scholarly journals The Antisocial Network: Cross Talk Between Cell Death Programs in Host Defense

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelise G. Snyder ◽  
Andrew Oberst

Nearly all animal cells contain proteins evolved to trigger the destruction of the cell in which they reside. The activation of these proteins occurs via sequential programs, and much effort has been expended in delineating the molecular mechanisms underlying the resulting processes of programmed cell death (PCD). These efforts have led to the definition of apoptosis as a form of nonimmunogenic PCD that is required for normal development and tissue homeostasis, and of pyroptosis and necroptosis as forms of PCD initiated by pathogen infection that are associated with inflammation and immune activation. While this paradigm has served the field well, numerous recent studies have highlighted cross-talk between these programs, challenging the idea that apoptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis are linear pathways with defined immunological outputs. Here, we discuss the emerging idea of cell death as a signaling network, considering connections between cell death pathways both as we observe them now and in their evolutionary origins. We also discuss the engagement and subversion of cell death pathways by pathogens, as well as the key immunological outcomes of these processes. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Immunology, Volume 39 is April 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Hedrich ◽  
Kenji Fukushima

Charles Darwin recognized that carnivorous plants thrive in nutrient-poor soil by capturing animals. Although the concept of botanical carnivory has been known for nearly 150 years, its molecular mechanisms and evolutionary origins have not been well understood until recently. In the last decade, technical advances have fueled the genome and transcriptome sequencings of active and passive hunters, leading to a better understanding of the traits associated with the carnivorous syndrome, from trap leaf development and prey digestion to nutrient absorption, exemplified by the Venus flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula), pitcher plant ( Cephalotus follicularis), and bladderwort ( Utricularia gibba). The repurposing of defense-related genes is an important trend in the evolution of plant carnivory. In this review, using the Venus flytrap as a representative of the carnivorous plants, we summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying their ability to attract, trap, and digest prey and discuss the origins of plant carnivory in relation to their genomic evolution. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 72 is May 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K. Scherer

The mid-1990s through the first decade of the new millennium marked an increase in publications pertaining to war and violence in the ancient past. This review considers how scholars of the past decade have responded to that work. The emerging consensus is that war and violence were endemic to all societies studied by archaeologists, and yet the frequency, intensity, causes, and consequences of violence were highly variable for reasons that defy simplistic explanation. The general trend has been toward archaeologies of war and violence that focus on understanding the nuances of particular places and historical moments. Nevertheless, archaeologists continue to grapple with grand narratives of war, such as the proposition that violence has decreased from ancient to modern times and the role of war and violence in state formation and collapse. Recent research also draws attention to a more expansive definition of violence. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Anthropology, Volume 50 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


2017 ◽  
pp. 43-66
Author(s):  
Chrisna Swart ◽  
Andre Du Toit ◽  
Ben Loos

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Fischer ◽  
Srishti Rangarajan ◽  
Tanmay Sadhanasatish ◽  
Carsten Grashoff

The ability of cells to generate mechanical forces, but also to sense, adapt to, and respond to mechanical signals, is crucial for many developmental, postnatal homeostatic, and pathophysiological processes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular mechanotransduction have remained elusive for many decades, as techniques to visualize and quantify molecular forces across individual proteins in cells were missing. The development of genetically encoded molecular tension sensors now allows the quantification of piconewton-scale forces that act upon distinct molecules in living cells and even whole organisms. In this review, we discuss the physical principles, advantages, and limitations of this increasingly popular method. By highlighting current examples from the literature, we demonstrate how molecular tension sensors can be utilized to obtain access to previously unappreciated biophysical parameters that define the propagation of mechanical forces on molecular scales. We discuss how the methodology can be further developed and provide a perspective on how the technique could be applied to uncover entirely novel aspects of mechanobiology in the future. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biophysics, Volume 50 is May 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


Author(s):  
Jeremy M. Chacón ◽  
Sarah P. Hammarlund ◽  
Jonathan N.V. Martinson ◽  
Leno B. Smith ◽  
William R. Harcombe

Mutually beneficial interspecific interactions are abundant throughout the natural world, including between microbes. Mutualisms between microbes are critical for everything from human health to global nutrient cycling. Studying model microbial mutualisms in the laboratory enables highly controlled experiments for developing and testing evolutionary and ecological hypotheses. In this review, we begin by describing the tools available for studying model microbial mutualisms. We then outline recent insights that laboratory systems have shed on the evolutionary origins, evolutionary dynamics, and ecological features of microbial mutualism. We touch on gaps in our current understanding of microbial mutualisms, note connections to mutualism in nonmicrobial systems, and call attention to open questions ripe for future study. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Volume 52 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


Author(s):  
Lihe Chen ◽  
Hyun Jun Jung ◽  
Arnab Datta ◽  
Euijung Park ◽  
Brian G. Poll ◽  
...  

Systems biology can be defined as the study of a biological process in which all of the relevant components are investigated together in parallel to discover the mechanism. Although the approach is not new, it has come to the forefront as a result of genome sequencing projects completed in the first few years of the current century. It has elements of large-scale data acquisition (chiefly next-generation sequencing–based methods and protein mass spectrometry) and large-scale data analysis (big data integration and Bayesian modeling). Here we discuss these methodologies and show how they can be applied to understand the downstream effects of GPCR signaling, specifically looking at how the neurohypophyseal peptide hormone vasopressin, working through the V2 receptor and PKA activation, regulates the water channel aquaporin-2. The emerging picture provides a detailed framework for understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in water balance disorders, pointing the way to improved treatment of both polyuric disorders and water-retention disorders causing dilutional hyponatremia. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Volume 62 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueyi Xue ◽  
Jiang Wang ◽  
Diwakar Shukla ◽  
Lily S. Cheung ◽  
Li-Qing Chen

Sugar translocation between cells and between subcellular compartments in plants requires either plasmodesmata or a diverse array of sugar transporters. Interactions between plants and associated microorganisms also depend on sugar transporters. The sugars will eventually be exported transporter (SWEET) family is made up of conserved and essential transporters involved in many critical biological processes. The functional significance and small size of these proteins have motivated crystallographers to successfully capture several structures of SWEETs and their bacterial homologs in different conformations. These studies together with molecular dynamics simulations have provided unprecedented insights into sugar transport mechanisms in general and into substrate recognition of glucose and sucrose in particular. This review summarizes our current understanding of the SWEET family, from the atomic to the whole-plant level. We cover methods used for their characterization, theories about their evolutionary origins, biochemical properties, physiological functions, and regulation. We also include perspectives on the future work needed to translate basic research into higher crop yields. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 73 is May 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilee E. Shine ◽  
Jason M. Crawford

The human microbiome encodes a second genome that dwarfs the genetic capacity of the host. Microbiota-derived small molecules can directly target human cells and their receptors or indirectly modulate host responses through functional interactions with other microbes in their ecological niche. Their biochemical complexity has profound implications for nutrition, immune system development, disease progression, and drug metabolism, as well as the variation in these processes that exists between individuals. While the species composition of the human microbiome has been deeply explored, detailed mechanistic studies linking specific microbial molecules to host phenotypes are still nascent. In this review, we discuss challenges in decoding these interaction networks, which require interdisciplinary approaches that combine chemical biology, microbiology, immunology, genetics, analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, and synthetic biology. We highlight important classes of microbiota-derived small molecules and notable examples. An understanding of these molecular mechanisms is central to realizing the potential of precision microbiome editing in health, disease, and therapeutic responses. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biochemistry, Volume 90 is June 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Murphy ◽  
Charles Steenbergen

Mitochondria are responsible for ATP production but are also known as regulators of cell death, and mitochondrial matrix Ca2+ is a key modulator of both ATP production and cell death. Although mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and efflux have been studied for over 50 years, it is only in the past decade that the proteins responsible for mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and efflux have been identified. The identification of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) led to an explosion of studies identifying regulators of the MCU. The levels of these regulators vary in a tissue- and disease-specific manner, providing new insight into how mitochondrial Ca2+ is regulated. This review focuses on the proteins responsible for mitochondrial transport and what we have learned from mouse studies with genetic alterations in these proteins. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Physiology, Volume 83 is February 10, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


Sarcoma ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Fulda

Resistance of rhabdomyosarcoma to current therapies remains one of the key issues in pediatric oncology. Since the success of most cytotoxic therapies in the treatment of cancer, for example, chemotherapy, depends on intact signaling pathways that mediate programmed cell death (apoptosis), defects in apoptosis programs in cancer cells may result in resistance. Evasion of apoptosis in rhabdomyosarcoma may be caused by defects in the expression or function of critical mediators of apoptosis or in aberrant expression of antiapoptotic proteins. Therefore, the identification of the molecular mechanisms that confer primary or acquired resistance to apoptosis in rhabdomyosarcoma presents a critical step for the rational development of molecular targeted drugs. This approach will likely open novel perspectives for the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma.


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