Publications by authors named "M Giulia Bigotti"

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need to develop effective therapeutics in preparedness for further epidemics of virus infections that pose a significant threat to human health. As a natural compound antiviral candidate, we focused on α-dystroglycan, a highly glycosylated basement membrane protein that links the extracellular matrix to the intracellular cytoskeleton. Here we show that the N-terminal fragment of α-dystroglycan (α-DGN), as produced in E.

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Dystroglycan (DG) is a transmembrane protein widely expressed in multiple cells and tissues. It is formed by two subunits, α- and β-DG, and represents a molecular bridge between the outside and the inside of the cell, which is essential for the mechanical and structural stability of the plasma membrane. The α-subunit is a cell-surface protein that binds to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and is tightly associated with the plasma membrane via a non-covalent interaction with the β-subunit, which, in turn, is a transmembrane protein that binds to the cytoskeletal actin.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) leads to dilation of the ascending aorta (AAo) and seeks to understand the molecular and structural changes involved in this condition.
  • Researchers analyzed aortic tissue from BAV patients with aortopathy, focusing on differences between dilated and non-dilated segments, specifically looking at microRNAs, protein content, and elastic fiber degeneration.
  • The findings revealed five differentially expressed microRNAs linked to dysregulated genes involved in key signaling pathways, alongside structural changes such as reduced elastic fibers in dilated aortic segments with increased wall shear stress.
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Background: Mature cardiomyocytes are unable to proliferate, preventing the injured adult heart from repairing itself. Studies in rodents have suggested that the extracellular matrix protein agrin promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation in the developing heart and that agrin expression is downregulated shortly after birth, resulting in the cessation of proliferation. Agrin based therapies have proven successful at inducing repair in animal models of cardiac injury, however whether similar pathways exist in the human heart is unknown.

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