106 results match your criteria: "CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza" Unit of Bologna[Affiliation]"

Oxidative stress-induced DNA damage and repair in primary human osteoarthritis chondrocytes: focus on IKKα and the DNA Mismatch Repair System.

Free Radic Biol Med

April 2021

IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Laboratory of Immunorheumatology and Tissue Regeneration, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address:

During osteoarthritis development, chondrocytes are subjected to a functional derangement. This increases their susceptibility to stressful conditions such as oxidative stress, a characteristic of the aging tissue, which can further provoke extrinsic senescence by DNA damage responses. It was previously observed that IκB kinase α knockdown increases the replicative potential of primary human OA chondrocytes cultured in monolayer and the survival of the same cells undergoing hypertrophic-like differentiation in 3-D.

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Transportin3 (TNPO3) shuttles the SR proteins from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. The SR family includes essential splicing factors, such as SRSF1, that influence alternative splicing, controlling protein diversity in muscle and satellite cell differentiation. Given the importance of alternative splicing in the myogenic process and in the maintenance of healthy muscle, alterations in the splicing mechanism might contribute to the development of muscle disorders.

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Strawberry-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles Prevent Oxidative Stress in Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

Biomolecules

January 2021

BST Biomedical Sciences and Technologies Lab, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy.

Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (EPDENs) have recently been isolated and evaluated as potential bioactive nutraceutical biomolecules. It has been hypothesized that EPDENs may exert their activity on mammalian cells through their specific cargo. In this study, we isolated and purified EPDENs from the strawberry juice of x (cv.

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The therapeutic ability of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells to address osteoarthritis (OA) is mainly related to the secretion of biologically active factors, which can be found within their secreted Extracellular Vesicles including small Extracellular Vesicles (sEV). Aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sEV from adipose derived stromal cells (ADSC) on both chondrocytes and synoviocytes, in order to gain insights into the mechanisms modulating the inflammatory/catabolic OA environment. sEV, obtained by a combined precipitation and size exclusion chromatography method, were quantified and characterized, and administered to chondrocytes and synoviocytes stimulated with IL-1β.

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Warsaw breakage syndrome (WABS), is caused by biallelic mutations of DDX11, a gene coding a DNA helicase. We have recently reported two affected sisters, compound heterozygous for a missense (p.Leu836Pro) and a frameshift (p.

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Article Synopsis
  • * TR001 effectively recovers muscle structure and function in sapje zebrafish models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), significantly improving survival rates and enabling normal development despite the absence of dystrophin.
  • * The treatment with TR001 enhances respiration in myoblasts and myotubes from DMD patients, indicating potential for mitochondrial therapy targeting PTP dysfunction in this human disease.
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Ankrd2 is a protein known for being mainly expressed in muscle fibers, where it participates in the mechanical stress response. Since both myocytes and osteoblasts are mesenchymal-derived cells, we were interested in examining the role of Ankrd2 in the progression of osteosarcoma which features a mechano-stress component. Although having been identified in many tumor-derived cell lines and -tissues, no study has yet described nor hypothesized any involvement for this protein in osteosarcoma tumorigenesis.

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Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) causes premature aging in children, with adipose tissue, skin and bone deterioration, and cardiovascular impairment. In HGPS cells and mouse models, high levels of interleukin-6, an inflammatory cytokine linked to aging processes, have been detected. Here, we show that inhibition of interleukin-6 activity by tocilizumab, a neutralizing antibody raised against interleukin-6 receptors, counteracts progeroid features in both HGPS fibroblasts and Lmna progeroid mice.

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Z-band alternatively spliced PDZ-motif protein (ZASP) is a sarcomeric component expressed both in cardiac and skeletal muscles. Mutations in the LDB3/ZASP gene cause cardiomyopathy and myofibrillar myopathy. We describe a c.

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Age-related DNA methylation changes are sex-specific: a comprehensive assessment.

Aging (Albany NY)

December 2020

Institute of Information Technologies, Mathematics and Mechanics, Lobachevsky University, Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia.

The existence of a sex gap in human health and longevity has been widely documented. Autosomal DNA methylation differences between males and females have been reported, but so far few studies have investigated if DNA methylation is differently affected by aging in males and females. We performed a meta-analysis of 4 large whole blood datasets, comparing 4 aspects of epigenetic age-dependent remodeling between the two sexes: differential methylation, variability, epimutations and entropy.

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Awd, the homologue of metastasis suppressors, plays key roles in many signaling pathways. Mosaic analysis of the null allele showed that loss of gene function blocks Notch signaling and the expression of its target genes including the Wingless (Wg/Wnt1) morphogen. We also showed that RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing () in larval wing disc leads to chromosomal instability (CIN) and to Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNK)-mediated cell death.

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Osteoporosis stems from an unbalance between bone mineral resorption and deposition. Among the numerous cellular players responsible for this unbalance bone marrow (BM) monocytes/macrophages, mast cells, T and B lymphocytes, and dendritic cells play a key role in regulating osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and their progenitor cells through interactions occurring in the context of the different bone compartments (cancellous and cortical). Therefore, the microtopography of immune cells inside trabecular and compact bone is expected to play a relevant role in setting initial sites of osteoporotic lesion.

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Effects of Standardized Green Tea Extract and Its Main Component, EGCG, on Mitochondrial Function and Contractile Performance of Healthy Rat Cardiomyocytes.

Nutrients

September 2020

Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), Laboratory of Biochemistry and Mitochondrial Pathophysiology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.

We recently showed that the long-term in vivo administration of green tea catechin extract (GTE) resulted in hyperdynamic cardiomyocyte contractility. The present study investigates the mechanisms underlying GTE action in comparison to its major component, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), given at the equivalent amount that would be in the entirety of GTE. Twenty-six male Wistar rats were given 40 mL/day of a tap water solution with either standardized GTE or pure EGCG for 4 weeks.

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Down syndrome, accelerated aging and immunosenescence.

Semin Immunopathol

October 2020

Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.

Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder, associated with moderate to severe intellectual disability. While life expectancy of Down syndrome population has greatly increased over the last decades, mortality rates are still high and subjects are facing prematurely a phenomenon of atypical and accelerated aging. The presence of an immune impairment in Down syndrome subjects is suggested for a long time by the existence of an increased incidence of infections, the incomplete efficacy of vaccinations, and a high prevalence of autoimmunity.

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Lamin A/C has been implicated in the epigenetic regulation of muscle gene expression through dynamic interaction with chromatin domains and epigenetic enzymes. We previously showed that lamin A/C interacts with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2). In this study, we deepened the relevance and regulation of lamin A/C-HDAC2 interaction in human muscle cells.

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Chronic pain prevalence is high worldwide and increases at older ages. Signs of premature aging have been associated with chronic pain, but few studies have investigated aging biomarkers in pain-related conditions. A set of DNA methylation (DNAm)-based estimates of age, called "epigenetic clocks," has been proposed as biological measures of age-related adverse processes, morbidity, and mortality.

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Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are reactive molecules required for the maintenance of physiological functions. Oxidative stress arises when ROS production exceeds the cellular ability to eliminate such molecules. In this study, we showed that oxidative stress induces post-translational modification of the inner nuclear membrane protein emerin.

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Lamin A involvement in ageing processes.

Ageing Res Rev

September 2020

CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Unit of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address:

Lamin A, a main constituent of the nuclear lamina, is the major splicing product of the LMNA gene, which also encodes lamin C, lamin A delta 10 and lamin C2. Involvement of lamin A in the ageing process became clear after the discovery that a group of progeroid syndromes, currently referred to as progeroid laminopathies, are caused by mutations in LMNA gene. Progeroid laminopathies include Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria, Mandibuloacral Dysplasia, Atypical Progeria and atypical-Werner syndrome, disabling and life-threatening diseases with accelerated ageing, bone resorption, lipodystrophy, skin abnormalities and cardiovascular disorders.

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Article Synopsis
  • Accurate measurement of mass density, size, and weight of cells, especially in cancer research, is crucial but often lacking for 3D models like spheroids.
  • The text introduces a flow-apparatus and method for measuring these parameters by detecting the terminal velocity of free-falling samples.
  • Initial experiments using standardized polystyrene beads demonstrate the device's precision, and the system was successfully applied to analyze live SW620 tumor spheroids, enhancing understanding of 3D culture models.
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Spermidine rescues the deregulated autophagic response to oxidative stress of osteoarthritic chondrocytes.

Free Radic Biol Med

June 2020

Laboratorio di Immunoreumatologia e Rigenerazione Tissutale, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address:

Oxidative stress (OS) contributes to Osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis and its effects are worsened by the impairment of homeostatic mechanisms such as autophagy in OA chondrocytes. Rescue of an efficient autophagic flux could therefore reduce the bulk of damaged molecules, and at the same time improve cell function and viability. As a promising dietary or intra-articular supplement to rescue autophagy in OA chondrocytes, we tested spermidine (SPD), known to induce autophagy and to reduce OS in several other cellular models.

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A type lamins are fundamental components of the nuclear lamina. Changes in lamin A expression correlate with malignant transformation in several cancers. However, the role of lamin A has not been explored in osteosarcoma (OS).

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Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genomic sequences that are normally repressed to avoid proliferation and genome instability. Gene silencing mechanisms repress TEs by RNA degradation or heterochromatin formation. Heterochromatin maintenance is therefore important to keep TEs silent.

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Mutations in collagen VI genes cause two major clinical myopathies, Bethlem myopathy (BM) and Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD), and the rarer myosclerosis myopathy. In addition to congenital muscle weakness, patients affected by collagen VI-related myopathies show axial and proximal joint contractures, and distal joint hypermobility, which suggest the involvement of tendon function. To gain further insight into the role of collagen VI in human tendon structure and function, we performed ultrastructural, biochemical, and RT-PCR analysis on tendon biopsies and on cell cultures derived from two patients affected with BM and UCMD.

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Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive hematologic neoplastic disorder that arises from the clonal expansion of transformed T-cell or B-cell precursors. Thanks to progress in chemotherapy protocols, ALL outcome has significantly improved. However, drug-resistance remains an unresolved issue in the treatment of ALL and toxic effects limit dose escalation of current chemotherapeutics.

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Mediterranean diet has been proposed to promote healthy aging, but its effects on aging biomarkers have been poorly investigated. We evaluated the impact of a 1-year Mediterranean-like diet in a pilot study including 120 elderly healthy subjects from the NU-AGE study (60 Italians, 60 Poles) by measuring the changes in their epigenetic age, assessed by Horvath's clock. We observed a trend towards epigenetic rejuvenation of participants after nutritional intervention.

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