Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francesco Moccia, Valentina Brunetti, Teresa Soda, Roberto Berra-Romani, Giorgia Scarpellino
Summary: Endothelial cells, which line the innermost surface of blood vessels, play a crucial role in integrating signals from the bloodstream and tissues through changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels. This article discusses the dynamics and distribution of endothelial Ca2+ signals and how they regulate various vascular functions and maintain cardiovascular homeostasis. The different phases of vasculogenesis and functions like vasorelaxation and sprouting angiogenesis are finely tuned by spatially restricted Ca2+ signals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Si Li, E. Scott Graham, Charles P. Unsworth
Summary: Investigating the communication of astrocyte networks is a new challenge in contemporary science. Using a novel cell patterning method, researchers have constructed an in vitro model that closely resembles the stellate form of astrocyte networks in the brain. They have discovered that the dominant pathway for intercellular communication in these networks is through the release of extracellular ATP, which has implications for the treatment of neurological conditions such as epilepsy and stroke.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Matthias Schneider, Anna-Laura Potthoff, Bernd O. Evert, Marius Dicks, Denise Ehrentraut, Andreas Dolf, Elena N. C. Schmidt, Niklas Schaefer, Valeri Borger, Torsten Pietsch, Mike-Andrew Westhoff, Erdem Guresir, Andreas Waha, Hartmut Vatter, Dieter H. Heiland, Patrick Schuss, Ulrich Herrlinger
Summary: Inhibition of intercellular cytosolic traffic via gap junctions enhances the antitumoral effects of lomustine, regardless of MGMT promoter methylation status, providing a clinically-feasible way to profoundly augment chemotherapeutic effects for all glioblastoma patients, with growing interest in lomustine as a first and second line therapy for glioblastoma.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jing Li, Xue-Qi Liang, Yun-Feng Cui, Zi-Yue Ma, Ying-Tao Cui, Xian-Hui Dong, Hai -Jun Huang, Ting -Ting Tong, Ya-Mei Zhu, Ya-Dong Xue, Yong-Zhen Wang, Tao Ban, Rong Huo
Summary: PFI-3 exerts a relaxation effect on rat mesenteric arteries independent of endothelium. This vasodilatory effect is attributed to its inhibition of VDCCs and ROCCs on vascular smooth muscle cells.
Article
Neurosciences
Sara Eitelmann, Katharina Everaerts, Laura Petersilie, Christine R. Rose, Jonathan Stephan
Summary: Astrocytic gap junctional coupling is an important element in neuron-glia interaction. Impaired coupling has been found to be involved in neurological disorders, and brief episodes of metabolic stress can lead to rapid uncoupling between astrocytes. This uncoupling is not mediated by intracellular acidification, but is dependent on Ca2+/calmodulin. Such uncoupling may play a role in reducing cellular damage in the ischemic penumbra.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Alejandro Riol, Javier Cervera, Michael Levin, Salvador Mafe
Summary: Electric potential patterns across tissues can influence transcription, proliferation, migration, and differentiation in cell systems. Understanding the origins of spatial domains of distinct potential and their relationship to ion channels and gap junctions is critical for evolutionary developmental biology and regenerative medicine. Modulating bioelectrical patterns externally can offer qualitative insights into the dynamics of cell system bioelectricity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sooyeon Choi, Chae Eun Haam, Eun-Yi Oh, Seonhee Byeon, Soo-Kyoung Choi, Young-Ho Lee
Summary: Vanillin, a phenolic aldehyde found in vanilla plants, has been found to induce concentration-dependent vasodilation in rat mesenteric resistance arteries. This vasodilation is not affected by endothelial denudation or the inhibition of various enzymes, suggesting that vanillin may be a potent vasodilatory molecule.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chae Eun Haam, Seonhee Byeon, Sooyeon Choi, Eun Yi Oh, Soo-Kyoung Choi, Young-Ho Lee
Summary: The study found that T. caulis extract and its active compound vanillin can induce vascular relaxation in rat resistance arteries, which may help reduce blood pressure.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Zizi Zhou, Wenxiang Chai, Yi Liu, Meng Zhou, Xiaoming Zhang
Summary: Connexins (Cxs) have crucial roles in cellular communication, affecting cell homeostasis, proliferation, and differentiation. The activity and expression of Cxs are linked to various clinical conditions, including carcinomas, cardiac disorders, and wound healing. Recent discoveries on the association between Cxs and angiogenesis have sparked interest in Cx-mediated angiogenesis due to its vital functions in tissue formation, wound repair, tumor growth, and metastasis. Understanding this association may lead to the development of targeted therapies for angiogenic diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Natalia I. Gokina, Rebecca I. Fairchild, Nicole M. Bishop, Taylor E. Dawson, Kirtika Prakash, Elizabeth A. Bonney
Summary: Evidence suggests that pregnancy and postpartum periods are associated with significant changes in vascular reactivity and structure, with early postpartum showing increased arterial distensibility and decreased collagen content. These adaptations may be influenced by lactation status, as non-nursing mothers demonstrated different vascular responses compared to breastfeeding mothers.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Myo Htet, Jane. E. Nally, Patricia. E. Martin, Yvonne Dempsie
Summary: This review discusses the association between dysregulated connexin-mediated signaling and pulmonary hypertension and provides evidence supporting this association.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tania Martins-Marques, Antonio Rodriguez-Sinovas, Henrique Girao
Summary: Well-balanced intercellular communication in the heart is crucial for cardiac homeostasis, but accumulation of ROS during reperfusion can lead to oxidative damage and cardiomyocyte death, known as myocardial reperfusion injury. ROS signaling also regulates cell-cell communication, impacting the development of cardiac diseases.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Daniel Breunig, Song-Bo Zhang, Bjoern Trauzettel, T. M. Klapwijk
Summary: The study evaluates microscopically relevant parameters for electrical transport at hybrid superconductor-semiconductor interfaces, revealing mode selectivity as a directional momentum-filter. This selectivity arises from differences in electronic band structure, leading to the formation of isolated electron reservoirs at opposite sides of the semiconductor.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rossana D'Agostino, Laura Barberio, Mariacarmela Gatto, Teresa Tropea, Maria De Luca, Maurizio Mandala
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that EVOO phenols induce vasodilation of mesenteric arteries by activating BKca channels potentially through a local increase of subcellular calcium microdomains, which is a pivotal mechanism for artery vasodilation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniela D'Amico, Rosario Barone, Valentina Di Felice, Beau Ances, Brendan Prideaux, Eliseo A. A. Eugenin
Summary: HIV infection has become a manageable disease, but cognitive impairment and other aging-related comorbidities remain a public health concern. This study discovered a link between viral reservoirs in glial and myeloid cells and myelin damage, as well as the release of a lipid called sulfatide. Soluble sulfatide negatively affects communication and coordination essential for cognitive function. It is suggested that soluble sulfatide may serve as a biomarker and contributor to white matter compromise in HIV-infected individuals.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Physiology
C. J. Garland, K. A. Dora
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bertrand M. Lucotte, Chloe Powell, Jay R. Knutson, Christian A. Combs, Daniela Malide, Zu-Xi Yu, Mark Knepper, Keval D. Patel, Anna Pielach, Errin Johnson, Lyudmyla Borysova, Kim A. Dora, Robert S. Balaban
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2017)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christopher J. Garland, Pooneh Bagher, Chloe Powell, Xi Ye, Hamish A. L. Lemmey, Lyudmyla Borysova, Kim A. Dora
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christopher J. Garland, Pooneh Bagher, Chloe Powell, Xi Ye, Hamish A. L. Lemmey, Lyudmyla Borysova, Kim A. Dora
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Lyudmyla Borysova, Kim A. Dora
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2018)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hamish A. L. Lemmey, Xi Ye, Hong C. Ding, Christopher R. Triggle, Christopher J. Garland, Kim A. Dora
VASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Josh F. Smith, Hamish A. L. Lemmey, Lyudmyla Borysova, C. Robin Hiley, Kim A. Dora, Christopher J. Garland
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Andrii Boguslavskyi, Sergiy Tokar, Oleksandra Prysyazhna, Olena Rudyk, David Sanchez-Tatay, Hamish A. L. Lemmey, Kim A. Dora, Christopher J. Garland, Helen R. Warren, Alexander Doney, Colin N. A. Palmer, Mark J. Caulfield, Julia Vlachaki Walker, Jacqueline Howie, William Fuller, Michael J. Shattock
Summary: Studies have shown the significance of phospholemman phosphorylation in regulating vascular tone and blood pressure, suggesting it as a potential novel mechanism and therapeutic target for aging-induced essential hypertension in humans.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Kim A. Dora, Lyudmyla Borysova, Xi Ye, Chloe Powell, Timea Z. Beleznai, Christopher P. Stanley, Vito D. Bruno, Tobias Starborg, Errin Johnson, Anna Pielach, Michael Taggart, Nicola Smart, Raimondo Ascione
Summary: This study investigated the myogenic reactivity of coronary microvascular smooth muscle cells in patients with heart valve disease and identified a correlation between poor myogenic tone and expression of cellular markers.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Lyudmyla Borysova, Y. Y. Hanson Ng, Edward S. Wragg, Lillian E. Wallis, Emily Fay, Raimondo Ascione, Kim A. Dora
Summary: This protocol details how to conduct high spatial and temporal Ca2+ imaging of ex vivo multicellular myocardial strips, including the endocardial surface, to study the Ca2+ signaling that underpins cardiomyocyte contraction.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Christopher J. Garland, Kim A. Dora
Summary: Research on endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) has revealed the complexity of signaling in small arteries, including the origin of chemical and electrical signals within endothelial cells, evolving into a broader EDH signaling concept. The importance of myoendothelial feedback loop and the bidirectional signaling supported by MEJs help regulate vasoreactivity and optimize blood flow by enabling sinusoidal vasomotion.
JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Dominic Tscherrig, Rajesh Bhardwaj, Daniel Biner, Jan Dernic, Daniela Ross-Kaschitza, Christine Peinelt, Matthias A. Hediger, Martin Lochner
Summary: Changes in Ca2+ levels regulate many physiological functions, and the endoplasmic reticulum is the major Ca2+ store in cells. Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is a refilling process that involves protein-protein interactions between Ca2+ sensing STIM in the ER and Orai proteins in the plasma membrane, forming selective Ca2+ channels. Abnormal SOCE is associated with diseases and cancers, making STIM and Orai important therapeutic targets. Novel GSK-7975A-based molecular probes have been developed for studying SOCE in different cells and settings.
Article
Cell Biology
Nicola Fameli, Cornelis van Breemen, Klaus Groschner
Summary: The study provides evidence for the importance of junctional membrane architecture in cellular function. Through modeling and prediction, it is shown that nano-scale membrane spacing plays a crucial role in junctional ER Ca2+ refilling and signaling efficiency. Additionally, interactions between Ca2+ and the phospholipid membrane surface are suggested to support interfacial Ca2+ transport and receptor targeting. This research introduces a new concept in pathophysiology.
Article
Cell Biology
Satomi Ohtsuka, Yumi Miyai, Hiroyuki Mima, Masaki Magari, Yoichi Chiba, Futoshi Suizu, Hiroyuki Sakagami, Masaki Ueno, Hiroshi Tokumitsu
Summary: This study characterized the splice variants of mouse CaMKKI3/2 and found that CaMKKI3-3 and I3-3x were functionally active and likely to be bona fide CaMKIV kinases involved in the regulation of spermiogenesis.