Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasuhide Kuwabara, Allen J. York, Suh-Chin Lin, Michelle A. Sargent, Kelly M. Grimes, James P. Pirruccello, Jeffery D. Molkentin
Summary: We identified a variant in the FLII gene that is associated with cardiac remodeling in heart disease. Further studies showed that Flii protein binds to sarcomeric actin thin filament and affects its length. Deletion of Flii or introduction of the R1245H amino acid substitution in mice resulted in cardiomyopathy due to shortening of actin thin filaments. The FLII variant increases the risk of cardiomyopathy by altering sarcomere structure and contractile dynamics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biology
Giuseppina Mastrototaro, Pierluigi Carullo, Jianlin Zhang, Beatrice Scellini, Nicoletta Piroddi, Simona Nemska, Maria Carmela Filomena, Simone Serio, Carol A. Otey, Chiara Tesi, Fabian Emrich, Wolfgang A. Linke, Corrado Poggesi, Simona Boncompagni, Marie-Louise Bang, Nuno Guimaraes-Camboa
Summary: Palladin (PALLD) is a protein associated with actin and immunoglobulin in the heart. Its role in the heart has been unclear due to embryonic lethality in knockout mice. However, a study found that PALLD is necessary for normal cardiac function, as its deletion in adult mice led to cardiac abnormalities and dysfunction. Additionally, PALLD interacts with other proteins such as CARP/Ankrd1 and FHOD1. This research sheds light on the importance of PALLD in the heart.
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Christine M. Loescher, Anastasia J. Hobbach, Wolfgang A. Linke
Summary: This review provides an overview of the changes in cardiac titin properties at a molecular level, including the role isoform diversity and post-translational modifications play in regulating myocardial function, and discusses the importance of this regulation imbalance in heart disease.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiajia Zhao, Shuo Yan, Mingshan Li, Lina Sun, Min Dong, Meizhen Yin, Jie Shen, Zhangwu Zhao
Summary: RNA biopesticides are seen as the third revolution in pesticides history due to their precision, efficiency, and eco-friendliness. Through a star polycation nanocarrier-based delivery system, high RNA interference efficiency of npfr was achieved. A highly efficient bacteria-based expression system was used to produce large amounts of dsRNA segments targeting npfr and ampk simultaneously, which were then complexed with nanocarriers to develop a dual-target RNA pesticide. It significantly inhibits larval feeding, growth, and development, outperforming the widely-used azadirachtin.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Moqbel Ali Moqbel Redhwan, M. G. Hariprasad, Suman Samaddar, Sumaia Abdulbari Ahmed Ali Hard, Vidyabhushan Yadav, Apurbo Mukherjee, Rahul Kumar
Summary: This review examines the clinical trials on siRNA published in the last 5 years to understand its benefits, pharmacokinetics, and safety. So far, 55 clinical studies have been conducted on siRNA, showing its effectiveness and safety in treating various diseases. However, there are limitations and uncertainties, such as cellular uptake, precise targeting, and elimination from the body.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Seung Hyun Ahn, Dowoon Gu, Yongjun Koh, Hye-Sook Lee, Sung Wook Chi
Summary: By reanalysing AGO CLIP data in RNA viruses, putative AGO binding sites for siRNAs in the SARS-CoV-2 genome were delineated, and it was found that siRNAs loaded onto AGO can repress target transcripts by acting as miRNAs. Utilizing seed sequences of known antifibrotic miRNAs, potential siRNAs for treating COVID-19 were identified and validated for their activity in lung cell lines.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Yuanyuan Dai, Nadezda Ignatyeva, Hang Xu, Ruheen Wali, Karl Toischer, Soeren Brandenburg, Christof Lenz, Julius Pronto, Funsho E. Fakuade, Samuel Sossalla, Elisabeth M. Zeisberg, Andreas Janshoff, Ingo Kutschka, Niels Voigt, Henning Urlaub, Torsten Bloch Rasmussen, Jens Mogensen, Stephan E. Lehnart, Gerd Hasenfuss, Antje Ebert
Summary: This study identified impaired subcellular iron uptake mechanisms in cardiomyocytes of heart failure patients, which are independent of systemic iron metabolism. The defects in clathrin-mediated endocytosis and cargo transfer were found to be responsible for subcellular iron deficiency in dilated cardiomyopathy. Restoring the molecular pathway through genetic correction, peptide treatment, or iron supplementation rescued the dysfunction and improved contractility, indicating a potential treatment strategy for heart failure.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Paul H. Goldspink, Chad M. Warren, Jan Kitajewski, Beata M. Wolska, R. John Solaro
Summary: The dominant mechanism of sudden cardiac death in the young is the maladaptive responses to genes encoding proteins linked to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, mostly mutant sarcomere proteins. These mutations impose a biophysical defect on myofilament tension generation, leading to disease progression. Personalized treatments are being explored based on advanced understanding of this progression.
JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Sophie Broadway-Stringer, He Jiang, Kirsty Wadmore, Charlotte Hooper, Gillian Douglas, Violetta Steeples, Amar J. Azad, Evie Singer, Jasmeet S. Reyat, Frantisek Galatik, Elisabeth Ehler, Pauline Bennett, Jacinta I. Kalisch-Smith, Duncan B. Sparrow, Benjamin Davies, Kristina Djinovic-Carugo, Mathias Gautel, Hugh Watkins, Katja Gehmlich
Summary: Pathogenic variants in ACTN2 gene have been identified as rare causes of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. However, the underlying disease mechanisms are not well understood. This study found that a missense variant in alpha-actinin renders the protein less stable, leading to molecular and morphological abnormalities in mouse hearts.
Article
Cell Biology
Yibin Zhu, Chi Zhang, Liming Zhang, Yun Yang, Xi Yu, Jinglin Wang, Qiyong Liu, Penghua Wang, Gong Cheng
Summary: This study reveals how a human-blood-derived microRNA, hsa-miR-150-5p, interferes with the mosquito's antiviral system to facilitate flavivirus infection and transmission. By hijacking the mosquito's RNA interference system, this microRNA suppresses the expression of certain chymotrypsins with potent virucidal activity, impacting the transmission of arboviruses.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Shi Shen, Lorenzo R. Sewanan, Stuart G. Campbell
Summary: A novel in-vitro platform was created to study reverse remodeling of engineered heart tissue after mechanical unloading. The research found that stress-free tissue length increased after chronic stretch but gradually decreased back to its original value within 9 days, suggesting a role for actomyosin contraction in reverse remodeling. Additionally, active sarcomeric contraction and fibroblast activity were found to play essential roles in reverse remodeling of myocardium after mechanical unloading.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Marta Papis, Camilla Loro, Michele Penso, Gianluigi Broggini, Francesca Foschi
Summary: The synthesis of modified morpholino monomers was achieved through condensation reactions under Lewis acid conditions, utilizing a simple and efficient method to access diversified optically pure morpholino monomers with high yields and anomeric ratios.
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Pengfei Hao, Han Liu, Baogang Lin, Yun Ren, Lan Huang, Lixi Jiang, Shuijin Hua
Summary: In this study, the metabolites and genes involved in red pigment formation in rapeseed petals were identified. Flavonoids, especially anthocyanins, were found to play an important role in red pigment formation, and BnaA03.ANS was identified as an irreplaceable gene in red-flowered rapeseed.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maritere Uriostegui-Arcos, Steven T. T. Mick, Zhuo Shi, Rufuto Rahman, Ana Fiszbein
Summary: This study presents a strategy to activate gene expression through exon-mediated activation of transcription starts (EMATS) and demonstrates its potential for treating genetic diseases caused by loss of expression of essential genes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Thomas L. Lynch, Mohit Kumar, James W. McNamara, Diederik W. D. Kuster, Mayandi Sivaguru, Rohit R. Singh, Michael J. Previs, Kyoung Hwan Lee, Gina Kuffel, Michael J. Zilliox, Brian Leei Lin, Weikang Ma, Aaron M. Gibson, Burns C. Blaxall, Michelle L. Nieman, John N. Lorenz, Dana M. Leichter, Owen P. Leary, Paul M. L. Janssen, Pieter P. de Tombe, Richard J. Gilbert, Roger Craig, Thomas Irving, David M. Warshaw, Sakthivel Sadayappan
Summary: Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of cardiac myosin binding protein-C play crucial roles in regulating cardiac contraction and actomyosin interactions. The amino terminus region of cMyBP-C is essential for maintaining normal cardiac structure and function, with its deletion resulting in dilated cardiomyopathy.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY
(2021)