Publications by authors named "Jonathan Puente-Rivera"

An active immunoproteome of Trichomonas vaginalis was obtained by 2D-Western blotting (2D-WB). Subsequent proteoform identification by mass spectrometry (MS) showed differential expression and specific immunoreactions of multiple proteins mediated by the presence of Zn. A total of 25 proteoforms were immunologically reactive, generally under Zn conditions, and MS analysis revealed that the fimbrin (plastin) of T.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The DNA of protozoan parasites is highly susceptible to damage, either induced by environmental agents or spontaneously generated during cellular metabolism through reactive oxygen species (ROS). Certain phases of the cell cycle, such as meiotic recombination, and external factors like ionizing radiation (IR), ultraviolet light (UV), or chemical genotoxic agents further increase this susceptibility. Among the various types of DNA damage, double-stranded breaks (DSBs) are the most critical, as they are challenging to repair and can result in genetic instability or cell death.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a prevalent malignancy in men globally. Current diagnostic methods like PSA testing have limitations, leading to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment. Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) emerges in some patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

, traditionally considered an environmental bacterium, has recently garnered attention for its potential involvement in human health. While prior research hinted at its pathogenic role in humans, our study aims to determine its prevalence and associations in diverse clinical contexts. We examined vaginal swabs from three distinct patient groups: patients with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), patients with cervicovaginal infections, and patients with a history of precancerous lesions undergoing follow-up.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Testicular cancer is the most prevalent tumor among males aged 15 to 35, resulting in a significant number of newly diagnosed cases and fatalities annually. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in various cellular processes and pathologies, including testicular cancer. Their involvement in gene regulation, coding, decoding, and overall gene expression control suggests their potential as targets for alternative treatment approaches for this type of cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer and has the worst prognosis. In patients with TNBC tumors, the tumor cells have been reported to have mesenchymal features, which help them migrate and invade. Various studies on cancer have revealed the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in different biological processes of the cell in that aberrations, in their expression, lead to alterations and deregulations in said processes, giving rise to tumor progression and aggression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Organotypic three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures more accurately mimic the characteristics of solid tumors in vivo in comparison with traditional two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cell models. Currently, studies on the regulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have not been explored in breast cancer cells cultured in 3D microenvironments. In the present research, we studied the expression and potential roles of lncRNAs in estrogen receptor-positive luminal B subtype BT-474 breast cancer cells grown over extracellular matrix proteins-enriched 3D cultures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Because cancer is a multifactorial disease, it is difficult to identify the specific agents responsible for the disease's progression and development, but lifestyle and diet have been shown to play a significant role. Diverse natural compounds are demonstrating efficacy in the development of novel cancer therapies, including sulforaphane (1-isothiocyanate-4-(methylsulfinyl)butane), a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables that promotes key biological processes such as apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, and suppression of key signalling pathways such as the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in breast cancer cells. However, one of the primary challenges with sulforaphane treatment is its low solubility in water and oral bioavailability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A growing body of research on the transcriptome and cancer genome has demonstrated that many gynecological tumor-specific gene mutations are located in cis-regulatory elements. Through chromosomal looping, cis-regulatory elements interact which each other to control gene expression by bringing distant regulatory elements, such as enhancers and insulators, into close proximity with promoters. It is well known that chromatin connections may be disrupted in cancer cells, promoting transcriptional dysregulation and the expression of abnormal tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The increasing toxicity from metals and metalloids worldwide is primarily due to human activities, with soil contamination being a major contributor that affects crop yields and, consequently, human health through the food chain.
  • Plants have evolved complex strategies to cope with metal/metalloid stress, including mechanisms such as hyperaccumulation, tolerance, exclusion, and chelation with organic compounds.
