Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Syed Ahmad Chan Bukhari, Shrikant Pawar, Jeff Mandell, Steven H. Kleinstein, Kei-Hoi Cheung
Summary: The study demonstrates the feasibility and flexibility of using a graph database for storing and querying immunological data with complex biological relationships. Utilizing a graph-based approach allows for the potential discovery of novel relationships among heterogeneous biological data and metadata.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2021)
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
Keith J. Kelleher, Timothy K. Sheils, Stephen L. Mathias, Jeremy J. Yang, Vincent T. Metzger, Vishal B. Siramshetty, Dac-Trung Nguyen, Lars Juhl Jensen, Dusica Vidovic, Stephan C. Schurer, Jayme Holmes, Karlie R. Sharma, Ajay Pillai, Cristian G. Bologa, Jeremy S. Edwards, Ewy A. Mathe, Tudor Oprea
Summary: The Illuminating the Druggable Genome (IDG) project aims to improve our understanding of understudied proteins and our ability to study them in the context of disease biology by perturbing them with small molecules, biologics, or other therapeutic modalities. The two main products of the IDG effort are the Target Central Resource Database (TCRD), which curates and aggregates information, and Pharos, a web interface for extracting and visualizing data from TCRD. The latest versions of TCRD and Pharos provide visualization and analysis tools that help reveal higher-level patterns in the underlying data.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
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)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Hyeong Sim Choi, Young-Kyun Kim, Pil-Young Yun
Summary: This study aimed to identify the gene expressions related to cisplatin resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was used to determine differentially expressed genes and perform functional enrichment and signaling pathway analyses. Several genes related to cell adhesion molecules and proteoglycans in cancer pathways were found to have altered expression in cisplatin-resistant samples. These findings may provide new insights for improving the clinical therapeutic outcomes of OSCC.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Filippo Bonafe, Francesco Decataldo, Isabella Zironi, Daniel Remondini, Tobias Cramer, Beatrice Fraboni
Summary: Research on electrolyte-gated and organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) architectures aims to develop a highly biocompatible interface for amplifying bioelectronic signals at the site of detection. This study presents a model experiment to simulate the detection of a single cell using impedance sensing, and provides clear guidelines for optimizing OECTs as single cell sensors. The experimental results demonstrate significant gain compared to traditional electrode-based impedance sensors.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan Mitchell, Kevin W. -H. Lo
Summary: Cell adhesion is crucial for cell survival, communication, and regulation, as well as the development and maintenance of tissues. Controlling biomaterial surfaces and using bioadhesives have been extensively studied in tissue regeneration and cell biology research. However, there are limitations and drawbacks in traditional bioadhesives and animal-derived materials, which calls for alternative strategies such as the use of cell-adhesive small molecules.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Wei Jiang, Peng-Ying Wang, Qi Zhou, Qiu-Tong Lin, Yao Yao, Xun Huang, Xiaoming Tan, Shihui Yang, Weicai Ye, Yuedong Yang, Yun-Juan Bao
Summary: In this study, a new integrative cancer precision medicine knowledgebase and reporting system called Consensus Cancer Core (Tri (c) DB) has been developed, which mines and harmonizes multifaceted cancer data sources and presents them in a centralized platform with enhanced functionalities for accessibility, annotation and analysis.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Shuqin Hu, Zhe Wang, Caixia Jin, Qizhen Chen, Yuchen Fang, Jiahui Jin, Jie Chen, Lixia Lu, Haibin Tian, Jingying Xu, Furong Gao, Juan Wang, Jieping Zhang, Hong-Ping Cui, Guo-Tong Xu, Qingjian Ou
Summary: This study analyzed the biological functions and applications of human amniotic epithelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles (hAEC-EVs) and elucidated their mechanisms. The findings showed that these extracellular vesicles primarily functioned through promoting extracellular matrix reorganization and cell adhesion. In a rabbit model of corneal alkali burn healing, it was found that hAEC-EVs facilitated corneal re-epithelialization, reduced scar formation, and restored corneal transparency. In vitro experiments also demonstrated that hAEC-EVs promoted the proliferation and migration of corneal epithelial cells and corneal stem cells, as well as activated the focal adhesion signaling pathway.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Julio C. C. Fierro Morales, Qian Xue, Minna Roh-Johnson
Summary: Cell-substrate adhesion is crucial for cell migration, with focal adhesions being a well-studied structure involved in this process. However, the understanding of the evolution and in vivo role of cell-substrate adhesion machinery is limited. Further investigation in these areas is important for understanding the role of cell-substrate adhesion in physiological contexts and for potential applications in adhesion-based processes.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(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)
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
Nicolas Bery, Carole J. R. Bataille, Angela Russell, Angela Hayes, Florence Raynaud, Sabine Milhas, Sneha Anand, Hanna Tulmin, Ami Miller, Terence H. Rabbitts
Summary: Intracellular antibodies can be used for target validation or developing small-molecule surrogates, such as through Abd technology. Researchers have identified a series of anti-LMO2 Abd compounds that bind to the same location as an inhibitory anti-LMO2 intracellular antibody, demonstrating potential applications in challenging protein research.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Li-Wa Shao, Qi Peng, Mingyue Dong, Kaiyu Gao, Yumei Li, Yi Li, Chuan-Yun Li, Ying Liu
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Cell Biology
Stephanie Lazo, Nicole Noren Hooten, Jamal Green, Erez Eitan, Nicolle A. Mode, Qing-Rong Liu, Alan B. Zonderman, Ngozi Ezike, Mark P. Mattson, Paritosh Ghosh, Michele K. Evans
Summary: The mitochondrial free radical theory of aging posits that oxidative damage to mitochondria and mtDNA contributes to aging. This study found a portion of ccf-mtDNA in plasma is encapsulated in EVs, and that EV mtDNA levels decrease with age. Additionally, EVs from old and young donors had differential effects on mitochondrial respiration, suggesting an age-dependent impact of EVs on mitochondrial energetics.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qing-Rong Liu, Ana Canseco-Alba, Ying Liang, Hiroki Ishiguro, Emmanuel S. Onaivi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Cell Biology
Yoo Kim, Sudeep Gautam, Kanikkai Raja Aseer, Jaekwan Kim, Prabha Chandrasekaran, Caio Henrique Mazucanti, Paritosh Ghosh, Jennifer F. O'Connell, Maire E. Doyle, Ashley Appleton, Elin Lehrmann, Qing-Rong Liu, Josephine M. Egan
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi Li, Wanqiu Ding, Chuan-Yun Li, Ying Liu
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hai-Ying Zhang, Lindsay De Biase, Ramesh Chandra, Hui Shen, Qing-Rong Liu, Eliot Gardner, Mary Kay Lobo, Zheng-Xiong Xi
Summary: Cannabinoid CB2 receptors are involved in drug reward and addiction. Repeated cocaine exposure increases CB2R expression in the brain and spleen, while repeated heroin administration leads to a dose-dependent reduction in CB2 mRNA expression in the striatum. Upregulation of CB2R mainly occurs in D-1-MSNs, not in D-2-MSNs or microglia.
