Severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections are caused by microvascular sequestration of parasites binding to the human endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) via the multi-domain P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) adhesion ligands. Using cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) and PfEMP1 sequence diversity analysis, we found that group A PfEMP1 CIDRα1 domains interact with the adjacent DBLα1 domain through central, conserved residues of the EPCR-binding site to adopt a compact conformation. Upon EPCR binding, the DBLα1 domain is displaced, and the EPCR-binding helix of CIDRα1 is turned, kinked, and twisted to reach a rearranged, stable EPCR-bound conformation. The unbound conformation and the required transition to the EPCR-bound conformation may represent a conformational masking mechanism of immune evasion for the PfEMP1 family.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2023.07.011 | DOI Listing |
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Purpose: To investigate the effect of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y27632 on bioenergetic capacity and resilience of corneal endothelial cells (CECs) under metabolic stress.
Methods: Bovine CECs (BCECs) were treated with Y27632 and subjected to bioenergetic profiling using the Seahorse XFp Analyzer. The effects on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production through oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis were measured.
Lasers Med Sci
January 2025
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Furong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230601, P.R. China.
Skin flap transplantation is a conventional wound repair method in plastic and reconstructive surgery, but infection and ischemia are common complications. Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy has shown promise for various medical problems, including wound repair processes, due to its capability to accelerate angiogenesis and relieve inflammation. This study investigated the effect of red and blue light on the survival of random skin flaps in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-infected Sprague Dawley (SD) rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMinerva Dent Oral Sci
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Background: Cadaverine and hydrocinnamic acid are frequent metabolites in inflamed periodontal areas. Their role as a metabolite for plant growth inhibition has been established, but their relevance in humans has yet to be determined. Moreover, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VGEF) is a consistent growth factor in neo-angiogenesis in periodontal regeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Heart Assoc
January 2025
The Center for Vascular Disease and Translational Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital Central South University Changsha Hunan China.
Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an incurable disease initiated by endothelial dysfunction, secondary to vascular inflammation and occlusive pulmonary arterial vascular remodeling, resulting in elevated pulmonary arterial pressure and right heart failure. Previous research has reported that dysfunction of type 2 bone morphogenetic protein receptor (BMPR2) signaling pathway in endothelium is inclined to prompt inflammation in PAH models, but the underlying mechanism of BMPR2 deficiency-mediated inflammation needs further investigation. This study was designed to investigate whether BMPR2 deficiency contributes to pulmonary arterial hypertension via the NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family protein 3)/GSDME (gasdermin E)-mediated pyroptosis pathway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Heart Assoc
January 2025
Experimental Renal and Cardiovascular Research, Department of Nephropathology Institute of Pathology and Department of Cardiology Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Erlangen Germany.
Background: Organs and tissues need to be vascularized during development. Similarly, vascularization is required to engineer thick tissues. How vessels are formed during organogenesis is not fully understood, and vascularization of engineered tissues remains a significant challenge.
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