scholarly journals New Insight into Progesterone-dependent Signalization

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Kociszewska ◽  
Piotr Czekaj
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Chemical Nature ◽  
Steroid Hormone ◽  
Second Messengers ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Hormone Activity ◽  
Current State ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Genomic Signal

Background: Various effects of steroid hormone activity cannot easily be explained by the action of classical nuclear receptors and genomic signal transduction pathways. These activities are manifested principally as rapid processes, lasting from seconds to minutes, resulting in changes in ion transduction, calcium intracellular concentration, and level of the second messengers, which cannot be realized through the genomic pathway. Hence, it has been proposed that other kinds of mediators should be involved in steroid-induced processes, namely receptors located on the cell surface. The search for their chemical nature and role is of utmost importance. Current state of knowledge confirms their relation to GPCRs. Moreover, it seems that almost every nuclear receptor specific for steroid hormone family has its membrane-bound equivalent. Objective: In this review, we summarize current state of knowledge about nuclear and membrane receptors for progesterone, and describe their potential functions alone, as well as in cooperation with other receptors. Conclusion: In the light of common expression, both in species and organs, membrane receptors could play a role that is at least comparable to nuclear receptors. Further exploration of membrane receptor-dependent signaling pathways could give a new insight in the treatment of many endocrine and oncological pathologies.

scholarly journals The orphan nuclear receptors at their 25-year reunion

2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. T115-T140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon E Mullican ◽  
Joanna R DiSpirito ◽  
Mitchell A Lazar
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Hormone Receptors ◽  
Steroid Hormone ◽  
Steroid Hormone Receptors ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Orphan Receptors ◽  
Critical Insight ◽  
Genomic Regions ◽  
Insight Into

The nuclear receptor superfamily includes many receptors, identified based on their similarity to steroid hormone receptors but without a known ligand. The study of how these receptors are diversely regulated to interact with genomic regions to control a plethora of biological processes has provided critical insight into development, physiology, and the molecular pathology of disease. Here we provide a compendium of these so-called orphan receptors and focus on what has been learned about their modes of action, physiological functions, and therapeutic promise.

scholarly journals The European Green Capital Award—Is It a Dream or Reality for Belgrade (Serbia)?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6182
Author(s):  
Marijana Pantić ◽  
Saša Milijić
Keyword(s):  
Urban Transformation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Transmission Of Knowledge ◽  
Current State ◽  
Transitional Countries ◽  
Great Hope ◽  
Environmentally Responsible ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The City ◽  
Insight Into

An agreement of cooperation and transmission of knowledge regarding the nomination for the European Green Capital Award (EGCA) was signed between the mayors of Belgrade and Ljubljana (EGCA 2016 winner) in September 2018. The candidacy of Belgrade was finally realized in October 2019. Great hope was placed in this endeavour because internationally recognized awards, such as the EGCA, represent enormous capital for both the city and the state. The EGCA requires serious preparation and significant fulfilment of preconditions. Many economically strong and environmentally responsible cities competed for the award, but did not win. On the other hand, the capital of Serbia does not appear to be an obvious winning candidate, especially as it is differentiated from the previous winners by being a non-EU city and by the fact that it is still undergoing an intense urban transformation, characteristic of transitional countries. Therefore, the main aim of this article is to present a review of the current state of Belgrade’s environmental qualities and its comparison with the EGCA criteria and with Grenoble as one of the winning competitors. The article gives a full overview of the EGCA requirements with certain details on required indicators, gives relevant insight into the procedure, which could be of use for any future candidacy, and discusses potential benefits for winners, losers and repeat candidacies.

¿¿Nueva narrativa? Entrevista con David Toscana

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-362
Author(s):  
Pablo A. J. Brescia ◽  
Scott M. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current State ◽  
Latin American Narrative ◽  
Boom Latinoamericano ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Time Frames ◽  
Insight Into

This interview with Mexican writer David Toscana ponders the current state of both Mexican and Latin American narrative and serves as an insight into his own works. Toscana's statements about the recurring themes in his narrative (failure, loneliness, characters put to the test, and a tendency to play with different time frames, especially in his novels) help illustrate some of the characteristics of his fiction, which, according to various critics, is one of the most promising today in Mexico. Also noteworthy are his comments about the tendency of writers from his generation (born in the 1960s and later) to reject the legacy of the "boom" writers. Toscana's own interest is to revisit history and tradition by constructing a different voice and a different vision, a new way of seeing and hearing both the past and the present. Esta entrevista con el escritor mexicano David Toscana trata de explorar el estado actual de la narrativa mexicana y latinoamericana, améén de servir como una aproximacióón a la incipiente obra de este autor. Las respuestas de Toscana sobre los temas recurrentes en su literatura (el fracaso, la soledad, los personajes sometidos a pruebas y una tendencia a proponer diferentes marcos temporales, especialmente en sus novelas) subrayan algunos rasgos de su ficcióón, la cual, segúún la críítica especializada, es una de las máás prometedoras en el panorama mexicano de hoy. De especial interéés son los comentarios de Toscana sobre la tendencia de los escritores de su generacióón a rechazar el legado del "boom" latinoamericano. Toscana reacciona contra ese rechazo y propone una voz personal que vuelva a la historia y a la tradicióón y plantee una nueva manera de ver el pasado y el presente de Mééxico.

Retinol dehydrogenases: Membrane-bound enzymes for the visual function

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 510-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustapha Lhor ◽  
Christian Salesse
Keyword(s):  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Membrane Binding ◽  
Large Family ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Visual Cycle ◽  
Retinoid Metabolism ◽  
Current State ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Membrane Bound Enzymes

Retinoid metabolism is important for many physiological functions, such as differenciation, growth, and vision. In the visual context, after the absorption of light in rod photoreceptors by the visual pigment rhodopsin, 11-cis retinal is isomerized to all-trans retinal. This retinoid subsequently undergoes a series of modifications during the visual cycle through a cascade of reactions occurring in photoreceptors and in the retinal pigment epithelium. Retinol dehydrogenases (RDHs) are enzymes responsible for crucial steps of this visual cycle. They belong to a large family of proteins designated as short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases. The structure of these RDHs has been predicted using modern bioinformatics tools, which allowed to propose models with similar structures including a common Rossman fold. These enzymes undergo oxidoreduction reactions, whose direction is dictated by the preference and concentration of their individual cofactor (NAD(H)/NADP(H)). This review presents the current state of knowledge on functional and structural features of RDHs involved in the visual cycle as well as knockout models. RDHs are described as integral or peripheral enzymes. A topology model of the membrane binding of these RDHs via their N- and (or) C-terminal domain has been proposed on the basis of their individual properties. Membrane binding is a crucial issue for these enzymes because of the high hydrophobicity of their retinoid substrates.

scholarly journals Binding of Androgen- and Estrogen-Like Flavonoids to Their Cognate (Non)Nuclear Receptors: A Comparison by Computational Prediction

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1613
Author(s):  
Giulia D’Arrigo ◽  
Eleonora Gianquinto ◽  
Giulia Rossetti ◽  
Gabriele Cruciani ◽  
Stefano Lorenzetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Computational Prediction ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Computational Docking ◽  
Docking Simulations ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
17Β Estradiol ◽  
G Protein Coupled ◽  
Relevant Degree

Flavonoids are plant bioactives that are recognized as hormone-like polyphenols because of their similarity to the endogenous sex steroids 17β-estradiol and testosterone, and to their estrogen- and androgen-like activity. Most efforts to verify flavonoid binding to nuclear receptors (NRs) and explain their action have been focused on ERα, while less attention has been paid to other nuclear and non-nuclear membrane androgen and estrogen receptors. Here, we investigate six flavonoids (apigenin, genistein, luteolin, naringenin, quercetin, and resveratrol) that are widely present in fruits and vegetables, and often used as replacement therapy in menopause. We performed comparative computational docking simulations to predict their capability of binding nuclear receptors ERα, ERβ, ERRβ, ERRγ, androgen receptor (AR), and its variant ART877A and membrane receptors for androgens, i.e., ZIP9, GPRC6A, OXER1, TRPM8, and estrogens, i.e., G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor (GPER). In agreement with data reported in literature, our results suggest that these flavonoids show a relevant degree of complementarity with both estrogen and androgen NR binding sites, likely triggering genomic-mediated effects. It is noteworthy that reliable protein–ligand complexes and estimated interaction energies were also obtained for some suggested estrogen and androgen membrane receptors, indicating that flavonoids could also exert non-genomic actions. Further investigations are needed to clarify flavonoid multiple genomic and non-genomic effects. Caution in their administration could be necessary, until the safe assumption of these natural molecules that are largely present in food is assured.

