Buznikov, Gennady Alekseevich

Gennady Alekseevich Buznikov was born on January 18, 1931 in St. Petersburg in the family of Alexei Buznikov and Lyubov Kozelova.

Father - Aleksey Buznikov, specially authorized secret-political department of the Leningrad Directorate of the NKVD is known as an investigator who led in 1931-34. the cases of Kharms and Ivanov-Razumnik, partially directed against S. Ya, Marshak (Source: http://www.d-harms.ru/library/kobrinskiy-daniil-harms6.html ). At the end of the 30s (in the 37th - inaccurate) A. Buznikov was dismissed from the NKVD, demoted from the majors of state security (inaccurate - according to G. A. B.), which corresponded to the combined arms rank “colonel”, and repressed. Exempted approx. 1939, was not returned to the NKVD and at the beginning of World War II was drafted into the Baltic Fleet with the rank of junior lieutenant. Obviously, he was an outstanding person if, after all these events, he retired with the rank of rear admiral. It should also be noted that A. Buznikov’s son from his second marriage, Anatoly Alekseevich Buznikov, a specialist in the field of space remote sensing of the natural environment, became a doctor of technical sciences, professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation and holder of the Order of the Badge of Honor ^[1] .

G. A. Buznikov's mother, Lyubov Mikhailovna Kozelova, broke up with his father and subsequently prevented his son from communicating with him, which was resumed much later than the end of the war. L. M. Kozelova worked in the Sovinformburo and in the fall of 1941, sending her son to the orphanage of the Leningrad Literary Fund in the Urals, she remained in the besieged city. Only in 1943, apparently due to the desperate situation of her son in the orphanage, she was forced to leave work in the Leningrad bureau and transferred to Moscow, where she took her son from the orphanage.

In 1948, G. A. Buznikov graduated with honors from the school and entered the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov .

After removal from work and arrest in 1949 of the head of the Sovinformburo S. A. Lozovsky (shot in the case of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee in 1952), L. M. Kozelova was fired and for a long period of time she and her son were left without funds to except for the student scholarship of G. A. Buznikov, as well as his fees for crosswords, which he, having an outstanding erudition and memory, made up for the magazine “ Spark ”.

Despite all the difficulties, the scientific career of G. A. Buznikov from the very beginning developed successfully. At the Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Biological Faculty of Moscow State University, he began work under the direction of Corr. USSR Academy of Sciences Khachatur Koshtoyants , who determined the further area of ​​research in which Buznikov worked all his life - comparative physiological studies during the development period. His thesis was devoted to the study of the role of hyaluronidase in hatching of bony fish. After graduating from Moscow State University, G. A. Buznikov was admitted to graduate school at the Laboratory of Physiology, Institute of Animal Morphology named after Severtsov Academy of Sciences of the USSR (subsequently, after the separation of the Institute, into the Koltsov Institute of Development Biology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR), headed by the same H. S. Koshtoiants. In continuation and development of the thesis, G. A. Buznikov prepared and in 1956 defended a dissertation of a candidate of biological sciences, the results of which are still relevant.

During this period, G. A. Buznikov married Biofak student L. A. Nikitina (later a candidate of biological sciences), their family has two sons - Alex, now the head of a dental company in the United States, and Alexander, a teacher.

The events that determined the further scientific fate of G. A. Buznikov occurred in the late 50s. XX century at the White Sea biological station of Moscow State University . Working in collaboration with B.N. Manukhin (later - doctor of biological anuk, professor), for the first time in the history of physiology, he showed the effect of serotonin at the doner stage of development - the larva of the gastropod mollusk. It was this work that marked the beginning of a new direction in world developmental biology — the study of the nervous functions of neurotransmitters in embryogenesis.

Then G. A. Buznikov investigated the sensitivity of embryos of sea ​​urchins during crushing divisions (first divisions after fertilization) to neurotransmitter antagonists and demonstrated the ability of these substances to specifically block development. In the same experiments, another unexpected feature of the embryonic mediator process was revealed: it turned out that the early embryos of sea urchins are sensitive to the antagonists of several neurotransmitters simultaneously. An investigation of the content of mediators in embryos undertaken after this demonstrated that there are several mediators themselves - serotonin, catecholamines and acetylcholine, which contradicted Dale's unshakable classical principle “one neuron - one mediator”. These pioneering data became the basis of the doctoral dissertation defended by G. A. Buznikov in 1966, and then the monograph “Low Molecular Regulators of Germ Development” - the first fundamental work in this field in the history of world science.

In 1974, along with the post of senior researcher at the Institute for Development Biology, G. A. Buznikov took up the post on a volunteer basis of the Cytotoxic and Embryotoxic Drug Testing Group of the Scientific Research Institute for Biological Testing of Chemical Compounds of the USSR Ministry of Health ( Staraya Kupavna settlement).

A significant stage in the further work of G. A. Buznikov was research on testing his hypothesis about the intracellular localization of mediator receptors in early embryogenesis. G. A. Buznikov required great scientific courage to defend the idea so non-trivial for neurobiologists, contrary to the opinion of reputable colleagues. Studies using specially synthesized serotonin antagonists, differing in lipophilicity, and, consequently, their ability to penetrate into the cell, have confirmed this assumption. Later, A. A. Buznikov’s collaborators also obtained direct injection evidence of intracellular sensitivity of Spur frog embryos to antagonists of mediator receptors by the method of microinjection, as well as specific binding of labeled mediator receptor ligands to intracellular organoids. In 1977, the Laboratory of Embryophysiology was established at the Institute of Development Biology under the direction of G. A. Buznikov. Among the new works conducted under the direction of G. A. Buznikov were studies of the role of mediators in embryonic intercellular interactions. Under his leadership, in 1976, the first successful experiments in this direction were carried out, which demonstrated the ability of serotonin antagonists to block functional intercellular interactions in the early embryos of sea urchins. Subsequently, it was shown that serotonin can also act as an intracellular mediator in embryonic intercellular interactions.

A related change was the change in the paradigm created by Buznikov for the intracellular localization of embryonic mediator receptors, since the Laboratory of Embryophysiology obtained results indicating the simultaneous presence in the embryonic cells of receptors localized both intracellularly and on the cell surface membrane. In the development of these works, it was shown that mediators are involved in the control of oocyte maturation, and the same mediator, serotonin, sometimes with the opposite sign, acts on membrane and intracellular receptors of both follicular membrane cells and oocytes proper.

In the early 80s of the twentieth century. The embryophysiology laboratory, headed by G. A. Buznikov, conducted active studies that showed the connections between transmitters and secondary messenger systems - cyclic adenosine monophosphate and calcium ions. In 1982, G. A. Buznikov was awarded the scientific title of “professor”.

In 1984, due to the liquidation of the Group at the Research Institute for Biochemical Research, most of its employees were transferred to the staff of the Institute for Development Biology, which saved them from employment problems - when next year the Scientific Research Institute for Biochemical Research was practically dispersed, the then leadership of the USSR Academy of Sciences adopted an unspoken, but a very meticulously implemented decision not to accept the staff of this institute in the AN system for two years. By the end of the 80s, so much new information was accumulated and so many new concepts were formed regarding neurotransmitter mechanisms in development that prompted G. A. Buznikov to write a new monograph, “Neurotransmitters in Embryogenesis,” the entire team took part in the preparation of Laboratories. Subsequently, the book, which reflected both the history of the development of this scientific direction and the entire spectrum of data that was up to date, was published in a slightly modified form in the English language by the Academic Press, and remains the most comprehensive source in this area.

In fact, during this period of time, G. A. Buznikov occupied the place not only of the discoverer of the scientific field, but also with the team he created, one of the leaders in research in this field of knowledge. However, this turned out to be insufficient for the election of G. A. Buznikov to the USSR Academy of Sciences. A unique situation is that a Soviet scientist, who was the founding father of a direction recognized in world science, was not twice elected a corresponding member, and subsequently refused attempts to nominate.

In the early 90's. XX century G. A. Buznikov got the opportunity to work in the laboratories of University College London and Newcastle University (UK), where, together with Yu. B. Shmukler and MJ Whitaker, for the first time it was possible to study the effect of transmitters and their antagonists on intracellular calcium levels. The result of these trips was a series of articles in international journals, as well as a mini-monograph “From oocyte to neuron: do neurotransmitters function in the same way throughout development?”, Published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology - the most cited work by G. A Buznikova. And in 1996 G. A. Buznikov received an invitation to work as a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), where he spent the last years of his scientific life. His work of this period was devoted to the embryos of sea urchins as a model for studying processes such as the action of environmental pollutants and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

In the same years, in collaboration with Moscow colleagues, G. A. Buznikov actively developed work on his latest revolutionary scientific idea. Studies using conjugates of transmitters with functionalized fatty acids led him to the non-trivial idea that such substances can exist as endogenous regulators of embryonic development, which has been confirmed at several sites. Until the last opportunity, G. A. Buznikov maintained scientific contacts with employees and the Oksilipinov Laboratory of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and his laboratory at the IDB, and it was a severe blow to him to formally dismiss from the Institute, in which he worked almost his entire scientific life, during the next staffing campaigns, although he hasn’t received a salary since he left for the United States. Nevertheless, in the summer of 2010, G. A. Buznikov visited his laboratory for the last time and discussed the scientific achievements and plans of his students. Five employees and graduate students of G. A. Buznikov defended under his leadership the dissertations of candidates of biological sciences, and one of them - and a doctorate. Also, under the guidance of G. A. Buznikov, the doctoral dissertation of the SFD of Yugoslavia was defended by an employee of Pristina University (now Kosovo).

In the late 90s, G. A. Buznikov underwent a major surgical operation in the United States, but was able to recover after it and continued to work actively, his last publication is dated 2010. He died on August 27, 2012 in the United States after a serious illness.

In total, G. A. Buznikov published over 350 scientific papers, among which two books (one translated into English and published in Switzerland), reviews, and experimental articles. Here are the most significant and mentioned in the text of this article works.

Books

• Buznikov G. A. 1967. Low molecular weight regulators of embryonic development. Moscow, Science. 265 p.
• Buznikov GA 1973. 5-hydroxytryptamine, catecholamines, and some related substances in early embryogenesis. In: Comparative Pharmacology (MJMichelson, ed.), V. II, 593-623
• Buznikov G. A. 1987. Neurotransmitters in embryogenesis. M. Science
• Buznikov GA 1990. Neurotransmitters in embryogenesis. Chur, Academic Press. 526 p.

Early work

• Buznikov G. A. 1955. Materials on the physiology and biochemistry of the development of bony fish roe. Hyaluronidase and the “hatching enzyme" // Vopr. Ichthyology. No. 3. S.104-125.
• Buznikov G. A., Manukhin B. N. 1961. Serotonin-like substance in the embryogenesis of some gastropods. J. total Biol., 22: 226-32.
• Buznikov G. A. 1963. The use of tryptamine derivatives to study the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) in the embryonic development of invertebrates. Doc. USSR Academy of Sciences, 152, 5, 1270-1272
• Buznikov GA, Chydakova IV, Zvezdina ND The role of neurohumours in early embryogenesis. I. Serotonin content of developing embryos of sea urchin and loach. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1964; 12: 563-73
• Buznikov, GA, Sakharova, AV, Manukhin, BN, and Markova, LN (1972). The role of neurohumors in early embryogenesis. IV. Fluorimetric and histochemical study of serotonin in cleaving eggs and larvae of sea urchins. J. Embryol. Exp. Morphol. 27, 339–351