  • Recent advancements in genomics and transcriptomics have enhanced our understanding of how plants respond to these environmental stressors, while the review also explores potential biotechnological applications to enhance plant tolerance and metal accumulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chemotherapy activates a novel cytoplasmic DNA damage response resulting in Golgi apparatus fragmentation and cancer cell survival. This mechanism is regulated by Golgi phosphoprotein-3 (GOLPH3)/Myo18A/F-actin axis. Analyzing the functions of miR-3135b, a small non-coding RNA with unknown functions, we found that its forced overexpression attenuates the Golgi apparatus fragmentation induced by chemotherapeutic drugs in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Endometrial cancer is the fourth most frequent neoplasia for women worldwide, and over the past two decades it incidence has increased. The most common histological type of endometrial cancer is endometrioid adenocarcinoma, also known as type 1 endometrial cancer. Endometrioid endometrial cancer is associated with diverse epidemiological risk factors including estrogen use, obesity, diabetes, cigarette smoking, null parity, early menarche, and late menopause.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metallothioneins (MTs) have been identified in a wide variety of organisms from bacteria to humans. The biological functions of these MTs have a key role in metalloregulatory metabolism and its expression is induced in response to different stimuli, particularly by divalent metal cations. Also, the action of MTs have been implicated in the survival of pathogens in presence of microbicidal concentration of divalent cations, which allows the establishment of the infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previously, metalloproteinase was isolated and identified from Trichomonas vaginalis, belonging to the aminopeptidase P-like metalloproteinase subfamily A/B, family M24 of clan MG, named TvMP50. The native and recombinant TvMP50 showed proteolytic activity, determined by gelatin zymogram, and a 50 kDa band, suggesting that TvMP50 is a monomeric active enzyme. This was an unexpected finding since other Xaa-Pro aminopeptidases/prolidases are active as a biological unit formed by dimers/tetramers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Infection with Trichomonas vaginalis produces a malodorous seropurulent vaginal discharge due to several chemicals, including polyamines. The presence of 1,4-diamino-2-butanone (DAB) reduces the amount of intracellular putrescine by 90%, preventing the cotransport of exogenous spermine. DAB-treated parasites present morphological changes, which are restored by adding exogenous putrescine into the culture medium.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The zinc fingers proteins (ZNF) are the largest family of DNA binding proteins and can act as transcriptional factors in eukaryotes. ZNF are implicated in activation in response to environmental stimulus by biometals such as Zn. Many of these proteins have the classical CH zinc finger motifs (CH-ZNFm) of approximately 30 amino acids, where a Zn ion is coordinated by two cysteine and two histidine residues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that can adapt to the trichomonicidal Zn concentrations of the male urogenital tract microenvironment. This adaptation is mediated by molecular mechanisms, including proteinase expression, that are regulated by cations such as Zn. Herein, we characterized the previously identified 50kDa metalloproteinase aminopeptidase P (M24 family) member TvMP50 as a new Zn-mediated parasite virulence factor.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how iron affects the expression and function of cysteine proteinases (CPs) in Trichomonas vaginalis, which are linked to the parasite's virulence.
  • It highlights the genomic organization of CPs and explores why only a small number are actively expressed at the RNA and protein levels, along with mechanisms controlling their activity.
  • Additionally, the research summarizes the known iron regulations of CPs across different biological levels and introduces potential epigenetic and miRNA influences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The causal agent of trichomoniasis is a parasitic protist, Trichomonas vaginalis, which is rich in proteolytic activity, primarily carried out by cysteine proteases (CPs). Some CPs are known virulence factors. T.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This review focused on potential regulatory mechanisms of Trichomonas vaginalis virulence properties, cytoadherence, cytotoxicity, phagocytosis, hemolysis, induction of apoptosis, and immune evasion in response to environmental factors of the human urogenital tract, iron, zinc, and polyamines. Understanding the multifactorial nature of trichomonal pathogenesis and its regulation may help to unravel the survival strategies of trichomonads and to implement prevention policies, opportune diagnosis, and alternative treatments for control of trichomoniasis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

TvCP39 is a 39 kDa cysteine proteinase (CP) involved in Trichomonas vaginalis cytotoxicity that has been found in vaginal secretions and is immunogenic in patients with trichomonosis. The goal of this work was to identify, clone, express, and characterize the tvcp39 gene. The tvcp39 gene was identified using a proteomic approach, and the complete gene was amplified using PCR, cloned, and sequenced.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF