Article
Oncology
Chen-Ying Fan, Fang-Hua Ye, Min Peng, Jia-Jia Dong, Wen-Wen Chai, Wen-Jun Deng, Hui Zhang, Liang-Chun Yang
Summary: Pyroptosis, a newly discovered mode of programmed cell death, plays an important role in cancer development. The non-histone nuclear protein HMGB1 is closely related to tumor development and chemotherapy resistance. However, the role of endogenous HMGB1 in regulating pyroptosis in neuroblastoma is still unknown.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Wen Li, Jing Sun, Xiaoxi Zhou, Yue Lu, Wenpeng Cui, Lining Miao
Summary: Pyroptosis is a lytic programmed cell death that plays a crucial role in diabetic complications. Research has identified various signaling pathways associated with pyroptosis, and explored the potential value of pyroptosis inhibitors in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Xiujin Shen, Haibing Wang, Chunhua Weng, Hong Jiang, Jianghua Chen
Summary: This study investigated the impact of chemotherapeutic drugs cisplatin or doxorubicin on renal tubular epithelial cells, revealing that these drugs induce the cleavage of GSDME, leading to pyroptosis. By inhibiting GSDME, cell damage and inflammation caused by the drugs can be alleviated. The findings suggest that therapies targeting GSDME may be effective in reducing chemotherapeutic drug-induced nephrotoxicity.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Chaoze Jiao, Haidan Zhang, Hongyao Li, Xu Fu, Yujie Lin, Chenglong Cao, Shixian Liu, Yijing Liu, Peiwu Li
Summary: The inflammatory response helps combat pathogens, but excessive inflammation in sepsis can cause tissue and organ damage. Pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death executed by the GSDMs family, has been identified as a crucial component of the sepsis mechanism. While previous research has focused on one pathway, there is a lack of study on other GSDMs family members in sepsis.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ming-Zhen Cheng, Bo-Bo Yang, Ze-Tao Zhan, Si-Min Lin, Zhe-Ping Fang, Yi Gao, Wei-Jie Zhou
Summary: This study found that high expression of MACC1 and low expression of GSDME in colorectal cancer is associated with drug resistance, tumor proliferation, and recurrence. Therefore, by detecting the expression levels of MACC1 and GSDME, colorectal cancer patients can be divided into resistant and sensitive groups to determine personalized treatment strategies.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Muping Di, Jingjing Miao, Qiuzhong Pan, Zonglong Wu, Boyu Chen, Muru Wang, Jingjing Zhao, Huageng Huang, Jiewen Bai, Qijing Wang, Yan Tang, Yongqiang Li, Jia He, Tong Xiang, Desheng Weng, Lin Wang, Jianchuan Xia, Chong Zhao
Summary: This study found that GSDME-dependent pyroptosis is a critical determinant of radiosensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and it is modulated by OTUD4. These findings have important implications for research on radioresistance and potential therapeutic targets for sensitizing NPC to radiotherapy.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lulu Zheng, Yan Fan, Xiang Wang, Zhijin Yang, Yule Zhang, Tingting Liu, Mengya Chen, Shifei Kang, Shiwei Guo, Zheng Shi, Yuwen Wang, Kejie Zheng, Shuqi Cai, Bo Dai, Songlin Zhuang, Yuhao Li, Dawei Zhang
Summary: Immunotherapy has significantly improved cancer treatment, but its efficacy is limited in tumors with low immune infiltration. This study introduces a novel photoimmunotherapy approach that remodels the inflammatory microenvironment and enhances the effectiveness of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy through cell pyroptosis and immune cell recruitment.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jing Xia, Changbin Chu, Wanqing Li, Hong Chen, Wenhua Xie, Rui Cheng, Kai Hu, Xi Li
Summary: UCP1 can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of TNBC by activating mitochondrial autophagy and pyroptosis. GSDME is activated in TNBC cells when UCP1 levels are high. Impaired activation of mitochondrial autophagy weakens UCP1's regulation effect on TNBC metastasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Elisa Rioja-Blanco, Irene Arroyo-Solera, Patricia Alamo, Isolda Casanova, Alberto Gallardo, Ugutz Unzueta, Naroa Serna, Laura Sanchez-Garcia, Miquel Quer, Antonio Villaverde, Esther Vazquez, Ramon Mangues, Lorena Alba-Castellon, Xavier Leon
Summary: This study validates the potential use of T22-GFP-H6 as a nanocarrier to selectively deliver drugs to CXCR4(+) tumors in HNSCC, showing promising therapeutic effects without causing histological alterations in normal organs.
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2022)
Article
Biology
Zikai Zhao, Qi Li, Usama Ashraf, Mengjie Yang, Wenjing Zhu, Jun Gu, Zheng Chen, Changqin Gu, Youhui Si, Shengbo Cao, Jing Ye, Jan E. Carette
Summary: The study reveals a novel mechanism of ZIKV-induced adverse fetal outcomes by causing placental cell pyroptosis.
