International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Volume 20, Issue 9

Sphingomyelinase (SMase) is responsible for the breakdown of sphingomyelin (SM) with production of ceramide. The absence of acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) causes abnormal synapse formation in Niemann-Pick type A (NPA) disease. Because high levels of...

Glycation can be defined as an array of non-enzymatic post-translational modifications of proteins formed by their interaction with reducing carbohydrates and carbonyl products of their degradation. Initial steps of this process rely on reducing suga...

Previously, we have reported that the active vitamin D metabolite, calcitriol and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), both remarkably inhibit hepatitis C virus production. The mechanism by which vitamin D3 exerts its effect is puzzling due to the low level...

The circadian clock is an endogenous oscillator that controls daily rhythms in metabolism, physiology, and behavior. Although the timekeeping components differ among species, a common design principle is a transcription-translation negative feedback...

Kombucha tea (KT) has emerged as a substance that protects the liver from damage; however, its mechanisms of action on the fatty liver remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the potential role of KT and its underlying mechanisms on nonalcoholic f...

Alternariol (AOH) is a mycotoxin produced by Alternaria species. In vitro studies suggest the genotoxic, mutagenic, and endocrine disruptor effects of AOH, and an increased incidence of esophageal cancer has been reported related to higher AOH exposu...

Endometrial Cancer (EC) is an important cause of death in women worldwide. Despite early diagnosis and optimal treatment of localized disease, relapsed patients have few therapeutic options because after first line therapy, currently no standard of c...

Novel sulfonamidoindole-based hydrazones with a 2-(hydrazinocarbonyl)-3-phenyl-1H-indole-5-sulfonamide scaffold were synthesized and tested in enzyme inhibition assays against the tumor-associated carbonic anhydrase isoforms, hCA IX and XII, and the...

Despite their similarities, Western medicine and Eastern medicine are very different because they are built on different fundamentals. The general idea has arisen that we will benefit by connecting Western and Eastern medicine. First, both the merits...

Hsp70s use ATP to generate forces that disassemble protein complexes and aggregates, and that translocate proteins into organelles. Entropic pulling has been proposed as a novel mechanism, distinct from the more familiar power-stroke and Brownian rat...