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Topic Review
The Ponto-Geniculo-Occipital Waves in Dreaming
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the main sleep correlate of dreaming. Ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves are a signature of REM sleep. They represent the physiological mechanism of REM sleep that specifically limits the processing of external information. PGO waves look just like a message sent from the pons to the lateral geniculate nucleus of the visual thalamus, the occipital cortex, and other areas of the brain. The dedicated visual pathway of PGO waves can be interpreted by the brain as visual information, leading to the visual hallucinosis of dreams. PGO waves are considered to be both a reflection of REM sleep brain activity and causal to dreams due to their stimulation of the cortex. 
  • 452
  • 06 Nov 2023
Topic Review
The Polyvalent Role of NF90 in RNA Biology
Double-stranded RNA-binding proteins (dsRBPs) are major players in the regulation of gene expression patterns. Among them, Nuclear Factor 90 (NF90) has a plethora of well-known functions in viral infection, transcription, and translation as well as RNA stability and degradation. In addition, NF90 has been identified as a regulator of microRNA (miRNA) maturation by competing with Microprocessor for the binding of pri-miRNAs in the nucleus. NF90 was recently shown to control the biogenesis of a subset of human miRNAs, which ultimately influences, not only the abundance, but also the expression of the host gene and the fate of the mRNA target repertoire.
  • 528
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The Plethora of Microbes with Anti-Inflammatory Activities
Inflammation, which has important functions in human defense systems and in maintaining the dynamic homeostasis of the body, has become a major risk factor for the progression of many chronic diseases. Although the applied medical products alleviate the general status, they still exert adverse effects in the long term. For this reason, the solution should be sought in more harmless and affordable agents. Microorganisms offer a wide range of active substances with anti-inflammatory properties. They confer important advantages such as their renewable and inexhaustible nature.
  • 207
  • 21 Mar 2024
Topic Review
The Pleiotropic Potential of BDNF beyond Neurons
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) represents one of the most widely studied neurotrophins because of the many mechanisms in which it is involved. Among these, a growing body of evidence indicates BDNF as a pleiotropic signaling molecule and unveils non-negligible implications in the regulation of energy balance. In the hypothalamus, BDNF and its receptor are extensively expressed, in those regions where peripheral signals, associated with feeding and metabolism, are integrated to elaborate anorexigenic and orexigenic effects. Thus, BDNF coordinates adaptive responses to fluctuations in energy intake and expenditure, connecting the central nervous system with peripheral tissues, including muscle, liver, and adipose tissue in a complex operational network.
  • 343
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
The Plant Response to Mechanical Stress
Mechanical stimuli, together with the corresponding plant perception mechanisms and the finely tuned thigmomorphogenetic response, has been of scientific and practical interest since the mid-17th century. As an emerging field, there are many challenges in the research of mechanical stress. Indeed, studies on different plant species (annual/perennial) and plant organs (stem/root) using different approaches (field, wet lab, and in silico/computational) have delivered insufficient findings that frequently impede the practical application of the acquired knowledge. 
  • 800
  • 21 Feb 2023
Topic Review
The PINK1/Parkin Pathway
The process by which dysfunctional mitochondria are selectively targeted for lysosome-mediated degradation otherwise known as mitophagy, requires the serine/threonine kinase PINK1 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin to occur. In the last decade the PINK1/Parkin pathway received great attention due to its importance in many physiological and pathological processes. Understanding the mechanisms by which mitochondria are selectively recognized and targeted for degradation is thus fundamental to understand and to develop therapies for many devastating diseases. Here the mechanisms at the basis of the PINK1/Parkin-mediated degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria are described.
  • 951
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
The Phytochemicals of Lavandin
Lavender has been used for years in traditional medicine and aromatherapy, as well as in the perfume, cosmetic, and food industries. It is also often planted in household gardens and its herb is often used as a fragrance for shelves and wardrobes. The most well-known species of lavender is Lavandula angustifolia Miller (LA) and its essential oil (EO) is often portrayed in the popular press and various guides as a panacea—the wonder remedy for multiple conditions. L. angustifolia is the only species of the genus Lavandula that is officially recognized as a medicinal plant, described in the European pharmacopeia and used in modern phytotherapy. The common names of LA include common lavender, English lavender, and also true lavender. 
  • 561
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
The Physiological and Pathological Role of Acyl-CoA Oxidation
Fatty acid metabolism, including β-oxidation (βOX), plays an important role in human physiology and pathology. βOX is an essential process in the energy metabolism of most human cells. Moreover, βOX is also the source of acetyl-CoA, the substrate for (a) ketone bodies synthesis, (b) cholesterol synthesis, (c) phase II detoxication, (d) protein acetylation, and (d) the synthesis of many other compounds, including N-acetylglutamate—an important regulator of urea synthesis. 
  • 397
  • 20 Oct 2023
Topic Review
The Physics of DNA Folding
Within cell nuclei, several biophysical processes occur in order to allow the correct activities of the genome such as transcription and gene regulation. To quantitatively investigate such processes, polymer physics models have been developed to unveil the molecular mechanisms underlying genome functions. Among these, phase-separation plays a key role since it controls gene activity and shapes chromatin spatial structure. By considering more complex polymer models, it is possible to reproduce the folding of real genomic regions, having specific, intricate contact patterns as seen, e.g., in Hi-C or GAM experiments. To this aim, it is necessary to specialize the polymer model, i.e., the attractive interaction between the polymer and binding molecules, by introducing different types of the polymer sites, each interacting with their specific cognate binders.
  • 359
  • 25 May 2022
Topic Review
The Photosynthetic Apparatus of Plants
Chlorophylls together with carotenoids, serve, noncovalently bound to specific apoproteins, as principal light-harvesting and energy-transforming pigments in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, including plants.
  • 5.4K
  • 10 Jun 2021
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