1,720,968 research outputs found
ER-mitochondria tethering and Ca2+ crosstalk: The IP3R team takes the field
No full textInter-organelle communication represents a booming topic in cell biology research, with endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondria coupling playing the lion's share. In a recent work, Bartok and colleagues found that inositol trisphosphates receptors (IP3Rs), in addition to their well-known involvement in ER-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer, are endowed with structural properties at organelles' interface
Key Signalling Molecules in Aging and Neurodegeneration
Full text link: One of the major challenges of modern medicine is to block or prevent the neurodegenerative processes inevitably associated with different pathological conditions [...]
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondria Kissing in Cardiomyocytes: Ca2+, ATP, and Undisclosed Secrets
Full text linkIn cardiomyocytes, to carry out cell contraction, the distribution, morphology, and dynamic interaction of different cellular organelles are tightly regulated. For instance, the repetitive close apposition between junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (jSR) and specialized sarcolemma invaginations, called transverse-tubules (TTs), is essential for an efficient excitation-contraction coupling (ECC). Upon an action potential, Ca2+ microdomains, generated in synchrony at the interface between TTs and jSR, underlie the prompt increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, ultimately responsible for cell contraction during systole. This process requires a considerable amount of energy and the active participation of mitochondria, which encompass ∼30% of the cell volume and represent the major source of ATP in the heart. Importantly, in adult cardiomyocytes, mitochondria are distributed in a highly orderly fashion and strategically juxtaposed with SR. By taking advantage of the vicinity to Ca2+ releasing sites, they take up Ca2+ and modulate ATP synthesis according to the specific cardiac workload. Interestingly, with respect to SR, a biased, polarized positioning of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake/efflux machineries has been reported, hinting the importance of a strictly regulated mitochondrial Ca2+ handling for heart activity. This notion, however, has been questioned by the observation that, in some mouse models, the deficiency of specific molecules, modulating mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics, triggers non-obvious cardiac phenotypes. This review will briefly summarize the physiological significance of SR-mitochondria apposition in cardiomyocytes, as well as the pathological consequences of an altered organelle communication, focusing on Ca2+ signaling. We will discuss ongoing debates and propose future research directions
Better to keep in touch: investigating inter-organelle cross-talk
No full textThe strategic importance for cellular organelles of being in contact with each other, exchanging messenger molecules, is nowadays well established. Different inter-organelle cross-talk pathways finely regulate multiple physiological cellular mechanisms, and their dysregulation has been found to underlie different pathological conditions. In the last years, a great effort has been made to study such organelle interactions, to understand their functional roles within the cell and the molecules involved in their formation and/or modulation. In this contribution, some examples of organelle cross-talk and their contributions in regulating physiological processes are presented. Moreover, the pro and cons of the available methods for a proper, reliable investigation of membrane contact sites are described
Defective Mitochondrial Pyruvate Flux Affects Cell Bioenergetics in Alzheimer's Disease-Related Models
Full text linkMitochondria are key organelles for brain health. Rossi et al. show that, in different Alzheimer's disease cell models, lower mitochondrial Ca2+ signal and pyruvate uptake reduce ATP synthesis. GSK-3β hyper-activation contributes to the defect by impairing HK1-mitochondria association, decreasing MPC2 levels and destabilizing MPC complexes. Defective bioenergetics affects neuronal functionality
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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