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Topic Review
The Synthesis Pathway of L-Theanine in Microorganisms
Theanine, a representative non-protein amino acid in tea, is one of the umami components of tea and a major factor in the formation of the unique flavor of tea leaves. In addition to its delicious taste, theanine has a variety of health functions and is used in the food supplement, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. 
  • 1.8K
  • 30 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Chemical and Cell-Based Antioxidant Assays
Antioxidants remain interesting molecules of choice for suppression of the toxic effects of free radicals in foods and human systems. The current practice involves the use of mainly synthetic molecules as potent antioxidant agents. However, due to the potential negative impact on human health, there is an intensive effort within the research community to develop natural alternatives with similar antioxidant efficacy but without the negative side effects of synthetic molecules. Still, the successful development of new molecules depends on the use of reliable chemical or cell culture assays to screen antioxidant properties. Chemical antioxidant assays include the determination of scavenging ability against free radicals such as DPPH, superoxide anion radicals, hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide. Other antioxidant tests include the ability of compounds to bind and sequester prooxidant metal cations, reduce ferric iron, and attenuate the rate of lipid oxidation. Ex vivo tests utilize cell cultures to confirm entry of the molecules into cells and the ability to quench synthetic intracellular free radicals or to stimulate the increased biosynthesis of endogenous antioxidants.
  • 1.8K
  • 19 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Lamin-A/C expression in immune cells
Nuclear envelope lamin A/C type-V intermediate filaments are a major constituent of the mammalian nuclear lamina, a dense fibrous protein meshwork located in the nuclear interior. Lamin A/C proteins control nuclear mechanics and structure and modify cellular signaling, gene transcription, epigenetic regulation, cell cycle progression, cell differentiation, and cell migration. The immune system is constituted by the innate and adaptive immunity. Innate immune response is mediated by myeloid cells such as neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. These cells produce a rapid and nonspecific response through phagocytosis, cytokine production, and complement activation, as well as activating adaptive immunity. Specific adaptive immune response is provoked by antigen presentation by antigen presenting cells (APCs) and the cytokine milieu, and is mainly mediated by the cellular functions of T cells and the production of antibodies by B cells. Unlike most cell types, immune cells regulate their lamin A/C protein expression relatively rapidly to exert their functions, with expression increasing in macrophages, reducing in neutrophils, and increasing transiently in T cells. In this article, it is discussed and summarized studies that have addressed the regulation of the expression of lamin A/C in cells of the innate and adaptive immune system.
  • 1.8K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Casein Kinase 1α
Wnt signaling regulates numerous cellular processes during embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. Underscoring this physiological importance, deregulation of the Wnt signaling pathway is associated with many disease states, including cancer. Here, we review pivotal regulatory events in the Wnt signaling pathway that drive cancer growth. We then discuss the roles of the established negative Wnt regulator, casein kinase 1α (CK1α), in Wnt signaling. Although the study of CK1α has been ongoing for several decades, the bulk of such research has focused on how it phosphorylates and regulates its various substrates. We focus here on what is known about the mechanisms controlling CK1α, including its putative regulatory proteins and alternative splicing variants. Finally, we describe the discovery and validation of a family of pharmacological CK1α activators capable of inhibiting Wnt pathway activity. One of the important advantages of CK1α activators, relative to other classes of Wnt inhibitors, is their reduced on-target toxicity, overcoming one of the major impediments to developing a clinically relevant Wnt inhibitor. Therefore, we also discuss mechanisms that regulate CK1α steady-state homeostasis, which may contribute to the deregulation of Wnt pathway activity in cancer and underlie the enhanced therapeutic index of CK1α activators. 
  • 1.8K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Quadruplex Structures: Cancer Therapeutic Targets
Non-canonical, four-stranded nucleic acids secondary structures are present within regulatory regions in the human genome and transcriptome. To date, these quadruplex structures include both DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes, formed in guanine-rich sequences, and i-Motifs, found in cytosine-rich sequences, as their counterparts. Quadruplexes have been extensively associated with cancer, playing an important role in telomere maintenance and control of genetic expression of several oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Therefore, quadruplex structures are considered attractive molecular targets for cancer therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action.
  • 1.8K
  • 11 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Monosodium Glutamate-Induced Male Reproductive Dysfunction
Reproductive dysfunction is often characterized by malfunction of the reproductive tissues, which may lead to disruption of the synergistic rhythm that should bring about a progression of sexual events and the conception of new life. This may therefore result in the sexual dysfunction and infertility that can be seen in couples having prolonged biological difficulty in reproducing their offspring after having unrestricted sexual intercourse for at least twelve months. Several factors have been implicated in the cause and progression of reproductive dysfunction, including poor nutrition, drug side effects, disease states, and toxicant ingestion. A well-known food additive that has been found to be potent at initiating reproductive anomalies in males is monosodium glutamate (MSG). 
  • 1.8K
  • 23 May 2022
Topic Review
Secondary Metabolites Based-Plant Origin
Natural products are compounds produced by living organisms and can be divided into two main categories: primary (PMs) and secondary metabolites (SMs). Plant PMs are crucial for plant growth and reproduction since they are directly involved in living cell processes, whereas plant SMs are organic substances directly involved in plant defense and resistance. SMs are divided into three main groups: terpenoids, phenolics and nitrogen-containing compounds. The SMs contain a variety of biological capabilities that can be used as flavoring agents, food additives, plant-disease control, strengthen plant defenses against herbivores and, additionally, it can help plant cells to be better adapted to the physiological stress response. 
  • 1.8K
  • 28 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Vitamin C and Kidney Injury
Vitamin C is an important micronutrient and antioxidant for the human body.  In animal experiments, it can protect the kidneys from injury caused by nephrotoxic drugs.  A major feature of COVID-19 and similar viral infection is the cytokine storm, which causes a rise of multiple cytokines in the blood. Those cytokines result in the oxidative stress in cells, which leads to damage to organs and tissues, including the kidneys.  Here, we reviewed the current literature on kidney damage in COVID-19 patients and analyzed the possible etiology and mechanisms.  In addition, we summarized the potential use of vitamin C in preventing kidney damage in experimental animal models and the underlying mechanisms.  Vitamin C appears to protect and facilitate recovery of kidneys from injuries derived from excessive of oxidative stress, a feature of cytokines storm in people with COVID-19.  Finally, we would like to argue that vitamin C may be protective of the renal functions in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing kidney diseases. 
  • 1.8K
  • 26 Jul 2021
Topic Review
G-Quadruplexes: Emerging Anticancer Roles
G-quadruplexes, a family of (thermodynamically and kinetically stable) tetraplex helices, are non-canonical secondary structures derived from guanine (G)-rich sequences of nucleic acids. G-quadruplexes were found to occur in functionally-important regions of the human genome, including the telomere tandem sequences, several proto-oncogene promoters and other regulatory regions, ribosomal DNA (rDNA), as well as mRNA sequences encoding for proteins with roles in tumorigenesis, thus establishing a clear connection between G-quadruplexes and known hallmarks of cancer. Stabilization of G-quadruplexes belonging to the above categories, by means of small-molecule intervention, has been correlated with a range of anticancer effects, which has led to classifying G-quadruplexes as novel potential targets in anticancer research. The most common ways in which G-quadruplexes are now understood to serve in an anticancer capacity are presented herein.
  • 1.8K
  • 03 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Structure, Expression Regulation, and Subcellular Localization of USP16
Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 16 (USP16) is a deubiquitinase that plays a role in the regulation of gene expression, cell cycle progression, and various other functions. It was originally identified as the major deubiquitinase for histone H2A and has since been found to deubiquitinate a range of other substrates, including proteins from both the cytoplasm and nucleus. USP16 is phosphorylated when cells enter mitosis and dephosphorylated during the metaphase/anaphase transition. While much of USP16 is localized in the cytoplasm, separating the enzyme from its substrates is considered an important regulatory mechanism. Some of the functions that USP16 has been linked to include DNA damage repair, immune disease, tumorigenesis, protein synthesis, coronary artery health, and male infertility. The strong connection to immune response and the fact that multiple oncogene products are substrates of USP16 suggests that USP16 may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of certain human diseases.
  • 1.8K
  • 06 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Multi-Omics Integration for Design of Novel Therapies
Multi-omics is a cutting-edge approach that combines data from different biomolecular levels, such as DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and epigenetic marks, to obtain a holistic view of how living systems work and interact. Multi-omics has been used for various purposes in biomedical research, such as identifying new diseases, discovering new drugs, personalizing treatments, and optimizing therapies.
