Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ian D. Kerr, Ella Hutchison, Louise Gerard, Shereen M. Aleidi, Ingrid C. Gelissen
Summary: This review provides an update on the function of ABC transporter subfamily members in lipid homeostasis and drug transport, focusing on ABCG1, ABCG2, ABCG4, ABCG5, and ABCG8. Progress in understanding their role in health and disease, recognized transporter substrates, post-translational regulation, microRNA involvement, and structural elements important for transport activity are discussed. Additionally, the impact of lipids such as cholesterol on ABCG2 transport function and a potential model of cholesterol binding sites for ABCG2 are described.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY OF LIPIDS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michela Castagna, Raffaella Cinquetti, Tiziano Verri, Francesca Vacca, Matteo Giovanola, Amilcare Barca, Tiziana Romanazzi, Cristina Roseti, Alessandra Galli, Elena Bossi
Summary: The SLC6 family includes 20 human transporters classified into neurotransmitter transporters and nutrient amino acid transporters. Insects' orthologs of SLC6 family transporters have served as important tools for investigating mammalian counterparts.
NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ophthalmology
Swati Singh, Christian M. Hammer, Friedrich Paulsen
Summary: Urea is present in the tear film, aqueous humor, and vitreous of the eye. Urea transporters and synthesizing enzymes are found at the ocular surface, indicating ureagenesis occurs there. Urea plays a role in tear film stability and protecting the ocular surface.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ruggiero Gorgoglione, Roberta Seccia, Amer Ahmed, Angelo Vozza, Loredana Capobianco, Alessia Lodi, Federica Marra, Eleonora Paradies, Luigi Palmieri, Vincenzo Coppola, Vincenza Dolce, Giuseppe Fiermonte
Summary: The human mitochondrial carrier family (MCF) consists of 53 members, with approximately one-fifth of them still lacking functional characterization. Most mitochondrial transporters have been studied by reconstituting the expressed protein into liposomes and performing transport assays. However, the availability of radiolabeled substrates limits the efficacy of this experimental approach. In this study, a yeast cell model was developed to identify the hypothetical mammalian mitochondrial N-acetylglutamate (NAG) transporter.
Article
Neurosciences
Anneke H. O. Olde Engberink, Pablo de Torres Gutierrez, Anna Chiosso, Ankita Das, Johanna H. Meijer, Stephan Michel
Summary: Aging impairs the function of the central circadian clock, resulting in reduced output signal and decline in rhythm strength. The reduced amplitude of the signal is caused by decreased synchrony among the SCN neurons. The study reveals an increased excitation/inhibition balance and altered Ca2+ homeostasis in SCN neurons of old mice, suggesting their contribution to the altered synchrony within the aged SCN network.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Albert Suades, Aziz Qureshi, Sarah E. McComas, Mathieu Coincon, Axel Rudling, Yurie Chatzikyriakidou, Michael Landreh, Jens Carlsson, David Drew
Summary: The authors have optimized a transport assay in liposomes to study glucose transporters (GLUTs) and provide insights into other membrane transport proteins. GLUTs play a crucial role in glucose homeostasis and their dysfunction is linked to diseases like diabetes and cancer. However, transport assays using purified GLUTs have been challenging, which hampers in-depth mechanistic investigations.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Damian Krzyzanowski, Marcin Kruszewski, Agnieszka Grzelak
Summary: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have unique properties that have attracted significant attention, showing antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer properties. However, they can also exhibit cytotoxic effects and modulate the activity and expression of ABC transporters.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Matthew Gilliham, Maria Hrmova
Summary: The recent study by Wang et al. revealed the structure of ALMT1, shedding light on its function and presenting new research opportunities in the field of plant tolerance to aluminum.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Samson Hailemariam, Shengguo Zhao, Yue He, Jiaqi Wang
