Article
Cell Biology
Arijita Sarkar, Nancy Q. Q. Liu, Jenny Magallanes, Jade Tassey, Siyoung Lee, Ruzanna Shkhyan, Youngjoo Lee, Jinxiu Lu, Yuxin Ouyang, Hanhan Tang, Fangzhou Bian, Litao Tao, Neil Segil, Jason Ernst, Karen Lyons, Steve Horvath, Denis Evseenko
Summary: This study establishes an epigenetic clock based on DNA methylation profiling of human chondrocytes and reveals an association between CpG methylation and chondrocyte age. It also demonstrates the role of STAT3 in regulating DNA methylation in chondrocyte development and osteoarthritis. Furthermore, functional assessment shows that a subset of chondrocytes acquire a progenitor-like phenotype.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annett Eitner, Sylvia Mueller, Christian Koenig, Arne Wilharm, Rebecca Raab, Gunther O. Hofmann, Thomas Kamradt, Hans-Georg Schaible
Summary: IL-1 beta induces NO release and mitochondrial dysfunction, and both can be prevented by inhibiting iNOS with L-NIL. Additionally, enhancing cAMP or inhibiting AMPK can reduce the effects of IL-1 beta, preventing NO release and mitochondrial dysfunction.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Haijun Zhao, Weijie Zhu, Wude Mao, Chengkai Shen
Summary: The study demonstrates that PRP can protect chondrocytes from doxorubicin-induced damage, inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation, and improving cartilage destruction. This research provides a new theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of osteoarthritis caused by doxorubicin.
MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Guy Journo, Anuj Ahuja, David Dias-Polak, Yonatan Eran, Reuven Bergman, Meir Shamay
Summary: KSHV, also known as HHV-8, is a well-known cancer-causing virus associated with various human cancers, including KS. Studies have shown that KSHV infection can lead to changes in DNA methylation in cells, affecting gene expression.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Junlai Wan, Ziqing Zhu, Zhiyi He, Hua Wu, Anmin Chen, Wentao Zhu, Peng Cheng
Summary: Stevioside (SVS) might alleviate cartilage degradation in mice with osteoarthritis (OA) by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines, reducing cell apoptosis and improving autophagy, as well as blocking the activation of signaling pathways. In vivo experiments demonstrated the potential therapeutic effect of SVS on OA.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Vandre C. Figueiredo, Yuan Wen, Bjorn Alkner, Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalo, Jessica Norrbom, Ivan J. Vechetti, Taylor Valentino, C. Brooks Mobley, Gabriel E. Zentner, Charlotte A. Peterson, John J. McCarthy, Kevin A. Murach, Ferdinand von Walden
Summary: The study reveals the genetic and rDNA gene-wide epigenetic regulation of ribosome biogenesis in response to exercise, highlighting the roles of rDNA dosage and CpG methylation in skeletal muscle. This indicates a genetic predisposition for hypertrophic responsiveness and preferential up-regulation of ribosome biogenesis with resistance exercise. The findings expand our understanding of the genetic and epigenetic factors involved in exercise-induced changes in ribosome biogenesis.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Peng Yi, Xiongfeng Xu, Jiawei Yao, Bo Qiu
Summary: Transcriptional changes in cartilage can lead to degradation and play a role in osteoarthritis development. Epigenetic regulation and distribution of methylated sites in transcriptional units are important factors in understanding the function of DNA methylation in OA.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xu Liu, Emily R. Weikum, Desiree Tilo, Charles Vinson, Eric A. Ortlund
Summary: DNA methylation involves adding a methyl group to a cytosine base, creating new transcription factor binding sites throughout evolution. The glucocorticoid receptor can bind to both unmodified and methylated sequences, with methylation on CpG sites mimicking the interaction with a TpG site. This methyl-specific recognition emerged 420 million years ago and has been conserved during the evolution of the receptor.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Ning Wang, Yangfan Lu, Benjamin B. B. Rothrauff, Aojie Zheng, Alexander Lamb, Youzhen Yan, Katelyn E. E. Lipa, Guanghua Lei, Hang Lin
Summary: In the synovial joint, mechanical force plays a crucial role in influencing chondrocyte behavior. This is achieved through mechanotransduction pathways that convert mechanical signals into biochemical cues, leading to changes in chondrocyte phenotype and extracellular matrix composition/structure. Recent studies have revealed the involvement of estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) in mediating the chondrocyte response to mechanical loading, highlighting its important role in mechanotransduction. This review summarizes the current understanding of mechanotransduction pathways in chondrocytes, explores the specific roles of ER alpha, and proposes future research directions to further elucidate its involvement in biomechanical cues.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carlos A. Garcia-Prieto, Damiana Alvarez-Errico, Eva Musulen, Alberto Bueno-Costa, Berta N. Vazquez, Alejandro Vaquero, Manel Esteller
Summary: Mouse has been extensively used as a model organism for studying biological pathways and drug effects. However, the knowledge about the mouse epigenome, particularly DNA methylation, is limited. In this study, a newly developed DNA methylation microarray was validated for profiling the mouse genome. The microarray provided reliable results, detected methylation changes, and accurately classified different mouse tissues and organs.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xianglong Pan, Pei Ji, Xiaheng Deng, Liang Chen, Wei Wang, Zhihua Li
Summary: This study identified four pairs of promoter CpGs and genes that were significantly associated with LUAD prognosis. The integration of CpG methylation and gene expression showed better predictive ability for LUAD prognosis.
Review
Oncology
Mykhailo Krolevets, Vincent ten Cate, Juergen H. Prochaska, Andreas Schulz, Steffen Rapp, Stefan Tenzer, Miguel A. Andrade-Navarro, Steve Horvath, Christof Niehrs, Philipp S. Wild
Summary: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the significant relationship between DNA methylation and CVD. A database is compiled, which includes CpG methylation sites, genes, and pathways that may play a critical role in the development of CVD.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel M. Sapozhnikov, Moshe Szyf
Summary: The causal relationship between DNA demethylation and gene expression regulation is still unclear. The authors developed a method using nuclease-dead Cas9 and guide RNA to physically block DNA methylation at specific promoters, enabling the examination of the role of DNA demethylation in living cells. This method could help reveal the contribution of DNA methylation to gene regulation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Dmitry Kopelyanskiy, Chantal Desponds, Florence Prevel, Matteo Rossi, Romain Migliorini, Tiia Snaka, Remzi Onur Eren, Stephanie Claudinot, Lon-Fye Lye, Manolis Pasparakis, Stephen M. Beverley, Nicolas Fasel
Summary: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is involved in the control of intracellular human pathogens. Leishmania protozoan parasites carrying Leishmania RNA virus 1 (LRV1) induce low levels of iNOS and nitric oxide (NO), which fail to control infection. The induction of iNOS requires strong activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappa B) triggered by LRV1-induced type I interferon (IFN). LRV1-bearing Leishmania parasites limit iNOS production by suppressing NF-kappa B activation. LRV1-induced iNOS may contribute to parasite metastasis.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Jizi Zhou, Yu Xiong, Xinran Dong, Huijun Wang, Yanyan Qian, Duan Ma, Xiaotian Li
Summary: The study investigated DNA methylation patterns in fetal heart tissues from cases with cardiac defects, finding global hypomethylation and specific methylation alterations in genes related to heart development outside of promoter regions. These findings provide new insights into the epigenetic mechanisms underlying abnormal heart development.
EXPERIMENTAL AND THERAPEUTIC MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yuya Ishikawa, Masayuki Ohashi, Toru Hirano, Michiharu Matsuda, Takeru Akabane, Haruo Kanno, Ko Hashimoto, Kyoichi Handa, Toshimi Aizawa, Tomoto Suzuki, Yukihide Shimamura, Kei Watanabe
Summary: This retrospective study evaluated the mid- to long-term surgical outcomes of thoracic dumbbell tumors treated with laminectomy and unilateral total facetectomy without instrumented fusion. The results showed that this surgical approach did not cause spinal deformity or instability requiring additional surgery at the follow-up, and the surgical region did not have adverse effects on the outcomes.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Laila A. Damiati, Monica P. Tsimbouri, Virginia-Llopis Hernandez, Vineetha Jayawarna, Mark Ginty, Peter Childs, Yinbo Xiao, Karl Burgess, Julia Wells, Mark R. Sprott, R. M. Dominic Meek, Peifeng Li, Richard O. C. Oreffo, Angela Nobbs, Gordon Ramage, Bo Su, Manuel Salmeron-Sanchez, Matthew J. Dalby
Summary: This study developed a polymer coating with nano-topographical structure to support osteospecific stem cells and prevent bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. The experimental results showed that this coating can increase cell adhesion and osteoblast differentiation, and reduce biofilm formation.
Article
Oncology
Satoshi Ichikawa, Noriko Fukuhara, Ko Hashimoto, Fumiyoshi Fujishima, Ryo Ichinohasama, Hideo Harigae
Summary: This study describes a case of de novo anaplastic multiple myeloma (AMM) with MYC rearrangement, suggesting that conventional chemotherapy could be a treatment option for this formidable disease.
