Cytology, Institute of

(full name, Institute of Cytology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR), the leading scientific research institution in the USSR for the study of the cell. Located in Leningrad, the institute was founded in 1957. The first director was D. N. Nasonov, a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. A. S. Troshin, also a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, has been the institute’s director since 1958.

The institute has (1977) a department of cell culture and numerous laboratories, including laboratories for cell morphology, cell physiology, the physiology of the cell cycle, biochemical cytology and cytochemistry, comparative cytology, the cytology of unicellular organisms, the biochemical foundations of cell reproduction, the cytology of tumor growth, the genetic mechanisms of differentiation and malignant degeneration, radiation cytology, the physical chemistry of cell membranes, experimental design work, and control and measurement instruments. It also has groups for the study of membrane ultrastructure and cell populations. The institute conducts research on the structure and physicochemical organization of cells and their components, on the nucleus and cytoplasm during cell reproduction, on differentiation and dedifferentiation of the cell, on the organization of cell membranes and their permeability, and on the molecular mechanisms of cell adaptation and resistance. It is also involved in research in molecular biology. The Scientific Council on Problems in Cytology, which coordinates cytological research in the USSR, operates under the auspices of the institute, as does the All-Union Society of Protozoologists.

The Institute of Cytology accepts candidate’s and doctoral dissertations for defense. It publishes the journal Tsitologiia (Cytology). It has also published the Handbook of Cytology (vols. 1–2, 1965–66).