Search results for "Theoretical"

Melatonin in Early Nutrition: Long-Term Effects on Cardiovascular System

2021

Breastfeeding protects against adverse cardiovascular outcomes in the long term. Melatonin is an active molecule that is present in the breast milk produced at night beginning in the first stages of lactation. This indoleamine appears to be a relevant contributor to the benefits of breast milk because it can affect infant health in several ways. The melatonin concentration in breast milk varies in a circadian pattern, making breast milk a chrononutrient. The consumption of melatonin can induce the first circadian stimulation in the infant’s body at an age when his/her own circadian machinery is not functioning yet. This molecule is also a powerful antioxidant with the ability to act on infa…

ceRNA Network Regulation of TGF-β, WNT, FOXO, Hedgehog Pathways in the Pharynx of Ciona robusta

2021

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family of cytokines performs a multifunctional signaling, which is integrated and coordinated in a signaling network that involves other pathways, such as Wintless, Forkhead box-O (FOXO) and Hedgehog and regulates pivotal functions related to cell fate in all tissues. In the hematopoietic system, TGF-β signaling controls a wide spectrum of biological processes, from immune system homeostasis to the quiescence and self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Recently an important role in post-transcription regulation has been attributed to two type of ncRNAs: microRNAs and pseudogenes. Ciona robusta, due to its philogenetic position close to verte…

An Integrative Framework for the Construction of Big Functional Networks

2018

We present a methodology for biological data integration, aiming at building and analysing large functional networks which model complex genotype-phenotype associations. A functional network is a graph where nodes represent cellular components (e.g., genes, proteins, mRNA, etc.) and edges represent associations among such molecules. Different types of components may cohesist in the same network, and associations may be related to physical[biochemical interactions or functional/phenotipic relationships. Due to both the large amount of involved information and the computational complexity typical of the problems in this domain, the proposed framework is based on big data technologies (Spark a…

2021

Maxillofacial hard tissues have several differences compared to bones of other localizations of the human body. These could be due to the different embryological development of the jaw bones compared to the extracranial skeleton. In particular, the immigration of neuroectodermally differentiated cells of the cranial neural crest (CNC) plays an important role. These cells differ from the mesenchymal structures of the extracranial skeleton. In the ontogenesis of the jaw bones, the development via the intermediate stage of the pharyngeal arches is another special developmental feature. The aim of this review was to illustrate how the development of maxillofacial hard tissues occurs via the cra…

Effect of Manganese Chloride and of Cotreatment with Cadmium Chloride on the In Vitro Proliferative, Motile, and Invasive Behavior of MDA-MB231 Breas…

2019

We examined the dose&ndash

2017

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by an insufficient suppression of autoreactive T lymphocytes. One reason for the lack of immunological control is the reduced responsiveness of T effector cells (Teff) for the suppressive properties of regulatory T cells (Treg), a process termed Treg resistance. Here we investigated whether the disease-modifying therapy of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) with dimethyl fumarate (DMF) influences the sensitivity of T cells in the peripheral blood of patients towards Treg-mediated suppression. We demonstrated that DMF restores responsiveness of Teff to the suppressive function of Treg in vitro, presumably by down-regulation of interle…

Vibrational and Molecular Properties of Mg2+ Binding and Ion Selectivity in the Magnesium Channel MgtE

2018

Magnesium ions (Mg2+) are crucial for various biological processes. A bacterial Mg2+ channel, MgtE, tightly regulates the intracellular Mg2+ concentration. Previous X-ray crystal structures showed that MgtE forms a dimeric structure composed of a total of 10 transmembrane α helices forming a central pore, and intracellular soluble domains constituting a Mg2+ sensor. The ion selectivity for Mg2+ over Ca2+ resides at a central cavity in the transmembrane pore of MgtE, involving a conserved aspartate residue (Asp432) from each monomer. Here, we applied ion-exchange-induced difference FTIR spectroscopy to analyze the interactions between MgtE and divalent cations, Mg2+ and Ca2+. Using site-dire…

Are glutamate and asparagine necessary for tyrosinase activity of type-3 copper proteins?

2018

Abstract Type-3 copper proteins (T3CPs) are complex proteins which share similar active sites. Two copper atoms (CuA and CuB) bind dioxygen as a peroxide in a side on coordination. This protein family comprises the enzymes tyrosinase and catechol oxidase as well as the oxygen transporter hemocyanin. T3CPs occur in almost all organisms and exhibit a number of essential functions. In particular, they are involved in all kinds of enzymatic browning reactions and immune defense. The chemical basis of the two catalytic processes, i.e., the o-hydroxylation of monophenols and the two-electron oxidation to o-quinones, is still discussed. Investigations on natural enzymes with known crystal structur…

Genetics and Pathogenetic Role of Inflammasomes in Philadelphia Negative Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: A Narrative Review

2021

The last decade has been very important for the quantity of preclinical information obtained regarding chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and the following will be dedicated to the translational implications of the new biological acquisitions. The overcoming of the mechanistic model of clonal evolution and the entry of chronic inflammation and dysimmunity into the new model are the elements on which to base a part of future therapeutic strategies. The innate immune system plays a major role in this context. Protagonists of the initiation and regulation of many pathological aspects, from cytokine storms to fibrosis, the NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes guide and condition the natural hi…

Age-dependent control of collagen-dependent platelet responses by thrombospondin-1 : Comparative analysis of platelets from neonates, children, adole…

2021

Platelet function is developmentally regulated. Healthy neonates do not spontaneously bleed, but their platelets are hypo-reactive to several agonists. The mechanisms underlying immature platelet function in neonates are incompletely understood. This critical issue remains challenging for the establishment of age-specific reference ranges. In this study, we evaluated platelet reactivity of five pediatric age categories, ranging from healthy full-term neonates up to adolescents (11–18 years) in comparison to healthy adults (&gt