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Topic Review
Biography
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles in CKD
Over the last few years, preclinical and clinical studies have emphasized the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in human diseases. These particles are delimited by a lipid bilayer and are released by almost all cell types and in all organisms. EVs appear to have biological effects in various pathophysiological situations and especially in renal disease. In human organs, EVs can interact with cells and prompt the release of many different molecules, such as proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, that, in turn, regulate various cell signaling pathways. Moreover, EVs are present in the urine and the blood and therefore can be used as potential diagnostic biomarkers in human diseases, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD, also known as chronic renal failure).
646
29 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Cristae Dynamics
Recent studies using fluorescence super-resolution (SR) microscopy techniques showed unexpected fast movement of cristae and CJs, collectively termed as cristae dynamics. Cristae undergo continuous cycles of membrane remodelling often assisted by the dynamics of CJs in a MICOS-dependent manner, which led to the proposal of the ‘Cristae Fission and Fusion’ (CriFF) model. The field of cristae dynamics is still in infancy, future experiments could provide better insights about the consequences of the reduced cristae or CJ dynamics in the knockouts (KOs) of the MICOS subunits and their relevance in many pathologies associated with the MICOS complex.
645
27 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Natural Killer Cell
NK cells are a group of innate immune cells that show spontaneous cytolytic activity against cells under stress, such as virus-infected cells and tumor cells. They belong to the innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) family, a recently discovered group of lymphocytes, and represent about 5–15% of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Except for directly killing target cell through the release of perforin- and granzyme-containing cytotoxic granules, NK cells can also secrete interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), the granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and a panel of various immunoregulatory cytokines (IL-5, IL-10, IL-13) and chemokines (CCL-3, CCL-4, CCL-5, CXCL), by which they act as modulators of the inflammatory response. NK cells have recently been recognized for their ability to kill malignant or infected cells and maintain immune homeostasis by killing certain healthy immune cells [6]. Likewise, there is accumulating evidence that NK cells possess memory ability. This finding is in contrast to the classical definition of NK cells, by which they belong only in innate immunity cells due to their lack of RAG (Recombination-activating gene) recombinase-dependent clonal antigen receptors. New data suggest that two types of immune memory patterns can be found in NK cells. The first pattern, similarly to B and T cells, is achieved by exerting immunological memory after an encounter with various antigens and the consequent creation of generations of antigen-specific memory NK cells. Secondly, NK cells can remember inflammatory cytokines milieus that imprint long-lasting non-antigen-specific NK cell effector function. These findings of NK cells’ memory could open new horizons in their manipulation and provide us with new therapeutic targets, for example in ischemic heart disease, world's most notorious killer.
644
29 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Redox-Regulation of α-Globin in Vascular Physiology
Interest in the structure, function, and evolutionary relations of circulating and intracellular globins dates back more than 60 years to the first determination of the three-dimensional structure of these proteins. Non-erythrocytic globins have been implicated in circulatory control through reactions that couple nitric oxide (NO) signaling with cellular oxygen availability and redox status. Small artery endothelial cells (ECs) express free α-globin, which causes vasoconstriction by degrading NO. This reaction converts reduced (Fe2+) α-globin to the oxidized (Fe3+) form, which is unstable, cytotoxic, and unable to degrade NO. Therefore, (Fe3+) α-globin must be stabilized and recycled to (Fe2+) α-globin to reinitiate the catalytic cycle. The molecular chaperone α-hemoglobin-stabilizing protein (AHSP) binds (Fe3+) α-globin to inhibit its degradation and facilitate its reduction. The mechanisms that reduce (Fe3+) α-globin in ECs are unknown, although endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and cytochrome b5 reductase (CyB5R3) with cytochrome b5 type A (CyB5a) can reduce (Fe3+) α-globin in solution.
640
28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Mitochondria in Oocyte Maturation
Mitochondria are the only animal cell organelles, except for the nucleus, with their own genetic information, called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The mtDNA is a double-stranded, circular, 16,569 bp DNA molecule in humans, which codes 13 essential subunits of the respiratory chain complexes, 22 tRNAs, and two rRNAs, constituting part of the mitochondrial translation machinery.
640
29 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Stemness and Apoptosis
Stemness and apoptosis may highlight the dichotomy between regeneration and demise in the complex pathway proceeding from ontogenesis to the end of life. In the last few years, the concept has emerged that the same microRNAs (miRNAs) can be concurrently implicated in both apoptosis-related mechanisms and cell differentiation. Whether the differentiation process gives rise to the architecture of brain areas, any long-lasting perturbation of miRNA expression can be related to the occurrence of neurodevelopmental/neuropathological conditions. Moreover, as a consequence of neural stem cell (NSC) transformation to cancer stem cells (CSCs), the fine modulation of distinct miRNAs becomes necessary. This event implies controlling the expression of pro/anti-apoptotic target genes, which is crucial for the management of neural/neural crest-derived CSCs in brain tumors, neuroblastoma, and melanoma.
640
20 Apr 2023
Topic Review
γδ T Cells in ARDs
Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs), affecting ~1–1.5% of all humans, are associated with considerable life long morbidity and early mortality. Early studies in the 1990s showed numerical changes of the recently discovered γδ T cells in the peripheral blood and in affected tissues of patients with a variety of ARDs, kindling interest in their role in the immuno-pathogenesis of these chronic inflammatory conditions. Indeed, later studies applied rapid developments in the understanding of γδ T cell biology, including antigens recognized by γδ T cells, their developmental programs, states of activation, and cytokine production profiles, to analyze their contribution to the pathological immune response in these disorders.
639
14 May 2021
Topic Review
TXA2 Signaling in Cancer
Several processes involved in cancer development, such as cell growth, migration, and angiogenesis, are regulated by the arachidonic acid derivative thromboxane A2 (TXA2). Higher levels of circulating TXA2 are observed in patients with multiple cancers, and this is accompanied by overexpression of TXA2 synthase (TBXAS1, TXA2S) and/or TXA2 receptors (TBXA2R, TP). Overexpression of TXA2S or TP in tumor cells is generally associated with poor prognosis, reduced survival, and metastatic disease. However, the role of TXA2 signaling in the stroma during oncogenesis has been underappreciated. TXA2 signaling regulates the tumor microenvironment by modulating angiogenic potential, tumor ECM stiffness, and host immune response.
637
26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
The Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome
The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is a complicated cellular component that plays significant roles in regulating the cell cycle process of eukaryotic organisms. The spatiotemporal regulation mechanisms of APC/C in distinct cell cycle transitions are no longer mysterious, and the components of this protein complex are gradually identified and characterized.
637
23 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Tannery Wastewater
Las aguas residuales de las curtidurías son producto de un proceso de transformación de materia orgánica a materia no degradable, que requiere la adición de compuestos y aditivos que permitan dicha transformación, generando a su vez residuos altamente contaminantes no solo para la salud humana, sino también para el medio ambiente.
636
01 Jun 2021
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