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Topic Review
G-Quadruplex-Binding Proteins
G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical secondary nucleic acid structures. Sequences with the potential to form G4s are abundant in regulatory regions of the genome including telomeres, promoters and 5′ non-coding regions, indicating they fulfill important genome regulatory functions. In recent years, an increasing number of G-quadruplex-binding proteins have been identified with biochemical experiments. G4-binding proteins are involved in vital cellular processes such as telomere maintenance, DNA replication, gene transcription, mRNA processing. Therefore, G4-binding proteins are also associated with various human diseases.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 May 2022
Topic Review
Amygdala Neuroinflammation and Psychiatric Disorders
Depression and anxiety disorder are the most common mental diseases affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The comorbidity rate of anxiety disorder and depression is very high, with 74% of depressed patients having anxiety symptoms, while 61% of anxious patients have depression symptoms. Stress exposure is widely accepted as a critical contributing factor to psychological and neuropathological disorders. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the high pressure of increasingly demanding work and life has led to a sharp rise in the incidence of mental diseases. Inflammation induces psychological and neuropathological disorders by influencing neuronal excitability, neurotransmitter release, receptor, and transporter expression through peripheral hormones and autonomic responses. A number of animal and human studies have revealed that the amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are extensively involved in the occurrence of anxiety, depression, and related behavioral regulation. Among them, the amygdala, one of the kernel brain regions mediating stress-coping located in the deep temporal lobe, is considered the hub center for processing emotionally salient stimuli and implementing appropriate behavioral responses.
  • 1.6K
  • 23 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Arsenic on Plants and Strategies for Mitigation
Arsenic contamination in soil and water is a major problem worldwide. Inorganic arsenic is widely present as arsenate and arsenite. Arsenic is transferred to crops through the soil and irrigation water. It is reported to reduce crop production in plants and can cause a wide array of diseases in humans, including different types of cancers, premature delivery, stillbirth, and spontaneous abortion. Arsenic methyltransferase (AS3MT) in the human body converts inorganic arsenic into monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid, which are later excreted from the body. Arsenic transfer from the soil to grains of rice involves different transporters such as Lsi1, Lsi2, and Lsi6. These transporters are also required for the transfer of silicate, which makes them important for the plant. 
  • 1.6K
  • 27 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Oocyte Maturation in Mammals
The quality and maturation of an oocyte not only play decisive roles in fertilization and embryo success, but also have long-term impacts on the later growth and development of the fetus. Female fertility declines with age, reflecting a decline in oocyte quantity. 
  • 1.6K
  • 07 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Salt Sensation
Taste sensation and regulation are highly conserved in insects and mammals. Research conducted over recent decades has yielded major advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the taste sensors for a variety of taste sensations and the processes underlying the regulation of ingestion depending on our internal state. Salt (NaCl) is an essential ingested nutrient. The regulation of internal sodium concentrations for physiological processes, including neuronal activity, fluid volume, acid-base balance, and muscle contraction, are extremely important issues in animal health. Both mammals and flies detect low and high NaCl concentrations as attractive and aversive tastants, respectively. These attractive or aversive behaviors can be modulated by the internal nutrient state. However, the differential encoding of the tastes underlying low and high salt concentrations in the brain remains unclear.
  • 1.5K
  • 11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Acraea (Genus)
Acraea is a genus of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae) of the subfamily Heliconiinae. It seems to be highly paraphyletic and has long been used as a "wastebin taxon" to unite about 220 species of anatomically conservative Acraeini. Some phylogenetic studies show that the genus Acraea is monophyletic if Bematistes and Neotropical Actinote are included (see Pierre & Bernaud, 2009). Most species assembled here are restricted to the Afrotropic ecozone, but some are found in India , Southeast Asia, and Australia .
  • 1.5K
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Therapeutic Potential of Marine Peptides in Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cause of cancer death in men, and its treatment is commonly associated with severe adverse effects. Thus, new treatment modalities are required. In this context, natural compounds have been widely explored for their anti-PCa properties. Aquatic organisms contain numerous potential medications. Anticancer peptides are less toxic to normal cells and provide an efficacious treatment approach via multiple mechanisms, including altered cell viability, apoptosis, cell migration/invasion, suppression of angiogenesis and microtubule balance disturbances.
  • 1.5K
  • 01 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Ethical Approach in Echinoderms
The majority of ethical and welfare approaches in animal research have primarily focused on vertebrates. Echinoderms are a phylum of marine invertebrates. They are often key, long-living species that shape and maintain the status of many marine ecosystems, inhabiting a wide range of ecological niches from the abyssal depths of the oceans to the intertidal zone. Progress has been made toward developing an ethical framework for invertebrates, such as crustaceans, echinoderms, and cephalopods.
  • 1.5K
  • 15 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Agrobacterium T−DNA Integration
Agrobacterium species transfer DNA (T−DNA) to plant cells where it may integrate into plant chromosomes. The process of integration is thought to involve invasion and ligation of T-DNA, or its copying, into nicks or breaks in the host genome. Integrated T−DNA often contains, at its junctions with plant DNA, deletions of T−DNA or plant DNA, filler DNA, and/or microhomology between T-DNA and plant DNA pre-integration sites. T−DNA integration is also often associated with major plant genome rearrangements, including inversions and translocations. These characteristics are similar to those often found after repair of DNA breaks, and thus DNA repair mechanisms have frequently been invoked to explain the mechanism of T−DNA integration. However, the involvement of specific plant DNA repair proteins and Agrobacterium proteins in integration remains controversial, with numerous contradictory results reported in the literature.
  • 1.5K
  • 31 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Cathepsin K
Cathepsin K is a papain-like cysteine protease with high matrix-degrading activity. Among several cathepsins, cathepsin K is the most potent mammalian collagenase, mainly expressed by osteoclasts. This review summarizes most of the recent findings of cathepsin K expression, highlighting its role in renal tumors for diagnostic purposes and as a potential molecular target. Indeed, cathepsin K is a recognized diagnostic tool for the identification of TFE3/TFEB-rearranged renal cell carcinoma, TFEB-amplified renal cell carcinoma, and pure epithelioid PEComa/epithelioid angiomyolipoma. More recently, its expression has been observed in a subgroup of eosinophilic renal neoplasms molecularly characterized by TSC/mTOR gene mutations. Interestingly, both TSC mutations or TFE3 rearrangement have been reported in pure epithelioid PEComa/epithelioid angiomyolipoma. Cathepsin K seems to be a downstream marker of TFE3/TFEB rearrangement, TFEB amplification, and mTOR pathway activation. Given the established role of mTOR inhibitors as a pharmacological option in renal cancers, cathepsin K could be of use as a predictive marker of therapy response and as a potential target. In the future, uropathologists may implement the use of cathepsin K to establish a diagnosis among renal tumors with clear cells, papillary architecture, and oncocytic features. 
  • 1.5K
  • 07 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Glucose Variability: Molecular Biology
Glucose variability (GV) plays a role in the development of the microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes. Current data indicate that the deteriorating effect of GV on target organs can be realized through oxidative stress, glycation, chronic low-grade inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, platelet activation, impaired angiogenesis and renal fibrosis. The effects of GV on oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and hypercoagulability could be aggravated by hypoglycemia, associated with high GV. Oscillating hyperglycemia contributes to beta cell dysfunction, which leads to a further increase in GV and completes the vicious circle. In cells, the GV-induced cytotoxic effect includes mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress and disturbances in autophagic flux, which are accompanied by reduced viability, activation of apoptosis and abnormalities in cell proliferation. These effects are realized through the up- and down-regulation of a large number of genes and the activity of signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, MAPK (ERK), JNK and TGF-β/Smad. Epigenetic modifications mediate the postponed effects of glucose fluctuations. The multiple deteriorative effects of GV provide further support for considering it as a therapeutic target in diabetes.
  • 1.5K
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Mitochondrial-Derived Vesicles
Mitophagy is crucial for maintaining mitochondrial quality. The endosomal–lysosomal system is a more accessible pathway through which subtypes of extracellular vesicles, which also contain mitochondrial constituents, are released for disposal. The inclusion of mitochondrial components into extracellular vesicles occurs in the setting of mild mitochondrial damage and during impairment of lysosomal function. By releasing mitochondrial-derived vesicles, cells limit the unload of mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns with proinflammatory activity.
  • 1.5K
  • 17 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Obesity and Ovarian Function
Obesity is a prevalent disease worldwide, usually associated with infertility. Studies in obese infertile females show the occurrence of systemic hyperestrogenemia, hyperinsulinemia, and associated ovarian dysfunction through premature follicular atresia and anovulation. Indeed, the ovaries of obese mothers have been shown to accumulate lipids, high levels of reactive oxygen species, and inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, obesity has been shown to hamper not only oocyte maturation and quality but also embryo development, with reported long term effects and direct causality between obesity in the mother and prevalence of cardiovascular disease or cancer in the offspring.  
  • 1.5K
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Pink Pepper (Schinus molle L.)
Here, we compared the chemical properties and antioxidant effects of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and pink pepper (Schinus molle L.). Additionally, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities of pink pepper were measured to determine nutraceutical potential. Pink peppers from Brazil (PPB), India (PPI), and Sri Lanka (PPS) had higher Hunter a* (redness) values and lower L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness) values than black pepper from Vietnam (BPV). Fructose and glucose were detected in PPB, PPI, and PPS, but not in BPV. PPB, PPI, and PPS had greater 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid radical scavenging stabilities and higher total phenolic contents than BPV. BPV had higher levels of piperine than the pink peppers. Gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, epicatechin, and p-coumaric acid were detected only in the three pink peppers. PPB significantly suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced reactive oxygen species production with increased Nrf2 translocation from cytosol to nucleus and heme oxygenase-1 expression. PPB and PPS significantly suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced nitrite production and nitric oxide synthase expression by suppressing phosphorylation of p38 without affecting cell viability. Additionally, PPB and PPS significantly suppressed ultraviolet B-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression by affecting the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 without cell cytotoxicity. These results suggest that pink pepper is a potential nutraceutical against oxidative and inflammatory stress.
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Machine-Learning-Based Digital Twin in Manufacturing
The Digital Twin (DT) concept in the manufacturing industry has received considerable attention from researchers because of its versatile application potential. Machine Learning (ML) adds a new dimension to DT by enhancing its functionality.
  • 1.5K
  • 06 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Role of Hydrogen Sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gasotransmitter able to induce/inhibit immunological responses, playing a role in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, asthma, acute pancreatitis, and sepsis. Both endogenous and exogenous H2S modulate numerous important cell signaling pathways. In monocytes, polymorphonuclear, and T cells H2S impacts on activation, survival, proliferation, polarization, adhesion pathways, and modulates cytokine production and sensitivity to chemokines.
  • 1.5K
  • 11 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Rusty Grain Beetle
Cryptolestes ferrugineus, the rusty grain beetle, is a cosmopolitan pest that has adapted to cool and warm climates due to its unique biology, ecology, and behavior. The rusty grain beetle is a pest of high economic importance; hence, understanding their biology, ecology, and behavior could be useful in designing effective management strategies.
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Aug 2023
Topic Review
KRAS
The RAS family consists of membrane-associated small GTPases which play essential roles in cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. There are four RAS protein isoforms in humans: HRAS, NRAS, and two splice variants, KRAS4A and KRAS4B. 
  • 1.5K
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Physiological Functions of Rice SUT and SWEET transporters
Sugar transporters play important or even indispensable roles in sugar translocation among adjacent cells in the plant. They are mainly composed of sucrose–proton symporter SUT family members and SWEET family members. SUT works as sucrose positive transporter locates at the donor cell side; SWEET usually works at the acceptor cell side as efflux transporter. 
  • 1.5K
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Adipose Tissue Mitochondria
Mitochondria play a key role in maintaining energy homeostasis in metabolic tissues, including adipose tissues. The two main types of adipose tissues are the white adipose tissue (WAT) and the brown adipose tissue (BAT). WAT primarily stores excess energy, whereas BAT is predominantly responsible for energy expenditure by non-shivering thermogenesis through the mitochondria. WAT in response to appropriate stimuli such as cold exposure and β-adrenergic agonist undergoes browning wherein it acts as BAT, which is characterized by the presence of a higher number of mitochondria. 
  • 1.5K
  • 10 Nov 2021
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