[LOCALIZATION AND QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF OXYGEN-DEPENDENT HYPOXIA-INDUCIBLE FACTOR 1α IN THE BRAIN OF MITTEN CRAB ERIOCHEIR JAPONICA IN NORM AND IN ACUTE ANOXIA (AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY)].

Using immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry, the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) was studied in the brain of the mitten crab Eriocheir japonica in norm and at 2, 4, 6 and 12 hours of anoxia on the model of water deprivation. In intact crabs, the number of immunopositive neurons was small, but it increased with anoxia duration. Particularly pronounced increase in the proportion of neurons with the HIF-1α expression was found in cell group 6. In group 9/11. the highest expression index was observed between 2-6 hours of anoxia. In group 17, significant changes in the proportion of immunopositive cells was observed only after 2 hours of anoxia. After 6 hours of anoxia, proportion of neurons with HIF-1α expression within all cell groups was reduced, but the reactions appeared in the blood cells. It is assumed that the increase in the proportion of immunopositive neurons and the appearance of the expression of HIF-1α in blood cells in the anoxic brain play an important role in providing compensatory and protective processes, enhancing adaptive capacity of mitten crab under the conditions of hypoxic stress.