Expression of miR-135b in Psoriatic Skin and Its Association with Disease Improvement.

miRNAs have been associated with psoriasis since just over a decade. However, we are far from a complete understanding of their role during the development of this disease. Our objective was to characterize the cutaneous expression of miRNAs not previously described in psoriasis, the changes induced following the treatment with biologicals and their association with disease improvement.

Diversity in sequences, post-translational modifications and expected pharmacological activities of toxins from four Conus species revealed by the combination of cutting-edge proteomics, transcriptomics and bioinformatics.

Venomous animals have developed a huge arsenal of reticulated peptides for defense and predation. Based on various scaffolds, they represent a colossal pharmacological diversity, making them top candidates for the development of innovative drugs. Instead of relying on the classical, low-throughput bioassay-guided approach to identify innovative bioactive peptides, this work exploits a recent paradigm to access to venom diversity.

MicroRNA deregulation in triple negative breast cancer reveals a role of miR-498 in regulating BRCA1 expression.

Emerging evidence suggests that BRCA1 pathway contributes to the behavior of sporadic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), but little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. Considering the central role that microRNAs (miRNAs) play in gene expression regulation, the aim of this study was to identify miRNAs specifically deregulated in TNBC and investigate their involvement in BRCA1 regulation. Using locked nucleic acid (LNA)-based microarrays, expression levels of 1919 miRNAs were measured in paraffin-embedded tissues from 122 breast tumors and 11 healthy breast tissue samples.

In Search of 'Omics'-Based Biomarkers to Predict Risk of Frailty and Its Consequences in Older Individuals: The FRAILOMIC Initiative.

An increase in the number of older people experiencing disability and dependence is a critical aspect of the demographic change that will emerge within Europe due to the rise in life expectancy. In this scenario, prevention of these conditions is crucial for the well-being of older citizens and for the sustainability of our healthcare systems. Thus, the diagnosis and management of conditions like frailty, which identifies the people at the highest risk for developing those adverse outcomes, is of critical relevance.

Tumor microRNA expression profiling identifies circulating microRNAs for early breast cancer detection.

Background: The identification of novel biomarkers for early breast cancer detection would be a great advance. Because of their role in tumorigenesis and stability in body fluids, microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as a promising diagnostic tool. Our aim was to identify miRNAs deregulated in breast tumors and evaluate the potential of circulating miRNAs in breast cancer detection.

RhoE participates in the stimulation of the inflammatory response induced by ethanol in astrocytes.

Astroglial cells are involved in the neuropathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases of the brain, where the activation of inflammatory mediators and cytokines plays an important role. We have previously demonstrated that ethanol up-regulates inflammatory mediators in both brain and astroglial cells. Since Rho GTPases are involved in inflammatory responses of astrocytes where loss of stress fibers takes place and RhoE/Rnd3 disorganizes the actin cytoskeleton, the aim of the present study was to investigate the implication of this protein in the stimulation of inflammatory signaling induced by ethanol.

RhoE interferes with Rb inactivation and regulates the proliferation and survival of the U87 human glioblastoma cell line.

Rho GTPases are important regulators of actin cytoskeleton, but they are also involved in cell proliferation, transformation and oncogenesis. One of this proteins, RhoE, inhibits cell proliferation, however the mechanism that regulates this effect remains poorly understood. Therefore, we undertook the present study to determine the role of RhoE in the regulation of cell proliferation.

The RhoA/ROCK-I/MLC pathway is involved in the ethanol-induced apoptosis by anoikis in astrocytes.

Anoikis is a programmed cell death induced by loss of anchorage that is involved in tissue homeostasis and disease. Ethanol is an important teratogen that induces marked central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions. Here we show that astrocytes exposed to ethanol undergo morphological changes associated with anoikis, including the peripheral reorganization of both focal adhesions and actin-myosin system, cell contraction, membrane blebbing and chromatin condensation.