Review
Cell Biology
Silvio Antoniak, Nigel Mackman
Summary: Platelets play a crucial role in maintaining vascular integrity after injury and contribute to the immune response to pathogens. During viral infections, they can both reduce blood-borne viruses by engulfing them and enhance inflammation and tissue injury.
Review
Cell Biology
Shaobo Zhang, Timothy Saunders
Summary: During the development of complex multicellular organisms, the robust formation of specific cell-cell connections is essential for precise tissue structure generation. Various mechanical cues, including differential adhesion and cell contractility, play a role in regulating cell-cell recognition and contact.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Antonius Armanious, Milad Radiom, Raffaele Mezzenga
Summary: The colloidal properties of viruses play a crucial role in their stability, transport, and interactions with hosts. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding on the correlation between these properties and virus-host interactions. Efforts are being made to develop new approaches or improve existing ones to experimentally characterize the physical-chemical properties of viruses. This knowledge not only contributes to scientific research but also opens up possibilities for the design of novel viral vectors and virus-like particles for biomedical applications.
CURRENT OPINION IN COLLOID & INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lauren Taylor, Miriam Wankell, Pankaj Saxena, Craig McFarlane, Lionel Hebbard
Summary: Skeletal muscles are responsible for voluntary body movements and undergo a complex process of myogenesis for formation, maintenance, regeneration, and repair. This process involves satellite cells, transcription factors, cell adhesion molecules, and signaling cascades for effective muscle growth and function.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Byeong Gwan Song, Su Yeon Kwon, Jae Won Kyung, Eun Ji Roh, Hyemin Choi, Chang Su Lim, Seong Bae An, Seil Sohn, Inbo Han
Summary: Synaptic cell adhesion molecules (SynCAMs), specifically SynCAM3, play a crucial role in synapse formation and maintenance as well as synaptic plasticity regulation. Through its involvement in the connection between axons and astrocytes, SynCAM3 has been found to be associated with astrocytic scar formation following central nervous system (CNS) injuries. This study explores the impact of selective removal of SynCAM3 on spinal cord injury (SCI) outcomes, highlighting its role in the prevention of scar-forming astrocytes and promoting extracellular matrix (ECM) reconstitution, ultimately leading to improved functional recovery.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Azita Leavitt, Erez Yirmiya, Gil Amitai, Allen Lu, Jeremy Garb, Ehud Herbst, Benjamin R. Morehouse, Samuel J. Hobbs, Sadie P. Antine, Zhen-Yu J. Sun, Philip J. Kranzusch, Rotem Sorek
Summary: The Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain is a crucial component of immune receptors that detect pathogen invasion in various organisms. This study reveals a new mode of action by which phages inhibit host immunity by binding and sequestering immune signaling molecules produced by TIR-domain proteins. The chemical structure of the central immune signaling molecule has been defined, providing insights into the mechanisms of pathogen-host interactions.
Review
Cell Biology
Bo Wu, Qian Wang, Xiang Shi, Meixi Jiang
Summary: The existence of multiple endocytic pathways and their effects on tumor cells and immune cells have been intensively investigated. Understanding these pathways can lead to new candidates for cancer treatment and regulation of the tumor immune microenvironment.
CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sreelakshmi N. Menon, Farzana Zerin, Emmanuella Ezewudo, Nimi P. Simon, Sreeranjini N. Menon, Morgan L. Daniel, Andrea J. Green, Ajay Pandey, Charles E. Mackay, Sherif Hafez, Nader H. Moniri, Raquibul Hasan
Summary: Neflamapimod effectively inhibits endothelial cell activation, adhesion molecule expression, and leukocyte attachment, thereby reducing vascular inflammation.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dan Liu, Lihui Duan, Lauren B. Rodda, Erick Lu, Ying Xu, Jinping An, Longhui Qiu, Fengchun Liu, Mark R. Looney, Zhiyong Yang, Christopher D. C. Allen, Zhongmei Li, Alexander Marson, Jason G. Cyster
Summary: Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for initiating adaptive immune responses. The positioning and homeostasis of DCs are controlled by factors that are not fully understood. This study found that type-2 conventional DCs (cDC2s) in the spleen rely on G alpha(13) and CD97 for positioning in blood-exposed locations. CD97 function requires its autoproteolytic cleavage. Interaction between cDC2s and red blood cells (RBCs) expressing CD55 under shear stress conditions causes extraction of the regulatory CD97 N-terminal fragment. Loss of CD55-CD97 signaling leads to circulation of splenic cDC2s and defective lymphocyte responses to blood-borne antigens. Therefore, CD97 mechanosensing of RBCs plays a role in optimizing the antigen capture and presentation functions of splenic cDC2s.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Patricia Himmels, Thi Thu Thao Nguyen, Maresa Caunt Mitzner, Alfonso Arrazate, Stacey Yeung, Jeremy Burton, Robyn Clark, Klara Totpal, Raj Jesudason, Angela Yang, Margaret Solon, Jeffrey Eastham, Zora Modrusan, Joshua D. Webster, Amy A. Lo, Robert Piskol, Weilan Ye
Summary: Preclinical and clinical studies show that T cell-dependent bispecific antibodies (TDBs) not only kill tumors but also cause systemic changes, leading to adverse events. In this study, the acute responses to TDBs in tumor-bearing mice were characterized in detail. The results reveal rapid and significant accumulation of lymphocytes and activation of endothelial cells (ECs) around large blood vessels in normal organs, particularly the liver. It is suggested that differential responses in normal tissues and tumors may be attributed to organ-specific ECs, and a list of genes selectively upregulated in large liver vessels by TDBs is identified. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that CD9 facilitates the interaction between T cells and ECs through the support of ICAM-1 in response to soluble factors released from TDB-mediated cytotoxic reactions. These findings provide insights into the response of different vascular beds to cancer immunotherapy and may contribute to improving their safety and efficacy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jay Rollins, Tyler Worthington, Allison Dransfield, Jordan Whitney, Jordan Stanford, Emily Hooke, Joseph Hobson, Jacob Wengler, Sandra Hope, Dario Mizrachi
Summary: Cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs) are responsible for various cell interactions. In this study, the expression of CLDN proteins in E. coli is investigated and its consequences are discussed. The iCLASP method is introduced as a high-throughput screening approach for identifying paracellular modulators for CLDN2.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiang Liu, Junchao Zhang, Xun Fu, Shu Yang, Yan Li, Jianmin Liu, Michael E. DiSanto, Ping Chen, Xinhua Zhang
Summary: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in elderly men, characterized by prostatic enlargement and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTs). Pathological processes of prostate hyperplasia are related to cell proliferation and apoptosis imbalance, inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and growth factors. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), such as integrins and cadherins, play important roles in both physiological and pathological processes of BPH. Targeting CAMs may have potential therapeutic value for BPH treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mengdie Yin, Chao Li, Jiali Jiang, Jingqing Le, Bangyue Luo, Fang Yang, Yifan Fang, Mingyue Yang, Zhenhua Deng, Wenxin Ni, Jingwei Shao
Summary: Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality worldwide, characterized by pathological constriction of blood vessels due to chronic low-grade inflammation and lipid deposition. Cell adhesion molecules play a key role in regulating the inflammatory response and endothelial function, with potential therapeutic strategies based on CAM inhibitors showing promising results in combating atherosclerotic progression.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tyler J. Bechtel, Tamara Reyes-Robles, Olugbeminiyi O. Fadeyi, Rob C. Oslund
Summary: Multicellular organisms rely on physical cell-cell interactions to regulate physiological processes. Understanding the complexity of these interactions has greatly improved insight into cell-cell engagement biology and led to opportunities for therapeutic development. Emerging approaches that combine chemistry and biology technologies effectively interrogate cell-cell interfaces with molecular-level detail.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qianjiang Hu, Komal Saleem, Jyotsana Pandey, Arzoo N. N. Charania, Yong Zhou, Chao He
Summary: The mechanisms of tissue fibrosis pathogenesis are not completely understood. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) play critical roles in fibrotic progression in various organs. Dysregulated expression and function of CAMs can lead to chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis. The major families of CAMs include integrins, cadherins, selectins, and immunoglobulins. In this review, we focus on the role of CAMs, particularly integrins and cadherins, in the development of pulmonary fibrosis.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Florian Krackhardt, Magnus Jornten-Karlsson, Matthias Waliszewski, Mikael Knutsson, Anna Niklasson, Karl-Friedrich Appel, Ralf Degenhardt, Alexander Ghanem, Till Koehler, Marc-Alexander Ohlow, Carsten Tschoepe, Heinz Theres, Juergen vom Dahl, Bjorn W. Karlson, Lars S. Maier
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a patient support tool app in improving medication adherence and lifestyle changes in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Results showed that the app intervention significantly improved medication adherence compared to a control group. General improvements in health status and lifestyle changes were observed in both groups.
