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
Extracellular ATP (eATP)
As an apoplastic signal, extracellular ATP (eATP) promotes pollen germination (PG) and pollen tube growth (PTG) of Arabidopsis thaliana by stimulating Ca2+ or K+ absorption. P2K1 receptor, heterotrimeric G alpha  protein and CNGC2/CNGC4 are involved in eATP stimulated signaling in Arabidopsis pollens. 
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Huntingtin Ubiquitination Mechanisms
Huntington Disease (HD) is caused by the CAG repeat expansion (≥36 CAG triplets) in the exon1 of the HTT gene encoding for the protein huntingtin (Htt). Huntingtin and mutated huntingtin (mHtt) are degradated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Ubiquitination has been linked to reduced mHtt toxicity, most likely due to increased mHtt clearance by the proteasome.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Jan 2022
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).
  • 1.1K
  • 11 May 2022
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
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
Approved Anticancer Compounds from Marine Sponges
Marine sponges belong to the Porifera phylum, and the known species are more than 9000, which are divided into four classes: Calcarea, Demospongiae, Hexactinellida and Homoscleromorpha. To date, more than 5300 natural compounds have been isolated from sponges or their associated bacteria, and this number is constantly updating.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Follicular Fluid
Follicular fluid (FF) serves as a complex microenvironment for germ cell–somatic cell communication. It encompasses a variety of metabolites and enables different reactions to take place that are crucial to oocyte growth. It is derived from the diffusion of serum, transudate of plasma, and metabolites synthesized in the follicle wall that will later be altered by granulosa cells (GCs) and theca cells.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jun 2022
Topic Review
NETosis in Parasitic Infections
Neutrophils are the key players in the innate immune system, being weaponized with numerous strategies to eliminate pathogens. The production of extracellular traps is one of the effector mechanisms operated by neutrophils in a process called NETosis. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are complex webs of extracellular DNA studded with histones and cytoplasmic granular proteins.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 May 2023
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
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
Relationships between N-Glycosylation and Disulfide Bonds
N-Glycosylation (NG) and disulfide bonds (DBs) are two prevalent co/post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are often conserved and coexist in membrane and secreted proteins involved in a large number of diseases. Both in the past and in recent times, the enzymes and chaperones regulating these PTMs have been constantly discovered to directly interact with each other or colocalize in the ER. However, beyond a few model proteins, how such cooperation affects N-glycan modification and disulfide bonding at selective sites in individual proteins is largely unknown. More investigations should be encouraged to unveil the hidden relationships of NG and DBs in the majority of membranes and secreted proteins for pathophysiological understanding and biotherapeutic development. 
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Apr 2022
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
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
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
Nanotechnology Platform for Advancing Vaccine Development Against COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on societies, public health, healthcare systems, and the world economy. Vaccination emerged as the most effective strategy to combat this infectious disease. For vaccination strategies, any conventional vaccine approach using attenuated live or inactivated/engineered virus, as well as other approaches, typically requires years of research and assessment. However, the urgency of the situation promoted a faster and more effective approach to vaccine development against COVID-19. The role of nanotechnology in designing, manufacturing, boosting, and delivering vaccines to the host to counter this virus was unquestionably valued and assessed.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Biosynthesis of hFA and hFA-SL
Sphingolipids containing fatty acid (acyl) residues that are hydroxylated at position C-2 (2-hydroxylated sphingolipids) are found in most, possibly all, eukaryotes and certain bacteria. 2-hydroxylated sphingolipids are present in many organs and cell types, though they are especially abundant in myelin and skin. The enzyme fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H in mammals or its orthologs in other classes) is involved in the synthesis of many but not all 2-hydroxylated sphingolipids in eukaryotes. Deficiency in FA2H causes a neurodegenerative disease known as hereditary spastic paraplegia 35 (HSP35/SPG35) or fatty acid hydroxylase-associated neurodegeneration (FAHN). FA2H likely also plays a role in other diseases, for example in different types of cancer. 
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Bacterial Enhancement of Microalgal Metabolites
Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms with a high potential to produce a wide variety of industrial-interest metabolites such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and pigments. 
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Immunotherapy in Gastric Cancer Management
Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and the fourth most common cause of cancer death. As GC is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, mortality remains very high. GC shows both genetic and environmental risk factors, with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection being the most well-described risk factor leading to GC. Germline genetic alterations are also involved in 1–3% of cases. Due to the poor survival rates of GC, immunotherapy has been widely explored as a potential treatment. Both active and passive immunotherapies have been examined. Active immunotherapies involve using a patient’s own immune system to treat the disease whereas passive immunotherapies rely on exogenous agents administered to patients such as antibodies in order to treat the tumour. The great efficacy observed in melanoma has propelled immunotherapies to be explored in a variety of other tumours, particularly breast, prostate, and lung cancer.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Recurrent Spliceosome Mutations in Cancer
Splicing alterations have been widely documented in tumors where the proliferation and dissemination of cancer cells is supported by the expression of aberrant isoform variants. Splicing is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a ribonucleoprotein complex that orchestrates the complex process of intron removal and exon ligation. In recent years, recurrent hotspot mutations in the spliceosome components U1 snRNA, SF3B1, and U2AF1 have been identified across different tumor types. Such mutations in principle are highly detrimental for cells as all three spliceosome components are crucial for accurate splice site selection: the U1 snRNA is essential for 3′ splice site recognition, and SF3B1 and U2AF1 are important for 5′ splice site selection. Nonetheless, they appear to be selected to promote specific types of cancers.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Protein Sorting at the Outer Mitochondrial Membrane
Mitochondria are double membrane-bound organelles consisting of an outer membrane, intermembrane space (IMS), inner membrane, and matrix that play critical functions in cells including metabolism, energy production, regulation of intrinsic apoptosis, and maintenance of calcium homeostasis. Mitochondria are fascinatingly equipped with their own genome and machinery for transcribing and translating 13 essential proteins of the oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS). The rest of the proteins (99%) that function in mitochondria in the various pathways described above are nuclear-transcribed and synthesized as precursors in the cytosol. These proteins are imported into the mitochondria by the unique mitochondrial protein import system that consists of seven machineries. Proper functioning of the mitochondrial protein import system is crucial for optimal mitochondrial deliverables, as well as mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 May 2023
  • Page
  • of
  • 134
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback