Regulation and Control of Intracellular Signalling

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2022) | Viewed by 8996

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, Univerity of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
Interests: signaling transduction; neurobiochemistry; chloride homeostasis; neurodevelopmental disorders; neurodegeneration
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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Interests: medicinal chemistry; drug-like molecules; pharmacology; signalling transduction

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Guest Editor
Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Cente, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Interests: signalling transductino; ion transporters; disease mechaism; brain disorders

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Almost all aspects of cellular processes and functions are dependent on intracellular signalling initiated at the cell surface. The response of cells to signalling molecules, e.g., growth factors, is determined by their complement of expressed receptors and pathways that transduce and transmit these signals to intracellular compartments; and the enzymes, ion channels/transporters, and cytoskeletal proteins that ultimately mediate the effects of the signalling molecules. Several primary classes of signalling systems either comprise ligand-gated ion channels or consist of receptor tyrosine kinases or utilise G protein-linked signals in a multistep process, operating at different time courses from milliseconds to minutes, providing great flexibility for intercellular communication. In most cases, the initial steps in the signalling system typically generate a second messenger inside the cell, and this second messenger then activates a number of proteins, including protein kinases that modify cellular processes. Intracellular signal transduction may target transcription factors that function to regulate gene expression and connect the cell surface to the nucleus, thus determining the differentiated and functional state of cells, or in response to extracellular stimuli. Abnormalities in these pathways cause many diseases, including hypertension, cancer, diabetes, neurodegeneration and inflammation, etc. Deciphering how disruptions in signalling networks lead to disease will reveal novel drug targets and improved strategies to treat these maladies.

This Special Issue on “Regulation and Control of Intracellular Signalling” aims to curate novel advances in deciphering intracellular signalling networks for drug discovery and disease treatment. Topics include but are not limited to:

  • New intracellular signalling networks that are genetically and epigenetically altered in human diseases, leading to constitutive pathway activation or suppression;
  • New “-omic” technologies or high-throughput methods to reveal molecular interactions in a real and quantitative way within intracellular signalling networks;
  • New compounds that selectively inhibit altered proteins that are critical for the maintenance of the transformed phenotype and which have shown unprecedented clinical activity in genetically defined subsets of diseases;
  • New computational approaches towards signal transduction pathways.

Dr. Jinwei Zhang
Prof. Dr. Ke Ding
Prof. Dr. Dandan Sun
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • cellular processes and functions
  • intracellular signalling networks
  • ligand-gated ion channels
  • kinases
  • G protein-linked signals
  • signalling transduction
  • computational modelling
  • drug discovery

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1143 KiB  
Article
Ameliorative Processes of Beta-Carotene in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Vascular Dementia in Rats
by Khian Giap Lim and Arunachalam Muthuraman
Processes 2022, 10(7), 1324; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10071324 - 06 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1216
Abstract
Beta-carotene (BC) is a precursor of vitamin A and an excellent antioxidant. It protects the vascular system. Vascular dementia (VaD) is one of the aging disorders causing memory dysfunction. The available medicines for the management of VaD are limited. The present study aimed [...] Read more.
Beta-carotene (BC) is a precursor of vitamin A and an excellent antioxidant. It protects the vascular system. Vascular dementia (VaD) is one of the aging disorders causing memory dysfunction. The available medicines for the management of VaD are limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the ameliorative effect of BC in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic VaD in rats. Diabetic VaD was induced through the administration of nicotinamide (NA, 50 mg/kg; i.p.) and STZ (50 mg/kg; i.p.). The test compound BC (50 and 100 mg/kg; p.o.) and reference compound donepezil (1 mg/kg; p.o.) were administered for 15 consecutive days. Cognitive changes were assessed by transfer latency (TL) using the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. The changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were estimated in the septohippocampal system of rat brains. The administration of STZ caused significant changes in cognitive functions (increased TL) as compared to the normal group. BC ameliorated the anxiety-related cognitive behavior and neurotransmitter (elevated AChE) changes provoked by diabetic VaD. Therefore, BC could be a potential therapeutic candidate in the management of VaD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Control of Intracellular Signalling)
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12 pages, 1021 KiB  
Article
Astaxanthin Ameliorates Diabetic Retinopathy in Swiss Albino Mice via Inhibitory Processes of Neuron-Specific Enolase Activity
by Aswinprakash Subramanian, Jayaraman Thirunavukkarasu and Arunachalam Muthuraman
Processes 2022, 10(7), 1318; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10071318 - 05 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1360
Abstract
Retinopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) occurs due to microvascular damage in retinal tissues provoked by high blood sugar levels. The available drugs for DR are limited. Astaxanthin (AST) has anti-hypertensive, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic properties. [...] Read more.
Retinopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) occurs due to microvascular damage in retinal tissues provoked by high blood sugar levels. The available drugs for DR are limited. Astaxanthin (AST) has anti-hypertensive, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic properties. However, the therapeutic effect of AST on DR remains elusive. The present study is designed to investigate the effects of AST on DR via inhibition of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) activity. DR was induced by the administration of streptozotocin (STZ, 35 mg/kg: intraperitoneal; and 20 μL of STZ: intravitreal) in mice. AST (10 and 20 mg/kg) was administered orally (p.o.) for 21 days. The DR associated visual changes were assessed at different time intervals via optokinetic motor response (OMR) and penta-maze (PM) tests. Blood glucose level as well as retinal catalase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), & neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were estimated. The reference drug i.e., dexamethasone (DEX, 10 mg/kg; p.o.) was administered for 21 days. The administration of AST showed significant ameliorative potential in DR. Hence, AST can be used as a natural medicine for the management of DR due to its potential antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and NSE inhibitory properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Control of Intracellular Signalling)
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10 pages, 3856 KiB  
Article
An ATM/CHK2 Signaling Pathway Induces Nuclear Translocation of SRPK2 in Cisplatin-Treated HeLa Cells
by Ioanna Sigala, Anastasia Koukiali, Androulla Miliotou, Phaedra Lougiaki, Thomas Giannakouros and Eleni Nikolakaki
Processes 2021, 9(12), 2223; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9122223 - 09 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3283
Abstract
Chemotherapeutic agents are frequently used to treat various cancers, but the mechanisms mediating the cellular response to the drugs are still not fully understood. We previously reported that the nuclear translocation of serine/arginine protein kinases (SRPKs), triggered by the exposure of cells to [...] Read more.
Chemotherapeutic agents are frequently used to treat various cancers, but the mechanisms mediating the cellular response to the drugs are still not fully understood. We previously reported that the nuclear translocation of serine/arginine protein kinases (SRPKs), triggered by the exposure of cells to DNA damage-inducers, plays a pivotal role in drug responsiveness. Here, we investigated the mechanism linking the nuclear accumulation of SRPK2 to the cisplatin treatment of HeLa cells. We present experimental evidence that nuclear SRPK2 acts downstream of Chk2 in the ATM/Chk2 cascade. The inhibition of ATM or Chk2 kinase activity by specific low-molecular-weight inhibitors restricted SRPK2 to the cytoplasm and conferred tolerance to cisplatin treatment. A similar effect was achieved by treating cells with SRPIN340, a selective SRPK1/2 inhibitor, thus confirming previous findings that kinase activity is indispensable for the nuclear import of SRPKs. These data add to previous findings that support a decisive role of SRPKs in coordinating cellular response to DNA damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Control of Intracellular Signalling)
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12 pages, 3711 KiB  
Article
Heparanase (HPSE) Associates with the Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Colorectal Cancer
by Mengling Liu, Qing Liu, Yitao Yuan, Suyao Li, Yu Dong, Li Liang, Zhiguo Zou and Tianshu Liu
Processes 2021, 9(9), 1605; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9091605 - 07 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1607
Abstract
There is an unmet clinical need to identify potential predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy efficacy in mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Heparanase (HPSE) is a multifunctional molecule mediating tumor–host crosstalk. However, the function of HPSE in the tumor immune microenvironment of [...] Read more.
There is an unmet clinical need to identify potential predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy efficacy in mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Heparanase (HPSE) is a multifunctional molecule mediating tumor–host crosstalk. However, the function of HPSE in the tumor immune microenvironment of CRC remains unclear. Data of CRC patients from public datasets (TCGA and GSE39582) and Zhongshan Hospital (ZS cohort) were collected to perform integrative bioinformatic analyses. In total, 1036 samples from TCGA (N = 457), GSE39582 (N = 510) and ZS cohort (N = 69) were included. Samples of deficient MMR (dMMR) and consensus molecular subtypes 1 (CMS1) showed significantly higher HPSE expression. The expression of HPSE also exhibited a significantly positive association with PD-L1 expression, tumor mutation burden and the infiltration of macrophages. Immune pathways were remarkably enriched in the HPSE high-expression group, which also showed higher expressions of chemokines and immune checkpoint genes. Survival analysis suggested that high HPSE expression tended to be associated with shorter overall survival in patients with pMMR mCRC. HPSE might contribute to the immune-activated tumor microenvironment with high levels of immune checkpoint molecules, suggesting that pMMR mCRC with high HPSE expression might respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Control of Intracellular Signalling)
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