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Topic Review
Moonlighting Metalloproteinase
Protein moonlighting a.k.a. gene sharing has been defined as the concept that one protein processes multiple tasks and plays multiple roles [1]. Thus, multifunctional proteins are designated as moonlighting proteins. Matrix metalloproteinases play multiple roles in extracellular proteolysis and intracellular gene regulation [2,3], prompting us to propose a new definition of Moonlighting Metalloproteinase (MMP).
  • 990
  • 16 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Drug Testing Applications
The development of artificial tissue/organs with the functional maturity of their native equivalents is one of the long-awaited panaceas for the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Advanced 3D cell printing technology and functional bioinks are promising innovations in the field of tissue engineering that have enabled the fabrication of complex, living 3D tissue/organs. Various requirements for these tissues, including complex and large-volume structure, tissue-specific microenvironments, and functional vasculatures, have been addressed to engineer tissue/organs with the functionality of native tissue. Tissue/organ constructs that satisfy such criteria may facilitate the development of reliable in vitro testing platforms for drug development. 
  • 989
  • 18 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Carbon Dots-Based Logic Gates
Carbon dots (CDs)-based logic gates are smart nanoprobes that can respond to various analytes such as metal cations, anions, amino acids, pesticides, antioxidants, etc. Most of these logic gates are based on fluorescence techniques because they are inexpensive, give an instant response, and highly sensitive
  • 989
  • 24 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Hyperuricemia and Gout
Hyperuricemia is a risk factor for gout. It has been well observed that a large proportion of individuals with hyperuricemia have never had a gout flare(s), while some patients with gout can have a normuricemia. This raises a puzzle of the real role of serum uric acid (SUA) in the occurrence of gout flares. As the molecule of uric acid has its dual effects in vivo with antioxidant properties as well as being an inflammatory promoter, it has been placed in a delicate position in balancing metabolisms. Gout seems to be a multifactorial metabolic disease and its pathogenesis should not rely solely on hyperuricemia or monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. 
  • 989
  • 22 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Natural Polyphenols and Cervical Cancer
From all types of cancer, cervical cancer manages to be in top four most frequent types, with a 6.5% rate of occurrence. The infectious vector that induces the disease, the high-risk Human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted virus, is capable of transforming the host cell by modulating some of the principal signaling pathways responsible for cell cycle arrest, proliferation, and survival. Fortunately, like other cancer types, cervical cancer can be treated by chirurgical interventions or chemoradiotherapy, but these methods are not exactly the lucky clover of modern medicine because of the adverse effects they have. That is the reason why in the last years the emphasis has been on alternative medicine, more specifically on phytochemicals, as a substantial number of studies showed that diet contributes to cancer prevention and treatment. All these studies are trying to find new chemopreventive agents with less toxicity but high effectiveness both in vitro and in vivo. Polyphenols have great potential in cervical cancer prevention, with strong effects on gene modulation.
  • 989
  • 23 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Insect ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, a large class of transmembrane proteins, are widely found in organisms and play an important role in the transport of xenobiotics. Insect ABC transporters are involved in insecticide detoxification and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin perforation. The complete ABC transporter is composed of two hydrophobic transmembrane domains (TMDs) and two nucleotide binding domains (NBDs).
  • 989
  • 26 Nov 2021
Topic Review
DodecaRNAs (doRNAs)
DodecaRNAs (doRNAs) are a family of unusually short RNAs mapping to ribosomal RNA 5.8S, which were named according to the number of core nucleotides (12 nt) their members contain.
  • 987
  • 05 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Cardiac Mitochondria
Mitochondria are organelles responsible for energy production and various other functions in eukaryotes. In the heart, mitochondria are of pivotal importance due to cardiomyocytes' intrinsic high energy needs. 
  • 986
  • 22 Feb 2021
Topic Review
P43
P43 is a truncated form of thyroid hormone receptor α localized in mitochondria, which stimulates mitochondrial respiratory chain activity. Previously, we showed that deletion of p43 led to reduction of pancreatic islet density and a loss of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in adult mice. The present study was designed to determine whether p43 was involved in the processes of β cell development and maturation. We used neonatal, juvenile, and adult p43-/- mice, and we analyzed the development of β cells in the pancreas. Here, we show that p43 deletion affected only slightly β cell proliferation during the postnatal period. However, we found a dramatic fall in p43-/- mice of MafA expression (V-Maf Avian Musculoaponeurotic Fibrosarcoma Oncogene Homolog A), a key transcription factor of beta-cell maturation. Analysis of the expression of antioxidant enzymes in pancreatic islet and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) (a specific marker of lipid peroxidation) staining revealed that oxidative stress occurred in mice lacking p43. Lastly, administration of antioxidants cocktail to p43-/- pregnant mice restored a normal islet density but failed to ensure an insulin secretion in response to glucose. Our findings demonstrated that p43 drives the maturation of β cells via its induction of transcription factor MafA during the critical postnatal window.
  • 986
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Candidate Proteome-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory loss. Early and accurate diagnosis of AD is crucial for implementing timely interventions and developing effective therapeutic strategies. Proteome-based biomarkers have emerged as promising tools for AD diagnosis and prognosis due to their ability to reflect disease-specific molecular alterations. 
  • 986
  • 25 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Peptide Binding at Class A G Protein-Coupled Receptors
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest membrane protein family and a significant target class for therapeutics. Receptors from GPCRs’ largest class, class A, influence virtually every aspect of human physiology. About 45% of the members of this family endogenously bind flexible peptides or peptides segments within larger protein ligands. While many of these peptides have been structurally characterized in their solution state, the few studies of peptides in their receptor-bound state suggest that these peptides interact with a shared set of residues and undergo significant conformational changes. 
  • 985
  • 06 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Biomarkers of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is very complex and heterogeneous. If not adequately treated, RA patients are likely to manifest excess of morbidity and disability with an important impact on the quality of life. Pharmacological treatment is based on the administration of the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), subdivided into conventional synthetic (csDMARDs), targeted synthetic (tsDMARDs), and biological (bDMARDs). bDMARDs are now frequently administered in patients, both as alternative treatment and together with csDMARDs. Unfortunately, there is a therapeutic response variability both to old and new drugs. 
  • 984
  • 17 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Targeting Fatty Acid Metabolism in Gynaecological Cancers
Fatty acid (FA) metabolism plays a vital role in promoting the development and progression of gynaecological cancers. Therefore, enzymes involved in FA metabolism are attractive targets in treating these cancer types. Moreover, inhibiting these enzymes can synergistically augment the antitumour effects of chemotherapeutic agents targeting the oestradiol pathway (e.g., selective ER modulators (SERM) and aromatase inhibitors) or to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance against these agents in gynaecological cancers. In addition to the developing pharmacological inhibitors specifically targeting FA metabolism enzymes, interest is also growing in implementing diet-based intervention to supplement conventional chemotherapeutic regime.
  • 984
  • 12 May 2022
Topic Review
Immune Receptors Glycosylation in Cancer
Glycosylation, which is defined as the association of a carbohydrate moiety to the substrate protein, is the most frequent type of post-translational modification (PTM). More than 50% of human proteins are subjected to the glycosylation machinery for maturation [4]. Protein glycosylation is a conserved kind of PTM that makes indispensable contributions to a wide range of biological processes including protein folding, stability, and interaction with other molecules [5,6,7]. Most membrane and secreted proteins, including immune receptors and ligands, are modified by glycosylation. Furthermore, glycan alterations on the cell surface are universally seen in cancers [8]. Immune cells recognize the abnormal glycosylation on cancer cells, and this recognition often leads to an inhibitory immune process. Thus, the glycosylation of immune receptors and ligands plays a vital role in cancer immunity.
  • 984
  • 25 May 2021
Topic Review
Redox Homeostasis in Poultry
Redox biology is a very quickly developing area of modern biological sciences, and roles of redox homeostasis in health and disease have recently received tremendous attention. There are a range of redox pairs in the cells/tissues responsible for redox homeostasis maintenance/regulation. In general, all redox elements are interconnected and regulated by various means, including antioxidant and vitagene networks. The redox status is responsible for maintenance of cell signaling and cell stress adaptation. Physiological roles of redox homeostasis maintenance in avian species, including poultry, have received limited attention and are poorly characterized. However, for the last 5 years, this topic attracted much attention, and a range of publications covered some related aspects. In fact, transcription factor Nrf2 was shown to be a master regulator of antioxidant defenses via activation of various vitagenes and other protective molecules to maintain redox homeostasis in cells/tissues. It was shown that Nrf2 is closely related to another transcription factor, namely, NF-κB, responsible for control of inflammation; however, its roles in poultry have not yet been characterized. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe a current view on NF-κB functioning in poultry with a specific emphasis to its nutritional modulation under various stress conditions.
  • 983
  • 02 Feb 2021
Topic Review
UPS and Ca2+ Signaling
The ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) is the main proteolytic pathway by which damaged target proteins are degraded after ubiquitination and the recruit of ubiquitinated proteins, thus regulating diverse physiological functions and the maintenance in various tissues and cells. The UPS and Ca2+ signaling are interconnected, since each affects the other. The interconnected nature of these signals plays a critical role in regulating cellular functions. 
  • 983
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
Subclinical Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with COVID-19
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 disease, a bidirectional interaction between kidney disease and the progression of COVID-19 has been demonstrated. Kidney disease is an independent risk factor for mortality of patients with COVID-19 as well as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection leading to the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with COVID-19. However, the detection of kidney damage in patients with COVID-19 may not occur until an advanced stage based on the current clinical blood and urinary examinations. Some studies have pointed out the development of subclinical acute kidney injury (subAKI) syndrome with COVID-19. This syndrome is characterized by significant tubule interstitial injury without changes in the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Despite the complexity of the mechanism(s) underlying the development of subAKI, the involvement of changes in the protein endocytosis machinery in proximal tubule (PT) epithelial cells (PTECs) has been proposed.
  • 983
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Stabilization Strategies of Pharmaceutical Proteins
At the beginning of the transcription of a protein, thanks to the intracellular chaperone systems and the biophysical laws governing protein folding, correct folding occurs most of the time. When due to cellular defects and rapid protein expression, protein folding becomes problematic, and several fates may occur for the protein. In cases where misfolding leads to the loss of protein activity (such as enzymes), the corresponding disease will appear directly. As this state continues, the misfolded protein may turn into amorphous clots or aggregates with regular structures, each of which can lead to various neurological diseases or even cancer. In the most optimistic scenario, the misfolded protein enters the proteasome machinery and is initially converted into smaller peptides and finally broken down into building amino acids.
  • 983
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Anti-RAS-p21 Peptides from Expression Libraries
X-ray crystallographic structures of wild-type and oncogenic RAS-p21 bound to GDP and GTP suggested that there is an absence of surface-exposed clefts to which drug molecules can bind, suggesting that RAS-p21 may be “undruggable”. This impression has proved false by a series of studies that have resulted in a number of cyclic peptides and small molecules that bind to mutant RAS-p21 proteins in their switch 2 domains in a binding “pocket” involving the switch 2 loop (residues 55–67) and the α-2 helix (residues 67–73). This binding is very much dependent on the specific amino acid substitutions that occur. When these agents bind, they strongly inhibit either GTP-bound RAS-p21 or GDP-RAS-p21. In the former case, GTP-bound RAS-p21 cannot bind to the RBD of ras, and in the latter case, GDP-bound RAS-p21 is “frozen” in an inactivated state such that it cannot exchange GDP for GTP and, since it cannot bind to GTP, it cannot adopt an activated conformation in which it presumably interacts with RAF.
  • 982
  • 29 May 2023
Topic Review
Droplet-Based Microfluidic High-Throughput Screening of Engineered Strains
Microfluidic technology has become an important high-throughput screening technology due to its fast speed, low cost, high automation, and high screening throughput, and it has developed rapidly. Droplet-based microfluidic high-throughput screening has been widely used in various fields, such as strain/enzyme activity screening, pathogen detection, single-cell analysis, drug discovery, and chemical synthesis, and has been widely applied in industries such as those involving materials, food, chemicals, textiles, and biomedicine. 
  • 982
  • 08 Jan 2024
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