scholarly journals LncRNAs in Cardiomyocyte Maturation: New Window for Cardiac Regenerative Medicine

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Maryam Kay ◽  
Bahram M. Soltani

Cardiomyocyte (CM) maturation, which is characterized by structural, functional, and metabolic specializations, is the last phase of CM development that prepares the cells for efficient and forceful contraction throughout life. Over the past decades, CM maturation has gained increased attention due to the fact that pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs are structurally, transcriptionally, and functionally immature and embryonic-like, which causes a defect in cell replacement therapy. The current challenge is to discover and understand the molecular mechanisms, which control the CM maturation process. Currently, emerging shreds of evidence emphasize the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in regulating different aspects of CM maturation, including myofibril maturation, electrophysiology, and Ca2+ handling maturation, metabolic maturation and proliferation to hypertrophy transition. Here, we describe the structural and functional characteristics of mature CMs. Furthermore, this review highlights the lncRNAs as crucial regulators of different aspects in CM maturation, which have the potential to be used for mature CM production. With the current advances in oligonucleotide delivery; lncRNAs may serve as putative therapeutic targets to produce highly mature CMs for research and regenerative medicine.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Ragusa ◽  
Cristina Barbagallo ◽  
Duilia Brex ◽  
Angela Caponnetto ◽  
Matilde Cirnigliaro ◽  
...  

Over the past few years, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been extensively studied because of the significant biological roles that they play in regulation of cellular mechanisms. ncRNAs are associated to higher eukaryotes complexity; accordingly, their dysfunction results in pathological phenotypes, including cancer. To date, most research efforts have been mainly focused on how ncRNAs could modulate the expression of protein-coding genes in pathological phenotypes. However, recent evidence has shown the existence of an unexpected interplay among ncRNAs that strongly influences cancer development and progression. ncRNAs can interact with and regulate each other through various molecular mechanisms generating a complex network including different species of RNAs (e.g., mRNAs, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs). Such a hidden network of RNA-RNA competitive interactions pervades and modulates the physiological functioning of canonical protein-coding pathways involved in proliferation, differentiation, and metastasis in cancer. Moreover, the pivotal role of ncRNAs as keystones of network structural integrity makes them very attractive and promising targets for innovative RNA-based therapeutics. In this review we will discuss: (1) the current knowledge on complex crosstalk among ncRNAs, with a special focus on cancer; and (2) the main issues and criticisms concerning ncRNAs targeting in therapeutics.


2004 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela BITHELL ◽  
Brenda P. WILLIAMS

The past few years have seen major advances in the field of NSC (neural stem cell) research with increasing emphasis towards its application in cell-replacement therapy for neurological disorders. However, the clinical application of NSCs will remain largely unfeasible until a comprehensive understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of NSC fate specification is achieved. With this understanding will come an increased possibility to exploit the potential of stem cells in order to manufacture transplantable NSCs able to provide a safe and effective therapy for previously untreatable neurological disorders. Since the pathology of each of these disorders is determined by the loss or damage of a specific neural cell population, it may be necessary to generate a range of NSCs able to replace specific neurons or glia rather than generating a generic NSC population. Currently, a diverse range of strategies is being investigated with this goal in mind. In this review, we focus on the relationship between NSC specification and differentiation and discuss how this information may be used to direct NSCs towards a particular fate.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norahayu Othman ◽  
Noor Hasima Nagoor

Lung cancer remains to be one of the most common and serious types of cancer worldwide. While treatment is available, the survival rate of this cancer is still critically low due to late stage diagnosis and high frequency of drug resistance, thus highlighting the pressing need for a greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in lung carcinogenesis. Studies in the past years have evidenced that microRNAs (miRNAs) are critical players in the regulation of various biological functions, including apoptosis, which is a process frequently evaded in cancer progression. Recently, miRNAs were demonstrated to possess proapoptotic or antiapoptotic abilities through the targeting of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. This review examines the involvement of miRNAs in the apoptotic process of lung cancer and will also touch on the promising evidence supporting the role of miRNAs in regulating sensitivity to anticancer treatment.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4576
Author(s):  
Hung-Yu Lin ◽  
Hui-Wen Ho ◽  
Yen-Hsiang Chang ◽  
Chun-Jui Wei ◽  
Pei-Yi Chu

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. The discovery of regulated cell death processes has enabled advances in the treatment of BC. In the past decade, ferroptosis, a new form of iron-dependent regulated cell death caused by excessive lipid peroxidation has been implicated in the development and therapeutic responses of BC. Intriguingly, the induction of ferroptosis acts to suppress conventional therapy-resistant cells, and to potentiate the effects of immunotherapy. As such, pharmacological or genetic modulation targeting ferroptosis holds great potential for the treatment of drug-resistant cancers. In this review, we present a critical analysis of the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks involved in ferroptosis, the potential physiological functions of ferroptosis in tumor suppression, its potential in therapeutic targeting, and explore recent advances in the development of therapeutic strategies for BC.


2010 ◽  
pp. 323-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Ye

Intracellular free Ca(2+) is one of important biological signals regulating a number of cell functions. It has been discussed widely and extensively in several cell types during the past two decades. Attention has been paid to the Ca2+ transportation in mesenchymal stem cells in recent years as mesenchymal stem cells have gained considerable interest due to their potential for cell replacement therapy and tissue engineering. In this paper, roles of intracellular Ca(2+) oscillations and its transporters in mesenchymal stem cells have been reviewed.


Endocrinology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 162 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manasi Das ◽  
Consuelo Sauceda ◽  
Nicholas J G Webster

Abstract Mounting evidence suggests a role for mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes, aging, and ovarian failure. Because of the central role of mitochondria in energy production, heme biosynthesis, calcium buffering, steroidogenesis, and apoptosis signaling within cells, understanding the molecular mechanisms behind mitochondrial dysregulation and its potential implications in disease is critical. This review will take a journey through the past and summarize what is known about mitochondrial dysfunction in various disorders, focusing on metabolic alterations and reproductive abnormalities. Evidence is presented from studies in different human populations, and rodents with genetic manipulations of pathways known to affect mitochondrial function.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (03) ◽  
pp. 129-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Holzapfel ◽  
F. Jakob ◽  
A. A. Kurth ◽  
G. Maier ◽  
K. Horas

SummaryVitamin D deficiency is a global health problem of enormous and increasing dimensions. In the past decades, numerous studies have centered on the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis and course of many diseases including several types of cancer. Indeed, vitamin D has been widely acknowledged to be involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in numerous cancer cells. While the full range of molecular mechanisms involveld in cancer cell growth and progression remains to be elucidated, recent research has deepened our understanding of the processes that may be affected by vitamin D or vitamin D deficiency.In this review, we consider the properties of bone that enable cancer cells to grow and thrive within the skeleton, and the role of vitamin D and the vitamin D receptor in the process of primary and secondary cancer growth in bone.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 153473541984637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur E. Frankel ◽  
Sachin Deshmukh ◽  
Amit Reddy ◽  
John Lightcap ◽  
Maureen Hayes ◽  
...  

The past decade has seen tremendous advances in both our understanding of cancer immunosuppressive microenvironments and colonic bacteria facilitated by immune checkpoint inhibitor antibodies and next generation sequencing, respectively. Because an important role of the host immune system is to communicate with and regulate the gut microbial community, it should not come as a surprise that the behavior of one is coupled to the other. In this review, we will attempt to dissect some of the studies demonstrating cancer immunotherapy modulation by specific gut microbes and discuss possible molecular mechanisms for this effect.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Linda Zignego ◽  
Carlo Giannini ◽  
Laura Gragnani

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious public health problem because of its worldwide diffusion and sequelae. It is not only a hepatotropic but also a lymphotropic agent and is responsible not only for liver injury—potentially evolving to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma—but also for a series of sometimes severely disabling extrahepatic diseases and, in particular, B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. These latter range from benign, but prelymphomatous conditions, like mixed cryoglobulinemia, to frank lymphomas. Analogously withHelicobacter pylorirelated lymphomagenesis, the study of the effects of viral eradication confirmed the etiopathogenetic role of HCV and showed it is an ideal model for better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved. Concerning these latter, several hypotheses have been proposed over the past two decades which are not mutually exclusive. These hypotheses have variously emphasized the important role played by sustained stimulation of the immune system by HCV, infection of the lymphatic cells, viral proteins, chromosomal aberrations, cytokines, or microRNA molecules. In this paper we describe the main hypotheses that have been proposed with the corresponding principal supporting data.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Franssens ◽  
T. Bynens ◽  
J. Van den Brande ◽  
K. Vandermeeren ◽  
M. Verduyckt ◽  
...  

Over the past decade, the baker’s yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaehas proven to be a useful model system to investigate fundamental questions concerning the pathogenic role of human proteins in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). These so-called humanized yeast models for PD initially focused onα-synuclein, which plays a key role in the etiology of PD. Upon expression of this human protein in the baker’s yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae, the events leading to aggregation and the molecular mechanisms that result in cellular toxicity are faithfully reproduced. More recently, a similar model to study the presumed pathobiology of theα-synuclein interaction partner synphilin-1 has been established. In this review we will discuss recent advances using these humanized yeast models, pointing to new roles for cell wall integrity signaling, Ca2+homeostasis, mitophagy, and the cytoskeleton.


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