To investigate the retinal proteins associated with primary and secondary retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration and explore their molecular pathways, SWATH label-free and target-based mass spectrometry was employed to identify the proteomes in various retinal locations in response to localized optic nerve injury. Unilateral partial optic nerve transection (pONT) was performed on adult Wistar rats and their retinas were harvested 2 weeks later. To confirm the separation of primary and secondary RGC degeneration, immunohistochemistry of RNA binding protein with multiple splicing (RBPMS) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was performed on retinal whole-mounts. Retinal proteomes in the temporal and nasal quadrants were evaluated with high resolution hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS), and SWATH-based acquisition, and their expression was compared to the corresponding retinal quadrant in contralateral control eyes and further validated by multiple reaction monitoring mass spectof RGCs in the area of primary RGC degeneration. The combined use of SWATH-MS and MRM-MS methods detects and quantifies regional changes of retinal protein expressions after localized injury. Future investigation with this integrated approach will significantly increase the understanding of diverse processes of progressive RGC degeneration from a proteomic prospective.Skeletal muscle is affected in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which is a model of multiple sclerosis that produces changes including muscle atrophy; histological features of neurogenic involvement, and increased oxidative stress. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the involvement of rat skeletal muscle and to compare them with those produced by natalizumab (NTZ). EAE was induced by injecting myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) into Dark Agouti rats. Both treatments, NTZ and TMS, were implemented from day 15 to day 35. Clinical severity was studied, and after sacrifice, the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles were extracted for subsequent histological and biochemical analysis. The treatment with TMS and NTZ had a beneficial effect on muscle involvement in the EAE model. There was a clinical improvement in functional motor deficits, atrophy was attenuated, neurogenic muscle lesions were reduced, and the level of oxidative stress biomarkers was lower in both treatment groups. Compared to NTZ, the best response was obtained with TMS for all the parameters analyzed. The myoprotective effect of TMS was higher than that of NTZ. Thus, the use of TMS may be an effective strategy to reduce muscle involvement in multiple sclerosis.Coupling of cells to biomaterials is a prerequisite for most biomedical applications; e.g., neuroelectrodes can only stimulate brain tissue in vivo if the electric signal is transferred to neurons attached to the electrodes’ surface. Besides, cell survival in vitro also depends on the interaction of cells with the underlying substrate materials; in vitro assays such as multielectrode arrays determine cellular behavior by electrical coupling to the adherent cells. In our study, we investigated the interaction of neurons and glial cells with different electrode materials such as TiN and nanocolumnar TiN surfaces in contrast to gold and ITO substrates. Employing single-cell force spectroscopy, we quantified short-term interaction forces between neuron-like cells (SH-SY5Y cells) and glial cells (U-87 MG cells) for the different materials and contact times. Additionally, results were compared to the spreading dynamics of cells for different culture times as a function of the underlying substrate. The adhesion behavior of glial cells was almost independent of the biomaterial and the maximum growth areas were already seen after one day; however, adhesion dynamics of neurons relied on culture material and time. Neurons spread much better on TiN and nanocolumnar TiN and also formed more neurites after three days in culture. Our designed nanocolumnar TiN offers the possibility for building miniaturized microelectrode arrays for impedance spectroscopy without losing detection sensitivity due to a lowered self-impedance of the electrode. Hence, our results show that this biomaterial promotes adhesion and spreading of neurons and glial cells, which are important for many biomedical applications in vitro and in vivo.In this research, we synthesize and characterize poly(glycerol sebacate) pre-polymer (pPGS) (1H NMR, FTiR, GPC, and TGA). Nano-hydroxyapatite (HAp) is synthesized using the wet precipitation method. Next, the materials are used to prepare a PGS-based composite with a 25 wt.% addition of HAp. Microporous composites are formed by means of thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) followed by thermal cross-linking (TCL) and salt leaching (SL). The manufactured microporous materials (PGS and PGS/HAp) are then subjected to imaging by means of SEM and µCT for the porous structure characterization. DSC, TGA, and water contact angle measurements are used for further evaluation of the materials. To assess the cytocompatibility and biological potential of PGS-based composites, preosteoblasts and differentiated hFOB 1.19 osteoblasts are employed as in vitro models. Apart from the cytocompatibility, the scaffolds supported cell adhesion and were readily populated by the hFOB1.19 preosteoblasts. HAp-facilitated scaffolds displayed osteoconductive properties, supporting the terminal differentiation of osteoblasts as indicated by the production of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and osteopontin. Notably, the PGS/HAp scaffolds induced