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Topic Review
Rejuvenate Aging Cells and Tissues
Rejuvenate aging cells and tissues is strategies to delay and potentially even reverse the aging process.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 May 2021
Topic Review
Telomeres and Their Neighbors
Telomeres are essential structures formed from satellite DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes in most eukaryotes. Satellite DNA repeat sequences are useful markers for karyotyping, but have a more enigmatic role in the eukaryotic cell. More research is needed until there is a complete picture of the biological function of telomere and other DNA satellite sequences, including chromatin structure, chromosome end-protection and species evolution with a particular focus on non-model organisms. The first problem to solve is the identification of telomere repeats, because telomere repeat identity is the foundation for any hypothesis about telomere maintenance and structure, or binding of specific  proteins. Celebrating Gregor Mendel’s anniversary by going to the principles behind the experiments, a selection of recent developments and underexplored areas of research from the past are illustrated in plants and insects. Indeed, much recent work has expanded beyond the human and yeast models traditional in telomere research. Classic methods from the past, and cutting-edge in silico methods are described. These do not require specialized equipment or expensive materials and can be used, often in combination, to aid research into telomeres and satellites. This can both enrich the general understanding of chromosome maintenance mechanisms and further explore the evolution of telomeres and telomerases.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Esterification of Docosahexaenoic Acid  in Brain Diseases
Docosahexaenoic acid-containing lysophosphatidylcholine (DHA-LysoPC) is presented as the main transporter of DHA from blood plasma to the brain. This is related to the major facilitator superfamily domain-containing protein 2A (Mfsd2a) symporter expression in the blood–brain barrier that recognizes the various lyso-phospholipids that have choline in their polar head. In order to stabilize the DHA moiety at the sn-2 position of LysoPC, the sn-1 position was esterified by the shortest acetyl chain, creating the structural phospholipid 1-acetyl,2-docosahexaenoyl-glycerophosphocholine (AceDoPC). This small structure modification allows the maintaining of the preferential brain uptake of DHA over non-esterified DHA. Additional properties were found for AceDoPC, such as antioxidant properties, especially due to the aspirin-like acetyl moiety, as well as the capacity to generate acetylcholine in response to the phospholipase D cleavage of the polar head. Esterification of DHA within DHA-LysoPC or AceDoPC could elicit more potent neuroprotective effects against neurological diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
DMARDs–Gut Microbiota Feedback
Evidence suggests that the increase or decrease of microorganism communities has an effect on the production of metabolites that are related with immunomodulatory functions. This review suggests that there is feedback between DMARDs and gut microbiota, based on the evidence that supports that DMARDs favor intestinal dysbiosis, as well as on the evidence that some bacterial genera participate in DMARDs-type xenobiotics’ metabolism and in the production of metabolites with an immunomodulatory effect. This document sets a precedent in which DMARDs-promoted dysbiosis could cause, in time, variability of response to different therapeutic schemes. 
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Agri-Food Waste from Apple, Pear, and Sugar Beet
Endothelial damage is recognized as the initial step that precedes several cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. It has been demonstrated that the best treatment for CVD is prevention, and, in the frame of a healthy lifestyle, the consumption of vegetables, rich in bioactive molecules, appears effective at reducing the risk of CVD. In this context, the large amount of agri-food industry waste, considered a global problem due to its environmental and economic impact, represents an unexplored source of bioactive compounds. The waste matrices of apple, pear, and sugar beet crops can represent promising starting material for producing “upcycled” products with functional applications, such as the prevention of endothelial dysfunction linked to cardiovascular diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Sep 2022
Topic Review
PA-mPT Pore
A sharp increase in the permeability of the mitochondrial inner membrane known as mitochondrial permeability transition (or mPT) occurs in mitochondria under the conditions of Ca2+ and ROS stress. Permeability transition can proceed through several mechanisms. The most common mechanism of mPT is based on the opening of a cyclosporine A (CSA)-sensitive protein channel in the inner membrane. In addition to the CSA-sensitive pathway, mPT can occur through the transient opening of lipid pores, emerging in the process of formation of palmitate/Ca2+ complexes. This pathway is independent of CSA and likely plays a protective role against Ca2+ and ROS toxicity. The review considers molecular mechanisms of formation and regulation of the palmitate/Ca2+-induced pores, which we designate as PA-mPT to distinguish it from the classical CSA-sensitive mPT.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Chitosan-Coated Gold Nanoparticles
Delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) provides one of the most powerful strategies for downregulation of therapeutic targets. Despite the widely explored capabilities of this strategy, intracellular delivery is hindered by a lack of carriers that have high stability, low toxicity and high transfection efficiency. Here we propose a layer by layer (LBL) self-assembly method to fabricate chitosan-coated gold nanoparticles (CS-AuNPs) as a more stable and efficient siRNA delivery system. 
