Navit Ogen-Shtern

• PhD
• Researcher at Dead Sea-Arava Science Center (DSASC)

Background. Wound healing requires a delicate balance between cellular and molecular factors, all affected by reactive oxygen species (ROS). While ROS decontaminate, they also might lead to impaired wound healing, as evident in radiation-exposed skin and in venous insufficiency. Human alpha-1 antitrypsin (hAAT) is a circulating antiprotease that is...

The majority of membrane and secretory proteins undergo N-glycosylation, a process catalyzed by oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), a membrane-bound protein complex that associates with the translocation channels within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Proteins failing quality control undergo ER-associated degradation (ERAD) by retrotranslocation to cy...

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis L.) wax was previously reported to increase cutaneous wound healing, ameliorate acne and psoriasis manifestations, and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. However, its potential cosmetic properties have not been fully investigated. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of jojob...

Background: Skin aging manifestation, such as coarse wrinkles, loss of elasticity, pigmentation, and rough-textured appearance, is a multifactorial process that can be exacerbated by air pollution, smoking, poor nutrition, and sun exposure. Exposure to UV radiation is considered the primary cause of extrinsic skin aging and accounts for about 80%...

Herein, we report biocompatible hydrogel for wound healing that was prepared using nature-sourced building blocks. For the first time, OCS was employed as a building macromolecule to form bulk hydrogels along with the nature-sourced nucleoside derivative (inosine dialdehyde, IdA) as the cross-linker. A strong correlation was obtained between the me...

Misfolded proteins and components of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control and ER associated degradation (ERAD) machineries concentrate in mammalian cells in the pericentriolar ER-derived quality control compartment (ERQC), suggesting it as a staging ground for ERAD. By tracking the chaperone calreticulin and an ERAD substrate, we have now...

The worldwide supply of agar comes exclusively from a few red seaweed genera and especially from the Gracilaria genus, mostly grown in shallow beaches or tide pools (FAO2018). In recent years, red seaweeds have gained further interest as a potential source for health promoting substances, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. In our res...

Misfolded proteins and components of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control and ER associated degradation (ERAD) machineries concentrate in the pericentriolar ER-derived quality control compartment (ERQC), suggesting it as a staging ground for ERAD. By tracking the chaperone calreticulin and an established ERAD substrate, asialoglycoprotein...

Misfolded proteins and components of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control and ER associated degradation (ERAD) machineries concentrate in mammalian cells in the pericentriolar ER-derived quality control compartment (ERQC), suggesting it as a staging ground for ERAD. By tracking the chaperone calreticulin and an ERAD substrate, we have now...

The oil produced from Nigella sativa seeds (black cumin) is a known folklore remedy for treatment of various health conditions, including the treatment of microbial infections. The microbes Malassezia furfur, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus are commonly found in healthy skin and gut microbiota, but can also be infection-inducing microorg...

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider) wax is used for various dermatological and pharmaceutical applications. Several reports have previously shown beneficial properties of Jojoba wax and extracts, including antimicrobial activity. The current research aimed to elucidate the impact of Jojoba wax on skin residential bacterial (Staphylococcu...

Introduction: The zone of stasis is formed around the coagulation zone following skin burning and is characterized by its unique potential for salvation. The cells in this zone may die or survive depending on the severity of the burn and therefore are target for the local treatments of burns. Their low survival rate is consistent with decreased ti...

Jojoba, Simmondsia chinensis (Link) C.K. Schneider is an evergreen shrub widely grown in Israel, the Middle East, South America, Africa, India and Australia used as an agricultural crop for commercial purposes and as a source of its non-edible natural wax. It is widely used in pharmaceutics and cosmetic formulation due to its unique structural char...

Natural products have long been used for skincare and dermo-cosmetic topical formulations. Of particular interest are the unique phytochemical and properties of marine-based extracts and compounds. Both Dunaliella salina and Haloferax volcanii have been shown to possess several health-promoting properties. However, the impact of the extracts on air...

Several in vitro models that mimic different aspects of local skin inflammation exist. The use of ex vivo human skin organ culture (HSOC) has been reported previously. However, comprehensive evaluation of the cytokine secretory capacity of the system and its kinetics has not been performed. Objective: the aim of the current study was to investigate...

Background: Clinical studies demonstrated that continued exposure to copper oxide-embedded textiles, such as pillowcases, significantly reduces depth of facial wrinkles and skin sagging and enhances skin elasticity. Objective: Study the mechanisms by which the exposure to copper ions improve the well-being of the skin. Methods: Human skin expl...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The Nrf2 signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in neutralizing excess reactive oxygen species formation and therefore enhancing the endogenous cellular protection mechanism. Thus, activating this pathway may provide therapeutic options against oxidative stress-related disorders. We have recently applied a computer-aided drug desig...

Modifications of N-linked oligosaccharides of glycoproteins soon after their biosynthesis correlate to glycoprotein folding status. These alterations can be detected in a sensitive way by pulse-chase analysis of [2-3H]mannose-labeled glycoproteins, with enzymatic removal of labeled N-glycans, separation according to size by HPLC and radioactive det...

Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) of a misfolded glycoprotein in mammalian cells requires the removal of 3-4 alpha 1,2 linked mannose residues from its N-glycans. The trimming and recognition processes are ascribed to ER Mannosidase I, the ER-degradation enhancing mannosidase-like proteins (EDEMs), and the lectins OS-9 and XTP3-B,...

The internal environment of the eukaryotic cell is divided by membranes into various organelles, containing diverse functional subcompartments, which allow complex cellular life. The quality control of newly made secretory proteins relies on the ability of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to segregate and compartmentalize molecules at different foldi...

ER α1,2 mannosidase I (ERManI), a central component of ER quality control and ER-associated degradation (ERAD), acts as a timer enzyme, modifying N-linked sugar chains of glycoproteins with time. This process halts glycoprotein folding attempts when necessary and targets terminally misfolded glycoproteins to ERAD. Despite the importance of ERManI i...

A functional unfolded protein response (UPR) is essential for endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) of misfolded secretory proteins, reflecting the fact that some level of UPR activation must exist under normal physiological conditions. A coordinator of the UPR and ERAD processes has long been sought. We had shown that the PKR-li...

Recent studies are delineating a detailed picture of the architecture and function of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the early secretory pathway, showing the existence of dynamic compartmentalization of ER quality control and ER-associated degradation (ERAD) factors. The compartmentalization is regulated by ER protein load and in turn regulates...