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Topic Review
Brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1)
Brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1/ADGRB1) is an adhesion G protein-coupled receptor that has been found to play key roles in phagocytosis, inflammation, synaptogenesis, the inhibition of angiogenesis, and myoblast fusion.     
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Radiolabeled Gold Nanoseeds and Glioblastoma Multiforme
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), classified as a grade IV brain tumor, represents the most frequent brain tumor, accounting for approximately 12–15% of all intracranial neoplasms. Current therapeutic strategies for GBM rely on open surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Despite some progress in the past 30 years, the overall survival of patients with glioblastoma remains extremely poor. The average lifespan is approximately 15 months after diagnosis, with most patients experiencing tumor relapse and outgrowth within 7–10 months of initial radiation therapy.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Prion Organotypic Slice Culture
The prion organotypic slice culture assay (POSCA) is a cerebellar slice culture that was originally developed to take advantage of the transmissible nature of prions, propagating prion infection ex vivo. Because much of the cytoarchitexture is preserved, this system allows the study of pathogenesis in an open system and is amenable to manipulation of cell types and testing of therapeutics. The culture has been adapted to other brain areas, different prion strains, and has also been applied to other neurodegenerative diseases that are prion-like in their transmissible propagation of protein misfolding, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Huntington’s disease. This entry provides a review of POSCA as used in the prion field. For a review of its application to other neurodegenerative diseases, please see the associated review article in Biomolecules.
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Aug 2020
Topic Review
RNA Structure and RNA–RNA Interactions
Complex RNA–RNA interactions are increasingly known to play key roles in numerous biological processes from gene expression control to ribonucleoprotein granule formation. By contrast, the nature of these interactions and characteristics of their interfaces, especially those that involve partially or wholly structured RNAs, remain elusive. This entry describes different modalities of RNA–RNA interactions with an emphasis on those that depend on secondary, tertiary, or quaternary structure, and highlight a two-way relationship between RNA structure and interactions.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Jan 2022
Topic Review
MiRNA–RBP Binding Functions
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), short-chain RNAs of 18–22 nt chain length, are expressed in all vertebrates and control tissue development, differentiation, cell growth, and apoptosis in non-cancer and cancer cells. Additionally, miRNAs target mRNAs on the basis of their sequence and decrease protein production by inhibiting mRNA translation or destroying the mRNAs, thereby controlling cellular homeostasis. miRNA expression is controlled through DNA modification, such as by methylation and transcriptional factors through the signal-transduction pathway. miRNAs are transcribed as pri-mature from DNA and are then processed by the Drosha complex, thus generating pre-miRNAs. These pre-miRNAs are transported by exportin 5 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and further processed by Dicer to form the double-stranded miRNA RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). RISCs involving single-strand miRNAs, comprising Ago, Dicer, and trans-activation-responsive RNA-binding protein (TRBP) 2, are directed to the mRNA targets, thus regulating protein expressions. To date, the bioinformatics databases TargetScan (http://www.targetscan.org/vert_72/, 26 September 2021) and miRTarBase (http://mirtarbase.cuhk.edu.cn/php/index.php, 26 September 2021) have been used to predict the interaction between miRNAs and target mRNAs.
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Dec 2021
Topic Review
TRAILR2/DR5-Mediated Activation of Apoptosis upon Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
The uncontrolled proliferation of malignant cells in growing tumors results in the generation of different stressors in the tumor microenvironment, such as nutrient shortage, hypoxia, and acidosis, among others, that disrupt endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis and may lead to ER stress. As a response to ER stress, both normal and tumor cells launch a set of signaling pathways known as the unfolded protein response (UPR) to restore ER proteostasis and maintain cell viability and function. However, under sustained ER stress, an apoptotic cell death process can be induced, although the role of the (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2 (TRAIL-R2/DR5)-activated extrinsic pathway of apoptosis has not yet been thoroughly summarized.
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Mitochondrial Aging and Natural Products with Protective Potential
It was found that mitochondrial activity decreases with aging and that degeneration is linked to the reductions in mitochondria, mRNA transcripts, protein expression, and mtDNA and increased oxidative stress. In particular, reduced protein synthesis hinders protein turnover. The inability to replace damaged proteins may explain why aging is related to reduced mitochondrial function. Mitochondria, the cellular organelles that produce most of the ATP, become dysfunctional during aging. This condition is coupled with inflammation, oxidative stress, and reduced cellular functionalities in every organ. Numerous genes have been linked to aging, with some favoring it (gerontogenes) and others blocking it (genes of longevity pathways). The desire for eternal youth is a constant in the history of humanity. The increased life expectancy in industrialized countries has unfortunately also led to a significant increase in the incidence of age-related diseases (ARDs) such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Membrane Proteins
(Trans)membrane enzymes are typically not considered as good catalyst in biotechnology, due to difficultlies in production and purification. However, a growing number of applications are proposed in bioelectrocatalysis as membrane enzymes catalyse a number of energy-conversion reactions that are key in society. Bioelectrocatalytic systems that have been developed broadly fall in two catagories: (a) enzymatic biofuel cells and (b) biophotoelectrocatalyst. In order for these systems to function efficiently, the interface between the electrode surface and the membrane enzymes needs to be specifically tailored to retain the structural integrity of these amphiphilic macromolecules while - at the same time - enable fast electron exchange between the solid surface and the protein. This entry summarises key approaches in this area, which we here coin as "membrane protein modified electrodes".
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Established Opto-Chemical Tools
As light inherently possesses exceptional spatiotemporal precision, photo-responsive molecules are great candidates for the modulation of biological activities with high spatiotemporal resolution. The two most common opto-chemical strategies are photo-induced conformational changes and light-induced uncaging which typically implies chemical caging of small molecules, oligonucleotides, and peptides and proteins.
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Hyaluronan Structure and Physicochemical Properties
Hyaluronan (HA) is a naturally occurring non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG), cell-surface-associated biopolymer, and is the crucial component of tissue extracellular matrix (ECM). HA is a regular polymer of disaccharides composed of glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine linked via alternating β-1,4 and β-1,3 glycosidic bonds.
  • 1.2K
  • 04 May 2023
Topic Review
Ring Finger Protein 11
RNF11 (Ring Finger Protein 11) is a 154 amino-acid long protein that contains a RING-H2 domain, whose sequence has remained substantially unchanged throughout vertebrate evolution. RNF11 has drawn attention as a modulator of protein degradation by HECT E3 ligases.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster has proved to be a dynamic model organism that can produce high-quality data in a short time frame. One of the fly’s most prominent feature is the possibility to perform genetic alterations through the well-known Gal4/UAS expression system, thus making it possible to express target proteins in a specific cell type or tissue.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
There are several risk factors of HCC such as viral hepatitis (B, C), cirrhosis, tobacco and alcohol use, aflatoxin-contaminated food, pesticides, diabetes, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and metabolic and genetic diseases. Diagnosis of HCC is based on different methods such as imaging ultrasonography (US), multiphasic enhanced computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and several diagnostic biomarkers.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Integrin-Based Therapeutics in Diseases
Integrins are heterodimeric glycoproteins crucial to the physiology and pathology of many biological functions. As adhesion molecules, they mediate immune cell trafficking, migration, and immunological synapse formation during inflammation and cancer. The recognition of the vital roles of integrins in various diseases revealed their therapeutic potential. 
  • 1.2K
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Accumulation, Competition, and Toxicity of Divalent Cations
The binding of calcium and magnesium ions to proteins is crucial for regulating heart contraction. However, other divalent cations, including xenobiotics, can accumulate in the myocardium and enter cardiomyocytes, where they can bind to proteins.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Genetically Encoded Biosensors for O2 and ROS Detection
The intracellular concentrations of oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living cells represent critical information for investigating physiological and pathological conditions. Real-time measurement often relies on genetically encoded proteins that are responsive to fluctuations in either oxygen or ROS concentrations. The direct binding or chemical reactions that occur in their presence either directly alter the fluorescence properties of the binding protein or alter the fluorescence properties of fusion partners, mostly consisting of variants of the green fluorescent protein. Oxygen sensing takes advantage of several mechanisms, including (i) the oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of a domain of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1, which, in turn, promotes its cellular degradation along with fluorescent fusion partners; (ii) the naturally oxygen-dependent maturation of the fluorophore of green fluorescent protein variants; and (iii) direct oxygen binding by proteins, including heme proteins, expressed in fusion with fluorescent partners, resulting in changes in fluorescence due to conformational alterations or fluorescence resonance energy transfer. 
  • 1.2K
  • 06 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Potential Chemicals from Plastic Wastes
Plastic is referred to as a “material of every application”. From the packaging and automotive industries to the medical apparatus and computer electronics sectors, plastic materials are fulfilling demands efficiently. These plastics usually end up in landfills and incinerators, creating plastic waste pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2015, 9.1% of the plastic materials generated in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream was recycled, 15.5% was combusted for energy, and 75.4% was sent to landfills. 
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
K+-2Cl− cotransporter 2 (KCC2)
Intracellular chloride levels in the brain are regulated primarily through the opposing effects of two cation-chloride co-transporters (CCCs), namely K+-Cl− co-transporter-2 (KCC2) and Na+-K+-Cl− co-transporter-1 (NKCC1). These CCCs are differentially expressed throughout the course of development, thereby determining the excitatory-to-inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) switch. GABAergic excitation (depolarisation) is important in controlling the healthy development of the nervous system; as the brain matures, GABAergic inhibition (hyperpolarisation) prevails. This developmental switch in excitability is important, as uncontrolled regulation of neuronal excitability can have implications for health.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Amsacrine
Amsacrine, an anticancer drug first synthesised in 1970 by Professor Cain and colleagues, showed excellent preclinical activity and underwent clinical trial in 1978 under the auspices of the US National Cancer Institute, showing activity against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Tetrazoles as Antidiabetic Agents
Tetrazole heterocycle is a promising scaffold in drug design, and it is incorporated into active pharmaceutical ingredients of medications of various actions: hypotensives, diuretics, antihistamines, antibiotics, analgesics, and others. This heterocyclic system is metabolically stable and easily participates in various intermolecular interactions with different biological targets through hydrogen bonding, conjugation, or van der Waals forces.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Dec 2023
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