Recent studies have reported that COVID-19 patients with lung cancer have a higher risk of severe events than patients without cancer. In this study, we investigated the gene expression of angiotensin I-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) with prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Lung cancer patients in each age stage, subtype, and pathological stage are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, except for the primitive subtype of LUSC. LUAD patients are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection than LUSC patients. The findings are unanimous on tissue expression in gene and protein levels.
alpha-Synuclein plays a key role in the pathological neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. Although its contribution to normal physiology remains elusive, the selective degeneration of alpha-synuclein-containing dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease may be linked to abnormal alpha-synuclein induced toxicity. In the present study, a complex of alpha-synuclein and vesicular monoamine transporter-2 was identified by GST-Pull Down experiment. In wild-type alpha-synuclein stably transfected SH-SY5Y cell lines, the activity of vesicular monoamine transporter-2 decreased by 31% as determined by [(3)H] dopamine uptake, and its expression also decreased in both protein and mRNA levels using western and northern blot analysis. Overexpression of wild-type alpha-synuclein did not induce cell death or apoptosis, but significantly enhanced the intracellular reactive oxygen species level as assayed by flow cytometry. These data suggest that Up-regulated alpha-synuclein expression inhibits the activity of vesicular monoamine transporter-2, thereby interrupting dopamine homeostasis and resulting in dopaminergic neuron injury in Parkinson's disease.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.