Ricerc@Sapienza

We and others propose vimentin as a possible cellular target for the treatment of COVID-19. This innovative idea is so recent that it requires further attention and debate.

A clinical association between thyroid dysfunction and pregnancy complications has been extensively reported, however the molecular mechanisms through which TH might regulate key-events of pregnancy have not been elucidated yet. In this respect, we performed in vivo studies in MMI- induced hypothyroid pregnant mice, evaluating the effect of hypothyroidism on the number of implantation sites, developing embryos/resorptions and pups per litter, at 4.5, 10.5, 18.5 days post coitum (dpc) and at birth.

Over the last decades a decrease in mortality has paved the way for late onset pathologies such as cardiovascular, metabolic or neurodegenerative diseases. This evidence has led many researchers to shift their focus from researching ways to extend lifespan to finding ways to increase the number of years spent in good health; “healthspan” is indeed the emerging concept of such quest for ageing without chronic or disabling diseases and dysfunctions. Regular consumption of natural products might improve healthspan, although the mechanisms of action are still poorly understood.

Decreased expression of mitochondrial frataxin (FXN) causes Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), a neurodegenerative disease with type 2 diabetes (T2D) as severe comorbidity. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a mitochondria-enriched and anti-diabetic tissue that turns excess energy into heat to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Here we report that the FXN knock-in/knock-out (KIKO) mouse shows hyperlipidemia, reduced energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity, and elevated plasma leptin, recapitulating T2D-like signatures.

Background: Clear cell RCC (ccRCC) accounts for approximately 75% of the renal cancer cases. Surgery treatment seems to be the best efficacious approach for the majority of patients. However, a consistent fraction (30%) of cases progress after surgery with curative intent. It is currently largely debated the use of adjuvant therapy for high-risk patients and the clinical and molecular parameters for stratifying beneficiary categories. In addition, the treatment of advanced forms lacks reliable driver biomarkers for the appropriated therapeutic choice.

Regulatory T cells (T reg ) are necessary to maintain immunological tolerance and are key players in the control of autoimmune disease susceptibility. Expression of the transcription factor FOXP3 is essential for differentiation of T reg cells and indispensable for their suppressive function. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the mechanisms underlying its regulation. Here, we demonstrate that pro-autophagy protein AMBRA1 is also a key modulator of T cells, regulating the complex network that leads to human T reg differentiation and maintenance.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is implicated in processing of the affective state of others through non-verbal communication. This social cognitive function is thought to rely on an intact cortical neuronal excitatory and inhibitory balance. Here combining in vivo electrophysiology with a behavioral task for affective state discrimination in mice, we show a differential activation of medial PFC (mPFC) neurons during social exploration that depends on the affective state of the conspecific.

MicroRNAs are endogenous, noncoding RNAs crucial for the post-transcriptional regulation of gene
expression. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-335-5p in spatial learning and synaptic plastic- ity.
To this end we first showed spatial learning induced down-regulation of miR-335-5p. Next we found
impairment in long-term memory and reduction in hippocampal long-term potentiation by exogenous
administration of the miRNA. These findings demonstrate that miR-335-5p is a key coordinator of the

PURPOSE:
Leptin (LEP) is a peptide hormone with multiple physiological functions. Besides its systemic actions, it has important peripheral roles such as a mitogen action on keratinocytes following skin lesions. We previously showed that LEP mRNA is significantly induced in response to neutron irradiation in mouse skin and that the protein increases in the irradiated epidermis and in the related subcutaneous adipose tissue. In this work, we investigated the post-transcriptional regulation of LEP by miRNAs and the conservation of LEP's role in radiation response in human cells.