LEUKEMIA RESEARCH REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Kouji Sanaka, Ko Hashimoto, Daisuke Kurosawa, Eiichi Murakami, Hiroshi Ozawa, Kohei Takahashi, Takahiro Onoki, Toshimi Aizawa
Summary: This study investigated the role of the psoas major muscles in human bipedal walking using a bipedal android model. The synchronized contraction of the psoas major, gluteus minimus, quadriceps femoris, and semimembranosus muscles generates force to tilt the upper body and swing the leg forward. Dysfunction of the psoas major muscle impairs gait, while dysfunction of the gluteus minimus muscle does not.
Editorial Material
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Jillian Cornish, Richard O. C. Oreffo
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Motoya Kobayashi, Noriaki Yokogawa, Satoshi Kato, Takeshi Sasagawa, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Hiroaki Nakashima, Naoki Segi, Sadayuki Ito, Toru Funayama, Fumihiko Eto, Akihiro Yamaji, Junichi Yamane, Satoshi Nori, Takeo Furuya, Atsushi Yunde, Hideaki Nakajima, Tomohiro Yamada, Tomohiko Hasegawa, Yoshinori Terashima, Ryosuke Hirota, Hidenori Suzuki, Yasuaki Imajo, Shota Ikegami, Masashi Uehara, Hitoshi Tonomura, Munehiro Sakata, Ko Hashimoto, Yoshito Onoda, Kenichi Kawaguchi, Yohei Haruta, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Kenji Kato, Hiroshi Uei, Hirokatsu Sawada, Kazuo Nakanishi, Kosuke Misaki, Hidetomi Terai, Koji Tamai, Akiyoshi Kuroda, Gen Inoue, Kenichiro Kakutani, Yuji Kakiuchi, Katsuhito Kiyasu, Hiroyuki Tominaga, Hiroto Tokumoto, Yoichi Iizuka, Eiji Takasawa, Koji Akeda, Norihiko Takegami, Haruki Funao, Yasushi Oshima, Takashi Kaito, Daisuke Sakai, Toshitaka Yoshii, Tetsuro Ohba, Bungo Otsuki, Shoji Seki, Masashi Miyazaki, Masayuki Ishihara, Seiji Okada, Shiro Imagama, Kota Watanabe
Summary: For older patients with decreased reserve function, traumatic cervical spine injuries often result in early mortality. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors for early mortality in this patient population. The analysis included 1512 patients aged >= 65 years who were hospitalized for treatment of traumatic cervical spine injuries. The results showed that older age, male sex, cervical spine fracture, complete motor paralysis, and chronic kidney disease were risk factors for early mortality.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Carmen Nunez-Carro, Margarita Blanco-Blanco, Karla Mariuxi Villagran-Andrade, Francisco J. Blanco, Maria C. de Andres
Summary: In this study, we reviewed the current understanding of epigenetic mechanisms in relation to the pathogenesis of OA, particularly in articular cartilage. Evidence suggests that dysregulation of crucial cartilage molecules is a result of aberrant epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, which contribute to the development and progression of OA. This provides an opportunity to explore new therapeutic targets and novel biomarkers for the disease.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Mori, Kazuko Ueno, Daisuke Chiba, Ko Hashimoto, Yosuke Kawai, Kazuyoshi Baba, Hidetatsu Tanaka, Takashi Aki, Masanori Ogasawara, Naoto Shibasaki, Katsushi Tokunaga, Toshimi Aizawa, Masao Nagasaki
Summary: This study investigated the association between developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and disease-associated loci in a Japanese cohort. GWAS was performed on 238 Japanese DDH patients and 2044 healthy individuals, with a replicate GWAS conducted on UK Biobank data. Gene set enrichment analyses (GSEAs) of both genetics and transcriptome revealed the ferroptosis signaling pathway to be significantly associated with DDH. This suggests that the ferroptosis signaling pathway may play a role in the pathogenesis of DDH.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Antonio Conde-Gonzalez, Michael Glinka, Deepanjalee Dutta, Robert Wallace, Anthony Callanan, Richard O. C. Oreffo, Mark Bradley
Summary: Regenerative medicine demands sophisticated 3D biomaterials to promote tissue formation. This study presents a novel technique for screening potential biocompatible 3D scaffolds, identifying a porous acrylate-based scaffold that promotes cell proliferation and tissue formation. The scaffold was fabricated through freeze-casting and photo-polymerization techniques and demonstrated tunable properties suitable for skeletal repair. This platform offers an innovative approach to scanning synthetic biomaterials for tissue regeneration.
BIOMATERIALS ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Yohei Yamada, Noriaki Yokogawa, Satoshi Kato, Takeshi Sasagawa, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Hiroaki Nakashima, Naoki Segi, Sadayuki Ito, Toru Funayama, Fumihiko Eto, Akihiro Yamaji, Junichi Yamane, Satoshi Nori, Takeo Furuya, Atsushi Yunde, Hideaki Nakajima, Tomohiro Yamada, Tomohiko Hasegawa, Yoshinori Terashima, Ryosuke Hirota, Hidenori Suzuki, Yasuaki Imajo, Shota Ikegami, Masashi Uehara, Hitoshi Tonomura, Munehiro Sakata, Ko Hashimoto, Yoshito Onoda, Kenichi Kawaguchi, Yohei Haruta, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Kenji Kato, Hiroshi Uei, Hirokatsu Sawada, Kazuo Nakanishi, Kosuke Misaki, Hidetomi Terai, Koji Tamai, Akiyoshi Kuroda, Gen Inoue, Kenichiro Kakutani, Yuji Kakiuchi, Katsuhito Kiyasu, Hiroyuki Tominaga, Hiroto Tokumoto, Yoichi Iizuka, Eiji Takasawa, Koji Akeda, Norihiko Takegami, Haruki Funao, Yasushi Oshima, Takashi Kaito, Daisuke Sakai, Toshitaka Yoshii, Tetsuro Ohba, Bungo Otsuki, Shoji Seki, Masashi Miyazaki, Masayuki Ishihara, Seiji Okada, Shiro Imagama, Kota Watanabe
Summary: This study aimed to analyze the demographic characteristics and short-term outcomes of traumatic cervical spine injuries in patients with dementia. A total of 1512 elderly patients aged >= 65 years with traumatic cervical injuries were included, and 95 patients (6.3%) had dementia. The analysis showed that patients with dementia were older, predominantly female, had lower body mass index, higher frailty index, lower pre-injury activities of daily living, and more comorbidities compared to patients without dementia. Patients with dementia had poorer activities of daily living at 6 months and a higher incidence of dysphagia up to 6 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis also revealed a higher mortality rate in patients with dementia.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rocio Munoz-Garcia, Marina Sanchez-Hidalgo, Manuel Alcarranza, Maria Victoria Vazquez-Roman, Maria Alvarez de Sotomayor, Maria Luisa Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Maria C. de Andres, Catalina Alarcon-de-la-Lastra
Summary: This study aimed to assess the effects of oleacein (OLA), a component of extra virgin olive oil, in a mouse model of SLE. Results showed that OLA supplementation reduced immune complex deposition and improved kidney damage. OLA also modulated various signaling pathways and epigenetic changes, suggesting its potential as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Roxanna S. Ramnarine-Sanchez, Janos M. Kanczler, Nicholas D. Evans, Richard O. C. Oreffo, Jonathan I. Dawson
Summary: This paper reports a new reaction-diffusion self-assembly system, in which proteins function as diffusive reactants to assemble stable clay-protein composite hydrogels. Using this method, scalable and highly stable 3D protein patterns can be generated at sub-cellular resolution, and can guide cell behavior to achieve precise bone tissue template formation.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Duanyang Xu, Konstantinos N. Bourdakos, Anna Crisford, Peter Johnson, Ibrahim Abughazaleh, Panuwat Srisamran, Richard O. C. Oreffo, Sumeet Mahajan, David J. Richardson, Lin Xu
Summary: We present an all-fiber ized 1840-nm thulium-fiber-laser source for label-free biological imaging through nonlinear microscopy. The source consists of a dissipative-soliton mode-locked seed laser and a chirped-pulse-amplification system. It utilizes short pulses generated by the mode-locked laser and pulse compression techniques to achieve high-quality imaging of biological samples.
BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Elloise Z. Matthews, Stuart Lanham, Kate White, Maria-Eleni Kyriazi, Konstantina Alexaki, Afaf H. El-Sagheer, Tom Brown, Antonios G. Kanaras, Jonathan West, Ben D. MacArthur, Patrick S. Stumpf, Richard O. C. Oreffo
Summary: Researchers have developed a new method to isolate and enrich skeletal stem cells from human bone marrow, which have the potential to differentiate into bone, cartilage, and fat cells. This study provides valuable insights for further understanding and utilization of these stem cells.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yang-Hee Kim, Jonathan Dawson, Richard O. C. Oreffo, Yasuhiko Tabata, Dhiraj Kumar, Conrado Aparicio, Isha Mutreja
Summary: Musculoskeletal disorders pose a significant burden on the global economy and public health. Hydrogels, especially Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel, hold great potential for enhancing the repair of damaged musculoskeletal tissues. This review provides a comprehensive overview of GelMA synthesis, hydrogel design, and its applications in regenerative medicine, particularly in the field of musculoskeletal drug delivery.
BIOENGINEERING-BASEL
(2022)