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Apr 2021
Topic Review
FAK Inhibition and Corneal Fibroblast Differentiation in vitro
Fibrosis is often known as a response of a tissue to injury, and since the three transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) isoforms (TGF-β1, -β2, and -β3) are the main regulators of cell migration, differentiation, proliferation, and gene expression, they were implicated in both reparative and fibrotic responses. All three TGF-β isoforms are homologues, sharing an extensive similarity in their amino acid sequences (80%), which may result in overlapping functions (i.e., SMAD-dependent signaling, modulating inflammatory responses); however, subtle differences in the sequences exist, thus potentially eliciting opposing effects. For example, several studies showed that TGF-β1 and -β2 are factors that drive the formation of fibrosis in corneal scarring models [8,9,10], whereas TGF-β3 was reported to downregulate fibrosis and promote scarless wound healing (healing without fibrosis).
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles and Immune Function
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cargo of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids produced by eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells both under physiological and pathological conditions. They are found in virtually all body fluids such as plasma, saliva, amniotic fluid, and breast milk, suggesting key roles in immune development and function at different life stages from in utero to aging. Under inflammatory conditions, plasma EV levels are increased and exacerbate immune activation and inflammatory reaction. During infection, bacteria derived EVs can also affect host immunity as pathogenic bacteria derived EVs having pro-inflammatory effects.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Asymptomatic Heart Failure
Heart failure (HF) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and represents an escalating problem for healthcare system. Therefore, it would be of utmost importance to identify asymptomatic individuals with left ventricular dysfunction before the onset of symptoms. Furthermore, special attention should be focused on individuals who are already classified as NIHA I and "apparently healed" patients, who have been diagnosed with HF and whose clinical condition is stable thanks to therapy. These patients usually suffer from a worsening of their condition over time, and therefore recognizing these changes at the onset would be a great achievement.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Emerging Role of Enhancer RNAs in Cancer
Enhancers are distal cis-acting elements that are commonly recognized to regulate gene expression via cooperation with promoters. Along with regulating gene expression, enhancers can be transcribed and generate a class of non-coding RNAs called enhancer RNAs (eRNAs).
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Glucomannan in Dendrobium catenatum
Dendrobium catenatum is a classical and precious dual-use plant for both medicine and food in China. It was first recorded in Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic, and has the traditional functions of nourishing yin, antipyresis, tonifying the stomach, and promoting fluid production. The stem is its medicinal part and is rich in active polysaccharide glucomannan. As an excellent dietary fiber, glucomannan has been experimentally confirmed to be involved in anti-cancer, enhancing immunity, lowering blood sugar and blood lipids, etc.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Taxol®
Taxol®, which is also known as paclitaxel, is a chemotherapeutic agent widely used to treat different cancers. Since the discovery of its antitumoral activity, Taxol® has been used to treat over one million patients, making it one of the most widely employed antitumoral drugs.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Single-Cell Probe Force Studies
The replacement of the cantilever tip by a living cell in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) experiments permits the direct quantification of cell–substrate and cell–cell adhesion forces. This single-cell probe force measurement technique, when complemented by microscopy, allows controlled manipulation of the cell with defined location at the area of interest. Here, measurements aimed to characterize and compare the adhesion capacities of parental MCF7 cells and cells overexpressing the embryonic transcription factor Sox2, which have a higher capacity for invasion and are more resistant to endocrine therapy in vivo. Our findings demonstrate the strength of this approach to assess and compare the adhesion properties of cell lines and to illustrate the heterogeneity of adhesive strength found in breast cancer cells.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Homocysteine Solution-Induced Response in OECTs Devices
Homocysteine (Hcy) is a non-protein, sulfur-containing amino acid, which is recognized as a possible risk factor for coronary artery and other pathologies when its levels in the blood exceed the normal range of between 5 and 12 μmol/L (hyperhomocysteinemia). At present, standard procedures in laboratory medicine, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), are commonly employed for the quantitation of total Hcy (tHcy), i.e., the sum of the protein-bound (oxidized) and free (homocystine plus reduced Hcy) forms, in biological fluids (particularly, serum or plasma). Here, the response of Aerosol Jet-printed organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), in the presence of either reduced (free) and oxidized Hcy-based solutions, was analyzed. Two different experimental protocols were followed to this end: the former consisting of gold (Au) electrodes’ biothiol-induced thiolation, while the latter simply used bare platinum (Pt) electrodes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis was performed both to validate the gold thiolation protocol and to gain insights into the reduced Hcy sensing mechanism by the Au-gated OECTs, which provided a final limit of detection (LoD) of 80 nM. For the OECT response based on Platinum gate electrodes, on the other hand, a LoD of 180 nM was found in the presence of albumin-bound Hcy, with this being the most abundant oxidized Hcy-form (i.e., the protein-bound form) in physiological fluids. Despite the lack of any biochemical functionalization supporting the response selectivity, the findings discussed in this work highlight the potential role of OECT in the development of low-cost point-of-care (POC) electronic platforms that are suitable for the evaluation, in humans, of Hcy levels within the physiological range and in cases of hyperhomocysteinemia.