This paper examines select paintings by Holocaust survivor and painter Samuel Bak from his recent Just Is series. The essay explores ways Bak’s art bears witness to suffering. He creatively interrogates and reanimates the iconic figure of Lady Justic...
As a zoonotic virus, Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV) poses a serious threat to human health and the breeding industry. Regarding the mechanism and complications of tissue inflammation caused by JEV, such as encephalitis and orchitis, there is no ef...
Despite palliative treatments, glioblastoma (GBM) remains a devastating malignancy with a mean survival of about 15 months after diagnosis. Programmed cell-death is de-regulated in almost all GBM and the re-activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic p...
Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and therapeutic resistance. Natural products with antioxidant and bioactive properties may offer novel strategies to suppress CSC-driven tumorigenesis. Meth...
Chinese giant salamander iridovirus (GSIV) infection could lead to mitochondrial apoptosis in this animal, a process that involves B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) superfamily molecules. The mRNA expression level of Bcl-xL, a crucial antiapoptotic molecule...
Thymus quinquecostatus Celak. (Korean name: bak-ri-hyang) is an important medicinal and aromatic herb in Korea, which is named for the spread of its fragrance over a distance of approximately 40 km. In traditional Korean systems of medicine, T. quinq...
The molecular pathogenesis of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) infections is important but has rarely been studied in connection to host organelle behavior. In the present study, we demonstrated that ISKNV can induce host cell deat...
Ginsenoside Rh2 (G-Rh2) has been shown to induce apoptotic cell death in a variety of cancer cells. However, the details of the signal transduction cascade involved in G-Rh2-induced cell death is unclear. In this manuscript we elucidate the molecular...
BAK1 (brassinosteroid-insensitive 1 (BRI1) associated receptor kinase 1) plays major roles in multiple signaling pathways as a coreceptor to regulate plant growth and development and stress response. However, the role of BAK1 in high light signaling...
We recently identified the sphingosine kinases (SphK1/2) as key intracellular regulators of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. To better understand the mechanism by which SphK inhibition enhances ICD, we focused on the int...
Citrus canker is a quarantined disease caused by the bacterial plant pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), which causes persistent surface damage, leaf and fruit drop, and tree decline in citrus plants. The citrus cultivar Citron C-05 (Citru...
Background/Objectives: The wall-associated kinases (WAKs) and WAK-like proteins (WAKLs) comprise a unique receptor-like kinase subfamily in plants, which have been shown to regulate plant development and defense responses by sensing cell wall-derived...
Plants perceive pathogenic threats from the environment that have evaded preformed barriers through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognise microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). The perception of and triggered defence to lipopoly...
Many plant proteins with extracellular leucine-rich repeat (eLRR) domains play an important role in plant immunity. However, the role of one class of eLRR plant proteins—the simple eLRR proteins—in plant defenses against herbivores remains largely un...
Plants recognise bacterial microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) from the environment via plasma membrane (PM)-localised pattern recognition receptor(s) (PRRs). Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are known as MAMPs from gram-negative bacteria that ar...
Evasion of apoptosis is one of the hallmarks of cancer cells. Proteins of the Bcl-2 family are key regulators of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, and alterations in some of these proteins are frequently found in cancer cells. Permeabilization of t...
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a significant factor leading to the death of patients with coronary heart disease. Both AMI and reperfusion therapy after AMI cause myocardial cell death, which plays a significant role in heart failure. Following...
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis that is strongly associated with chronic Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis, Cs) infection; however, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Recent studies suggest t...
BH3 mimetics represent a promising tool in cancer treatment. Recently, the drugs targeting the Mcl-1 protein progressed into clinical trials, and numerous studies are focused on the investigation of their activity in various preclinical models. We in...
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are important for plant growth and development, with BRI1 and BAK1 kinases playing an important role in BR signal transduction. Latex from rubber trees is crucial for industry, medicine and defense use. Therefore, it is benefic...
Bak-ri-hyang (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant in Korea. T. quinquecostatus population and is always mixed with other thyme cultivars during cultivation and marketing. Hence, this study aimed to determine th...
Apoptosis and necroptosis overlap in their initial signaling but diverge to produce non-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory outcomes, respectively. High glucose pushes signaling in favor of necroptosis producing a hyperglycemic shift from apoptosis to...
Corneal endothelial cells (CE) are critical for the cornea’s transparency. For severe corneal damage, corneal tissue transplantation is the most promising option for restoring vision. However, CE apoptotic cell death occurs during the storage o...
This paper examines the processes of agricultural transformation and their impacts within six rice farming communities in Cambodia. For this, we explored four drivers of agricultural transformation: (1) market integration, (2) modern technologies, (3...
Meibomian gland orifices (MGOs) are located along the eyelid margin and secrete meibum into the tear film. The profile of resident innate immune cells (ICs) at this site is not well understood. The distribution and phenotype of resident ICs around MG...
CRISPR/Cas technology has recently become the molecular tool of choice for gene function studies in plants as well as crop improvement. Wheat is a globally important staple crop with a well annotated genome and there is plenty of scope for improving...
From bulbs of Drimia robusta 7 bufadienolides were isolated, 3 of them new natural compounds. Structure elucidation was performed by comparison with authentic substances or by means of 1H-, 13C-NMR-spectroscopy and FAB-MS. The substances were identif...
Autophagy is associated with drug resistance which has been a threat in chemotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The interconnected molecular regulators between autophagy and apoptosis serve as switching points critical to the ultimate outcome...
The quest and design of new brassinosteroids analogs is a matter of current interest. Herein, the effect of short alkyl side chains and the configuration at C22 on the growth-promoting activity of a series of new brassinosteroid 24-norcholan-type ana...
The activation of BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 (BRI1) and its association with the BRI1 ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE1 (BAK1) are key steps for the initiation of the BR signaling cascade mediating hypocotyl elongation. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is c...
Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common and aggressive form of leukemia, yet current treatment strategies remain insufficient. Venetoclax, a BH3-mimetic approved for AML treatment, induces Bcl-2-dependent apoptosis, though its therapeuti...
Two furostanol saponins were obtained from the rhizomes of Tupistra chinensis Bak. Their structures were determined as 5β-furost-δ25(27)-en-1β,2β,3β,4β,5β,7α,22ξ,26- octaol-6-one-26-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 5β-furost-δ25(27)-en-1β,2β,3β,4β,5β,6β...
This study was designed to assess the nephroprotective effects of Pleurotus ostreatus and Agaricus bisporus aqueous extracts and carvedilol on hyperoxaluria-induced urolithiasis and to scrutinize the possible roles of NF-κB, p53, Bcl-2, Bax and...
Although TP53 mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are associated with poor response to venetoclax, the underlying resistance mechanism remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the functional role of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) in venetocla...
2013 marks a milestone year for plasmid DNA vaccine development as a first-in-class cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA vaccine enters pivotal phase 3 testing. This vaccine consists of two plasmids expressing CMV antigens glycoprotein B (gB) and phosphoprotei...
Plants depend on both preformed and inducible defence responses to defend themselves against biotic stresses stemming from pathogen attacks. In this regard, plants perceive pathogenic threats from the environment through pattern recognition receptors...
Re-engineering of CHO cells using genome editing and the overexpression of multiple helper genes is the central track for obtaining better cell lines for the production of biopharmaceuticals. Using two subsequent rounds of genome editing of the CHO S...
The novel compound JRS-15 was obtained through the chemical modification of xylocydine. JRS-15 exhibited much stronger cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity than its parent compound in various cancer cell lines, with IC50 values in HeLa, HepG2, SK-HEP...
Apoptotic cell death is a deleterious consequence of hypoxia-induced cellular stress. The master hypoxamiR, microRNA-210 (miR-210), is considered the primary driver of the cellular response to hypoxia stress. We have recently demonstrated that miR-21...
Osteosarcomas are the most common type of malignant bone tumor. These tumors are characterized by the synthesis of an osteoid matrix. Current treatments are based on surgery and combination chemotherapy. However, for metastatic or recurrent tumors, c...
Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer lack prognostic markers that allow the tailoring of personalized medicine and biomarkers with potential to provide insight into treatment response. This study aims to characterize mitochondrial function...
Bacillus velezensis-based probiotics are increasingly recognized for their potential to enhance intestinal health in companion animals, yet their mechanisms of action in canine epithelial systems remain incompletely defined. This study aimed to evalu...
Lectin receptor-like kinases (LecRLKs) are a large subfamily of receptor-like kinases (RLKs), and their N-terminal lectin domain is predicted to reversibly bind to carbohydrates. Within this family, G-type LecRLKs represent a distinct subclass define...
Selective high-affinity antagonists for the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) are sought for treating substance use disorders. Positron emission tomography (PET) with an effective D3R radioligand could be a useful tool for the development of such therapeuti...
To enable long-term survival, mammalian adult neurons exhibit unique apoptosis competence. Questions remain as to whether and how neurons globally reprogram the expression of apoptotic genes during development. We systematically examined the in vivo...
α-Helices often recognize their target proteins at protein–protein interfaces through more than one recognition face. This review describes the state-of-the-art in the design of non-peptidic α-helix mimetics that reproduce functionality from multiple...
The degradation of cellulose generates cellooligomers, which function as damage-associated molecular patterns and activate immune and cell wall repair responses via the CELLOOLIGOMER RECEPTOR KINASE1 (CORK1). The most active cellooligomer for the ind...
Survivin is a cancer-associated inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) that can suppress both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. IAPs typically prevent programmed cell death by binding to caspases, but whether survivin behaves as a canonical I...
CD133, known as prominin1, is a penta-span transmembrane glycoprotein presumably a cancer stem cell marker for carcinomas, glioblastomas, and melanomas. We showed that CD133(+) ‘melanoma-initiating cells’ are associated with chemoresistance, contribu...
Protein-protein interaction studies provide valuable insights into cellular signaling. Brassinosteroid (BR) signaling is initiated by the hormone-binding receptor Brassinosteroid Insensitive 1 (BRI1) and its co-receptor BRI1 Associated Kinase 1 (BAK1...
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