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International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2023After several years of research in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is still unclear how amyloid-beta (Aβ) and Tau, two key hallmarks of the disease, mediate... (Review)
Review
After several years of research in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is still unclear how amyloid-beta (Aβ) and Tau, two key hallmarks of the disease, mediate the neuropathogenic events that lead to AD. Current data challenge the "Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis" that has prevailed in the field of AD, stating that Aβ precedes and triggers Tau pathology that will eventually become the toxic entity in the progression of the disease. This perspective also led the field of therapeutic approaches towards the development of strategies that target Aβ or Tau. In the present review, we discuss recent literature regarding the neurotoxic role of both Aβ and Tau in AD, as well as their physiological function in the healthy brain. Consequently, we present studies suggesting that Aβ and Tau act independently of each other in mediating neurotoxicity in AD, thereafter, re-evaluating the "Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis" that places Tau pathology downstream of Aβ. More recent studies have confirmed that both Aβ and Tau could propagate the disease and induce synaptic and memory impairments via the amyloid precursor protein (APP). This finding is not only interesting from a mechanistic point of view since it provides better insights into the AD pathogenesis but also from a therapeutic point of view since it renders APP a common downstream effector for both Aβ and Tau. Subsequently, therapeutic strategies that act on APP might provide a more viable and physiologically relevant approach for targeting AD.
Topics: Humans; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Alzheimer Disease; Amyloidogenic Proteins; Brain; Neurotoxicity Syndromes
PubMed: 38203429
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010259 -
Acta Biomaterialia Nov 2023The increasing gap between clinical demand for tissue or organ transplants and the availability of donated tissue highlights the emerging opportunities for lab-grown or... (Review)
Review
The increasing gap between clinical demand for tissue or organ transplants and the availability of donated tissue highlights the emerging opportunities for lab-grown or synthetically engineered tissue. While the field of tissue engineering has existed for nearly half a century, its clinical translation remains unrealised, in part, due to a limited ability to engineer sufficient vascular supply into fabricated tissue, which is necessary to enable nutrient and waste exchange, prevent cellular necrosis, and support tissue proliferation. Techniques to develop anatomically relevant, functional vascular networks in vitro have made significant progress in the last decade, however, the challenge now remains as to how best incorporate these throughout dense parenchymal tissue-like structures to address diffusion-limited development and allow for the fabrication of large-scale vascularised tissue. This review explores advances made in the laboratory engineering of vasculature structures and summarises recent attempts to integrate vascular networks together with sophisticated in vitro avascular tissue and organ-like structures. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The ability to grow full scale, functional tissue and organs in vitro is primarily limited by an inability to adequately diffuse oxygen and nutrients throughout developing cellularised structures, which generally results from the absence of perfusable vessel networks. Techniques to engineering both perfusable vascular networks and avascular miniaturised organ-like structures have recently increased in complexity, sophistication, and physiological relevance. However, integrating these two essential elements into a single functioning vascularised tissue structure represents a significant spatial and temporal engineering challenge which is yet to be surmounted. Here, we explore a range of vessel morphogenic phenomena essential for tissue-vascular co-development, as well as evaluate a range of recent noteworthy approaches for generating vascularised tissue products in vitro.
Topics: Tissue Scaffolds; Tissue Engineering; Neovascularization, Physiologic
PubMed: 37717711
DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.09.019 -
Journal of Cell Science Dec 2023Regulation of glucose transport, which is central for control of whole-body metabolism, is determined by the amount of GLUT4 glucose transporter (also known as SLC2A4)...
Regulation of glucose transport, which is central for control of whole-body metabolism, is determined by the amount of GLUT4 glucose transporter (also known as SLC2A4) in the plasma membrane (PM) of fat and muscle cells. Physiologic signals [such as activated insulin receptor or AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)] increase PM GLUT4. Here, we show that the distribution of GLUT4 between the PM and interior of human muscle cells is dynamically maintained, and that AMPK promotes PM redistribution of GLUT4 by regulating exocytosis and endocytosis. Stimulation of exocytosis by AMPK is mediated by Rab10 and the Rab GTPase-activating protein TBC1D4. APEX2 proximity mapping reveals that GLUT4 traverses both PM-proximal and PM-distal compartments in unstimulated muscle cells, further supporting retention of GLUT4 by a constitutive retrieval mechanism. AMPK-stimulated translocation involves GLUT4 redistribution among the same compartments traversed in unstimulated cells, with a significant recruitment of GLUT4 from the Golgi and trans-Golgi network compartments. Our comprehensive proximal protein mapping provides an integrated, high-density, whole-cell accounting of the localization of GLUT4 at a resolution of ∼20 nm that serves as a structural framework for understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating GLUT4 trafficking downstream of different signaling inputs in a physiologically relevant cell type.
Topics: Humans; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; Cell Membrane; Muscle Cells; Muscles; Proteome; Glucose Transporter Type 4
PubMed: 38126809
DOI: 10.1242/jcs.261454 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2023Physiological muscle contraction requires an intact ligand gating mechanism of the ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1), the Ca-release channel of the sarcoplasmic reticulum....
Physiological muscle contraction requires an intact ligand gating mechanism of the ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1), the Ca-release channel of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Some mutations impair the gating and thus cause muscle disease. The RyR1 mutation T4706M is linked to a myopathy characterized by muscle weakness. Although, low expression of the T4706M RyR1 protein can explain in part the symptoms, little is known about the function RyR1 channels with this mutation. In order to learn whether this mutation alters channel function in a manner that can account for the observed symptoms, we examined RyR1 channels isolated from mice homozygous for the T4709M (TM) mutation at the single channel level. Ligands, including Ca, ATP, Mg and the RyR inhibitor dantrolene were tested. The full conductance of the TM channel was the same as that of wild type (wt) channels and a population of partial open (subconductive) states were not observed. However, two unique sub-populations of TM RyRs were identified. One half of the TM channels exhibited high open probability at low (100 nM) and high (50 μM) cytoplasmic [Ca], resulting in Ca-insensitive, constitutively high P channels. The rest of the TM channels exhibited significantly lower activity within the physiologically relevant range of cytoplasmic [Ca], compared to wt. TM channels retained normal Mg block, modulation by ATP, and inhibition by dantrolene. Together, these results suggest that the TM mutation results in a combination of primary and secondary RyR1 dysfunctions that contribute to disease pathogenesis.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; Dantrolene; Muscular Diseases; Cytoplasm; Myotonia Congenita; Adenosine Triphosphate
PubMed: 37670077
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41801-2 -
Annals of Laboratory Medicine Sep 2023Functional reference limits describe key changes in the physiological relationship between a pair of physiologically related components. Statistically, this can be... (Review)
Review
Functional reference limits describe key changes in the physiological relationship between a pair of physiologically related components. Statistically, this can be represented by a significant change in the curvature of a mathematical function or curve (e.g., an observed plateau). The point at which the statistical relationship changes significantly is the point of curvature inflection and can be mathematically modeled from the relationship between the interrelated biomarkers. Conceptually, they reside between reference intervals, which describe the statistical boundaries of a single biomarker within the reference population, and clinical decision limits that are often linked to the risk of morbidity or mortality and set as thresholds. Functional reference limits provide important physiological and pathophysiological insights that can aid laboratory result interpretation. Laboratory professionals are in a unique position to harness data from laboratory information systems to derive clinically relevant values. Increasing research on and reporting of functional reference limits in the literature will enhance their contribution to laboratory medicine and widen the evidence base used in clinical decision limits, which are currently almost exclusively contributed to by clinical trials. Their inclusion in laboratory reports will enhance the intellectual value of laboratory professionals in clinical care beyond the statistical boundaries of a healthy reference population and pave the way to them being considered in shaping clinical decision limits. This review provides an overview of the concepts related to functional reference limits, clinical examples of their use, and the impetus to include them in laboratory reports.
Topics: Humans; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Reference Values; Laboratories; Biomarkers
PubMed: 37080741
DOI: 10.3343/alm.2023.43.5.408 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Mar 2024The interests in blood endothelial cells arise from their therapeutic potential in vascular repair and regeneration. Our understanding of blood endothelial cells that... (Review)
Review
The interests in blood endothelial cells arise from their therapeutic potential in vascular repair and regeneration. Our understanding of blood endothelial cells that exist in the circulation has been evolving significantly from the original concept of endothelial progenitor cells. Many studies have uncovered heterogeneities of blood endothelial subtypes where some cells express both endothelial and hematopoietic antigens, and others possess either mature or immature endothelial markers. Due to the lack of definitive cell marker identities, there have been momentums in the field to adopt a technical-oriented labeling system based on the cells' involvement in postnatal neovascularization and cell culture derivatives. Our review streamlines nomenclatures for blood endothelial subtypes and standardizes understanding of their functional differences. Broadly, we will discuss about myeloid angiogenic cells (MACs), endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs), blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) and circulating endothelial cells (CECs). The strategic location of blood endothelial cells confers them essential roles in supporting physiological processes. MACs exert angiogenic effects through paracrine mechanisms, while ECFCs are recruited to sites of vascular injury to participate directly in new vessel formation. BOECs are an in vitro derivative of ECFCs. CECs are shed into the bloodstream from damaged vessels, hence reflective of endothelial dysfunction. With clarity on the functional attributes of blood endothelial subtypes, we present recent advances in their applications in disease modelling, along with serving as biomarkers of vascular tissue homeostasis.
Topics: Endothelial Progenitor Cells; Cell Culture Techniques; Biomarkers; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Cells, Cultured
PubMed: 37202277
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.05.001 -
Life Science Alliance Nov 2023Huntington's disease arises from a toxic gain of function in the () gene. As a result, many HTT-lowering therapies are being pursued in clinical studies, including...
Huntington's disease arises from a toxic gain of function in the () gene. As a result, many HTT-lowering therapies are being pursued in clinical studies, including those that reduce HTT RNA and protein expression in the liver. To investigate potential impacts, we characterized molecular, cellular, and metabolic impacts of chronic HTT lowering in mouse hepatocytes. Lifelong hepatocyte HTT loss is associated with multiple physiological changes, including increased circulating bile acids, cholesterol and urea, hypoglycemia, and impaired adhesion. HTT loss causes a clear shift in the normal zonal patterns of liver gene expression, such that pericentral gene expression is reduced. These alterations in liver zonation in livers lacking HTT are observed at the transcriptional, histological, and plasma metabolite levels. We have extended these phenotypes physiologically with a metabolic challenge of acetaminophen, for which the HTT loss results in toxicity resistance. Our data reveal an unexpected role for HTT in regulating hepatic zonation, and we find that loss of HTT in hepatocytes mimics the phenotypes caused by impaired hepatic β-catenin function.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Liver; Hepatocytes; Acetaminophen; Phenotype
PubMed: 37684045
DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302098 -
International Journal of Medical... 2024CREB3 subfamily belongs to the bZIP transcription factor family and comprises five members. Normally they are located on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes and... (Review)
Review
CREB3 subfamily belongs to the bZIP transcription factor family and comprises five members. Normally they are located on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes and proteolytically activated through RIP (regulated intramembrane proteolysis) on Golgi apparatus to liberate the N-terminus to serve as transcription factors. CREB3L1 acting as one of them transcriptionally regulates the expressions of target genes and exhibits distinct functions from the other members of CREB3 family in eukaryotes. Physiologically, CREB3L1 involves in the regulation of bone morphogenesis, neurogenesis, neuroendocrine, secretory cell differentiation, and angiogenesis. Pathologically, CREB3L1 implicates in the modulation of osteogenesis imperfecta, low grade fibro myxoid sarcoma (LGFMS), sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF), glioma, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and tissue fibrosis. This review summarizes the upstream and downstream regulatory network of CREB3L1 and thoroughly presents our current understanding of CREB3L1 research progress in both physiological and pathological conditions with special focus on the novel findings of CREB3L1 in cancers.
Topics: Humans; Fibrosarcoma; Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; Biomarkers, Tumor; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein
PubMed: 38164349
DOI: 10.7150/ijms.90189 -
Journal of Advanced Research Apr 2024Despite the exposure to arid environmental conditions across the globe ultimately hampering the sustainability of the living organism, few plant species are equipped... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Despite the exposure to arid environmental conditions across the globe ultimately hampering the sustainability of the living organism, few plant species are equipped with several unique genotypic, biochemical, and physiological features to counter such harsh conditions. Physiologically, they have evolved with reduced leaf size, spines, waxy cuticles, thick leaves, succulent hydrenchyma, sclerophyll, chloroembryo, and photosynthesis in nonfoliar and other parts. At the biochemical level, they are evolved to perform efficient photosynthesis through Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and C4 pathways with the formation of oxaloacetic acid (Hatch-Slack pathway) instead of the C3 pathway. Additionally, comparative genomics with existing data provides ample evidence of the xerophytic plants' positive selection to adapt to the arid environment. However, adding more high-throughput sequencing of xerophyte plant species is further required for a comparative genomic study toward trait discovery related to survival. Learning from the mechanism to survive in harsh conditions could pave the way to engineer crops for future sustainable agriculture.
AIM OF THE REVIEW
The distinct physiology of desert plants allows them to survive in harsh environments. However, the genomic composition also contributes significantly to this and requires great attention. This review emphasizes the physiological and genomic adaptation of desert plants. Other important parameters, such as desert biodiversity and photosynthetic strategy, are also discussed with recent progress in the field. Overall, this review discusses the different features of desert plants, which prepares them for harsh conditions intending to translate knowledge to engineer plant species for sustainable agriculture.
KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW
This review comprehensively presents the physiology, molecular mechanism, and genomics of desert plants aimed towards engineering a sustainable crop.
Topics: Biological Evolution; Plants; Photosynthesis; Plant Leaves; Genomics
PubMed: 37160225
DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2023.04.019 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Jul 2023Biomolecular condensates regulate a wide range of cellular functions from signaling to RNA metabolism , yet, the physiologic conditions regulating their formation...
Biomolecular condensates regulate a wide range of cellular functions from signaling to RNA metabolism , yet, the physiologic conditions regulating their formation remain largely unexplored. Biomolecular condensate assembly is tightly regulated by the intracellular environment. Changes in the chemical or physical conditions inside cells can stimulate or inhibit condensate formation . However, whether and how the external environment of cells can also regulate biomolecular condensation remain poorly understood. Increasing our understanding of these mechanisms is paramount as failure to control condensate formation and dynamics can lead to many diseases . Here, we provide evidence that matrix stiffening promotes biomolecular condensation . We demonstrate that the extracellular matrix links mechanical cues with the control of glucose metabolism to sorbitol. In turn, sorbitol acts as a natural crowding agent to promote biomolecular condensation. Using simulations and assays, we establish that variations in the physiological range of sorbitol, but not glucose, concentrations, are sufficient to regulate biomolecular condensates. Accordingly, pharmacologic and genetic manipulation of intracellular sorbitol concentration modulates biomolecular condensates in breast cancer - a mechano-dependent disease. We propose that sorbitol is a mechanosensitive metabolite enabling protein condensation to control mechano-regulated cellular functions. Altogether, we uncover molecular driving forces underlying protein phase transition and provide critical insights to understand the biological function and dysfunction of protein phase separation.
PubMed: 37546967
DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.24.550444