Search results for "Homeostasis"
showing 10 items of 630 documents
Drosophila melanogaster Models of Metal-Related Human Diseases and Metal Toxicity
2017
Iron, copper and zinc are transition metals essential for life because they are required in a multitude of biological processes. Organisms have evolved to acquire metals from nutrition and to maintain adequate levels of each metal to avoid damaging effects associated with its deficiency, excess or misplacement. Interestingly, the main components of metal homeostatic pathways are conserved, with many orthologues of the human metal-related genes having been identified and characterized in Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila has gained appreciation as a useful model for studying human diseases, including those caused by mutations in pathways controlling cellular metal homeostasis. Flies have m…
The unbalanced p53/SIRT1 axis may impact lymphocyte homeostasis in COVID-19 patients
2021
Abstract Background/objectives A dysregulated inflammatory profile plays an important role in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis. Moreover, the depletion of lymphocytes is typically associated with an unfavourable disease course. We studied the role and impact of p53 and deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) on lymph-monocyte homeostasis and their possible effect on T and B cell signalling. Methods Gene expression analysis and flow cytometry were performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 35 COVID-19 patients and 10 healthy donors (HD). Inflammatory cytokines, the frequency of Annexin+ cells among CD3+ T cells and CD19+ B cell subsets were quantified. Results PBMC from …
The mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoQ modulates oxidative stress, inflammation and leukocyte-endothelium interactions in leukocytes isolated fr…
2016
It is not known if the mitochondria-targeted antioxidants such as mitoquinone (MitoQ) can modulate oxidative stress and leukocyte-endothelium interactions in T2D patients. We aimed to evaluate the beneficial effect of MitoQ on oxidative stress parameters and leukocyte-endothelium interactions in leukocytes of T2D patients. The study population consisted of 98 T2D patients and 71 control subjects. We assessed metabolic and anthropometric parameters, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX-1), NFκB-p65, TNFα and leukocyte-endothelium interactions. Diabetic patients exhibited higher weight, BMI, waist circumference, SBP, DBP, glucose, insulin, HOMA…
Specific role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in elastin-derived VGVAPG peptide-dependent calcium homeostasis in mouse cortical astrocytes in…
2019
AbstractUnder physiological and pathological conditions, elastin is degraded to produce elastin-derived peptides (EDPs). EDPs are detected in the healthy human brain, and its concentration significantly increases after ischemic stroke. Both elastin and EDPs contains replications of the soluble VGVAPG hexapeptide, which has a broad range of biological activities. Effects of VGVAPG action are mainly mediated by elastin-binding protein (EBP), which is alternatively spliced, enzymatically inactive form of the GLB1 gene. This study was conducted to elucidate the activation and role of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) in elastin-derived VGVAPG peptide-dependent calcium homeostasis in mou…
Sng1 associates with Nce102 to regulate the yeast Pkh–Ypk signalling module in response to sphingolipid status
2016
International audience; All cells are delimited by biological membranes, which are consequently a primary target of stress-induced damage. Cold alters membrane functionality by decreasing lipid fluidity and the activity of membrane proteins. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, evidence links sphingolipid homeostasis and membrane phospholipid asymmetry to the activity of the Ypk1/2 proteins, the yeast orthologous of the mammalian SGK1-3 kinases. Their regulation is mediated by different protein kinases, including the PDK1 orthologous Pkh1/2p, and requires the function of protein effectors, among them Nce102p, a component of the sphingolipid sensor machinery. Nevertheless, the mechanisms and the act…
Nrf2 expression driven by Foxp3 specific deletion of Keap1 results in loss of immune tolerance in mice
2020
European journal of immunology 50(4), 515-524 (2020). doi:10.1002/eji.201948285
Chronic intestinal inflammation in mice expressing viral Flip in epithelial cells
2018
Viruses are present in the intestinal microflora and are currently discussed as a potential causative mechanism for the development of inflammatory bowel disease. A number of viruses, such as Human Herpesvirus-8, express homologs to cellular FLIPs, which are major contributors for the regulation of epithelial cell death. In this study we analyzed the consequences of constitutive expression of HHV8-viral FLIP in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in mice. Surprisingly, expression of vFlip disrupts tissue homeostasis and induces severe intestinal inflammation. Moreover vFlip(IEC-tg) mice showed reduced Paneth cell numbers, associated with excessive necrotic cell death. On a molecular level vF…
Cholinergic signaling controls immune functions and promotes homeostasis
2020
Abstract Acetylcholine (ACh) was created by nature as one of the first signaling molecules, expressed already in procaryotes. Based on the positively charged nitrogen, ACh could initially mediate signaling in the absence of receptors. When evolution established more and more complex organisms the new emerging organs systems, like the smooth and skeletal muscle systems, energy-generating systems, sexual reproductive system, immune system and the nervous system have further optimized the cholinergic signaling machinery. Thus, it is not surprising that ACh and the cholinergic system are expressed in the vast majority of cells. Consequently, multiple common interfaces exist, for example, betwee…
Homeostatic interplay between electrical activity and neuronal apoptosis in the developing neocortex
2017
An intriguing feature of nervous system development in most animal species is that the initial number of generated neurons is higher than the number of neurons incorporated into mature circuits. A substantial portion of neurons is indeed eliminated via apoptosis during a short time window - in rodents the first two postnatal weeks. While it is well established that neurotrophic factors play a central role in controlling neuronal survival and apoptosis in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the situation is less clear in the central nervous system (CNS). In postnatal rodent neocortex, the peak of apoptosis coincides with the occurrence of spontaneous, synchronous activity patterns. In this …
Tuning neural circuits by turning the interneuron knob
2017
Interneurons play a critical role in sculpting neuronal circuit activity and their dysfunction can result in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. To temporally structure and balance neuronal activity in the adult brain interneurons display a remarkable degree of subclass-specific plasticity, of which the underlying molecular mechanisms have recently begun to be elucidated. Grafting new interneurons to pre-existing neuronal networks allows for amelioration of circuit dysfunction in rodent models of neurological disease and can reopen critical windows for circuit plasticity. The crucial contribution of specific classes of interneurons to circuit homeostasis and plasticity in health an…