Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances activate UPR pathway, induce steatosis and fibrosis in liver cells.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA), and perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA), are commonly occurring organic pollutants. Exposure to PFAS affects the immune system, thyroid and kidney function, lipid metabolism, and insulin signaling and is also involved in the development of fatty liver disease and cancer. The molecular mechanisms by which PFAS cause fatty liver disease are not understood in detail.

Trends in COVID-19 Health Disparities in North Carolina: Preparing the Field for Long-Haul Patients.

Long-term coronavirus disease 2019 (long-COVID) refers to persistent symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) lingering beyond four weeks of initial infection. Approximately 30% of COVID-19 survivors develop prolonged symptoms. Communities of color are disproportionately affected by comorbidities, increasing the risk of severe COVID-19 and potentially leading to long-COVID.

The Role of Exosomes in the Crosstalk between Adipocytes and Liver Cancer Cells.

Exosomes are membrane-bound extracellular vesicles (EVs) that transport bioactive materials between cells and organs. The cargo delivered by exosomes can alter a wide range of cellular responses in recipient cells and play an important pathophysiological role in human cancers. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), for example, adipocyte- and tumor-secreted factors contained in exosomes contribute to the creation of a chronic inflammatory state, which contributes to disease progression.

Recombinant asialoerythropoetin protects HL-1 cardiomyocytes from injury via suppression of Mst1 activation.

Background: Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEPO) and asialoerythropoietin (asialo-rhuEPO) are cardioprotective. However, the protective effects of rhuEPO could not be translated into clinical practice because of its hematopoiesis-associated side effects while non-erythropoietic asialo-rhuEPO is unavailable in large quantities for clinical studies. This study was designed to investigate the cardiomyocyte protective potential of plant-produced asialo-rhuEPO (asialo-rhuEPO) against staurosporine (STS)-induced injury in HL-1 murine cardiomyocytes and identify cellular pathway(s) responsible for its cardioprotection.

Oncogenic Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor α-Induced Protein 8 (TNFAIP8).

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8) is a founding member of the TIPE family, which also includes TNFAIP8-like 1 (TIPE1), TNFAIP8-like 2 (TIPE2), and TNFAIP8-like 3 (TIPE3) proteins. Expression of TNFAIP8 is strongly associated with the development of various cancers including cancer of the prostate, liver, lung, breast, colon, esophagus, ovary, cervix, pancreas, and others. In human cancers, TNFAIP8 promotes cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, drug resistance, autophagy, and tumorigenesis by inhibition of cell apoptosis.

Serotonin induced hepatic steatosis is associated with modulation of autophagy and notch signaling pathway.

Background: Besides its neurotransmitter and vasoconstriction functions, serotonin is an important mediator of numerous biological processes in peripheral tissues including cell proliferation, steatosis, and fibrogenesis. Recent reports indicate that serotonin may promote tumor growth in liver cancer, however, the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. n this study, we investigated the role and molecular signaling mechanisms mediated by serotonin in liver cancer cell survival, drug resistance, and steatosis.

Plant-Produced Asialo-Erythropoietin Restores Pancreatic Beta-Cell Function by Suppressing Mammalian Sterile-20-like Kinase (MST1) and Caspase-3 Activation.

Pancreatic beta-cell death adversely contributes to the progression of both type I and II diabetes by undermining beta-cell mass and subsequently diminishing endogenous insulin production. Therapeutics to impede or even reverse the apoptosis and dysfunction of beta-cells are urgently needed. Asialo-rhuEPO, an enzymatically desialylated form of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEPO), has been shown to have cardioprotective and neuroprotective functions but with no adverse effects like that of sialylated rhuEPO.

Two-step purification procedure for recombinant human asialoerythropoietin expressed in transgenic plants.

Asialoerythropoietin (asialo-EPO) is a desialylated form of human glycoprotein hormone erythropoietin (EPO), which has been reported to be neuro-, cardio-, and renoprotective in animal models of organ injuries. Since the current method of production of asialo-EPO from mammalian cell-made recombinant human EPO (rhuEPO(M)) by enzymatic desialylation is not commercially viable, we and others used plant-based expression systems to produce recombinant human asialo-EPO (asialo-rhuEPO(P)). Despite achieving high expression levels in plants, its purification from plant extracts has remained a greater challenge, which has prevented studying its tissue-protective effects and translating it into clinical practice.