12/10/2026

MicroRNA as key players in skin regeneration and anti-aging pathways

Azizi et al.

For full text please see pdf.

05/10/2026

Glycemia reprograms substrate transport and shapes divergent stress responses in differentiating H9c2 cells

Passaponti et al.

For full text please see pdf.

07/08/2026

Stress management by benzodiazepines in septic shock and critical illness: mechanistic and clinical evidence supporting alternative sedative strategies

Lambertucci et al.

For full text please see pdf.

07/07/2026

Triptolide inhibits ovarian cancer growth and metastasis via reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages

Chen et al.

For full text please see pdf.

03/07/2026

Polyamine-mediated inhibition of ferroptosis contributes to geroprotection

Madeo et al.

For full text please see pdf.

24/04/2026

The IRE1α-XBP1s-NFκB axis controls cell survival and epithelial differentiation under osmotic stress through arachidonic acid metabolism activation

Parra et al.

Arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism plays a critical role in renal cell osmoadaptation. We recently demonstrated that hypertonicity induces the expression and activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). On one hand, AA released by cPLA2 enhances triacylglyceride (TG) synthesis and accumulation. On the other hand, AA is converted into prostaglandins (PG) through cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) activity. Both processes are required for renal cell survival under osmotic stress. However, the mechanisms by which hypertonicity induces cPLA2 expression remain poorly understood. Given that we previously shown that hypertonicity regulates TG synthesis through the IRE1α-XBP1s branch of the unfolded protein (…)

06/03/2026

Multifaceted role of CNPY2 beyond ER stress: Disease implications and therapeutic potential

Ebadollahibaruq et al.

This review meticulously dissects CNPY2’s structural characteristics, expression patterns, and biological functions across various disorders, emphasizing its role on tumor initiation, microenvironmental stress, and chemoresistance, and evaluating its potential as a therapeutic target.

30/01/2026

Antifungal peptides: from modes of action to synergistic and immunologic potential

Carmona-Gutierrez et al.
26/01/2026

Reversal of Cushing syndrome by antibody-mediated neutralization of ACBP/DBI

Shen et al.

For full text please see pdf.

02/11/2017

The role of hydrophobic matching on transmembrane helix packing in cells

Grau et al.

INTRODUCTION Assembly of the native structure of most integral membrane proteins takes place in two main steps [cite source=’pubmed’]1694455[/cite]. The first step includes targeting and insertion of the protein into a lipid membrane. In the

20/09/2017

mIDH-associated DNA hypermethylation in acute myeloid leukemia reflects differentiation blockage rather than inhibition of TET-mediated demethylation

Wiehle et al.

INTRODUCTION Isocitrate dehydrogenase enzymes IDH1 and IDH2 are two closely related enzymes that convert isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The genes encoding IDH1 and IDH2 are recurrently mutated in different cancer

25/08/2017

The long non-coding RNA H19 suppresses carcinogenesis and chemoresistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

Schultheiss et al.

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 represents a maternally expressed and epigenetically regulated imprinted gene product and is discussed to have either tumor-promoting or tumor-suppressive actions. Recently, H19 was shown to be regulated under inflammatory conditions. Therefore, aim of this study was to determine the function of H19 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), an inflammation-associated type of tumor. In four different human HCC patient cohorts H19 was distinctly downregulated in tumor tissue compared(…)

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14/08/2018

SKP2 and OTUD1 govern non-proteolytic ubiquitination of YAP that promotes YAP nuclear localization and activity

Yao et al.

YAP and its paralog TAZ are key effectors of the evolutionarily conserved Hippo signaling pathway, a pathway that regulates organ size, tissue homeostasis, and tumorigenesis. In human cells, MST1/2 (mammalian homologs of Drosophila Hippo kinase)

26/07/2018

T lymphocytes against solid malignancies: winning ways to defeat tumours

Caruana et al.

INTRODUCTION When a tumour mass starts growing in the body, T lymphocytes are activated inside secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) and mount an immune response against immuno-stimulating tumour antigens presented by professional antigen presenting cells. This

25/07/2018

Irreversible impact of chronic hepatitis C virus infection on human natural killer cell diversity

Strunz et al.

Due to the fact that infection with HCV nearly always becomes chronic, we first investigated the imprint of the persisting infection on the NK cell compartment. To overcome shortcomings of prior studies, where typically a

24/07/2018

GFI1’s role in DNA repair suggests implications for tumour cell response to treatment

Vadnais and Möröy

GFI1 was discovered over 20 years ago and a large body of experimental evidence defines its function as a DNA binding transcriptional repressor. Since GFI1 does not possess any enzymatic activity itself, it acts through

13/07/2018

Mitochondrial dysfunction and its role in tissue-specific cellular stress

Pacheu-Grau et al.

Mitochondrial bioenergetics require the coordination of two different and independent genomes. Mutations in either genome will affect mitochondrial functionality and produce different sources of cellular stress. Depending on the kind of defect and stress, different tissues and organs will be affected, leading to diverse pathological conditions. There is no curative therapy for mitochondrial diseases, nevertheless, there are strategies described that fight the various stress forms caused by the malfunctioning organelles. Here, we will revise the main kinds of stress generated by mutations in mitochondrial genes and outline several ways of fighting this stress.

14/06/2018

Foie gras and liver regeneration: a fat dilemma

Della Fazia and Servillo

The liver has a unique ability of regenerating after injuries or partial loss of its mass. The mechanisms responsible for liver regeneration – mostly occurring when the hepatic tissue is damaged or functionally compromised by metabolic stress – have been studied in considerable detail over the last few decades, because this phenomenon has both basic-biology and clinical relevance. More specifically, recent interest has been focusing on the widespread occurrence of abnormal nutritional habits in the Western world that result in an increased prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is closely associated with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, and it represents a major clinical challenge. The disease may progress to steatohepatitis with persistent inflammation and progressive liver damage, both of which will compromise regeneration under conditions of partial hepatectomy in surgical oncology or in liver transplantation procedures. Here, we analyze the impact of ER stress and SIRT1 in lipid metabolism and in fatty liver pathology (…)

13/06/2018

Amelioration of obesity-induced diabetes by a novel autophagy enhancer

Lim and Lee

Our screening system was a convenient high throughput assay of autophagic flux rather than cumulative autophagy levels, and the index of autophagic activity was calculated as the ratio of the luciferase fluorescence of an autophagy-susceptible

12/06/2018

Epigenetic mechanisms behind cellular sensitivity to DNA damage

Williamson et al.

INTRODUCTION Epigenetics is the regulation of gene expression independent of the gene sequence itself via the interactions between DNA and proteins called histones [cite]10.4161/epi.24042[/cite]. In the nucleus, DNA is highly compacted by wrapping around four

27/05/2018

Striatal dual cholinergic /GABAergic transmission in Parkinson disease: friends or foes?

Lozovaya et al.

Although constituting less than 1% of neuronal population of the striatum, cholinergic interneurons play a major role in the control of sensory integration in preparation for movements. These giant neurons innervate a wide range of

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27/04/2020

HIF1α or mitophagy: which drives cardiomyocyte differentiation?

Villarejo-Zori et al.

Cardiomyocytes (CMs) are the main cellular component of the heart's atria and ventricles, and their contractile capacity is the engine that drives blood flow throughout the body. The differentiation of cardiac myoblasts into CMs during

24/04/2020

Copper – a novel stimulator of autophagy

Zischka and Kroemer

In biomedicine, the transition metal copper has a Janus-faced dual role, as an essential but static cofactor of vital enzymes but also as a highly detrimental poison, if in excess. This vision is best exemplified

02/03/2020

Coronavirus infections: Epidemiological, clinical and immunological features and hypotheses

INTRODUCTION Infections have been limiting quality of life and longevity throughout human history. Endemic infections have been associated to a significant number of avoidable deaths and a significant increase of morbidity all around the word.

20/01/2020

ACBP is an appetite stimulator across phylogenetic barriers

Madeo et al.

Human civilization is unique with respect to the organization of our natural environment, allowing constant supply of nutrients to most individuals in developed countries, contrasting with the natural fluctuation in food sources found in wildlife.

