Submit to IJMS Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Published Papers

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 (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 15135

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Marcin Majka

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor

Department of Transplantation, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
Interests: cervical cancer; metabolic reprogramming; metformin; caffeic acid; 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Andrzej Tretyn

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor

Department of Biotechnology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
Interests: physiology; biotechnology; MicroRNAs; cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue aims to publish contributions on all aspects of molecular biology, cell biology, and and genetic research in Poland. Research articles and reviews are sought that provide insight into any aspect of Molecular Biology in Poland. Topics include but are not limited to:

Biological activities at the molecular level
Biological processes of cell functions and maintenance
Molecular processes of cell division, senescence, and cell death
stem cells biology, regenerative medicine with cell replacement therapy, stem cell-based therapies
Biomolecule interactions and cell-to-cell communication
DNA, and RNA biosynthesis, metabolism, interactions, and functions
Protein biosynthesis, degradation, and functions
Molecular mechanisms and models of disease
Molecular processes of cell and organelle dynamics
Gene functions, genetics, and genomics
Signaling networks and system biology
Protein structure and function
Molecular mechanisms of reproduction and differentiation
Molecular mechanisms of drugs and small molecules

Prof. Dr. Marcin Majka
Prof. Dr. Andrzej Tretyn
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 1449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Antiseizure Activity of Endemic Plant Halfordia kendack Guillaumin and Its Main Constituent, Halfordin, on a Zebrafish Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-Induced Seizure Model

by Adrianna Skiba, Ewelina Kozioł, Simon Vlad Luca, Barbara Budzyńska, Piotr Podlasz, Wietske Van Der Ent, Elham Shojaeinia, Camila V. Esguerra, Mohammed Nour, Laurence Marcourt, Jean-Luc Wolfender and Krystyna Skalicka-Woźniak

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2598; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032598 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1915

Abstract

Epilepsy is a neurological disease that burdens over 50 million people worldwide. Despite the considerable number of available antiseizure medications, it is estimated that around 30% of patients still do not respond to available treatment. Herbal medicines represent a promising source of new antiseizure drugs. This study aimed to identify new drug lead candidates with antiseizure activity from endemic plants of New Caledonia. The crude methanolic leaf extract of Halfordia kendack Guillaumin (Rutaceae) significantly decreased (75 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL) seizure-like behaviour compared to sodium valproate in a zebrafish pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced acute seizure model. The main coumarin compound, halfordin, was subsequently isolated by liquid-liquid chromatography and subjected to locomotor, local field potential (LFP), and gene expression assays. Halfordin (20 μM) significantly decreased convulsive-like behaviour in the locomotor and LFP analysis (by 41.4% and 60%, respectively) and significantly modulated galn, and penka gene expression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 4309 KiB

Open AccessArticle

FGFR1–4 RNA-Based Gene Alteration and Expression Analysis in Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

by Joanna Moes-Sosnowska, Monika Skupinska, Urszula Lechowicz, Ewa Szczepulska-Wojcik, Paulina Skronska, Adriana Rozy, Aneta Stepniewska, Renata Langfort, Piotr Rudzinski, Tadeusz Orlowski, Delfina Popiel, Aleksandra Stanczak, Maciej Wieczorek and Joanna Chorostowska-Wynimko

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10506; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231810506 - 10 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2020

Abstract

While fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are involved in several biological pathways and FGFR inhibitors may be useful in the treatment of squamous non-small cell lung cancer (Sq-NSCLC), FGFR aberrations are not well characterized in Sq-NSCLC. We comprehensively evaluated FGFR expression, fusions, and variants in 40 fresh-frozen primary Sq-NSCLC (stage IA3–IV) samples and tumor-adjacent normal tissues using real-time PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Protein expression of FGFR1–3 and amplification of FGFR1 were also analyzed. FGFR1 and FGFR4 median gene expression was significantly (p < 0.001) decreased in tumors compared with normal tissue. Increased FGFR3 expression enhanced the recurrence risk (hazard ratio 4.72, p = 0.029), while high FGFR4 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.036). Enhanced FGFR1 gene expression was correlated with FGFR1 protein overexpression (r = 0.75, p = 0.0003), but not with FGFR1 amplification. NGS revealed known pathogenic FGFR2,3 variants, an FGFR3::TACC3 fusion, and a novel TACC1::FGFR1 fusion together with FGFR1,2 variants of uncertain significance not previously reported in Sq-NSCLC. These findings expand our knowledge of the Sq-NSCLC molecular background and show that combining different methods increases the rate of FGFR aberrations detection, which may improve patient selection for FGFRi treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

33 pages, 6932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Octanoic Acid—An Insecticidal Metabolite of Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomopthorales) That Affects Two Majors Antifungal Protection Systems in Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera): Cuticular Lipids and Hemocytes

by Agata Kaczmarek, Anna Katarzyna Wrońska, Michalina Kazek and Mieczysława Irena Boguś

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(9), 5204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23095204 - 06 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2209

