Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Pentapeptide Repeat Proteins
The pentapeptide repeat protein (PRP) superfamily, identified in 1998, has grown to nearly 39,000 sequences from over 3300 species. PRPs, recognized as having at least eight contiguous pentapeptide repeats (PRs) of a consensus pentapeptide sequence, adopt a remarkable structure, namely, a right-handed quadrilateral β-helix with four consecutive PRs forming a single β-helix coil. Adjacent coils join together to form a β-helix “tower” stabilized by β-ladders on the tower faces and type I, type II, or type IV β-turns facilitating an approximately −90° redirection of the polypeptide chain joining one coil face to the next. PRPs have been found in all branches of life, but they are predominantly found in cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria have existed on earth for more than two billion years and are thought to be responsible for oxygenation of the earth’s atmosphere. Filamentous cyanobacteria such as Nostoc sp. strain PCC 7120 may also represent the oldest and simplest multicellular organisms known to undergo cell differentiation on earth.
  • 839
  • 25 May 2021
Topic Review
Carbon-Supported Noble-Metal Nanoparticles
Noble-metal nanoparticles (NMNPs), with their outstanding properties, have been arousing the interest of scientists for centuries. Although our knowledge of them is much more significant today, and people can obtain NMNPs in various sizes, shapes, and compositions, our interest in them has not waned. When talking about noble metals, gold, silver, and platinum come to mind first. Still, people cannot forget about elements belonging to the so-called platinum group, such as ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, and iridium, whose physical and chemical properties are very similar to those of platinum. It makes them highly demanded and widely used in various applications. The current knowledge on the preparation of all noble metals is presented in the form of nanoparticles and their assembling with carbon supports.
  • 839
  • 27 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Alum Pickering Emulsion to Improve Malaria Vaccine Efficacy
Malaria is a life-threatening global epidemic disease and has caused more than 400,000 deaths in 2019. To control and prevent malaria, the development of a vaccine is a potential method. An effective malaria vaccine should either combine antigens from all stages of the malaria parasite’s life cycle, or epitopes of multiple key antigens due to the complexity of the Plasmodium parasite. Malaria’s random constructed antigen-1 (M.RCAg-1) is one of the recombinant vaccines, which was selected from a DNA library containing thousands of diverse multi-epitope chimeric antigen genes. Moreover, besides selecting an antigen, using an adjuvant is another important procedure for most vaccine development procedures. Freund’s adjuvant is considered an effective vaccine adjuvant for malaria vaccine, but it cannot be used in clinical settings because of its serious side effects. Traditional adjuvants, such as alum adjuvant, are limited by their unsatisfactory immune effects in malaria vaccines, hence there is an urgent need to develop a novel, safe and efficient adjuvant. In recent years, Pickering emulsions have attracted increasing attention as novel adjuvant. In contrast to classical emulsions, Pickering emulsions are stabilized by solid particles instead of surfactant, having pliability and lateral mobility. In this study, we selected aluminum hydroxide gel (termed as “alum”) as a stabilizer to prepare alum-stabilized Pickering emulsions (ALPE) as a malaria vaccine adjuvant. In addition, monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) as an immunostimulant was incorporated into the Pickering emulsion (ALMPE) to further enhance the immune response. In vitro tests showed that, compared with alum, ALPE and ALMPE showed higher antigen load rates and could be effectively endocytosed by J774a.1 cells. In vivo studies indicated that ALMPE could induce as high antibody titers as Freund’s adjuvant. The biocompatibility study also proved ALMPE with excellent biocompatibility. These results suggest that ALMPE is a potential adjuvant for a malaria vaccine. 
  • 838
  • 02 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Nonreceptor Tyrosine Kinase Ack1
The nonreceptor tyrosine kinase (NRTK) Ack1 comprises a distinct arrangement of non-catalytic modules. Its SH3 domain has a C-terminal to the kinase domain (SH1), in contrast to the typical SH3-SH2-SH1 layout in NRTKs. The Ack1 is the only protein that shares a region of high homology to the tumor suppressor protein Mig6, a modulator of EGFR. The vertebrate Acks make up the only tyrosine kinase (TK) family known to carry a UBA domain. The GTPase binding and SAM domains are also uncommon in the NRTKs. In addition to being a downstream effector of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and integrins, Ack1 can act as an epigenetic regulator, modulate the degradation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), confer drug resistance, and mediate the progression of hormone-sensitive tumors. 
  • 838
  • 18 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Alzheimer’s Disease and Choroid Plexus
The choroid plexus (CP), located in each of the four ventricles of the brain, is formed by a monolayer of epithelial cells that surrounds a highly vascularized connective tissue with permeable capillaries. These cells are joined by tight junctions forming the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB), which strictly regulates the exchange of substances between the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). 
  • 837
  • 29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Possible Strategy for Colon Carcinoma Cells
Cancer is a major cause of mortality globally. The major reasons for the failure of cancer treatment is the late diagnosis of cancer and multidrug resistance. Colorectal cancer is the world’s third most common cancer. The desire for fast food has increased the risk of colon cancer in the modern era. Because of the various side effects of treatment methods, such as alopecia, gastrointestinal tract irritation, and the possibility of secondary cancer (leukemia), a novel approach to reducing potential side effects became critical. The combination of flavonoids and chemotherapeutic agents offers a safe and effective therapeutic criterion that can address the issues associated with therapy failure while also producing a synergistic effect. 
  • 837
  • 07 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Lipid Droplets Accumulation for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Therapy
Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous dynamic organelles composed of a core of esterified neutral lipids, such as fatty acids (FAs), triacylglycerols (TAGs), cholesterol and other sterol esters, retinyl esters, and ceramides esterified into acyl ceramides, enclosed by a phospholipid monolayer enriched in several proteins and then packaged by intermediate filament vimentin.
  • 837
  • 06 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Inflammatory Response Caused by UVR
Skin is the largest and most complex organ in the human body comprised of multiple layers with different types of cells. Different kinds of environmental stressors, for example, ultraviolet radiation (UVR), temperature, air pollutants, smoking, and diet, accelerate skin aging by stimulating inflammatory molecules. Skin aging caused by UVR is characterized by loss of elasticity, fine lines, wrinkles, reduced epidermal and dermal components, increased epidermal permeability, delayed wound healing, and approximately 90% of skin aging. These external factors can cause aging through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated inflammation, as well as aged skin is a source of circulatory inflammatory molecules which accelerate skin aging and cause aging-related diseases.
  • 836
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Drug-Induced Liver Damage and microRNAs
The liver plays a central role in transforming macronutrients and clearance of chemicals and drugs. The serum biomarkers often used to indicate liver damage are not specifically for drug-induced liver injury (DILI) or liver injury caused by other xenobiotics, nor for viral infection. In this case, microRNAs (miRNAs) could play an exciting role as biomarkers of specific liver damage. The evidence that circulating miR-122 could be used as a human biomarker of DILI came from several studies in which a substantial increase of it was linked with liver function status.
  • 835
  • 06 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Protein- and Peptide-Based Chemical Conjugates
The complexity of molecular entities being advanced for therapeutic purposes has continued to evolve. A main propellent fueling innovation is the perpetual mandate within the pharmaceutical industry to meet the needs of novel disease areas and/or delivery challenges. As new mechanisms of action are uncovered, and as our understanding of existing mechanisms grows, the properties that are required and/or leveraged to enable therapeutic development continue to expand.
  • 835
  • 12 May 2023
Topic Review
ALS2-Related Motor Neuron Diseases
Mutations of the ALS2 gene, which encodes for the protein Alsin, are linked to three recessive motor neuron diseases characterized by early onset. Alsin is an intriguing protein characterized by several structured domains with distinct functions. 
  • 834
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
SLO3
Sperm cells must undergo a complex maturation process after ejaculation to be able to fertilize an egg. One component of this maturation is hyperpolarization of the membrane potential to a more negative value. The ion channel responsible for this hyperpolarization, SLO3, was first cloned in 1998, and since then much progress has been made to determine how the channel is regulated and how its function intertwines with various signaling pathways involved in sperm maturation. 
  • 834
  • 17 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Protein Ser/Thr Phosphatase Folding
Post-translational modification (PTM) is a key mechanism providing the functional diversity of proteins in cellular signaling and physiology and changing the functions or stability of proteins. 
  • 834
  • 25 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Biochemical Mechanisms Associating Alcohol Use Disorders with Cancers
Of all yearly deaths attributable to alcohol consumption globally, approximately 12% are due to cancers, representing approximately 0.4 million deceased individuals. Ethanol metabolism disturbs cell biochemistry by targeting the structure and function of essential biomolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids) and by provoking alterations in cell programming that lead to cancer development and cancer malignancy. 
  • 834
  • 25 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Fascin-1 in Gastrointestinal Cancers
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers, remain as one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with a large proportion accounting for fatalities related to metastatic disease. Invasion of primary cancer occurs by the actin cytoskeleton remodeling, including the formation of the filopodia, stereocilia, and other finger-like membrane protrusions. The crucial step of actin remodeling in the malignant cells is mediated by the fascin protein family, with fascin-1 being the most active. Fascin-1 is an actin-binding protein that cross-links filamentous actin into tightly packed parallel bundles, giving rise to finger-like cell protrusions, thus equipping the cell with the machinery necessary for adhesion, motility, and invasion.
  • 833
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy
Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles using Olax scandens shows the potential application as drug delivery system along with fluorescence properties and anticancer, as well as antibacterial, activity.
  • 833
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis and Organokines
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by steatosis, lobular inflammation, and enlargement of the diameter of hepatocytes (ballooning hepatocytes), with or without fibrosis. It affects 20% of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Due to liver dysfunction and the numerous metabolic changes that commonly accompany the condition (obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome), the secretion of organokines is modified, which may contribute to the pathogenesis or progression of the disease. 
  • 833
  • 23 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Hydrogen Sulfide as a Regulator of Autophagy
The term “autophagy”, (from the Greek words auto, meaning “self” and phagein, meaning “to eat”)—literally, eating one’s self—was first created by Christian de Duve over 40 years ago, who discovered lysosomes and provided clear proof of their participation in this process. It is an evolutionarily conserved process of degradation and recycling in eukaryotic organisms. H2S is already considered a physiological mediator involved in many physiological and pathological processes in animals and plants, including autophagy.
  • 832
  • 11 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Ocular and Oral Microbiome
The immune-privileged healthy eye has a small unique population of microbiota. Typically, ocular microflorae are commensals of low diversity that colonize the external and internal sites of the eye, without instigating any disorders. Any alteration in the symbiotic relationship culminates in the perturbation of ocular homeostasis and shifts the equilibrium toward local or systemic inflammation and, in turn, impaired visual function. A compositional variation in the ocular microbiota is associated with surface disorders such as keratitis, blepharitis, and conjunctivitis, however, studies now implicate non-ocular microbial dysbiosis in glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), uveitis, and diabetic retinopathy. A methodical understanding of the mechanisms of invasion and host-microbial interaction is of paramount importance for preventative and therapeutic interventions for vision-threatening conditions.
  • 832
  • 21 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Telomerase in Leishmania spp.
Leishmaniases are a  group of neglected tropical diseases caused by more than twenty different species of parasites of the genus Leishmania, presenting a variety of symptoms and degrees of severeness. These protozoans parasites are at the mainstream of biology/medical studies since understanding their biological particularities is crucial for the future development of antiparasitic therapies. Moreover, the comprehension of their cell cycle and its molecular mechanisms is of great value for the search of new possible treatments. In that sense,  telomeres emerge as a relevant subject in Leishmania spp. molecular biology research. They are the physical ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, granting stability to the genome and continued cell proliferation. Telomere elongation/maintenance is accomplished by a ribonucleoproteic complex called telomerase. The enzyme synthesis and adds repetitive telomeric sequences to the chromosome end termini using the 3’overhangs as substrates. In mammals, their gradual loss after many cell duplications can determine the cell fate by inducing replicative senescence or apoptosis. Here, we cover the main aspects of telomerase activity in Leishmania spp.
  • 831
  • 02 Mar 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 135
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback