Article
Cell Biology
Shaowei Mao, Di Zhang, Luan Chen, Jie Tan, Yunpeng Chu, Sijia Huang, Wenqi Zhou, Hengwei Qin, Qinghua Xia, Yueran Zhao, Rongxiu Li, Shengying Qin, Muyun Wei
Summary: Metastasis is a serious risk for RCC patients and understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying it is crucial for developing new therapeutic approaches. Studies have shown that FKBP51 may play a role in regulating ECM function and promoting invasion and migration of tumor cells in RCC. The study found that FKBP51 promotes ccRCC invasion and migration by binding with TIMP3, connecting it with Beclin1 complex and increasing autophagic degradation of TIMP3.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Donghwa Kim, Sang Won Choi, Jihee Cho, Jae-Hui Been, Kyoungsun Choi, Wenzhe Jiang, Jaeho Han, Jedo Oh, Changmin Park, Soongyu Choi, Songyi Seo, Koung Li Kim, Wonhee Suh, Sang Kook Lee, Sanghee Kim
Summary: Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness associated with excessive angiogenesis. Researchers have developed a novel antiangiogenesis agent by modifying the structure of wondonin marine natural products, resulting in improved bioactivity and selectivity. This compound, 31, shows potential as a lead for developing small-molecule drugs to treat diabetic retinopathy and to uncover new mechanisms of angiogenesis.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Dongliang Wang, Mengke Li, Jie Ling, Shuxia Chen, Qikai Zhang, Zhong Liu, Yanjing Huang, Caineng Pan, Yuheng Lin, Zhuoxing Shi, Ping Zhang, Yingfeng Zheng
Summary: Aging impairs the function of endothelial cells (ECs), which contributes to the development of vascular-related diseases. This study used single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze the transcriptome of ECs and identified two specialized subtypes specifically expressed in aged mice ECs: aged capillary ECs and pro-inflammation capillary ECs. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with aging and may help in understanding senescence-related processes.
HEPATOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Jun Yeon Park, Myoung-Sook Shin
Summary: Polysaccharide PLE-II isolated from persimmon leaves significantly inhibits the expression of angiogenesis-related factors (such as VEGF and MMP-9) in HUVECs by regulating the PI3K/AKT, p38, JNK, and NF-kappa B p65 signaling pathways.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shuhan Bu, Hien C. Nguyen, Sepideh Nikfarjam, David C. R. Michels, Berk Rasheed, Sauraish Maheshkumar, Shweta Singh, Krishna K. Singh
Summary: The endothelium maintains vascular homeostasis by balancing vasorelaxation and vasoconstriction through regulating Nitric Oxide (NO) availability. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is involved in this process and regulates endothelial function such as cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Inhibition of eNOS through genetic or pharmacologic methods has shown differential effects on endothelial cell behavior, suggesting a more complex mechanism behind eNOS regulation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fei Wang, Peiwen Ding, Xue Liang, Xiangning Ding, Camilla Blunk Brandt, Evelina Sjostedt, Jiacheng Zhu, Saga Bolund, Lijing Zhang, Laura P. M. H. de Rooij, Lihua Luo, Yanan Wei, Wandong Zhao, Zhiyuan Lv, Janos Hasko, Runchu Li, Qiuyu Qin, Yi Jia, Wendi Wu, Yuting Yuan, Mingyi Pu, Haoyu Wang, Aiping Wu, Lin Xie, Ping Liu, Fang Chen, Jacqueline Herold, Joanna Kalucka, Max Karlsson, Xiuqing Zhang, Rikke Bek Helmig, Linn Fagerberg, Cecilia Lindskog, Fredrik Ponten, Mathias Uhlen, Lars Bolund, Niels Jessen, Hui Jiang, Xun Xu, Huanming Yang, Peter Carmeliet, Jan Mulder, Dongsheng Chen, Lin Lin, Yonglun Luo
