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• Updated thoughts on SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus therapies, fighting and surviving
• WENJUAN LI^*, GE SONG
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 127-135, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.010018
• Abstract From late December 2019 a new human-adapted coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was observed and isolated in clustered patients in Wuhan, China. It has been proved to be able to transmit human-to-human and cause pneumonia, leading to about 2% fatality. Its genome characteristics, immune responses and related potential treatments, such as chemical drugs, serum transfusion and vaccines including DNA vaccines, are discussed in this review for a brief summary. More
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• The roles of focal adhesion and cytoskeleton systems in fluid shear stress-induced endothelial cell response
• KHAWAR ALI SHAHZAD^1,2,#, ZHONGJIE QIN^3,4,#, YAN LI^1,2,*, DELIN XIA^3,4,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 137-145, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08500
• Abstract Focal adhesions are polyproteins linked to extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton, which play an important role in the process of transforming force signals into intracellular chemical signals and subsequently triggering related physiological or pathological reactions. The cytoskeleton is a network of protein fibers in the cytoplasm, which is composed of microfilaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments, and cross-linked proteins. It is a very important structure for cells to maintain their basic morphology. This review summarizes the process of fluid shear stress transduction mediated by focal adhesion and the key role of the cytoskeleton in this process, which focuses on the focal adhesion and… More
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• Fungal assembly of L-asparaginase using solid-state fermentation: a review
• SALLY NASER^1,2, WESAMELDIN SABER³, MOHAMMAD EL-METWALLY^4,*, MAHMOUD MOUSTAFA^5,6, ATTALLA EL-KOTT^5,7
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 147-155, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.09522
• Abstract Because of its antitumor therapeutic-activity, as well as its application in food industries to improve the quality, L-asparaginase has attracted considerable attention from several investigators. In recent years, fungi have occupied advanced rank among microorganisms in the production process of the enzyme. This review is spotting the light on the advantages of fungal enzyme and its applications in the food industry and medications. The solid-state fermentation was discussed as the wide alternative and most accepted biosynthesis technique. However, some lights were also spotted to the statistical experimental design of the fermentation process, mainly on the methodology of the response surface… More
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• Prophages domesticated by bacteria promote the adaptability of bacterial cells
• ZICHEN LIU¹, YUNFENG DENG², MENGZHI JI¹, WENQING SUN^2,*, XIANGYU FAN^1,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 157-166, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.09917
• Abstract Prophages are temperate phages integrated into the host bacterial genome. They play an important role in the adaptation and the pathogenicity of bacteria, especially pathogenic bacteria. In this review, we described the distribution of prophages in different hosts and different environments, and focused on the significance of prophages. At the singlecell level, prophages can help the host adapt to harsh external environments by directly carrying virulence genes, encoding regulatory factors and activating lysogeny. At the population level, prophages can influence the overall evolutionary direction and ecological function of the host bacterial community. This review will help us understand the important… More
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• Current status of gene therapy in melanoma treatment
• YONGLU WANG^1,2,*, WEI YOU¹, XUEMING LI^3,4,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 167-174, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.09023
• Abstract Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer and which has a high ability of metastasis. Surgery is an effective method to treat I or II stage melanoma patients. However, there are few treatment options for metastatic melanoma. Gene therapy is one of the attractive options and is considered as the future direction for treating melanoma. This review mainly discusses the properties and challenges of the various gene therapies in melanoma, especially the delivery systems and gene targeting. More
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• Synergistic combination of colistin with imipenem, amikacine or ciprofloxacin against Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa carbapenem-resistant isolated in Annaba hospital Algeria
• SAIDA MELIANI¹, SOUMAYA TOUMI¹, HEYTHEM DJAHOUDI², KHALED DEGHDEGH³, KAMEL AMOURA⁴, ABDELGHANI DJAHOUDI^5,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 175-182, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.09097
• Abstract Objective: The aim of this study is to detect in vitro the synergetic activity of colistin in combination with imipenem, amikacin or ciprofloxacin, at sub-inhibitory concentrations, against carbapenems-resistant (CR) Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from various wards in Annaba teaching hospital in eastern Algeria.
  Materials and Methods: The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined by broth macrodilution (BMD). Carbapenemase encoding genes were screened using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The activity of colistin in combination with second antibiotic was evaluated by the Checkerboard Technique.
  Results: 39 CR P. aeruginosa and 21 CR A. baumanni strains where collected. The MIC… More
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• Anti-proliferative effects of a small molecule inhibitor of CDK AT7519 on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells through halting the transition of cells from G2/M phase of the cell cycle
• MASOUMEH OGHABI^1,2, AVA SAFAROGHLI-AZAR^1,2, ATIEH POURBAGHERI-SIGAROODI^1,2, MOHAMMAD SAYYADI³, MOHSEN HAMIDPOUR¹, MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN MOHAMMADI¹, DAVOOD BASHASH^1,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 183-192, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08880
• Abstract Pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has mostly been studied with regard to the oncogenic role of BCR/ABL fusion; however, recent disclosures have declared that the challenges with the treatment of CML patients would not be resolved until the role of other aberrancies is ignored. Given the involvement of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) in the pathogenesis of CML, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of a multi-CDK inhibitor AT7519 on BCR/ABL-harboring CML-derived K562 cells. Our results showed that AT7519 effectively reduced the survival of K562 and induced its anti-proliferative effect through the induction of G2/M arrest due to elevated… More
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• Effect of Black Sea bream extracts on cytokine production in lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation
• EUN NA¹, MYOUNGWON CHOI², INDAL PARK², SUNYOUNG LIM^3,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 193-199, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08648
• Abstract We investigated the effect of black sea bream extracts on changes in pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in murine splenocytes. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-12/IL-23(p40) and IL-17A] and anti-inflammatory cytokines [IL-4, IL-10 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)] were assessed. Incubation of murine splenocytes with acetone+methylene chloride (A+M) and methanol (MeOH) extracts significantly decreased LPS-induced IL-6, IL-12/IL-23(p40) and IL-17A productions after 6 h incubation (p < 0.05). The A+M and MeOH extracts significantly increased LPS-induced IL-4 and IFN-γ productions at 48 and 72 h incubation (p < 0.05). Treatment with A+M extract resulted… More
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• MicroRNA-382 inhibits the proliferation of mouse spermatogonia by targeting Kmt5a
• YI ZHENG^#, PENGFEI ZHANG^#, JINSHENG ZHU^#, LINGKAI ZHANG, WENXIAN ZENG^*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 201-207, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08770
• Abstract Spermatogenesis is a highly efficient and intricate process in the testis by which mature spermatozoa are produced daily to maintain lifelong male fertility. Essential to this process are spermatogonia capable of both proliferation and differentiation. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms for spermatogonial proliferation and differentiation remain poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a category of non-coding small RNAs with regulatory functions by binding to the 3’ untranslated region (UTR) of the target mRNA. Previous studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are capable of modulating cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, but the roles of individual miRNAs in spermatogonial fate determination remain largely elusive. Here,… More
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• Analysis of isolation of cerebral cortical neurons in rats by different methods
• JIANHUA LI^1,#, YAOGANG ZHANG^1,2,#, TAO ZHANG³, MEIYUAN TIAN¹, JING HOU¹, DENGLIANG HUANG¹, YAN CHENG^1,3, ZHU MAN^1,3, XIAOMING SU^1,3, ZHIQIN LI¹, SIXIAN TONG¹, XUAN ZHANG^1,3, JUN DENG^1,3, YUN DONG^1,3, YANYAN MA^1,2,3,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 209-215, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08941
• Abstract The aim of this study was to find a way to efficiently separate neuronal cells from the cerebral cortex of adult rats, providing a reference method for rapid acquisition of neuronal cells from the adult rat brain. Fifteen SD rats were randomly divided into three groups, with five SD rats in each group. Then, neuron cells were isolated from the adult rat cerebral cortex by the grinding method, the trypsin method, and the collagenase II method, respectively. The expression of anti-NeuN in the neurons of each group was analyzed by flow cytometry. The acquisition rates and morphology of neurons of… More
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• Detection of new antibiotic resistance gene profile in Escherichia coli associated with avian leukosis virus infection from broiler chickens
• HAIFENG WANG^1,2,*, JUAN GUO¹, LIJING ZHENG¹, SHUYING LIU¹, ZHERONG WANG¹, HONGXUAN HE²
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 217-224, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.09051
• Abstract The Escherichia coli (E. coli) is prevailing worldwide, but the epidemiology of E. coli infections feature regional distribution characteristics to some extent. E. coli, as a zoonotic pathogen, can be transferred from animals to humans through food chain or via contact with wounds, causing a public health risk. We reported the swelling of proventriculus and tracheal bleeding following the death in two broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) from Beijing, China. To investigate whether a virus was involved in the infection, Madin Darby Bovine Kidney (MDCK) cells were co-cultured with supernatants of proventriculus, trachea and spleen homogenates. The avian leucosis virus… More
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• Exogenous dendritic cells aggravate atherosclerosis via P-selectin/ PSGL-1 pathway
• LEI ZHONG¹, LEI GUO¹, ZHISHUAI YE², SHANFENG ZHANG³, RONGCHONG HUANG^2,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 225-236, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08714
• Abstract Studies have found that a large number of inflammatory cells, P-selectin, and mature dendritic cells (DCs) are expressed in the damaged and shoulder parts of atherosclerotic plaque, which demonstrates that P-selectin and mature DCs participate in the immune inflammatory response leading to the development of atherosclerosis. However, it is unclear how the above factors interact in this setting. In this study, we investigated the role of P-selectin and its receptor, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand (PSGL)-1 in atherosclerosis, with the finding that DC surface marker expression was consistently high in the P-selectin group while consistently low in the PGSL-1 + DCs group,… More
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• Age-related modifications of macrophages influenced by “inflammageing” in graft vs. host disease
• YAQUN HONG^1,2, BO WAN³, XIAOFAN LI^1,4,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 237-246, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08887
• Abstract Most studies focus on the adaptive immune cells in the GVHD pathogenesis, while little is known about innate immune cells in GVHD occurrence and development, especially macrophages. Meanwhile, a higher incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) is also found in the elderly patients. Though advances have been made in the modification of macrophages influenced by the inflamm-ageing, there is still no review on the role of macrophages in GVHD and the association between GVHD and the altered macrophages by inflamm-ageing. In this review, we focus on the potential age-related modifications of macrophage in GVHD, which contributes to the change… More
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• Combined molecular docking, homology modeling and DFT method for the modification of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to improve fluorescence spectroscopy for phthalate acid esters chelated with BSA
• MINGHAO LI¹, YOULI QIU², WENHUI ZHANG¹, RUIHAO SUN¹, MEIJIN DU¹, LUZE YANG³, YU LI^1,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 247-255, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08835
• Abstract While phthalate acid esters (PAEs) cannot fluoresce alone, they can be detected by fluorescence spectroscopy after chelation with bovine serum albumin (BSA). In this study, the types of amino acid residues at the active site of PAEs chelated with BSA were determined using molecular docking technology. A modification scheme of BSA with higher detection sensitivity fluorescence spectroscopy for PAEs was proposed based on the docking results and constructed for a novel BSA structure with a higher detection sensitivity of fluorescence spectroscopy using a homologous modeling method. Density functional theory (DFT) was employed to explore the influence before and after BSA… More
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• Association of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) 1772C/T gene polymorphism with susceptibility to renal cell carcinoma/prostate cancer
• HONGYAN LI^1,#, CHUNLING LIAO^2,#, WENJUAN WENG², HONGZHEN ZHONG², TIANBIAO ZHOU^2,*
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 257-262, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08826
• Abstract In this study, we used a meta-analysis method to evaluate the relationship between hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) 1772C/T gene polymorphism (rs 11549465) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC)/prostate cancer risk. We searched for relevant studies (before March 1, 2019) on Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited into this meta-analysis. The outcome of dichotomous data was showed in the way of odds ratios (OR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were also counted. In this investigation, there was no association between HIF1α 1772C/T gene polymorphism and susceptibility to RCC in Caucasians, Asians as well as overall populations. In… More
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• DNA damage-induced by sodium flouride (NaF) and the effect of cholicalciferol
• VEYSEL YÜKSEK^1,*, SEMIHA DEDE², AYŞE USTA³, SEDAT ÇETIN², MEHMET TAŞPINAR⁴
• BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 263-268, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.09172
• Abstract It is known that the high electronegativity of fluorine affects various soft tissues, especially the bone structure in organisms. Of these tissues are the kidneys, which play an important role in the excretion of fluoride from the body. Fluoride affects many cellular mechanisms. One of these effects is DNA damage. Our study aimed to investigate the likely protective effect of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) on genomic DNA damage-induced NaF depending on concentration and time. The IC25 and IC50 values of NaF for 3, 12 and 24 h and optimum dose of increase in proliferation to vitamin D₃ through MTT assay in… More
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