Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Katarzyna Mlyniec, Dominika Siodlak, Urszula Doboszewska, Gabriel Nowak
Summary: The relevance of oligomerization for the pharmacology of depression is supported by evidence mainly from in vitro studies and neuropsychopharmacological studies. It has been found that GPR39 may mediate the antidepressant action of monoaminergic antidepressants, indicating its potential as a target for novel antidepressant drugs. Further research on oligomerization is crucial for the development of new antidepressants.
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiaoqing Guo, Qin Li, Shulan Pi, Yuanpeng Xia, Ling Mao
Summary: P2Y receptors are a critical group of G protein-coupled receptors that signal through dimers, playing diverse roles in physiology and pathology. Research has shown the significance of dimerization between P2Y receptors and other receptors in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular processes.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
News Item
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lin Cheng, Zhenhua Shao
Summary: The description of cryo-EM structures of CCKRs in active or inactive states provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of ligand recognition and G-protein-coupling, which can be utilized in developing therapeutic strategies targeting CCKRs signaling.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Leah N. N. Appelhans
Summary: Plasmonic heating by nanoparticles has been utilized to enhance various chemical reactions. Now, thermoplasmonic activation has been extended to latent ruthenium catalysts for olefin metathesis triggered by visible and infrared light.
Editorial Material
Biology
Grzegorz Kudla, Marcin Plech
Summary: Predicting how green fluorescent proteins respond to genetic mutations using a neural network reveals properties that can aid in designing new proteins.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diego Guidolin, Cinzia Tortorella, Manuela Marcoli, Chiara Cervetto, Guido Maura, Luigi F. Agnati
Summary: The discovery of allosteric receptor-receptor interactions and receptor complexes in intercellular communication has expanded our understanding of the nervous system. Research on neuronal populations and receptor complexes has led to insights on synaptic efficiency tuning, with potential implications for neuroprotective therapeutic strategies. More research is still needed in this area to fully explore the implications of receptor-receptor interactions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Manyi Yang, Xia Guo, Fangzhi Mou, Jianguo Guan
Summary: This review provides an overview of fluorescent micro/nanorobots (MNRs) and highlights their potential applications in biomedicine. The review focuses on the fluorescent mechanisms, materials, and design strategies for integrating MNRs with fluorescence. Moreover, the main challenges and future directions for fluorescent MNRs are summarized.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sergi Ferre, Francisco Ciruela, Carmen W. Dessauer, Javier Gonzalez-Maeso, Terence E. Hebert, Ralf Jockers, Diomedes E. Logothetis, Leonardo Pardo
Summary: The study proposes the concept of GPCR-effect assemblies (GEMMAs), which are pre-assembled before receptor activation and allow more efficient interactions between specific signaling components. This offers an alternative model to the conventional collision coupling model and explains the differential properties of GPCRs in different cellular environments.
