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Topic Review
Autophagy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular degradation process that regulates cellular metabolism and homeostasis under normal and pathophysiological conditions. Autophagy and metabolism are linked in the hematopoietic system, playing a critical role in the self-renewal, survival and differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and in cell death, particularly influencing the cell fate of the hematopoietic stem cell pool. In leukemia, autophagy supports leukemia cell growth, contributes to leukemia stem cell survival and resistance to chemotherapy. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a common type of acute leukemia with poor survival and prognosis.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Jun 2023
Topic Review
IPSC-Based PDAC Models and Immunotherapies
Advances in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) using neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy have had minimal impact on the overall survival of patients. A general lack of immunogenic features and a complex tumor microenvironment (TME) are likely culprits for therapy refractoriness in PDAC. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) should be explored as a means to advance the treatment options for PDAC, by providing representative in vitro models of pancreatic cancer development. In addition, iPSCs could be used for tailor-made cellular immunotherapies or as a source of tumor-associated antigens in the context of vaccination.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Hypoxia-Inducible Factors in Osteogenesis
As central mediators of homeostasis, hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) can allow cells to survive in a low-oxygen environment and are essential for the regulation of osteogenesis and skeletal repair.
  • 999
  • 13 Oct 2022
Topic Review
AMPK
5′AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is known as metabolic sensor in mammalian cells that becomes activated by an increasing adenosine monophosphate (AMP)/adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ratio. The heterotrimeric AMPK protein comprises three subunits, each of which has multiple phosphorylation sites, playing an important role in the regulation of essential molecular pathways. By phosphorylation of downstream proteins and modulation of gene transcription AMPK functions as a master switch of energy homeostasis in tissues with high metabolic turnover, such as the liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue.
  • 998
  • 18 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Vaccinia Virus Arrests and Shifts the Cell Cycle
Modulation of the host cell cycle is a common strategy used by viruses to create a pro-replicative environment. To facilitate viral genome replication, vaccinia virus (VACV) has been reported to alter cell cycle regulation and trigger the host cell DNA damage response. However, the cellular factors and viral effectors that mediate these changes remain unknown.
  • 998
  • 04 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Platelet-Derived Extracellular Vesicles
Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (pEVs) are nanosized membranous subcellular structures released by platelets, which comprise different subpopulations that differ on morphology, size, composition and cellular origin. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) work as intercellular communicators exerting their function by transporting their cargo that includes nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. pEVs have shown to mediate same functions as platelets, presenting  a great potential for the development of new treatments in the biomedical field. 
  • 998
  • 18 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Cell–Cell Fusion and Cancer
In addition to physiological processes, such as fertilization, placentation, myogenesis, osteoclastogenesis and wound healing/tissue regeneration the biological phenomenon of cell-cell fusion also plays a role in cancer, which was already postulated by the German physician Otto Aichel in 1911. Indeed, cancer cells could either fuse with other cancer cells or could hybridize with macrophages, fibroblasts and stem cells, thereby giving rise to tumor hybrid cells that could exhibit novel properties, such as an increased drug resistance and/or an enhanced metastasis formation capacity. 
  • 996
  • 28 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Neural Stem Cell-Based Therapy
Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) has been proposed as an alternative novel therapy to replace damaged neural circuitry after ischemic stroke onset. Nonetheless, albeit the potential of these cells for stroke therapy, many critical challenges are yet to be overcome to reach clinical applications. The major limitation of the NSC-based therapy is its inability to retain most of the donor stem cells after grafting into an ischemic brain area which is lacking of essential oxygen and nutrients for the survival of transplanted cells. Low cell survival rate limits the capacity of NSCs to repair the injured area and this poses a much more difficult challenge to the NSC-based therapy for ischemic stroke. In order to enhance the survival of transplanted cells, several stem cell culture preconditioning strategies have been employed. For ischemic diseases, hypoxic preconditioning is the most commonly applied strategy since the last few decades. Now, the preconditioning strategies have been developed and expanded enormously throughout years of efforts. This entry systematically presented studies searched from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus and the Google Scholar database up to 31 March 2020 based on search words containing the following terms:“precondition” or “pretreatment” and “neural stem cell” and “ischemic stroke”. The searched data comprehensively reported seven major NSC preconditioning strategies including hypoxic condition, small drug molecules such as minocycline, doxycycline, interleukin-6, adjudin, sodium butyrate and nicorandil, as well as electrical stimulation using conductive polymer for ischemic stroke treatment. We discussed therapeutic benefits gained from these preconditioned NSC for in vitro and in vivo stroke studies and the detailed insights of the mechanisms underlying these preconditioning approaches. Nonetheless, there was a scarcity of evidence on the ecacy of these preconditioned NSCs in human clinical studies, therefore, it is still too early to draw a definitive conclusion on the efficacy and safety of this active compound for patient usage. Thus, we suggest for more in-depth clinical investigations of this cell-based therapy to develop into more conscientious and judicious evidence-based therapy for clinical application in the future.