  • 1.8K
  • 06 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Quiescent Cancer Cells
Quiescent cancer cells (QCCs) are cancer cells that are reversibly suspended in G0 phase with the ability to re-enter the cell cycle and initiate tumor growth, and, ultimately, cancer recurrence and metastasis.
  • 1.8K
  • 23 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Gain of Function Mutant p53 in Cancer
The tumor suppressor p53, encoded by the TP53 gene and known as “the guardian of the genome”, performs a variety of functions in cancer prevention.
  • 1.8K
  • 17 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Cytoskeleton
Cell migration is an essential process from embryogenesis to cell death. This is tightly regulated by numerous proteins that help in proper functioning of the cell. In diseases like cancer, this process is deregulated and helps in the dissemination of tumor cells from the primary site to secondary sites initiating the process of metastasis. For metastasis to be efficient, cytoskeletal components like actin, myosin, and intermediate filaments and their associated proteins should co-ordinate in an orderly fashion leading to the formation of many cellular protrusions-like lamellipodia and filopodia and invadopodia. Knowledge of this process is the key to control metastasis of cancer cells that leads to death in 90% of the patients. The focus of this review is giving an overall understanding of these process, concentrating on the changes in protein association and regulation and how the tumor cells use it to their advantage. Since the expression of cytoskeletal proteins can be directly related to the degree of malignancy, knowledge about these proteins will provide powerful tools to improve both cancer prognosis and treatment.
  • 1.8K
  • 20 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Telocytes
Telocytes/CD34+ stromal cells in the normal and pathological peripheral nervous system (PNS). We consider the following aspects: (A) general characteristics of telocytes; (B) the presence, characteristics and arrangement of telocytes in the normal PNS, including i) nerve epi-perineurium and endoneurium (e.g., telopodes extending into the endoneurial space); ii) sensory nerve endings (e.g., Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles, and neuromuscular spindles); iii) ganglia; and iv) the intestinal autonomic nervous system; (C) the telocytes in the pathologic PNS, encompassing (i) hyperplastic neurogenic processes (neurogenic hyperplasia of the appendix and gallbladder), highly demonstrative of telocyte characteristics and relations, (ii) PNS tumours, such as neurofibroma, schwannoma and granular cell tumour. 
  • 1.8K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Membrane Proteins in Diseases and Potential as Biomarkers
Many biological processes (physiological or pathological) are relevant to membrane proteins (MPs), which account for almost 30% of the total of human proteins. As such, MPs can serve as predictive molecular biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. 
  • 1.8K
  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Overview of Cdc25 Phosphatases
The cell division cycle 25 (Cdc25) phosphatases are dual-specificity phosphatases (DSPs) that catalyze the dephosphorylation of the Cdk/Cyc protein complex, an important regulator of the human cell cycle. In human cells, three Cdc25 phosphatases are characterized, Cdc25A, Cdc25B, and Cdc25C, which share the similarity of amino acids identity from 20 to 25% for N-terminal and 60% similarity for C-terminal, and are differentially expressed in the cell division cycle. Cdc25 phosphatases have been considered promising targets for anticancer development due to the correlation of their overexpression with a wide variety of cancers. In the past decades, the interest in this subject has considerably increased and many publications have been launched concerning this issue.
  • 1.8K
  • 21 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Glycans on Cell Surface Receptors
Cells undergo proliferation and apoptosis, migration and differentiation via a number of cell surface receptors, most of which are heavily glycosylated.We discuss the structures and roles of glycan chains of receptors to better understand their regulation in cell survival and cell death.
  • 1.8K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
NcRNAs with Regulatory Functions
Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play prominent roles in the regulation of gene expression via their interactions with other biological molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids.
  • 1.8K
  • 12 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Nutritional Profile of Chilli
Chilli pepper, botanically Capsicum annuum L., is an indispensable vegetable cum spice crop grown commercially worldwide for its immature green and red ripe fruits. Universally, the crop is consumed and appreciated for its flavor, colour, aroma, texture, and preserving foods. The crop was probably first used among folks as medicinal plants for its rich bountiful and diversified nutrients, even before it was used in cooking. The understanding on use of such plants helped the masses to sustain since ancient times.
  • 1.8K
  • 17 Oct 2022
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