Mitochondria Fusion upon SERCA Inhibition Prevents Activation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Human Monocytes
By Ana Catarina Pereira, Nuno Madeira, Sofia Morais, António Macedo, Maria Teresa Cruz, and Cláudia M. F. Pereira Excerpt from the article published in Cells 11, no. 3: 433, 27 January 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11030433 Editor’s Highlights Activation of the the Nod-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has been implicated in a wide range of […]
Continue ReadingCalcium Signaling Mediates Cell Death and Crosstalk with Autophagy in Kidney Disease
By Bo Ning, Chuanzhi Guo, Anqi Kong, Kongdong Li, Yimin Xie, Haifeng Shi, and Jie Gu Excerpt from the article published in Cells, 10, 3204, 17 November 2021, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10113204 Editor’s Highlights The kidney is an indispensable organ for maintaining body Ca2+ homeostasis; the Ca2+ signaling system in kidney cells regulates cellular processes and decides cell fate, including […]
Continue ReadingPGRMC1 acts as a size-selective cargo receptor to drive ER-phagic clearance of mutant prohormones
By Yu-Jie Chen, Jeffrey Knupp, Anoop Arunagiri, Leena Haataja, Peter Arvan, and Billy Tsai Excerpt from the article published in Nature Communications 12, 5991 (2021), 13 October 2021, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26225-8 Editor’s Highlights Protein misfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) causes a myriad of human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Amongst the most well characterized of […]
Continue ReadingSigmar1’s Molecular, Cellular, and Biological Functions in Regulating Cellular Pathophysiology
By Aishwarya Richa, Abdullah Chowdhury S., Morshed Mahboob, Remex Naznin Sultana, and Bhuiyan Md. Shenuarin Excerpt from the article published in Frontiers in Physiology, volume 12, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.705575 Editor’s Highlights Sigma-1 receptor is a multifunctional, ubiquitously expressed chaperone protein encoded by the SIGMAR1 gene. Alterations in Sigmar1’s subcellular localization, expression, and signaling have been […]
Continue ReadingSigmar1 in lipid metabolism
By Shenuarin Bhuiyan A study funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH). 2021 Editor’s Highlights The molecular function of Sigma-1 receptor (Sigmar1) proteins in metabolism is associated with lipid-containing micro-domains suggesting a potential role in the pathophysiology of metabolic diseases. This study will investigate a novel function for Sigmar1 in regulating lipid metabolism in […]
Continue ReadingSigma 1 Receptor is Overexpressed in Hepatocellular Adenoma: Involvement of ERα and HNF1α
By Laure Villemain, Sylvie Prigent, Aurélie Abou-Lovergne, Laura Pelletier, Magali Chiral, Marco Pontoglio, Fabienne Foufelle, Stefano Caruso, Raphael Pineau, Sandra Rebouissou, Eric Chevet, Jessica Zucman-Rossi, and Laurent Combettes Excerpt from the article published in Cancers (Special Issue Therapeutic Targeting of the Unfolded Protein Response in Cancer) 2020; 12(8):2213. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12082213 Editor’s Highlights Hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) are rare […]
Continue ReadingSigma-1 receptor ablation impedes adipocyte-like differentiation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts
By Huan Yang, Hongtao Shen, Jing Li, Kristin I. Stanford, and Lian-Wang Guo Excerpt from the article published in Cell Signal. 2020 Nov;75:109732. DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2020.109732. Epub 2020 Aug 2. PMID: 32750415; PMCID: PMC7530065. Editor’s Highlights Abstract The sigma-1 receptor (Sig1R) is a unique ligand-operated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein without any mammalian homolog. It has long […]
Continue ReadingLipid metabolic pathways converge in motor neuron degenerative diseases
By Olivia J. Rickman, Emma L. Baple and Andrew H. Crosby Excerpt from the article published in Brain, Volume 143, Issue 4, April 2020, Pages 1073–1087, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awz382 Editor’s Highlights Genetic, molecular, cell and animal studies have identified dysfunctional lipid metabolic outcomes as a common theme in Motor neuron diseases (MNDs)-associated molecules. Aberrant lipid metabolism is also […]
Continue ReadingThe sigma-1 receptor as key common factor in cocaine and food-seeking behaviors
By David Aguinaga, Mireia Casanovas, Rafael Rivas-Santisteban, Irene Reyes-Resina, Gemma Navarro, and Rafael Franco Excerpt from the article published in Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, 63(4), R81-R92, November 2019, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JME-19-0138 Editor’s Highlights Food-seeking behavior involve peripheral and central players, ghrelin being one of the most relevant. Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that controls food intake and energy […]
Continue ReadingAlpha2delta-1 in SF1+ Neurons of the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Is an Essential Regulator of Glucose and Lipid Homeostasis
By Jennifer A. Felsted, Cheng-Hao Chien, Dongqing Wang, Micaella Panessiti, Dominique Ameroso, Andrew Greenberg, Guoping Feng, Dong Kong, and Maribel Rios Excerpt from the article published in Cell Reports, volume 21, issue 10, P2737-2747, December 2017, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.048 Editor’s Highlights Alpha2delta-1 (α2δ-1) plays a chief role in energy and glucose balance control acting downstream of brain-derived neurotrophic […]
Continue Reading