β2-Chimaerin, a GTPase-Activating Protein for Rac1, Is a Novel Regulator of Hepatic Insulin Signaling and Glucose Metabolism.

Glucose homeostasis is a complex process regulated by multiple organs and hormones, with insulin playing a central role. Recent evidence underscores the role of small GTP-binding proteins, particularly Rac1, in regulating insulin secretion and glucose uptake. However, the role of Rac1-regulatory proteins in these processes remains largely unexplored.

Mild/moderate phenotypes in AADC deficiency: Focus on the aromatic amino acid decarboxylase protein.

AADC deficiency is a severe neurometabolic inherited rare disorder due to the absence or decrease of dopamine and serotonin levels, causing deep motor and neurodevelopmental impairments. The disease is often fatal in the first decade of life, and pharmacological treatments (dopamine agonists, pyridoxine, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors as the first-line choices) can only alleviate the symptoms. Gene therapy surgery is now available for severe patients in the European Union and the United Kingdom, and follow-up data witness encouraging improvements.

Mitochondrial Elongation and OPA1 Play Crucial Roles during the Stemness Acquisition Process in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic cancer with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 9%. The high aggressiveness of PDAC is linked to the presence of a subpopulation of cancer cells with a greater tumorigenic capacity, generically called cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs present a heterogeneous metabolic profile that might be supported by an adaptation of mitochondrial function; however, the role of this organelle in the development and maintenance of CSCs remains controversial.

Divergent Roles of Mitochondria Dynamics in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive tumors; it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and is hardly treatable. These issues are strictly linked to the absence of early diagnostic markers and the low efficacy of treatment approaches. Recently, the study of the metabolic alterations in cancer cells has opened the way to important findings that can be exploited to generate new potential therapies.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Mediated Induction of Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Differentiation.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone that specifically binds to luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) and exerts several roles, including the support of pregnancy and fetal gonadal steroidogenesis. Since hCG is also expressed by some tumor types, like breast cancer, many efforts have been made to study its role in neoplesia, with some studies showing a cancer-supportive role and others showing a cancer-protective role. A critical examination of the literature highlighted that the in vitro effect of hCG has been tested in the presence of fetal serum, which contains other gonadotropins, in the culture medium.

Progressively De-Differentiated Pancreatic Cancer Cells Shift from Glycolysis to Oxidative Metabolism and Gain a Quiescent Stem State.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is typically characterized by high chemoresistance and metastatic spread, features mainly attributable to cancer stem cells (CSCs). It is of central interest the characterization of CSCs and, in particular, the study of their metabolic features in order to selectively identify their peculiarities for an efficient therapeutic approach. In this study, CSCs have been obtained by culturing different PDAC cell lines with a specific growth medium.