Mechanisms controlling the expression of the components of the exocytotic apparatus under physiological and pathological conditions

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 696-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Abderrahmani ◽  
V. Plaisance ◽  
P. Lovis ◽  
R. Regazzi

The last decade has witnessed spectacular progress in the identification of the protein apparatus required for exocytosis of neurotransmitters, peptide hormones and other bioactive products. In striking contrast, our knowledge of the mechanisms determining the expression of the components of the secretory machinery has remained rudimentary. Since modifications in secretory functions are associated with several physiological processes and contribute to the development of human pathologies, a better knowledge of the control of the expression of the genes involved in exocytosis is urgently needed. Recent studies have led to the identification of transcription factors and other regulatory molecules such as microRNAs that modulate the cellular level of key controllers of the exocytotic process. These findings furnish a new perspective for understanding how secretory functions can adapt to normal physiological conditions and shed light on the mechanisms involved in the development of important human diseases such as diabetes mellitus characterized by defective release of bioactive compounds.

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (26) ◽  
pp. 3101-3112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selçuk Öztürk ◽  
Y. Murat Elçin

For nearly a century, the adult heart was considered as a post-mitotic organ. The discovery of a resident cardiac stem cell (CSC) population in the heart has dramatically undermined this notion with the support of encouraging preclinical and clinical studies aiming to regenerate the damaged heart after a myocardial infarction (MI). There are two ways to obtain CSCs for transplantation: Allogeneic and autologous sources. Autologous cells may be obtained from the patients’ own tissue. Obtaining cells from diseased patients may contain a risk for altered stem cell characteristics. In addition to MI, these patients may also suffer from pathological conditions such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, congenital heart disease or cancer, which are known to alter CSC characteristics. It is also known that physiological conditions such as aging and death affect CSC functions in the heart. Our knowledge about the CSC characteristics in various physiological and pathological conditions may shed light on our opinion about the regenerative capacity and biological activity of these cells in these situations. Defining these properties may guide the researchers and clinicians in choosing and obtaining the most qualified CSC populations for cardiac regenerative medicine therapies. The purpose of this review is to describe the alterations in CSC characteristics in various physiological and pathological conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-104
Author(s):  
Rustam H. Salimkhanov ◽  
Vladislav R. Sharifullin ◽  
Yulia R. Kushnareva ◽  
Azamat Kh. Kade ◽  
Pavel P. Polyakov

This article presents a review of available information on asprosin — a hormone of white adipose tissue discovered in 2016. The history of its discovery, as well as its action mechanisms and main targets are examined. Changes in the plasma level of asprosin under some pathological conditions are analysed. The importance of studying asprosin is determined by its functions: asprosin regulates physiological processes during fasting and plays an important role in the development of metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance. There are relatively few studies concerned with asprosin; however, this hormone can already be considered as a diagnostic marker and a potential target in the treatment of certain metabolic disorders, e.g. diabetes mellitus and obesity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Knuplez ◽  
Gunther Marsche

Lysophosphatidylcholines are a group of bioactive lipids heavily investigated in the context of inflammation and atherosclerosis development. While present in plasma during physiological conditions, their concentration can drastically increase in certain inflammatory states. Lysophosphatidylcholines are widely regarded as potent pro-inflammatory and deleterious mediators, but an increasing number of more recent studies show multiple beneficial properties under various pathological conditions. Many of the discrepancies in the published studies are due to the investigation of different species or mixtures of lysophatidylcholines and the use of supra-physiological concentrations in the absence of serum or other carrier proteins. Furthermore, interpretation of the results is complicated by the rapid metabolism of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in cells and tissues to pro-inflammatory lysophosphatidic acid. Interestingly, most of the recent studies, in contrast to older studies, found lower LPC plasma levels associated with unfavorable disease outcomes. Being the most abundant lysophospholipid in plasma, it is of utmost importance to understand its physiological functions and shed light on the discordant literature connected to its research. LPCs should be recognized as important homeostatic mediators involved in all stages of vascular inflammation. In this review, we want to point out potential pro- and anti-inflammatory activities of lysophospholipids in the vascular system and highlight recent discoveries about the effect of lysophosphatidylcholines on immune cells at the endothelial vascular interface. We will also look at their potential clinical application as biomarkers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 1142-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sreyashi Chandra ◽  
Md. Tanjim Alam ◽  
Jhilik Dey ◽  
Baby C. Pulikkaparambil Sasidharan ◽  
Upasana Ray ◽  
...  