Abstract

The food flavour additive octanoic acid (C8:0) is also a metabolite of the entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus, which efficiently infects and rapidly kills Galleria mellonella. GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of C8:0 in insecticidal fraction FR3 extracted from C. coronatus filtrate. Topical administration of C8:0 had a dose-dependent effect on survival rates of larvae but not on pupation or adult eclosion times of the survivors. Topically applied C8:0 was more toxic to adults than larvae (LD100 for adults 18.33 ± 2.49 vs. 33.56 ± 2.57 µg/mg of body mass for larvae). The administration of C8:0 on the cuticle of larvae and adults, in amounts corresponding to their LD50 and LD100 doses, had a considerable impact on the two main defense systems engaged in protecting against pathogens, causing serious changes in the developmental-stage-specific profiles of free fatty acids (FFAs) covering the cuticle of larvae and adults and damaging larval hemocytes. In vitro cultures of G. mellonella hemocytes, either directly treated with C8:0 or taken from C8:0 treated larvae, revealed deformation of hemocytes, disordered networking, late apoptosis, and necrosis, as well as caspase 1–9 activation and elevation of 8-OHdG level. C8:0 was also confirmed to have a cytotoxic effect on the SF-9 insect cell line, as determined by WST-1 and LDH tests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 3990 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interrelations between Iron and Vitamin A—Studied Using Systems Approach

by Kaja Gutowska, Dorota Formanowicz and Piotr Formanowicz

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1189; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031189 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1525

Abstract

A deficiency of vitamin A (VAD) and iron is the most common nutritional problem affecting people worldwide. Given the scale of the problem, the interactions between vitamin A and iron levels are widely studied. However, the exact mechanism of the impact of vitamin A on the regulation of iron metabolism remains unclear. An extremely significant issue becomes a better understanding of the nature of the studied biological phenomenon, which is possible by using a systems approach through developing and analyzing a mathematical model based on a Petri net. To study the considered system, the t-cluster analysis, the significance analysis, and the analysis of the average number of transition firings were performed. The used analyses have allowed distinguishing the most important mechanisms (both subprocesses and elementary processes) positively and negatively regulating an expression of hepcidin and allowed to distinguish elementary processes with a higher frequency of occurrence compared to others. The analysis also allowed to resolve doubts about the discrepancy in literature reports, where VAD leads to positive regulation of hepcidin expression or to negative regulation of hepcidin expression. The more detailed analyses have shown that VAD more frequently positively stimulates hepcidin expression and this mechanism is more significant than the mechanism inhibiting hepcidin expression indirectly by VAD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

14 pages, 1457 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Forkhead Box O in Pathogenesis and Therapy of Diabetes Mellitus

by Malgorzata Marchelek-Mysliwiec, Magdalena Nalewajska, Agnieszka Turoń-Skrzypińska, Katarzyna Kotrych, Violetta Dziedziejko, Tadeusz Sulikowski and Andrzej Pawlik

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11611; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911611 - 01 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2331

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that causes numerous complications disrupting the functioning of the entire body. Therefore, new treatments for the disease are being sought. Studies in recent years have shown that forkhead box O (FOXO) proteins may be a promising target for diabetes therapy. FOXO proteins are transcription factors involved in numerous physiological processes and in various pathological conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Their roles include regulating the cell cycle, DNA repair, influencing apoptosis, glucose metabolism, autophagy processes and ageing. FOXO1 is an important regulator of pancreatic beta-cell function affecting pancreatic beta cells under conditions of insulin resistance. FOXO1 also protects beta cells from damage resulting from oxidative stress associated with glucose and lipid overload. FOXO has been shown to affect a number of processes involved in the development of diabetes and its complications. FOXO regulates pancreatic β-cell function during metabolic stress and also plays an important role in regulating wound healing. Therefore, the pharmacological regulation of FOXO proteins is a promising approach to developing treatments for many diseases, including diabetes mellitus. In this review, we describe the role of FOXO proteins in the pathogenesis of diabetes and the role of the modulation of FOXO function in the therapy of this disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 550 KiB

Open AccessReview

Secretome of Adipose Tissue as the Key to Understanding the Endocrine Function of Adipose Tissue

by Damian Pogodziński, Lucyna Ostrowska, Joanna Smarkusz-Zarzecka and Beata Zyśk

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(4), 2309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23042309 - 19 Feb 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3983

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity has reached pandemic levels and is becoming a serious health problem in developed and developing countries. Obesity is associated with an increased prevalence of comorbidities that include type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers. The recognition of adipose tissue as an endocrine organ capable of secreting adipokines that influence whole-body energy homeostasis was a breakthrough leading to a better molecular understanding of obesity. Of the adipokines known to be involved in the regulation of energy metabolism, very few are considered central regulators of insulin sensitivity, metabolism and energy homeostasis, and the discovery and characterization of new adipocyte-derived factors are still ongoing. Proteomics techniques, such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, have proven to be useful tools for analyzing the secretory function of adipose tissue (the secretome), providing insights into molecular events that influence body weight. Apart from the identification of novel proteins, the considerable advantage of this approach is the ability to detect post-translational modifications that cannot be predicted in genomic studies. In this review, we summarize recent efforts to identify novel bioactive secretory factors through proteomics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

State-of-the-Art of Molecular Biology in Poland

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Published Papers (6 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI