Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lei Tang, Jun Shi, Manshu Yu, Yun Shan, Juan Zhao, Meixiao Sheng
Summary: Pericytes may play a role in human peritoneal fibrosis. Researchers successfully isolated and characterized highly pure peritoneal microvascular pericytes from mice, and found that they are involved in endothelial tube formation and myofibroblast transition.
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Takuma Matsuki, Takuo Hirose, Yusuke Ohsaki, Satoshi Shimada, Akari Endo, Hiroki Ito, Chika Takahashi, Seiko Yamakoshi, Ikuko Oba-Yabana, Go Anan, Toshiko Kato, Ryo Tajima, Shingo Nakayama, Tomoyoshi Kimura, Hannah Nakamura, Junichi Tani, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Shigeo Kure, Takefumi Mori
Summary: The activation of the PDGFR pathway after renal congestion leads to renal congestion-induced fibrosis. Inhibition of PDGFR shows some efficacy in suppressing fibrosis after renal congestion.
JOURNAL OF HYPERTENSION
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Isaac W. Shaw, Eoin D. O'Sullivan, Angela O. Pisco, Gary Borthwick, Kevin M. Gallagher, Bruno Peault, Jeremy Hughes, David A. Ferenbach
Summary: This study characterized the heterogeneity of renal mesenchymal cells in young vs old animals and after injury, demonstrating that age and injury impact the expression patterns and transcriptomes of these cells. The findings reveal distinct subtypes of mesenchymal cells with different expression patterns with aging and following injury, offering new insights into the classification and identification of age-specific pathways and targets in renal mesenchymal cells.
STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Min Xia, Lyu Jiao, Xiao-Han Wang, Min Tong, Mu-Di Yao, Xiu-Miao Li, Jin Yao, Dan Li, Pei-Quan Zhao, Biao Yan
Summary: Using single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers identified specific cell types involved in capillary dysfunction and identified Col1a1 as a potential therapeutic target. Col1a1 was upregulated in the OIR model and in patients with diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. These findings enhance our understanding of retinal cell complexity and heterogeneity and have important implications for future treatments of capillary dysfunction.
Article
Hematology
Yali Yu, Yu Leng, Xiuyue Song, Jie Mu, Lei Ma, Lin Yin, Yu Zheng, Yi Lu, Yuanming Li, Xuefeng Qiu, Hai Zhu, Jing Li, Dong Wang
Summary: This study investigated how ECM stiffness regulates microvascular endothelial cells and pericytes, as well as the mechanisms of pericyte-myofibroblast differentiation. The results showed that soft ECM and TGF-β signaling inhibitor A83-01 cooperatively maintained microvascular stability and inhibited pericyte-myofibroblast differentiation. Soft ECM also promoted microvascular regeneration and inhibited fibrosis in bone graft transplantation.
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ayaha Yamamoto, Hitomi Morioki, Takafumi Nakae, Yoshiaki Miyake, Takeo Harada, Shunsuke Noda, Sayuri Mitsuoka, Kotaro Matsumoto, Masashi Tomimatsu, Soshi Kanemoto, Shota Tanaka, Makiko Maeda, Simon J. Conway, Kazunori Imaizumi, Yasushi Fujio, Masanori Obana
Summary: The study identified that OASIS in myofibroblasts promotes kidney fibrosis, partially through increased Bst2 expression. Systemic genetic knockout of OASIS reduces myofibroblast proliferation and systemic anti-Bst2 blocking antibody approach attenuates kidney fibrosis in normal mice after UUO.
Article
Cell Biology
Qiuhua Yang, Emily Huo, Yongfeng Cai, Zhidan Zhang, Charles Dong, John M. Asara, Qingqing Wei
Summary: This study demonstrates the critical role of glycolytic activator PFKFB3 in driving fibroblast activation and subsequent renal fibrosis. It also highlights the promoting effect of lactate on renal fibrosis.
