Article
Evolutionary Biology
Chrystian Junqueira Alves, Julia Silva Ladeira, Theodore Hannah, Roberto J. Pedroso Dias, Priscila Zabala Capriles, Karla Yotoko, Hongyan Zou, Roland H. Friedel
Summary: The study found that semaphorins and plexins are present in choanoflagellates, with structural differences from metazoan counterparts but likely serving similar functions. The presence or absence of these proteins in choanoflagellate species does not seem to be correlated with lifestyle or ecological factors.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Yoshimitsu Nakanishi, Sujin Kang, Atsushi Kumanogoh
Summary: Semaphorins, originally identified as axon-guidance molecules essential for neural development, have critical functions in various pathophysiological processes beyond the neural system, with mTOR signaling being a central regulator of their functions.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jacqueline L. Steele, Michelle M. Morrow, Harvey B. Sarnat, Ebba Alkhunaizi, Tracy Brandt, David A. Chitayat, Colette P. DeFilippo, Ganka V. Douglas, Holly A. Dubbs, Houda Zghal Elloumi, Megan R. Glassford, Mark C. Hannibal, Benedicte Heron, Linda E. Kim, Elysa J. Marco, Cyril Mignot, Kristin G. Monaghan, Kenneth A. Myers, Sumit Parikh, Shane C. Quinonez, Farrah Rajabi, Suma P. Shankar, Marwan S. Shinawi, Jiddeke J. P. van de Kamp, Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, Amy T. Waldman, William D. Graf
Summary: This study describes the neurological and neurodevelopmental phenotypes of boys with maternally inherited hemizygous PLXNA3 variants, suggesting a novel X-linked intellectual disability syndrome. Greater understanding of PLXNA3 variant pathogenicity in humans will require additional clinical, computational, and experimental validation.
PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Roberta Mastrantonio, Hua You, Luca Tamagnone
Summary: Semaphorins play a crucial role in cancer by controlling various biological processes, especially in cell-cell communication, migration, metastasis, and immune responses. Research suggests that Semaphorins could serve as important biomarkers for predicting patient survival and treatment response in cancer. Targeting Semaphorin signaling has shown potential in interfering with tumor growth and metastasis, making it a promising avenue for novel therapeutic strategies in cancer treatment.
Article
Cell Biology
Rami Halabi, Paula Bernice Cechmanek, Carrie Lynn Hehr, Sarah McFarlane
Summary: The loss of Sema3fb in the development of zebrafish heart leads to impaired heart chamber development, with defects in chamber-specific gene expression and a failure to establish a distinct border between atrial and ventricular chambers. This suggests that Sema3fb plays a crucial role in cardiomyocyte differentiation and proper heart formation.
CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING
(2022)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Bo Jiao, Shiyang Liu, Xi Tan, Pei Lu, Danning Wang, Hui Xu
Summary: Semaphorins, particularly Class-3 Semaphorins (SEMA3), have broad influences on pathophysiological processes such as bone remodeling, immune responses, and angiogenesis. While angiogenesis plays a crucial role in many diseases, targeting it for therapy has been challenging due to its complex mechanisms. Investigating the specific mechanisms of SEMA3 in angiogenesis may lead to novel therapeutic approaches for diseases.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chinh Thanh Nguyen, Van Minh Nguyen, Sangyun Jeong
Summary: The role of Off-track receptor tyrosine kinase (OTK) in motor axon pathfinding in Drosophila is not well understood. This study found that OTK mediates forward and reverse signaling in intersegmental nerve b (ISNb) motor axon pathfinding and interacts with the Sema-1a/PlexA and Wnt signaling pathways.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Yu-Hsuan Hung, Ya-Chin Hou, Shih-Han Hsu, Li-Yun Wang, Ya-Li Tsai, Yan-Shen Shan, Yung-Yeh Su, Wen-Chun Hung, Li-Tzong Chen
Summary: Perineural invasion and neurogenesis are common in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and upregulated expression of semaphorin 3A (SEMA3A) is observed in PDAC. This study found that cancer-secreted SEMA3A promotes neural migration, neurite outgrowth, and neural recruitment, and these effects are dependent on the activation of receptors PLXNA1, NRP2, and MAPK. Inhibition of SEMA3A can reduce neural recruitment, tumor growth, and dissemination in PDAC.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Justine M. Pinskey, Tyler M. Hoard, Xiao-Feng Zhao, Nicole E. Franks, Zoe C. Frank, Alexandra N. McMellen, Roman J. Giger, Benjamin L. Allen
Summary: Hedgehog signaling is crucial throughout the life of an organism, and this study reveals Plexin as a novel component of this pathway and investigates its functionality and mechanism of action.
Review
Immunology
Shreya M. Kanth, Salina Gairhe, Parizad Torabi-Parizi
Summary: Semaphorins are a group of proteins that play a critical role in neuronal development and have effects on tumors, autoimmune diseases, and immune responses. Recent literature has highlighted their regulatory role in innate immunity and diseases caused by acute injuries, such as in the kidneys, abdomen, heart, and lungs.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zheng Yin, Jishou Zhang, Shuwan Xu, Jianfang Liu, Yao Xu, Junping Yu, Mengmeng Zhao, Wei Pan, Menglong Wang, Jun Wan
Summary: This review summarizes the role of Semaphorins and their receptors in the pathological progression of cardiovascular diseases, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets and novel biomarkers for these diseases.
Review
Cell Biology
Sudeepa Rajan, Jonathan R. Terman, Emil Reisler
Summary: This review provides an overview of the impact of MICAL-mediated oxidation on actin's properties, including its assembly and disassembly, effects on other actin-binding proteins, and on cells and tissue systems. MICALs specifically bind to actin filaments and selectively oxidize actin's methionine residues 44 and 47, which perturbs filaments' structure and leads to their disassembly. These studies are important for understanding the regulation of the cytoskeleton and related cellular functions.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Bayley J. Waters, Barak Blum
Summary: Growing evidence suggests that axon guidance molecules play a crucial role in islet morphogenesis and function by regulating cell migration and cell-cell communication.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Qiaozhu Zuo, Yongkang Yang, Yajing Lyu, Chen Yang, Chelsey Chen, Shaima Salman, Tina Yi-Ting Huang, Elizabeth E. Wicks, Walter Jackson, Emmanuel Datan, Wenxin Qin, Gregg L. Semenza
Summary: Intratumoral hypoxia promotes breast cancer progression and is associated with cancer mortality. This study reveals that Plexin B3 (PLXNB3) is highly expressed in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer and is a direct target gene of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). PLXNB3 is correlated with HIF-1a immunohistochemistry, breast cancer grade and stage, and patient mortality. Mechanistically, PLXNB3 is required for hypoxia-induced signaling and breast cancer cell migration, invasion, and cancer stem cell specification. Knockdown of PLXNB3 impairs tumor formation and lung metastasis in orthotopic breast cancer mouse models.
Article
Ophthalmology
Victor H. Guaiquil, Cissy Xiao, Daniel Lara, Greigory Dimailig, Qiang Zhou
Summary: Axon guidance proteins and their receptors are abundantly expressed in the cornea and trigeminal ganglia. After corneal epithelium injury, these proteins and receptors quickly recover at the protein and gene expression levels and remain upregulated for several weeks. The initial protein expression recovery may be related to corneal epithelium recovery, and sustained high expression levels may be functionally related to nerve regeneration and/or patterning.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2022)
