Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Pei-Chun Chou, Chih-Min Liu, Ching-Hui Weng, Kai-Chien Yang, Mei-Ling Cheng, Yuh-Charn Lin, Ruey-Bing Yang, Bai-Chuang Shyu, Song-Kun Shyue, Jin-Dian Liu, Shih-Pin Chen, Michael Hsiao, Yu-Feng Hu
Summary: This study reveals how fibroblasts drive the normal function of the sinoatrial node (SAN) by regulating metabolic reprogramming and rhythmic activity. The study also identifies the critical role of Aldoc in the interaction between fibroblasts and pacemaker cardiomyocytes.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas Kisby, Irene de Lazaro, Maria Stylianou, Giulio Cossu, Kostas Kostarelos
Summary: The study demonstrated that adenoviral delivery of OSKM can induce partial reprogramming of postnatal cardiomyocytes, with enhanced cell cycle activation, but the reprogramming is transient and cardiomyocyte-specific characteristics are spontaneously recovered by day 15 after viral transduction.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hyosuk Kim, Byeong-Wook Song, Soon-Jung Park, Seong Woo Choi, Hanbyeol Moon, Ki-Chul Hwang, Sun-Woong Kang, Sung-Hwan Moon, Yoosoo Yang, Ick Chan Kwon, Sun Hwa Kim
Summary: This study proposes an extracellular vesicle (EV)-guided, nonviral, direct lineage conversion strategy to enhance the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to induced cardiomyocyte-like cells (iCMs). The resulting iCMs show typical cardiac features and have gene expression profiles similar to cardiomyocytes. This method achieves a high conversion efficiency (>60%) and establishes a more accessible platform for generating specialized somatic cells through direct lineage conversion.
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Camilla Paoletti, Valeria Chiono
Summary: Ischemic heart disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide, and current pharmacological approaches have not yet achieved cardiac regeneration. Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes and the use of microRNAs for transfection show promising potential for myocardial regeneration. Further advancements in nanocarrier technology and 3D culture microenvironments are enhancing the efficiency of this approach for future clinical translation.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
James W. S. Jahng, Mao Zhang, Joseph C. Wu
Summary: The advent of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and identification of transcription factors for cardiac reprogramming have raised hope to cure heart disease, but there are still many challenges. This review discusses the role of metabolism in directed differentiation and trans-differentiation of cardiomyocytes, as well as the potential role of metabolic reprogramming in enhancing cardiomyogenesis strategies.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Irena Pastar, Jelena Marjanovic, Liang Liang, Rivka C. Stone, Olga Kashpur, Ivan Jozic, Cheyanne R. Head, Avi Smith, Behzad Gerami-Naini, Jonathan A. Garlick, Marjana Tomic-Canic
Summary: By studying the miR-regulated changes triggered by cell reprogramming, it was found that iPSC reprogramming is an effective approach for erasing the non-healing miR-mediated epigenetic signature in diabetes, promoting a pro-healing cellular phenotype.
EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Jiabiao Hu, Conrad P. Hodgkinson, Richard E. Pratt, JaeWoo Lee, Bruce A. Sullenger, Victor J. Dzau
Summary: The synthetic RNA oligonucleotide ICR2 enhances the efficiency of reprogramming fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes, reduces the risk of inflammatory reactions, and may potentially be used as a therapeutic agent to improve cardiac reprogramming efficiency.
MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arun Kumar Burramsetty, Ken Nishimura, Takumi Kishimoto, Muhammad Hamzah, Akihiro Kuno, Aya Fukuda, Koji Hisatake
Summary: This study identified and characterized proteins associated with the Nanog promoter in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) using unbiased methods. The results revealed the importance of these proteins, including RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), in the maintenance of pluripotency and the reprogramming of somatic cells. The findings highlight the functional relevance of RBPs in ESC differentiation and somatic cell reprogramming.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Hui Yu, Lei Qin, Yunzhi Peng, Wenhui Bai, Zhanli Wang
Summary: The study revealed that exosomes released from hypertrophic cardiomyocytes induced inflammatory responses in macrophages through miR-155, activating various signaling pathways, which may play a crucial role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yanpu Chen, Felipe F. Luttmann, Eric Schoger, Hans R. Schoeler, Laura C. Zelarayan, Kee-Pyo Kim, Jody J. Haigh, Johnny Kim, Thomas Braun
Summary: Research shows that expression of OSKM genes in adult cardiomyocytes can induce these cells to dedifferentiate, conferring regenerative capacity to the heart. This short-term dedifferentiation and reprogramming can ameliorate myocardial damage and facilitate heart regeneration.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Huan Zhang, Hongyuan Zhu, Jinteng Feng, Zheng Zhang, Simei Zhang, Zheng Wang, Lin Sun, Wencheng Zhang, Bin Gao, Ying Zhang, Min Lin
Summary: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), derived from activated fibroblasts, are known to play a major role in promoting tumor metastasis. Reprogramming these CAFs into a quiescent state may have therapeutic potential in cancer treatment.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jingyang Guan, Guan Wang, Jinlin Wang, Zhengyuan Zhang, Yao Fu, Lin Cheng, Gaofan Meng, Yulin Lyu, Jialiang Zhu, Yanqin Li, Yanglu Wang, Shijia Liuyang, Bei Liu, Zirun Yang, Huanjing He, Xinxing Zhong, Qijing Chen, Xu Zhang, Shicheng Sun, Weifeng Lai, Yan Shi, Lulu Liu, Lipeng Wang, Cheng Li, Shichun Lu, Hongkui Deng
Summary: This study demonstrates the chemical reprogramming of human somatic cells to human chemically induced pluripotent stem cells, which exhibit key features of embryonic stem cells. The induction of an intermediate plastic state and inhibition of the JNK pathway are crucial for successful chemical reprogramming.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mingxi Weng, Haoqing Hu, Matthew S. Graus, Daisylyn Senna Tan, Ya Gao, Shimiao Ren, Derek Hoi Hang Ho, Jakob Langer, Markus Holzner, Yuhua Huang, Guang Sheng Ling, Cora Sau Wan Lai, Mathias Francois, Ralf Jauch
Summary: Advanced strategies to convert cell types provide potential avenues for modeling cellular pathologies and developing therapies for neurological disorders. However, direct transdifferentiation of somatic cells into multipotent induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) is slow and inefficient, and it is unclear if cells go through a pluripotent state with full epigenetic reset. Our study reports the successful reprogramming of iNSCs from embryonic and aged mouse fibroblasts, as well as human blood, using an engineered version of Sox17 (eSox17(FNV)). This method efficiently drives iNSC reprogramming and shows promise in generating more authentic cell models for aging-associated neurodegenerative diseases.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shiyang Wu, Dan Liu, Wenpan Li, Baohui Song, Chunlin Chen, Dawei Chen, Haiyang Hu
Summary: Tumor-associated fibroblasts play a crucial role in tumor progression and response to therapy in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. By delivering silybin using nano liposomes, the study successfully altered the tumor immune microenvironment and enhanced the anti-tumor immune response. Combining an immunogenic cell death inducer, liposomal doxorubicin, further improved treatment efficacy and prolonged survival duration.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yanwei Chen, Shichuan Hu, Yongheng Shu, Zhongbing Qi, Bin Zhang, Yueting Kuang, Jinhu Ma, Ping Cheng
Summary: Solid tumors are characterized by abundant extracellular matrix and cancer-associated fibroblasts, impacting the vascular system and immune cells. The study demonstrates that the combination therapy of antifibrotic drug halofuginone with oncolytic virus significantly inhibits tumor growth and modulates the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
HUMAN GENE THERAPY
(2022)