Search results for "Molecular mechanism"
showing 10 items of 59 documents
Fundamentals on the Molecular Mechanism of Action of Antimicrobial Peptides
2019
Abstract Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced by several organisms as their first line of defense. Constituted by amino acids, they may present different mechanisms of action. The antimicrobial activity can be used by the peptide-producing organism itself, as innate immune strategy, or in the industry, applying as natural source preservatives. Understanding the possibilities of the operation of these compounds is a prerequisite for the development of effective uses, as well as for the establishment of combinations, which can even expand their applications considering the possibilities of genetic manipulations. Thus, the objective of this article is to review the basic principles of AM…
A cross-talk between fat and bitter taste modalities
2019
International audience; The choice of food is governed largely by the sense of taste. To date, five basic taste modalities have been described; however, there is an increasing agreement on the existence of a 6th fat taste. The taste modalities might interact with each other and also with other senses. The advancements in cellular and molecular biology have helped the characterization of taste signaling mechanisms, down to the receptor level and beyond. CD36 and GPR120 have been shown to be involved in the detection of fat taste while bitter taste is perceived by a number of receptors that belong to a family of taste-type 2 receptors (T2R or TAS2R). Hence, the most common role is played by T…
Advances in Understanding the Molecular Basis of the Mediterranean Diet Effect
2018
Posted with permission from the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, Volume 9 by Annual Reviews, http://www.annualreviews.org. Increasingly, studies showing the protective effects of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on different diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes, some cancers, and even total mortality and aging indicators) are being published. The scientific evidence level for each outcome is variable, and new studies are needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms whereby the MedDiet may exercise its effects. Here, we present recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of MedDiet effects, mainly focusing on cardiovascular diseases but also discussing other relat…
Loss-of-function and missense variants in NSD2 cause decreased methylation activity and are associated with a distinct developmental phenotype
2021
Purpose Despite a few recent reports of patients harboring truncating variants in NSD2, a gene considered critical for the Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) phenotype, the clinical spectrum associated with NSD2 pathogenic variants remains poorly understood. Methods We collected a comprehensive series of 18 unpublished patients carrying heterozygous missense, elongating, or truncating NSD2 variants; compared their clinical data to the typical WHS phenotype after pooling them with ten previously described patients; and assessed the underlying molecular mechanism by structural modeling and measuring methylation activity in vitro. Results The core NSD2-associated phenotype includes mostly mild dev…
Maternal Caloric Restriction Implemented during the Preconceptional and Pregnancy Period Alters Hypothalamic and Hippocampal Endocannabinoid Levels a…
2016
Journal Article; Exposure to inadequate nutritional conditions in critical windows of development has been associated to disturbances on metabolism and behavior in the offspring later in life. The role of the endocannabinoid system, a known regulator of energy expenditure and adaptive behaviors, in the modulation of these processes is unknown. In the present study, we investigated the impact of exposing rat dams to diet restriction (20% less calories than standard diet) during pre-gestational and gestational periods on: (a) neonatal outcomes; (b) endocannabinoid content in hypothalamus, hippocampus and olfactory bulb at birth; (c) metabolism-related parameters; and (d) behavior in adult mal…
The Role of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids in Disruption of the Physiological Function in Discrete Areas of the Central Nervous System
2017
: Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) abuse is often associated with a wide spectrum of adverse effects. These drugs are frequently abused by adolescents and athletes for esthetic purposes, as well as for improvement of their endurance and performances. In this literature review, we evaluated the correlation between AAS and anxiety or aggression. Two pathways are thought to be involved in AAS-induced behavioral disorders. Direct pathway via the amygdalo-fugal pathway, which connects the central nucleus of the amygdala to the brainstem, is involved in cognitive-emotive and homeostatic processes. The latter is modified by chronic AAS use, which subsequently leads to increased anxiety. Indirect…
Molecular Mechanism of ATP Hydrolysis in an ABC Transporter
2018
Hydrolysis of nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) plays a key role for the function of many biomolecular systems. However, the chemistry of the catalytic reaction in terms of an atomic-level understanding of the structural, dynamic, and free energy changes associated with it often remains unknown. Here, we report the molecular mechanism of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis in the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter BtuCD-F. Free energy profiles obtained from hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show that the hydrolysis reaction proceeds in a stepwise manner. First, nucleophilic attack of an activated lytic water molecule at the ATP γ-…
A Role of Histone Acetylation in the Regulation of Circadian Rhythm in Ants
2020
Summary In many organisms, circadian rhythms and associated oscillations in gene expression are controlled by post-translational modifications of histone proteins. Although epigenetic mechanisms influence key aspects of insect societies, their implication in regulating circadian rhythms has not been studied in social insects. Here we ask whether histone acetylation plays a role in adjusting circadian activity in the ant Temnothorax longispinosus. We characterized activity patterns in 20 colonies to reveal that these ants exhibit a diurnal rhythm in colony-level activity and can rapidly respond to changes in the light regime. Then we fed T. longispinosus colonies with C646, a chemical inhibi…
Safety Evaluation of α-Lipoic Acid Supplementation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Studies
2020
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a natural short-chain fatty acid that has attracted great attention in recent years as an antioxidant molecule. However, some concerns have been recently raised regarding its safety profile. To address the issue, we aimed to assess ALA safety profile through a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of the available randomized placebo-controlled clinical studies. The literature search included EMBASE, PubMed Medline, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and ISI Web of Science by Clarivate databases up to 15th August 2020. Data were pooled from 71 clinical studies, comprising 155 treatment arms, which included 4749 subjects with 2558 subjects treated with ALA an…
Pharmacological activation of CB2 receptors counteracts the deleterious effect of ethanol on cell proliferation in the main neurogenic zones of the a…
2015
Chronic alcohol exposure reduces endocannabinoid activity and disrupts adult neurogenesis in rodents, which results in structural and functional alterations. Cannabinoid receptor agonists promote adult neural progenitor cell (NPC) proliferation. We evaluated the protective effects of the selective CB1 receptor agonist ACEA, the selective CB2 receptor agonist JWH133 and the fatty-acid amide-hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597, which enhances endocannabinoid receptor activity, on NPC proliferation in rats with forced consumption of ethanol (10%) or sucrose liquid diets for 2 weeks. We performed immunohistochemical and stereological analyses of cells expressing the mitotic phosphorylation of his…