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Topic Review
Hypothalamus and the Brainstem in Health and Obesity
The hypothalamus and brainstem are critical components of the homeostatic system that regulates appetite and energy balance. These key brain regions comprise of distinct neuronal populations and nuclei which exerts tremendous control over several facets of energy balance. Importantly, several of these neuronal populations exhibit both overlapping and also contrasting metabolic roles, thereby enabling the CNS to fine tune metabolic functions under physiological conditions.
  • 831
  • 11 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Roles of the miRISC's Components in Chromatin Biology
The Argonaute (AGO) and the Trinucleotide Repeat Containing 6 (TNRC6) family proteins are the core components of the mammalian microRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC), the machinery that mediates microRNA function in the cytoplasm. The cytoplasmic miRISC-mediated post-transcriptional gene repression has been established as the canonical mechanism through which AGO and TNRC6 proteins operate. However, growing evidence points towards an additional mechanism through which AGO and TNRC6 regulate gene expression in the nucleus.
  • 830
  • 07 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Glycoconjugate Vaccine
Glycoconjugate vaccines have been one tool used to fight against diseases caused by a number of bacteria. Carbohydrates (monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides) play important functional roles in bacteria. Glycoconjugate vaccines contain oligosaccharides that are attached to a carrier protein.
  • 830
  • 19 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Insights into N-Glycanase 1
The cytosolic PNGase (peptide:N-glycanase), also known as peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-β-glucosaminyl)-asparagine amidase, is a well-conserved deglycosylation enzyme (EC 3.5.1.52) which catalyzes the non-lysosomal hydrolysis of an N(4)-(acetyl-β-d-glucosaminyl) asparagine residue (Asn, N) into a N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminyl-amine and a peptide containing an aspartate residue (Asp, D). This enzyme (NGLY1) plays an essential role in the clearance of misfolded or unassembled glycoproteins through a process named ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Accumulating evidence also points out that NGLY1 deficiency can cause an autosomal recessive (AR) human genetic disorder associated with abnormal development and congenital disorder of deglycosylation.
  • 829
  • 20 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Lipids and Lipoproteins in Pregnancy
Inflammation and oxidative stress are essential components in a myriad of pathogenic entities that lead to metabolic and chronic diseases. Moreover, inflammation in its different phases is necessary for the initiation and maintenance of a healthy pregnancy. Therefore, an equilibrium between a necessary/pathologic level of inflammation and oxidative stress during pregnancy is needed to avoid disease development. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are important for a healthy pregnancy and a good neonatal outcome. Their role in fetal development during challenging situations is vital for maintaining the equilibrium. 
  • 828
  • 08 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Transmembrane Chloride Intracellular Channel 1
Identification of potential pathological biomarkers has proved to be essential for understanding complex and fatal diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Ion channels are involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Moreover, loss of function and aberrant expression of ion channels and transporters have been linked to various cancers, and to neurodegeneration. The Chloride Intracellular Channel 1 (CLIC1), CLIC1 is a metamorphic protein belonging to a partially unexplored protein superfamily, the CLICs. In homeostatic conditions, CLIC1 protein is expressed in cells as a cytosolic monomer. In pathological states, CLIC1 is specifically expressed as transmembrane chloride channel. In the following review, we trace the involvement of CLIC1 protein functions in physiological and in pathological conditions and assess its functionally active isoform as a potential target for future therapeutic strategies.
  • 827
  • 11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Novel Therapies for T1D
It is well established that genetic and environmental factors contribute to the initiation and progression of type 1 diabetes, but recent studies show that epigenetic modifications are also important.  Key epigenetic modifications associated with type 1 diabetes pathogenesis and the ways to harness epigenetic mechanisms to prevent, reverse, or manage T1D have been discussed in details. 
  • 826
  • 20 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Transcription Factor 21 and Chicken Adipocyte Differentiation
Transcription factor 21 (TCF21) could promote chicken preadipocytes differentiation at least in part via activating MAPK/JNK pathway. 
  • 826
  • 21 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Synthetic Vulnerabilities in the KRAS Pathway
Mutations in Kristen Rat Sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS) are among the most frequent gain-of-function genetic alterations in human cancer. Most KRAS-driven cancers depend on its sustained expression and signaling. Despite spectacular recent success in the development of inhibitors targeting specific KRAS alleles, the discovery and utilization of effective directed therapies for KRAS-mutant cancers remains a major unmet need.
  • 826
  • 24 Jun 2022
Topic Review
The Gut–Liver Axis of Boar Taint
The gut microbiome is a complex organ that is typically comprised of a couple hundred bacterial species expressing nearly 2 million different genes, which promote the biotransformation of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds and regulate the production of microbial metabolites in response to dietary, genetic, and environmental factors. Microbiota-derived compounds function as signaling molecules between different bacterial species to synchronize bacterial behaviours by altering the microbial population or the gene expression within the gut microbiome, which is known as quorum sensing. Gut-derived compounds also modulate metabolic pathways in the liver and intestines and act as ligands for nuclear receptors and other xenobiotic sensing transcription factors. In response, the liver produces bile to provide feedback to the gut microbiota and regulate further metabolite production. This bidirectional communication between the liver and the gut is referred to as the gut–liver axis and represents an important link between the gut microbiome and nuclear receptor signaling pathways.
  • 826
  • 13 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Biological Roles of miR-199a in Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. miR-199a, which has two mature molecules: miR-199a-3p and miR-199a-5p, plays an important biological role in the genesis and development of tumors. There has been increasing evidence that the aberrant expression of miR-199a is closely related to lung cancer, affecting its proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, glucose metabolism, etc.
  • 826
  • 16 Sep 2022
Topic Review
STAMP2 in Diabetes, Inflammatory Diseases and Cancers
STAMP2 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of  type II diabetes, inflammation and cancers. The six transmembrane protein of prostate 2 (STAMP2), a metalloreductase involved in iron and copper homeostasis, is well known for its critical role in the coordination of glucose/lipid metabolism and inflammation in metabolic tissues. STAMP2 is a critical modulator for coordinating metabolism and inflammation. Although STAMP2 has been widely studied focusing on the inhibitory role in inflammation and metabolism, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. In addition to its role in metabolism and inflammation, STAMP2 is also associated with tumorigenesis. For example, STAMP2 overexpression may increase ROS, which may contribute to increased mutational rates and further progression of prostate cancer.
  • 826
  • 02 Sep 2022
Topic Review
S-Denitrosylation in Glutathione and Redoxin Systems
S-nitrosylation of proteins occurs as a consequence of the derivatization of cysteine thiols with nitric oxide (NO) and is often associated with diseases and protein malfunction. Aberrant S-nitrosylation, in addition to other genetic and epigenetic factors, has gained rapid importance as a prime cause of various metabolic, respiratory, and cardiac disorders, with a major emphasis on cancer and neurodegeneration. The S-nitrosoproteome, a term used to collectively refer to the diverse and dynamic repertoire of S-nitrosylated proteins, is relatively less explored in the field of redox biochemistry, in contrast to other covalently modified versions of the same set of proteins. Advancing research is gradually unveiling the enormous clinical importance of S-nitrosylation in the etiology of diseases and is opening up new avenues of prompt diagnosis that harness this phenomenon. Ever since the discovery of the two robust and highly conserved S-nitrosoglutathione reductase and thioredoxin systems as candidate denitrosylases, years of rampant speculation centered around the identification of specific substrates and other candidate denitrosylases, subcellular localization of both substrates and denitrosylases, the position of susceptible thiols, mechanisms of S-denitrosylation under basal and stimulus-dependent conditions, impact on protein conformation and function, and extrapolating these findings towards the understanding of diseases, aging and the development of novel therapeutic strategies. 
  • 824
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The Extracellular Matrix Macromolecules
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a ubiquitous member of the body and is key to the maintenance of tissue and organ integrity. Initially thought to be a bystander in many cellular processes, the extracellular matrix has been shown to have diverse components that regulate and activate many cellular processes and ultimately influence cell phenotype.
  • 824
  • 21 Jun 2023
Topic Review
The Game of Tubulins
Members of the tubulin superfamily are GTPases; the activities of GTPases are necessary for life. The members of the tubulin superfamily are the constituents of the microtubules and the γ-tubulin meshwork. Mutations in members of the tubulin superfamily are involved in developmental brain disorders, and tubulin activities are the target for various chemotherapies. The intricate functions (game) of tubulins depend on the activities of the GTP-binding domain of α-, β-, and γ-tubulin.
  • 824
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Compounds from Endolichenic Fungi
A lichen is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism, which is algae or cyanobacteria. Endolichenic fungi are a group of microfungi that resides asymptomatically within the thalli of lichens. Endolichenic fungi can be recognized as luxuriant metabolic artists that produce propitious bioactive secondary metabolites. 
  • 822
  • 06 Jul 2021
Topic Review
PIWI-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and Cancers
The P-Element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs(piRNAs) were first described in 2001 in experiments usingDrosophilamodels evidencing their role in fertility. Then, piRNAs were involved in the function of mammalian germ cells. During the last two decades, researchers have described piRNAs as small RNA molecules able to bind PIWI proteins to form piRNA/PIWI complexes, which act as mediators in several processes including transposon silencing, spermiogenesis, genome rearrangement, epigenetic regulation, protein regulation, and germ stem-cell maintenance in both normal and abnormal cells.
  • 822
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Consequences of COVID-19 for Pancreas
Coronaviruses are enveloped, single- and positive-stranded RNA viruses that infect birds and mammals. In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infection, usually the common cold, but they can also cause severe respiratory illness including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), respectively. Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related major health consequences involve the lungs, a growing body of evidence indicates that COVID-19 is not inert to the pancreas either. 
  • 822
  • 26 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Tetraoctylammonium
Alkylammonium salts have been used extensively to study the structure and function of potassium channels. Here, we use the long-chain, hydrophobic tetraoctylammonium (TOA+) to shed light on the structure of the inactivated state of KcsA, a tetrameric prokaryotic potassium channel. By the combined use of a thermal denaturation assay and the analysis of homo-Förster resonance energy transfer in a mutant channel containing a single tryptophan (W67) per subunit, we found that TOA+ binds the channel cavity with high affinity, either with the inner gate open or closed. Moreover, bound TOA+ induces a decrease in the affinity for K+ in the two characteristic K+ binding events to the channel selectivity filter at pH 7.0, when the channel inner gate is in the closed conformation. This is similar to that observed in the absence of TOA+ upon acidic-pH-induced channel inactivation. Therefore, this suggests that TOA+ binding by itself causes inactivation at pH 7.0 when the inner gate is closed. Furthermore, in apparent agreement with such conclusion, the presence of bound TOA+ in the pH 4.0 samples has only modest effects on the affinity of the two binding events for K+, likely because the channel is already inactivated. Finally, we also observed that TOA+ bound at the cavity, allosterically modifies the conformation of the pore helices, leading to longer W67-W67 intersubunit distances at any K+ concentration and both at pH 7.0 and pH 4.0. The changes in the pore helix conformation, along with the decreased affinity for K+ at pH 7.0 caused by TOA+, seen in both homo-FRET and thermal denaturation experiments, are very similar to those effects caused by inactivation at pH 4.0.
  • 820
  • 30 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Role of Estrogen Receptor Status in PRODH/POX-Dependent Apoptosis/Survival
The estrogen receptor (ER) status and the availability of agonists or antagonists of these receptors determine the processes of growth, differentiation, and proliferation of breast cancer cells. Estrogens and anti-estrogenic compounds have been shown to influence breast cancer cell survival/apoptosis via action through the mitochondrial enzyme proline dehydrogenase/proline oxidase (PRODH/POX). 
  • 820
  • 29 Mar 2022
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