the production of significant amounts of osteoclastogenic cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, which induced scaffold remodeling and promoted the reconstruction of bone tissue. Initial biocompatibility tests showed no signs of adverse effects of PGS-based scaffolds toward adult BALB/c mice.The genes involved in implantation and placentation are tightly regulated to ensure a healthy pregnancy. The endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2 (ERAP2) gene is associated with preeclampsia (PE). Our studies have determined that an isoform of ERAP2-arginine (N), expressed in trophoblast cells (TC), significantly activates immune cells, and ERAP2N-expressing TCs are preferentially killed by both cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and Natural Killer cells (NKCs). To understand the cause of this phenomenon, we surveyed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ERAP2N expressing and non-expressing TCs. Our RNAseq data revealed 581 total DEGs between the two groups. 289 genes were up-regulated, and 292 genes were down-regulated. Interestingly, most of the down-regulated genes of significance were pro-survival genes that play a crucial role in cell survival (LDHA, EGLN1, HLA-C, ITGB5, WNT7A, FN1). However, the down-regulation of these genes in ERAP2N-expressing TCs translates into a propensity for cell death. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that 64 DEGs were significantly enriched in nine pathways, including “Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum” and “Antigen processing and presentation”, suggesting that the genes may be associated with peptide processes involved in immune recognition during the reproductive cycle.Despite the recurring outbreak of resistance mechanisms and adverse reactions, doxorubicin (Doxo) still remains the standard-of-care for several cancers, including osteosarcoma (OS). As an appealing source of phytochemical compounds, naturally occurring molecules have extensively been reported to overcome Doxo limitations in preclinical models. Unlike other dietary polyphenols, only few studies recognize chlorogenic acid (CGA) as a potential partner in combination therapy, while, conversely, its anticancer evidence is steadily growing, ultimately in OS. On this basis, herein we examine the cooperating effects between CGA and Doxo in U2OS and MG-63 human OS cells. With respect to Doxo alone, the concomitant administration of CGA further decreased cell viability and growth, promoting cell death potentially via apoptosis induction. Furthermore, a longer-lasting reduction in clonogenic potential deeply supported the CGA ability to improve Doxo efficacy in those cells. Remarkably, CGA treatment ameliorated Doxo-induced cytotoxicity in H9c2 rat cardiomyocyte cells instead. Although inactivation of p44/42 MAPK was detected in response to CGA plus Doxo, PD98059-mediated p44/42 MAPK impairment enhanced the combination outcome in OS cells. These findings firstly propose CGA as a promising chemosensitizer and cardioprotective agent in OS therapy, suggesting the p44/42 MAPK pathway as relevantly involved in CGA-mediated Doxo susceptibility.Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is an important leafy vegetable worldwide. The development of F1 hybrids in celery is highly dependent on cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) because emasculation is difficult. In this study, we first report a celery CMS, which was found in a high-generation inbred line population of the Chinese celery “tanzhixiangqin”. Comparative analysis, following sequencing and assembly of the complete mitochondrial genome sequences for this celery CMS line and its maintainer line, revealed that there are 21 unique regions in the celery CMS line and these unique regions contain 15 ORFs. Among these ORFs, only orf768a is a chimeric gene, consisting of 1497 bp sequences of the cox1 gene and 810 bp unidentified sequences located in the unique region, and the predicted protein product of orf768a possesses 11 transmembrane domains. In summary, the results of this study indicate that orf768a is likely to be a strong candidate gene for CMS induction in celery. In addition, orf768a can be a co-segregate marker, which can be used to screen CMS in celery.The NSs protein and the nucleocapsid protein (NP) of orthotospoviruses are the major targets for serological detection and diagnosis. A common epitope of KFTMHNQIF in the NSs proteins of Asia orthotospoviruses has been applied as an epitope tag (nss-tag) for monitoring recombinant proteins. In this study, a monoclonal antibody TNP MAb against the tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) NP that reacts with TSWV-serogroup members of Euro-America orthotospoviruses was produced. By truncation and deletion analyses of TSWV NP, the common epitope of KGKEYA was identified and designated as the np sequence. The np sequence was successfully utilized as an epitope tag (np-tag) to monitor various proteins, including the green fluorescence protein, the coat protein of the zucchini yellow mosaic virus, and the dust mite chimeric allergen Dp25, in a bacterial expression system. HDAC inhibitor The np-tag was also applied to investigate the protein-protein interaction in immunoprecipitation. In addition, when the np-tag and the nss-tag were simultaneously attached at different termini of the expressed recombinant proteins, they reacted with the corresponding MAbs with high sensitivity. Here, we demonstrated that the np sequence and TNP MAb can be effectively applied for tagging and detecting proteins and can be coupled with the nss-tag to form a novel epitope-tagging system for investigating protein-protein interactions.