Exploring the structure and nucleic acid interactions of the Leishmania sp. telomerase reverse transcriptase N-terminal region.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by protozoans of the Leishmania genus, against which no effective treatment or control is available. Like other eukaryotes, parasite telomeres are maintained by telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein complex vital for genome stability. Its protein component, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), presents four structural and functional domains, with the TEN (Telomerase N-terminal) and TRBD (Telomerase RNA-binding) located at its N-terminal.

The pace of life for forest trees.

Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.

The insular cortex, autonomic asymmetry and cardiovascular control: looking at the right side of stroke.

Purpose: Evidence from animal and human studies demonstrates that cortical regions play a key role in autonomic modulation with a differential role for some brain regions located in the left and right brain hemispheres. Known as autonomic asymmetry, this phenomenon has been demonstrated by clinical observations, by experimental models, and currently by combined neuroimaging and direct recordings of sympathetic nerve activity. Previous studies report peculiar autonomic-mediated cardiovascular alterations following unilateral damage to the left or right insula, a multifunctional key cortical region involved in emotional processing linked to autonomic cardiovascular control and featuring asymmetric characteristics.

A Skeletal Muscle-Mediated Anticontractile Response on Vascular Tone: Unraveling the Lactate-AMPK-NOS1 Pathway in Femoral Arteries.

The regulation of vascular tone by perivascular tissues is a complex interplay of various paracrine factors. Here, we investigate the anti-contractile effect of skeletal muscle surrounding the femoral and carotid arteries and its underlying mechanisms. Using male and female Wistar rats, we demonstrated that serotonin, phenylephrine, and U-46619 induced a concentration-dependent vasoconstrictor response in femoral artery rings.

A global view of the challenges and limitations of precision medicine for genitourinary cancers.

Prostate and bladder cancers are the most common genitourinary cancers. In the past 2 decades, there has been increasing drug approval for these cancers, but there are patients who inherently do not respond or progress on such therapies highlighting the need for a better understanding of disease biology and mechanisms of resistance. Precision medicine has attempted to better select patients for specific therapies, although many advances have taken place in this field, access to targeted therapies and technology is distinct in different parts of the world.