Particles, Vesicles and Small Structures
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2025) | Viewed by 935
Special Issue Editor
2. Medical Research Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA
Interests: immune properties of DNA; immunochemical properties of anti-DNA antibodies; the properties of antinuclear antibodies; the role of DNA in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus; the role of microparticles as a source of extracellular DNA; immune properties of HMGB1
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
An important focus of current research concerns the unique biological and immunological properties of small structures, also termed particles or vesicles. These structures have diverse origins and can be natural as well as synthetic. Natural particles include bacteria, viruses and fungi as well as extracellular vesicles that emanate from activated and dying cells; natural particles in general have nucleic acid components and provide a vector for transmission of genetic information. In addition, natural particles can contain immunostimulatory molecules such as cytokines. In all cases, small structures that occur naturally concentrate information or bioactive molecules to achieve greater potency, transmissibility and resistance to degradation. Synthetic particles (often called nanoparticles) can vary in biochemical composition and have been designed for in vivo application as novel therapeutic agents where drugs may be encapsulated or displayed on the surface. Like natural particles, synthetic particles have increased biological activity compared to free molecules. Synthetic particles can be "tuned" in terms of their chemistry to have particular activity in the clinical setting, including the ability to target specific cell types.
A special issue will be developed to encompass natural and synthetic nanostructures and include papers on the biology, chemistry, biophysics and pharmacology of small structures. Important cross-cutting themes concern the impact of a particulate structure on extracellular and intracellular trafficking, cell uptake and cell signaling, all of which pertain to both natural and synthetic small structures.
Prof. Dr. David Stephen Pisetsky
Guest Editor
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