Article
Physiology
Turun Song, Xiang-Yang Zhu, Alfonso Eirin, Yamei Jiang, James D. Krier, Hui Tang, Kyra L. Jordan, Amir Lerman, Lilach O. Lerman
Summary: Our study demonstrates the potential therapeutic role of renal pericytes in subjects with ischemic kidney disease. Xenogeneic pericyte delivery ameliorates the loss of perfusion, glomerular filtration rate, and atrophy in stenotic kidneys, and protects against renal inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and senescence. The beneficial effects of pericyte delivery may be mediated by improving tissue hypoxia, vascular loss, and tubular atrophy.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-RENAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Honglin Yu, Jingbo Zhu, Lingyu Chang, Chaozhao Liang, Xiaohu Li, Wei Wang
Summary: The study showed that 3-BrPA significantly suppressed kidney injury and interstitial collagen production, as well as attenuated ECM accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, 3-BrPA inhibited FMT and TGF-beta 1-induced fibroblast proliferation through potential IRAK4/MYC signal pathways.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hong-Yan Zhou, Hua Sui, Yang-Jianing Zhao, Hong-Jie Qian, Nan Yang, Lu Liu, Qing Guan, Yue Zhou, Hong-Li Lin, Da-Peng Wang
Summary: Inflammation and tissue damage lead to fibrosis, and the vascular niche plays a key role in regulating inflammation and influencing organ damage repair. The vascular niche can regulate macrophages, endothelial cell transformation, and provide new ideas for anti-fibrosis drug research.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shu Zhu, Anqi Wang, Wei Xu, Longfei Hu, Jiafan Sun, Xiuli Wang
Summary: This study used single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate the properties of ectopic endometrium (ECE), eutopic endometrium (EUE), and normal endometrium (NOE) in patients with endometriosis. The study found that myofibroblasts, pericytes, and macrophages were more abundant in ECE compared to non-ectopic tissues. Myofibroblasts mainly underwent fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation, while pericytes were dependent on endothelial cell differentiation. These findings suggest that targeting myofibroblasts, pericytes, and macrophages may be a potential therapeutic approach for endometriosis.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR BASIS OF DISEASE
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Gloria Orlando, Barbara Molon, Antonella Viola, Mauro Alaibac, Roberta Angioni, Stefano Piaserico
Summary: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease associated with various comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases. Current research focuses on the pathways linking psoriatic plaques to the cardiovascular system, as well as the potential involvement of endothelial cells in this process.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Ya-hui Xu, Yi-fan Feng, Rong Zou, Fei Yuan, Yuan-zhi Yuan
Summary: The study reveals that the Hippo/YAP and MAPK/Erk signaling pathways play important roles in subretinal fibrosis. Overexpression of YAP leads to increased proliferation, migration, and differentiation of pericytes, while knockdown of YAP reduces subretinal fibrosis caused by CNV.
CELL BIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Danyyl Ippolitov, Leanne Arreza, Maliha Nuzhat Munir, Sabine Hombach-Klonisch
Summary: Brain tissue contains a high number of perivascular pericytes, which are known to regulate brain perfusion and play an important role in the neurovascular unit. This review discusses the phenotypes and markers of brain pericytes, as well as the experimental models used to study their function. The crosstalk between pericytes, endothelial cells, and metastatic cells in breast cancer brain metastasis is presented as an example. Future challenges lie in real-time monitoring of pericyte crosstalk to understand the causal events in brain metastasis.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Cheng Xu, Quan Hong, Kaiting Zhuang, Xuejing Ren, Shaoyuan Cui, Zheyi Dong, Qian Wang, Xueyuan Bai, Xiangmei Chen
Summary: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality and is recognized as a long-term risk factor for progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Pericytes are the major source of myofibroblasts in kidney fibrosis. Metabolic reprogramming controls the fate of pericyte transdifferentiation and targeting the abnormal metabolism of pericytes can effectively prevent AKI from progressing to CKD.
METABOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL
(2023)