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiaoli Ju, Heng Zhang, Jiayou Wang, Zhonghe Sun, Lanfang Guo, Qiang Wang
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of SK-induced pyroptosis in tumour cells and mice. Cell deaths were analysed using LDH and CCK-8 assays and western blotting. The activation of BAX/caspase-3 signalling and intracellular ROS generation were found to be essential for GSDME-mediated pyroptosis induced by SK. MAPK14/p38 alpha, a ROS sensor, was also found to modulate SK-induced autophagy and affect GSDME-dependent pyroptosis.
Article
Immunology
Xiaoqing Luo, Zeqing Zhai, Zhangmei Lin, Shufan Wu, Wenchao Xu, Yehao Li, Jian Zhuang, Jie Li, Fangyuan Yang, Yi He
Summary: This study aimed to explore the mechanism of CYC-induced intestinal cytotoxicity and provide evidence for protecting from intestinal damage by blocking TLR9/caspase3/GSDME mediated pyroptosis.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiaojiao Zhang, Bingqiang Gao, Binglin Ye, Zhongquan Sun, Zhefeng Qian, Lisha Yu, Yanli Bi, Lie Ma, Yuan Ding, Yang Du, Weilin Wang, Zhengwei Mao
Summary: This study discovers that polyphenols such as tannic acid (TA) can target polyphenol/antioxidase complexes to mitochondria, effectively scavenging excess mtROS and inhibiting inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis. The complexes, referred to as TSC, maintain superior efficacy compared to the gold standard drug N-acetylcysteine in pyroptosis-related hepatitis mouse models. This research opens up new possibilities for targeting mitochondrial oxidative stress to treat inflammatory diseases.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Yujie Chen, Ni Lian, Sihan Chen, Ta Xiao, Yangying Ke, Yiqun Zhang, Changjun Song, Yong Yang, Song Xu, Heng Gu, Xu Chen
Summary: GSDME plays a restrictive role in UVB-induced skin damage by inhibiting excessive recruitment and activation of neutrophils in the immune microenvironment. Keratinocytes may not contribute to this restrictive function.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Toxicology
Xiaoxiao Mao, Jie Li, Xin Xie, Shuang Chen, Qiang Huang, Peiqiang Mu, Jun Jiang, Yiqun Deng
Summary: This study demonstrates that DON induces liver inflammatory injury through caspase-3/GSDME-dependent pyroptosis. Knocking down GSDME inhibits DON-induced pyroptosis while promoting DON-induced apoptosis, highlighting the critical role of GSDME in the crosstalk between these cell death pathways.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Aina Sansa, Cristina Valero, Anna Holgado, Rosselin Vasquez, Miquel Quer, Snehal G. Patel, Xavier Leon
Summary: This study validates the prognostic capacity of the H-index in patients with HNSCC, regardless of the primary tumor location, disease extent, or treatment performed.
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Viviana Gonzalez, Javier Frontinan-Rubio, M. Victoria Gomez, Tiziano Montini, Mario Duran-Prado, Paolo Fornasiero, Maurizio Prato, Ester Vazquez
Summary: In this paper, the synthesis and characterization of C-13-labeled graphene materials are described, as well as the investigation of their distribution in cells. The results show that after treatment with HepG2 cells, 4.1% of the dose enters the mitochondria, 4.9% enters the nucleus, and the remaining stays in the plasma membrane or culture media.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Davide Zanelli, Fabio Candotto Carniel, Lorenzo Fortuna, Elena Pavoni, Viviana Jehova Gonzalez, Ester Vazquez, Maurizio Prato, Mauro Tretiach
Summary: The increasing use of graphene-related materials raises concerns for their possible release into the environment and consequent impact on organisms. Recent studies show that graphene oxide (GO) can interfere with sexual reproduction in plants. Deposits of GO affect seed development and germination. This is the first safety limit ever recorded for depositions of out-of-the-box GO concerning the reproduction of a seed plant.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hector Lopez-Laguna, Ariana Rueda, Carlos Martinez-Torro, Lucia Sanchez-Alba, Jose Vicente Carratala, Jan Atienza-Garriga, Eloi Parlade, Julieta M. Sanchez, Naroa Serna, Eric Volta-Duran, Neus Ferrer-Miralles, David Reverter, Ramon Mangues, Antonio Villaverde, Esther Vazquez, Ugutz Unzueta
Summary: We have developed a novel protein assembly method based on a histidine-templated cysteine-coupling concept, which enables the spontaneous and efficient self-assembly of tagged proteins into monodisperse nanoparticles. This method can be used for one-step IMAC-based protein purification and for the formation of higher-order microparticulate materials as nanoparticle-releasing protein-only depots. The green biofabrication concept proposed here offers wide applicability for the further development of clinically usable protein materials.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Eric Volta-Duran, Eloi Parlade, Naroa Serna, Antonio Villaverde, Esther Vazquez, Ugutz Unzueta
Summary: Protein-based nanocarriers are versatile and biocompatible drug delivery systems that can recruit multiple functions in a single modular polypeptide. However, their efficacy is hindered by the degradation of the internalized material in endo-lysosomes. This review discusses the mechanisms to evade lysosomal degradation and highlights the potential impact of peptide domains on the functionality of protein nanocarriers.
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jose Vicente Carratala, Jan Atienza-Garriga, Hector Lopez-Laguna, Esther Vazquez, Antonio Villaverde, Julieta M. Sanchez, Neus Ferrer-Miralles
Summary: To improve the purification yield and purity of difficult proteins, a novel method has been developed using bile salts to supplement crude cell extracts, resulting in a substantial improvement in protein capture by affinity chromatography.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valentina Castagnola, Lieselot Deleye, Alice Podesta, Edra Jaho, Fabrizio Loiacono, Doriana Debellis, Martina Trevisani, Dinu Zinovie Ciobanu, Andrea Armirotti, Francesco Pisani, Emmanuel Flahaut, Ester Vazquez, Mattia Bramini, Fabrizia Cesca, Fabio Benfenati
Summary: Due to their biocompatibility and high cargo capability, graphene-based materials are considered as an ideal brain delivery system. In this study, we used two in vitro models to investigate the interactions between graphene oxide and few-layer graphene with the blood-brain barrier. Our results show that the two graphene materials have good biocompatibility and do not significantly affect the integrity and functionality of the barrier, but their translocation across the barrier is rare.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jose Luis Corchero, Marianna T. P. Favaro, Merce Marquez-Martinez, Jara Lascorz, Carlos Martinez-Torro, Julieta M. Sanchez, Hector Lopez-Laguna, Luis Carlos de Souza Ferreira, Esther Vazquez, Neus Ferrer-Miralles, Antonio Villaverde, Eloi Parlade
Summary: By using protein engineering techniques, recombinant proteins can be assembled into functional materials such as nanoparticles or secretory microparticles for drug delivery purposes. The use of histidine-rich tags and divalent cations allows the construction of these materials from pure polypeptide samples. The selection of the protein biofabrication platform is crucial in determining the biophysical properties of the resulting products.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yaiza Nunez, Annabel Garcia-Leon, Aida Falgas, Naroa Serna, Laura Sanchez-Garcia, Ana Garrido, Jorge Sierra, Alberto Gallardo, Ugutz Unzueta, Esther Vazquez, Antonio Villaverde, Ramon Mangues, Isolda Casanova
Summary: Researchers developed a protein nanoparticle, T22-PE24-H6, which can selectively deliver the exotoxin A to CXCR4(+) leukemic cells, and showed potent antitumor activity without toxicity.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
S. Garcia-Carpintero, V. Jehova Gonzalez, J. Frontinan-Rubio, A. Esteban-Arranz, E. Vazquez, M. Duran-Prado
Summary: In recent years, the genotoxicity of graphene-related materials (GRMs) and other 2D materials has been evaluated using different models. The OECD TG 487 in vitro micronucleus (MNu) test is commonly used to assess the genotoxicity of nanomaterials (NMs). However, the nature of NMs interferes with the standard MNu process, requiring adaptations. The study proposes a modified in vitro MNu test with improvements to accurately test the genotoxicity of NMs, demonstrating risks associated with graphene oxide (GO) and boron nitride (hBN).
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maria Isabel Lucio, Francesco Giacalone, Valeria La Parola, Sergio Gamez-Valenzuela, Fernando Munoz-Alba, M. Carmen Ruiz Delgado, M. Antonia Herrero, Ester Vazquez
Summary: This study experimentally and theoretically investigated the functionalisation of carbon nanotubes using two commonly used reactions. The results suggest that data obtained by Raman spectroscopy are useful for comparing functionalisations produced by the same type of reaction, but should be carefully analyzed when comparing different types of reactions.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eloi Parlade, Julieta M. Sanchez, Hector Lopez-Laguna, Ugutz Unzueta, Antonio Villaverde, Esther Vazquez
Summary: Hexahistidine-tagged proteins can form self-containing protein depots at the microscale, which can be used as drug delivery systems. The nature of the protein and the cross-linking cation used impact the disintegration and secretory performance of the depots. Factors such as electrostatic charge and protein properties influence the release kinetics and the fraction of releasable protein. Understanding these factors can help in designing efficient and customizable drug delivery platforms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ariana Rueda, Julian I. Mendoza, Lorena Alba-Castellon, Eloi Parlade, Eric Volta-Duran, David Paez, Anna Avino, Ramon Eritja, Esther Vazquez, Antonio Villaverde, Ramon Mangues, Ugutz Unzueta
Summary: This study reports a simple and straightforward method for the one-step production and site-directed cysteine conjugation of disulfide-containing non-antibody thiolated carrier proteins. The method allows for the development of stable, homogeneous, and efficient nanomedicines.
SCIENCE CHINA-MATERIALS
(2023)