Search results for " complex"
showing 10 items of 3391 documents
RPGR protein complex regulates proteasome activity and mediates store-operated calcium entry
2018
Ciliopathies are a group of genetically heterogeneous disorders, characterized by defects in cilia genesis or maintenance. Mutations in the RPGR gene and its interacting partners, RPGRIP1 and RPGRIP1L, cause ciliopathies, but the function of their proteins remains unclear. Here we show that knockdown (KD) of RPGR, RPGRIP1 or RPGRIP1L in hTERT-RPE1 cells results in abnormal actin cytoskeleton organization. The actin cytoskeleton rearrangement is regulated by the small GTPase RhoA via the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. RhoA activity was upregulated in the absence of RPGR, RPGRIP1 or RPGRIP1L proteins. In RPGR, RPGRIP1 or RPGRIP1L KD cells, we observed increased levels of DVl2 and DVl3 pr…
Development of an RNA-based kit for easy generation of TCR-engineered lymphocytes to control T-cell assay performance.
2018
Cell-based assays to monitor antigen-specific T-cell responses are characterized by their high complexity and should be conducted under controlled conditions to lower multiple possible sources of assay variation. However, the lack of standard reagents makes it difficult to directly compare results generated in one lab over time and across institutions. Therefore TCR-engineered reference samples (TERS) that contain a defined number of antigen-specific T cells and continuously deliver stable results are urgently needed. We successfully established a simple and robust TERS technology that constitutes a useful tool to overcome this issue for commonly used T-cell immuno-assays. To enable users t…
Nuclear Factor Kappa B Signaling Complexes in Acute Inflammation.
2020
[Significance]: Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is a master regulator of the inflammatory response and represents a key regulatory node in the complex inflammatory signaling network. In addition, selective NF-κB transcriptional activity on specific target genes occurs through the control of redox-sensitive NF-κB interactions.
Usherin defects lead to early-onset retinal dysfunction in zebrafish
2018
Mutations in USH2A are the most frequent cause of Usher syndrome and autosomal recessive nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa. To unravel the pathogenic mechanisms underlying USH2A-associated retinal degeneration and to evaluate future therapeutic strategies that could potentially halt the progression of this devastating disorder, an animal model is needed. The available Ush2a knock-out mouse model does not mimic the human phenotype, because it presents with only a mild and late-onset retinal degeneration. Using CRISPR/Cas9-technology, we introduced protein-truncating germline lesions into the zebrafish ush2a gene (ush2a(rmc1): c.2337_2342delinsAC; p.Cys780GlnfsTer32 and ush2a(b1245): c.15520_…
Serotonin Heteroreceptor Complexes and Their Integration of Signals in Neurons and Astroglia—Relevance for Mental Diseases
2021
The heteroreceptor complexes present a novel biological principle for signal integration. These complexes and their allosteric receptor–receptor interactions are bidirectional and novel targets for treatment of CNS diseases including mental diseases. The existence of D2R-5-HT2AR heterocomplexes can help explain the anti-schizophrenic effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs not only based on blockade of 5-HT2AR and of D2R in higher doses but also based on blocking the allosteric enhancement of D2R protomer signaling by 5-HT2AR protomer activation. This research opens a new understanding of the integration of DA and 5-HT signals released from DA and 5-HT nerve terminal networks. The biologica…
Regulation of yeast fatty acid desaturase in response to iron deficiency
2017
Unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) are essential components of phospholipids that greatly contribute to the biophysical properties of cellular membranes. Biosynthesis of UFAs relies on a conserved family of iron-dependent fatty acid desaturases, whose representative in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is Ole1. OLE1 expression is tightly regulated to adapt UFA biosynthesis and lipid bilayer properties to changes in temperature, and in UFA or oxygen availability. Despite iron deficiency being the most extended nutritional disorder worldwide, very little is known about the mechanisms and the biological relevance of fatty acid desaturases regulation in response to iron starvation. In this re…
A Novel Tsetlin Automata Scheme to Forecast Dengue Outbreaks in the Philippines
2018
Being capable of online learning in unknown stochastic environments, Tsetlin Automata (TA) have gained considerable interest. As a model of biological systems, teams of TA have been used for solving complex problems in a decentralized manner, with low computational complexity. For many domains, decentralized problem solving is an advantage, however, also may lead to coordination difficulties and unstable learning. To combat this negative effect, this paper proposes a novel TA coordination scheme designed for learning problems with continuous input and output. By saving and updating the best solution that has been chosen so far, we can avoid having the overall system being led astray by spur…
Monocyte-derived inflammatory Langerhans cells and dermal dendritic cells mediate psoriasis-like inflammation
2016
Dendritic cells (DCs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis but the roles for specific DC subsets are not well defined. Here we show that DCs are required for psoriasis-like changes in mouse skin induced by the local injection of IL-23. However, Flt3L-dependent DCs and resident Langerhans cells are dispensable for the inflammation. In epidermis and dermis, the critical DCs are TNF-producing and IL-1β-producing monocyte-derived DCs, including a population of inflammatory Langerhans cells. Depleting Ly6Chi blood monocytes reduces DC accumulation and the skin changes induced either by injecting IL-23 or by application of the TLR7 agonist imiquimod. Moreover, we find that IL-23-…
On the origin of BAG(3) and its consequences for an expansion of BAG3's role in protein homeostasis
2021
The B-cell CLL 2-associated athanogene (BAG) protein family in general and BAG3, in particular, are pivotal elements of cellular protein homeostasis, with BAG3 playing a major role in macroautophagy. In particular, in the contexts of senescence and degeneration, BAG3 has exhibited an essential role often related to its capabilities to organize and remove aggregated proteins. Exciting studies in different species ranging from human, murine, zebrafish, and plant samples have delivered vital insights into BAG3s' (and other BAG proteins') functions and their regulations. However, so far no studies have addressed neither BAG3's evolution nor its phylogenetic position in the BAG family.
Cocirculation of Hajj and non-Hajj strains among serogroup W meningococci in Italy, 2000 to 2016
2019
In Italy, B and C are the predominant serogroups among meningococci causing invasive diseases. Nevertheless, in the period from 2013 to 2016, an increase in serogroup W Neisseria meningitidis (MenW) was observed. This study intends to define the main characteristics of 63 MenW isolates responsible of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Italy from 2000 to 2016. We performed whole genome sequencing on bacterial isolates or single gene sequencing on culture-negative samples to evaluate molecular heterogeneity. Our main finding was the cocirculation of the Hajj and the South American sublineages belonging to MenW/clonal complex (cc)11, which gradually surpassed the MenW/cc22 in Italy. All M…