1. Functional characterisation of surfactant protein A as a novel prophylactic means against oncogenic HPV infectionsSinead Carse, Tim Reid, Jens Madsen, Howard Clark, Artur Kirjakulov, Martina Bergant Marušič, Georgia Schäfer, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection poses a significant health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where limited healthcare access and awareness hinder vaccine accessibility. To identify alternative HPV targeting interventions, we previously reported on surfactant protein A (SP-A) as a novel molecule capable of recognising HPV16 pseudovirions (HPV16-PsVs) and reducing infection in a murine cervicovaginal HPV challenge model. Building on these findings, our current study aimed to assess SP-A’s suitability as a broad-spectrum HPV-targeting molecule and its impact on innate immune responses. We demonstrate SP-A’s ability to agglutinate and opsonise multiple oncogenic HPV-PsVs types, enhancing their uptake and clearance by RAW264.7 murine macrophages and THP-1 human-derived immune cells. The SP-A opsonisation of HPV not only led to increased lysosomal accumulation in macrophages and HaCaT keratinocytes but also resulted in a decreased infection of HaCaT cells, which was further decreased when co-cultured with innate immune cells. An analysis of human innate immune cell cytokine profiles revealed a significant inflammatory response upon SP-A exposure, potentially contributing to the overall inhibition of HPV infection. These results highlight the multi-layered impact of SP-A on HPV, innate immune cells and keratinocytes and lay the basis for the development of alternative prophylactic interventions against diverse HPV types.
Keywords: surfactant protein A, SP-A, human papillomavirus, HPV, pseudovirus, cervical cancer, HPV prophylactic, low- and middle-income countries, LMIC
Published in RUNG: 22.07.2024; Views: 1524; Downloads: 10
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2. Exhaled volatile organic compounds and respiratory disease : recent progress and future outlookMaria Chiara Magnano, Waqar Ahmed, Ran Wang, Martina Bergant Marušič, Stephen J. Fowler, Iain R. White, 2024, review article Abstract: The theoretical basis of eVOCs as biomarkers for respiratory disease diagnosis is described, followed by a review of the potential biomarkers that have been proposed as targets from in vitro studies. The utility of these targets is then discussed based on comparison with results from clinical breath studies. The current status of breath research is summarised for various diseases, with emphasis placed on quantitative and targeted studies. Potential for bias highlights several important concepts related to standardization, including practices adopted for compound identification, correction for background inspired VOC levels and computation of mixing ratios. The compiled results underline the need for targeted studies across different analytical platforms to understand how sampling and analytical factors impact eVOC quantification. The impact of environmental VOCs as confounders in breath analysis is discussed alongside the potential that eVOCs have as biomarkers of air pollution exposure and future perspectives on clinical breath sampling are provided.
Keywords: breath analysis, disease diagnosis, exhaled volatile organic compounds, respiratory disease, environmental exposure analysis, breath analysis
Published in RUNG: 06.05.2024; Views: 2529; Downloads: 9
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4. Silica-coated ▫$Bi2_Se_3$▫ topological insulator nanoparticles: preserving their optical properties and make them biocompatible : preserving their optical properties and make them biocompatibleBlaž Belec, Nina Kostevšek, Giulia Della Pelle, Sebastjan Nemec, Slavko Kralj, Martina Bergant Marušič, Sandra Gardonio, Mattia Fanetti, Matjaž Valant, 2023, published scientific conference contribution abstract Keywords: topological insulator, bismuth selenide, photo-thermal material, biocompatibility, nanoparticles
Published in RUNG: 19.10.2023; Views: 2303; Downloads: 4
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5. Contribution of APOBEC proteins 3A and 3B to the oncogenicity of HPV virusesNika Marija Lovšin, Fabio Lapenta, Urša Pečar Fonović, Katerina Jazbec, Elvira Maličev, Martina Bergant Marušič, 2023, published scientific conference contribution abstract Keywords: APOBEC, HPV, oncogenicity, gene expression
Published in RUNG: 10.10.2023; Views: 2535; Downloads: 13
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6. In vitro tumor hypoxia imaging with fluorescent covalent organic frameworksTina Skorjanc, Dinesh Shetty, Damjan Makuc, Gregor Mali, Martina Bergant Marušič, Matjaž Valant, 2023, published scientific conference contribution abstract Abstract: Hypoxia refers to a condition where cells and tissues experience low, inadequate levels of O2. While healthy tissues are typically supplied with sufficient O2 (normoxia), cancerous tissues commonly face hypoxia due to the tumor’s extraordinarily high demand for oxygen. Various fluorescent small-molecule probes have been designed for selective detection of hypoxia in living cells, but few nanomaterials have been investigated for this type of bioimaging. Herein, we prepare a fluorescent covalent organic framework (COF) with β-ketoenamine linkages and post-synthetically modify it to conjugate hypoxia-sensitive nitroimidazole moieties
into its pores (NI-COF). Stacks of sheets in NI-COF observed under electron microscopy were exfoliated by ultrasonication, and dynamic light scattering measurements confirmed particle size of less than 200 nm. Thus-prepared material exhibited good stability in physiological conditions and low cytotoxicity in in vitro experiments. NI-COF also showed useful fluorescence properties with an emission peak at 490 nm (λex = 420 nm) at both neutral and mildly acidic pH levels that are characteristic of tumor tissues. Encouraged by the favorable properties of the material, we incubated HeLa cells pre-treated in either hypoxic or normoxic conditions with NI-COF. Fluorescence microscopy images demonstrated that the material was preferentially taken up by hypoxic cells, which showed higher fluorescence signal in their interior than cells cultured under normoxia conditions. It is anticipated that this study will stimulate further developments of COFs for imaging various biological conditions.
Keywords: hypoxia, fluorescence, covalent organic frameworks, imaging, tumor cells
Published in RUNG: 19.09.2023; Views: 2449; Downloads: 8
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8. Covalent organic frameworks for fluorescent imaging of hypoxiaTina Škorjanc, Dinesh Shetty, Gregor Mali, Damjan Makuc, Martina Bergant Marušič, Matjaž Valant, 2023, published scientific conference contribution abstract Keywords: hypoxia, covalent organic frameworks, imaging, fluorescence, post-synthetic modification
Published in RUNG: 06.06.2023; Views: 2976; Downloads: 4
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9. Nitroreductase-sensitive fluorescent covalent organic framework for tumor hypoxia imaging in cellsTina Škorjanc, Dinesh Shetty, Sushil Kumar, Damjan Makuc, Gregor Mali, Janez Volavšek, Martina Bergant Marušič, Matjaž Valant, 2023, original scientific article Keywords: covalent organic frameworks, imaging, hypoxia, fluorescence, cancer cells
Published in RUNG: 17.05.2023; Views: 2831; Downloads: 22
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10. Silica coated ▫$Bi_2Se_3$▫ topological insulator nanoparticles : an alternative route to retain their optical properties and make them biocompatibleBlaž Belec, Nina Kostevšek, Giulia Della Pelle, Sebastjan Nemec, Slavko Kralj, Martina Bergant Marušič, Sandra Gardonio, Mattia Fanetti, Matjaž Valant, 2023, original scientific article Keywords: topological insulator, bismuth selenide, photo-thermal materials, biocompatibility, nanoparticles
Published in RUNG: 22.02.2023; Views: 3792; Downloads: 7
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