI: the 1st group included patients with bronchial asthma and BMI from 18 to 25 kg/m2, patients with bronchial asthma and BMI from 30 to 40 kg/m2 entered into the 2nd group. The group of control was made by 40 almost healthy volunteers. Estimated existence of excess weight and defined obesity degree according to recommendations of World Health Organization. Studied the level of control of bronchial asthma, cellular structure of the induced sputum, the IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-15, IL-17, TNF-α, INF-γ levels in plasma of peripheral blood.

RESULTS

There are presented the results of the research of cellular profile of the induced sputum and profile of cytokines at patients with bronchial asthma depending on BMI and severity of the disease. The received results testify to prevalence of eosinophilic type of an inflammation in the group of patients with BMI less than 25 kg/m2 whereas at patients mainly paucigranulation inflammation decided on obesity. The highest content of the Il-17 was registered at patients with bronchial asthma and obesity as in comparison with indicators of patients with normal BMI, and with almost healthy that, perhaps, is the reason of low effect of steroid therapy at these patients.

CONCLUSION

Endotype assessment before basic antiinflammatory therapy at patients with the first time diagnosed bronchial asthma, will be able to help with selection of the most optimum treatment to each specific patient.

[ACOS: Clinical and functional features The Russian formulation mesalazine (kansalazine) in the therapy of ulcerative colitis]

AIM

To investigate the clinical and functional parameters in patients with asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome (ACOS) versus those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A total of 129 people were examined. 51 patients with ACOS were followed up in Group 1; Group 2 included 38 patients with severe asthma; Group 3 consisted of 40 patients with severe COPD. All the patients underwent clinical examination: history data collection, physical examination, evaluation of disease symptoms, and study of respiratory function (spirometry, body plethysmography).

RESULTS

ACOS is clinically characterized by considerable demands for emergency drugs and by more frequent asthmatic fits and exacerbations, which require hospitalization. The parameters of bronchial resistance in ACOS were established to be increased throughout the follow-up period and to be comparable with those in patients with COPD. In the patients with ACOS, the severity of pulmonary hyperinflation was associated with increased demands for emergency drugs (r=0.59; p=0.015). Fixed bronchial obstruction in ACOS can be caused by smoking intensity and duration associated with increased bronchial resistance in expiration (r=0.51; p=0.003) and intrathoracic volume (r=0.71; p=0.0001); as well as increased body mass index (p<0.001) and disease duration, which were interrelated with a reduction in the forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity ratio (r=-0.63; p=0.001 and r=-0.71; p=0.0034, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Patients with ACOS show more severe clinical manifestations and a substantial increase in functional residual capacity and intrathoracic volume throughout the follow-up period, suggesting that the distal bronchi are impaired and pulmonary hyperinflation develops.

Asthma and obesity

The problem of modern medicine is to optimize the treatment of patients with comorbidity, whose number has been growing steadily in recent years. The concurrence of asthma and obesity determines the severity of disease, low-level control, and resistance to basic therapy in conjunction with more frequent use of β-agonists for relief of symptoms, and frequent hospitalizations for a disease exacerbation. Currently, there are only a few known pathogenetic components that are responsible for the negative impact of visceral obesity on the course of asthma.

[CLINICAL AND PATHOGENETIC PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION]

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between functional parameters, arterial rigidity, lipid profile, markers of systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in patients with COPD and COPD + coronary heart disease. We examined 110 subjects divided into 3 groups. G group 1 included 40 patients with severe and very severe COPD, group 2 consisted of 40 patients with severe and very severe COPD + coronary artery disease, the control group was comprised of 30 healthy volunteers. We studied parameters of respiratory function, the level of blood oxygenation, the main characteristics of arterial rigidity plasma lipid, TNF-α, CRP, fibrinogen, sPECAM-1 levels and the expression of CD38/ADP-ribosylcyclase in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study revealed increased rigidity of the central arteries in the patients of groups 1and 2 regardless of the duration of observation and the presence of coronary artery disease, as evidenced by the increase of the pulse wave velocity in the aorta. Patients of both groups had elevated levels of TNF-α, CRP and fibrinogen indicating systemic inflammatory response. Taken together, the enhanced expression of CD38 in peripheral blood lymphocytes, elevated concentration of soluble CD31 (sPECAM-1) in both groups related to bronchial obstruction and neutrophil elastase activity as well as increased rigidity of the vascular bed gives evidence that the CD38 and sCD31 relationship plays a role in the formation of endothelial dysfunction, and dysregulation of vascular tone in COPD patients. Disorders of lipid metabolism combined with increased rigidity of the vascular wall, elevated levels of markers of systemic inflammation and endothelia dysfunction, suggest that patients with COPD are at risk of cardiovascular events.

[A case of mucoviscidosis in practical work of a pulmonologist]

A case of late manifestation ofmucoviscidosis is reported. In the past, this pathology was dealt with by pediatricians, but to-day the management of this problem involves a number of different specialists. The progress in clinical practice makes it possible to significantly prolong the life span of patients with this condition. The present case shows that its clinical manifestations may appear at any age.

[The opinion of mothers brining up disabled children about quality of medical care]

The article presents the results of questionnaire survey of mothers brining up disabled children aged from 1 to 4 years organized to evaluate respondents' satisfaction with delivered medical care and to establish mothers'awareness of disease of child. The results testify that alongside with applied measures directed to improve quality of medical care the activities are needed to be applied to parents to increase their awareness of child health condition, causes of development of disease and characteristics of its course, methods and perspectives of treatment and prognosis of disease.

Phylogeography and sympatric differentiation of the Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.) complex in Siberia as revealed by mtDNA sequence analysis

Sequence variation in the mtDNA control region of Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus and Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma from 56 Siberian and North American populations was analysed to assess their phylogeographic relationships and the origins of sympatric forms. Phylogenetic trees confirm the integrity of phylogroups reported in previous mtDNA studies except that the Siberian group does not separate as a single cluster. Haplotype network analysis indicates the proximity of Siberian and Atlantic haplotypes. These are considered as one Eurasian group represented by the Atlantic, east Siberian (interior Siberia including Transbaikalia, Taimyr) and Eurosiberian (Finland, Spitsbergen, Taimyr) sub-groups. Salvelinus alpinus with presumably introgressed Bering group (malma) haplotypes were found along eastern Siberian coasts up to the Olenek Bay and the Lena Delta region, where they overlap with the Eurasian group and in the easternmost interior region. It is proposed that Siberia was colonized by S. alpinus in two stages: from the west by the Eurasian group and later from the east by the Bering group. The high diversity of Eurasian group haplotypes in Siberia indicates its earlier colonization by S. alpinus as compared with the European Alps. This colonization was rapid, proceeded from a diverse gene pool, and was followed by differential survival of ancestral mtDNA lineages in different basins and regions, and local mutational events in isolated populations. The results presented here support a northern origin of Transbaikalian S. alpinus, the dispersion of S. alpinus to the Lake Baikal Basin from the Lena Basin, segregation of S. alpinus between Lena tributaries and their restricted migration over the divides between sub-basins. These results also support sympatric origin of intralacustrine forms of S. alpinus.

[Microsatellite DNA variability in the populations of muskoxen Ovibos moschatus acclimated to the Russian North]

The muskoxen populations introduced to the Taimyr Peninsula and Wrangel Island in 1974 to 1975 were examined for sequence variation at seven microsatellite loci. Donor material originated from the populations of Banks Island (Canada) and Eastern Greenland. Relative to the allele frequencies, both introduced populations demonstrated rather strong deviation from the populations of the native range. At the same time, population allelic structures evidenced that they were closer to the Greenland populations. Estimates of genetic diversity at microsatellite loci (expected heterozygosity and the allele number) in the introduced muskoxen were found to be high for populations originating from a small number of founder individuals. In the immigrants, linkage disequilibrium and deviation of the genotype frequencies from the Hardy-Weinberg proportions were observed, which was mainly caused by the deficit of heterozygotes. The same pattern was also typical of native populations and was explained in terms of specific population structure and demographic processes. The latter were manifested as a periodic decline of the effective population size, resulting in the prevailing influence of genetic drift and inbreeding. The consequences of genetic drift were not as dramatic, as could be expected, which may be explained by a high mutation rate of neutral microsatellite loci and fast growth of the new populations.

