Publications related to Hypericin can cross barriers in the chicken's chorioallantoic membrane model when delivered in low-density lipoproteins

Membrane specificity of the human cholesterol transfer protein STARD4

STARD4 regulates cholesterol homeostasis by transferring cholesterol between the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. The STARD4 structure features a helix-grip fold surrounding a large hydrophobic cavity holding the sterol. Its access is controlled ...

Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd2024

Investigating the intra-molecular and inter-molecular effects of post-translational modifications on intrinsically disordered protein regions and structured protein regions

Zhidian Zhang

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a pivotal role in regulating protein structure, interaction, and function. Aberrant PTM patterns are associated with diseases. Moreover, individual PTMs have a complex interaction with each other, known as PTM c ...

EPFL2024

Computational drug development for membrane protein targets

Henning Paul-Julius Stahlberg, Pierre Vogel, Shuguang Yuan, Dongchun Ni, Babatunde Edukpe Ekundayo

The application of computational biology in drug development for membrane protein targets has experienced a boost from recent developments in deep learning-driven structure prediction, increased speed and resolution of structure elucidation, machine learni ...

2024

Novel theory and potential applications of central diastolic pressure decay time constant

Nikolaos Stergiopoulos, Patrick Segers, Vasiliki Bikia, Georgios Rovas, Sokratis Anagnostopoulos

Central aortic diastolic pressure decay time constant ( ) is according to the two-element Windkessel model equal to the product of total peripheral resistance (R) times total arterial compliance (C ). As such, it is related to arterial stiffness, which has ...

2024

S-acylation and lipid exchange at the ER-Golgi membrane contact sites regulate pathogen entry in human cells

Muhammad Umair Anwar

Cells have evolved endocytic pathways to internalize different molecules, to regulate intra-cellular communication and their interaction with external environment. Pathogens have co-evolved with cells to exploit these processes for infections. In particula ...

EPFL2024

Advancements in Nanomechanical Characterization and Biomolecular Imaging with Atomic force Microscopy

Veronika Cencen

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely used imaging tool for obtaining a variety of information for a range of samples. Although it was initially intended to serve as a method of observing very flat solid surfaces, its use expanded into several other fi ...

EPFL2024

Mechanisms and functions of protein S-acylation

Françoise Gisou van der Goot Grunberg, Laurence Gouzi Abrami, Francisco De Magalhães Sarmento R De Mesquita

Over the past two decades, protein S-acylation (often referred to as S-palmitoylation) has emerged as an important regulator of vital signalling pathways. S-Acylation is a reversible post-translational modification that involves the attachment of a fatty a ...

Nature Portfolio2024

Effects of thermal, mechanical, and electrostatic perturbations on lipid membrane hydration investigated by second harmonic imaging

Seonwoo Lee

Hydrated lipid bilayer membranes are crucial components of cells and organelles, serving as the outer boundary that separates the cellular components from the extracellular environment. Lipid membranes regulate their structures and functions by dynamically ...

EPFL2023

Simultaneous membrane and RNA binding by Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus capsid protein

Sarah Victoria Barrass

Tick-borne encephalitis virus is an enveloped, pathogenic, RNA virus in the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus. Viral particles are formed when the nucleocapsid, consisting of an RNA genome and multiple copies of the capsid protein, buds through the end ...

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE2023

Interplay of the mechanical and structural properties of DNA nanostructures determines their electrostatic interactions with lipid membranes

Maartje Martina Cornelia Bastings, Cem Tekin, Vincenzo Caroprese, Diana Kornelia Morzy

Nucleic acids and lipids function in close proximity in biological processes, as well as in nanoengineered constructs for therapeutic applications. As both molecules carry a rich charge profile, and frequently coexist in complex ionic solutions, the electr ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2023

Structural diversity of photoswitchable sphingolipids for optodynamic control of lipid microdomains

Samuel Mendes Leitão

Sphingolipids are a structurally diverse class of lipids predominantly found in the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. These lipids can laterally segregate with other rigid lipids and cholesterol into liquid-ordered domains that act as organizing centers ...

2023

Simultaneous Electrophysiology and Imaging Reveal Changes in Lipid Membrane Thickness and Tension upon Uptake of Amphiphilic Gold Nanoparticles

Francesco Stellacci, Paulo Henrique Jacob Silva, Camilla Servidio, Xufeng Xu

Amphiphilic gold core nanoparticles (AmNPs) striped with hydrophilic 11-mercapto-1-undecanesulfonate (MUS) and hydrophobic 1-octanethiol (OT) ligands are promising candidates for drug carriers that passively and nondisruptively enter cells. Yet, how they i ...

Amer Chemical Soc2023

Cholesterol-Containing Liposomes Decorated With Au Nanoparticles as Minimal Tunable Fusion Machinery

Francesco Stellacci, Paulo Henrique Jacob Silva, Ester Canepa, Giulia Rossi

Membrane fusion is essential for the basal functionality of eukaryotic cells. In physiological conditions, fusion events are regulated by a wide range of specialized proteins, operating with finely tuned local lipid composition and ionic environment. Fusog ...

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH2023

The Bioaccumulation of Ionizable Organic Compounds in Fish Cell Lines

Fabian Gerhard Peter Balk

Bioaccumulation is defined as the enrichment of a compound in an organism relative to the surrounding water or its food, and is an important endpoint in chemical risk assessment. Under laboratory conditions, bioaccumulation is measured as bioconcentration ...

EPFL2023

Modulation of Pulsatile Left Ventricular Afterload by Renal Denervation in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Nikolaos Stergiopoulos, Stamatia Zoi Pagoulatou

Background:Arterial stiffening contributes to hemodynamic derangements in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We sought to investigate the impact of renal denervation on pulsatile left ventricular loading in patients with HFpEF and hype ...

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins2023

Data-driven approaches for non-invasive cuffless blood pressure monitoring

Clémentine Léa Aguet

Blood pressure (BP) is a crucial indicator of cardiovascular health. Hypertension is a common life-threatening condition and a key factor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Identifying abnormal BP fluctuations can allow for early detection and management o ...

EPFL2023

Structure and regulation of the myotonic dystrophy kinase-related Cdc42-binding kinase

Charlotte Julie Caroline Gehin

Protein kinases of the dystonia myotonica protein kinase (DMPK) family are critical regulators of actomyosin contractility in cells. The DMPK kinase MRCK1 is required for the activation of myosin, leading to the develop-ment of cortical tension, apical con ...

CELL PRESS2023

Plant sterols and cholesterol metabolism are associated with five-year cognitive decline in the elderly population

Mehdi Gholam, Christopher Clark

Dysregulations in cholesterol metabolism are associated with neurodegenerative and vascular pathologies, and dementia. Diet-derived plant sterols (phytosterols) have cholesterol-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties and may interfere with ...

CELL PRESS2023

On the similarity between aortic and carotid pressure diastolic decay: a mathematical modelling study

Nikolaos Stergiopoulos, Vasiliki Bikia, Georgios Rovas, Sokratis Anagnostopoulos

Aortic diastolic pressure decay (DPD) has been shown to have considerable pathophysiological relevance in the assessment of vascular health, as it is significantly affected by arterial stiffening. Nonetheless, the aortic pressure waveform is rarely availab ...

Nature Portfolio2023

Refining S-acylation: Structure, regulation, dynamics, and therapeutic implications

Françoise Gisou van der Goot Grunberg, Muhammad Umair Anwar

S-acylation is one of the most frequent posttranslational modifications that regulates diverse cellular processes. Anwar and van der Goot discuss the complexity and disease implications of this highly regulated reversible lipidation. ...

Rockefeller University Press2023