Journal of Cellular Signaling

Commentary Open Access

The Outcome of Tumor Ablation Therapies is Determined by Stress Signaling Networks

Mladen Korbelik

Increasingly prominent roles in interventional oncology are held by various tumor ablation therapies performed by direct applications of local acute trauma-inducing insult to the targeted lesion aiming for its rapid in situ destruction. These therapies include treatments based on various forms of thermal energy delivery (photothermal, cryoablation, microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation), non-thermal illumination (photodynamic therapy), electric field exposure, or high hydrostatic pressure

Review Article Open Access

TRPM8 Channels and SOCE: Modulatory Crosstalk between Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ Signaling

Guilherme Henrique Souza Bomfim

The electrochemical driving forces across the plasma membrane both in excitable and non-excitable mammalian cells are finely regulated by different ion channels, pumps, and exchangers that are essential for a wide range of biological processes. The modulation between sodium (Na⁺), calcium (Ca²⁺), and intracellular downstream pathways is tightly linked through several mechanisms that generate spatiotemporal ion waves. 

Review Article Open Access

Differentiation and Subtype Specification of Enteric Neurons: Current Knowledge of Transcription Factors, Signaling Molecules and Signaling Pathways Involved

Nastasia Popowycz, Leen Uyttebroek, Guy Hubens, Luc van Nassauw

The enteric nervous system is the largest component of the autonomic nervous system. It contains a broad network of interconnected plexuses and enteric neuronal subtypes which are in charge of the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Vagal and sacral neural crest cells are at the basis of the enteric nervous system development. These cells undergo multiple processes such as migration, proliferation and differentiation to finally form a functional enteric nervous system.

Review Article Open Access

Interferon Gamma, MHC Class I Regulation and Immunotherapy

Maria Gómez-Herranz, Magdalena Pilch, Ted Hupp, Sachin Kote

The activation of endogenous IFNγ signaling pathway or the administration of recombinant IFNγ increases the expression of MHC-I. MHC-I molecules are core elements for antigen recognition in tumor cells. A better understanding of the regulation of their expression would contribute to counteracting tumor immune escape and enduring permanent tumor rejection. Efficient and functional expression of HLAs dramatically impacts the number of tumor-associated antigens presented to CTL for cell recognition. 

Letter to the Editor Open Access

AID and APOBEC3 Involvements in Non-Conventional IgD Class Switch Recombination in Mice

Melissa Ferrad, Nour Ghazzaui, Hussein Issaoui, Jeanne Cook-Moreau, Yves Denizot

In mature B-cells, class switch recombination (CSR) substitutes the constant (C) μ gene with other C genes (such as γ, ε and α) thereby generating IgG, IgE and IgA antibodies with new effector functions but same the antigenic specificity compared to IgM. CSR is a complex process with I-promoter transcription, targeting of the DNA-editing enzyme activation-induced deaminase (AID) to specific DNA switch (S) regions preceding C regions (except C_δ), generation of double strand breaks and recruitment of DNA repair factors for the end-joining process. 

Research Article Open Access

Expression and Localization of Phosphoinositide-Specific Phospholipases C in Cultured, Differentiating and Stimulated Human Osteoblasts

Sara Daisy Casoni, Alessia Romanelli, Marta Checchi, Serena Truocchio, Marzia Ferretti, Carla Palumbo, Vincenza Rita Lo Vasco

The osteoblasts contribute to bone homeostasis maintaining the bone mass, and intervene in bone injuries repair. Insights in the events leading to the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts might allow uncover potential molecular targets to control the complex mechanisms underlying bone remodeling. Signal transduction pathways contribute to the differentiation and metabolic activities of osteoblasts, with special regard to calcium-related signaling, including the Phosphoinositide (PI) pathway.

Review Article Open Access

c-JUN n-Terminal Kinase (JNK) Signaling in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Abigail O. Smith, Julie A. Jonassen, Kenley M. Preval, Roger J. Davis, Gregory J. Pazour

Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited degenerative disease in which the uriniferous tubules are replaced by expanding fluid-filled cysts that ultimately destroy organ function. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common form, afflicting approximately 1 in 1,000 people and is caused by mutations in the transmembrane proteins polycystin-1 (Pkd1) and polycystin-2 (Pkd2).