SWI/SNF Complex Connects Signaling and Epigenetic State in Cells of Nervous System.

SWI/SNF protein complexes are evolutionarily conserved epigenetic regulators described in all eukaryotes. In metameric animals, the complexes are involved in all processes occurring in the nervous system, from neurogenesis to higher brain functions. On the one hand, the range of roles is wide because the SWI/SNF complexes act universally by mobilizing the nucleosomes in a chromatin template at multiple loci throughout the genome. On the other hand, the complexes mediate the action of multiple signaling pathways that control most aspects of neural tissue development and function. The issues are discussed to provide insight into the molecular basis of the multifaceted role of SWI/SNFs in cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, activation of immediate-early genes, neurogenesis, and brain and connectome formation. An overview is additionally provided for the molecular basis of nervous system pathologies associated with the SWI/SNF complexes and their contribution to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Finally, we discuss the idea that SWI/SNFs act as an integration platform to connect multiple signaling and genetic programs.

Probiotic biomarkers and models upside down: From humans to animals.

Probiotics development for animal farming implies thorough testing of a vast variety of properties, including adhesion, toxicity, host cells signaling modulation, and immune effects. Being diverse, these properties are often tested individually and using separate biological models, with great emphasis on the host organism. Although being precise, this approach is cost-ineffective, limits the probiotics screening throughput and lacks informativeness due to the 'one model - one test - one property' principle. There is а solution coming from human-derived cells and in vitro systems, an extraordinary example of human models serving animal research. In the present review, we focus on the current outlooks of employing human-derived in vitro biological models in probiotics development for animal applications, examples of such studies and the analysis of concordance between these models and host-derived in vivo data. In our opinion, human-cells derived screening systems allow to test several probiotic properties at once with reasonable precision, great informativeness and less expenses and labor effort.

Effects of JUN and NFE2L2 knockdown on oxidative status and NFE2L2/AP-1 targets expression in HeLa cells in basal conditions and upon sub-lethal hydrogen peroxide treatment.

Although NFE2L2 transcription factor is considered to make the most significant contribution to the NFE2L2/AP-1-pathway-dependent antioxidants regulation in the human cell, AP-1 has the potential to provide significant backup and even play an equal role in the cell. Considering this, the present study is focused on revealing how JUN, an AP-1 component, and NFE2L2 contribute to regulation of four target genes containing AREs with embedded TREs-SQSTM1, FTH1, HMOX1 and CBR3 and to cellular oxidative status in general in basal conditions and under pro-oxidative influence. NFE2L2 and JUN were down-regulated in HeLa cells using siRNA-mediated knockdown approach. These cells were subsequently exposed to 400 µM hydrogen peroxide in the medium or equal volume of sterile water. They revealed some evidence of both backup functioning and competing between the two factors. Importantly, JUN demonstrated a high level of participation (inc. as a negative regulator) in functioning of the classic NFE2L2 targets and in cellular oxidative status establishment in general. One of the key findings was a dramatic increase in JUN expression following NFE2L2 knockdown in basal conditions. The both AP-1 and NFE2L2 sub-pathways equally determine the outcome of the NFE2L2/AP-1 pathway activation induced by various stimuli, and the outcome is stimulus type- and stimulus-intensity-specific and results from either of the two eventually dominating sub-pathways.