MicroRNAs are emerging as a hot topic in research, and rightfully so. They show great promise as targets of treatment and as markers for common human diseases, such as cancer and metabolic diseases. In this review, we address some of the basic questions regarding microRNA function in human disease and the clinical significance of microRNAs. Specifically, microRNAs in epigenetics, cancer, and me...

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) is an inducible transamidating acyltransferase that catalyzes Ca(2+)-dependent protein modifications. In addition to being an enzyme, TG2 also serves as a G protein for several seven transmembrane receptors and acts as a co-receptor for integrin β1 and β3 integrins distinguishing it from other members of the transglutaminase family. TG2 is ubiquitously expressed in almo...

1 Division of Biomedical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A9 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A9 3 Collaborative Research Center for Innovative Mathematical Modelling, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan 4Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institutes f...

Changes in human DNA methylation patterns are an important feature of cancer development and progression and a potential role in other conditions such as atherosclerosis and autoimmune diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis and lupus) is being recognised. The cancer genome is frequently characterised by hypermethylation of specific genes concurrently with an overall decrease in the level of 5 methy...

The members of the Herpesvirales containing more than 130 different herpesviruses have already been isolated from all animal species representing the higher steps of evolution. According to our knowledge, eight herpesviruses are classified as human herpesviruses: Herpes simplex virus 1 (Human herpesvirus 1, HHV-1), Herpes simplex virus 2 (Human herpesvirus 2, HHV-2), Varicella-zoster virus (Hum...

The value of the mouse as a model for human disease has become firmly established as new mutants are repeatedly validated as models of human disease and, increasingly, the similarities in the pathobiology of the two species provide new insights into disease mechanisms and aetiologies (Peters et al., 2007; Rosenthal and Brown, 2007; Justice, 2008; Brown et al., 2009). Mutant strains derived from...

OBJECTIVES To describe the importance of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase working together in human cells against toxic reactive oxygen species, their relationship with several pathophysiologic processes and their possible therapeutic implications. CONCLUSIONS Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in the cell growth, differentiation, prog...

Phosphoinositides (PIs) are lipid second messengers implicated in signal transduction and membrane trafficking. Seven distinct PIs can be synthesized by phosphorylation of the inositol ring of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns), and their metabolism is accurately regulated by PI kinases and phosphatases. Two of the PIs, PtdIns3P and PtdIns(3,5)P(2), are present on intracellular endosomal compartment...

The technology, experimental approaches, and bioinformatics that support proteomic research are evolving rapidly. The application of these new capabilities to the study of neurodegenerative diseases is providing insight into the biochemical pathogenesis of neurodegeneration as well as fueling major efforts in biomarker discovery. Here, we review the fundamentals of commonly used proteomic appro...