Biochimica et biophysica acta
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Biochim. Biophys. Acta · Jan 2015
Astaxanthin prevents TGFβ1-induced pro-fibrogenic gene expression by inhibiting Smad3 activation in hepatic stellate cells.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a subset of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disease in the U.S. Fibrosis, a common feature of NASH, results from the dysregulation of fibrogenesis in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). In this study, we investigated whether astaxanthin (ASTX), a xanthophyll carotenoid, can inhibit fibrogenic effects of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1), a key fibrogenic cytokine, in HSCs. ⋯ This study suggests that ASTX may be used as a preventive/therapeutic agent to prevent hepatic fibrosis.
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Biochim. Biophys. Acta · Jan 2015
ReviewFunctional annotation and biological interpretation of proteomics data.
Proteomics experiments often generate a vast amount of data. However, the simple identification and quantification of proteins from a cell proteome or subproteome is not sufficient for the full understanding of complex mechanisms occurring in the biological systems. Therefore, the functional annotation analysis of protein datasets using bioinformatics tools is essential for interpreting the results of high-throughput proteomics. ⋯ Here we reviewed basic concepts and different programs that are commonly used in proteomics data functional annotation, emphasizing the main strategies focused in the use of gene ontology annotations. Furthermore, we explored the characteristics of some tools developed for functional annotation analysis, concerning the ease of use and typical caveats on ontology annotations. The utility and variations between different tools were assessed through the comparison of the resulting outputs generated for an example of proteomics dataset.