This article includes recent preLights posts that discuss preprints in the field of disease biology.
Featured preLight
Polystyrene nanoplastics promote neurodegeneration by catalyzing TDP43 hyperphosphorylation by Winanto et al.
Recycling logo for Type-6 plastics: Polystyrene (public domain image).
preLighter(s)
Manuel Lessi, PhD student at Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
Why it was selected
I found this preprint really interesting! The results are well presented, and the flow of information is seamless, making it an enjoyable, understandable, and highly informative read. Taken together, the findings in this preprint highlight molecular mechanisms altered by polystyrene nanoplastics in neuronal cells, linking plastic exposure to neurodegenerative processes in both human-derived cells and mice. Considering that such contaminants are commonly found in food packaging and other everyday objects all of us encounter, these results are particularly alarming. Beyond providing new evidence for a biological mechanism responsible for plastic-induced neuronal damage, these findings are of wider interest and relevance, especially in regulatory settings, as they prompt us all to minimize our exposure to plastic as much as possible.
Other relevant preLight posts
IMMClock reveals immune aging and T cell function at single-cell resolution by Yael Gurevich Schmidt et al.
Time flies when you're… a cell!
Selected by Jessica Chevallier. Read the preLight.
Levetiracetam prevents AΒ42 production through SV2a-dependent modulation of App processing in Alzheimer's disease models by Nalini R. Rao et al.
A promising therapeutic role for a synaptic vesicle binding drug in Alzheimer's disease.
Selected by Jawdat Sandakly. Read the preLight.
Target cell tension regulates macrophage trogocytosis by Caitlin E. Cornell et al.
Feeling tense? Macrophages sense that! Macrophages prefer to "nibble" (trogocytose) soft targets and "engulf" (phagocytose) stiff ones. Stiffness matters for immune responses!
Selected by Felipe Del Valle Batalla. Read the preLight.
Enzymatic access to the rare ΔUA (1→4) Glc 3, 6, N-sulfated heparin disaccharide, implications for heparin quality control by T. K. Kandola et al.
Breaking barriers in anticoagulant research! BeHepI, a new enzyme, outperforms traditional methods by accurately analysing key regions of heparin, paving the way for safer and more effective blood thinners.
Selected by Adriani Felix and Mariana Ribeiro and Carmen Penido and Clarissa Maya-Monteiro and Marcus Oliveira. Read the preLight.
Factor XI localization in human deep venous thrombus and function of activated factor XI on venous thrombus formation and hemostasis in rabbit by Nobuyuki Oguri et al.
Could blood thinners be made safer? This study explores targeting Factor XI to prevent dangerous clots like DVT and pulmonary embolism—avoiding the bleeding risks of current treatments.
Selected by Adriani Felix and Mariana Ribeiro and Carmen Penido and Clarissa Maya-Monteiro and Marcus Oliveira. Read the preLight.
Restoring mechanophenotype reverts malignant properties of ECM-enriched vocal fold cancer by Jasmin Kaivola et al.
Can restoring vocal fold mechanics combat cancer? This preprint explores how!
Selected by Teodora Piskova. Read the preLight.
Platelet-derived LPA16:0 inhibits adult neurogenesis and stress resilience in anxiety disorder by Thomas Larrieu et al.
New research reveals how blood platelets can prevent neurogenesis in stressed adults.
Selected by Harvey Roweth. Read the preLight.
Investigating Mechanically Activated Currents from Trigeminal Neurons of Non-Human Primates by Karen A Lindquist et al.
Marmosets display unique subtypes of trigeminal ganglia neurons: implications for normal somatosensory function and pain.
Selected by Vanessa Ehlers. Read the preLight.
Circadian modulation of mosquito host-seeking persistence by Pigment-Dispersing Factor impacts daily biting patterns by Linhan Dong et al.
Deciphering how the mosquito brain clock drives biting patterns.
Selected by Javier Cavieres. Read the preLight.
Hippocampal neuroinflammation causes sex-specific disruptions in action selection, food approach memories, and neuronal activation by Kiruthika Ganesan et al.
Closing the gap: insights into sex-specific effects of hippocampal neuroinflammation.
Selected by Nicole Bertola. Read the preLight.
Green synthesized silver nanoparticles from Moringa: Potential for preventative treatment of SARS-CoV-2 contaminated water by Adebayo J. Bello et al.
Moringa power! Cost-effective, eco-friendly silver nanoparticles could revolutionize SARS-CoV-2 water decontamination in developing regions. Safer, cleaner water ahead and a sustainable win for global health.
Selected by Safieh Shah and Benjamin Dominik Maier. Read the preLight.
Alzheimer's Disease Patient Brain Extracts Induce Multiple Pathologies in Vascularized Neuroimmune Organoids for Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery by Yanru Ji et al.
What if we could model Alzheimer's in a dish? Well now we can!
Selected by Manuel Lessi. Read the preLight.
Integrin conformation-dependent neutrophil slowing obstructs the capillaries of the pre-metastatic lung in a model of breast cancer by Frédéric Fercoq et al.
Pre-metastatic neutrophilia and lung-metastatic breast cancer: a one-two punch to the lungs.
Selected by Simon Cleary. Read the preLight.