Summary: Inefficient conversion of dietary nitrogen to microbial proteins is a major research focus, with excess ammonia production from urea being a key inefficiency. Current research focuses on understanding urea hydrolysis sites, transport routes, and the role of ureolytic bacteria in regulating this process in ruminants. Future research should aim to uncover the mechanisms of urea transportation in rumen bacteria and their physiological significance.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Yuting Ma, Gaoyi Han, Meiling Yang, Mengna Guo, Yaoming Xiao, Yao Guo, Wenjing Hou
Summary: Sodium salt ([CF3SO2]2N)Li is used as a dopant to enhance the mobility of hole transport layers, but unwanted Li+ migration hinders the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells due to the acceleration of oxygen and moisture penetration caused by voids left by Li+ migration. Here, thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) is used to modify the perovskite/spiro-OMeTAD interface. TTA passivates undercoordinated Pb2+ defects and inhibits Li+ migration while promoting hole extraction and improving the energy level matching at the perovskite/hole transport layer interface. A TTA-modified device achieves a power conversion efficiency of over 22% and exhibits enhanced humidity and thermal stability.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ning Liu, Ying Yang, Xuemeng Si, Hai Jia, Yunchang Zhang, Da Jiang, Zhaolai Dai, Zhenlong Wu
Summary: L-proline plays a crucial role in embryogenesis, placental development, and fetal growth. This study revealed that proline enhances cell viability, activates the mTORC1 signaling pathway, and modulates the intracellular redox environment. Proline regulates the expression of proline transporters and enzymes involved in redox balance, indicating its potential therapeutic benefits in various developmental processes.
Article
Polymer Science
Haotian Zhang, Mingxin Niu, Qi Zhang, Haoyu Fan, Chenyang Hu, Xuan Pang
Summary: In this study, a new method for synthesizing fully N-substituted polyureas was reported, which involved the catalyst-free ring-opening copolymerization of aziridines and isocyanates. The fully N-pendent functionality on polyureas was achieved for the first time, with the substitution exhibiting a non-symmetric pattern. Various N-alkyl aziridines were successfully used to form polyureas when combined with p-tosyl isocyanate, allowing for facile variation of the non-symmetric N-substitutions. The synthesized non-symmetric N-substituted polyureas possessed cyclic topologies, and the copolymerization was proposed to proceed via a zwitterionic mechanism. These findings have important implications for the development of novel functional materials based on N-substituted polyureas.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elena Alcalde-Estevez, Patricia Sosa, Ana Asenjo-Bueno, Patricia Plaza, Gemma Olmos, Manuel Naves-Diaz, Diego Rodriguez-Puyol, Susana Lopez-Ongil, Maria P. Ruiz-Torres
Summary: Uraemic toxins increase with declining kidney function in CKD patients, impacting muscular regeneration. High doses inhibit cell proliferation by inactivating cdc2-cyclin B complex, whereas low doses reduce myogenic differentiation and promote fibro-adipogenic differentiation. In vivo studies on uraemic rats also showed impaired skeletal muscle regeneration, even at low concentrations.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dinis O. Abranches, Liliana P. Silva, Monia A. R. Martins, Joao A. P. Coutinho
Summary: This study investigates the impact of water on intermolecular interactions in deep eutectic solvents betaine/urea and choline/urea. The addition of water enhances intermolecular interactions in betaine/urea, hinting at the formation of aggregates, while in choline/urea, water has an asymmetric impact leading to weaker interactions in choline-rich mixtures and stronger interactions in urea-rich mixtures. This research provides insights into how water affects the interactions in these systems.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Tapan Behl, Aayush Sehgal, Madhuri Grover, Sukhbir Singh, Neelam Sharma, Saurabh Bhatia, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Lotfi Aleya, Simona Bungau
Summary: Metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular complications are increasing worldwide. The dysregulation of lipid and glucose transporters plays a critical role in the onset of diabetes mellitus which requires the search for new therapeutic targets. Studies suggest the involvement of ATP-binding cassette transporters in different diseases, highlighting their potential as treatment targets for insulin resistance and dysregulated glucose metabolism in diabetes.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
