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Topic Review
RNA Interference Past and Future Applications in Plants
Antisense RNA was observed to elicit plant disease resistance and post-translational gene silencing (PTGS). The universal mechanism of RNA interference (RNAi) was shown to be induced by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), an intermediate produced during virus replication. Plant viruses with a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome have been instrumental in the discovery and characterization of systemic RNA silencing and suppression.  Application of exogenously applied dsRNA is proving to be a potent strategy for delivery to improve crop performance.
  • 959
  • 29 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Reactive Carbonyl Species in Plant Physiology
Oxidation of membrane lipids by reactive oxygen species (ROS) or O2/lipoxygenase leads to the formation of various bioactive compounds collectively called oxylipins. Reactive carbonyl species (RCS) are a group of oxylipins that have the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl structure, including acrolein and 4-hydroxy-(E)-2-nonenal. RCS provides a missing link between ROS stimuli and cellular responses in plants via their electrophilic modification of proteins.
  • 959
  • 10 Nov 2021
Topic Review
FNDC5/Irisin System in Neuroinflammation
Irisin, the circulating peptide originating from fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), is mainly expressed by muscle fibers under peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) control during exercise. In addition to several beneficial effects on health, physical activity positively affects nervous system functioning, particularly the hippocampus, resulting in amelioration of cognition impairments. Recently, FNDC5/irisin detection in hippocampal neurons and the presence of irisin in the cerebrospinal fluid opened a new intriguing chapter in irisin history. Interestingly, in the hippocampus of mice, exercise increases FNDC5 levels and upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. BDNF, displaying neuroprotection and anti-inflammatory effects, is mainly produced by microglia and astrocytes. 
  • 958
  • 21 May 2021
Topic Review
Parasporins, Bacillus thuringiensis Proteins
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacterium capable of producing Cry toxins, which are recognized for their bio-controlling actions against insects. However, a few Bt strains encode proteins lacking insecticidal activity but showing cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines and low or no cytotoxicity toward normal human cells. 
  • 958
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Applications of the Comet Assay in Plant Studies
Contrarily to chronic stresses, acute (i.e., fast and dramatic) changes in environmental factors like temperature, radiation, concentration of toxic substances, or pathogen attack often lead to DNA damage. Some of the stress factors are genotoxic, i.e., they damage the DNA via physical interactions or via interference with DNA replication/repair machinery. However, cytotoxic factors, i.e., those that do not directly damage the DNA, can lead to secondary genotoxic effects either via the induction of the production of reactive oxygen, carbon, or nitrogen species, or via the activation of programmed cell death and related endonucleases. The extent of this damage, as well as the ability of the cell to repair it, represent a significant part of plant stress responses. Information about DNA damage is important for physiological studies as it helps to understand the complex adaptive responses of plants and even to predict the outcome of the plant’s exposure to acute stress. Single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet assay) provides a convenient and relatively inexpensive tool to evaluate DNA strand breaks in the different organs of higher plants, as well as in unicellular algae. Comet assays are widely used in ecotoxicology and biomonitoring applications.
  • 955
  • 29 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Laser Capture Microdissection
The advancement in molecular techniques has been attributed to the quality and significance of cancer research. Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the rare cancers with aggressive behavior and a high mortality rate. The asymptomatic nature of the disease until its advanced stage has resulted in late diagnosis as well as poor prognosis. The heterogeneous character of PC has complicated cancer development and progression studies. The analysis of bulk tissues of the disease was insufficient to understand the disease, hence, the introduction of the single-cell separating technique aided researchers to decipher more about the specific cell population of tumors. 
  • 954
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Amyloid-β Proteins and Pericytes
This review provides an updated overview of the interaction between Aβ proteins with pericytes, one the most significant and often forgotten cellular components of the BBB and the inner blood retinal barrier (IBRB).