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Nov 2021
Topic Review
C/EBPδ in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein δ (C/EBPδ) is a transcription factor involved in growth arrest and differentiation, which has consequently been suggested to harbor tumor suppressive activities. However, C/EBPδ over-expression also correlates with poor prognosis in glioblastoma and promotes genomic instability in cervical cancer, hinting at an oncogenic role of C/EBPδ in these contexts. This entry outlines the role of C/EBPδ in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In cell lines of this cancer, C/EBPδ exerts a tumor suppressive role by attenuating clonogenicity, proliferation and tumor sphere formation.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Vitamin D May Protect against Breast Cancer
In general, the protective effect of vitamin D3 against breast cancer is underlined by inhibition of proliferation and migration, stimulation of differentiation and apoptosis, and inhibition of epithelial/mesenchymal transition in breast cells. Vitamin D3 may also inhibit the transformation of normal mammary progenitors into breast cancer stem cells that initiate and sustain the growth of breast tumors. As long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in breast cancer pathogenesis, and the specific mechanisms underlying this role are poorly understood, we provided several arguments that vitamin D3/VDR may induce protective effects in breast cancer through modulation of lncRNAs that are important for breast cancer pathogenesis.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Role microRNA in Prostate and Breast Cancer
Micro ribonucleic acids (microRNAs or miRNAs) form a distinct subtype of non-coding RNA and are widely recognized as one of the most significant gene expression regulators in mammalian cells. Mechanistically, the regulation occurs through microRNA binding with its response elements in the 3’-untranslated region of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), resulting in the post-transcriptional silencing of genes, expressing target mRNAs. Compared to small interfering RNAs, microRNAs have more complex regulatory patterns, making them suitable for fine-tuning gene expressions in different tissues. Dysregulation of microRNAs is well known as one of the causative factors in malignant cell growth. Breast cancer (BCa) is the most common cancer in women worldwide and seriously impairs patients’ physical health. Its incidence has been predicted to rise further. Mounting evidence indicates that microRNAs play key roles in tumorigenesis and development. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men. Different microRNAs play an important role in PCa. Early diagnosis of BCa and PCa using microRNAs is very useful for improving individual outcomes in the framework of predictive, preventive, and personalized (3P) medicine, thereby reducing the economic burden.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Feb 2023
Topic Review
DNA Elements That Impact Xist Expression
Compensation for the gene dosage disequilibrium between sex chromosomes in mammals is achieved in female cells by repressing one of its X chromosomes through a process called X chromosome inactivation (XCI), exemplifying the control of gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms. A critical player in this mechanism is Xist, a long, non-coding RNA upregulated from a single X chromosome during early embryonic development in female cells. Xist is regulated at different levels in cis and trans, such as DNA elements, transcription factors, other regulatory proteins, long non-coding RNAs and the chromatin and topological landscape surrounding Xist. This entry focuses on DNA elements that govern Xist expression.
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Polycomb Complexes in Plasma Cells
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are epigenetic regulators involved in cell fate and carcinogenesis. The emerging roles of PcG in PC differentiation and myelomagenesis position them as potential therapeutic targets in multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer that emerges from plasma cells. Plasma cells (PC) are the main effectors of adaptive immunity, responsible for producing antibodies to defend the body against pathogens. They are the result of a complex highly regulated cell differentiation process, taking place in several anatomical locations and involving unique genetic events. Pathologically, PC can undergo tumorigenesis and cause a group of diseases known as plasma cell dyscrasias, including multiple MM, a severe disease with poor prognosis characterized by the accumulation of malignant PC within the bone marrow, and high clinical and molecular heterogeneity. MM patients frequently develop resistance to treatment, leading to relapse.  Below, the roles of PcG proteins in normal and malignant plasma cells and their therapeutic implications are presented.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Nov 2020
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