CARDIOVASCULAR DRUGS AND THERAPY
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mariann Gyongyosi, Pilar Alcaide, Folkert W. Asselbergs, Bianca J. J. M. Brundel, Giovanni G. Camici, Paula da Costa Martins, Peter Ferdinandy, Marianna Fontana, Henrique Girao, Massimiliano Gnecchi, Can Gollmann-Tepekoylu, Petra Kleinbongard, Thomas Krieg, Rosalinda Madonna, Melanie Paillard, Antonis Pantazis, Cinzia Perrino, Maurizio Pesce, Gabriele G. Schiattarella, Joost P. G. Sluijter, Sabine Steffens, Carsten Tschope, Sophie Van Linthout, Sean M. Davidson
Summary: Long COVID is a global non-communicable epidemic characterized by long-lasting multiorgan symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection has subsided. This scientific document aims to provide insight into the cardiovascular manifestations of long COVID and the possible causes and therapeutic options available. Imaging has shown evidence of chronic perimyocarditis, arterial wall inflammation, and microthrombosis in certain patient populations. Understanding the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms is crucial for the development of effective treatment strategies. However, current biomarkers are not highly predictive for the presence or outcome of long COVID.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
A. Hagendorff, A. Helfen, R. Brandt, E. Altiok, O. Breithardt, D. Haghi, J. Knierim, D. Lavall, N. Merke, C. Sinning, S. Stobe, C. Tschope, F. Knebel, S. Ewen
Summary: Currently, the diagnosis of HFpEF is based on echocardiographic parameters and clinical symptoms combined with natriuretic peptide levels. However, this diagnosis includes multiple pathophysiological entities, making it difficult to develop a uniform management plan. Therefore, a standardized echocardiographic workflow is necessary to characterize the underlying cardiac pathologies in patients with preserved ejection fraction and symptoms of heart failure.
CLINICAL RESEARCH IN CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Kamila Makrutzki-Zlotek, Felicitas Escher, Zehra Karadeniz, Ganna Aleshcheva, Heiko Pietsch, Konstanze Kuechler, Heinz-Peter Schultheiss, Bettina Heidecker, Wolfgang Poller, Ulf Landmesser, Carmen Scheibenbogen, Tharusan Thevathasan, Carsten Skurk
Summary: Inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by cardiac inflammation, injury, and reduced cardiac function. A study found that the gain of function FOXO3A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12212067 may diminish cardiac inflammation and injury in pathogen-negative patients with inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anika Neuschulz, Olga Bakina, Victor Badillo-Lisakowski, Pedro Olivares-Chauvet, Thomas Conrad, Michael Gotthardt, Helmut Kettenmann, Jan Philipp Junker
Summary: Tissue dissociation during single-cell sample preparation can induce transcriptional changes due to cellular stress response. We developed a method to measure this response by labeling dissociation-induced transcripts for sequencing identification. Our study revealed general and cell-type-specific dissociation response programs in zebrafish larvae, and sample-to-sample variation in mouse cardiomyocyte dissociation response despite controlled conditions. Additionally, we demonstrated the artificial activation of microglia in the mouse hippocampus upon dissociation. Our approach enables experimental optimization and computational removal of transcriptional perturbation response.
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Maurizio Pesce, Georg N. Duda, Giancarlo Forte, Henrique Girao, Angel Raya, Pere Roca-Cusachs, Joost P. G. Sluijter, Carsten Tschope, Sophie Van Linthout
Summary: A growing body of evidence suggests that the mechanical functions of cardiac fibroblasts, as a necessary component, play an active role in myocardial growth and homeostasis. This review describes cell mechanosensation as a regulator of cardiac maturation and disease, and provides evidence that changes in the mechanical properties of the myocardium can occur due to disease-induced remodeling of the cardiac extracellular matrix.
NATURE REVIEWS CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Michael Gotthardt, Victor Badillo-Lisakowski, Victoria Nicole Parikh, Euan Ashley, Marta Furtado, Maria Carmo-Fonseca, Sarah Schudy, Benjamin Meder, Markus Grosch, Lars Steinmetz, Claudia Crocini, Leslie Leinwand
Summary: Alternative splicing plays a crucial role in determining the diversity of RNA transcripts in the heart. This review discusses its regulation in cardiac development, adaptation, and disease, as well as the advancements in technology and potential applications in cardiovascular medicine. The analysis of cardiac isoform expression can lead to improved diagnosis and therapy.
NATURE REVIEWS CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Danielle J. Beetler, Katelyn A. Bruno, Damian N. Di Florio, Erika J. Douglass, Swikriti Shrestha, Carsten Tschoepe, Madeleine W. Cunningham, Jan Krejci, Julie Bienertova-Vasku, Sabine Pankuweit, Dennis M. McNamara, Eun-Seok Jeon, Sophie van Linthout, Lori A. Blauwet, Leslie T. Cooper, DeLisa Fairweather
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the sex and age differences in soluble ST2 (sST2) levels for various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Using ELISA kit, sST2 levels were measured in patients with myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarct (MI), and congestive heart failure (CHF) and compared to controls without CVDs. The results showed that myocarditis occurred in younger patients around the age of 40, while other CVDs were more common in individuals around the age of 60. There were significant differences in sST2 levels between sexes in myocarditis and cardiomyopathy, but not in other CVDs.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Claudia Matthaeus, Rene Juettner, Michael Gotthardt, Fritz G. Rathjen
Summary: The IgCAM coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR) plays a crucial role in heart development and electrical conduction. This study found that CAR knockout cardiomyocytes showed increased beating frequencies and calcium cycling. It was also discovered that CAR may influence electrical propagation between cardiomyocytes through modulating the localization and oligomerization of Cx43 at the plasma membrane.
