A review of studies on the implication of NLRP3 inflammasome for Parkinson's disease and related candidate treatment targets.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease for which the prevalence is second only to Alzheimer's disease (AD). This disease primarily affects people of middle and old age, significantly impacting their health and quality of life. The main pathological features include the degenerative nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss and Lewy body (LB) formation. Currently, available PD medications primarily aim to alleviate clinical symptoms, however, there is no universally recognized therapy worldwide that effectively prevents, clinically treats, stops, or reverses the disease. Consequently, the evaluation and exploration of potential therapeutic targets for PD are of utmost importance. Nevertheless, the pathophysiology of PD remains unknown, and neuroinflammation mediated by inflammatory cytokines that prompts neuron death is fundamental for the progression of PD. The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a key complex of proteins linking the neuroinflammatory cascade in PD. Moreover, mounting evidence suggests that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) alleviates PD by suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasome. This article aims to comprehensively review the available studies on the composition and activating mechanism of the NLRP3 inflammasome, along with its significance in PD pathogenesis and potential treatment targets. We also review natural products or synthetic compounds which reduce neuroinflammation via modulating NLRP3 inflammasome activity, aiming to identify new targets for future PD diagnosis and treatment through the exploration of NLRP3 inhibitors. Additionally, this review offers valuable references for developing new PD treatment methods.

The mechanism of LSM2 in the progression of live hepatocellular carcinoma was analyzed based on bioinformatics.

Comprehensive analysis of the expression and probable function of LSM2 in Live hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), and validation via in vitro experiments. Integrated use of database resources to examine the differential expression, survival prognosis, clinicopathological characteristics, and functional enrichment of LSM2 in LIHC. The expression level of LSM2 in LIHC tissues and adjacent tissues was proven via immunohistochemical staining. The biological function of LSM2 in LIHC was detected by cell proliferation, cell cloning, cell scratch, cell migration, and invasion experiments in vitro. TIMER 2.0 and GEPIA indicated that LSM2 was highly expressed in cancers and was strongly associated with survival rates in LIHC, cholangiocarcinoma, breast cancer, and renal clear cell carcinoma. LSM2 was highly expressed in LIHC, which was closely associated to the clinicopathological characteristics of patients, and the overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate of patients with high expression of LSM2 were lower than those with low expression of LSM2. Functional enrichment results revealed that LSM2 was involved to ribosome formation, DNA replication, cell cycle, metabolic processes, JAK-STAT signaling pathways, and FoxO signaling pathways. Knockdown of LSM2 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LIHC cells in vitro experiments. LSM2 was highly expressed in LIHC and was related to a poor prognosis. Knockdown of LSM2 could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LIHC cells.

Succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit C: Role in cellular physiology and disease.

Succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit C (SDHC) is a subunit of mitochondrial complex II (MCII), which is also known as succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) or succinate: ubiquinone oxidoreductase. Mitochondrial complex II is the smallest respiratory complex in the respiratory chain and contains four subunits. SDHC is a membrane-anchored subunit of SDH, which connects the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the electron transport chain. SDH regulates several physiological processes within cells, plays an important role in generating energy to maintain normal cell growth, and is involved in apoptosis. Currently, SDHC is generally recognized as a tumor-suppressor gene. SDHC mutations can cause oxidative damage in the body. It is closely related to the occurrence and development of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging-related diseases. Here, we review studies on the structure, biological function, related diseases of SDHC, and the mev-1 Animal Model of SDHC Mutation and its potential use as a therapeutic target of certain human diseases.

Blue light-induced phosphorylation of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 is essential for its photosensitivity.

Plants possess two cryptochrome photoreceptors, cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) and cryptochrome 2 (CRY2), that mediate overlapping and distinct physiological responses. Both CRY1 and CRY2 undergo blue light-induced phosphorylation, but the molecular details of CRY1 phosphorylation remain unclear. Here we identify 19 in vivo phosphorylation sites in CRY1 using mass spectrometry and systematically analyze the physiological and photobiochemical activities of CRY1 variants with phosphosite substitutions. We demonstrate that nonphosphorylatable CRY1 variants have impaired phosphorylation, degradation, and physiological functions, whereas phosphomimetic variants mimic the physiological functions of phosphorylated CRY1 to constitutively inhibit hypocotyl elongation. We further demonstrate that phosphomimetic CRY1 variants exhibit enhanced interaction with the E3 ubiquitin ligase COP1 (CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1). This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that phosphorylation of CRY1 is required for COP1-dependent signaling and regulation of CRY1. We also determine that PHOTOREGULATORY PROTEIN KINASEs (PPKs) phosphorylate CRY1 in a blue light-dependent manner and that this phosphorylation is critical for CRY1 signaling and regulation. These results indicate that, similar to CRY2, blue light-dependent phosphorylation of CRY1 determines its photosensitivity.