Current Protein and Peptide Science - Volume 14, Issue 1, 2013

Microglia serve in the surveillance, maintenance and protection of the central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis and functionality. The process of transformation from their house-keeping status to reactive phenotypes upon CNS challenges is known as microglial activation. It comes also with dramatic changes in protein expression and release. Activated microglia may thereby mount a rather homogenous response, with all ce Read More

Microglia are monocyte-macrophage lineage cells, while other glial cells are neuroectodermal origin. Accumulation of microglia is commonly observed around degenerating neurons. There, microglia produce a variety of factors and function both neurotoxic and neuroprotective. Thus, accumulation of glia in various neurological disorders is not a static scar, gliosis, but more actively involved in degeneration and regener Read More

Reciprocal interactions between cells caused by release of soluble factors are essential for brain function. So far, little attention has been paid to interactions between neurons and glia. However, in the last few decades, studies regarding such interactions have given us some important clues about possible mechanisms underlying degenerative processes in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's dis Read More

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are type I transmembrane signaling molecules that are expressed in cells of the innate immune system. In these cells, TLRs function as pattern recognition receptors (PRR) that recognize specific molecular patterns derived from microorganisms. Upon activation, TLRs trigger a cascade of intracellular signaling pathways in innate immune cells, leading to the induction of inflammatory and innate im Read More

The plasma membrane Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) is a bidirectional ion transporter that couples the translocation of Na+ in one direction with that of Ca2+ in the opposite direction. This system contributes to the regulation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration via the forward mode (Ca2+ efflux) or the reverse mode (Ca2+ influx). We have previously demonstrated that the Ca2+ paradox, an in vitro reperfusion model, caus Read More

Therapeutic hypothermia is a useful intervention against brain injury in experimental models and patients, but its therapeutic applications are limited due to its ill-defined mode of action. Glia cells maintain homeostasis and protect the central nervous system from environmental change, but after brain injury, glia are activated and induce glial scar formation and secondary injury. On the other hand, therapeutic hypothermi Read More

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) have crucial roles in cell-cell interaction and communication. The communication between sperm and egg during fertilization is the finest example of intercellular communication involving a proteincarbohydrate recognition system. GAGs, especially heparin, are implicated in various processes, such as capacitation, acrosome reaction (AR), and sperm nuclei decondensation by interacting with a wi Read More

Tissue engineering requires an ideal scaffold that will aid in the regeneration of the damaged tissues both structurally and functionally. Conventionally, polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds have been extensively used due to their structural similarity to the native extracellular matrix. Thus far, top-down approaches like electrospinning and phase separation have been predominantly used for the nanofiber fabrication. Recent Read More