FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-05-05DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70046
María Berrocal, Alberto Alvarez-Barrientos, Ana M Mata
{"title":"Neurotoxic amyloid β-peptide and tau produce cytokine-like effects on PMCA in glioblastoma cell lines, enhancing its activity and isoforms expression.","authors":"María Berrocal, Alberto Alvarez-Barrientos, Ana M Mata","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.70046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The transformation of astrocytes into neurotoxic reactive astrocytes, classified as A1, by inflammatory cytokines, and their link to brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases has been widely documented. However, the roles of two biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) and tau, and that of calcium pumps which are involved in the fine-tuning of calcium homeostasis, are poorly understood in astrocytes. In this study, we showed that treating astrocytoma U-251 cells with a cocktail of cytokines significantly increased plasma membrane Ca<sup>2+</sup>-ATPase (PMCA) activity and expression levels of the four PMCA isoforms. Moreover, treatment of cells with Aβ1-42 or tau induced a similar upregulation of PMCA activity and isoform expression levels as cytokines. These effects support the close association of Aβ and tau with inflammation. This study may help better understand the role of PMCA in promoting calcium extrusion from astrocytes transformed by AD markers.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143989840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-05-05DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70012
{"title":"Correction to “Characterization of the cHS4 insulator in mouse embryonic stem cells”","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lu X, Guo Y, and Huang W, Characterization of the cHS4 insulator in mouse embryonic stem cells. <i>FEBS Open Bio.</i> 2020;10:644–656. https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.12818</p><p>In the “Acknowledgements” section, the text “This work was supported by Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Grants JCYJS20160530190702313 and Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Innovation Research Scheme (2016A050503010).” was incorrect. This should have read: “This work was supported by National Key R&D plan project (2019YFA0906002), Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Grants JCYJS20160530190702313 and Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Innovation Research Scheme (2016A050503010).”</p><p>We apologize for this error.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":"15 5","pages":"886"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2211-5463.70012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143904890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70045
Pierre Santucci, Ioannis Tsagakis
{"title":"An open chat with…Pierre Santucci: a testimonial on why we should engage with scientific societies and their journals","authors":"Pierre Santucci, Ioannis Tsagakis","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70045","DOIUrl":"10.1002/2211-5463.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Scientific societies constitute a cornerstone in our scientific landscape by supporting research activities, fostering networking opportunities and promoting extensive training and education in basic sciences. As membership-based organisations, scientific societies provide their members with access to meetings, workshops, educational programs and also funding opportunities through fellowships and awards. Societies also run and supervise the publishing activities of their sponsored journals that benefit authors and the entire community by enabling the publication of high-quality studies by scientists, for scientists. Most societies or not-for-profit publishing organisations financially lean on memberships and their journals to support their activities. Therefore, engaging with and advocating for scientific societies and not-for-profit journals is important to help sustain their impactful activities and to raise awareness for fellow unaware scientists. In this piece, we discuss with our newly appointed Publishing Liaison Officer, Pierre Santucci, how scientific societies and sponsored journals can have a direct and beneficial impact on a scientist's career. Pierre also provides a short testimonial of his experience with FEBS initiatives and FEBS Press journals.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":"15 6","pages":"894-897"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2211-5463.70045","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143960538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-04-21DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70040
{"title":"Correction to “The first crystal structure of a family 45 glycosidehydrolase from a brown-rot fungus, Gloeophyllum trabeum GtCel45A”","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70040","DOIUrl":"10.1002/2211-5463.70040","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 <span>Laura Okmane</span>, <span>Louise Fitkin</span>, <span>Mats Sandgren</span>, <span>Jerry Ståhlberg</span>. <span>The first crystal structure of a family 45 glycosidehydrolase from a brown-rot fungus, <i>Gloeophyllum trabeum</i> GtCel45A</span>. <i>FEBS Openbio.</i> <span>2024</span>; <span>14</span>: <span>505</span>-<span>514</span>. 10.1002/2211-5463.13774\u0000 </p><p>The authors include the following sentence in the acknowledgements section:</p><p>“We acknowledge the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility for provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and we would like to thank the staff of the ESRF and EMBL Grenoble for assistance and support in using beamline ID30B.”</p><p>The acknowledgements section has been updated as:</p><p>We thank Dr. Fernando Segato, University of São Paulo, Brazil, for providing spores of the <i>Gt</i>Cel45A expressing <i>A. nidulans</i> strain. This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas), Grant Number 2017–01130. We acknowledge the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility for provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and we would like to thank the staff of the ESRF and EMBL Grenoble for assistance and support in using beamline ID30B.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":"15 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2211-5463.70040","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144003847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Matrigel inhibits elongation and drives endoderm differentiation in aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells.","authors":"Atoosa Amel, Rachel Brown, Alexa Rabeling, Mubeen Goolam","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Modelling peri-implantation mammalian development using the self-organising properties of stem cells is a rapidly growing field that has advanced our understanding of cell fate decisions occurring in the early embryo. Matrigel, a basement membrane matrix, is a critical substrate used in various protocols for its efficacy in promoting stem cell growth and self-organisation. However, its role in driving stem cell lineage commitment, and whether this effect is driven by biochemical or physical cues, is not currently clear. Here, we grow embryoid bodies in suspension, Matrigel and agarose, an inert polysaccharide, to attempt to decouple the physical and biochemical roles of Matrigel and better understand how it drives stem cell differentiation. We use a combination of light microscopy, quantitative PCR and immunostaining to investigate gene and protein changes in our different culture conditions. We show that stem cell aggregates in Matrigel are hindered in their ability to elongate compared with those grown in agarose or in suspension, indicating that prohibitive role in self-organisation. Aggregates in Matrigel are also driven to differentiate into endoderm, with ectoderm differentiation inhibited. Furthermore, these effects are not due to the physical presence of Matrigel, as the same effects are not witnessed in aggregates grown in agarose. Our results thus indicate that Matrigel has a significant and complex effect on the differentiation and morphology of embryoid bodies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-04-16DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70028
Jaehoon Lee, Gi-Bang Koo, Jihye Park, Byung-Cheol Han, Mijin Kwon, Seung-Ho Lee
{"title":"Downregulation of O-GlcNAcylation enhances etoposide-induced p53-mediated apoptosis in HepG2 human liver cancer cells","authors":"Jaehoon Lee, Gi-Bang Koo, Jihye Park, Byung-Cheol Han, Mijin Kwon, Seung-Ho Lee","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70028","DOIUrl":"10.1002/2211-5463.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Etoposide, an anticancer drug that inhibits topoisomerase II, is commonly used in combination chemotherapy. However, the impact of O-GlcNAcylation regulation on etoposide's anticancer effects has rarely been investigated. This study evaluated the effect of etoposide on cellular O-GlcNAcylation and whether modulating this process enhances etoposide-induced apoptosis. O-GlcNAc expression was measured after 24 h of etoposide treatment, and the effect of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) inhibition by OSMI-1 on etoposide's anticancer activity in HepG2 human liver cancer cells was quantitatively analyzed. Additionally, molecular analyses were used to confirm that the observed effects were mediated by p53-induced apoptosis. Etoposide reduced O-GlcNAcylation in a dose-dependent manner without directly interacting with OGT. Cotreatment with 20 μ<span>m</span> of OSMI-1 lowered the IC<sub>50</sub> value for cell viability by approximately 1.64-fold to 60.68 μ<span>m</span> and increased the EC<sub>50</sub> value for cytotoxicity by around 4.07-fold to 43.41 μ<span>m</span>. Furthermore, this synergistic effect was linked to the activation of the p53/caspase-3/PARP1 pathway. These findings suggest that downregulating O-GlcNAcylation may enhance the efficacy of etoposide-based chemotherapy and help overcome tumor resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":"15 7","pages":"1176-1188"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2211-5463.70028","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-04-16DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70022
Richard Huang, Lynn Kee, Alexander Gont, Jalna Meens, Fraser G. Ferens, Meredith S. Irwin, Laurie Ailles, Scott A. Yuzwa, Claire M. Robinson, Michael Ohh
{"title":"Comparative single-cell transcriptomic profiling of patient-derived renal carcinoma cells in cellular and animal models of kidney cancer","authors":"Richard Huang, Lynn Kee, Alexander Gont, Jalna Meens, Fraser G. Ferens, Meredith S. Irwin, Laurie Ailles, Scott A. Yuzwa, Claire M. Robinson, Michael Ohh","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70022","DOIUrl":"10.1002/2211-5463.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common form of kidney cancer that often displays resistance to conventional cancer therapies, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Targeted treatments, including immunotherapies and small molecular inhibitors, have been associated with improved outcomes. However, variations in the patient response and the development of resistance suggest that more models that better recapitulate the pathogenesis and metastatic mechanisms of ccRCC are required to improve our understanding and disease management. Here, we examined the transcriptional landscapes of <i>in vitro</i> cell culture as well as <i>in vivo</i> orthotopic and metastatic NOD/SCID-γ mouse models of ccRCC using a single patient-derived RCC243 cell line to allow unambiguous comparison between models. In our mouse model assays, RCC243 cells formed metastatic tumors, and all tumors retained clear cell morphology irrespective of model type. Notably, gene expression profiles differed markedly between the RCC243 tumor models—cell culture, orthotopic tumors, and metastatic tumors—suggesting an impact of the experimental model system and whether the tumor was orthotopic or metastatic. Furthermore, we found conserved prognostic markers between RCC243 tumor models and human ccRCC patient datasets, and genes upregulated in metastatic RCC243 were associated with worse patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":"15 7","pages":"1124-1143"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2211-5463.70022","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-04-15DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70005
Elena Perla, Faiza Abbas, Luigia Rossi, Mauro Magnani, Sara Biagiotti
{"title":"Red blood cells could protect miRNAs from degradation or loss thanks to Argonaute 2 binding","authors":"Elena Perla, Faiza Abbas, Luigia Rossi, Mauro Magnani, Sara Biagiotti","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Red blood cells (RBCs) have emerged as reservoirs of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the circulatory system, challenging the traditional view of their nucleic acid absence. This study investigates the miRNA profiles and stability of both native and engineered RBCs. We demonstrate that RBCs are rich in miRNAs, which remain stable under physiological conditions, likely due to their association with Ago2, a key RNA-binding protein. The stability and retention of miRNAs persist even after hypotonic dialysis used for RBC engineering. These findings underline the potential of RBCs as miRNA carriers for therapeutic applications and as a foundation for RNA-based delivery systems. Such advancements could redefine their role in transfusion medicine and advanced RNA therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":"15 5","pages":"810-821"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2211-5463.70005","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143905345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FEBS Open BioPub Date : 2025-04-15DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70042
Ellen T Tran, Ruchi A Patel, Amogh Chariyamane, Ratna B Ray
{"title":"Long non-coding RNAs as therapeutic targets in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and clinical application.","authors":"Ellen T Tran, Ruchi A Patel, Amogh Chariyamane, Ratna B Ray","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.70042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a major global health burden, often associated with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a diverse group of non-coding RNA molecules > 200 nucleotides in length, have emerged as critical regulators in the pathogenesis of HNSCC. This review summarizes the mechanisms through which certain lncRNAs regulate chromatin modification, mRNA splicing, and interactions with RNA-binding proteins and contribute to the development and progression of HNSCC. Interaction of lncRNAs with key oncogenic pathways, such as PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin, highlights their importance in tumor progression. The role of lncRNAs, such as ELDR, MALAT1, NEAT1, HOTAIR, and UCA1, which promote cell proliferation, metastasis, immune evasion, and therapy resistance is discussed. Moreover, several lncRNAs are being evaluated in clinical trials for their potential as biomarkers, reflecting their clinical significance. We further address the challenges and opportunities for targeting lncRNA therapeutically, highlighting the promise of lncRNA-based interventions for personalized cancer treatment. Gaining insight into the function of lncRNAs in HNSCC could pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies to potentially improve patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144005348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced discovery of bacterial laccase-like multicopper oxidase through computer simulation and metagenomic analysis of industrial wastewater","authors":"Ting Cui, Ariel Kushmaro, Hana Barak, Anja Poehlein, Rolf Daniel, Hans-Jürgen Mägert","doi":"10.1002/2211-5463.70037","DOIUrl":"10.1002/2211-5463.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Laccases belong to the superfamily of multicopper oxidases (MCO), a group of enzymes with the ability to reduce oxygen to water in a reaction without producing harmful byproducts. Laccase activity is influenced by many factors, such as structure; the number, location and binding status of copper ions; and the substrate-binding status. A large number of sequences that have not been experimentally characterized yet have been annotated as laccases. However, the biological functions of the characterized MCOs are considered to vary, and the substrate spectrum overlaps with that of other MCOs. Here, we identified 34 putative bacterial laccase sequences from metagenome data for industrial wastewater. We used machine-learning tools to screen enzymes with laccase activity by combining the T1 copper-binding capacity, the overall copper-binding capacity and the substrate-binding capacity. We also used the software comparisons to remove sequences with large discrepancies between different software applications. Three-dimensional structures of identified enzymes were predicted using <span>alphafold</span>, the positions of metal ions within the proteins were predicted by <span>metal3d</span> and <span>autodock-vina</span>, and their docking with ABTS [i.e. 2,2′-azinobis(3‑ethylbenzo-6‑thiazolinesulfonic acid)] as a substrate was predicted by <span>rosetta</span> and <span>autodock-vina</span>. Based on the docking results, we selected 10 high-scoring proteins, two low-scoring proteins and one composite protein for expression using the pET-21d (+) vector. In line with our predictions, all selected high-scoring proteins exhibited activity towards ABTS. Overall, we describe a method for discovering and designing novel bacterial laccase-like multicopper oxidases, offering increased possibilities for the degradation of various harmful components derived from environmental pollution.</p>","PeriodicalId":12187,"journal":{"name":"FEBS Open Bio","volume":"15 7","pages":"1090-1102"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/2211-5463.70037","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143984836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}