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Topic Review
MGluRI and ErbB Receptors
It is well-appreciated that phosphorylation is an essential post-translational mechanism of regulation for several proteins, including group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRI), mGluR1 and mGluR5 subtypes. While contributions of various serine/threonine protein kinases on mGluRI modulation have been recognized, the functional role of tyrosine kinases (TKs) is less acknowledged. Here, we describe current evidence on the modulatory roles of the ErbB tyrosine kinases receptors - activated by the neurotrophic factors neuregulins (NRGs) - on mGluRI function. Available evidence suggests that mGluRI activity is tightly dependent on ErbB signaling, and that ErbB's modulation profoundly influences mGluRI-dependent effects on neurotransmission, neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory processes. 
  • 1.6K
  • 13 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Docking Analysis in Research for Novel Enzyme Inhibitors
Approaches for increasing effectiveness of docking analysis in Prediction of inhibitory potency of small molecules, emphasizing in selection of appropriate enzyme 3D-structure and in calculation of probability of binding factors, based on docking analysis to the target site and to the whole enzyme.
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Jan 2025
Topic Review
Crop Resilience to Drought Stress
Among all the abiotic factors, drought is likely to have one of the most detrimental effects on soil organisms and plants. Drought is a major problem for crops because it limits the availability of water, and consequently nutrients which are crucial for plant growth and survival. This results in reduced crop yields, stunted growth, and even plant death, according to the severity and duration of the drought, the plant’s developmental stage, and the plant’s genetic background. The ability to withstand drought is a highly complex characteristic that is controlled by multiple genes, making it one of the most challenging attributes to study, classify, and improve.
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Mammalian Aquaporins
Mammalian aquaporins (AQPs) are transmembrane channels expressed in a large variety of cells and tissues throughout the body. They are known as water channels, but they also facilitate the transport of small solutes, gasses, and monovalent cations. To date, 13 different AQPs, encoded by the genes AQP0–AQP12, have been identified in mammals, which regulate various important biological functions in kidney, brain, lung, digestive system, eye, and skin. Consequently, dysfunction of AQPs is involved in a wide variety of disorders. AQPs are also present in the heart, even with a specific distribution pattern in cardiomyocytes, but whether their presence is essential for proper (electro)physiological cardiac function has not intensively been studied. In a recent review published in Int. J. Mol. Sci. (https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20082039), we summarizes recent findings and highlights the involvement of AQPs in normal and pathological cardiac function. We conclude that AQPs are at least implicated in proper cardiac water homeostasis and energy balance as well as heart failure and arsenic cardiotoxicity. However, our review also demonstrates that many effects of cardiac AQPs, especially on excitation-contraction coupling processes, are virtually unexplored.
  • 1.6K
  • 06 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Principal Postulates of Centrosomal Biology
The centrosome, which consists of two centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material, is a unique structure that has retained its main features in organisms of various taxonomic groups from unicellular algae to mammals over one billion years of evolution. In addition to the most noticeable function of organizing the microtubule system in mitosis and interphase, the centrosome performs many other cell functions. In particular, centrioles are the basis for the formation of sensory primary cilia and motile cilia and flagella. Another principal function of centrosomes is the concentration in one place of regulatory proteins responsible for the cell's progression along the cell cycle. Despite the existing exceptions, the functioning of the centrosome is subject to general principles.
  • 1.6K
  • 15 Oct 2020
Topic Review
EV-Based Vaccines
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are secreted from almost all human cells and mediate intercellular communication by transferring heterogeneous molecules (i.e., DNA, RNAs, proteins, and lipids). In this way, EVs participate in various biological processes, including immune responses. Viruses can hijack EV biogenesis systems for their dissemination, while EVs from infected cells can transfer viral proteins to uninfected cells and to immune cells in order to mask the infection or to trigger a response. Several studies have highlighted the role of native or engineered EVs in the induction of B cell and CD8(+) T cell reactions against viral proteins, strongly suggesting these antigen-presenting EVs as a novel strategy for vaccine design, including the emerging COVID-19. EV-based vaccines overcome some limitations of conventional vaccines and introduce novel unique characteristics useful in vaccine design, including higher bio-safety and efficiency as antigen-presenting systems and as adjuvants.