  • 953
  • 24 May 2020
Topic Review
Bacteriophage-Derived Depolymerases against Bacterial Biofilm
In addition to specific antibiotic resistance, the formation of bacterial biofilm causes another level of complications in attempts to eradicate pathogenic or harmful bacteria, including difficult penetration of drugs through biofilm structures to bacterial cells, impairment of immunological response of the host, and accumulation of various bioactive compounds (enzymes and others) affecting host physiology and changing local pH values, which further influence various biological functions. In this study, we provide an overview on the formation of bacterial biofilm and its properties, and then we focus on the possible use of phage-derived depolymerases to combat bacterial cells included in this complex structure. On the basis of the study, we conclude that, although these bacteriophage-encoded enzymes may be effective in destroying specific compounds involved in the formation of biofilm, they are rarely sufficient to eradicate all bacterial cells. Nevertheless, a combined therapy, employing depolymerases together with antibiotics and/or other antibacterial agents or factors, may provide an effective approach to treat infections caused by bacteria able to form biofilms.
  • 953
  • 23 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Therapeutic Efficacy of Cucurbitacin
Cucurbitacins are a class of secondary metabolites initially isolated from the Cucurbitaceae family. They are important for their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer biological actions.
  • 953
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Detrimental Effects of Reactive Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress is defined as a disturbance in the balance between oxidant production and antioxidant activity. Oxidative stress is characterized by an increase in reactive oxygen species or a decrease in antioxidants in the body. This imbalance leads to detrimental effects, including inflammation and multiple chronic diseases, ranging from impaired wound healing to highly impacting pathologies in the neural and cardiovascular systems, or the bone, amongst others. 
  • 953
  • 10 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Naturally Occurring Aristolochic Acid Analogues
Aristolochic acids are known for nephrotoxicity, and implicated in multiple cancer types such as hepatocellular carcinomas.
  • 953
  • 25 Feb 2022
Topic Review
LRRFIP1 is a DAPK1 Interactor
Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is a pleiotropic hub of a number of networked distributed intracellular processes. Among them, DAPK1 is known to interact with the excitotoxicity driver NMDA receptor (NMDAR), and in sudden pathophysiological conditions of the brain, e.g., stroke, several lines of evidence link DAPK1 with the transduction of glutamate-induced events that determine neuronal fate. In turn, DAPK1 expression and activity are known to be affected by the redox status of the cell. To delineate specific and differential neuronal DAPK1 interactors in stroke-like conditions in vitro, we exposed primary cultures of rat cortical neurons to oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD), a condition that increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxides. OGD or control samples were co-immunoprecipitated separately, trypsin-digested, and proteins in the interactome identified by high-resolution LC-MS/MS. Data were processed and curated using bioinformatics tools. OGD increased total DAPK1 protein levels, cleavage into shorter isoforms, and dephosphorylation to render the active DAPK1 form. The DAPK1 interactome comprises some 600 proteins, mostly involving binding, catalytic and structural molecular functions. OGD up-regulated 190 and down-regulated 192 candidate DAPK1-interacting proteins. Some differentially up-regulated interactors related to NMDAR and specially the interaction of DAPK1 with the protein leucine-rich repeat of flightless interacting protein 1 (LRRFIP1), that we observed upregulated during OGD and ferroptosis , were validated by WB.
  • 952
  • 04 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Mechanism of TGF-β Functions in mCRC
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a serious public health issue, and it has the leading incidence and mortality among malignant tumors worldwide. CRC patients with metastasis in the liver, lung or other distant sites always have poor prognosis. CRC metastasis is a dynamic, multistep and multifactorial process, which includes the following successive steps: detachment from the primary CRC site, infiltration into adjacent tissues, invasion into blood/lymphatic circulation, transportation through the circulatory system, intravasation from vasculature and formation of CRC colonies in distant sites. Three critical factors contribute to CRC cells migration (pivotal for early metastasis): regulating the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, stemness and the microenvironment of CRC cells. Additionally, angiogenesis facilitates CRC cell transportation to distal locations. TGF-β signaling contributes to mCRC mainly through the following four mechanisms: promoting EMT, facilitating angiogenesis, creating an immunosuppressive microenvironment and regulating the stemness of mCRC .
  • 952
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Targeting of Signaling Pathways by Thymoquinone in Cancer
Thymoquinone is isolated from Nigella sativa with a molecular weight of 164.2 g/mol. A series of cutting-edge research works have demonstrated the health-promoting and disease-ameliorating roles of thymoquinone.
  • 952
  • 13 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Tetrahydrocurcumin-Related Neuropathic Protection
Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) is a metabolite of curcumin (CUR). The benefits of THC may be associated with various mechanisms, including antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, Ca2+-accumulation-inhibitive, TNF-α suppression, neuroprotective, and antioxidant activities.
  • 952
  • 15 May 2023
Topic Review
Tackling Chronic Inflammation with Withaferin
Chronic inflammatory diseases are considered to be one of the biggest threats to human health. Most prescribed pharmaceutical drugs aiming to treat these diseases are characterized by side-effects and negatively affect therapy adherence. Finding alternative treatment strategies to tackle chronic inflammation has therefore been gaining interest over the last few decades. In this context, Withaferin A (WA), a natural bioactive compound isolated from Withania somnifera, has been identified as a promising anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory compound. Although the majority of studies focus on the molecular mechanisms of WA in cancer models, recent evidence demonstrates that WA also holds promise as a new phytotherapeutic agent against chronic inflammatory diseases. By targeting crucial inflammatory pathways, including NF-kB and Nrf2 signaling, WA suppresses the inflammatory disease state in several in vitro and preclinical in vivo models of diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders, cystic fibrosis, and osteoarthritis. This review provides a concise overview of the molecular mechanisms by which WA orchestrates its anti-inflammatory effects to restore immune homeostasis. 
  • 951
  • 10 Aug 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Tissue Integrity and COVID-19
Tissue integrity depends on biological tissue stiffness. Tissue integrity can protect both against age-related diseases and against severity of COVID-19. The disruption of tight junctions and increase of tissue permeability with advancing age can be related with age-related diseases as well as with age-dependent COVID-19. Release of tightly bound water from collagen fibrils leads to the increase of extracellular matrix stiffness and to the associated with matrix stiffness increased tissue permeability. The link between arterial stiffness and oxidative stress has been reported and is expected to be studied in more detail in the future. Trehalose can be suggested for retardation of tightly bound water release and subsequent extracellular matrix crosslinking by advanced glycation end products. Increase in tissue permeability can be blocked by polyphenols that inhibit ICAM-1 expression and mitigate cytoskeleton reorganization. NF-κB activation as a result of increased stiffness and cytoskeleton reorganization can cause both cardiovascular pathologies and COVID-19. Increased cholesterol content in cell membrane leads to increased virus entry into cell and increase of cholesterol is linked with cardiovascular diseases. Statins and chitosan are known as cholesterol-lowering substances. Nrf2 inhibits NF-κB activation and NF-κB inhibits Nrf2 pathway.
  • 951
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Mesenchymal Stem Cell Viral Infection and Host Responses
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a critical role in response to stress such as infection. They initiate the removal of cell debris, exert major immunoregulatory activities, control pathogens, and lead to a remodeling/scarring phase. Interestingly, many viruses and particularly those associated to chronic infection and inflammation may hijack and polarize MSC’s immune regulatory activities to their own advantages. Virus will remain in the MSC perivascular niche while being protected from immune attack. In the context of immunodepression (e.g. organ transplantation) the hidden viruses may rebound and causing tissue injuries. 
  • 951
  • 01 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Pyrophosphate in Vascular Calcification
In vertebrates, plasma and other extracellular fluids are supersaturated with phosphate and calcium, causing a tendency for spontaneous calcium-phosphate precipitation. Therefore, the synthesis of calcium phosphate deposition inhibitors is essential for survival, including pyrophosphate and several proteins.
  • 950
  • 21 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Molecular Interactions in the Diabetic Brain
Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with cognitive complications in the brain resulting from acute and chronic metabolic disturbances happening peripherally and centrally. Numerous studies have reported on the morphological, electrophysiological, biochemical, and cognitive changes in the brains of diabetic individuals. The detailed pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in the development of the diabetic cognitive phenotype remain unclear due to intricate molecular changes evolving over time and space. This study provides an insight into recent advances in understanding molecular events in the diabetic brain, focusing on cerebral glucose and insulin uptake, insulin action in the brain, and the role of the brain in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Fully competent mitochondria are essential for energy metabolism and proper brain function; hence, the potential contribution of mitochondria to the DM-induced impairment of the brain is also discussed. 
  • 950
  • 18 Jan 2022
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