Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Amylosucrases and branching sucrases are α-retaining transglucosylases found in the glycoside-hydrolase families 13 and 70, respectively, of the clan GH-H. These enzymes display unique activities in their respective families. Using sucrose as substrate and without mediation of nucleotide-activated sugars, amylosucrase catalyzes the formation of an ...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Skeletal muscles are part of the musculoskeletal system which also includes nerves, tendons, connective tissue, bones and blood vessels. Here we review the development of axial and limb muscles in amniotes within the context of their surrounding tissues in vivo. We highlight the reciprocal dialogue mediated by signalling factors between cells of th...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) and its aggregates in the ageing central nervous system is regarded synonymous to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Despite unquestionable advances in mechanistic and diagnostic aspects of the disease understanding, the primary cause of Aβ accumulation as well as its in vivo roles remains elusive; nonetheless, the m...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Recent studies utilizing chemical-induced colitis-associated and sporadic colon cancer in mouse models indicated a protective role for absent in melanoma 2 (Aim2) in colon epithelial cells. Accordingly, mutations in the human AIM2 gene have been found in colorectal cancer (CRC), and reduced expression of AIM2 in CRC is associated with its progressi...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
The exportin CRM1 binds nuclear export signals (NESs), and mediates active transport of NES-bearing proteins from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Structural and biochemical analyses have uncovered the molecular mechanisms underlying CRM1/NES interaction. CRM1 binds NESs through a hydrophobic cleft, whose open or closed conformation facilitates NES bi...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Candida albicans is a major human fungal pathogen responsible for both systemic and mucosal infections in a wide variety of immunocompromised individuals. Because the ability of C. albicans to undergo a reversible morphological transition from yeast to filaments is important for virulence, significant research efforts have focused on mechanisms tha...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Proteome homeostasis, or proteostasis, is essential to maintain cellular fitness and its disturbance is associated with a broad range of human health conditions and diseases. Cells are constantly challenged by various extrinsic and intrinsic insults, which perturb cellular proteostasis and provoke proteotoxic stress. To counter proteomic perturbati...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Asymmetric cell division is a fundamental mechanism that generates cell diversity while maintaining self-renewing stem cell populations in multicellular organisms. Both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms underpin symmetry breaking and differential daughter cell fate determination in animals and plants. The emerging picture suggests that plants deal...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
As the only striated muscle tissues in the body, skeletal and cardiac muscle share numerous structural and functional characteristics, while exhibiting vastly different size and regenerative potential. Healthy skeletal muscle harbors a robust regenerative response that becomes inadequate after large muscle loss or in degenerative pathologies and ag...
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Inflammatory diseases of mucosal organs are significantly influenced by the microenvironment in which they reside. Cytokines found within this microenvironment contribute significantly to endpoint functions of the mucosa. Studies dating back to the 1990s have revealed that epithelial cells are both a source as well as a target for numerous cytokine...