Background: The central nervous system (CNS) known to regulate the physiological conditions of human body, also itself gets dynamically regulated by both the physiological as well as pathological conditions of the body. These conditions get changed quite often, and often involve changes introduced into the gut microbiota which, as studies are revealing, directly modulate the CNS via a crosstalk. This cross-talk between the gut microbiota and CNS, i.e., the gut-brain axis (GBA), plays a major role in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease (HD). Objective: We aim to discuss how gut microbiota, through GBA, regulate neurodegenerative disorders such as PD, AD, ALS, MS and HD. Methods: In this review, we have discussed the present understanding of the role played by the gut microbiota in neurodegenerative disorders and emphasized the probable therapeutic approaches being explored to treat them. Results: In the first part, we introduce the GBA and its relevance, followed by the changes occurring in the GBA during neurodegenerative disorders and then further discuss its role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Finally, we discuss its applications in possible therapeutics of these diseases and the current research improvements being made to better investigate this interaction. Conclusion: We concluded that alterations in the intestinal microbiota modulate various activities that could potentially lead to CNS disorders through interactions via the GBA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Yu ◽  
Menglin Huang ◽  
Jingyu Wang ◽  
Yongchang Zheng ◽  
Haifeng Xu

: Widely exploration of noninvasive tumor/cancer biomarkers has shed light on clinical diagnosis. However, many under-investigated biomarkers showed limited application potency due to low sensitivity and specificity, while extracellular vehicles (EVs) were gradually recognized as promising candidates. EVs are small vesicles transporting bioactive cargos between cells in multiple physiological processes and also in tumor/cancer pathogenesis. This review aimed to offer recent studies of EVs on structure, classification, physiological functions, as well as changes in tumor initiation and progression. Furthermore, we focused on advances of EVs and/or EV-related substances in cancer diagnosis, and summarized ongoing studies of promising candidates for future investigations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-338
Author(s):  
Giulia Della Rosa ◽  
Clarissa Ruggeri ◽  
Alessandra Aloisi

Exosomes (EXOs) are nano-sized informative shuttles acting as endogenous mediators of cell-to-cell communication. Their innate ability to target specific cells and deliver functional cargo is recently claimed as a promising theranostic strategy. The glycan profile, actively involved in the EXO biogenesis, release, sorting and function, is highly cell type-specific and frequently altered in pathological conditions. Therefore, the modulation of EXO glyco-composition has recently been considered an attractive tool in the design of novel therapeutics. In addition to the available approaches involving conventional glyco-engineering, soft technology is becoming more and more attractive for better exploiting EXO glycan tasks and optimizing EXO delivery platforms. This review, first, explores the main functions of EXO glycans and associates the potential implications of the reported new findings across the nanomedicine applications. The state-of-the-art of the last decade concerning the role of natural polysaccharides—as targeting molecules and in 3D soft structure manufacture matrices—is then analysed and highlighted, as an advancing EXO biofunction toolkit. The promising results, integrating the biopolymers area to the EXO-based bio-nanofabrication and bio-nanotechnology field, lay the foundation for further investigation and offer a new perspective in drug delivery and personalized medicine progress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 803
Author(s):  
Giuseppina Emanuela Grieco ◽  
Noemi Brusco ◽  
Giada Licata ◽  
Daniela Fignani ◽  
Caterina Formichi ◽  
...  

Diabetes mellitus is a group of heterogeneous metabolic disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia mainly due to pancreatic β cell death and/or dysfunction, caused by several types of stress such as glucotoxicity, lipotoxicity and inflammation. Different patho-physiological mechanisms driving β cell response to these stresses are tightly regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of negative regulators of gene expression, involved in pathogenic mechanisms occurring in diabetes and in its complications. In this review, we aim to shed light on the most important miRNAs regulating the maintenance and the robustness of β cell identity, as well as on those miRNAs involved in the pathogenesis of the two main forms of diabetes mellitus, i.e., type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, we acknowledge that the understanding of miRNAs-regulated molecular mechanisms is fundamental in order to develop specific and effective strategies based on miRNAs as therapeutic targets, employing innovative molecules.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8088
Author(s):  
Tan Phát Pham ◽  
Anke S. van Bergen ◽  
Veerle Kremer ◽  
Simone F. Glaser ◽  
Stefanie Dimmeler ◽  
...  

