Emerging evidence indicates that oxidative stress in skeletal muscle is a prerequisite for sarcopenia in diabetic patients. In this study, we show that ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) 2 mitigates the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mature muscle cells. Treatment with ML364, a canonical USP2 inhibitor, robustly increased mitochondrial ROS in mouse C2C12 myotubes and caused an accompanying increase in the glutathione disulfide (GSSG)/glutathione (GSH) ratio.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Cosmet Investig Dermatol
December 2024
Background: Facial contouring procedures are increasingly sought to address aesthetic concerns such as submental fat accumulation and lack of jawline definition. Cryolipolysis and hyaluronic acid (HA) injection have emerged as promising modalities for lower face contouring, targeting fat reduction and jawline enhancement, respectively.
Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of a combined treatment approach involving cryolipolysis followed by HA injection for addressing lower face contour concerns.
Ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) maintains mitochondrial integrity in culture myoblasts. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective role of USP2 in mitochondria. The knockout (KO) of the gene or the chemical inhibition of USP2 induced a robust accumulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), accompanied by defects in mitochondrial membrane potential, in C2C12 myoblasts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJCI Insight
October 2024
The oral mucosa is the first line of defense against pathogenic bacteria and plays a vital role in maintaining tolerance to food antigens and commensal bacteria. We used CD11c reporter mice to visualize dendritic cells (DCs), a key immune cell population, in the oral cavity. We identified differences in DC density in each oral tissue region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: At different stages of the disease, biomarkers can help to determine disease progression and recurrence and provide a personalized indicator of therapeutic effectiveness. The serological identification of antigens by recombinant cDNA expression cloning (SEREX) has identified five SEREX antigens.
Results: Compared with healthy donors, anti-FIRΔexon2 and anti-SOHLH antibodies (Abs) in the sera of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) were markedly higher.
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a bacterial evolution tool for improved survival. Although several environmental stimuli induce or promote HGT, the diversity and complexity of the environmental factors have not been sufficiently elucidated. In this study, we showed that the biofilm culture of at the air-solid interface in the presence of a subminimal inhibitory concentration (sub-MIC) of ampicillin (∼0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Immunol Immunother
December 2022
Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) selectively kills tumor cells to which the photo-absorber dye IR700DX-conjugated antibodies are bound and induces a systemic anti-tumor immune response. NIR-PIT induces immunogenic cell death (ICD), releases damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) molecules from dying tumor cells, and activates dendritic cells (DCs). However, it is unclear whether NIR-PIT affects migration of tumor-infiltrating (Ti)-DCs to draining lymph nodes (dLNs), where a systemic anti-tumor response is induced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUbiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) participates in glucose metabolism in peripheral tissues such as the liver and skeletal muscles. However, the glucoregulatory role of USP2 in the CNS is not well known. In this study, we focus on USP2 in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), which has dominant control over systemic glucose homeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2021
Ubiquitin specific protease (USP) 2 is a multifunctional deubiquitinating enzyme. USP2 modulates cell cycle progression, and therefore carcinogenesis, via the deubiquitination of cyclins and Aurora-A. Other tumorigenic molecules, including epidermal growth factor and fatty acid synthase, are also targets for USP2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacrophages are innate immune cells that contribute to classical immune functions and tissue homeostasis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) controls cytokine production in macrophages, but its organ-specific roles are still unknown. In this study, we generated myeloid-selective Usp2 knockout (msUsp2KO) mice and specifically explored the roles of testicular macrophage-derived USP2 in reproduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUbiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) is considered to participate in the differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes, however, its functions in myoblasts under growth conditions remain elusive. In this study, we analyzed the physiological roles of USP2 in myoblasts using Usp2 knockout (KO) C2C12 cells as well as a USP2 specific inhibitor. In addition to the disruption of differentiation, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9-generated Usp2KO cells exhibited inhibition of proliferation compared to parental C2C12 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
July 2019
Bacteria continuously change their genetic characteristics to adapt to the changing environment by means of horizontal gene transfer. Although three conventional mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer are well known (transformation, transduction, and conjugation), new variations of these mechanisms have also been described. We previously reported that DNase-sensitive cell-to-cell transfer of non-conjugative plasmids, termed as "cell-to-cell transformation," occurs between the cells of two Escherichia coli strains in a co-culture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, mechanochromic luminescence was induced in a complex of mechano-inactive compounds. Dye/acid complexes containing the same π-conjugated backbones were prepared. While the luminophore showed blue and red shifts in photoluminescence spectra when combined with different acids by grinding, it exhibited slight mechanoresponsiveness itself.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecently, gene-editing using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/ CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technique has attempted to utilize fibroblasts of livestock animals for somatic cell nuclear transfer. In this study, we establish the procedure for preparing skin fibroblast clones whose genes were edited by the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. After isolating fibroblasts from earlobes of Japanese Black cattle, subsequent collagenase-digestion and extensive wash procedures enabled us to avoid contamination of fungi.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMechanoresponsive luminophores containing different substituted pyridine rings at the molecular terminus are synthesized and their photoluminescence properties are investigated. The solid chromophore with a 4-substituted pyridine ring exhibits a reversible photoluminescent color change, while the 2-substituted chromophore shows only a small change in luminescence, and the 3-substituted chromophore displays an irreversible photoluminescent color change with mechanical grinding. A change of the sample color in response to mechanical grinding is also achieved for a dye-dispersed poly(vinyl alcohol) film.
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