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ian Seim, Ammon E. Posey, Wilton T. Snead, Benjamin M. Stormo, Daphne Klotsa, Rohit Pappu, Amy S. Gladfelter
Summary: This study reveals a mechanism that influences the composition of ribonucleoprotein bodies, in which specific sequence motifs and synergies with the intrinsically disordered region drive the formation of oligomers in the dilute phase, hindering its incorporation into the dense phase. This finding provides new insights for designing synthetic ribonucleoprotein bodies.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiao-Qin Xu, Xu-Qing Wang, Wei Wang
Summary: Recently, there has been rapid development in the construction of novel rotaxanes decorated with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens, aiming at practical applications. The combination of AIEgens and rotaxanes has successfully created a new type of luminescent rotaxanes with attractive features. The controllable dynamic feature of rotaxanes enables the precisely tunable emissions of the resulting AIEgen-based rotaxanes under external stimuli, leading to the construction of a novel type of smart luminescent materials. This minireview summarizes the recent progress of AIEgen-based rotaxanes, with a focus on the design strategy and potential applications.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marta Patrian, Mattia Nieddu, Jesus A. Banda-Vazquez, David Gutierrez-Armayor, Gustavo Gonzalez-Gaitano, Juan Pablo Fuenzalida-Werner, Ruben D. Costa
Summary: Implementing proteins in optoelectronics offers a sustainable solution to replace environmentally unfriendly and/or toxic components without sacrificing device performance. However, their native activity is easily lost under non-native environments and severe stress during device fabrication and operation. This study presents a genetically-encoded macro-oligomerization strategy to promote protein-protein interaction and enhance stability, allowing the integration of proteins into polymer-based materials for optoelectronics. Protein-based light-emitting diodes with enhanced performance and stability are fabricated using this strategy. The oligomerization concept serves as a solid bridge between biological systems and materials/components in bio-optoelectronics.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhongyu Li, Yanjie Wang, Gleb Baryshnikov, Shen Shen, Man Zhang, Qi Zou, Hans Agren, Liangliang Zhu
Summary: Property switching in the solid state was achieved through rubbing-induced tautomerism, leading to a significant increase in fluorescent quantum yield of materials and enabling repeated use and encrypted applications.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Eric S. S. Yang, Daniel W. N. Wilson, Jose M. M. Goicoechea
Summary: The cyaphide anion, CP-, can undergo three different oligomerization reactions in the coordination sphere of metals. These reactions result in the formation of tetra-metallic, asymmetric bimetallic, and trimetallic complexes containing various phosphorus-containing fragments. The study highlights the instability of cyaphido transition metal complexes towards further oligomerization processes.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
News Item
Optics
Andrea Macchi, Francesco Pegoraro
Summary: Laser energy conversion into X-rays is improved by using a target made of entwined carbon nanotubes.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Le-Ping Zhang, Chuan-Zhi Liu, Ming Liu, Shuai Lu, Shang-Bo Yu, Qiao-Yan Qi, Guan-Yu Yang, Xiaopeng Li, Bo Yang, Zhan-Ting Li
Summary: This study reports a new self-assembly approach, which induces a structurally symmetric molecule to trimerize using CB[10]. The resulting homotrimer exhibits tunable fluorescence and high stability in both water and the solid state.
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Attila Kofalvi, Estefania Moreno, Arnau Cordomi, Ning-Sheng Cai, Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Samira G. Ferreira, Ramon Guixa-Gonzalez, Marta Sanchez-Soto, Hideaki Yano, Veronica Casado-Anguera, Rodrigo A. Cunha, Ana Maria Sebastiao, Francisco Ciruela, Leonardo Pardo, Vicent Casado, Sergi Ferre
Article
Cell Biology
Debora Lanznaster, Caio M. Massari, Vendula Markova, Tereza Simkova, Romain Duroux, Kenneth A. Jacobson, Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Carla Tasca, Francisco Ciruela
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Mingcheng Qian, Josep Argerich, Carolina Amaral, Martijn D. P. Risseeuw, Serge Van Calenbergh, Francisco Ciruela
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rene A. J. Crans, Elise Wouters, Marta Valle-Leon, Jaume Taura, Caio M. Massari, Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Christophe P. Stove, Francisco Ciruela
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ieva Sutkeviciute, Jean-Pierre Vilardaga
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
C. M. Massari, L. C. Constantino, N. F. Marques, L. B. Binder, M. Valle-Leon, M. Lopez-Cano, V Fernandez-Duenas, F. Ciruela, C. Tasca
PURINERGIC SIGNALLING
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Marta Valle-Leon, Luis F. Callado, Ester Aso, Maria M. Cajiao-Manrique, Kristoffer Sahlholm, Marc Lopez-Cano, Concepcio Soler, Xavier Altafaj, Masahiko Watanabe, Sergi Ferre, Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Jose M. Menchon, Francisco Ciruela
Summary: According to the adenosine hypothesis of schizophrenia, a hypoadenosinergic state may lead to a reduction in A(2A)R-D2R heteromers, which could be a hallmark of the illness. The study suggests that chronic antipsychotic treatments might influence the formation of A(2A)R-D2R heteromers and warrants further investigation into possible correlations with schizophrenia.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Xavier Morato, Paula Garcia-Esparcia, Josep Argerich, Franc Llorens, Inga Zerr, Wojciech Paslawski, Eva Borras, Eduard Sabido, Ulla E. Petaja-Repo, Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Isidro Ferrer, Per Svenningsson, Francisco Ciruela
Summary: The study shows that the expression of GPR37 is increased in the substantia nigra of sporadic PD patients, and elevated levels of ecto-GPR37 peptides were detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of PD patients.
