DNA polymerase eta (Pol η) is a Y-family translesion polymerase responsible for synthesizing new DNA across UV-damaged templates. It is recruited to replication forks following mono-ubiquitination of the PCNA DNA clamp. This interaction is mediated by PCNA-interacting protein (PIP) motifs within Pol η, as well as by its C-terminal ubiquitin-binding zinc finger (UBZ) domain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor associated with poor patient survival. The current standard treatment involves invasive surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy employing temozolomide (TMZ). Resistance to TMZ is, however, a major challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemozolomide (TMZ) is the leading therapeutic agent for combating Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Nonetheless, the persistence of chemotherapy-resistant GBM cells remains an ongoing challenge, attributed to various factors, including the translesion synthesis (TLS) mechanism. TLS enables tumor cells to endure genomic damage by utilizing specialized DNA polymerases to bypass DNA lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Y-family DNA polymerases - Pol ι, Pol η, Pol κ and Rev1 - are most well-known for their roles in the DNA damage tolerance pathway of translesion synthesis (TLS). They function to overcome replication barriers by bypassing DNA damage lesions that cannot be normally replicated, allowing replication forks to continue without stalling. In this work, we demonstrate a novel interaction between each Y-family polymerase and the nucleotide excision repair (NER) proteins, RAD23A and RAD23B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe transcription factor NRF2 is constitutively active in glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumor subtype with poor prognosis. Temozolomide (TMZ) is the primary chemotherapeutic agent for this type of tumor treatment, but resistance to this drug is often observed. This review highlights the research that is demonstrating how NRF2 hyperactivation creates an environment that favors the survival of malignant cells and protects against oxidative stress and TMZ.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMutat Res Genet Toxicol Environ Mutagen
June 2022
Human DNA polymerases can bypass DNA lesions performing translesion synthesis (TLS), a mechanism of DNA damage tolerance. Tumor cells use this mechanism to survive lesions caused by specific chemotherapeutic agents, resulting in treatment relapse. Moreover, TLS polymerases are error-prone and, thus, can lead to mutagenesis, increasing the resistance potential of tumor cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Immunol
July 2021
Sepsis is a complex infectious syndrome in which neutrophil participation is crucial for patient survival. Neutrophils quickly sense and eliminate the pathogen by using different effector mechanisms controlled by metabolic processes. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is an important route for metabolic regulation, and its role in neutrophil metabolism has not been fully understood yet, especially the importance of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) in the neutrophil effector functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: NUT midline carcinoma is a rare and aggressive subset of squamous cell carcinoma, which is characterized by the translocation of nuclear protein in testis gene that is mostly fused with bromodomain and extraterminal family proteins. We describe here the first Brazilian case of NUT midline carcinoma with BRD4-NUT fusion detected in a next-generation sequencing panel and we present the clinical evolution of this patient.
Case Presentation: A 42-year-old Caucasian man was diagnosed with poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the left maxillary sinus, with negative in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr encoding region and human papillomavirus genotyping.
Cisplatin is a chemotherapy used to treat different types of cancer, such as testicular, bladder and head and neck. Physical exercise has been shown to improve cancer therapy and recently, it was demonstrated to be able to diminish side effects such as acute kidney injury (AKI), a common side effect in cisplatin treatment. In both cases, the modulation of inflammatory cytokines seems to be one of the mechanisms, but little is known about the immune cells in this process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe underlying mechanism by which MyD88 regulates the development of obesity, metainflammation, and insulin resistance (IR) remains unknown. Global deletion of MyD88 in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice resulted in increased weight gain, impaired glucose homeostasis, elevated Dectin-1 expression in adipose tissue (AT), and proinflammatory CD11c+ AT macrophages (ATMs). Dectin-1 KO mice were protected from diet-induced obesity (DIO) and IR and had reduced CD11c+ AT macrophages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent advances in the fields of artificial organs and regenerative medicine are now joining forces in the areas of organ transplantation and bioengineering to solve continued challenges for patients with end-stage renal disease. The waiting lists for those needing a transplant continue to exceed demand. Dialysis, while effective, brings different challenges, including quality of life and susceptibility to infection.
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