Stretch triggers microtubule stabilization and MARCKS-dependent membrane incorporation in the shaft of embryonic axons.

Neurons have a unique polarized nature that must adapt to environmental changes throughout their lifespan. During embryonic development, axon elongation is led by the growth cone, culminating in the formation of a presynaptic terminal. After synapses are formed, axons elongate in a growth cone-independent manner to accompany body growth while maintaining their ultrastructure and function.

Disrupting abnormal neuronal oscillations with adaptive delayed feedback control.

Closed-loop neuronal stimulation has a strong therapeutic potential for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. However, at the moment, standard stimulation protocols rely on continuous open-loop stimulation and the design of adaptive controllers is an active field of research. Delayed feedback control (DFC), a popular method used to control chaotic systems, has been proposed as a closed-loop technique for desynchronisation of neuronal populations but, so far, was only tested in computational studies.

Memristor-Based Neuromodulation Device for Real-Time Monitoring and Adaptive Control of Neuronal Populations.

Neurons are specialized cells for information transmission and information processing. In fact, many neurologic disorders are directly linked not to cellular viability/homeostasis issues but rather to specific anomalies in electrical activity dynamics. Consequently, therapeutic strategies based on the direct modulation of neuronal electrical activity have been producing remarkable results, with successful examples ranging from cochlear implants to deep brain stimulation.

Osteoclast-derived extracellular vesicles are implicated in sensory neurons sprouting through the activation of epidermal growth factor signaling.

Background: Different pathologies, affecting the skeletal system, were reported to display altered bone and/or cartilage innervation profiles leading to the deregulation of the tissue homeostasis. The patterning of peripheral innervation is achieved through the tissue-specific expression of attractive or repulsive axonal guidance cues in specific space and time frames. During the last decade, emerging findings attributed to the extracellular vesicles (EV) trading a central role in peripheral tissue innervation.

Characterization of the Striatal Extracellular Matrix in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease's etiology is unknown, although evidence suggests the involvement of oxidative modifications of intracellular components in disease pathobiology. Despite the known involvement of the extracellular matrix in physiology and disease, the influence of oxidative stress on the matrix has been neglected. The chemical modifications that might accumulate in matrix components due to their long half-live and the low amount of extracellular antioxidants could also contribute to the disease and explain ineffective cellular therapies.

Bioinformatic analysis of the human brain extracellular matrix proteome in neurodegenerative disorders.

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases are characterized by selective degeneration of specific brain areas. Although increasing number of studies report alteration of the extracellular matrix on these diseases, an exhaustive characterization at the brain's matrix level might contribute to the development of more efficient cell restoration therapies. In that regard, proteomics-based studies are a powerful approach to uncover matrix changes.

Targets the EPHA2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase in Gastric Cells Modulating Key Cellular Functions.

, a stomach-colonizing Gram-negative bacterium, is the main etiological factor of various gastroduodenal diseases, including gastric adenocarcinoma. By establishing a life-long infection of the gastric mucosa, continuously activates host-signaling pathways, in particular those associated with receptor tyrosine kinases. Using two different gastric epithelial cell lines, we show that targets the receptor tyrosine kinase EPHA2.

Exercise Training Impacts Cardiac Mitochondrial Proteome Remodeling in Murine Urothelial Carcinoma.

Cardiac dysfunction secondary to cancer may exert a negative impact in patients' tolerance to therapeutics, quality of life, and survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of exercise training on the heart in the setting of cancer, after diagnosis. Thus, the molecular pathways harbored in heart mitochondria from a murine model of chemically-induced urothelial carcinoma submitted to 8-weeks of high intensity treadmill exercise were characterized using mass spectrometry-based proteomics.

Biological Implications of Differential Expression of Mitochondrial-Shaping Proteins in Parkinson's Disease.

It has long been accepted that mitochondrial function and morphology is affected in Parkinson's disease, and that mitochondrial function can be directly related to its morphology. So far, mitochondrial morphological alterations studies, in the context of this neurodegenerative disease, have been performed through microscopic methodologies. The goal of the present work is to address if the modifications in the mitochondrial-shaping proteins occurring in this disorder have implications in other cellular pathways, which might constitute important pathways for the disease progression.

Proteomic profile of susceptible and multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae using label-free and immunoproteomic strategies.

Infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacteriaceae have exponentially increased in the past decade, and are a major concern in hospitals. In the first part of the work, we compared the proteome profile of MDR and susceptible clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in order to identify possible biological processes associated with drug resistance and susceptible phenotypes, using a label-free approach. In the second part, we used an immunoproteomics approach to identify immunoreactive proteins in the same isolates.

New insights on the mitochondrial proteome plasticity in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases whose relentless progression results in severe disability. Although PD aetiology is unknown, growing evidences point to the mitochondrial involvement in the pathobiology of this disorder. So, it seems imperative to understand the means by which the molecular pathways harboured in this organelle are regulated.

Proteoglycans support proper granule formation in pancreatic acinar cells.

Zymogen granules (ZG) are specialized organelles in the exocrine pancreas which allow digestive enzyme storage and regulated secretion. The molecular mechanisms of their biogenesis and the sorting of zymogens are still incompletely understood. Here, we investigated the role of proteoglycans in granule formation and secretion of zymogens in pancreatic AR42J cells, an acinar model system.

Pursuing type 1 diabetes mellitus and related complications through urinary proteomics.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease with multiple complications, and its successful management requires early diagnosis, to allow timely interventions. Here, we have comprehensively analyzed the proteome changes in urine of type 1 diabetic subjects with and without complications such as retinopathy and nephropathy. gel electrophoresis combined to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GeLC-MS/MS) analysis of midstream urine highlighted the mechanisms involved in disease pathogenesis as, for instance wound healing and blood coagulation in all diabetics or altered ganglioside metabolism in retinopathy, and also some urinary proteins with potential diagnosis value.

Self-interaction of human Pex11pβ during peroxisomal growth and division.

Pex11 proteins are involved in membrane elongation and division processes associated with the multiplication of peroxisomes. Human Pex11pβ has recently been linked to a new disorder affecting peroxisome morphology and dynamics. Here, we have analyzed the exact membrane topology of Pex11pβ.

Modulating zymogen granule formation in pancreatic AR42J cells.

Zymogen granules (ZG) are specialized organelles in the exocrine pancreas which allow digestive enzyme storage and regulated secretion. To investigate ZG biogenesis, cargo sorting and packaging, suitable cellular model systems are required. Here, we demonstrate that granule formation in pancreatic AR42J cells, an acinar model system, can be modulated by altering the growth conditions in cell culture.

Reservoir targeted vaccine for lyme borreliosis induces a yearlong, neutralizing antibody response to OspA in white-footed mice.

Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The enzootic cycle of this pathogen requires that Ixodes spp. acquire B.

Proteomic analysis of zymogen granules.

Zymogen granules (ZGs) are specialized storage organelles in the exocrine pancreas that allow the sorting, packaging and regulated apical secretion of digestive enzymes. ZG constituents play important roles in pancreatic injury and disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying these processes are still poorly defined.

Analysis of low abundance membrane-associated proteins from rat pancreatic zymogen granules.

Zymogen granules (ZG) are specialized storage organelles in the exocrine pancreas that allow the sorting, packaging, and regulated apical secretion of digestive enzymes. As there is a critical need for further understanding of the key processes in regulated secretion to develop new therapeutic options in medicine, we applied a suborganellar proteomics approach to identify peripheral membrane-associated ZG proteins. We focused on the analysis of a "basic" group (pH range 6.

Comprehensive seroprofiling of sixteen B. burgdorferi OspC: implications for Lyme disease diagnostics design.

Early diagnosis of Lyme disease (LD) is critical to successful treatment. However, current serodiagnostic tests do not reliably detect antibodies during early infection. OspC induces a potent early immune response and is also one of the most diverse proteins in the Borrelia proteome.

Oral immunization with recombinant lactobacillus plantarum induces a protective immune response in mice with Lyme disease.

Mucosal immunization is advantageous over other routes of antigen delivery because it can induce both mucosal and systemic immune responses. Our goal was to develop a mucosal delivery vehicle based on bacteria generally regarded as safe, such as Lactobacillus spp. In this study, we used the Lyme disease mouse model as a proof of concept.

Metabolic footprinting as a tool for discriminating between brewing yeasts.

The characterization of industrial yeast strains by examining their metabolic footprints (exometabolomes) was investigated and compared to genome-based discriminatory methods. A group of nine industrial brewing yeasts was studied by comparing their metabolic footprints, genetic fingerprints and comparative genomic hybridization profiles. Metabolic footprinting was carried out by both direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), with data analysed by principal components analysis (PCA) and canonical variates analysis (CVA).