Publications by authors named "Karolina Gregorczyk-Zboroch"

Article Synopsis
  • - The discontinuation of the smallpox vaccine in 1980 has led to increased cases of poxvirus infections like monkeypox, raising public health concerns due to lack of immunity in the population.
  • - This study uses the ectromelia virus (ECTV), responsible for mousepox, as a model to explore poxvirus behavior and the role of mitochondria in immune response during ECTV infection.
  • - Results show that altering the shape of the mitochondrial network affects MAVS-dependent immunity, with elongated networks reducing ECTV replication and fragmented networks leading to increased immune response suppression during infection.
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Background/aim: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the deadliest form of cancer worldwide. Understanding the mechanisms of lung cancer development is vital for targeted therapy advancements. This article explores the little-known role of the guanylate kinase-associated protein (GKAP), encoded by the Disks large-associated protein 1 (DLGAP1) gene, in NSCLC along with assessing microRNA-30a-5p's influence on DLGAP1 gene expression in the A549 cell line.

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Ectromelia virus (ECTV) is a causative agent of mousepox. It provides a suitable model for studying the immunobiology of orthopoxviruses, including their interaction with the host cell cytoskeleton. As professional antigen-presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) control the pericellular environment, capture antigens, and present them to T lymphocytes after migration to secondary lymphoid organs.

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The eradication of smallpox was an enormous achievement due to the global vaccination program launched by World Health Organization. The cessation of the vaccination program led to steadily declining herd immunity against smallpox, causing a health emergency of global concern. The smallpox vaccines induced strong, humoral, and cell-mediated immune responses, protecting for decades after immunization, not only against smallpox but also against other zoonotic orthopoxviruses that now represent a significant threat to public health.

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Mitochondria are key cellular organelles responsible for many essential functions, including ATP production, ion homeostasis and apoptosis induction. Recent studies indicate their significant role during viral infection. In the present study, we examined the effects of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection on the morphology and mitochondrial function in primary murine neurons in vitro.

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Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the representative of the family, is a pathogen extensively distributed in the human population. One of its most characteristic features is the capability to establish latent infection in the host. The infected cells serve as a sanctuary for the dormant virus, and therefore their desensitization to apoptotic stimuli is part of the viral strategy for long-term survival.

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The gastrointestinal tract, which is constantly exposed to a multitude of stimuli, is considered responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the host. It is inhabited by billions of microorganisms, the gut microbiota, which form a mutualistic relationship with the host. Although the microbiota is generally recognized as beneficial, at the same time, together with pathogens, they are a permanent threat to the host.

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Bcl-xL represents a family of proteins responsible for the regulation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Due to its anti-apoptotic activity, Bcl-xL co-determines the viability of various virally infected cells. Their survival may determine the effectiveness of viral replication and spread, dynamics of systemic infection, and viral pathogenesis.

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This study investigates the effect of graphene scaffold on morphology, viability, cytoskeleton, focal contacts, mitochondrial network morphology and activity in BALB/3T3 fibroblasts and provides new data on biocompatibility of the "graphene-family nanomaterials". We used graphene monolayer applied onto glass cover slide by electrochemical delamination method and regular glass cover slide, as a reference. The morphology of fibroblasts growing on graphene was unaltered, and the cell viability was 95% compared to control cells on non-coated glass slide.

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TLR3 provides immediate type I IFN response following entry of stimulatory PAMPs into the CNS, as it is in HSV infection. The receptor plays a vital role in astrocytes, contributing to rapid infection sensing and suppression of viral replication, precluding the spread of virus beyond neurons. The route of TLR3 mobilization culminating in the receptor activation remains unexplained.

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Article Synopsis
  • Poxviruses, like ectromelia virus (ECTV), have developed ways to avoid triggering cell death pathways (apoptosis) to aid in their replication.
  • In a study, researchers found that during ECTV infection in fibroblasts, the mitochondrial heat shock proteins Hsp60 and Hsp10 increased in both presence and activity, suggesting they play a role in preventing apoptosis.
  • The increase in Hsp60 and Hsp10 levels corresponded with a decrease in pro-apoptotic proteins and increased levels of anti-apoptotic proteins, indicating that these heat shock proteins help cells survive to support viral replication.
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Ectromelia virus (ECTV), an orthopoxvirus, undergoes productive replication in conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), resulting in the inhibition of their innate and adaptive immune functions. ECTV replication rate in cDCs is increased due to downregulation of the expression of cathepsins - cystein proteases that orchestrate several steps during DC maturation. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine if downregulation of cathepsins, such as B, L or S, disrupts cDC capacity to induce activating signals in T cells or whether infection of cDCs with ECTV further weakens their functions as antigen-presenting cells.

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Toll-like receptors (TLRs) sense the presence of pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Nevertheless, the mechanisms modulating TLR-triggered innate immune responses are not yet fully understood. Complex regulatory systems exist to appropriately direct immune responses against foreign or self-nucleic acids, and a critical role of hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (HRS), endosomal sorting complex required for transportation-0 (ESCRT-0) subunit, has recently been implicated in the endolysosomal transportation of TLR7 and TLR9.

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Background: Cathepsins are a group of endosomal proteases present in many cells including dendritic cells (DCs). The activity of cathepsins is regulated by their endogenous inhibitors - cystatins. Cathepsins are crucial to antigen processing during viral and bacterial infections, and as such are a prerequisite to antigen presentation in the context of major histocompatibility complex class I and II molecules.

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The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of ectromelia virus (ECTV) infection on actin cytoskeleton rearrangement in immune cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs). Using scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy analysis we observed the presence of long actin-based cellular extensions, formed by both types of immune cells at later stages of infection with ECTV. Such extensions contained straight tubulin filaments and numerous punctuate mitochondria.

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Ectromelia virus (ECTV) is an orthopoxvirus that productively replicates in dendritic cells (DCs), but its influence on the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton in DCs is not known. Here, we show that ECTV infection of primary murine granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor-derived bone marrow cells (GM-BM) downregulates numerous genes engaged in MT cytoskeleton organization and dynamics. In infected cells, the MT cytoskeleton undergoes dramatic rearrangement and relaxation, accompanied by disappearance of the microtubule organizing centre (MTOC) and increased acetylation and stabilization of MTs, which are exploited by progeny virions for intracellular transport.

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