Search results for "CA2+"
showing 10 items of 101 documents
Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in families from southern Italy (Sicily)—Prevalence and geographic distribution of pathogenic variants in BRCA1/…
2020
Recent advances in the detection of germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in BRCA1/2 genes have allowed a deeper understanding of the BRCA-related cancer risk. Several studies showed a significant heterogeneity in the prevalence of PVs across different populations. Because little is known about this in the Sicilian population, our study was aimed at investigating the prevalence and geographic distribution of inherited BRCA1/2 PVs in families from this specific geographical area of Southern Italy. We retrospectively collected and analyzed all clinical information of 1346 hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer patients genetically tested for germline BRCA1/2 PVs at University Hospital Policlini…
A common SNP in the UNG gene decreases ovarian cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers
2018
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA glycosylase genes involved in the base excision repair (BER) pathway can modify breast and ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. We previously found that SNP rs34259 in the uracil-DNA glycosylase gene (UNG) might decrease ovarian cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers. In the present study, we validated this finding in a larger series of familial breast and ovarian cancer patients to gain insights into how this UNG variant exerts its protective effect. We found that rs34259 is associated with significant UNG downregulation and with lower levels of DNA damage at telomeres. In addition, we found that this SNP is associated with…
Synaptic Phospholipid Signaling Modulates Axon Outgrowth via Glutamate-dependent Ca2+-mediated Molecular Pathways.
2015
Abstract Altered synaptic bioactive lipid signaling has been recently shown to augment neuronal excitation in the hippocampus of adult animals by activation of presynaptic LPA2-receptors leading to increased presynaptic glutamate release. Here, we show that this results in higher postsynaptic Ca2+ levels and in premature onset of spontaneous neuronal activity in the developing entorhinal cortex. Interestingly, increased synchronized neuronal activity led to reduced axon growth velocity of entorhinal neurons which project via the perforant path to the hippocampus. This was due to Ca2+-dependent molecular signaling to the axon affecting stabilization of the actin cytoskeleton. The spontaneous…
Berberine Mediated Positive Inotropic Effects on Rat Hearts via a Ca2+-Dependent Mechanism
2020
Previous studies showed that berberine, an alkaloid from Coptis Chinensis Franch, might exert a positive inotropic effect on the heart. However, the underlying mechanisms were unclear. Here, we reported that berberine at 10-20 µM increased the left ventricular (LV) developed pressure and the maximal rate of the pressure rising, and it increased the maximal rate of the pressure descending at 20 µM in Langendorff-perfused isolated rat hearts. These effects diminished with the concentration of berberine increasing to 50 µM. In the concentration range of 50-300 µM, berberine increased the isometric tension of isolated left ventricular muscle (LVM) strips with or without electrical stimulations,…
Pharmacological modulation of protein kinases as a new approach to treat addiction to cocaine and opiates.
2016
Drug addiction shares brain mechanisms and molecular substrates with learning and memory processes, such as the stimulation of glutamate receptors and their downstream signalling pathways. In the present work we provide an up-to-date review of studies that have demonstrated the implication of the main memory-related calcium-dependent protein kinases in opiate and cocaine addiction. The effects of these drugs of abuse in different animal models of drug reward, dependence and addiction are altered by manipulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, particularly extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), the protein kinase C…
Hereditary prostate cancer – Primetime for genetic testing?
2019
Prostate cancer (PCa) remains the most common cancer in men. The proportion of all PCa attributable to high-risk hereditary factors has been estimated to 5-15%. Recent landmark discoveries in PCa genetics led to the identification of germline mutations/alterations (eg. BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM or HOXB13), single nucleotide polymorphisms or copy number variations associated with PCa incidence and progression. However, offering germline testing to men with an assumed hereditary component is currently controversial. In the present review article, we provide an overview about the epidemiology and the genetic basis of PCa predisposition and critically discuss the significance and consequence in the cli…
CAMKIIγ suppresses an efferocytosis pathway in macrophages and promotes atherosclerotic plaque necrosis
2017
Atherosclerosis is the underlying etiology of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Atherosclerosis is a heterogeneous disease in which only a small fraction of lesions lead to heart attack, stroke, or sudden cardiac death. A distinct type of plaque containing large necrotic cores with thin fibrous caps often precipitates these acute events. Here, we show that Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase gamma (CaMKII gamma) in macrophages plays a major role in the development of necrotic, thin-capped plaques. Macrophages in necrotic and symptomatic atherosclerotic plaques in humans as well as advanced atherosclerotic lesions in mice demonstrated activation of CaMKII. We…
Recommendations for the implementation of BRCA testing in the care and treatment pathways of ovarian cancer patients
2016
In the last 20 years, following the identification of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes (hereinafter referred to as the BRCA genes), preventive pathways have been developed for the identification and clinical management of individuals at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer due to the presence of a pathogenic variant in either of these genes. These pathways are aimed at educating high-risk subjects on programs targeted toward early diagnosis and cancer risk reduction. The approval of a novel class of drugs, the PARP enzyme inhibitors, for the treatment of ovarian cancer patients carrying high-risk BRCA pathogenic variants has changed this scenario. BRCA testing, in addition to providin…
Detection of Germline Mutations in a Cohort of 139 Patients with Bilateral Breast Cancer by Multi-Gene Panel Testing: Impact of Pathogenic Variants i…
2020
Simple Summary Many bilateral breast cancer patients with increased hereditary susceptibility to breast cancer result negative for BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variants and, thus, need a further genetic testing through a broader gene panel. Some patients with negative test result for BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants may harbor pathogenic variants in other breast cancer susceptibility genes, including ATM, CHEK2, PALB2, PTEN, TP53. Of course, the use of a multi-gene panel provides clinicians more information through a single test. Therefore, we focused on potential clinical impact of a NGS-based multi-gene panel testing in bilateral breast cancer patients, in order to evaluate the utility of perform…
Prevalence and Spectrum of Germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 Variants of Uncertain Significance in Breast/Ovarian Cancer: Mysterious Signals From the Genome
2021
About 10–20% of breast/ovarian (BC/OC) cancer patients undergoing germline BRCA1/2 genetic testing have been shown to harbor Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUSs). Since little is known about the prevalence of germline BRCA1/2 VUS in Southern Italy, our study aimed at describing the spectrum of these variants detected in BC/OC patients in order to improve the identification of potentially high-risk BRCA variants helpful in patient clinical management. Eight hundred and seventy-four BC or OC patients, enrolled from October 2016 to December 2020 at the “Sicilian Regional Center for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Rare and Heredo-Familial Tumors” of University Hospital Policlini…