Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics

Oxidative stress (OS) plays a key role in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in three major ways: reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced reduction of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, ROS-induced inflammation and ROS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Oxidation of lipid molecules under the action of ROS leads to damage to membrane structures, changes the functioning of membrane-bound enzymes, and impairs membrane permeability and stability. An increase in OS results in the occurrence of endothelial dysfunction and drug tolerance, side effects, requiring discontinuation of drugs...

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. It is caused by a mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene on chromosome 7, which leads to abnormal regulation of chloride and bicarbonate ions in cells that line organs like the lungs and pancreas. The CFTR protein plays a crucial role in regulating chloride ion flow, and its absence or malfunction causes the production of thick mucus that affects several organs. There are more than 2000 identified mutations that are classified into seven categories based on their dysfunction mechanisms...

The N-terminus of Histone H3 is proteolytically processed in aged chicken liver. A histone H3 N-terminus specific endopeptidase (named H3ase) has been purified from the nuclear extract of aged chicken liver. By sequencing and a series of biochemical methods including the demonstration of H3ase activity in bacterially expressed GDH, it was established that the H3ase activity was a moonlighting protease activity of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). However, the active site for the H3ase in the GDH remains elusive...

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Trafficking of intracellular cholesterol (Ch) to and into mitochondria of steroidogenic cells is required for steroid hormone biosynthesis. This trafficking is typically mediated by one or more proteins of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) family. Our previous studies revealed that 7-OOH, a redox-active cholesterol hydroperoxide, could be co-trafficked with Ch to/into mitochondria of MA-10 Leydig cells, thereby inducing membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) which impaired progesterone biosynthesis. These negative effects of 7-OOH were inhibited by endogenous selenoperoxidase GPx4, indicating that this enzyme could protect against 7-OOH-induced oxidative damage/dysfunction...

Riboflavin (RF) is a vitamin that only exists in plants and microorganisms and must be procured externally by humans. On the other hand, there are two major allergic factors in cow's milk, including β-lactoglobulin (βLG) and β-casein (βCN), while their allergic properties can be eliminated by binding to micronutrients. In this regard, we examined the binding process of RF to βLG and βCN in the binary and ternary systems by different spectroscopies such as zeta potential, electric conductivity, and molecular modeling...

The method of mass spectrometric studies was used to study the fragmentation of glucose in the gas phase upon collision with low-energy electrons (20-70 eV) before and after irradiation at the M-30 microtron (12.5 MeV) with doses of 14 and 164 kGy. The dose dependence of the transformation of glucose mass spectra was established. The results indicate the dominance in mass spectra of symmetric fission channels of the molecule itself and its fragments formed under the action of M-30 microtron radiation...

The role and function of neutrophils are well known, but we still have incomplete understanding of the mechanisms by which neutrophils migrate from blood vessels to inflammatory sites. Neutrophil migration is a complex process that involves several distinct steps. To resist the blood flow and maintain their rolling, neutrophils employ tether and sling formation. They also polarize and form pseudopods and uropods, guided by hierarchical chemotactic agents that enable precise directional movement. Meanwhile, chemotactic agents secreted by neutrophils, such as CXCL1, CXCL8, LTB4, and C5a, can recruit more neutrophils and amplify their response...

A tumor represents a highly intricate tissue entity, characterized by an exceptionally complex microenvironment that starkly contrasts with the typical physiological surroundings of healthy tissues. Within this tumor microenvironment (TME), every component and factor assume paramount importance in the progression of malignancy and exerts a pivotal influence on a patient's clinical outcome. One of the remarkable aspects of the TME is its remarkable heterogeneity, not only across different types of cancers but even within the same histological category of tumors...

Toll-like receptors are important molecules of innate immunity. They are known as pattern recognition receptors. They recognise certain molecules known as pathogen-associated molecular pattern on a pathogen and release chemicals that causes inflammation. Toll-like receptors (TLR) help in the removal of the infected cell and thus stop the spread of infection and are being studied for their association with cancer. Oral carcinoma has emerged as a major problem of our country today; it is found ranks first in men and third in women...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common malignant tumor in men, when the disease progresses to the advanced stage, most patients will develop distant metastasis and develop into castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), resulting in increased mortality. Ubiquitination is a widespread protein post-translational modification process in the biological world, and it plays an important role in the development and transfer of PCa. E3 ubiquitin ligase plays an important role in the specific selection and role of substrates in the process of ubiquitination ligase...

The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) is important in protein homeostasis and is involved in many cell processes. UPS's wide range of regulatory activities is based on the unique and diverse signals transmitted through all-encompassing processes. Cells need a fully functional UPP to cope with oxidative stress, so cellular redox status modulates ubiquitin activity. However, these protein quality control systems are compromised under adverse conditions such as heavy metal stress, resulting in pathological conditions...

The effects of ultrasonic parameters and treatment conditions on the in vitro cellular experiments of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) have not been fully studied. Exploring the factors that affect the efficacy of SDT can provide a reference for screening effective sonosensitizers in vitro. The aim of this work is to investigate the factors that affected the SDT effects in cancer cells. Cancer cells in culture plates were exposed to ultrasound and sonosensitizers. The intracellular drug concentration was measured by using flow cytometry and the cell viability was determined by MTT assay...

Avocado paste (AP) is the main industrial byproduct of its processing, and retains various phenolic compounds (PCs). PCs are known to normalize the plasma lipid profile, but those from avocado byproducts have been minimally studied. We report the normalizing effects of an AP-derived phenolic extract (PE) on the plasma lipid profile of male Wistar rats. A standard (SD) and high-fat diet (HFD) were formulated, and the same diets were supplemented with 1 g/kg of diet of PE (SD + PE and HFD + PE)...

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have profound effects on establishment and pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here, we defined whether circRNA solute carrier family 7 member 5 (circ-SLC7A5, also called hsa_circ_0040796) is causally involved in the pathogenesis of ESCC. METHODS: Circ-SLC7A5, microRNA (miR)-874-3p and coronin-1C (CORO1C) expression levels were gauged by qRT-PCR or immunoblotting. Cell functional phenotypes were tested by colony formation, EdU, flow cytometry, transwell and wound-healing assays...

LAMB3, a major extracellular matrix and basal membrane component, is involved in wound healing. We aimed to understand its role in Asherman's syndrome (AS), which is associated with infertility, by using bioinformatics analysis and cultured endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). MRNAs extracted from tissues obtained from control subjects and patients with severe intrauterine adhesion were sequenced and subjected to bioinformatics analysis and the RhoA/ROCK1/MYL9 pathway was implicated and this subsequently studied using cultured primary ESCs...

Acute inflammation resolution acts as a vital process for active host response, tissue support, and homeostasis maintenance, during which resolvin D (RvD) and E (RvE) as mediators derived from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids display specific and stereoselective anti-inflammations like restricting neutrophil infiltration and pro-resolving activities. On the other side of the coin, potent macrophage-mediated apoptotic cell clearance, namely efferocytosis, is essential for successful inflammation resolution...

Chronic low-grade adipose tissue inflammation is associated with metabolic disorders. Inflammation results from the intertwined cross-talks of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways in the immune response of adipose tissue. In addition, adipose FABP4 levels and lipid droplet proteins are involved in systemic and tissue inflammation. Dysregulated adipocytes help infiltrate immune cells derived from bone marrow responsible for producing cytokines and chemokines. When adipose tissue expands in excess, adipocyte exhibits increased secretion of adipokines and is implicated in metabolic disturbances due to the release of free fatty acids...

The modulating effects of matrix stiffness on spreading and apoptosis of tumor cells have been well recognized. Nevertheless, the detail road map leading to the apoptosis and the underlying mechanisms governing the cell apoptosis have remained to be elucidated. To this aim, we provided a tunable elastic hydrogel matrix that promoted cell adhesion by modifying the surface of polyacrylamide with polydopamine, with stiffness value of 1, 10, 30, and 250 kPa, respectively. While the cell spreading increased and the apoptosis decreased with the matrix stiffness, such modulating effect of matrix on cell spreading exhibited different time evolvement behaviors as a function of stiffness, which likely led to surprisingly similar apoptosis rates for the 30 kPa and 250 kPa samples...

Within the tumor microenvironment, the fight between the immune system and cancer influences tumor transformation. Metastasis formation is an important stage in the progression of cancer. This process is aided by cellular detachment and resistance to anoikis, which are achieved by altering intercellular signaling. Autophagy, specifically pro-survival autophagy, aids cancer cells in developing treatment resistance. Numerous studies have shown that autophagy promotes tumor growth and resistance to anoikis. To regulate protective autophagy, cancer-related genes phosphorylate both pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins...