Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohamed Gatie, Danielle M. Spice, Amritpal Garha, Adam McTague, Mariam Ahmer, Alexander Timoshenko, Gregory M. Kelly
Summary: The regulation of protein O-GlcNAcylation plays a crucial role in stem cell pluripotency and differentiation. This study investigates the impact of O-GlcNAc modifications on extraembryonic endoderm (XEN) differentiation, focusing on the protein galectin-3. The results reveal that galectin-3 expression and secretion are influenced by O-GlcNAc modifications, but inhibiting global O-GlcNAcylation does not affect pluripotency or XEN differentiation in embryonic stem (ES) cells.
Article
Microbiology
Sophie A. Howard, R. Christopher D. Furniss, Dora Bonini, Himani Amin, Patricia Paracuellos, David Zlotkin, Tiago R. D. Costa, Asaf Levy, Despoina A. I. Mavridou, Alain Filloux
Summary: The T6SS is a bacterial nanoscale weapon that delivers toxins into prey and plays a key role in the arms race between organisms. By using Hcp as bait, researchers identified uncharacterized toxins and investigated the role of Hcp in the T6SS mechanism.
Article
Oncology
Elena Navarro-Palomares, Lorena Garcia-Hevia, Esperanza Padin-Gonzalez, Manuel Banobre-Lopez, Juan C. Villegas, Rafael Valiente, Monica L. Fanarraga
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of molecular cues from the Shiga toxin to target nanomaterials into head and neck cancer cells. By coating nanoparticles with a recombinant chimera protein, specific cellular responses can be activated predictably. This functionalization strategy can transform inert nanomaterials into hybrid nanosystems capable of identifying specific receptors and triggering specific cellular responses.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Outi Keina''nen, Samantha M. Sarrett, Samantha Delaney, Cindy Rodriguez, Eric J. Dayts, Emily Capone, Frederic Sauniere, Rodolfo Ippoliti, Gianluca Sala, Stefano Iacobelli, Brian M. Zeglis
Summary: Galectin-3 binding protein (Gal-3BP) is a glycoprotein overexpressed and secreted by several cancers, and has been identified as a marker for tumor progression and poor prognosis in various cancer types. In this study, a pair of Gal-3BP-targeting radioimmunoconjugates for Zr-89-immunoPET were developed and evaluated. The results suggest that these probes could be clinically useful for imaging Gal-3BP-expressing malignancies and identifying patients likely to respond to Gal-3BP-targeted therapeutics.
MOLECULAR PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Marion Schoof, Maureen O'Callaghan, Charles Hefer, Travis R. Glare, Amber R. Paulson, Mark R. H. Hurst
Summary: This study demonstrates that Y. entomophaga RoeA activates the production of exoproteins (including Yen-Tc) and the ALC at the transcriptional level, providing empirical evidence for the link between ALC phage-like lysis cassettes and the release of large macro-molecular toxin complexes. This finding is important for understanding the regulation of bacterial virulence.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Manju Kandel, Stephen Tong, Susan P. Walker, Ping Cannon, Tuong-Vi Nguyen, Teresa M. MacDonald, Natalie J. Hannan, Tu'uhevaha J. Kaitu'u-Lino, Lucy A. Bartho
Summary: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disease associated with high mortality rates for mothers and infants. This study found reduced levels of galectin-3 protein and LGALS3 mRNA expression in the placenta of women with early-onset preeclampsia.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Selena Bouffette, Iuliana Botez, Frederic De Ceuninck
Summary: This article reviews the key role of Galectin-3 (Gal-3) in cardiac, hepatic, renal, and pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation, respiratory infections caused by COVID-19, and neuroinflammatory disorders. The recent strategic breakthroughs have led to the identification of new-generation Gal-3 inhibitors with improved potency, selectivity, and bioavailability, which have shown promise as valuable tools in proof-of-concept studies in preclinical models of these diseases, particularly those in clinical stages. Critical views and suggestions to expand the therapeutic opportunities provided by this complex target are also discussed.
TRENDS IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Weizhen Jia, Lingyu Kong, Hiroyasu Kidoya, Hisamichi Naito, Fumitaka Muramatsu, Yumiko Hayashi, Han-Yun Hsieh, Daishi Yamakawa, Daniel K. Hsu, Fu-Tong Liu, Nobuyuki Takakura
Summary: This study demonstrates that Gal-3 expression in long-term repopulating HSCs is induced in response to Tie2 and Mpl, and plays a crucial role in maintaining HSC quiescence through regulation of p21.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amanda Pritzlaff, Guillaume Ferre, Emma Mulry, Ling Lin, Niloofar Gopal Pour, Daniel A. Savin, Michael E. Harris, Matthew T. Eddy
Summary: PEGylation is a promising method to improve protein stability, but the underlying mechanism is not well understood. This study used a structural and biophysical approach to investigate the effects of PEGylation on the carbohydrate recognition domain of human galectin-3. The results revealed the potential role of charged residues in PEG localization and provided insights for the rational design of conjugates.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Toxicology
Lu Yuan, Rinako Nakamichi, Yuka Hirata, Ayaka Matsuda, Yui Shinohara, Akifumi Yamada, Yoshimitsu Masuda, Ken-ichi Honjoh, Takahisa Miyamoto
Summary: This study investigated the effects of 20 polyphenols on the cytotoxicity of Stx1 and Stx2 in Vero cells. Eight polyphenols, including luteolin, showed inhibitory and protective effects against Stxs. Luteolin inhibited the depurination of 28S rRNA and the incorporation of Stxs into Vero cells, which resulted in the inhibition of cytotoxicity. This is the first report to demonstrate the inhibitory mechanism of luteolin on both Stx1 and Stx2.
TOXICOLOGY IN VITRO
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tracy Palmer, Alexander J. Finney, Chayan Kumar Saha, Gemma C. Atkinson, Frank Sargent
Summary: Gram-negative bacteria have evolved various pathways to secrete proteins, with the involvement of holins and cell wall-editing enzymes. The identity of the cell wall-editing enzymes varies across different biological systems, indicating that the secretion pathway may have evolved multiple times. Genomic analysis supports the conservation of this pathway, which is implicated in the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and toxins in a range of bacteria.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
David A. Montero, Richard Garcia-Betancourt, Roberto M. Vidal, Juliana Velasco, Pablo A. Palacios, Daniela Schneider, Carolina Vega, Leonardo Gomez, Hernan Montecinos, Rodrigo Soto-Shara, Angel Onate, Leandro J. Carreno
Summary: Researchers have developed a chimeric protein-based vaccine targeting seven virulence factors of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), which elicited significant immune responses in mice and provided protection against infection. However, further improvement is needed to enhance the vaccine's efficacy and explore other potential mechanisms of protection.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yeon-Sook Choi, Myung Ji Kim, Eun A. Choi, Sinae Kim, Eun Ji Lee, Min Ji Park, Mi-Ju Kim, Yeon Wook Kim, Hee-Sung Ahn, Jae Yun Jung, Gayoung Jang, Yongsub Kim, Hyori Kim, Kyunggon Kim, Jin Young Kim, Seung-Mo Hong, Song Cheol Kim, Suhwan Chang
Summary: Gal-3BP is identified as a highly secreted protein in PDAC and its overexpression is closely related to cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. It is found that Gal-3BP enhances galectin-3-mediated signaling, leading to increased PDAC metastasis. Blocking Gal-3BP with antibodies can effectively suppress PDAC metastasis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zihan Zhao, Xuejiao Xu, Hairong Cheng, Michelle C. Miller, Zhen He, Hongming Gu, Zhongyu Zhang, Avraham Raz, Kevin H. Mayo, Guihua Tai, Yifa Zhou
Summary: Gal-3's N-terminal tail with proline-rich residues plays a crucial role in mediating various cellular activities, affecting cell migration, activation, endocytosis, and hemagglutination. The research also reveals the significant impact of prolines in regulating Gal-3 oligomerization process.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Callum J. Vidor, Audrey Hamiot, Jessica Wisniewski, Rommel A. Mathias, Bruno Dupuy, Milena Awad, Dena Lyras
Summary: Protein secretion in bacteria is usually mediated by distinct pathways, and there is evidence of a novel secretion pathway involving bacteriophage-related proteins. Different bacteria may use different holin-like proteins to release toxins through specific mechanisms.