  • 996
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Role of NSD3 in Cancer
Nuclear receptor-binding SET domain protein 3 (NSD3) is a member of the NSD histone methyltransferase family of proteins. In recent years, it has been identified as a potential oncogene in certain types of cancer. The NSD3 gene encodes three isoforms, the long version (NSD3L), a short version (NSD3S) and the WHISTLE isoforms. Importantly, the NSD3S isoform corresponds to the N-terminal region of the full-length protein, lacking the methyltransferase domain. The chromosomal location of NSD3 is frequently amplified across cancer types, such as breast, lung, and colon, among others. This amplification has been correlated to a chromothripsis event, that could explain the different NSD3 alterations found in cancer. The fusion proteins containing NSD3 have also been reported in leukemia (NSD3-NUP98), and in NUT (nuclear protein of the testis) midline carcinoma (NSD3-NUT). Its role as an oncogene has been described by modulating different cancer pathways through its methyltransferase activity, or the short isoform of the protein, through protein interactions. 
  • 996
  • 19 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Connexins and cAMP
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a small molecule that acts as a second messenger in mediating intracellular signal transduction.
  • 995
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Dietary Antioxidants in Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma are ophthalmic neurodegenerative diseases responsible for irreversible vision loss in the world population. Only a few therapies can be used to slow down the progression of these diseases and there are no available treatment strategies for reversing the degeneration of the neural retina. In AMD, the pathological process causes the malfunction and damage of the retinal pigmented epithelium and photoreceptors in the macula. In glaucoma, damage of the retinal ganglion cells and their axons is observed and treatment strategies are limited to intraocular pressure lowering. Therefore, other prophylactic and/or therapeutic methods are needed. Oxidative stress is involved in the neurodegenerative process accompanying both AMD and glaucoma; therefore, the use of antioxidant agents would clearly be beneficial, which is supported by the decreased prevalence and progression of AMD in patients adherent to a diet naturally rich in antioxidants.
  • 995
  • 11 Nov 2021
Topic Review
STAT Proteins in Advanced and Metastasized Prostate Cancer
The STAT proteins bind to specific response elements on the DNA in the nucleus, thereby inducing gene transcription. Based on their various functions, STAT proteins are essential in several health conditions such as autoimmune diseases and cancer. Despite their broad spectrum of activity, only STAT3 affects embryonic development, as shown in STAT3 knock-out mouse experiments.
  • 994
  • 11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Hemoglobinopathy
Hemoglobinopathy is the medical term for a group of inherited blood disorders and diseases that primarily affect red blood cells. They are single-gene disorders and, in most cases, they are inherited as autosomal co-dominant traits. There are two main groups: abnormal structural hemoglobin variants caused by mutations in the hemoglobin genes, and the thalassemias, which are caused by an underproduction of otherwise normal hemoglobin molecules. The main structural hemoglobin variants are HbS, HbE and HbC. The main types of thalassemia are alpha-thalassemia and beta thalassemia. The two conditions may overlap because some conditions which cause abnormalities in hemoglobin proteins also affect their production. Some hemoglobin variants do not cause pathology or anemia, and thus are often not classed as hemoglobinopathies.
  • 993
  • 30 Sep 2022
Topic Review
POLRMT Inhibition as an Anti-Cancer Strategy
Transcription of the mitochondrial genome is essential for the maintenance of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and other functions directly related to this unique genome. Considerable evidence suggests that mitochondrial transcription is dysregulated in cancer and cancer metastasis and contributes significantly to cancer cell metabolism. The inhibitors of the mitochondrial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (POLRMT) were identified as potentially attractive new anti-cancer compounds. These molecules (IMT1, IMT1B) inactivate cancer cell metabolism through reduced transcription of mitochondrially-encoded OXPHOS subunits such as ND1-5 (Complex I) and COI-IV (Complex IV). 
  • 993
  • 08 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Bile Acids in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a spectrum of diseases, the onset and progression of which are due to chronic alcohol use. ALD ranges, by increasing severity, from hepatic steatosis to alcoholic hepatitis (AH) and alcohol-associated cirrhosis (AC), and in some cases, can lead to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ALD continues to be a significant health burden and is now the main cause of liver transplantations in the United States. ALD leads to biological, microbial, physical, metabolic, and inflammatory changes in patients that vary depending on disease severity. ALD deaths have been increasing in recent years and are projected to continue to increase. Current treatment centers focus on abstinence and symptom management, with little in the way of resolving disease progression. Due to the metabolic disruption and gut dysbiosis in ALD, bile acid (BA) signaling and metabolism are also notably affected and play a prominent role in disease progression in ALD, as well as other liver disease states, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
  • 992
  • 11 May 2022
Topic Review
Liver Fibrosis in HIV-Infected Individuals
Liver fibrosis (LF) is a common problem in HIV-infected individuals. Among all used drugs in anti-retroviral treatment (ART), "first-generation" NRTIs carry the greater risk for LF, with integrase strand transfer and entry inhibitors showing minimal risk. Overall most ART drugs are safe and do not seem to cause liver fibrosis when no other live comorbidities co-exist
  • 991
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
ChIP-Sequencing
ChIP-sequencing, also known as ChIP-seq, is a method used to analyze protein interactions with DNA. ChIP-seq combines chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) with massively parallel DNA sequencing to identify the binding sites of DNA-associated proteins. It can be used to map global binding sites precisely for any protein of interest. Previously, ChIP-on-chip was the most common technique utilized to study these protein–DNA relations.
  • 991
  • 20 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Enterobacteria Phage P22
Enterobacteria phage P22 is a bacteriophage in the Podoviridae family that infects Salmonella typhimurium. Like many phages, it has been used in molecular biology to induce mutations in cultured bacteria and to introduce foreign genetic material. P22 has been used in generalized transduction and is an important tool for investigating Salmonella genetics.
  • 990
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Chromatin and Cancer
A hallmark of cancers is uncontrolled cell proliferation, frequently associated with an underlying imbalance in gene expression. This transcriptional dysregulation observed in cancers is multifaceted and involves chromosomal rearrangements, chimeric transcription factors, or altered epigenetic marks. Traditionally, chromatin dysregulation in cancers has been considered a downstream effect of driver mutations. Disruption of this large-scale chromatin in proliferating cancerous cells in conventional chemotherapies induces DNA damage and provides a positive feedback loop for chromatin rearrangements and tumor diversification. Consequently, the surviving cells from these chemotherapies become tolerant to higher doses of the therapeutic reagents, which are significantly toxic to normal cells. Furthermore, the disorganization of chromatin induced by these therapies accentuates nuclear fragility, thereby increasing the invasive potential of these tumors.
  • 990
  • 29 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Platelet Biology
Platelets are generated from megakaryocytes in a multi-step process called thrombopoiesis regulated by thrombopoietin. Thrombopoietin stimulates its receptor in megakaryocytes to induce the genesis of pro-platelets via a mechanism activated by low platelet counts. Platelet counts in blood are controlled by the rates of production and removal, involving mechanisms of platelet clearance, activation or ageing. Platelets are the most numerous circulating cell type (≈200,000/µL blood in humans) with an immune function. 
  • 989
  • 14 Feb 2022
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