Articles

SUMO proteins in the cardiovascular system: friend or foe?

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are crucial for the adaptation of various signalling pathways to ensure cellular homeostasis and proper adaptation to stress. PTM is a covalent addition of a small chemi...

Authors: Prithviraj Manohar Vijaya Shetty, Ashraf Yusuf Rangrez and Norbert Frey

Autophagosome formation in relation to the endoplasmic reticulum

Autophagy is a process in which a myriad membrane structures called autophagosomes are formed de novo in a single cell, which deliver the engulfed substrates into lysosomes for degradation. The size of the aut...

Authors: Yo-hei Yamamoto and Takeshi Noda

Endothelin receptor antagonist improves donor lung function in an ex vivo perfusion system

A lung transplant is the last resort treatment for many patients with advanced lung disease. The majority of donated lungs come from donors following brain death (BD). The endothelin axis is upregulated in the...

Authors: K. Walweel, K. Skeggs, A. C. Boon, L. E. See Hoe, M. Bouquet, N. G. Obonyo, S. E. Pedersen, S. D. Diab, M. R. Passmore, K. Hyslop, E. S. Wood, J. Reid, S. M. Colombo, N. J. Bartnikowski, M. A. Wells, D. Black…

The trace aminergic system: a gender-sensitive therapeutic target for IBS?

Due to a lack of specific or sensitive biomarkers, drug discovery advances have been limited for individuals suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While current therapies provide symptomatic relief, i...

Authors: Lesha Pretorius and Carine Smith

Correction to: Molecular networking in the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses: insights from mammalian models and the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Robert J. Huber

Dissecting the conformation of glycans and their interactions with proteins

The use of in silico strategies to develop the structural basis for a rational optimization of glycan-protein interactions remains a great challenge. This problem derives, in part, from the lack of technologie...

Authors: Sheng-Hung Wang, Tsai-Jung Wu, Chien-Wei Lee and John Yu

Copy number variant hotspots in Han Taiwanese population induced pluripotent stem cell lines - lessons from establishing the Taiwan human disease iPSC Consortium Bank

The Taiwan Human Disease iPSC Service Consortium was established to accelerate Taiwan’s growing stem cell research initiatives and provide a platform for researchers interested in utilizing induced pluripotent...

Authors: Ching-Ying Huang, Ling-Hui Li, Wan-Tseng Hsu, Yu-Che Cheng, Martin W. Nicholson, Chun-Lin Liu, Chien-Yu Ting, Hui-Wen Ko, Shih-Han Syu, Cheng-Hao Wen, Zhuge Yan, Hsiang-Po Huang, Hong-Lin Su, Po-Min Chiang, Chia-Ning Shen, Hsin-Fu Chen…

PEDF promotes the repair of bone marrow endothelial cell injury and accelerates hematopoietic reconstruction after bone marrow transplantation

Preconditioning before bone marrow transplantation such as irradiation causes vascular endothelial cells damage and promoting the repair of damaged endothelial cells is beneficial for hematopoietic reconstitut...

Authors: Wen Ju, Wenyi Lu, Lan Ding, Yurong Bao, Fei Hong, Yuting Chen, Hui Gao, Xiaoqi Xu, Guozhang Wang, Weiwei Wang, Xi Zhang, Chunling Fu, Kunming Qi, Zhenyu Li, Kailin Xu, Jianlin Qiao…

Clinically relevant radioresistant rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines: functional, molecular and immune-related characterization

The probability of local tumor control after radiotherapy (RT) remains still miserably poor in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible of tumor relapse is ess...

Authors: Francesco Petragnano, Ilaria Pietrantoni, Simona Camero, Silvia Codenotti, Luisa Milazzo, Francesca Vulcano, Giampiero Macioce, Ilenia Giordani, Paolo Tini, Sara Cheleschi, Giovanni Luca Gravina, Claudio Festuccia, Alessandra Rossetti, Simona Delle Monache, Alessandra Ordinelli, Carmela Ciccarelli…

Constructing conjugate vaccine against Salmonella Typhimurium using lipid-A free lipopolysaccharide

Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium is a nontyphoidal and common foodborne pathogen that causes serious threat to humans. There is no licensed vaccine to prevent the nontyphoid bacterial infection caused by

Authors: Tzu-Wei Chiu, Chi-Jiun Peng, Ming-Cheng Chen, Mei-Hua Hsu, Yi-Hua Liang, Cheng-Hsun Chiu, Jim-Min Fang and Yuan Chuan Lee

The potential role of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in reducing acute respiratory inflammation in community-acquired pneumococcal pneumonia

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) reduces both invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and other pneumococcal infections worldwide. We investigated the impact of stepwise implementation of childhood PCV program...