[Variation in mitochondrial DNA in Far Eastern mullet pilengas, Liza haematocheilus Temminck and Schlegel, acclimatized in the Azov-Black Sea basin]

This study continues the investigation of genetic variation in the populations of native and acclimatized in the Azov-Black Sea basin pilengas from the Sea of Japan. The previous comparison based on allozyme analysis was supplemented by analysis of restriction polymorphism of a mitochondrial DNA fragment containing the cytochrome b gene and the D-loop. Five out of fifteen endonucleases tested detected polymorphic sites. In the samples of native and acclimatized pilengas, five common haplotypes were found; ten and three "population-specific" haplotypes were detected in the Far Eastern and the Azov populations, respectively. The differences in haplotype distributions between these populations were highly significant (P < 0.001). The mtDNA variation was lower in the Azov than in the Far Eastern population (haplotype diversity mu respectively 6.35 +/- 0.27 and 9.14 +/- 0.55), which is in good agreement with the decrease in the number of polymorphic loci and the mean number of alleles per locus, found earlier for allozyme markers in this population. The reasons for these differences in the acclimatized population are discussed.

[Clinical picture and treatment of bronchial asthma comorbid with cardiovascular diseases]

AIM

To evaluate prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in bronchial asthma (BA) patients and effects of CVD on BA course.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Register data for 2005 have been analysed for 5104 BA outpatients living in Krasnoyarsk city (pulmonary ventilation, ECG, echocardiography, duration of BA, number of exacerbations for the last 12 months, number of hospitalizations, disability, BA complications, BA and CVD treatment).

RESULTS

Combination of BA with CVD was observed in 88.3% patients. Severe and moderate BA was in 55 and 44% patients, respectively. 64% BA patients were invalids. CVD were diagnosed more often in patients with detected BA. CVD were treated without allowances for BA. The latter was treated without consideration of its severity and GYNA recommendations. CONCLUSION. To control BA, it is necessary to check up pulmonary function regularly, to diagnose comorbid cardiovascular diseases early, prescrive adequate treatment and teach patients to comply with recommendations.

[Genetic differentiation of pink salmon oncorhynchus gorbuscha Walbaum in the Asian part of the range]

Genetic variation at 19 allozyme (including 11 polymorphic) and 10 microsatellite loci was examined in the population samples of odd- and even-broodline pink salmon from the southern part of Sakhalin Island, Southern Kuril Islands, and the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. The estimates of relative interpopulation component of genetic variation over the allozyme loci, per broodline, were on average 0.43% (GST), while over the microsatellite loci it was 0.26% (the theta(ST) coefficient, F-statistics based on the allele frequency variance), and 0.90% (the rho(ST) coefficient, R-statistics based on the allele size variance). The values of interlinear component constituted 2.34, 0.31, and 1.05% of the total variation, respectively. Using the allozyme loci, statistically significant intralinear heterogeneity was demonstrated among the regions, as well as among the populations of Southern Sakhalin Island. Multivariate scaling based on the allozyme data demonstrated regional clustering of the sample groups, representing certain populations during the spawning run or in different years. Most of the microsatellite loci examined were found to be highly polymorphic (mean heterozygosity > 0.880). The estimates of interlinear, interregional, and interpopulation variation over these loci in terms of theta(ST) values were substantially lower than in terms of rho(ST) values. Regional genetic differentiation, mostly expressed at the allozyme loci among the populations from the northern and southern parts of the Sea of Okhotsk (i.e., between the Sakhalin and Kuril populations), was less expressed at the microsatellite loci. The differentiation between these regions observed can be considered as the evidence in favor of a large-scale isolation by distance characterizing Asian pink salmon. It is suggested that in pink salmon, low genetic differentiation at neutral microsatellite loci can be explained by extremely high heterozygosity,of the loci themselves, as well as by the migration gene exchange among the populations (the estimate of the genetic migration coefficient inferred from the "private" allele data constituted 2.6 to 3.4%), specifically, by the ancient migration exchange, which occurred during postglacial colonization and colonization of the range.

[Genetic divergence in pink salmon introduced into the European north of Russia: microsatellite and allozyme variation analysis]

The 1985 introduction into the European North of Russia resulted in the formation of a large stock of pink salmon of the odd-year breeding line. To assess the divergence of the new population and the role of various microevolutionary factors, variation of four microsatellite loci and fifteen genes encoding proteins (allozymes) in samples of fish, running for spawning in rivers of the new area, and in samples from the donor population of the Ola River (Magadan oblast). In the generations 8 and 9 of the introduced pink salmon of the odd-year line, the genetic diversity (the number of alleles and the mean heterozygosity) both at allozyme and at microsatellite loci was significantly lower, than that in the donor population. The explanations of the decline in diversity are discussed. The first evidence for spatial genetic divergence in transplanted fish within the new area has been obtained; the divergence level may be comparable with that characteristic of native populations.

[Genetic divergence of chars of the genus Salvelinus from Kronotsky Lake (Kamchatka Peninsula)]

Chars from the genus Salvelinus, inhabiting lakes and lake-river systems, belong to morphologically and ecologically different forms whose taxonomic status is under dispute. In the present work, we have examined genetic variation and divergence in various chars from the Kronotsky lake basin: the lacustrine chars (white, nose, and long-head) and Dolly Varden char Salvelinus malma. The study was conducted using analysis of allozyme and microsatellite loci, myogens, RAPD, and restriction analysis of two mtDNA segments. The estimates of heterozygoisty at allozyme and microsatellite loci were similar to the corresponding parameters in populations of northern Dolly Varden and Arctic char. Heterozygote deficit was recorded in both samples of individual forms, and in the combined sample of all chars from Kronotsky Lake. For both markers, appreciable genetic differentiation among the samples of different char forms was found, which was comparable to that among the spatially isolated populations of northern Dolly Varden. This result indicates reproductive isolation among the char forms examined. However, this isolation is not complete, because no fixed differences between the forms by any of the genetic systems analyzed was found. The genetic differentiation among different forms of lacustrine chars, which corresponds to the interpopulation rather than interspecies level, is thought to be explained by their comparatively recent divergence.

[Acclimatization of salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum) in the European north: data from restriction analysis of mtDNA]

Pink salmon spawners introduced into the White Sea basin (the Umba River) were compared to the spawners from the basin of the Sea of Okhotsk (the Ola River) using restriction analysis of two fragments of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). One of the fragments included genes ND5/ND6, the other, the cytochrome b gene and the control region. It was found that mtDNA variation and diversity at the earlier examined nuclear allozyme genes significantly decreased in the odd broodline of pink salmon 8 years after the introduction. The haplotype diversity in the even broodline was considerably lower than in the odd broodline exhibiting virtually no change two generations after the introduction. Based on the results obtained, a possible role of these changes in adaptation of White Sea pink salmon from the odd broodline to the new environment is discussed.

[Genetic changes in pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Walbaum during acclimatization in the White sea basin]

Genetic parameters of pink salmon introduced into the White Sea basin in 1985 and 1998 were compared to the corresponding parameters of the donor population from the Ola River (Magadan oblast). The detected genetic differences indicate that colonization of a new area is accompanied by impoverishment of the gene pool of the native population. This effect was particularly marked in the odd-year line of pink salmon introduced in 1985. The probable causes of these genetic changes are discussed.