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Feb 2021
Topic Review
CYP3A in Health and Disease
CYP3A is an enzyme subfamily in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily and includes isoforms CYP3A4, CYP3A5, CYP3A7, and CYP3A43. CYP3A enzymes are indiscriminate toward substrates and are unique in that these enzymes metabolize both endogenous compounds and diverse xenobiotics. Constitutive regulation of CYP3A4 transcription, both positive and negative, is mediated by hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) and other hepatic transcription factors. CYP3A4 expression is modulated by various mechanisms involving nuclear receptors, hormones, xenobiotics, and signaling molecules. CYP3A4 is regulated by a large number of xenobiotics, including many drugs, endogenous compounds, and many hormones, such as triiodothyronine, dexamethasone, and growth hormone. Xenobiotic- and endobiotic-mediated CYP3A4 induction is indirect and entails activation of such ligand-dependent nuclear receptors as PXR, CAR, VDR, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) α, estrogen receptor (ER) α, bile acid receptor (farnesoid X receptor; FXR), oxysterol receptor (liver X receptor; LXR), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) as well as by binding to the three major cis-acting modules: CLEM4, distal XREM, and prPXRE.
  • 1.6K
  • 14 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The IGF1 Signaling Pathway
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is a peptide growth factor with important functions in multiple aspects of growth, development and metabolism. The biological actions of IGF1 are mediated by the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R), a cell-surface protein that is evolutionarily related to the insulin receptor (InsR).
  • 1.6K
  • 12 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Terpenoid Lactones
Terpenoids with lactone moieties have been indicated to possess various biological activities. Certain terpenoid lactones exist in nature, in plants and animals, but they can also be obtained by chemical synthesis. Terpenoids possessing lactone moieties are known for their cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antimalarial activities. 
  • 1.6K
  • 31 May 2021
Topic Review
Pharmacological Activities of Galactomannan Derivatives
Galactomannans are versatile macromolecules with broad industrial potential. The influence of changes in the chemical structures and respective bioactivities of these polysaccharides have been extensively studied. The derivatives obtained by sulfation, complexation, and phosphorylation are the most studied biological properties in galactomannans. The derivatives obtained have shown several pharmacological activities such as antiviral, antimicrobial, anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, chemopreventive, anticancer, antioxidant, chondroprotective, analgesic, immunomodulatory, and antileishmanial. 
  • 1.6K
  • 24 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Spermine in Prostate Cancer
Spermine, a member of polyamines, exists in all organisms and is essential for normal cell growth and function. It is highly expressed in the prostate compared with other organs and is detectable in urine, tissue, expressed prostatic secretions, and erythrocyte. A significant reduction of spermine level was observed in prostate cancer (PCa) tissue compared with benign prostate tissue, and the level of urinary spermine was also significantly lower in men with PCa. Decreased spermine level may be used as an indicator of malignant phenotype transformation from normal to malignant tissue in prostate.
  • 1.6K
  • 25 May 2021
Topic Review
Continuous Microfluidics-Based Technologies for HIV
HIV-1 is the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It affects millions of people worldwide and the pandemic persists despite the implementation of highly active antiretroviral therapy. A wide spectrum of techniques has been implemented in order to diagnose and monitor AIDS progression over the years. Besides the conventional approaches, microfluidics has provided useful methods for monitoring HIV-1 infection. In this review, we introduce continuous microfluidics as well as the fabrication and handling of microfluidic chips.
  • 1.6K
  • 14 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Transcription and RNA Editing in Plant Chloroplasts
RNA editing is generally perceived as a repair tool to correct genomic mutation (point mutation) at the transcript level in organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts.