Authors: Ching-Fen Shen, Shih-Min Wang, Hsin Chi, Yi-Chuan Huang, Li-Min Huang, Yhu-Chering Huang, Hsiao-Chuan Lin, Yu-Huai Ho, Chao A. Hsiung and Ching-Chuan Liu

Amino acid-dependent control of mTORC1 signaling: a variety of regulatory modes

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is an essential regulator of cell growth and metabolism through the modulation of protein and lipid synthesis, lysosome biogenesis, and autophagy. The act...

Authors: Terunao Takahara, Yuna Amemiya, Risa Sugiyama, Masatoshi Maki and Hideki Shibata

cjrABC-senB hinders survival of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli in the bloodstream through triggering complement-mediated killing

Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) is a common gram-negative organism causing various infections, including urinary tract infections (UTIs), bacteremia, and neonatal meningitis. The cjrABC-senB gene clust...

Authors: Wen-Chun Huang, Yi-Jyun Liao, Masayuki Hashimoto, Kuan-Fu Chen, Chishih Chu, Po-Chuen Hsu, Shuying Wang and Ching-Hao Teng

A synthetic peptide sensitizes multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antibiotics for more than two hours and permeabilizes its envelope for twenty hours

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative pathogen that frequently causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. We previously showed that subinhibitory concentrations of short synthetic pepti...

Authors: Iosu Rázquin-Olazarán, Hawraa Shahrour and Guillermo Martínez-de-Tejada

Rat models of human diseases and related phenotypes: a systematic inventory of the causative genes

The laboratory rat has been used for a long time as the model of choice in several biomedical disciplines. Numerous inbred strains have been isolated, displaying a wide range of phenotypes and providing many m...

Authors: Claude Szpirer

An obituary of Dr. Ding-Shinn Chen

Authors:

Precision radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer

Precision medicine is becoming the standard of care in anti-cancer treatment. The personalized precision management of cancer patients highly relies on the improvement of new technology in next generation sequ...

Authors: Wen-Chi Yang, Feng-Ming Hsu and Pan-Chyr Yang

Genomic landscape in acute myeloid leukemia and its implications in risk classification and targeted therapies

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy in terms of clinical features, underlying pathogenesis and treatment outcomes. Recent advances in genomic techniques have unraveled the mo...

Authors: Hsin-An Hou and Hwei-Fang Tien

Machine learning-based segmentation of ischemic penumbra by using diffusion tensor metrics in a rat model

Recent trials have shown promise in intra-arterial thrombectomy after the first 6–24 h of stroke onset. Quick and precise identification of the salvageable tissue is essential for successful stroke management....

Authors: Duen-Pang Kuo, Po-Chih Kuo, Yung-Chieh Chen, Yu-Chieh Jill Kao, Ching-Yen Lee, Hsiao-Wen Chung and Cheng-Yu Chen

5-methoxytryptophan: an arsenal against vascular injury and inflammation

5-methoxytryptophan (5-MTP) is an endothelial factor with anti-inflammatory properties. It is synthesized from L-tryptophan via two enzymatic steps: tryptophan hydroxylase-1 (TPH-1) and hydroxyindole O-methylt...

Authors: Kenneth K. Wu, Cheng-Chin Kuo, Shaw-Fang Yet, Chii-Ming Lee and Jun-Yang Liou

Hepatitis C virus vaccine design: focus on the humoral immune response

Despite the recent development of safe and highly effective direct-acting antivirals, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a significant health problem. In 2016, the World Health Organization set out to r...

