IUBMB Journal Highlights | September 2023

We are excited to highlight new research from the IUBMB JournalsIUBMB Life, BioFactors, Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education.

Please also consider submitting your own research to the IUBMB Journals. You can expect to work with distinguished Editorial Board members and benefit from worldwide circulation and readership through our publishing partnership with Wiley. For more information about the journal and submissions, feel free to peruse the IUBMB journals website.

For now, please enjoy highlights of our recent content. Happy reading!


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Volume 75, Issue 9

Issue Highlights

LINC01376 promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumorigenesis by competitively binding to the SP1/miR-4757/IGF1 axis

Yi Peng, Yujie Zhang, Yatian Liu, Zhen Dong, Tingting Wang, Fanyu Peng, Wenyi Di, Dan Zong, Mingyu Du, Hongping Zhou, Xia He

Yi Peng, Yujie Zhang and Yatian Liu contributed equally to this study.

First published: 27 March 2023

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)–microRNA (miRNA) interaction network plays a crucial part in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we discovered a relationship between LINC01376 and miR-4757 in NPC tumor development. First, LINC01376 was abnormally overexpressed in NPC tissues and cells, and its elevated expression was associated with advanced clinical stage and shorter distant metastasis-free survival time. Moreover, biological experiments showed that LINC01376 facilitated the proliferative, invasive, and migratory abilities of NPC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, bioinformatics and RT-qPCR assays revealed that LINC01376 knockdown upregulated the expression level of downstream miR-4757, including miR-4757 primary transcript (pri-miR-4757) and mature miR-4757. Furthermore, LINC01376 competitively sponged the transcription factor SP1 and reduced its enrichment in the upstream promoter region of miR-4757 to repress miR-4757 expression. Finally, insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1) was identified as the target of miR-4757. Rescue experiments indicated that LINC01376 accelerated NPC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through the miR-4757-5p/IGF1 axis. In conclusion, the SP1/miR-4757/IGF1 axis, which is regulated by LINC01376 in NPC deterioration and metastasis, is expected to provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of NPC carcinogenesis.


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Volume 49, Issue 4

Issue Highlights

Curcumin-based nanoformulations alleviate wounds and related disorders: A comprehensive review

Legha Ansari, Habibeh Mashayekhi-Sardoo, Vafa Baradaran Rahimi PharmD, PhD, Roghayeh Yahyazadeh, Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan, Vahid Reza Askari PharmD, PhD

First published: 24 March 2023

Despite numerous advantages, curcumin’s (CUR) low solubility and low bioavailability limit its employment as a free drug. CUR-incorporated nanoformulation enhances the bioavailability and angiogenesis, collagen deposition, fibroblast proliferation, reepithelization, collagen synthesis, neovascularization, and granulation tissue formation in different wounds. Designing nanoformulations with controlled-release properties ensure the presence of CUR in the defective area during treatment. Different nanoformulations encompassing nanofibers, nanoparticles (NPs), nanospray, nanoemulsion, nanosuspension, nanoliposome, nanovesicle, and nanomicelle were described in the present study comprehensively. Moreover, for some other systems which contain nano-CUR or CUR nanoformulations, including some nanofibers, films, composites, scaffolds, gel, and hydrogels seems the CUR-loaded NPs incorporation has better control of the sustained release, and thereby, the presence of CUR until the final stages of wound healing is more possible. Incorporating CUR-loaded chitosan NPs into nanofiber increased the release time, while 80% of CUR was released during 240 h (10 days). Therefore, this system can guarantee the presence of CUR during the entire healing period. Furthermore, porous structures such as sponges, aerogels, some hydrogels, and scaffolds disclosed promising performance. These architectures with interconnected pores can mimic the native extracellular matrix, thereby facilitating attachment and infiltration of cells at the wound site, besides maintaining a free flow of nutrients and oxygen within the three-dimensional structure essential for rapid and proper wound healing, as well as enhancing mechanical strength.



First published: 25 March 2023

Condensed and hydrolyzable tannins are secondary metabolites present in almost every plant part. Tannase enzyme acts on hydrolyzable tannins to produce gallic acid and tannase-mediated end-products with immense therapeutic potential. Seven different fruits with significant presence of hydrolyzable tannin content were selected to check for phenol, tannin, and hydrolyzable tannin contents. Prunus domestica had the maximum phenol content, that is, 85.4 ± 0.207, followed by Syzygium cuminiFragaria ananassaRubus fruticosus, and Psidium guajava. Plum showed the maximum number of hydrolyzable tannins. Fruit extracts were subjected to tannase hydrolysis and their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were determined. There was a significant increase in the antioxidant abilities of the fruits with Punica granatum extract, displaying the highest decline of 132 units of IC50 followed by F. ananassa hydrolyzable extract, showing a decrease from 224.75 to 119.98 μg/mL. The extracts also depicted a significant increase in antibacterial activity after hydrolysis against Escherichia coliPseudomonas aeruginosaBacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus with Rubus idaeus aqueous extract observed to be most effective against E. coli. The increase in antioxidant and antibacterial activity can be attributed to the production of tannase-mediated products formed after the biotransformation of hydrolyzable tannins present in the aqueous extracts.



First published: 05 April 2023

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide an efficient mechanism to provide many students with an original research project. CUREs often culminate in a capstone poster presentation, but reports on these classes usually focus on the preparation and execution of the project rather than communication of the results. This article summarizes a CURE-associated research seminar that focuses on developing the communication and interpersonal skills required for the production and presentation of a conference poster. The class is designed to provide students with the tools and confidence for effective communication of their research. From the two class offerings to date, the 18 participating students have received five awards from 19 conference presentations.


Did you know? Wiley and Jisc just signed an agreement that allows UK authors to publish Open Access in the IUBMB Journals at no cost to them.

Thanks to a partnership our publisher Wiley has signed with Jisc, certain UK institutions now have full access to journals published by Wiley, including the IUBMB Journals. Further, the partnership enables authors at participating UK institutions to publish open access at no cost to them in the IUBMB Journals. Payment of the associated Article Publication Charges (APC) would be covered via the partnership, and authors will not need to cover the APCs from their own pockets.

Wiley has also signed similar agreements with universities in Germanythe NetherlandsAustriaNorwayHungaryFinland, Sweden, and with the US-based OhioLink And VIVA.

Submit your research to the IUBMB Journals today.


Molecular Aspects of Medicine

Molecular Aspects of Medicine

Volume 93 (October) 101204
Advances in vaccine development for cancer prevention and treatment in Lynch Syndrome

Ana M. Bolivar, Fahriye Duzagac, Krishna M. Sinha, Eduardo Vilar

Aspects of Molecular Medicine

Aspects of Molecular Medicine LOW RES for overprint placement

Volume 2 (December 2023) 100022
CaMKII: A link between metabolic disorders and cardiac arrhythmias

M. Federico , C.A. Valverde  , L.A. Gonano , J. Palomeque , A. Mattiazzi

Publish open access for free: The publication fee waiver for Aspects of Molecular Medicine has been extended until 30 September 2024.

Learn more on the journal website