Extracellular vesicles are a heterogeneous population of membrane vesicles, released from cells both in vivo and in vitro, with an important role in intercellular communication. They have been isolated from…

Tissue engineering as a relatively new field of regenerative medicine has already gone through early developmental stages in a way that it already gives some clinical results. In essence, tissue…

A cell is separated from its environment by the plasma membrane through which it accepts signals and nutrients. The plasma membrane also allows cellular response to them. Endocytosis has a…

The Golgi apparatus is a cellular organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. In addition to its participation in protein and lipid glycosylation, the Golgi apparatus also sorts and directs vesicular…

Oxygen free radicals play an important role in many processes: they are involved in various phases of the inflammatory process and therefore take part in the defence of the organism.…

Oxygen free radicals are obligatory side product of the aerobic cell metabolism. In the first part of the paper their main characteristics and formation paths as well as the reactions…

Liposomes are lipid vesicles used in research and therapy. In the present study, liposomes were fractionated by gel chromatography and their characteristics were determined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). From…

Primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is one of the most common diseases of the urinary tract in children. Such children develop retrograde flow, i.e. backward flow of urine from the uri­nary…

Melatonin is the main secretory product of the pineal gland of all mammals, including humans. Functionally, melatonin has been linked to the strengthening of circadian rhythms, regula- 67 tion of…

Mitochondria occupy a unique position among cellular organelles because of their possession of a separate genome (mitochondrial DNA - mtDNA) and capability to duplicate DNA and transcribe and translate the…

Amongst the recently well known groups of human disorders is the ciliary motility syndrome. It is caused by genetically-determinated defects of cilia, consequently leading to impaired transport of mucus and…

Lateral redistribution of molecules in cell membrane may result in budding and shedding of vesicles smaller than micrometer, called microvesicles. Microvesicles reflect in their cha­racteristics the state and type of…

Autophagy is a catabolic process of the degradation of cellular components by lysosomal enzymes. It is essential for cellular homeostasis by maintaining the balance between the syn­thesis, degradation and turnover…

Tight junctions comprise a crucial part of epithelial barriers by forming a molecular pore like structure that encircles the apex of individual cells. They control the passage of small molecules…

Background: Hypocholesterolemia in cancer patients is a frequent and expected phenomenon. Higher fluidity of plasma membranes (as a result of lower concentration of cholesterol) is a characteristic of most cancer…

Experiments and theoretical studies are presented that have led to the hypothesis of a sub­jacent pool of membranous nanostructures representing cell infrastructure.

With each somatic cell division, the chromosomal ends, or telomeres, progressively short­en. Critically shortened telomeres are recognised by DNA repair systems as DNA damage, the cells are withdrawn from the…

The degradation of cell ingredients takes place mainly in lysosomes. The most important and also the best known degradation pathway is autophagy, where a sequestrating membrane separates a part of the cytoplasm so…

Apoptosis is programmed cell death occurring as a result of a genetic program activated by developmental and environmental stimuli. Apoptosis is a normal physiological event. Dysregulation of the genetic programme for apoptosis…

Stomach cancer (gastric adenocacinoma) is a common malignant disease in Slovenia. The Lauren's classification distinguishes between a well differentiated intestinal type and a poorly differentiated diffuse type of the disease, which differ in…

Desmosomes are the strongest cell junctions. They are especially abundant in tissues such as the epithelium and the cardiac muscle, which are subject to mechanical stress. A desmosome consists of…