1,721,104 research outputs found
Redox state, oxidative stress and molecular mechanisms of protective and toxic effects of bilirubin on cells
No full textUnconjugated bilirubin (UCB) is the major degradation product of the heme catabolism. UCB is a potent antioxidant molecule as well as an indirect pro-oxidant generator. Growing evidence suggests that its major cellular effects are mediated by inhibiting proliferation in cancer cell lines and eliciting cytotoxicity, particularly in neurons and glial cells. Here we describe studies showing that alteration of the redox status and generation of oxidative stress are likely early events responsible for UCB-induced cytotoxicity. We then elucidate some of the molecular pathways that govern these effects
Molecola di acido nucleico funzionale e relativo uso
No full textViene descritta una molecola di acido nucleico funzionale trans-agente comprendente una sequenza di legame di bersaglio eucariotico comprendente una sequenza inversa complementare ad una sequenza di mRNA bersaglio per cui si deve migliorare la traduzione proteica e una sequenza regolatrice comprendente una sequenza di sito di entrata al ribosoma interno (IRES) o una sequenza derivata dal sito di ingresso del ribosoma interno (IRES) e una traduzione migliorativa della sequenza di mRNA bersaglio, in cui la sequenza regolatrice è posizionata a 3 'della sequenza di legame target
Impact of polymorphic transposable elements on transcription in lymphoblastoid cell lines from public data
Full text linkBackground: Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences able to mobilize themselves and to increase their copy-number in the host genome. In the past, they have been considered mainly selfish DNA without evident functions. Nevertheless, currently they are believed to have been extensively involved in the evolution of primate genomes, especially from a regulatory perspective. Due to their recent activity they are also one of the primary sources of structural variants (SVs) in the human genome. By taking advantage of sequencing technologies and bioinformatics tools, recent surveys uncovered specific TE structural variants (TEVs) that gave rise to polymorphisms in human populations. When combined with RNA-seq data this information provides the opportunity to study the potential impact of TEs on gene expression in human. Results: In this work, we assessed the effects of the presence of specific TEs in cis on the expression of flanking genes by producing associations between polymorphic TEs and flanking gene expression levels in human lymphoblastoid cell lines. By using public data from the 1000 Genome Project and the Geuvadis consortium, we exploited an expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) approach integrated with additional bioinformatics data mining analyses. We uncovered human loci enriched for common, less common and rare TEVs and identified 323 significant TEV-cis-eQTL associations. SINE-R/VNTR/Alus (SVAs) resulted the TE class with the strongest effects on gene expression. We also unveiled differential functional enrichments on genes associated to TEVs, genes associated to TEV-cis-eQTLs and genes associated to the genomic regions mostly enriched in TEV-cis-eQTLs highlighting, at multiple levels, the impact of TEVs on the host genome. Finally, we also identified polymorphic TEs putatively embedded in transcriptional units, proposing a novel mechanism in which TEVs may mediate individual-specific traits. Conclusion: We contributed to unveiling the effect of polymorphic TEs on transcription in lymphoblastoid cell lines
The complexity of cell proliferation control in mammalian cells.
No full textThe regulation of mammalian cell proliferation is discussed in relation to the recently proposed 'universal' model for cell cycle control and to the negative and positive pathways of growth control
Mammalian nerve globins in search of functions
No full textNerve globins are present in nonvertebrates and vertebrates, the first nerve globin having been recognized in the nerve cord of the polychaete annelid Aphrodite aculeata in 1872. Later, in 2000, the first vertebrate nerve globin, named neuroglobin (Ngb), has been identified in neuronal tissues of humans and mice. Recently, cytoglobin, hemoglobin, and myoglobin have also been reported to be expressed in the mammalian nervous system. The concentration of mammalian nerve globins is ~1 μM, with the exception of Ngb that reaches approximately 100-200 μM only in the retina rod cells. Mammalian nerve globins have been hypothesized to be involved in the excitability of the nervous system, in the metabolism of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species, and in intracellular signaling pathways leading to the neuronal cell survival. Only in retina cells, mammalian Ngb may help to sustain O2 supply to mitochondria, thereby supporting the visual process in the eye. Here, the putative roles of mammalian nerve globins are reviewed
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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