Article
Biology
Sarah Nordmeyer, Milena Kraus, Matthias Ziehm, Marieluise Kirchner, Marie Schafstedde, Marcus Kelm, Sylvia Niquet, Mariet Mathew Stephen, Istvan Baczko, Christoph Knosalla, Matthieu-P Schapranow, Gunnar Dittmar, Michael Gotthardt, Martin Falcke, Vera Regitz-Zagrosek, Titus Kuehne, Philipp Mertins
Summary: Pressure overload and volume overload in heart valve diseases lead to specific forms of cardiac remodeling. Proteome profiling of human left ventricular myocardial biopsies revealed differences in protein composition compared to controls, particularly in the areas of extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton, energy metabolism, and proteostasis. Sex-specific differences were also observed. These findings provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of cardiac remodeling in patients with heart valve diseases, which could help in developing personalized treatment strategies.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Clara-L. Sandmann, Jana F. Schulz, Jorge Ruiz-Orera, Marieluise Kirchner, Matthias Ziehm, Eleonora Adami, Maike Marczenke, Annabel Christ, Nina Liebe, Johannes Greiner, Aaron Schoenenberger, Michael B. Muecke, Ning Liang, Robert L. Moritz, Zhi Sun, Eric W. Deutsch, Michael Gotthardt, Jonathan M. Mudge, John R. Prensner, Thomas E. Willnow, Philipp Mertins, Sebastiaan van Heesch, Norbert Hubner
Summary: This study analyzes the evolutionary origins of 7,264 recently cataloged human short open reading frames (sORFs) and finds that most of them are evolutionarily young and emerged de novo. The researchers also identify 221 previously missed sORFs that potentially encode peptides smaller than the smallest annotated human microprotein. By conducting mass-spectrometry-based interactome screens and cellular assays, the study associates some of these sORFs with mRNA splicing, translational regulation, and endocytosis-related functions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Markus Grosch, Laura Schraft, Adrian Chan, Leonie Kuechenhoff, Kleopatra Rapti, Anne-Maud Ferreira, Julia Kornienko, Shengdi Li, Michael H. Radke, Chiara Kraemer, Sandra Clauder-Muenster, Emerald Perlas, Johannes Backs, Michael Gotthardt, Christoph Dieterich, Maarten M. G. van den Hoogenhof, Dirk Grimm, Lars M. Steinmetz
Summary: Dilated cardiomyopathy can be repaired using CRISPR gene therapy, but challenges with delivery and off-target effects have limited its applicability. By combining AAVMYO viral vector with CRISPR base editors, we repaired patient mutations in the cardiac splice factor Rbm20. Treatment restored cardiac function and showed no evidence of off-target editing.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julia Kornienko, Marta Rodriguez-Martinez, Kai Fenzl, Florian Hinze, Daniel Schraivogel, Markus Grosch, Brigit Tunaj, Dominik Lindenhofer, Laura Schraft, Moritz Kueblbeck, Eric Smith, Chad Mao, Emily Brown, Anjali Owens, Ardan M. M. Saguner, Benjamin Meder, Victoria Parikh, Michael Gotthardt, Lars M. M. Steinmetz
Summary: The authors demonstrate that loss of interaction with the nuclear importer TNPO3 leads to cytoplasmic mislocalization of RBM20 variants associated with severe dilated cardiomyopathy. Restoring their nuclear localization can alleviate the disease phenotype. These findings provide insight into the molecular mechanism of RBM20 mislocalization and its role in dilated cardiomyopathy.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fabian Freiberg, Meghna Thakkar, Wiebke Hamann, Jacobo Lopez Carballo, Rene Juettner, Felizia K. Voss, Peter M. Becher, Dirk Westermann, Carsten Tschoepe, Arnd Heuser, Oliver Rocks, Robert Fischer, Michael Gotthardt
Summary: Heart attack leads to the death of heart muscle cells, causing lesions that turn into fibrotic tissue. Inhibiting the cell contact protein CAR can limit the damage and improve survival in patients with myocardial infarction, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target.
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Wolfgang Poller, Susmita Sahoo, Roger Hajjar, Ulf Landmesser, Anna M. Krichevsky
Summary: While most of the human genome does not encode proteins, it is still transcriptionally active and produces a variety of noncoding RNAs with complex functions. Only a small fraction of these transcripts have been assigned specific functions. Research on the noncoding genome has revealed the complexity of the human genome and raised many unanswered questions. Recent studies suggest that noncoding RNAs could serve as novel therapeutic targets for human diseases and may be linked to brain evolution and the interaction between the brain and immune system.