Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Daniel A. Osorio, Silvio R. Consonni, Aline M. dos Santos, Hernandes F. Carvalho
Summary: Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) exhibit a phenotypical transition from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype under different circumstances, influenced by factors such as the fibrin matrix and TGFs. When cultured on a fibrin gel, SMCs show active degradation behavior and increased migration in response to TGF alpha.
MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emma L. Woods, Irina Grigorieva, Adam C. Midgley, Charlotte V. M. Brown, Yueh-An Lu, Aled O. Phillips, Timothy Bowen, Soma Meran, Robert Steadman
Summary: The study reveals that CD44s plays a crucial role in TGF-beta 1-induced fibroblast/myofibroblast differentiation and IL-1 beta-induced monocyte binding. CD147 is associated with CD44s and is essential for myofibroblast function and collagen gel contraction.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Kaveeta Kaw, Abhijnan Chattopadhyay, Pujun Guan, Jiyuan Chen, Suravi Majumder, Xue-yan Duan, Shuangtao Ma, Chen Zhang, Callie S. Kwartler, Dianna M. Milewicz
Summary: This study investigates how the variant p.Arg149Cys in ACTA2 gene predisposes to atherosclerosis in individuals without cardiovascular risk factors. The variant increases intracellular cholesterol levels in smooth muscle cells, leading to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Treatment with the HMG-CoAR inhibitor pravastatin successfully reverses the increased plaque burden.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Md Rashedunnabi Akanda, Eun-Jung Ahn, Yeong Jin Kim, S. M. Abdus Salam, Myung-Giun Noh, Sung Sun Kim, Tae-Young Jung, In-Young Kim, Chang-Hyun Kim, Kyung-Hwa Lee, Kyung-Sub Moon
Summary: This study evaluated the expression and clinical relevance of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-related biomarkers in brain metastasis and characterized patient-derived primary CAFs and normal fibroblasts. Various CAF-related biomarkers were expressed in brain metastasis of different primary cancers. PDGFR-13 and alpha-SMA were associated with tumor size and recurrence after resection. High expression of PDGFR-13 and alpha-SMA was found in patients with previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In primary cell culture, PDGFR-13 and alpha-SMA were expressed at higher levels in patient-derived CAFs than in normal fibroblasts or cancer cells. The origins of CAF in brain metastasis were presumed to be pericytes of blood vessels, circulating endothelial progenitor cells, or transformed astrocytes of the peritumoral glial stroma. Overall, high expression of CAF-related biomarkers, particularly PDGFR-13 and alpha-SMA, is associated with poor prognosis and recurrence in patients with brain metastasis.
Article
Oncology
Katsuyuki Tokinoya, Nanami Sekine, Kai Aoki, Seiko Ono, Tomoaki Kuji, Takehito Sugasawa, Yasuko Yoshida, Kazuhiro Takekoshi
Summary: The study revealed that in the absence of renalase, oxidative stress, macrophage infiltration, and TGF-β expression were enhanced as NASH progressed, while alpha-SMA expression in NASH may be partly suppressed due to decreased phosphorylation of Akt level.
MOLECULAR MEDICINE REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Shusuke Yamamoto, Seiji Yamamoto, Takuya Akai, Masakiyo Sasahara, Satoshi Kuroda
Summary: This study found that Moyamoya disease may promote the proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts in the arachnoid membrane by increasing the concentration of angiogenic factors in the cerebrospinal fluid, leading to increased production of collagen essential for collateral formation.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Hiroki Kobayashi, Krystyna A. Gieniec, Tamsin R. M. Lannagan, Tongtong Wang, Naoya Asai, Yasuyuki Mizutani, Tadashi Iida, Ryota Ando, Elaine M. Thomas, Akihiro Sakai, Nobumi Suzuki, Mari Ichinose, Josephine A. Wright, Laura Vrbanac, Jia Q. Ng, Jarrad Goyne, Georgette Radford, Matthew J. Lawrence, Tarik Sammour, Yoku Hayakawa, Sonja Klebe, Alice E. Shin, Samuel Asfaha, Mark L. Bettington, Florian Rieder, Nicholas Arpaia, Tal Danino, Lisa M. Butler, Alastair D. Burt, Simon J. Leedham, Anil K. Rustgi, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Masahide Takahashi, Timothy C. Wang, Atsushi Enomoto, Susan L. Woods, Daniel L. Worthley
Summary: In colorectal cancer, ACTA2(+) cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) emerge through proliferation from intestinal pericryptal leptin receptor (Lepr)(+) cells. These Lepr-lineage CAFs express melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM), which is inversely associated with patient survival. Knockout of stromal Mcam attenuates orthotopically injected colorectal tumoroid growth and improves survival through decreased tumor-associated macrophage recruitment. The fibroblast MCAM interacts with interleukin-1 receptor 1 to promote macrophage chemotaxis.
Article
Oncology
Md Rashedunnabi Akanda, Eun-Jung Ahn, Yeong Jin Kim, S. M. Abdus Salam, Myung-Giun Noh, Tae-Kyu Lee, Sung Sun Kim, Kyung-Hwa Lee, Kyung-Sub Moon
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between the expression of stromal cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) markers, platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta (PDGFR-beta) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), and clinical and prognostic variables in breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) patients. The expression of PDGFR-beta and alpha-SMA was lower in the triple-negative (TN) subtype compared to other molecular subtypes. High PDGFR-beta expression was associated with longer recurrence-free survival (RFS). TN molecular subtype and PDGFR-beta expression were independent prognostic factors for both recurrence-free survival and overall survival.
Article
Cell Biology
C. Peterson, H. L. Chandler
Summary: Insulin can promote corneal cellular migration and proliferation by inducing Akt signaling, which provides a potential therapeutic target for diabetic keratopathy. Glucose concentration dose-dependently increases α-SMA and TGF-beta 1 expression in fibroblasts, providing a novel avenue for treatment of diabetic keratopathy.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Hematology
Ryosuke Taniguchi, Yuichi Ohashi, Jung Seok Lee, Haidi Hu, Luis Gonzalez, Weichang Zhang, John Langford, Yutaka Matsubara, Bogdan Yatsula, George Tellides, Tarek M. Fahmy, Katsuyuki Hoshina, Alan Dardik
Summary: Endothelial cell-targeted TGF-beta inhibition may be a translational strategy to improve AVF patency.
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simon Braumann, Wibke Schumacher, Nam Gyu Im, Felix Sebastian Nettersheim, Dennis Mehrkens, Senai Bokredenghel, Alexander Hof, Richard Julius Nies, Christoph Adler, Holger Winkels, Ralph Knoell, Bruce A. Freeman, Volker Rudolph, Anna Klinke, Matti Adam, Stephan Baldus, Martin Mollenhauer, Simon Geissen
Summary: The study demonstrates a substantial therapeutic benefit of NO2-OA in a murine model of dilated cardiomyopathy, mediated by interfering with endogenously activated TGF beta signaling, that can attenuate myocardial fibrosis and substantially improve systolic function in the left ventricle.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Asma Ahrari, Hossein Najafzadehvarzi, Ali Taravati, Fatemeh Tohidi
Summary: The study demonstrated the protective effect of BBR-PLGA nanoparticles in attenuating liver injury induced by CCl4, leading to a decrease in liver enzyme levels. Compared to free BBR, BBR-PLGA-NPs significantly reduced alpha-SMA expression level and further improved hepatic histology.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Dina Fathy Elessawi, Hala Gabr, Monda Mohamed Maher Badawy, Tamer A. Gheita
Summary: The study found that the pathological features of untreated scleroderma-induced mice significantly improved after MSC therapy, with significant normalization of NO levels, α-SMA, and TGF-β1. Following MSC therapy, the altered histopathology of the skin and lung tissues in the scleroderma-induced mice showed a remarkable tendency to normalization.
Article
Ophthalmology
Anika Adulla, Urvi Patel, Ajay Ashok, Priya Katiyar, Mare Kaulakis, Alexander E. Kritikos, Sachin Pillai, HyunPin Lee, Ewald Lindner, Douglas J. Rhee, Neena Singh
Summary: This study investigates the function of alpha-Syn in the anterior eye and its association with eye diseases such as glaucoma. It suggests that alpha-Syn may regulate intraocular pressure by altering the interaction between extracellular matrix and trabecular meshwork cells. These findings provide new insights for the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Brittany Balint, Ines Garcia Lascurain Bernstorff, Tanja Schwab, Hans-Joachim Schaefers
Summary: This study investigated individuals with normal tricuspid aortic valves and non-dilated ascending aortic wall. It found that with age, smooth muscle cells in the aortic wall switch from a contractile phenotype to synthetic or senescent states, and the replicative capacity of the cells decreases. The findings suggest that modifying smooth muscle cell phenotype should be considered as a therapeutic approach against aneurysms in the future, regardless of etiology.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
