| 1. |
- Chávez-Valencia, Venice, et al.
(författare)
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Acute Kidney Injury in COVID-19 Patients : Pathogenesis, Clinical Characteristics, Therapy, and Mortality
- 2022
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Ingår i: Diseases. - : MDPI. - 2079-9721. ; 10:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and has represented one of the greatest challenges humanity has faced in recent years. The virus can infect a large number of organs, including the lungs and upper respiratory tract, brain, liver, kidneys, and intestines, among many others. Although the greatest damage occurs in the lungs, the kidneys are not exempt, and acute kidney injury (AKI) can occur in patients with COVID-19. Indeed, AKI is one of the most frequent and serious organic complications of COVID-19. The incidence of COVID-19 AKI varies widely, and the exact mechanisms of how the virus damages the kidney are still unknown. For this reason, the purpose of this review was to assess current findings on the pathogenesis, clinical features, therapy, and mortality of COVID-19 AKI.
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| 2. |
- García-Huerta, Eduardo, et al.
(författare)
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Implementation of a tunable t-CRISPRi system for gene regulation in Giardia duodenalis
- 2022
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Ingår i: Plasmid. - : Elsevier BV. - 0147-619X .- 1095-9890.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Giardia duodenalis, is a binuclear and microaerophilic protozoan that causes giardiasis. Up to date, several molecular approaches have been taken to understand the molecular mechanisms of diverse cellular processes in this parasitic protozoan. However, the role of many genes involved in these processes needs further analysis. The CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system has been widely used, as a constitutive expression system for gene silencing purposes in several parasites, including Giardia. The aim of this work was to implement a tunable t-CRISPRi system in Giardia to silence abundant, moderately and low expressed genes, by constructing an optimized and inducible plasmid for the expression of both gRNA and dCas9. A doxycycline inducible pRan promoter was used to express dCas9 and each gRNA, consistently dCas9 expression and nuclear localization were confirmed by Western-blot and immunofluorescence in transfected trophozoites. The transcriptional repression was performed on α-tubulin (high expression), giardipain-1 (moderate expression) and Sir2 and Sir4 (low expression) genes. The α-tubulin gene knock-down caused by dCas9 doxycycline-induction was confirmed by a decrease in its protein expression which was of 50% and 60% at 24 and 48 h, respectively. This induced morphological alterations in flagella. The giardipain-1 knock down, showed a decrease in protein expression of 40 and 50% at 12 and 24 h, respectively, without affecting trophozoites viability, consistent with this a zymogram analysis on giardipain-1 knock down revealed a decrease in giardipain-1 protease activity. When repressing sirtuins expression, a total repression was obtained but trophozoites viability was compromised. This approach provides a molecular tool for a tailored repression to produce specific gene knockdowns.
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| 3. |
- Lagunas-Rangel, Francisco Alejandro, et al.
(författare)
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An update on cell division of Giardia duodenalis trophozoites
- 2021
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Ingår i: Microbiological Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0944-5013 .- 1618-0623. ; 250
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Giardia duodenalis is a flagellated protozoan that is responsible for many cases of diarrheal disease worldwide and is characterized by its great divergence from the model organisms commonly used in studies of basic cellular processes. The life cycle of Giardia involves an infectious cyst form and a proliferative and mobile trophozoite form. Each Giardia trophozoite has two nuclei and a complex microtubule cytoskeleton that consists of eight flagellar axonemes, basal bodies, the adhesive disc, the funis and the median body. Since the success of Giardia infecting other organisms depends on its ability to divide and proliferate efficiently, Giardia must coordinate its cell division to ensure the duplication and partitioning of both nuclei and the multiple cytoskeletal structures. The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge about cell division and its regulation in this protist.
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| 4. |
- Lagunas-Rangel, Francisco Alejandro
(författare)
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Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of bacteria causing urinary tract infections in Mexico : Single-centre experience with 10 years of results
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance. - : Elsevier BV. - 2213-7165 .- 2213-7173. ; 14, s. 90-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to describe urinary tract infections (UTIs) diagnosed in a single centre in Mexico through 10 years of results, with a particular emphasis on the aetiology, patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility and incidence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains.Methods: This study involved all urine samples analysed during the period March 2007 to September 2017 in a single centre in Mexico. Isolated uropathogens were identified to species level using routine laboratory methods, and antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the disk diffusion method.Results: Overall, 859 urinary isolates were identified, including 582 (67.8%) Escherichia coli, 69 (8.0%) Enterococcus faecalis, 29 (3.4%) Klebsiella pneumoniae, 24 (2.8%) Proteus mirabilis, 24 (2.8%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 23 (2.7%) Candida albicans, 18 (2.1%) Streptococcus agalactiae and 10 (1.2%) Candida glabrata. Patient sex and age were the main risk factors associated with UTI in this population. Nitrofurantoin together with fosfomycin and amikacin had the highest percentages of susceptibility. Of the 859 isolates, 213 (24.8%) presented a positive double-disk synergy test indicating the presence of an ESBL phenotype, with E. coli showing a gradual increase in ESBL-producing isolates over time.Conclusions: These results provide additional evidence in relation to the role of different bacterial species as aetiological agents of UTI as well as antimicrobial susceptibility information that will help to guide the selection of antimicrobial treatment for UTIs and the prevalence of ESBL-producing strains over a 10-year period in a Mexican centre.
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| 5. |
- Lagunas-Rangel, Francisco Alejandro
(författare)
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Bioinformatic analysis of SIRT7 sequence and structure
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0739-1102 .- 1538-0254.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sirtuins are highly conserved proteins that perform very important functions in different cellular processes. Notably, SIRT7 is the least studied human sirtuin, but it is known to be involved in a wide variety of processes in both health and disease. In this way, SIRT7 activity-regulating molecules could be beneficial for the treatment of relevant diseases such as cardiovascular and bone diseases, where SIRT7 levels are reduced, or obesity and cancer, where they are increased. In this work, using bioinformatic methods, the sequence and structure of SIRT7 orthologs in a wide variety of organisms were analyzed. Thus, the catalytic domain was found to be quite conserved (83.23% identity) and key residues such as D118, Y119, R120, D170, H187, N189, C198, C225, C228, V273, G298, F239 and V237 were identified. Furthermore, a phylogenetic tree was constructed where SIRT7 orthologs from mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and arachnids were found to cluster in different groups. Finally, predicted three-dimensional structures showed a classic structure of the central catalytic region of most sirtuins, while the flanking N- and C-terminal regions were unique to each phylogenetic group. All this helps to understand a little more how SIRT7 works and gives clues for the future design and development of small molecules that benefit human and animal health.
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| 6. |
- Lagunas-Rangel, Francisco Alejandro, et al.
(författare)
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Can Exposure to Environmental Pollutants Be Associated with Less Effective Chemotherapy in Cancer Patients?
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 19:4, s. 2064-2064
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since environmental pollutants are ubiquitous and many of them are resistant to degradation, we are exposed to many of them on a daily basis. Notably, these pollutants can have harmful effects on our health and be linked to the development of disease. Epidemiological evidence together with a better understanding of the mechanisms that link toxic substances with the development of diseases, suggest that exposure to some environmental pollutants can lead to an increased risk of developing cancer. Furthermore, several studies have raised the role of low-dose exposure to environmental pollutants in cancer progression. However, little is known about how these compounds influence the treatments given to cancer patients. In this work, we present a series of evidences suggesting that environmental pollutants such as bisphenol A (BPA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), aluminum chloride (AlCl3), and airborne particulatematter may reduce the efficacy of some common chemotherapeutic drugs used in different types of cancer. We discuss the potential underlying molecular mechanisms that lead to the generation of this chemoresistance, such as apoptosis evasion, DNA damage repair, activation of pro-cancer signaling
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| 7. |
- Lagunas-Rangel, Francisco Alejandro
(författare)
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Cancer-free aging : Insights from Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies
- 2018
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Ingår i: Ageing Research Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 1568-1637 .- 1872-9649. ; 47, s. 18-23
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cancer and ageing can be regarded as two different manifestations of the same underlying process—accumulation of cellular damage—and therefore both are closely linked. Nowadays, the ageing of populations worldwide is leading to an unprecedented increase in cancer cases and fatalities, and therefore the understanding of links between cancer and ageing is more important than ever. Spalax is considered an excellent model for ageing and, additionally, for cancer research, due to not show clear age-related phenotypic changes and not develop spontaneous tumours, despite its relatively long lifespan (∼20 years in captivity). Thereby, the purpose of this review is to summarize the recent knowledge on Spalax, with a particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms associated with their longevity and cancer resistance.Previous article in issue
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Lagunas-Rangel, Francisco Alejandro
(författare)
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Current role of mammalian sirtuins in DNA repair
- 2019
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Ingår i: DNA Repair. - : Elsevier BV. - 1568-7864 .- 1568-7856. ; 80:2508, s. 85-92
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cellular DNA is constantly challenged by damage-inducing factors derived from exogenous or endogenous sources. Thus, to protect against DNA damage, cells have evolved complex and finely regulated mechanisms collectively known as DNA-damage response (DDR). However, DNA repair in eukaryotes does not occur merely in naked DNA but also within a highly organized and compacted chromatin environment, which ultimately participates in regulating DDR pathways. Thus, remodelling of the chromatin surrounding areas containing damaged DNA is required to allow access to the DNA repair machinery, as well as post-translational modifications in many repair factors to recruit and activate them at the damaged site. Notably, proteins such as sirtuins, which are NAD+-dependent deacetylases, have evolved to modulate multiple repair pathways through deacetylation of some repair factors, influencing chromatin accessibility or indirectly modulating cell cycle and preventing oxidative stress. In this way, the purpose of this review is to summarize the recent knowledge that links sirtuins with DNA repair, with a particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms associated with coordination and regulation of this vital process.
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| 10. |
- Lagunas-Rangel, Francisco Alejandro
(författare)
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Deciphering the whale's secrets to have a long life
- 2021
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Ingår i: Experimental Gerontology. - : Elsevier. - 0531-5565 .- 1873-6815. ; 151
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Whales are marine creatures known for their enormous size and that live in all the oceans on earth. One of the oldest known organisms is bowhead whales, which can survive up to 200 years, and similarly, other species of whales have shown a remarkable long lifespan. In addition to this, whales are highly resistant to cancer, a disease that is strongly related to aging and the accumulation of damage over time. These two characteristics make whales an interesting model to study and that can provide us with a track both to delay aging and to avoid pathologies associated with it, such as cancer. In the present work, we try to analyze different aspects of whales such as metabolism, hematological and biochemical characteristics, and properties of their genome and transcriptome in order to elucidate possible molecular mechanisms that evolution has provided to these aquatic mammals.
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