Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meng-jie Huang, Yu-wei Ji, Jian-wen Chen, Duo Li, Tian Zhou, Peng Qi, Xu Wang, Xiao-fan Li, Yi-fan Zhang, Xiang Yu, Ling-ling Wu, Xue-feng Sun, Guang-yan Cai, Xiang-mei Chen, Quan Hong, Zhe Feng
Summary: This study investigates the role of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in acute kidney injury (AKI) progression. The results show that VEGFA has two peaks of expression during AKI progression: one in the early phase and one during the transition to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Early supplementation of VEGFA protects against renal injury, while late anti-VEGFA treatment attenuates renal fibrosis progression.
ACTA PHARMACOLOGICA SINICA
(2023)
Review
Urology & Nephrology
Changxiu Miao, Xiaoyu Zhu, Xuejiao Wei, Mengtuan Long, Lili Jiang, Chenhao Li, Die Jin, Yujun Du
Summary: This paper reviews the function of VEGF in renal fibrosis and explores the associated underlying mechanisms, providing insights for future research priorities.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cleo C. L. van Aanhold, Angela Koudijs, Kyra L. Dijkstra, Ron Wolterbeek, Jan A. Bruijn, Cees van Kooten, Hans J. Baelde
Summary: The study found that transfection with sFLT1 did not aggravate renal fibrosis and peritubular capillary loss, but reduced the expression of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory markers. sFLT1 mRNA levels were not correlated with interstitial fibrosis or PTC loss in human samples.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Yuan Lin, Meng-Qi Dong, Zhi-Min Liu, Meng Xu, Zhi-Hao Huang, Hong-Juan Liu, Yi Gao, Wei-Jie Zhou
Summary: There are currently no effective treatments for liver fibrosis, a disease that involves angiogenesis. The role of different microvessels in the liver during fibrogenesis is unclear, and it is difficult to treat liver fibrosis through vascular targeting. This study proposes a combined regulation of multiple different endothelial cell regulatory signaling pathways as a new strategy for liver fibrosis therapy.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Genevieve A. Secker, Natasha L. Harvey
Summary: The importance of lymphatic vessels in human diseases, the initiation of lymphatic vascular development during embryogenesis, and the role of VEGF/VEGFR signaling in driving the construction of lymphatic vessels were discussed in this review.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Soudeh Mostaghimi, Shima Mehrvar, Farnaz H. Foomani, Jayashree Narayanan, Brian Fish, Amadou K. S. Camara, Meetha Medhora, Mahsa Ranji
Summary: Vascular regression in the kidneys is a common symptom of various pathological conditions. Using a novel imaging technique, researchers assessed the changes in renal vasculature after radiation therapy and found a decrease in vessel volume and density.
BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Philip Chiu-Tsun Tang, Alex Siu-Wing Chan, Cai-Bin Zhang, Cristina Alexandra Garcia Cordoba, Ying-Ying Zhang, Ka-Fai To, Kam-Tong Leung, Hui-Yao Lan, Patrick Ming-Kuen Tang
Summary: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global health issue with complex pathogenic mechanisms and currently lacks effective therapeutic strategies. Immune cell dysfunction leads to inflammation and fibrosis, with TGF-beta 1 playing a critical role in promoting CKD progression.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Andrea Luengas-Martinez, Anna Kamaly-Asl, Iskander H. Chaudhry, Paul E. C. Brenchley, Helen S. Young
Summary: This study assessed the cutaneous vascular structure and perfusion in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, and found that blood flow, mean blood vessel area, and number of blood and lymphatic vessels was significantly higher in psoriasis plaques than in uninvolved skin. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A(121,) VEGF-A(165) and VEGF-D was also significantly increased in plaques, and the number of blood vessels in uninvolved skin was associated with the VEGF-A (rs833061) genotype.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ying Fu, Yu Xiang, Wenwen Wu, Juan Cai, Chengyuan Tang, Zheng Dong
Summary: This study revealed persistent autophagy activation in the kidneys of mice after nephrotoxicity of repeated low dose cisplatin (RLDC) treatment. Inhibitors of autophagy were able to block the autophagic pathway and improve kidney repair, resulting in reduced interstitial fibrosis. In vitro experiments showed that autophagy inhibitors could block RLDC-induced secretion of cytokines.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Yelda Pakize Kina, Ali Khadim, Werner Seeger, Elie El Agha
Summary: Multiple factors converge to coordinate organogenesis, particularly in the context of lung development where airway branching is considered a rate-limiting step. The reciprocal interaction between the vascular network and airway tree plays a critical role in their patterning, branching, and alignment.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Benjamin Sommer Thinggaard, Frederik Pedersen, Jakob Grauslund, Lonny Stokholm
Summary: This cohort study examines the use and forecast of intravitreal injections of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor in Denmark from 2007 through 2022.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sudarshan Bhattacharjee, Yang Lee, Bo Zhu, Hao Wu, Yabing Chen, Hong Chen
Summary: Epsins 1 and 2, as adaptor proteins, play essential roles in regulating cell signaling pathways in angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis by interacting with lipids and proteins. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of epsin-mediated regulation may have therapeutic implications for diseases like atherosclerosis and diabetes.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Carlos Escudero, Jesenia Acurio, Eduardo Lopez, Andres Rodriguez, Antonia Benavente, Evelyn Lara, Steven J. Korzeniewski
Summary: Circulating VEGF levels were found to be elevated 24-48 hours after acute ischemic stroke and were associated with prognosis of moderate to severe disability at 6 months. Combining VEGF with interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein significantly improved predictive performance compared to using VEGF alone.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Anahita Fouladzadeh, Mohsen Dorraki, Kay Khine Myo Min, Michaelia P. Cockshell, Emma J. Thompson, Johan W. Verjans, Andrew Allison, Claudine S. Bonder, Derek Abbott
Summary: The development of vascular networks in solid tumours, formed through angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry (VM), demonstrate similar characteristics such as reducing path length over time. While endothelial cells in angiogenesis increase network clustering coefficients, maintaining small-world network properties, VM networks improve efficiency by reducing edges and vertices while increasing edge length.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ziyan Lin, Ai Chen, Hongwang Cui, Ruihua Shang, Tian Su, Xiaoyan Li, Kekun Wang, Jing Yang, Keli Gao, Jie Lv, Jie Shen, Shanzhi Wang, Yonghui Qi, Minghao Guo, Yongjun Zhu
Summary: This study identified the occurrence of renal tubular epithelial cell necroptosis in CKD patients, especially in stages 2 and 3a CKD. Renal tubular epithelial cell necroptosis mediates renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in patients with chronic kidney disease, which is related to the TGF-beta 1/Smad3 signaling pathway.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Sara E. Howden, Sean B. Wilson, Ella Groenewegen, Lakshi Starks, Thomas A. Forbes, Ker Sin Tan, Jessica M. Vanslambrouck, Emily M. Holloway, Yi-Hsien Chen, Sanjay Jain, Jason R. Spence, Melissa H. Little
Summary: Distinct progenitors contribute to the nephrons versus the ureteric epithelium during kidney development. The distal nephron segment alone displays significant in vitro plasticity and can adopt a ureteric epithelial tip identity when isolated and cultured in defined conditions. Cultures harboring loss-of-function mutations in PKHD1 recapitulate the cystic phenotype associated with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kynan T. Lawlor, Jessica M. Vanslambrouck, J. William Higgins, Alison Chambon, Kristina Bishard, Derek Arndt, Pei Xuan Er, Sean B. Wilson, Sara E. Howden, Ker Sin Tan, Fanyi Li, Lorna J. Hale, Benjamin Shepherd, Stephen Pentoney, Sharon C. Presnell, Alice E. Chen, Melissa H. Little
Summary: The study demonstrates the use of extrusion-based three-dimensional cellular bioprinting to rapidly and efficiently generate kidney organoids with highly reproducible cell number and viability. This technology not only improves throughput and quality control in organoid production, but also facilitates precise control of structure, enhancing the in vitro and in vivo applications of stem cell-derived human kidney tissue.
Editorial Material
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Christine Mummery, Melissa Little, Haifan Lin, Amander Clark, Ken Zaret, Deepak Srivastava, Elaine Fuchs, Fiona Watt, Sally Temple
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amar J. Majmundar, Florian Buerger, Thomas A. Forbes, Verena Klambt, Ronen Schneider, Konstantin Deutsch, Thomas M. Kitzler, Sara E. Howden, Michelle Scurr, Ker Sin Tan, Mickael Krzeminski, Eugen Widmeier, Daniela A. Braun, Ethan Lai, Ihsan Ullah, Ali Amar, Amy Kolb, Kaitlyn Eddy, Chin Heng Chen, Daanya Salmanullah, Rufeng Dai, Makiko Nakayama, Isabel Ottlewski, Caroline M. Kolvenbach, Ana C. Onuchic-Whitford, Youying Mao, Nina Mann, Marwa M. Nabhan, Seymour Rosen, Julie D. Forman-Kay, Neveen A. Soliman, Andreas Heilos, Renate Kain, Christoph Aufricht, Shrikant Mane, Richard P. Lifton, Shirlee Shril, Melissa H. Little, Friedhelm Hildebrandt
Summary: Recessive NOS1AP variants impair CDC42/DIAPH-dependent actin remodeling, causing aberrant organoid glomerulogenesis, and leading to glomerulopathy in both humans and mice.
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Lydia Djenoune, Ritu Tomar, Aude Dorison, Irene Ghobrial, Heiko Schenk, Jan Hegermann, Lynne Beverly-Staggs, Alejandro Hidalgo-Gonzalez, Melissa H. Little, Iain A. Drummond
Summary: The study reveals the presence of cell-autonomous calcium signaling in podocyte development, which is a conserved mechanism in different species. Calcium signaling is released from endoplasmic reticulum stores and plays a critical role in podocyte morphology and foot process formation.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Developmental Biology
Sean B. Wilson, Melissa H. Little
Summary: The postnatal kidney is mainly composed of epithelial cells, while the developing kidney has a diverse and regionally specific gene expression in stromal cells, which tightly regulate the identity and function of epithelial cells. Although a renal stromal stem cell population exists, their role in kidney morphogenesis is still unclear.
Article
Biology
Blake Cook, Alex Combes, Melissa Little, James M. Osborne
Summary: Kidney diseases and disorders are common in mid-late adulthood worldwide, often caused by improper formation of the kidneys before birth. Researchers have used mathematical modeling to study kidney development and investigated the behavior of cap mesenchyme cells and their impact on kidney growth. The study found that spatial regulation of cell differentiation and increased cell adhesion can ensure healthy kidney development.
BULLETIN OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Melissa H. Little, Sara E. Howden
Summary: In this study published in Cell Stem Cell, Ungricht et al. performed a temporally controlled CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-wide screen in kidney organoids to identify the key gene networks involved in the specification of kidney cell types from human pluripotent stem cells. This research contributes to our understanding of human kidney development and disease.
Review
Urology & Nephrology
Melissa H. Little, Benjamin D. Humphreys
Summary: This article reviews the changes in our understanding of kidney development, disease, repair, and regeneration over the past fifteen years, and envisions the future of kidney regeneration and repair for the next fifteen years.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY
(2022)
Review
Urology & Nephrology
Melissa H. Little, Sara E. Howden, Kynan T. Lawlor, Jessica M. Vanslambrouck
Summary: Studying lineage relationships in cells can offer valuable insights into their origins, differentiation, and development. With the use of genetic methods, Cre systems, single-cell transcriptional profiling, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, researchers are now able to make predictions about cellular relationships across different developmental stages, leading to a better understanding of development and disease.
NATURE REVIEWS NEPHROLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sophie Shen, Yuliangzi Sun, Maika Matsumoto, Woo Jun Shim, Enakshi Sinniah, Sean B. Wilson, Tessa Werner, Zhixuan Wu, Stephen T. Bradford, James Hudson, Melissa H. Little, Joseph Powell, Quan Nguyen, Nathan J. Palpant
Summary: This review evaluates the landscape of methods in single-cell transcriptomics for accelerating discovery in stem cell science. Strategies for scaling stem cell differentiation, evaluating molecular regulation, and classification of stem cell derivatives are discussed, providing user considerations for implementation and interpretation.
TRENDS IN MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Sean B. Wilson, Sara E. Howden, Jessica M. Vanslambrouck, Aude Dorison, Jose Alquicira-Hernandez, Joseph E. Powell, Melissa H. Little
Summary: This study developed an unbiased tool (DevKidCC) for accurately classifying cell identities in kidney organoids and comparing different single-cell datasets. By applying this tool, differences in the relative proportions of cell types between kidney organoids generated using different protocols can be identified, leading to improvements in kidney organoid generation methods.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francine S. Ke, Steven Holloway, Rachel T. Uren, Agnes W. Wong, Melissa H. Little, Ruth M. Kluck, Anne K. Voss, Andreas Strasser
Summary: BID functions as an effector of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, playing a role both upstream and parallel to BAX, BAK, and BOK, and it may exert its function by releasing cytochrome c.
Editorial Material
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Melissa Little
Summary: As the ISSCR celebrates its 20th anniversary, the significant contributions of the Society in advancing stem cell research and regenerative medicine are humbling. The curiosity, ingenuity, and persistence of its members have led to breakthroughs such as the development of induced pluripotent stem cells and the application of stem cell therapies for diseases like epidermolysis bullosa and type 1 diabetes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessica M. Vanslambrouck, Sean B. Wilson, Ker Sin Tan, Ella Groenewegen, Rajeev Rudraraju, Jessica Neil, Kynan T. Lawlor, Sophia Mah, Michelle Scurr, Sara E. Howden, Kanta Subbarao, Melissa H. Little
Summary: Enhanced specification of metanephric nephron progenitors results in improved development of proximal nephrons with better functionality and distinct cell types. This improvement enhances the study of proximal tubular diseases, drug responses, and viral interactions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)