ROS signaling

HIV latency regulation in monocytes and macrophages can vary according to signals directing differentiation, polarization, and function. To investigate these processes, we generated an HIV latency model in THP-1 monocytes and showed differential levels of HIV reactivation among clonal populations. Monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation of HIV-infected primary human CD14+ and THP-1 cells induced HIV reactivation and showed that virus production increased concomitant with macrophage differentiation. We applied the HIV-infected THP-1 monocyte-to-macrophage (MLat) model to assess the biological mechanisms regulating HIV latency dynamics during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation...

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are prototypical G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), members of a large family of 7 transmembrane receptors mediating a wide variety of extracellular signals. We show here, in cultured cells and in a murine model, that the carboxyl terminal fragment of the muscarinic M2 receptor, comprising the transmembrane regions 6 and 7 (M2tail), is expressed by virtue of an internal ribosome entry site localized in the third intracellular loop. Single-cell imaging and import in isolated yeast mitochondria reveals that M2tail, whose expression is up-regulated in cells undergoing integrated stress response, does not follow the normal route to the plasma membrane, but is almost exclusively sorted to the mitochondria inner membrane: here, it controls oxygen consumption, cell proliferation, and the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by reducing oxidative phosphorylation...

The incidence of head and neck cancer (HNC), constituting approximately one in ten cancer cases worldwide, affects approximately 644,000 individuals annually. Managing this complex disease involves various treatment modalities such as systemic therapy, radiation, and surgery, particularly for patients with locally advanced disease. HNC treatment necessitates a multidisciplinary approach due to alterations in patients' genomes affecting their functionality. Predominantly, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), the majority of HNCs, arise from the upper aerodigestive tract epithelium...

The functioning of the human heart relies on complex electrical and communication systems that coordinate cardiac contractions and sustain rhythmicity. One of the key players contributing to this intricate system is the KIR 2.1 potassium ion channel, which is encoded by the KCNJ2 gene. KIR 2.1 channels exhibit abundant expression in both ventricular myocytes and Purkinje fibers, exerting an important role in maintaining the balance of intracellular potassium ion levels within the heart. And by stabilizing the resting membrane potential and contributing to action potential repolarization, these channels have an important role in cardiac excitability also...

In the pursuit of precise diagnostics for measuring negative ion density in a helicon plasma source (HPS), a new approach utilizing a radio frequency (RF) broadband transformer-based Langmuir probe is developed specifically for laser photo-detachment (LPD) analysis. This inductively coupled LPD technique is useful for high power RF systems in which capacitive RF noise is in the same scale as the pulsed photo-detachment signal. The signal acquired by this transformer-based probe is compared against the conventional Langmuir probe-based LPD technique, revealing a remarkable enhancement in signal fidelity through an improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) achieved by the RF broadband transformer methodology...

Quantum sensors leverage matter's quantum properties to enable measurements with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. Among these sensors, those utilizing nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond offer the distinct advantage of operating at room temperature. Nevertheless, signals received from NV centers are often complex, making interpretation challenging. This is especially relevant in low magnetic field scenarios, where standard approximations for modeling the system fail. Additionally, NV signals feature a prominent noise component...

Frequency up-conversion, enabled by molecular optomechanical coupling, has recently emerged as a promising approach for converting infrared signals into the visible range through quantum coherent conversion of signals. However, detecting these converted signals poses a significant challenge due to their inherently weak signal intensity. In this work, we propose an amplification mechanism capable of enhancing the signal intensity by a factor of 1000 or more for the frequency up-converted infrared signal in a molecular optomechanical system...

Pulmonary vascular remodeling is a key pathological process of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Bortezomib (BTZ) is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved proteasome inhibitor for multiple myeloma treatment. Recently, there is emerging evidence showing its effect on reversing PAH, although its mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects of BTZ on PASMCs were first examined by different inducers such as fetal bovine serum (FBS), angiotensin II (Ang II) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB, while potential mechanisms including cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial ROS were then investigated; finally, signal transduction of ERK and Akt was examined...

Glutamate excitotoxicity is a central mechanism contributing to cellular dysfunction and death in various neurological disorders and diseases, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, schizophrenia, addiction, mood disorders, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, pathologic pain, and even normal aging-related changes. This detrimental effect emerges from glutamate binding to glutamate receptors, including α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors, N -methyl-d-aspartate receptors, kainate receptors, and GluD receptors...

Innate lymphocytes, including microglial cells, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, play a crucial role in initiating neuroinflammatory reactions inside the central nervous system (CNS). The prime focus of this paper is on the involvement and interplay of neurons and glial cells in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis (MS). In this review, we explore the specific contributions of microglia and astrocytes and analyzes multiple pathways implicated in neuroinflammation and disturbances in excitatory and inhibitory processes...