19/12/2019

Necroptosis, tumor necrosis and tumorigenesis

Liu and Jiao

INTRODUCTION Cell death can happen through either an active, regulated process, known as programmed cell death, or a passive, uncontrolled course. Because of the dramatic morphological differences of these two types of cell death, they

03/11/2019

LTX-315 – a promising novel antitumor peptide and immunotherapeutic agent

Zweytick

Host defense in mammals, as provided by the innate immune system, comprises proteins such as lactoferrin (LF), a multifunctional iron-binding glycoprotein originally discovered in bovine milk. LF is further pepsin-cleaved to a cationic amphipathic peptide,

08/10/2019

Anti-regulatory T cells are natural regulatory effector T cells

Ødum

It is well established that the immune system uses regulatory immune-suppressive cells to inhibit and terminate immune reactions and maintain immune balance. In the last decade, Andersen and colleagues have discovered that regulatory cells also

24/04/2019

The targeting of tumor-associated macrophages by vaccination

Andersen

Immune suppressive myeloid cells include a heterogenous population of cells that include tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). TAMs are major players in inducing the immunosuppressive microenvironment associated with many tumors. These lesions were recently defined as tumors

21/03/2019

Mitochondrial stress delays tumorigenesis in a Li-Fraumeni syndrome mouse model

Donnelly et al.

As a prominent hub of metabolic activity, the mitochondrion can initiate retrograde signaling in response to bioenergetic stress that is important for various adaptive changes including cell cycle regulation [1][2]. There is abundant evidence that

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Whether you’re preparing a manuscript, reviewing a paper, or just exploring the journal, this FAQ answers the essentials—from scope and founders to impact and how to submit. Prefer a tailored path? Pick For authors or For reviewers below.

Peer-reviewed, open-access research using unicellular organisms (and multicellular microorganisms) to understand cellular responses and human disease.

The journal (founded in 2014) is led by its Editors-in-Chief Frank Madeo, Didac Carmona-Gutierrez, and Guido Kroemer

Microbial Cell has been publishing original scientific literature since 2014, and from the very beginning has been managed by active scientists through an independent Publishing House (Shared science Publishers). The journal was conceived as a platform to acknowledge the importance of unicellular organisms, both as model systems as well as in the biological context of human health and disease.

Ever since, Microbial Cell has very positively developed and strongly grown into a respected journal in the unicellular research community and even beyond. This scientific impact is reflected in the yearly number of citations obtained by articles published in Microbial Cell, as recorded by the Web of Science (Clarivate, formerly Thomson/Reuters):

The scientific impact of Microbial Cell is also mirrored in a series of milestones:

2015: Microbial Cell is included in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), a selection of developing journals drafted by Clarivate Analytics based on the candidate’s publishing standards, quality, editorial content, and citation data. Note: As an ESCI-selected journal, Microbial Cell is currently being evaluated in a rigorous and long process to determine an inclusion in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), which allows the official calculation of Clarivate Analytics’ impact factor.

2016: Microbial Cell is awarded the so-called DOAJ Seal by the selective Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The DOAJ Seal is an exclusive mark of certification for open access journals granted by DOAJ to journals that adhere to outstanding best practice and achieve an extra high and clear commitment to open access and high publishing standards.

2017: Microbial Cell is included in Pubmed Central (PMC), allowing the archiving of all the journal’s articles in PMC and PubMed.

2019: Microbial Cell is indexed in the prestigious abstract and citation database Scopus after a thorough selection process. This also means that Microbial Cell obtains, for the first time, an official Scopus CiteScore as well as an official journal ranking in the Scimago Journal and Country Ranking.

2022: Microbial Cell’s CiteScore reaches a value of 7.2 for the year 2021, positioning Microbial Cell among the top microbiology journals (previously available CiteScores: 2019: 5.4; 2020: 5.1).

2022: Microbial Cell is indexed in the highly selective Science Citation Index Expanded™, which covers approx. 9,500 of the world’s most impactful journals across 178 scientific disciplines. In their journal selection and curation process, Clarivate´s editors apply 24 ‘quality’ criteria and four ‘impact’ criteria to select the most influential journals in their respective fields. This selection is also a pre-requisite for inclusion in the JCR, which features the impact factor.

2022: Microbial Cell is listed in the Journal Citation Reports™ (JCR), and obtains its first official Journal Impact Factor™ (JIF) for the year 2021: 5.316.

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