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Angiotensin II
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the western and developing world, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease is increasing with the longer lifespan afforded by our modern lifestyle.  Vascular diseases including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke comprise the majority of cardiovascular disease and therefore represent a significant medical and socioeconomic burden on our society.  It is not be surprising that these conditions overlap and potentiate each other when we consider the many cellular and molecular similarities between them. At the molecular level, the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) is the target, integrator, and effector cell of both atherogenic and the major effector protein of the hypertensive signal, Angiotensin II (Ang II).  Together, these signals can potentiate each other and prime the artery and exacerbate hypertension and atherosclerosis. Therefore, VSMC are the fulcrum in progression of these diseases and therefore, understanding the effects of atherogenic stimuli and Ang II on VSMC is  key to understanding and treating  atherosclerosis and hypertension.  In this review, we will examine studies in which hypertension and atherosclerosis intersect on the VSMC, and illustrate common pathways between these two diseases and vascular aging.
  • 1.6K
  • 07 Jul 2020
Topic Review
CeRNA Networks in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Protein aggregation is classically considered the main cause of neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). However, increasing evidence suggests that alteration of RNA metabolism is a key factor in the etiopathogenesis of these complex disorders. Non-coding RNAs are the major contributor to the human transcriptome and are particularly abundant in the central nervous system, where they have been proposed to be involved in the onset and development of NDDs. Interestingly, some ncRNAs (such as lncRNAs, circRNAs and pseudogenes) share a common functionality in their ability to regulate gene expression by modulating miRNAs in a phenomenon known as the competing endogenous RNA mechanism. Moreover, ncRNAs are found in body fluids where their presence and concentration could serve as potential non-invasive biomarkers of NDDs.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Feb 2021
Topic Review
γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid
γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is an endogenous short chain fatty acid that acts as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator in the mammalian brain. It has often been illegally abused or misused due to its strong anesthetic effect, particularly in drug-facilitated crimes worldwide. However, proving its ingestion is not straightforward because of the difficulty in distinguishing between endogenous and exogenous GHB, as well as its rapid metabolism. Metabolomics and metabolism studies have recently been used to identify potential biomarkers of GHB exposure. 
  • 1.6K
  • 04 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Cell Cycle Checkpoints
Studies have shown that during early embryogenesis, preimplantation embryos exhibit higher levels of chromosomal abnormalities in the initial stages of cleavage compared to the late morula stage or blastocysts. Thus, preimplantation embryos can acquire an aneuploidy phenotype already in early developmental stages, which points to the fact that these first mitotic cycles are more susceptible to chromosomal aberrations. The monitoring of chromatin damage, the so-called cell cycle checkpoint, is therefore an essential aspect of the cell cycle.
  • 1.6K
  • 12 May 2023
Topic Review
UFM1
Post-translational modification with Ubiquitin-like proteins represents a complex signaling language regulating virtually every cellular process. Among these post-translational modifiers is Ubiquitin-fold modifier (UFM1), which is covalently attached to its substrates through the orchestrated action of a dedicated enzymatic cascade. Originally identified to be involved embryonic development, its biological function remains enigmatic. Recent research reveals that UFM1 regulates a variety of cellular events ranging from DNA repair to autophagy and ER stress response implicating its involvement in a variety of diseases. Given the contribution of UFM1 to numerous pathologies, the enzymes of the UFM1 cascade represent attractive targets for pharmacological inhibition.
  • 1.6K
  • 26 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Mitochondrial Transporter Protein Families
Mitochondrial carriers facilitate the transfer of small molecules across the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) to support mitochondrial function and core cellular processes. In addition to the classical SLC25 (solute carrier family 25) mitochondrial carriers, the past decade has led to the discovery of additional protein families with numerous members that exhibit IMM localization and transporter-like properties. These include mitochondrial pyruvate carriers, sideroflexins, and mitochondrial cation/H+ exchangers. These transport proteins were linked to vital physiological functions and disease.
  • 1.6K
  • 20 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Legionella
Legionella are Gram-stain-negative rods associated with water environments: either natural or man-made systems. The inhalation of aerosols containing Legionella bacteria leads to the development of a severe pneumonia termed Legionnaires’ disease.
  • 1.6K
  • 20 Oct 2021
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