Kirill V. Azarin

Study of Chloroplast DNA Polymorphism in the Sunflower (Helianthus L.)

The polymorphism of microsatellite loci of chloroplast genome in six Helianthus species and 46 lines of cultivated sunflower H. annuus (17 CMS lines and 29 Rf-lines) were studied. The differences between species are confined to four SSR loci. Within cultivated forms of the sunflower H. annuus, the polymorphism is absent. A comparative analysis was performed on sequences of the cpDNA inbred line 3629, line 398941 of the wild sunflower, and the American line HA383 H. annuus. As a result, 52 polymorphic loci represented by 27 SSR and 25 SNP were found; they can be used for genotyping of H. annuus samples, including cultural varieties: twelve polymorphic positions, of which eight are SSR and four are SNP.

Allantoin and urate as suppressors of the genotoxic effect of 300–400 nm ultraviolet radiation

The genotoxicity of ultraviolet radiation with a wavelength of 300–400 nm (sunlight UVR) is mediated by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Research carried out on the basis of a bacterial model developed by us earlier indicated the existence of UV-protecting activity of allantoin, formed from uric acid in organisms of all vertebrates except human and anthropoid apes. Uric acid, which is the end product of purine catabolism in anthropoid apes, does not possess a statistically significant protective effect. The safety of allantoin makes it a promising component for sunscreens.