ACTA PHARMACOLOGICA SINICA
(2022)
Article
Pathology
Maire E. Doyle, Ashley Appleton, Qing-Rong Liu, Qin Yao, Caio H. Mazucanti, Josephine M. Egan
Summary: The study found that SARS-CoV-2 may enter the human body through infecting taste papillae cells, affecting taste receptor stem cell activity and causing taste impairment. Some patients still had not fully recovered, with disrupted taste stem cells.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Fengjiao Wang, Jiahuan He, Siqi Liu, Ai Gao, Liu Yang, Guohuan Sun, Wanqiu Ding, Chuan-Yun Li, Fanglin Gou, Manman He, Fang Wang, Xiaoshuang Wang, Xiangnan Zhao, Ping Zhu, Sha Hao, Yanni Ma, Hui Cheng, Jia Yu, Tao Cheng
Summary: By analyzing 12 murine adult hematopoietic cell populations, this study identified 30796 editing sites and revealed the dynamic changes of the RNA editome during hematopoietic development. The highly edited Azin1 in HSPCs plays a crucial role in promoting cell differentiation.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Qing-Rong Liu, Min Zhu, Pingbo Zhang, Caio H. Mazucanti, Nicholas S. Huang, Doyle L. Lang, Qinghua Chen, Pavan Auluck, Stefano Marenco, Jennifer F. O'Connell, Luigi Ferrucci, Chee W. Chia, Josephine M. Egan
Summary: The human insulin gene has diverged from ancestral genes millions of years ago and recent research revealed novel isoforms and protein products. A new peptide segment named Cα-peptide was found, distinct from the conventional C-peptide. The ratio of a 74-amino acid proinsulin to proconvertase-processed Cα-peptide was significantly increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus autopsy donors, suggesting potential clinical relevance.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Qing-Rong Liu, Kanikkai Raja Aseer, Qin Yao, Xiaoming Zhong, Paritosh Ghosh, Jennifer F. O'Connell, Josephine M. Egan
Summary: CB2R may play important roles in autoimmune diabetes by regulating inflammasomes, intracellular autophagy, and extracellular vesicle release, which in turn regulate the function of pancreatic islets.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Ana Canseco-Alba, Branden Sanabria, Mariam Hammouda, Rollanda Bernadin, Marizel Mina, Qing-Rong Liu, Emmanuel S. Onaivi
Summary: DAT-Cnr2 cKO mice, which do not express CB2R in midbrain dopamine neurons, exhibit reduced hyperactivity phenotype and decreased anxiety-like behavior, but increased impulsivity and risky behavior. They also show deficient response in delay decision making and perform similarly to WT mice in attention tests. The study suggests that DAT-Cnr2 cKO mice may serve as a possible model for studying the neurobiological basis of ADHD.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qing-Rong Liu, Min Zhu, Qinghua Chen, Maja Mustapic, Dimitrios Kapogiannis, Josephine M. Egan
Summary: This study uncovered novel peptides associated with human-specific IAPP isoforms, which could serve as blood-based biomarkers for early Alzheimer's disease and be developed as peptide-based anti-amyloid medicine.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Berhanu Geresu Kibret, Aaliyah Roberts, Adam Kneebone, Shymaa Embaby, Justin Fernandez, Qing-Rong Liu, Emmanuel S. Onaivi
Summary: The endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays an important role in modulating alcohol-induced neuroinflammation and behavioral impairments. The cannabinoid type 2 receptors (CB2Rs) have been found to be involved in regulating behavior and neuroinflammation, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets for alcohol use disorder.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiangshang Li, Chunfu Xiao, Juntian Qi, Weizhen Xue, Xinwei Xu, Zelin Mu, Jie Zhang, Chuan-Yun Li, Wanqiu Ding
Summary: STellaris is an online server that assigns spatial information to scRNA-seq data based on their transcriptomic similarity with public spatial transcriptomics (ST) data. It is built on 101 manually curated ST datasets comprising 823 sections from different organs, developmental stages, and pathological states of humans and mice. STellaris takes raw count matrix and cell type annotation of scRNA-seq data as input, and maps single cells to spatial locations in properly matched ST sections.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Caio Henrique Mazucanti, Vernon Kennedy, Hasitha U. Premathilake, Maire E. Doyle, Jane Tian, Qing-Rong Liu, Jennifer O'Connell, Simonetta Camandola, Josephine M. Egan
Summary: The choroid plexus is an important source of insulin in the central nervous system, and its secretion is regulated by Htr2c-mediated signaling. Modulating insulin expression in the choroid plexus affects food intake, anxiety behavior, and synaptic processes in the hypothalamus. Additionally, CP-derived insulin directly acts on the hypothalamus through Gq signaling.