TRANSLATIONAL NEURODEGENERATION
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Marc Lopez-Cano, Joan Font, Ester Aso, Kristoffer Sahlholm, Gisela Cabre, Jesus Giraldo, Yves De Koninck, Jordi Hernando, Amadeu Llebaria, Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Francisco Ciruela
Summary: Photopharmacology offers a promising approach to improve the benefit/risk profiles of opioid-based drugs. This study successfully developed a morphine photo-derivative that can be activated by light, providing effective analgesia without the occurrence of tolerance or associated opioid-related side effects.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jean-Pierre Vilardaga, Ieva Sutkeviciute, Karina A. Pena
Summary: The study demonstrates the significant impact of localized cAMP production on cellular functions, particularly in phospho-responses, as revealed through phospho-proteomic analysis.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Jordi Bonaventura, Ester Aso, Rafael Lujan, Sergi Ferre, Francisco Ciruela
Summary: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the main membrane receptor proteins controlling brain activity and are targeted by drugs for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. GPCRs regulate neuronal function through homo- and heteromerization, and various techniques are used to study GPCR oligomerization in native tissue. The adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR)-dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) heteromer is used as an example to illustrate the implementation of these techniques in visualizing GPCR oligomers in the human brain under normal and pathological conditions. GPCR oligomerization may play a role in the pathophysiology of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karina A. Pena, Alex D. White, Sofya Savransky, Ignacio Portales Castillo, Frederic G. Jean-Alphonse, Thomas J. Gardella, Ieva Sutkeviciute, Jean-Pierre Vilardaga
Summary: This study investigates the signaling pathway and biased signaling properties of native PTHrP protein hormone acting with PTHR. Using fluorescence imaging approaches, the study demonstrates that PTHrP(1-141) displays biased agonist signaling properties that are not mimicked by PTHrP1-36. The molecular basis for this biased signaling difference is attributed to the stabilization of a singular PTHR conformation and PTHrP(1-141) sensitivity to heparin.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Laura Sarasola, Claudia Llinas del Torrent, Andrea Perez-Arevalo, Josep Argerich, Nil Casajuana-Martin, Andy Chevigne, Victor Fernandez-Duenas, Sergi Ferre, Leonardo Pardo, Francisco Ciruela
Summary: This study reveals that the ADORA1 mutation associated with Parkinson's disease affects the heteromerization of adenosine receptors, contributing to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Jean-Pierre Vilardaga, Lisa J. Clark, Alex D. White, Ieva Sutkeviciute, Ji Young Lee, Ivet Bahar
Summary: The classical paradigm of G protein-coupled receptor signaling is being revised as several receptors have been found to engage in sustained signaling responses from subcellular compartments. PTH1R, an important GPCR for calcium and phosphate regulation, can mediate different modes of cAMP signaling. Recent studies have uncovered the structural and signaling mechanisms of PTH1R and its potential pharmacological outputs. Understanding the spatial and temporal aspects of PTH1R signaling is important for drug development targeting metabolic bone and mineral diseases.
Article
Biology
Ignacio Portales-Castillo, Thomas Dean, Ross W. Cheloha, Brendan A. Creemer, Jean-Pierre Vilardaga, Sofya Savransky, Ashok Khatri, Harald Juppner, Thomas J. Gardella
Summary: Three mutations in the PTH1R gene have been identified in patients with Eiken syndrome, resulting in altered cAMP signaling and impaired recruitment of beta-arrestin2. These findings highlight the critical role of PTH1R-beta-arrestin interaction in regulating bone formation.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
