Publications by authors named "Marta Belka"

Fungal spores are usually dispersed by wind, water, and animal vectors. Climate change is accelerating the spread of pathogens to new regions. While well-studied vectors like bark beetles and moths contribute to pathogen transmission, other, less-recognized animal species play a crucial role at different scales.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Liver inflammation is frequently linked to oxidative stress and dysregulation of bile acid and fatty acid metabolism. This review focuses on the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a critical regulator of bile acid homeostasis, and its interaction with the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a key modulator of cellular defense against oxidative stress. The review explores the interplay between FXR and Nrf2 in liver inflammatory diseases, highlighting the potential therapeutic effects of natural FXR agonists.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chalcones are a type of natural flavonoid compound that have been found to possess promising anticancer properties. Studies have shown that chalcones can inhibit the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, induce apoptosis, and suppress tumor angiogenesis. In addition to their potential therapeutic applications, chalcones have also been studied for their chemopreventive effects, which involve reducing the risk of cancer development in healthy individuals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The dysregulation of energetic metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancer cells. Indeed, the growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells depends heavily on glycolytic activity, which can be considered a potential therapeutic target. Wnt signaling is one of the pathways that undergoes upregulation in HNSCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The soil microbiome contributes to several ecosystem processes. It plays a key role in sustainable agriculture, horticulture and forestry. In contrast to the vast number of studies focusing on soil bacteria, the amount of research concerning soil fungal communities is limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Oomycete and fungal pathogens, mainly and species, are notorious causal agents of huge economic losses and environmental damages. For instance, , , and cause significant losses in nurseries and in forest ecosystems. Chemical treatments, while harmful to the environment and human health, have been proved to have little or no impact on these species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Soil health, and the closely related terms of soil quality and fertility, is considered as one of the most important characteristics of soil ecosystems. The integrated approach to soil health assumes that soil is a living system and soil health results from the interaction between different processes and properties, with a strong effect on the activity of soil microbiota. All soils can be described using physical, chemical, and biological properties, but adaptation to environmental changes, driven by the processes of natural selection, are unique to the latter one.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aneurinibacillus migulanus strains Nagano and NCTC 7096 show potential in biocontrol against fungal and fungus-like plant pathogens, including a wide range of Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Oomycetes. Differences in terms of the range of pathogens that each strain inhibits, however, suggested that production of a single antibiotic cyclic peptide, gramicidin S (GS), by the two strains, is not the sole mechanism of inhibition. The availability of four sequenced genomes of Aneurinibacillus prompted us to apply genome mining techniques to identify the bioactive potential of A.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF