Search results for "SIG"
showing 10 items of 19670 documents
Human Intrinsic Factor Expression for Bioavailable Vitamin B12 Enrichment in Microalgae
2018
Dietary supplements and functional foods are becoming increasingly popular complements to regular diets. A recurring ingredient is the essential cofactor vitamin B12(B12). Microalgae are making their way into the dietary supplement and functional food market but do not produce B12, and their B12 content is very variable. In this study, the suitability of using the human B12-binding protein intrinsic factor (IF) to enrich bioavailable B12 using microalgae was tested. The IF protein was successfully expressed from the nuclear genome of the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the addition of an N-terminal ARS2 signal peptide resulted in efficient IF secretion to the medium. Co-abunda…
Null mutants of Candida albicans for cell-wall-related genes form fragile biofilms that display an almost identical extracellular matrix proteome.
2016
By two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry, we have characterized the polypeptide species present in extracts obtained by 60% ethanol treatment of whole mature (48 h) biofilms formed by a reference strain (CAI4- URA3 ) and four Candida albicans null mutants for cell-wall-related genes ( ALG5, CSA1, MNN9 and PGA10) . Null mutants form fragile biofilms that appeared partially split and weakly attached to the substratum contrary to those produced by the reference strain. An almost identical, electrophoretic profile consisting of about 276 spots was visualized in all extracts examined. Proteomic analysis led to the identification of 131 polypeptides, corresponding to 86…
GSK-3 in liver diseases: Friend or foe?
2020
Liver diseases, including hepatitis due to hepatitis B or C virus infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma pose major challenges for overall health due to limited curative treatment options. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these diseases. A better understanding of the signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases can help to improve the efficacy of emerging therapies, mainly based on pharmacological approaches, which influence one or more specific molecules involved in key signal transduction pathways. These emerging therapies are very promising for the prevention and treatment of …
Genetic 3’UTR variation is associated with human pigmentation characteristics and sensitivity to sunlight
2017
Sunlight exposure induces signalling pathways leading to the activation of melanin synthesis and tanning response. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate the expression of genes involved in pigmentation pathways by binding to the complementary sequence in their 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs). Therefore, 3'UTR SNPs are predicted to modify the ability of miRNAs to target genes, resulting in differential gene expression. In this study, we investigated the role in pigmentation and sun-sensitivity traits, as well as in melanoma susceptibility, of 38 different 3'UTR SNPs from 38 pigmentation-related genes. A total of 869 individuals of Spanish origin (526 melanoma cases and 343 controls) were analysed.…
Transcutaneous immunization with a novel imiquimod nanoemulsion induces superior T cell responses and virus protection
2017
Abstract Background Transcutaneous immunization (TCI) is a novel vaccination strategy utilizing the skin associated lymphatic tissue to induce immune responses. TCI using a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope and the Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist imiquimod mounts strong CTL responses by activation and maturation of skin-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and their migration to lymph nodes. However, TCI based on the commercial formulation Aldara only induces transient CTL responses that needs further improvement for the induction of durable therapeutic immune responses. Objective Therefore we aimed to develop a novel imiquimod solid nanoemulsion (IMI-Sol) for TCI with superior vaccination …
ERK1/2 activation in human taste bud cells regulates fatty acid signaling and gustatory perception of fat in mice and humans
2016
Obesity is a major public health problem. An in-depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of oro-sensory detection of dietary lipids may help fight it. Humans and rodents can detect fatty acids via lipido-receptors, such as CD36 and GPR120. We studied the implication of the MAPK pathways, in particular, ERK1/2, in the gustatory detection of fatty acids. Linoleic acid, a dietary fatty acid, induced via CD36 the phosphorylation of MEK1/2-ERK1/2-ETS-like transcription factor-1 cascade, which requires Fyn-Src kinase and lipid rafts in human taste bud cells (TBCs). ERK1/2 cascade was activated by Ca2+ signaling via opening of the calcium-homeostasis modulator-1 (CALHM1) channel. Furthermore, f…
Corrigendum to “European contribution to the study of ROS: A summary of the findings and prospects for the future from the COST action BM1203 (EU-ROS…
2018
The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) provides an ideal framework to establish multi-disciplinary research networks. COST Action BM1203 (EU-ROS) represents a consortium of researchers from different disciplines who are dedicated to providing new insights and tools for better understanding redox biology and medicine and, in the long run, to finding new therapeutic strategies to target dysregulated redox processes in various diseases. This report highlights the major achievements of EU-ROS as well as research updates and new perspectives arising from its members. The EU-ROS consortium comprised more than 140 active members who worked together for four years on the topics b…
Trial Design and Endpoints in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: AASLD Consensus Conference
2020
Proper trial design is critical for the success of clinical investigations. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex disease that has several unique properties. In 2008, after the approval of sorafenib, a panel of experts proposed guidelines for trial design and endpoints in HCC that have been instrumental during the last decade and provided a framework to allow an homogeneous analysis of reported investigations. Since then, several phase III studies have been reported and novel challenges have emerged. A panel of experts conveyed by AASLD organized a Special Topic Conference on trial design and endpoints to address those emerging challenges. This review summarizes the analysis and concl…
Inoculation of airborne conidia of Penicillium chrysogenum on the surface of a solid medium
2016
International audience; To reproduce a fungal contamination of food products by airborne conidia, a method to inoculate a few number (in the range 1-9) of conidia on the surface of agar media was developed. This technique would allow to determine accurately the time to detection of fungal colonies, then the mould free shelf-life of food products by using dry conidia. The method was based on dry-harvesting the conidia in the lid by gently taping the bottom of the dishes where sporulating mycelium was grown, retaining the conidia on glass beads, and, aseptically transferring the beads to successive Petri dishes to "dilute" the samples. Among the eleven factors tested by means of an experiment…
Formyl-peptide receptor 2 governs leukocyte influx in local Staphylococcus aureus infections
2017
Leukocytes express formyl-peptide receptors (FPRs), which sense microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP) molecules, leading to leukocyte chemotaxis and activation. We recently demonstrated that phenol-soluble modulin (PSM) peptides from highly pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus are efficient ligands for the human FPR2. How PSM detection by FPR2 impacts on the course of S. aureus infections has remained unknown. We characterized the specificity of mouse FPR2 (mFpr2) using a receptor-transfected cell line, homeobox b8 (Hoxb8), and primary neutrophils isolated from wild-type (WT) or mFpr2−/− mice. The influx of leukocytes into the peritoneum of WT and mFpr2−/− mice was analyzed. We demonstrat…