Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Omega-3 LCPUFAs against Age-Related Cognitive Impairment
Among nutrients to cope with aging in special cognitive decline, the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 LCPUFAs) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have emerged as very promising ones. Due to their neuroinflammatory resolving effects, an increased status of DHA and EPA in the elderly has been linked to better cognitive function and a lower risk of dementia. Recently, supplementation with structured forms of EPA and DHA, which can be derived natural forms or targeted structures, have proven enhanced bioavailability and powerful benefits. 
  • 1.3K
  • 31 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Dictyostelium discoideum
Dictyostelium discoideum has provided a useful, simple model to aid in unraveling the complex pathological characteristics of neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses and lissencephaly. 
  • 1.3K
  • 06 May 2022
Topic Review
YAP-TEAD Interaction Disruptors
This a entry that comprehensively covers the modalities that act as disruptors of the YAP-TEAD interaction. The transcriptional co-activator YAP (Yes-associated protein) by pairing with the transcription factor TEAD (TEA domain) orchestrates the expression of several oncogenic transcriptional programs. These programs are seen in a proportion of all solid tumors. Therefore, the disruption of YAP-TEAD interaction is proposed as an attractive option to target cancers.
  • 1.3K
  • 11 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Protein Arginine Methyltransferase PRMT7
PRMT7 is a member of the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family, which methylates a diverse set of substrates. Arginine methylation as a posttranslational modification regulates protein–protein and protein–nucleic acid interactions, and as such, has been implicated in various biological functions. PRMT7 is a unique, evolutionarily conserved PRMT family member that catalyzes the mono-methylation of arginine. The structural features, functional aspects, and compounds that inhibit PRMT7 are discussed here. Several studies have identified physiological substrates of PRMT7 and investigated the substrate methylation outcomes which link PRMT7 activity to the stress response and RNA biology. PRMT7-driven substrate methylation further leads to the biological outcomes of gene expression regulation, cell stemness, stress response, and cancer-associated phenotypes such as cell migration. Furthermore, organismal level phenotypes of PRMT7 deficiency have uncovered roles in muscle cell physiology, B cell biology, immunity, and brain function. 
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Aberrant BMP2 Signaling
The most common bone disease in humans is osteoporosis (OP). Current therapeutics targeting OP have several negative side effects. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) is a potent growth factor that is known to activate both osteoblasts and osteoclasts. It completes these actions through both SMAD-dependent and SMAD-independent signaling. A novel interaction between the BMP type Ia receptor (BMPRIa) and casein kinase II (CK2) was discovered, and several CK2 phosphorylation sites were identified. A corresponding blocking peptide (named CK2.3) was designed to further elucidate the phosphorylation site’s function. Previously, CK2.3 demonstrated an increased osteoblast activity and decreased osteoclast activity in a variety of animal models, cell lines, and isolated human osteoblasts. It is hypothesized that CK2.3 completes these actions through the BMP signaling pathway. Furthermore, it was recently discovered that BMP2 did not elicit an osteogenic response in osteoblasts from patients diagnosed with OP, while CK2.3 did.
  • 1.3K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Peptide Hormones and Adipose Tissue
Peptide hormones play a prominent role in controlling energy homeostasis and metabolism. They have been implicated in controlling appetite, the function of the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems, energy expenditure, and reproduction. Furthermore, there is growing evidence indicating that peptide hormones and their receptors contribute to energy homeostasis regulation by interacting with white and brown adipose tissue.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Chitosan-Based Delivery Systems for Carotenoids
Carotenoids are secondary metabolites present in microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, fungi, and microalgae) and higher plants. They cannot be produced by the human organism. In nature, their principal role is to attract different light wavelengths and transfer their energy to chlorophylls, a function occurring mainly in photosynthetic organisms. Moreover, they can act as photo-protectors, precursors of hormonal substances, antistress secondary metabolites, and attractive agents in plant–insect interaction.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles in Helicobacter pylori-Infection
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived vesicles important in intercellular communication that play an essential role in host-pathogen interactions, spreading pathogen-derived, as well as host-derived molecules during infection. Pathogens can induce changes in the composition of EVs derived from the infected cells and use them to manipulate their microenvironment and, for instance, modulate innate and adaptive inflammatory immune responses, both in a stimulatory or suppressive manner. Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide and infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is considered the main risk factor for developing this disease, which is characterized by a strong inflammatory component. EVs released by host cells infected with H. pylori contribute significantly to inflammation, and in doing so promote the development of disease. 
  • 1.3K
  • 13 May 2021
Topic Review
Secondary Metabolism's Main Biosynthetic Pathways in Solid-State Fermentation
Microbial secondary metabolites are low-molecular-weight compounds synthesized by microorganisms after the growth phase. Secondary metabolites are not directly involved in microbial growth. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is a process whereby microorganisms grow in the absence of free water or with low water content. It has been used since ancient times to obtain fermented foods such as koji, bread, and cheeses.
  • 1.3K
  • 13 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Lactoferrin and Its Derived Peptides
Lf is bacteriostatic and/or bactericidal, can stimulate cell proliferation and differentiation, facilitate iron absorption, improve neural development and cognition, promote bone growth, prevent cancer and exert anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Choroid Plexus
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the liquid that fills the brain ventricles. CSF represents not only a mechanical brain protection but also a rich source of signalling factors modulating diverse processes during brain development and adulthood. The choroid plexus (CP) is a major source of CSF and as such it has recently emerged as an important mediator of extracellular signalling within the brain. Growing interest in the CP revealed its capacity to release a broad variety of bioactive molecules that, via CSF, regulate processes across the whole central nervous system (CNS). Moreover, CP has been also recognized as a sensor, responding to altered composition of CSF associated with changes in the patterns of CNS activity. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in our understanding of the CP as a signalling centre that mediates long-range communication in the CNS. By providing a detailed account of the CP secretory repertoire, we describe how the CP contributes to the regulation of the extracellular environment—in the context of both the embryonal as well as the adult CNS. We highlight the role of the CP as an important regulator of CNS function that acts via CSF-mediated signalling. Further studies of CP–CSF signalling hold the potential to provide key insights into the biology of the CNS, with implications for better understanding and treatment of neuropathological conditions.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Type 2 Transglutaminase in Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease (CD) is a multifactiorial enteropathy that affects the small intestine of genetically predisposed individuals. A condition of partial to total atrophy, together with crypt hyperplasia and consistent lymphocytic infiltration, characterises the intestinal mucosa of affected patients. The main environmental trigger is a heterogenic proteic component of some dietary cereals, commonly known as gluten. A strong immune response against gluten, both cellular and humoral, is mounted in CD, accompanied by a humoral autoimmune response against self-proteins, in particular type 2 transglutaminase (TG2).
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Gap Junction Channel
In most tissues, cells in contact with each other exchange cytosolic molecules of low molecular weight via channels aggregated at gap junctions. Gap junction mediated cell-to-cell communication allows neighboring cells to coordinate and regulate many functional activities in mature and developing organs. A gap junction channel is made of the interaction of two hemichannels (connexons/innexons) that form a hydrophilic pathway across the two apposed plasma membranes and the extracellular space (gap). Each connexon/innexon is an oligomer of six proteins (connexins/innexins) that span the plasma membrane and create a hydrophilic pore insulated from lipid bilayer and extracellular medium (Rev. in: Peracchia, C., Gap junction stucture and chemical regulation. Direct calmodulin role in cell-to-cell channel gating. Academic Press. An imprint of Elsevier: London, UK, 2019). Gap junction channels have been thought to possess as many as four types of gates: fast transjunctional voltage (Vj) gate, slow Vj-gate, chemical gate and gate sensitive to membrane potential (Vm). However, since the behavior of the slow Vj-gate and the Vm-sensitive is the same as that of the chemical gate, most likely these gates are the same. We have named this gate “chemical/slow gate” (Peracchia, C. Calmodulin-mediated regulation of gap junction channels. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 485). In 2000, we proposed a calmodulin (CaM)-mediated “cork-type” gating model. The model proposes two mechanisms. One, “Ca-CaM-Cork”, envisions physical blockage of the channel’s mouth by a CaM lobe (N-lobe?), likely to be combined with conformational connexin changes induced by Ca2+-CaM binding to connexin sites. The other, “CaM-Cork”, also proposes a physical blockage of the channel’s mouth by a CaM lobe, but without calcium-ctivation. The first is only reversed by the return of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) to resting values. The latter is reversed by Vj positive at the gated side (Peracchia, C. Calmodulin-Cork model of gap junction channel gating. - One molecule, two mechanisms. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 4938). Evidence that gap junction mediated cell communication is finely regulated by nanomolar [Ca2+]i via the direct action of Ca2+-CaM indicates that gap junction channel gating is not just a safety mechanism for protecting cells from damaged/dead neighbors (healing-over). Rather, it is also a mechanism designed to finely modulate cell–cell exchange of small molecules. In summary: At resting [Ca2+]i, (<50nM) some channels are spontaneously closed by the CaM-Cork gating mechanism. With moderate [Ca2+]i rise (50–100 nM, the CaMKII cascade may be activated causing channels closed by the CaM-Cork mechanism to open. With greater [Ca2+]i rise (>100 nM), the channels start closing by the Ca-CaM-Cork mechanism. CaM lobe channel mouth plugging is likely to include connexin conformational changes. CaM-Cork gated channels could be reopened by Vj positive at gated side, but since they would close at the negative side no Gj change would occur. This is not the case with heterotypic channels between wild-type connexins paired with more gating-sensitive mutants. Most Ca-CaM-Cork gated channels reopen with a drop in [Ca2+]i to resting values (<50 nM). However, with prolonged exposure to high [Ca2+]i, channel gating may not be reversible. Many questions still need to be answered in terms of molecular details, such as: Is CaM anchored to the NT or the CL2 domain? Is CaM anchored to connexins by the C-lobe or the N-lobe? Is the gating lobe the N-lobe or the C-lobe? Does the gating lobe bind to the CL2 or the NT CaM binding site? Are all of the CaMs anchored to a connexon Ca2+-activated? If so, how many lobes gate the channel? Does CaM activation cause connexin conformational changes?