Endothelial cells can acquire a mesenchymal phenotype through a process called Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal transition (EndMT). This event is found in embryonic development, but also in pathological conditions. Blood vessels lose their ability to maintain vascular homeostasis and ultimately develop atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, or fibrosis. An increase in inflammatory signals causes an upregulation of EndMT transcription factors, mesenchymal markers, and a decrease in endothelial markers. In our study, we show that the induction of EndMT results in an increase in long non-coding RNA AERRIE expression. JMJD2B, a known EndMT regulator, induces AERRIE and subsequently SULF1. Silencing of AERRIE shows a partial regulation of SULF1 but showed no effect on the endothelial and mesenchymal markers. Additionally, the overexpression of AERRIE results in no significant changes in EndMT markers, suggesting that AERRIE is marginally regulating mesenchymal markers and transcription factors. This study identifies AERRIE as a novel factor in EndMT, but its mechanism of action still needs to be elucidated.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 620
Author(s):  
Dalia M. Kopustinskiene ◽  
Jurga Bernatoniene

Schisandra chinensis Turcz. (Baill.) fruits, their extracts, and bioactive compounds are used in alternative medicine as adaptogens and ergogens protecting against numerous neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, liver, and skin disorders. S. chinensis fruit extracts and their active compounds are potent antioxidants and mitoprotectors exerting anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer, and anti-aging effects. S. chinensis polyphenolic compounds—flavonoids, phenolic acids and the major constituents dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans are responsible for the S. chinensis antioxidant activities. This review will focus on the direct and indirect antioxidant effects of S. chinensis fruit extract and its bioactive compounds in the cells during normal and pathological conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-444
Author(s):  
Franz Nürnberger ◽  
Stephan Leisengang ◽  
Daniela Ott ◽  
Jolanta Murgott ◽  
Rüdiger Gerstberger ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may contribute to the manifestation of inflammatory pain within structures of the afferent somatosensory system. LPS can induce a state of refractoriness to its own effects termed LPS tolerance. We employed primary neuro-glial cultures from rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the superficial dorsal horn (SDH) of the spinal cord, mainly including the substantia gelatinosa to establish and characterize a model of LPS tolerance within these structures. Methods Tolerance was induced by pre-treatment of both cultures with 1 µg/ml LPS for 18 h, followed by a short-term stimulation with a higher LPS dose (10 µg/ml for 2 h). Cultures treated with solvent were used as controls. Cells from DRG or SDH were investigated by means of RT-PCR (expression of inflammatory genes) and immunocytochemistry (translocation of inflammatory transcription factors into nuclei of cells from both cultures). Supernatants from both cultures were assayed for tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by highly sensitive bioassays. Results At the mRNA-level, pre-treatment with 1 µg/ml LPS caused reduced expression of TNF-α and enhanced IL-10/TNF-α expression ratios in both cultures upon subsequent stimulation with 10 µg/ml LPS, i.e. LPS tolerance. SDH cultures further showed reduced release of TNF-α into the supernatants and attenuated TNF-α immunoreactivity in microglial cells. In the state of LPS tolerance macrophages from DRG and microglial cells from SDH showed reduced LPS-induced nuclear translocation of the inflammatory transcription factors NFκB and NF-IL6. Nuclear immunoreactivity of the IL-6-activated transcription factor STAT3 was further reduced in neurons from DRG and astrocytes from SDH in LPS tolerant cultures. Conclusion A state of LPS tolerance can be induced in primary cultures from the afferent somatosensory system, which is characterized by a down-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators. Thus, this model can be applied to study the effects of LPS tolerance at the cellular level, for example possible modifications of neuronal reactivity patterns upon inflammatory stimulation.


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