The most important works of recent decades

• Buznikov GA, Shmukler Yu.B. 1981. The possible role of "prenervous" neurotransmitters in cellular interactions of early embryogenesis: a hypothesis. Neurochem.Res., 6, 1, 55-69
• Shmukler Yu. B., Grigoriev N.G., Buznikov G.A., Turpaev T.M. 1984. Specific inhibition of crushing divisions in Xenopus laevis during microinjection of propranolol. Doc. USSR Academy of Sciences, 274, 4, 994–997
• Rostomyan M.A., Abrahamyan K.S., Buznikov G.A., Gusareva E.V. 1985. Electron-cytochemical detection of adenylate cyclase in early embryos of the sea urchin. Cytology, 27, 877-881
• Buznikov G.A., Malchenko L.A., Nikitina L.A., Galanov A. Yu., Emanov V.S. Effect of neurotransmitters and their antagonists on oocyte maturation. 1. The effect of serotonin and its antagonists on the sensitivity of starfish oocytes to 1-methyladenine. Ontogenesis, 1990, 21: 375-380.
• Buznikov GA, Shmukler Yu.B., Lauder JM 1996. From oocyte to neuron: do neurotransmitters function in the same way throughout development? Molec. Cell. Neurobiol. 16, 532-55
• Shmukler Yu.B., Buznikov GA 1998. Functional coupling of neurotransmitters with second messengers during cleavage divisions: facts and hypotheses. Perspect. Dev. Neurobiol., 5, 469-480
• Buznikov G.A., Bezuglov V.V. 5-Hydroxytryptamides and 3-hydroxytyramides of polyene fatty acids in the study of doner functions of biogenic monoamines. Grew up. fiziol. journal 2000. 86, 1093-1108.
• Buznikov GA, Nikitina LA, Bezuglov VV, Lauder JM, Padilla S., Slotkin TA An invertebrate model of the developmental neurotoxicity of insecticides: effects of chlorpyrifos and dieldrin in sea urchin embryos and larvae. Environ Health Perspect. 2001; 109 (7): 651-661
• Qiao D., Nikitina LA, Buznikov GA, Lauder JM, Seidler FJ, Slotkin TA The sea urchin embryo as a model for mammalian developmental neurotoxicity: ontogenesis of the high-affinity choline transporter and its role in cholinergic trophic activity. Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Nov; 111 (14): 1730-1735.
• Buznikov G. A. Donor transmitters as regulators of embryogenesis. The current state of the problem. Ontogenesis, 2007, Volume 38, No. 4, p. 262-270
• Buznikov GA, Nikitina LA, Seidler FJ, Slotkin TA, Bezuglov VV, Milosević I., Lazarević L., Rogac L., Ruzdijić S., Rakić LM Amyloid precursor protein 96-110 and beta-amyloid 1-42 elicit developmental anomalies in sea ​​urchin embryos and larvae that are alleviated by neurotransmitter analogs for acetylcholine, serotonin and cannabinoids. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2008 Nov-Dec; 30 (6): 503-9
• GA Buznikov, LA Nikitina, VV Bezuglov, MEY Francisco, G. Boysen, IN Obispo-Peak, RE Peterson, ER Weiss, H. Schuel, BRS Temple, AL Morrow, JM Lauder A Putative 'Pre-Nervous' Endocannabinoid System in Early Echinoderm Development Dev Neurosci. 2010 Mar; 32 (1): 1-18

The works of G. A. Buznikov to this day are highly cited in the world scientific literature. In literature reviews he is mentioned as a pioneer in the study of the functions of neurotransmitters in embryogenesis ^[2]

Literature

Yu. B. Shmukler. Gennady Alekseevich Buznikov (1931-2012). Ontogenesis, 2013, Volume 44, No. 4, p. 298-300 YB Shmukler & J. Lauder. Gennady A. Buznikov, PhD (1931-2012): Father of Neurotransmitters as Developmental Signals. Dev. Neurosci. 2013; 35: 359-360 Yu. B. Shmukler. Sea urchins in Kupavna. Medical biophysics. Biological testing of chemical compounds. 2005, M., Medicine, t. 1, p. 738-739

Links

• http://yu-b-shmukler.narod.ru/science/ONT0298.pdf
• http://www.yu-b-shmukler.narod.ru/science/Gennady_editorial.pdf
• http://yu-b-shmukler.narod.ru/PDF/Kupavna.pdf

Notes