scholarly journals Environmental Discourses and Rhetoric in the Conceptual Space of Architectural Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Traci Rose Rider
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Education ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Environmental Discourse ◽  
Conceptual Space ◽  
Current State ◽  
Environmental Discourses ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Potential Opportunity ◽  
Insight Into

This paper aims to investigate the current state and potential opportunity of strategic environmental discourses and rhetoric in architectural education. Because there is limited research completed on this specific focus, a grounded theory approach was used. In-depth interviews were held with twelve purposefully selected participants, each of whom are prevalently perceived as leaders in incorporating sustainability topics into architectural education. Through a cyclical coding process, larger themes about integrating environmental topics in formal architectural education emerged, with the importance of discourse and rhetoric as one of the primary sub-themes. Different discourses, emphasis on specific terminology, and the implications of each in the conceptual space of architectural educational are explored in the context of both program- and university-level structures. Breaking down the current environmental discourses in these specific contexts offers insight into opportunities to streamline the inclusion of sustainability themes in architectural education. This study concludes with possible avenues for further research regarding environmental discourse and rhetoric in architectural education, and suggestions for application in programs.

scholarly journals Lower-Secondary School Chemistry Textbooks’ Didactic Equipment

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 69-77
Author(s):  
Martin Rusek ◽  
Karel Vojíř ◽  
Šárka Šubová
Keyword(s):  
Publishing House ◽  
Materials Chemistry ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Lower Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Teachers ◽  
Current State ◽  
Chemistry Textbooks ◽  
Publishing Houses ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Textbooks’ fundamental influence on teaching is caused not only by their subject matter, but also by their didactic elaboration. Textbooks’ individual functions are fulfilled through incorporated structural elements. Their pool is referred to as the didactic equipment of the textbook and represents qualities of the textbook through the options it gives to its users. The presented overview of lower-secondary chemistry textbooks’ didactic equipment included 7 series of currently available textbooks. Results of the analysis serve not only as a possible guide for chemistry teachers’ textbook selection, but they also provide insight into the current state to authors of textbooks and other didactic materials. Chemistry textbooks for lower-secondary schools achieve relatively high didactic equipment (75-92 %). The best equipped are the series of textbooks published after the current state curriculum introduction (by publishing houses Fraus and Nova Skola). Surprisingly, however, the most recently published textbooks by the Taktik publishing house showed the lowest didactic equipment.

Mantras of wildland fire behaviour modelling: facts or fallacies?

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel G. Cruz ◽  
Martin E. Alexander ◽  
Andrew L. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Empirical Models ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Fire Science ◽  
Current State ◽  
Valid Data ◽  
Insight Into

Generalised statements about the state of fire science are often used to provide a simplified context for new work. This paper explores the validity of five frequently repeated statements regarding empirical and physical models for predicting wildland fire behaviour. For empirical models, these include statements that they: (1) work well over the range of their original data; and (2) are not appropriate for and should not be applied to conditions outside the range of the original data. For physical models, common statements include that they: (3) provide insight into the mechanisms that drive wildland fire spread and other aspects of fire behaviour; (4) give a better understanding of how fuel treatments modify fire behaviour; and (5) can be used to derive simplified models to predict fire behaviour operationally. The first statement was judged to be true only under certain conditions, whereas the second was shown not to be necessarily correct if valid data and appropriate modelling forms are used. Statements three through five, although theoretically valid, were considered not to be true given the current state of knowledge regarding fundamental wildland fire processes.

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