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Topic Review
Human Brain with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are crucial for disease modeling and cell-based therapy because they serve as an infinite source of specific human cell types. Brain cancer is a group of diverse and rapidly growing malignancies that originate in the central nervous system (CNS) and have a poor prognosis. The complexity of brain structure and function makes brain cancer modeling extremely difficult, limiting pathological studies and therapeutic developments. Advancements in human pluripotent stem cell technology have opened a window of opportunity for brain cancer modeling, providing a wealth of customizable methods to simulate the disease in vitro.
  • 515
  • 01 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Proteins Modifying Extracellular Matrix of Echinoderms
The extracellular matrix (ECM), the most important innovation in the evolution of Metazoa, made it possible to form and maintain multicellularity. In extant animals, connective tissue performs a wide variety of functions, from conducting cell–cell signals to creating support structures. In echinoderms, the ECM constitutes a substantial portion of tissue. Its composition, structure, and renewal play an important role in the physiology of these animals.
  • 515
  • 02 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Gangliosides and Sodium-Potassium ATPase Activity
Gangliosides, amphiphilic glycosphingolipids, tend to associate laterally with other membrane constituents and undergo extensive interactions with membrane proteins in cis or trans configurations. Studies of human diseases resulting from mutations in the ganglioside biosynthesis pathway and research on transgenic mice with the same mutations implicate gangliosides in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Gangliosides are reported to affect the activity of the Na+/K+-ATPase, the ubiquitously expressed plasma membrane pump responsible for the stabilization of the resting membrane potential by hyperpolarization, firing up the action potential and ion homeostasis.
  • 514
  • 12 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Biogenesis and Expression at PMs of GPI-APs
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins (APs) are produced by coupling of the completed GPI anchor, prefabricated by stepwise transfer from activated precursors of the corresponding carbohydrate and phosphoethanolamine (EtN-P) residues to PI at the luminal face of the ER membranes, to the carboxy-terminus of the polypeptide precursor moiety upon its translation and transient arrest at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes.
  • 514
  • 05 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Hypoxia in Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 10% of the population. Fibrosis is the hallmark of CKD, which is marked by the deposit of extracellular matrix (ECM). This response is the final outcome of an unbalanced reaction to inflammation and wound healing and can be induced by a variety of insults, including hypoxia. Vascular damage results in an impaired tissue oxygen supply, inducing immune cell infiltration, tubule injury and the activation of ECM-secreting myofibroblasts. In turn, tubulointerstitial fibrosis development worsens oxygen diffusion. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is the primary transcriptional regulator of hypoxia-associated responses, such as oxidative stress and metabolic reprogramming, triggering a proinflammatory and profibrotic landscape.
  • 512
  • 29 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Epithelioid Haemangioendothelioma
Epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare malignant vascular tumour with a prevalence of 1 per 1,000,000. It develops from endothelial cells, which are the cells that line all blood vessels in the body. Therefore, it typically expresses endothelial cell markers. It can also be identified through analysis of the genes. Two genes, WWTR1 and CAMTA1, are broken and fused together in 90% of cases. Alternatively, in approximately 10% of cases, the genes that are broken and fused together are YAP1 and TFE3. 
  • 509
  • 16 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Circulating miRNAs and Preeclampsia
miRNAs are single-stranded non-coding RNAs, 20–24 nt long, which control mRNA expression. Changes in miRNA expression can induce a variation in the relative mRNA level and influence cellular homeostasis, and the strong presence of miRNAs in all body fluids has made them useful biomarkers of several diseases. Preeclampsia is a multifactorial disease, but the etiopathogenesis remains unclear. The functions of trophoblasts, including differentiation, proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis, are essential for a successful pregnancy.
  • 508
  • 01 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Insulin and Insulin-like Growth Factor Signaling Pathway
Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element, but insufficient or excessive bodily amounts can induce neurotoxicity. Mn can directly increase neuronal insulin and activate insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptors. As an important cofactor, Mn regulates signaling pathways involved in various enzymes. The IGF signaling pathway plays a protective role in the neurotoxicity of Mn, reducing apoptosis in neurons and motor deficits by regulating its downstream protein kinase B (Akt), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR).
  • 507
  • 28 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Collection and Molecular Ecology Analysis of Marine Microorganisms
The special characteristics of ocean ecosystems, such as the high salinity and pressure, low temperature, and nutrition, make marine microorganisms diverse in species, gene composition, and ecological functions. Recent advances in molecular biology techniques, together with the ongoing developments in bioinformatic and automatic technologies, have highlighted the scientific studies on marine microbial ecology, eliminating the total reliance on classical cultivation-based techniques. 
  • 505
  • 18 Oct 2023
Topic Review
NF-κB in Microglia/Macrophages of GBM and AD
Microglia and macrophages are pivotal to the brain’s innate immune response and have garnered considerable attention in the context of glioblastoma (GBM) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research.  The NF-κB pathway, first identified in 1986 by Sen and Baltimore, plays a pivotal role in the immune response, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Its molecular architecture includes five DNA-binding members: REL (c-REL), RELA (p65), RELB, NF-κB1 (p50), and NF-κB2 (p52), with the unique attribute of NF-κB2 (p52) lacking transactivation domains. NF-κB signaling encompasses three distinct pathways: canonical, non-canonical, and atypical, each with unique activation mechanisms and cellular responses. Through multiple graphic depictions, the reference clearly presented the traditional pathways and components of NF-κB. The canonical pathway, generally activated by microbial infections or pro-inflammatory cytokines, involves the phosphorylation and subsequent degradation of IκB proteins by the IκB kinase (IKK) complex, releasing p65/p50 NF-κB dimers for nuclear translocation and transcription activation. The non-canonical pathway, selectively activated by receptors like CD40, B-cell-activating factor receptor (BAFF-R), and lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTβR), primarily involves NF-κB2 (p100/p52) proteins and RELB. This pathway initiates with ligand binding, triggering NF-κB-inducible kinase (NIK) to phosphorylate and activate IKK1 (IKKα), leading to p100’s processing into p52 and the subsequent translocation of p52/RELB dimers to the nucleus, thus regulating gene expression differently compared to the canonical pathway. The atypical pathway, which is less well-characterized, can be triggered by DNA-damaging agents independently of IKK, illustrating the versatility and complexity of NF-κB signaling in cellular dynamics.
  • 505
  • 28 Dec 2023
Topic Review
miR-Based Treatments for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by lung inflammation and increased membrane permeability, which represents the leading cause of mortality in ICUs. Mechanical ventilation strategies are at the forefront of supportive approaches for ARDS. Recently, an increasing understanding of RNA biology, function, and regulation, as well as the success of RNA vaccines, has spurred enthusiasm for the emergence of novel RNA-based therapeutics. The most common types of RNA seen in development are silencing (si)RNAs, antisense oligonucleotide therapy (ASO), and messenger (m)RNAs that collectively account for 80% of the RNA therapeutics pipeline. These three RNA platforms are the most mature, with approved products and demonstrated commercial success. 
  • 505
  • 05 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Sphingolipids and Lymphomas
Lymphomas are a highly heterogeneous group of hematological neoplasms. Given their ethiopathogenic complexity, their classification and management can become difficult tasks; therefore, new approaches are continuously being sought. Metabolic reprogramming at the lipid level is a hot topic in cancer research, and sphingolipidomics has gained particular focus in this area due to the bioactive nature of molecules such as sphingoid bases, sphingosine-1-phosphate, ceramides, sphingomyelin, cerebrosides, globosides, and gangliosides. Sphingolipid metabolism has become especially exciting because they are involved in virtually every cellular process through an extremely intricate metabolic web; in fact, no two sphingolipids share the same fate. Unsurprisingly, a disruption at this level is a recurrent mechanism in lymphomagenesis, dissemination, and chemoresistance, which means potential biomarkers and therapeutical targets might be hiding within these pathways. 
  • 504
  • 26 May 2022
Topic Review
MSC-Derived lncRNAs' Role in Cardiac Injury and Repair
Cardiac injury, such as myocardial infarction and heart failure, remains a significant global health burden. The limited regenerative capacity of the adult heart poses a challenge for restoring its function after injury. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as promising candidates for cardiac regeneration due to their ability to differentiate into various cell types and secrete bioactive molecules. Attention has been given to noncoding RNAs derived from MSCs, particularly long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and their potential role in cardiac injury and repair. LncRNAs are RNA molecules that do not encode proteins but play critical roles in gene regulation and cellular responses including cardiac repair and regeneration.
  • 503
  • 09 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Azaspiracids
The presence and impact of toxins have been detected in various regions worldwide ever since the discovery of azaspiracids (AZAs) in 1995. These toxins have had detrimental effects on marine resource utilization, marine environmental protection, and fishery production. Over the course of more than two decades of research and development, scientists from all over the world have conducted comprehensive studies on the in vivo metabolism, in vitro synthesis methods, pathogenic mechanisms, and toxicology of these toxins. 
  • 503
  • 19 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Molecular Mechanisms Driving the Formation of Brain Metastases
Targeted therapies for cancers have improved primary tumor response rates, but concomitantly, brain metastases (BM) have become the most common brain tumors in adults and are associated with a dismal prognosis of generally less than 6 months, irrespective of the primary cancer type. They most commonly occur in patients with primary breast, lung, or melanoma histologies; however, they also appear in patients with other primary cancers including, but not limited to, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and renal cell carcinoma. Historically, molecular biomarkers have normally been identified from primary tumor resections. However, clinically informative genomic alterations can occur during BM development and these potentially actionable alterations are not always detected in the primary tumor leading to missed opportunities for effective targeted therapy. 
  • 502
  • 20 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid as a Neuroactive Compound
Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) was reported as a promising therapeutic molecule for several neurological disorders that still lack effective treatments.
  • 502
  • 18 Sep 2023
Topic Review
circRNA-Targeted Therapy in Experimental Parkinson’s Disease
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are single-stranded RNA molecules often circularized by backsplicing. Growing evidence implicates circRNAs in the underlying mechanisms of various diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (PD)—the first and second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders. In this sense, circSNCA, circHIPK2, circHIPK3, and circSLC8A1 are circRNAs that have been related to the neurodegenerative process of PD. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies on circRNAs have shed light on their roles in the pathobiology of various diseases. Gain-of-function approaches typically employ viral or non-viral vectors that hyperexpress RNA sequences capable of circularizing to form the specific circRNA under investigation. 
  • 502
  • 16 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Enhancing Catalytic Activity of Thermo-Asparaginase from Thermococcus sibiricus
L-asparaginases (L-ASNases) of microbial origin are the mainstay of blood cancer treatment. Numerous attempts have been performed for genetic improvement of the main properties of these enzymes. The substrate-binding Ser residue is highly conserved in L-ASNases regardless of their origin or type. However, the residues adjacent to the substrate-binding Ser differ between mesophilic and thermophilic L-ASNases. 
  • 501
  • 20 Jul 2023
Topic Review
O-methylated N-glycans
In the animal kingdom, a stunning variety of N-glycan structures have emerged with phylogenetic specificities of various kinds. In the plant kingdom, however, N-glycosylation appears to be strictly conservative and uniform. From mosses to all kinds of gymno- and angiosperms, land plants mainly express structures with the common pentasaccharide core substituted with xylose, core α1,3-fucose, maybe terminal GlcNAc residues and Lewis A determinants. In contrast, green algae biosynthesise unique and unusual N-glycan structures with uncommon monosaccharides, a plethora of different structures and various kinds of O-methylation.
  • 499
  • 07 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Tubulin Polymerization Promoting Protein for Interventions in Parkinsonism
Neurological disorders such as Parkinsonism cause serious socio-economic problems as there are only therapies that treat their symptoms. The well-established hallmark alpha-synuclein (SYN) is enriched in the inclusion bodies characteristic of Parkinsonism. A prominent partner of SYN was discovered, termed Tubulin Polymerization Promoting Protein (TPPP), which has important physiological and pathological activities such as the regulation of the microtubule network and the promotion of SYN aggregation. The role of TPPP in Parkinsonism is often neglected in research. In the normal brain, SYN and TPPP are expressed endogenously in neurons and oligodendrocytes, respectively, whilst, at an early stage of Parkinsonism, soluble hetero-associations of these proteins are found in both cell types. The cell-to-cell transmission of these proteins, which is central to disease progression, provides a unique situation for specific drug targeting.
  • 494
  • 04 Mar 2024
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