Authors: Daniel Sepulveda-Crespo, Salvador Resino and Isidoro Martinez

The impact of PD-L1 N-linked glycosylation on cancer therapy and clinical diagnosis

N-linked glycosylation is one of the most abundant posttranslational modifications of membrane-bound proteins in eukaryotes and affects a number of biological activities, including protein biosynthesis, protein.....

Authors: Ying-Nai Wang, Heng-Huan Lee, Jennifer L. Hsu, Dihua Yu and Mien-Chie Hung

Ab locks for improving the selectivity and safety of antibody drugs

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a major targeted therapy for malignancies, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection and chronic inflammatory diseases due to their antigen specificity and...

Authors: Wen-Wei Lin, Yun-Chi Lu, Chih-Hung Chuang and Tian-Lu Cheng

ZNF322A-mediated protein phosphorylation induces autophagosome formation through modulation of IRS1-AKT glucose uptake and HSP-elicited UPR in lung cancer

ZNF322A is an oncogenic transcription factor that belongs to the Cys2His2-type zinc-finger protein family. Accumulating evidence suggests that ZNF322A may contribute to the tumorigenesis of lung cancer, howeve...

Authors: Chantal Hoi Yin Cheung, Chia-Lang Hsu, Tsai-Yu Lin, Wei-Ting Chen, Yi-Ching Wang, Hsuan-Cheng Huang and Hsueh-Fen Juan

Of tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections – a comparative analysis of epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment

Pulmonary diseases due to mycobacteria cause significant morbidity and mortality to human health. In addition to tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), recent epidemiological studies have ...

Authors: Radha Gopalaswamy, Sivakumar Shanmugam, Rajesh Mondal and Selvakumar Subbian

The origin and underlying driving forces of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak

SARS-CoV-2 began spreading in December 2019 and has since become a pandemic that has impacted many aspects of human society. Several issues concerning the origin, time of introduction to humans, evolutionary p...

Authors: Shu-Miaw Chaw, Jui-Hung Tai, Shi-Lun Chen, Chia-Hung Hsieh, Sui-Yuan Chang, Shiou-Hwei Yeh, Wei-Shiung Yang, Pei-Jer Chen and Hurng-Yi Wang

Immunologic aspects of characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the worldwide spread of the infectious disease COVID-19, caused by a new strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, as a pandemic. Like in all other infectious...

Authors: Feng-Yee Chang, Hsiang-Cheng Chen, Pei-Jer Chen, Mei-Shang Ho, Shie-Liang Hsieh, Jung-Chung Lin, Fu-Tong Liu and Huey-Kang Sytwu

Correction to: Activation of TGR5 protects blood brain barrier via the BRCA1/Sirt1 pathway after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Hui Liang, Nathanael Matei, Devin W. McBride, Yang Xu, Jiping Tang, Benyan Luo and John H. Zhang

HBV X protein-based therapeutic vaccine accelerates viral antigen clearance by mobilizing monocyte infiltration into the liver in HBV carrier mice

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) persistently infected about 250 million people worldwide, and a curative treatment remains an unmet medical need. Among many approaches to treat chronic hepatitis B (CHB), therapeutic v...

Authors: Jau-Hau Horng, Wei-Hsiang Lin, Chang-Ru Wu, You-Yu Lin, Li-Ling Wu, Ding-Shinn Chen and Pei-Jer Chen

Validation of genome-wide association study-identified single nucleotide polymorphisms in a case-control study of pancreatic cancer from Taiwan

Due to differences in genetic background, it is unclear whether the genetic loci identified by the previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of pancreatic cancer also play significant roles in the develo...

Authors: Yan-Shen Shan, Li-Tzong Chen, Jin-Shang Wu, Yin-Fan Chang, Chih-Ting Lee, Chih-Hsing Wu, Nai-Jung Chiang, Hsin-En Huang, Chia-Jui Yen, Ying-Jui Chao, Hui-Jen Tsai, Chiung-Yu Chen, Jui-Wen Kang, Chin-Fu Kuo, Chia-Rung Tsai, Ya-Ling Weng…

Anomalous AMPK-regulated angiotensin AT₁R expression and SIRT1-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis at RVLM in hypertension programming of offspring to maternal high fructose exposure

Tissue oxidative stress, sympathetic activation and nutrient sensing signals are closely related to adult hypertension of fetal origin, although their interactions in hypertension programming remain unclear. B...

Authors: Yung-Mei Chao, Kay L. H. Wu, Pei-Chia Tsai, You-Lin Tain, Steve Leu, Wei-Chia Lee and Julie Y. H. Chan

The endothelium, a key actor in organ development and hPSC-derived organoid vascularization

Over the last 4 decades, cell culture techniques have evolved towards the creation of in vitro multicellular entities that incorporate the three-dimensional complexity of in vivo tissues and organs. As a resul...

Authors: Alejandra Vargas-Valderrama, Antonietta Messina, Maria Teresa Mitjavila-Garcia and Hind Guenou

Rotavirus infection in children in Southeast Asia 2008–2018: disease burden, genotype distribution, seasonality, and vaccination

Rotaviruses (RVs) are recognized as a major cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in infants and young children worldwide. Here we summarize the virology, disease burden, prevalence, distribution of genotypes a...

Authors: Fajar Budi Lestari, Sompong Vongpunsawad, Nasamon Wanlapakorn and Yong Poovorawan

Statin inhibits large hepatitis delta antigen-Smad3 -twist-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and hepatitis D virus secretion

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection may induce fulminant hepatitis in chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB) or rapid progression of CHB to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. There is no effective treatment for ...

Authors: Yuh-Jin Liang, Cheng-Pu Sun, Yu-Chen Hsu, Yi-Wen Chen, I-An Wang, Chien-Wei Su, Mi-Hua Tao and Jaw-Ching Wu

Molecular networking in the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses: insights from mammalian models and the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), commonly known as Batten disease, belong to a family of neurological disorders that cause blindness, seizures, loss of motor function and cognitive ability, and prema...

Authors: Robert J. Huber

Pathophysiological implications of hypoxia in human diseases

Oxygen is essentially required by most eukaryotic organisms as a scavenger to remove harmful electron and hydrogen ions or as a critical substrate to ensure the proper execution of enzymatic reactions. All nuc...

Authors: Pai-Sheng Chen, Wen-Tai Chiu, Pei-Ling Hsu, Shih-Chieh Lin, I-Chen Peng, Chia-Yih Wang and Shaw-Jenq Tsai

N6-methyladenosine methyltransferase METTL3 affects the phenotype of cerebral arteriovenous malformation via modulating Notch signaling pathway

Cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a serious life-threatening congenital cerebrovascular disease. Specific anatomical features, such as nidus size, location, and venous drainage, have been validated ...

Authors: Lin-jian Wang, Yimeng Xue, Ran Huo, Zihan Yan, Hongyuan Xu, Hao Li, Jia Wang, Qian Zhang, Yong Cao and Ji-zong Zhao

Activation of TGR5 protects blood brain barrier via the BRCA1/Sirt1 pathway after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

The disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays a critical event in the pathogenesis of ischemia stroke. TGR5 is recognized as a potential target for the treatment for neurologic disorders.

Authors: Hui Liang, Nathanael Matei, Devin W. McBride, Yang Xu, Jiping Tang, Benyan Luo and John H. Zhang

Modulation of human platelet activation and in vivo vascular thrombosis by columbianadin: regulation by integrin α_IIbβ₃ inside-out but not outside-in signals

Columbianadin (CBN) is one of the main coumarin constituents isolated from Angelica pubescens. The pharmacological value of CBN is well demonstrated, especially in the prevention of several cancers and analgesic ...

Authors: Shaw-Min Hou, Chih-Wei Hsia, Cheng-Lin Tsai, Chih-Hsuan Hsia, Thanasekaran Jayakumar, Marappan Velusamy and Joen-Rong Sheu

Signaling in and out: long-noncoding RNAs in tumor hypoxia

Over the past few years, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are recognized as key regulators of gene expression at chromatin, transcriptional and posttranscriptional level with pivotal roles in various biological ...

Authors: Tse-Chun Kuo, Hsing-Jien Kung and Jing-Wen Shih

Fasting to enhance Cancer treatment in models: the next steps

Short-term fasting (STF) is a technique to reduce nutrient intake for a specific period. Since metabolism plays a pivotal role in tumor progression, it can be hypothesized that STF can improve the efficacy of ...

Authors: Jing Zhang, Yanlin Deng and Bee Luan Khoo

O-GlcNAcylation and its role in the immune system

O-linked-N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) is a type of glycosylation that occurs when a monosaccharide, O-GlcNAc, is added onto serine or threonine residues of nuclear or cytoplasmic proteins by O-GlcN...

Authors: Yi-Hsuan Chang, Chia-Lin Weng and Kuo-I Lin

Long-term expansion of directly reprogrammed keratinocyte-like cells and in vitro reconstitution of human skin

Human keratinocytes and derived products are crucial for skin repair and regeneration. Despite substantial advances in engineered skin equivalents, their poor availability and immunorejection remain major chal...

Authors: Jie Zheng, Wonjin Yun, Junghyun Park, Phil Jun Kang, Gilju Lee, Gwonhwa Song, In Yong Kim and Seungkwon You

Prohibitin 1/2 mediates Dengue-3 entry into human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) and microglia (CHME-3) cells

Very few studies have identified receptor molecules for dengue virus (DENV) on neural cells. This study was designed to identify putative receptor/(s) involved in entry of DENV-3 in human neural cells of vario...

Authors: Amita Sharma, Ravi Vasanthapuram, Manjunatha M Venkataswamy and Anita Desai

Enhanced NETosis generation in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis: utility as biomarker for disease activity and anti-TNF-α therapy effectiveness

Radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory form of arthritis in which tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, a potent inducer of inflammatory response and a key regulator of innate immuni...

Authors: Patricia Ruiz-Limon, Maria Lourdes Ladehesa-Pineda, Maria del Carmen Castro-Villegas, Maria del Carmen Abalos-Aguilera, Clementina Lopez-Medina, Chary Lopez-Pedrera, Nuria Barbarroja, Daniel Espejo-Peralbo, Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Reyes, Jose Manuel Villalba, Carlos Perez-Sanchez, Alejandro Escudero-Contreras, Eduardo Collantes-Estevez, Pilar Font-Ugalde and Yolanda Jimenez-Gomez

Cardiopulmonary failure in children infected with Enterovirus A71

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is one of the causative pathogens of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), which may cause severe neurological and cardiopulmonary complications in children. In this review, we discuss...

Authors: Shao-Hsuan Hsia, Jainn-Jim Lin, Oi-Wa Chan and Tzou-Yien Lin

CPEB2-activated PDGFRα mRNA translation contributes to myofibroblast proliferation and pulmonary alveologenesis

Alveologenesis is the final stage of lung development to form air-exchanging units between alveoli and blood vessels. Genetic susceptibility or hyperoxic stress to perturb this complicated process can cause ab...

Authors: Yen-Ting Lai, Hsu-Wen Chao, Alan Chuan-Ying Lai, Shu-Hui Lin, Ya-Jen Chang and Yi-Shuian Huang

Recombinant lipidated Zika virus envelope protein domain III elicits durable neutralizing antibody responses against Zika virus in mice

The emergence of Zika virus (ZV) in tropical and subtropical areas of the world has created an urgent need for vaccines against ZV. However, approved vaccines that prevent ZV infection are not available. To de...

Authors: Mei-Yu Chen, Kit Man Chai, Chen-Yi Chiang, Chiao-Chieh Wu, Guann-Yi Yu, Shih-Jen Liu and Hsin-Wei Chen

Phenotype and functionality of follicular helper T cells in patients with acute dengue infection

The association of functionality and phenotype of follicular helper T cells (Tfh) with dengue virus (DENV) specific antibody responses and clinical disease severity has not been well studied.

Authors: Ayesha Wijesinghe, Jayani Gamage, Hemantha Goonewardena, Laksiri Gomes, Deshni Jayathilaka, Dulharie T. Wijeratne, Ruklanthi de Alwis, Chandima Jeewandara, Ananda Wijewickrama, Graham S. Ogg and Gathsaurie Neelika Malavige

Functional roles and networks of non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases

Recent transcriptome analyses have revealed that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are broadly expressed in mammalian cells and abundant in the CNS, with tissue and cell type-specific expression patterns. Moreover, ncRN...

Authors: Yi-Ying Wu and Hung-Chih Kuo