This paper presents an ordinary differential equation (ODE) model of endogenous H2 O2 production and elimination in hepatocytes that is unique, at the time of writing, in its ability to accurately compute intracellular H2 O2 concentration during incidents of oxidative stress and in its usefulness for constructing PBPK/PD models for ROS-generating xenobiotics. Versions of the model are presented for rat hepatocytes in vitro and mouse liver in vivo . A generic method is given for using the model to create PBPK/PD models which predict intracellular H2 O2 concentration and oxidative-stress-induced hepatocyte death; these are identifiable from in vitro data sets reporting cell mortality following xenobiotic exposure at various levels...

BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis is a compensatory response during the tissue repair process in chronic liver injury, and finally leads to liver cirrhosis or even hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis is associated with the progressive accumulation of activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which can transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts to produce an excess of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Myofibroblasts are the main source of the excessive ECM responsible for hepatic fibrosis...

Neuroinflammation refers to a highly complicated reaction of the central nervous system (CNS) to certain stimuli such as trauma, infection, and neurodegenerative diseases. This is a cellular immune response whereby glial cells are activated, inflammatory mediators are liberated and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are synthesized. Neuroinflammation is a key process that helps protect the brain from pathogens, but inappropriate, or protracted inflammation yields pathological states such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative disorders that showcase various pathways of neurodegeneration distributed in various parts of the CNS...

Monocytes and macrophages are essential components of innate immune system and have versatile roles in homeostasis and immunity. These phenotypically distinguishable mononuclear phagocytes play distinct roles in different stages, contributing to the pathophysiology in various forms making them a potentially attractive therapeutic target in inflammatory conditions. Several pieces of evidence have supported the role of different cell surface receptors expressed on these cells and their downstream signaling molecules in initiating and perpetuating the inflammatory response...

BACKGROUND: Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are clinically severe respiratory disorders without available pharmacological therapies. Dynasore is a cell-permeable molecule that inhibits GTPase activity and exerts protective effects in several disease models. However, whether dynasore can alleviate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI is unknown. This study investigated the effect of dynasore on macrophage activation and explored its potential mechanisms in LPS-induced ALI in vitro and in vivo...

Food intake affects poultry productivity. A complete understanding of these regulatory mechanisms provides new strategies to improve productivity. Food intake is regulated by complex mechanisms involving many factors, including the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, hormones, and nutrients. Although several studies have been conducted to elucidate regulatory mechanisms in chickens, the mechanisms remain unclear. To update the current knowledge on feeding regulation in chickens, this review focuses on recent findings that have not been summarized in previous reviews, including spexins, adipokines, neurosecretory proteins GL and GM, and central intracellular signaling factors...

Bladder cancer, a prevalent malignant neoplasm of the urinary tract, exhibits escalating morbidity and mortality rates. Current diagnosis standards rely on invasive and costly cystoscopy and histopathology, underscoring the urgency for non-invasive, high-throughput, and cost-effective novel diagnostic techniques to ensure timely detection and standardized treatment. Recent years have witnessed the rise of exosome research in bladder cancer studies. Exosomes contain abundant bioactive molecules that can help elucidate the intricate mechanisms underlying bladder cancer pathogenesis and metastasis...

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a transcription factor that is activated by various ligands, including pollutants, microorganisms, and metabolic substances. It is expressed extensively in pulmonary and intestinal epithelial cells, where it contributes to barrier defense. The expression of AhR is pivotal in regulating the inflammatory response to microorganisms. However, dysregulated AhR expression can result in endocrine disorders, leading to immunotoxicity and potentially promoting the development of carcinoma...

Inflammation control is critical during the innate immune response. Such response is triggered by the detection of molecules originating from pathogens or damaged host cells by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). PRRs subsequently initiate intra-cellular signalling through different pathways, resulting in i) the production of inflammatory cytokines, including type I interferon (IFN), and ii) the initiation of a cascade of events that promote both immediate host responses as well as adaptive immune responses...

The development of B cells into antibody-secreting plasma cells is central to the adaptive immune system as they induce protective and specific antibody responses against invading pathogens. Various studies have shown that, during this process, hormones can play important roles in the lymphopoiesis, activation, proliferation, and differentiation of B cells, and depending on the signal given by the receptor of each hormone, they can have a positive or negative effect. In autoimmune diseases, hormonal deregulation has been reported to be related to the survival, activation and/or differentiation of autoreactive clones of B cells, thus promoting the development of autoimmunity...