  • 1.3K
  • 17 Jul 2020
Topic Review
BAZ1B the Protean Protein
The bromodomain adjacent to the zinc finger domain 1B (BAZ1B) or Williams syndrome transcription factor (WSTF) are just two of the names referring the same protein that is encoded by the WBSCR9 gene and is among the 26–28 genes that are lost from one copy of 7q11.23 in Williams syndrome (WS: OMIM 194050). Patients afflicted by this contiguous gene deletion disorder present with a range of symptoms including cardiovascular complications, developmental defects as well as a characteristic cognitive and behavioral profile. Studies in patients with atypical deletions and mouse models support BAZ1B hemizygosity as a contributing factor to some of the phenotypes. Focused analysis on BAZ1B has revealed this to be a versatile nuclear protein with a central role in chromatin remodeling through two distinct complexes as well as being involved in the replication and repair of DNA, transcriptional processes involving RNA Polymerases I, II, and III as well as possessing kinase activity. 
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Oct 2021
Topic Review
LncRNAs
Chemo and radiation therapies are the most commonly used therapies for cancer, but they can induce DNA damage, resulting in the apoptosis of host cells. DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) are the most lethal form of DNA damage in cells, which are constantly caused by a wide variety of genotoxic agents, both environmentally and endogenously. To maintain genomic integrity, eukaryotic organisms have developed a complex mechanism for the repair of DNA damage. Researches reported that many cellular long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were involved in the response of DNA damage. The roles of lncRNAs in DNA damage response can be regulated by the dynamic modification of N6-adenosine methylation (m6A). The cellular accumulation of DNA damage can result in various diseases, including cancers. Additionally, lncRNAs also play roles in controlling the gene expression and regulation of autophagy, which are indirectly involved with individual development. The dysregulation of these functions can facilitate human tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarized the origin and overview function of lncRNAs and highlighted the roles of lncRNAs involved in the repair of DNA damage.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Marine Algae Polysaccharide in Gut Microbiota
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death worldwide. Evidence has demonstrated an association between the gut microbiota and CVD, including heart failure, cerebrovascular illness, hypertension, and stroke. Marine algal polysaccharides (MAPs) are valuable natural sources of diverse bioactive compounds. MAPs have many pharmaceutical activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antidiabetic effects. 
  • 1.3K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Mineral Nutrient Biomarkers and Its Applications in Epidemiology
Minerals are dietary supplements that are essential for preserving healthy physiology and function. Mineral elements such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), iodine (I), and selenium (Se) are highly valued in modern healthy diets as they have special roles in cellular metabolism. In addition, the oxidative or antioxidant properties of certain metals may affect cardiovascular health, and reduce the risk of anemia, cancer and so on. Therefore, adequate intake of essential minerals through diet and/or supplements is recommended to promote health. 
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Nutriepigenomics in Environmental-Associated Oxidative Stress
Complex molecular mechanisms define our responses to environmental stimuli. Beyond the DNA sequence itself, epigenetic machinery orchestrates changes in gene expression induced by diet, physical activity, stress and pollution, among others. Importantly, nutrition has a strong impact on epigenetic players and, consequently, sustains a promising role in the regulation of cellular responses such as oxidative stress. As oxidative stress is a natural physiological process where the presence of reactive oxygen-derived species and nitrogen-derived species overcomes the uptake strategy of antioxidant defenses, it plays an essential role in epigenetic changes induced by environmental pollutants and culminates in signaling the disruption of redox control. 
  • 1.3K
  • 18 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Redox Potential Features of Laccase
Laccase, one of the metalloproteins, belongs to the multicopper oxidase family. It oxidizes a wide range of substrates and generates water as a sole by-product. The engineering of laccase is important to broaden their industrial and environmental applications. The general assumption is that the low redox potential of laccases is the principal obstacle, as evidenced by their low activity towards certain substrates. Therefore, the primary goal of engineering laccases is to improve their oxidation capability, thereby increasing their redox potential. Even though some of the determinants of laccase are known, it is still not entirely clear how to enhance its redox potential. However, the laccase active site has additional characteristics that regulate the enzymes’ activity and specificity. These include the electrostatic and hydrophobic environment of the substrate binding pocket, the steric effect at the substrate binding site, and the orientation of the binding substrate with respect to the T1 site of the laccase. 
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Chronic Inflammation and Radiation-Induced Cystitis
Radiation cystitis is a potential complication following the therapeutic irradiation of pelvic cancers.
  • 1.3K
  • 19 Jan 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 133
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Academic Video Service
Feedback