Concept of the influence of SARS -COV-2 viruses on cell malignancy

To date, in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic, there are rumors and speculations about the consequences of the infection, as well as a concern on growing cancer risk due to vaccines and vaccination. In this study we reviewed the concepts of the viral action on cancer development and analyzed the data on the possibility of the malignant effect of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on cells. Analysis of the literature data showed that SARS-CoV-2 damages cells, like other viruses, but does not lead to their mutations. There are no changes in DNA, there is only misregulation of repression and expression of the genome, a perversion of signaling intercellular interactions that disrupt the mechanisms of differentiation and specialization of cells. The need of viruses to multiply in cambial cells of tissues contributes to the induction of their proliferation and the lack of specialization. Thus, the available information on the cytopathic effects caused by viruses in cells infected with COVID-19 does not yet provide information on the malignant effect of SARS-CoV-2. Our study is aimed at collecting and analyzing data that are necessary for planning effective treatment of patients with COVID 19 and predicting outcomes in the long term after the disease.

Optogenetic Tools for Control of Public Goods in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Recent advances in microbial ecology have highlighted the importance of intercellular interactions in controlling the development, composition, and resilience of microbial communities. In order to better understand the role of these interactions in governing community development, it is critical to be able to alter them in a controlled manner.

Proteases Regulate Cancer Stem Cell Properties and Remodel Their Microenvironment

Proteolytic activity is perturbed in tumors and their microenvironment, and proteases also affect cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs are the therapy-resistant subpopulation of cancer cells with tumor-initiating capacity that reside in specialized tumor microenvironment niches. In this review, we briefly summarize the significance of proteases in regulating CSC activities with a focus on brain tumor glioblastoma. A plethora of proteases and their inhibitors participate in CSC invasiveness and affect intercellular interactions, enhancing CSC immune, irradiation, and chemotherapy resilience. Apart from their role in degrading the extracellular matrix enabling CSC migration in and out of their niches, we review the ability of proteases to modulate CSC properties, which prevents their elimination. When designing protease-oriented therapies, the multifaceted roles of proteases should be thoroughly investigated.

Comparison of Resources and Methods to infer Cell-Cell Communication from Single-cell RNA Data

The growing availability of single-cell data has sparked an increased interest in the inference of cell-cell communication from this data. Many tools have been developed for this purpose. Each of them consists of a resource of intercellular interactions prior knowledge and a method to predict potential cell-cell communication events. Yet the impact of the choice of resource and method on the resulting predictions is largely unknown. To shed light on this, we created a framework, available at https://github.com/saezlab/ligrec_decoupler, to facilitate a comparative assessment of methods for inferring cell-cell communication from single cell transcriptomics data and then compared 15 resources and 6 methods. We found few unique interactions and a varying degree of overlap among the resources, and observed uneven coverage in terms of pathways and biological categories. We analysed a colorectal cancer single cell RNA-Seq dataset using all possible combinations of methods and resources. We found major differences among the highest ranked intercellular interactions inferred by each method even when using the same resources. The varying predictions lead to fundamentally different biological interpretations, highlighting the need to benchmark resources and methods.

Immunometabolism of Tissue-Resident Macrophages – An Appraisal of the Current Knowledge and Cutting-Edge Methods and Technologies

Tissue-resident macrophages exist in unique environments, or niches, that inform their identity and function. There is an emerging body of literature suggesting that the qualities of this environment, such as the types of cells and debris they eat, the intercellular interactions they form, and the length of time spent in residence, collectively what we call habitare, directly inform their metabolic state. In turn, a tissue-resident macrophage’s metabolic state can inform their function, including whether they resolve inflammation and protect the host from excessive perturbations of homeostasis. In this review, we summarize recent work that seeks to understand the metabolic requirements for tissue-resident macrophage identity and maintenance, for how they respond to inflammatory challenges, and for how they perform homeostatic functions or resolve inflammatory insults. We end with a discussion of the emerging technologies that are enabling, or will enable, in situ study of tissue-resident macrophage metabolism.

Features of the in vitro expression profile of hippocampal neurogenic niche cells during optogenetic stimulation

In the central nervous system of mammals, there are specialized areas in which neurogenesis — neurogenic niches — is observed in the postnatal period. It is believed that astrocytes in the composition of neurogenic niches play a significant role in the regulation of neurogenesis, and therefore they are considered as a promising “target” for the possible control of neurogenesis, including the use of optogenetics. In the framework of this work, we formed an in vitro model of a neurogenic niche, consisting of cerebral endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurospheres. Astrocytes in the neurogenic niche model expressed canalorodopsin ChR2 and underwent photoactivation. The effect of photoactivated astrocytes on the expression profile of neurogenic niche cells was evaluated using immunocytochemical analysis methods. It was found that intact astrocytes in the composition of the neurogenic niche contribute to neuronal differentiation of stem cells, as well as the activation of astroglia expressing photosensitive proteins, changes the expression of molecules characterized by intercellular interactions of pools of resting and proliferating cells in the composition of the neurogenic niche with the participation of NAD+ (Cx43, CD38, CD157), lactate (MCT1). In particular, the registered changes reflect a violation of the paracrine intercellular interactions of two subpopulations of cells, one of which acts as a source of NAD+, and the second as a consumer of NAD+ to ensure the processes of intracellular signal transduction; a change in the mechanisms of lactate transport due to aberrant expression of the lactate transporter MCT1 in cells forming a pool of cells developing along the neuronal path of differentiation. In general, with photostimulation of niche astrocytes, the total proliferative activity increases mainly due to neural progenitor cells, but not neural stem cells. Thus, optogenetic activation of astrocytes can become a promising tool for controlling the activity of neurogenesis processes and the formation of a local proneurogenic microenvironment in an in vitro model of a neurogenic niche.