Category Archives: Uncategorized
Purification and physico-chemical properties of Bacillus sp. L9 protease with fibrin(ogen)olytic activity
O. V. Gudzenko1*, L. D. Varbanets1, V. O. Chernyshenko2, E. M. Stognii2
1D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology,
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
2Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
*e-mail: alena.gudzenko81@gmail.com
Received: 18 September 2025; Revised: 13 October 2025;
Accepted: 28 November 2025; Available on-line: 2025
Previously, we isolated a number of Bacillus sp. strains from the dry grass of the coastal zone of the Kinburn Spit, which may be promising for further research as producers of proteases with fibrinolytic and fibrinogenolytic activity. The aim of the work was to isolate, purify and study the properties of fibrin(ogen)ase from the Bacillus sp. L9 strain. The enzyme preparation was isolated from the supernatant of the Bacillus sp. L9 culture liquid. The yield of the purified enzyme was 1.8%, the specific fibrinogenolytic and fibrinolytic activities were 483 and 383 U/mg protein, respectively, the molecular weight of the enzyme was about 40 kDa, the optimum pH was 8.0, and the thermooptimum was 40°C. Bacillus sp. L9 fibrin(ogen)ase is a serine protease, in the active center of which is the carboxyl group of the C-terminal (aspartic or glutamic) amino acid. At some distance from the active site are localized sulfhydryl groups that do not participate in catalysis, but play an important role in maintaining the catalytically active conformation of the protein molecule. The enzyme from Bacillus sp. L9 hydrolyzed fibrin molecules much more slowly than fibrinogen, and showed the greatest specificity in the hydrolysis of bonds formed by the Aα-chain of fibrinogen. According to the specificity of action on fibrinogen, the enzyme was identified as α-fibrinogen(ogen)ase.
Identification of different subtypes of K(+) channels in the mitochondria of rat myometrium using K(+) channels modulators
M. V. Rudnytska, H. V. Danylovych*, M. R. Pavliuk, Yu. V. Danylovych
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
*e-mail: danylovychanna@ukr.net
Received: 17 July 2025; Revised: 25 September 2025;
Accepted: 28 November 2025; Available on-line: 2025
Potassium ions affect Ca2+ transport in mitochondria, the magnitude of the electric potential on the inner mitochondrial membrane, metabolic processes in the matrix, and osmoregulation. The aim of this study was to identify different subtypes of K+ channels in the mitochondria of rat myometrium. Isolated mitochondria were obtained from the myometrium of non-pregnant Wistar rats by differential centrifugation. Potassium ion accumulation was studied by spectrofluorimetry using the K+-sensitive fluorescent probe PBFI-AM. Myometrial mitochondria effectively accumulate potassium ions within the concentration range of 25–150 mM. No increase in PBFI fluorescence was observed when K+ ions were replaced by choline in equimolar concentrations. In the presence of voltage-operated K+ channels inhibitor 4-aminopyridine, Ca2+-dependent K+ channels blockers charybdotoxin or paxilline, mitoKATP channels inhibitors glibenclamide, 5-hydroxydecanoic acid, or 200 μM ATP, a significant decrease in the PBFI fluorescence signal was observed. Conversely, application of Ca2+-dependent K+ channels specific activators NS11021 and NS1619, as well as of mitoKATP-specific activator cromakalim, resulted in increased mitochondrial K+ accumulation. The efficiency of K+ uptake increased further with the addition of 25–100 μM Ca²⁺ in the presence of 4-aminopyridine and ATP. The results obtained indicate the presence of voltage-operated and Ca2+-dependent subtypes of K+ channels, as well as of H+/K+ exchange system in myometrial mitochondria in addition to mitoKATP channels.
Human cells response to electromagnetic waves of radio and microwave frequencies
S. Souchelnytskyi
Oranta CancerDiagnostics AB, Uppsala, Sweden;
e-mail: serhiy8085@gmail.com
Received: 23 June 2025; Revised: 17 August 2025;
Accepted: 28 November 2025; Available on-line: 2025
Human cells both generate and absorb electromagnetic waves (EMW), but information about sensing and responding to EMW at different Hz frequencies is still fragmentary. The reported impact of radio (RF) and microwave (MW) frequencies is variable, from harmful to human health to applications promising for novel diagnostics and treatment of diseases, e.g., cancer. The review highlights both recent achievements in elucidation of molecular mechanisms of RF and MW effects and a direction for their successful practical application in humans.
At the intersection of history and modernity: a systems analysis of Nobel Prizes in the research activities of the Department of Scientific Information and Innovation Studies
S. V. Komisarenko, V. M. Danilova*, O. P. Matyshevska, M. V. Grigorieva
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
Department of Scientific Information and Innovation Studies, Kyiv;
*e-mail: valdan@ biochem.kiev.ua
Received: 01 October 2025; Revised: 28 October 2025;
Accepted: 30 October 2025; Available on-line: 02 December 2025
The results of a systematic historical and scientific analysis of the groundbreaking achievements of Nobel Prize laureates in the fields of chemistry, physiology or medicine are presented. The study covers the entire history of this most prestigious scientific award – from its founding to the present day – and enables the identification and evaluation of the impact of Nobel discoveries on the advancement of modern knowledge and technologies. Particular attention is given to the role of these achievements in the development of medical-biological sciences, also known as life sciences, including disciplines such as biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, genetics, genetic engineering, molecular medicine, and other related fields. This analysis contributes to the development of strategies for further progress and helps identify priority areas in the field of medical-biological research, while also deepening our understanding of how scientific knowledge has evolved.
Scientific achievements of the Department of Molecular Biology in understanding stress-dependent mechanisms of glioma growth
O. H. Minchenko*, Y. M. Viletska, M. Y. Sliusar, O. O. Khita
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
Department of Molecular Biology, Kyiv;
*e-mail: ominchenko@yahoo.com
Received: 09 July 2025; Revised: 25 July 2025;
Accepted: 30 October 2025; Available on-line: 02 December 2025
Since 2005, the Department of Molecular Biology has initiated research aimed at solving key problems in biochemistry and molecular biology, with an emphasis on elucidating the molecular basis of malignant tumor growth and the mechanisms of hypoxic regulation, the role of alternative splicing in the mechanisms of gene expression regulation, as well as the fundamental importance of endoplasmic reticulum stress in maintaining homeostasis and the development of pathological conditions, in particular, the growth of glioblastomas, the most malignant brain tumors that are difficult to treat. It has been shown that the expression of different 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PFKFB), key glycolysis regulators, is exacerbated in various malignant tumors and that PFKFB4 is a marker of tumor growth. It has been established that the expression level of PFKFB4 is controlled under hypoxia by a HIF-dependent mechanism, and a HIF-specific sequence has been identified in the promoter, the mutation of which completely removes hypoxic regulation of the PFKFB4 gene. Numerous splice variants of different PFKFB and VEGFA genes have also been identified. It has been established that inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress, its ERN1 signaling pathway, reduces the proliferation of glioblastoma cells by changing the expression levels of oncogenes, tumor suppressors, mitochondrial enzymes, as well as insulin and glucocorticoid receptors and their dependent proteins. An important role of ERN1 protein kinase activity in regulating the expression of various genes has been revealed, and its inhibition has been shown to lead to increased invasiveness of glioblastoma cells upon ERN1 knockdown. Attention is focused on studying non-canonical mechanisms of hypoxic gene expression regulation and its dependence on endoplasmic reticulum stress.
The Department of Neurochemistry from 1925 untill the present day
N. Krisanova, N. Pozdnyakova*
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
Department of Neurochemistry, Kyiv;
*e-mail: nataly.pozdniakova@gmail.com
Received: 11 June 2025; Revised: 14 August 2025;
Accepted: 30 October 2025; Available on-line: 02 December 2025
Activity in the Department of Neurochemistry from 1925 until the present day was described in particular. The main scientific areas of research at the Department of Biochemistry of the Nervous System until 1982 were following: study of the chemical topography of the nervous system; study of subcellular and suborganoid localization of neurospecific proteins; investigation of the effect of psychotropic agents on nitrogen, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism in the structures of the nervous system; studying membrane organization and function mechanisms of enzyme systems for active transport of sodium, potassium, and calcium in nerve cells. Since 1982, research in the Department has been focused primarily on the following areas: biogenesis of membrane and secretory proteins; research on neurospecific proteins; research on plasma membrane directly involved in the generation and transmission of nerve signals. Since 2010, the research of the Department of Neurochemistry was aimed at solving the following urgent problems: elucidation of the role of structural organization of membrane and lipid- protein interactions in the regulation of nerve signal transmission process; elucidation of the role of presynaptic receptors in the regulation of key stages of neurotransmission process and determination of the ways to modulate the neurotransmitter reception system; search and identification of natural membranotropic and neuroactive compounds, analysis of the molecular mechanisms of existing membranotropic and neuroactive drugs action; space biology, namely the development of a method for determining the toxicity of planetary dust; nanotechnology, namely the synthesis and analysis of the neuroactive effect of nanoparticles; environmental neurotoxicology, namely the study of the neurotoxic effects of environmental pollutants and the development of the ways to overcome their harmful impact.
Historical overview of lipid biochemistry research: from initial hypotheses to understanding the biological role of N-acylethanolamines
H. V. Kosiakova*, A. G. Berdyshev, T. M. Horidko,
V. M. Klimashevsky, O. F. Meged, O. S. Tkachenko,
N. L. Kindruk, O. V. Zhukov, V. S. Asmolkova, N. M. Hula
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
Department of Lipid Biochemistry, Kyiv;
*e-mail: kosiakova@hotmail.com
Received: 09 June 2025; Revised: 09 July 2025;
Accepted: 30 October 2025; Available on-line: 02 December 2025
In the Department of Lipid Biochemistry at the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, a systematic approach to studying the functional role of lipids and investigating the lipidome of mammals and humans was developed and implemented from 1988 to 2025. A new class of low-polarity lipids, N-acylethanolamines (NAE), was discovered, and a multifaceted detailed study of their biological activity and functional role in the body was conducted. This allowed the discovery of several new mechanisms for regulating vital processes both in normal conditions and in various pathological states. The relevance of these studies lies in the fact that they not only deepened fundamental knowledge in human and animal biology but also led to the development of several pharmacological agents for the therapy of a range of pathological conditions. The drugs are proposed for use in cardiovascular diseases, allergies, burns, type I and II diabetes, inflammatory processes, oncological diseases, organ transplantation, as well as chronic and acute stress, drug addiction, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, antiviral agents have been developed that are highly effective against influenza virus, hepatitis C virus, herpes simplex virus, and coronavirus. These agents have no side effects and are protected by 19 Ukrainian patents. The scientific results of the Department of Lipid Biochemistry have been published in over 200 scientific papers and presented at more than 130 international and domestic scientific forums. This article provides a brief review of the main achievements of the Department of Lipid Biochemistry in investigating the biological effects of NAE.