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Heart Failure Reviews Jan 2017Heart failure places an enormous burden on health and economic systems worldwide. It is a complex disease that is profoundly influenced by both genetic and environmental... (Review)
Review
Heart failure places an enormous burden on health and economic systems worldwide. It is a complex disease that is profoundly influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Neither the molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure nor effective prevention strategies are fully understood. Fortunately, relevant aspects of human heart failure can be experimentally studied in tractable model animals, including the fruit fly, Drosophila, allowing the in vivo application of powerful and sophisticated molecular genetic and physiological approaches. Heart failure in Drosophila, as in humans, can be classified into dilated cardiomyopathies and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. Critically, many genes and cellular pathways directing heart development and function are evolutionarily conserved from Drosophila to humans. Studies of molecular mechanisms linking aging with heart failure have revealed that genes involved in aging-associated energy homeostasis and oxidative stress resistance influence cardiac dysfunction through perturbation of IGF and TOR pathways. Importantly, ion channel proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, and integrins implicated in aging of the mammalian heart have been shown to play significant roles in heart failure. A number of genes previously described having roles in development of the Drosophila heart, such as genes involved in Wnt signaling pathways, have recently been shown to play important roles in the adult fly heart. Moreover, the fly model presents opportunities for innovative studies that cannot currently be pursued in the mammalian heart because of technical limitations. In this review, we discuss progress in our understanding of genes, proteins, and molecular mechanisms that affect the Drosophila adult heart and heart failure.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Drosophila; Energy Metabolism; Heart Failure; Humans; Molecular Biology; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 27904993
DOI: 10.1007/s10741-016-9590-3 -
Current Protocols in Nucleic Acid... Jun 2016A detailed understanding of chemical and biological function and the mechanisms underlying the molecular activities ultimately requires atomic-resolution structural... (Review)
Review
A detailed understanding of chemical and biological function and the mechanisms underlying the molecular activities ultimately requires atomic-resolution structural data. Diffraction-based techniques such as single-crystal X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and neutron diffraction are well established and they have paved the road to the stunning successes of modern-day structural biology. The major advances achieved in the last twenty years in all aspects of structural research, including sample preparation, crystallization, the construction of synchrotron and spallation sources, phasing approaches, and high-speed computing and visualization, now provide specialists and nonspecialists alike with a steady flow of molecular images of unprecedented detail. The present unit combines a general overview of diffraction methods with a detailed description of the process of a single-crystal X-ray structure determination experiment, from chemical synthesis or expression to phasing and refinement, analysis, and quality control. For novices it may serve as a stepping-stone to more in-depth treatises of the individual topics. Readers relying on structural information for interpreting functional data may find it a useful consumer guide. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Topics: Crystallography, X-Ray; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Microscopy, Electron; Molecular Biology; Neutron Diffraction; X-Ray Diffraction
PubMed: 27248784
DOI: 10.1002/cpnc.4 -
Journal of Molecular Biology Feb 2016
Topics: Computational Biology; Molecular Biology; Proteins; Software
PubMed: 26851073
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2016.02.001 -
International Journal of Molecular... Mar 2024Molecular biology has always represented an enviable tool in the fields of biosciences, diagnostics, and forensic sciences [...].
Molecular biology has always represented an enviable tool in the fields of biosciences, diagnostics, and forensic sciences [...].
Topics: Forensic Sciences; Molecular Biology
PubMed: 38474130
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052883 -
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology... Jul 2019
Topics: Biochemistry; Humans; Interdisciplinary Studies; Molecular Biology
PubMed: 31246359
DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21283 -
Journal of Molecular Biology Nov 2017Post-translational protein modification by ubiquitin (Ub) and Ub-like modifiers is orchestrated by the sequential action of Ub-activating, -conjugating, and -ligating... (Review)
Review
Post-translational protein modification by ubiquitin (Ub) and Ub-like modifiers is orchestrated by the sequential action of Ub-activating, -conjugating, and -ligating enzymes to regulate a vast array of fundamental biological processes. Unsurprisingly, the dysregulation of the intricate interplay between ubiquitination and deubiquitination gives rise to numerous pathologies, most notably cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. While activity-based probes (ABPs) and assay reagents have been extensively developed and applied for deubiquitinating enzymes, similar tools for the Ub cascade have only recently emerged. Given the recent efforts to develop inhibitors for the Ub system, the urgency for developing ABPs and assay reagents is imminent. In this light, we comprehensively discuss the currently available ABPs with a focus on the newly developed reagents targeting the Ub cascade while illustrating their potential applications.
Topics: Biochemistry; Eukaryotic Cells; Molecular Biology; Ubiquitination
PubMed: 28410891
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.04.002 -
Scanning 2018Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely used imaging technique in material sciences. After becoming a standard surface-imaging tool, AFM has been proven to be useful... (Review)
Review
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely used imaging technique in material sciences. After becoming a standard surface-imaging tool, AFM has been proven to be useful in addressing several biological issues such as the characterization of cell organelles, quantification of DNA-protein interactions, cell adhesion forces, and electromechanical properties of living cells. AFM technique has undergone many successful improvements since its invention, including fluidic force microscopy (FluidFM), which combines conventional AFM with microchanneled cantilevers for local liquid dispensing. This technology permitted to overcome challenges linked to single-cell analyses. Indeed, FluidFM allows isolation and injection of single cells, force-controlled patch clamping of beating cardiac cells, serial weighting of micro-objects, and single-cell extraction for molecular analyses. This work aims to review the recent studies of AFM implementation in molecular and cellular biology.
Topics: Cytological Techniques; Microscopy, Scanning Probe; Molecular Biology
PubMed: 30069282
DOI: 10.1155/2018/7801274 -
Fungal Genetics and Biology : FG & B May 2015Rapid advances in molecular biology and genome sequencing have enabled the generation of new technology and resources for cryptococcal research. RNAi-mediated specific... (Review)
Review
Rapid advances in molecular biology and genome sequencing have enabled the generation of new technology and resources for cryptococcal research. RNAi-mediated specific gene knock down has become routine and more efficient by utilizing modified shRNA plasmids and convergent promoter RNAi constructs. This system was recently applied in a high-throughput screen to identify genes involved in host-pathogen interactions. Gene deletion efficiencies have also been improved by increasing rates of homologous recombination through a number of approaches, including a combination of double-joint PCR with split-marker transformation, the use of dominant selectable markers and the introduction of Cre-Loxp systems into Cryptococcus. Moreover, visualization of cryptococcal proteins has become more facile using fusions with codon-optimized fluorescent tags, such as green or red fluorescent proteins or, mCherry. Using recent genome-wide analytical tools, new transcriptional factors and regulatory proteins have been identified in novel virulence-related signaling pathways by employing microarray analysis, RNA-sequencing and proteomic analysis.
Topics: Biomedical Research; Cryptococcosis; Cryptococcus; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Silencing; Gene Targeting; Genomics; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Microbiological Techniques; Molecular Biology; Proteomics
PubMed: 25460849
DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2014.11.001 -
BioMed Research International 2015
Topics: Animals; Biotechnology; Humans; Molecular Biology
PubMed: 25695089
DOI: 10.1155/2015/749160 -
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology... Nov 2021A complex research project was translated into a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), which was implemented in sections of an introductory Cell and...
A complex research project was translated into a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), which was implemented in sections of an introductory Cell and Molecular Biology laboratory course. The research laboratory generated an engineered plant line producing a growth-inhibiting, lipid-derived plant hormone and mutagenized this line. Students in the CURE cultured the mutagenized plant population and selected and characterized suppressor mutants. They learned to observe phenotypes related to the biosynthesis and perception of the plant hormone and explored the genetic and biochemical basis of these phenotypes. As the students studied the relevant genetic, molecular and biochemical concepts during this CURE, they were able to translate this knowledge into practice and develop scientific arguments. This CURE was a successful collaboration between the teaching lab and the research lab. It benefited both parties as the students had a real-life, deep learning experience in scientific methodology, while the research lab gathered data and materials for further studies.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Biology; Curriculum; Humans; Knowledge; Laboratories; Molecular Biology; Students
PubMed: 34559440
DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21579