ANDREA FRACCHIA^1,2, GABI GERLITZ^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 931-935, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018179

Abstract The link of the metazoan nucleus to the actin cytoskeleton is highly important for actin polymerization and migration of multiple cell types as well as for mechanotransduction and even affects the cellular transcriptome. Several mechanisms of organization of actin filaments next to the nuclear envelope have been identified. Among these mechanisms the most studied one is the Linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex-dependent perinuclear actin organization. However, recently additional mechanisms have been identified: an Actin-related protein-2/3 (Arp2/3)-dependent perinuclear actin polymerization during migration of dendritic cells and a perinuclear actin rim that is formed in response to external force application… More >

MOHAMED AGHYAD AL KABBANI^1,2, GILBERT WUNDERLICH^3,4, CHRISTOPH KöHLER⁵, HANS ZEMPEL^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 847-853, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018144

Abstract Tauopathies comprise a spectrum of genetic and sporadic neurodegenerative diseases mainly characterized by the presence of hyperphosphorylated TAU protein aggregations in neurons or glia. Gene therapy, in particular adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based, is an effective medical approach for difficult-to-treat genetic diseases for which there are no convincing traditional therapies, such as tauopathies. Employing AAV-based gene therapy to treat, in particular, genetic tauopathies has many potential therapeutic benefits, but also drawbacks which need to be addressed in order to successfully and efficiently adapt this still unconventional therapy for the various types of tauopathies. In this Viewpoint, we briefly introduce some potentially treatable… More >

YI HUANG^1,2, CHUNFENG DOU², XUMING HU², HENGMI CUI^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 961-967, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018131

Abstract Metformin is a first-line drug in the fight against type 2 diabetes. In recent years, studies have shown that metformin has some preventive and therapeutic effects on liver cancer, but the effects of metformin on the gene expression of liver cancer cells are not fully known. This study focused on the differences in the gene expression profiles in liver cancer cells treated with or without metformin. A total of 153 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (FC > 2 and q-values < 0.001) were found, including 77 upregulated genes and 76 downregulated genes. These DEGs are involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK),… More >

CINZIA SIGNORINI^*, GIULIA COLLODEL, ELENA MORETTI

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 881-884, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018062

Abstract The manuscript deals with our studies and experiences in the assessment of cytoskeleton in different cellular models and situations. The immunofluorescent study of several cytoskeletal proteins was relevant in the evaluation of a therapy for osteoarthritis, in case of alkaptonuria and in testing the efficacy of docetaxel in neuroblastoma cancer cells leading to apoptosis. A relevant part of our experience focus on the study of cytoskeleton in seminiferous epithelium and spermatozoa, identifying alterations affecting blood-testis barrier after a silver nanoparticle treatment, chromosomal segregation in case of varicocele, sperm motility and diagnosing systematic sperm defects as “Primary ciliary dyskinesia” and “Dysplasia… More >

LONGJU QI^1,2,#, XIAOYING XU^3,#, BIN LI^4,#, BO CHANG⁵, SHENGCUN WANG², CHUN LIU², LIUCHENG WU², XIAODI ZHOU⁴, QINGHUA WANG^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 989-998, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018014

Abstract Excessive fat ectopically deposited in the non-adipose tissues is considered as one of the leading causes of myopathy. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in palmitate (PAL)-incubated H9c2 cells (lipotoxicity-induced cell injury model). Cell viability of PAL-treated cells was determined by MTT assay, and apoptotic regulators were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis, in the absence or in the presence of DHA, respectively. Expression levels of miR-133b and Sirt1 were also evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting examination. PAL decreased the viability of H9c2 cells and enhanced the expression of apoptotic genes.… More >

LI JIANG^1,*, KE ZHANG¹, CHONG HU¹, HONGWEI ZHANG¹, DANPU WANG¹, WEIWEI ZHAI²

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 969-978, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017765

Abstract In recent decades, RNA binding motif (RBM) proteins have been widespread concerned by researchers. Among them, RBM5 is considered as a potential tumor suppressor gene in HCC. RBM10, also belonging to the RBM family, have similar structure and high homology with RBM5, indicating its potential as potential tumor suppressor genes. However, the role of RBM10 in tumors is controversial. The purpose of this study was to analyze the expression correlation and functional relationship of miR-21 and RBM10 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and corresponding tumor cells. Bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-21 and RBM10 were both highly expressed in HCC;… More >

TIANTIAN XU^1,#, RUILIN ZHENG^1,#, DANYANG CHEN^1,#, HAIYANG CHEN², MINGQI ZHAO¹, MIN GUO¹, YI CHEN¹, CHANGBING WANG¹, LU KUANG¹, YINGHUA LI^1,*, BING ZHU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 1033-1039, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017757

Abstract Emerging evidence that Enterovirus A 71 (EV-A71) infection closely related to apoptosis. The ZVAD is a caspase inhibitor that can prevent apoptosis. The aims of this project were to evaluate the mechanism of the ZVAD inhibited EV-A71 virus and to provide experiment basis for finding new antiviral drugs. In this study, after treated with ZVAD in EV-A71 infected Vero cells, the viral replication was reduced, and the cell viability was higher than EV-A71 group. Additionally, ZVAD decreased the cell apoptosis and the level of inflammatory cytokines induced by EV-A71 in the infected Vero cells. ZVAD inhibited cell apoptosis by regulating… More >

MINGZHI LUO^*, KAI NI, YAN SUN, JIA GUO, KANG WEN, LINHONG DENG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 855-871, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017520

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) is still threatening the human life and society throughout the world. For those critically ill patients, mechanical ventilation (MV) is essential to provide life support during treatment. However, both the virus infection and MV disrupt the balance between secretion and elimination of airway mucus and lead to mucus accumulation in the lung. Postmortem examination verified that the lungs in patients died of COVID-19 are indeed filled with sticky mucus, suggesting a great need to improve airway mucus clearance in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Therefore, it may be helpful… More >

WENJUAN XU¹, GUANGMING DAI¹, YIFEI LYU², YINING ZHANG¹, XIAOLIN TU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 1097-1104, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017505

Abstract This study established a method for isolating large numbers of high-purity osteocytes from high-density bone. Bone fragments derived from mice tibia and femurs were alternately digested with type I collagenase and EDTA nine times, and the digested cells and bone chips (BC) were cultured, digested, and passaged when cells were fully grown. The types of cells obtained were identified by morphology, viable cell counts, alkaline phosphatase staining, and biochemical activity analyses, and specific osteocyte and osteoblast markers were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Our results showed that among the cells obtained from the third digestion (fractions 7–9) of… More >

HONG FU¹, HAOYU ZHAO¹, YALI YANG¹, SIYU WANG¹, KE DUAN^2,*, TAILIN GUO^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 1067-1078, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017435

Abstract CDK5 belongs to the cyclin-dependent kinase family. CDK5 is multifunctional and plays an important role in neural differentiation. However, the role of CDK5 in osteoblastic differentiation remains unclear. The present study investigated functions and molecular mechanism of CDK5 in osteoblastic differentiation. It was found that, CDK5 inhibition promoted the expression of Runx2, ALP, OCN and OPN of MSCs and the mineralization of MC-3T3E1 cells and MSCs. CDK5 inhibition enhanced the development of F-actin, nuclear localization of β-catenin and YAP, as well as the expression of RMRP RNA. When F-actin was suppressed by Blebbistatin, the nuclear localization of YAP and β-catenin,… More >