Structural changes and expression of hepatic fibrosis-related proteins in coculture of Echinococcus multilocularis protoscoleces and human hepatic stellate cells.

Background: Echinococcus multilocularis is the causative agent of human hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE). AE can cause damage to several organs, primarily the liver, and have severe outcomes, such as hepatic failure and encephalopathy. The main purpose of this study was to explore the interactions between hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and E.

The T cell factor, pangolin, from Litopenaeus vannamei play a positive role in the immune responses against white spot syndrome virus infection.

As a downstream interactor of β-catenin, Pangolin which is the homologous protein of the T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) in vertebrates is less understood in the research field of immunity. In this study, two isoforms of Litopenaeus vannamei Pangolin (LvPangolin1 and LvPangolin2) were identified. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that all of the Pangolin proteins from invertebrates were represented the same lineage.

GSK3β Plays a Negative Role During White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Infection by Regulating NF-κB Activity in Shrimp .

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), a cytoplasmic serine/threonine-protein kinase involved in a large number of key cellular processes, is a little-known signaling molecule in virus study. In this study, a GSK3 protein which was highly similar to GSK3β homologs from other species in (designated as LvGSK3β) was obtained. LvGSK3β was expressed constitutively in the healthy , at the highest level in the intestine and the lowest level in the eyestalk.

MicroRNAs and type 2 diabetes/obesity.

MicroRNAs belong to a newly identified class of small non-coding RNAs that have been widely implicated in the fine-tuning of many physiological processes such as the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity. Microarray studies have highlighted an altered profile of miRNA expression in insulin target tissues in diabetic and obese models. Emerging evidences suggest that miRNAs play significant roles in insulin production, secretion and actions, as well as in diverse aspects of glucose homeostasis and adipocyte differentiation.