Summary: Using single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers generated a comprehensive map of single-cell transcriptomes from various organs of pigs. They identified a high degree of heterogeneity within cells and uncovered several functionally distinct cell types, including a subtype of endothelial cells in adipose tissues. Additionally, they predicted tissue- and cell type-specific communication between endothelial cells and other cell types through specific pathways. Furthermore, analysis of microglia transcriptomes across species revealed an evolutionally conserved regulon.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Olegs Borodins, Felix Broghammer, Michael Seifert, Nils Cordes
Summary: Cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease with (epi)genetic characteristics that determine resistance to therapy. Preclinical research has identified the adhesome as a critical resistance mechanism in multiple cancers. This study connects preclinical data with transcriptomic and patient survival data, revealing a set of overexpressed genes in different cancers that negatively affect patient survival, particularly in radiotherapy-treated cohorts. These genes, including key integrins and their interconnectors, may serve as therapeutic targets in cancer treatment.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sweta Parab, Rachael E. Quick, Ryota L. Matsuoka
Summary: The study reveals that specific combinations of vascular endothelial growth factors are essential for driving fenestrated vessel formation in the zebrafish myelencephalic choroid plexus. The results also suggest that vEC-autonomous Vegfc and meningeal fibroblast-derived Vegfab and Vegfd are critical for CP vascularization. This study provides insights into the molecular cues and cell types critical for directing fenestrated CP vascularization.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Cristina Carbajo-Garcia, Lucia de Miguel-Gomez, Elena Juarez-Barber, Alexandra Trelis, Javier Monleon, Antonio Pellicer, James M. Flanagan, Hortensia Ferrero
Summary: H3K27ac is involved in the pathogenesis and maintenance of uterine leiomyoma (UL), and reversal of histone deacetylation upregulates the expression of tumor suppressor genes, suggesting it as a therapeutic approach for UL.
Article
Biology
Kaisa E. Happonen, Patrick G. Burrola, Greg Lemke
Summary: The Mer gene, when activated in vascular endothelial cells, plays a crucial role in maintaining the blood-brain barrier and regulating angiogenesis and blood coagulation. This study's findings have significant implications for understanding disease mechanisms and the severity of COVID-19.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Jie Zhou, Yaomin Hu, Wende Zhu, Chuansheng Nie, Wenxiu Zhao, Alexander T. Faje, Kay E. Labelle, Brooke Swearingen, Hang Lee, E. Tessa Hedley-Whyte, Xun Zhang, Pamela S. Jones, Karen K. Miller, Anne Klibanski, Yunli Zhou, Roy J. Soberman
Summary: This study found that angiogenesis in pituitary tumors is more active compared to normal pituitary gland tissue and is regulated mainly by PGF and VEGFC. The expression of endothelial markers in tumor samples was highly correlated with the expression of VEGFC and PGF. Inhibition of angiogenesis using VEGFR inhibitors showed promising results in vitro and in mice. Therefore, angiogenesis inhibitors may have potential as therapies for aggressive pituitary tumors.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Nabil F. Saba, Pooja Vijayvargiya, Jan B. Vermorken, Juan P. Rodrigo, Stefan M. Willems, Nina Zidar, Remco de Bree, Antti Maekitie, Greg T. Wolf, Athanassios Argiris, Yong Teng, Alfio Ferlito
Summary: Therapies for squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck are evolving rapidly, with the inclusion of immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapies. This review article explores the utility of anti-VEGF therapies on SCCHN and its interaction with the immune environment. The correlation between VEGF and the progression of SCCHN is strong, with nearly 90% of these cancers expressing VEGF.
Article
Dermatology
Luyang Xiong, Michael McCoy, Rakhilya Murtazina, Eugene A. Podrez, Tatiana V. Byzova
Summary: TLR2 plays an important role in skin wound healing, with endothelial cells depending on it for robust angiogenesis while hair follicle stem cells do not require TLR2 for proliferation or wound healing potential.
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hitomi Matsuno, Shoko Tsuchimine, Kazunori O'Hashi, Kazuhisa Sakai, Kotaro Hattori, Shinsuke Hidese, Shingo Nakajima, Shuichi Chiba, Aya Yoshimura, Noriko Fukuzato, Mayumi Kando, Megumi Tatsumi, Shintaro Ogawa, Noritaka Ichinohe, Hiroshi Kunugi, Kazuhiro Sohya
Summary: Several lines of evidence suggest that stress-induced neurovascular dysfunction and increased blood-brain barrier permeability are important pathological links between stress and psychiatric disorders. This study demonstrates the crucial role of vascular endothelial growth factor in stress-induced blood-brain barrier dysfunction and depressive-like behavior development.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arlinda Ljoki, Tanzila Aslam, Tina Friis, Ragnhild G. Ohm, Gunnar Houen
Summary: In this study, a co-culture assay with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) was used to investigate the effects of selected angiogenesis inhibitors on the differentiation and network formation of HUVECs in vitro. The results showed that neutralizing VEGF and inhibiting VEGFR2 resulted in the formation of HUVEC clusters, while other inhibitors of the VEGF signaling pathways did not have this effect. Additionally, glucocorticoid receptor activation was found to be linked to angiogenesis and HUVEC differentiation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Letter
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Yu Du, Gauri Khandekar, Jessica Llewellyn, William J. Polacheck, Christopher S. Chen, Rebecca G. Wells
Article
Cell Biology
Juliann B. Tefft, Jennifer L. Bays, Alex Lammers, Sudong Kim, Jeroen Eyckmans, Christopher S. Chen
Summary: The interplay between NOTCH1 and NOTCH3 is crucial for pericyte-induced vascular stabilization, as both components are required for the proper formation and function of the endothelium.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Subramania Sundaram, Christopher S. Chen
Summary: Engineered microsystems for in vitro studies of cultured cells are advancing from simple 2D platforms to more complex 3D architectures and organoid cultures. However, there are still challenges in recreating key aspects of tissue composition, architecture, and mechanics. Future cellular platforms will need to have the ability to sense and modulate tissue responses, enabling the study of previously inaccessible questions in cell biology.
TRENDS IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quinton Smith, Jennifer Bays, Linqing Li, Haniyah Shareef, Christopher S. Chen, Sangeeta N. Bhatia
Summary: Patients with Alagille syndrome have mutations in the Notch signaling pathway, resulting in complications like jaundice and cholestasis. In vitro studies using primary human intrahepatic cholangiocytes show that extracellular matrix and mitogen stimulation can promote biliary branching in a Notch-dependent manner, providing insight into biliary tissue assembly and offering potential for novel liver tissue models.
Correction
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quinton Smith, Jennifer Bays, Linqing Li, Haniyah Shareef, Christopher S. Chen, Sangeeta N. Bhatia
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christos Michas, M. Cagatay Karakan, Pranjal Nautiyal, Jonathan G. Seidman, Christine E. Seidman, Arvind Agarwal, Kamil Ekinci, Jeroen Eyckmans, Alice E. White, Christopher S. Chen
Summary: Researchers have successfully utilized high-precision fabrication techniques to create scaffolds and microfluidic valves for a simulated model of the heart. By mimicking organ-level cardiac mechanical function at small scales, they have demonstrated the significance of high-precision fabrication in tissue model studies.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Kacey Ronaldson-Bouchard, Diogo Teles, Keith Yeager, Daniel Naveed Tavakol, Yimu Zhao, Alan Chramiec, Somnath Tagore, Max Summers, Sophia Stylianos, Manuel Tamargo, Busub Marcus Lee, Susan P. Halligan, Erbil Hasan Abaci, Zongyou Guo, Joanna Jackow, Alberto Pappalardo, Jerry Shih, Rajesh K. Soni, Shivam Sonar, Carrie German, Angela M. Christiano, Andrea Califano, Karen K. Hirschi, Christopher S. Chen, Andrzej Przekwas, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
Summary: This study reports the development and application of a tissue-chip system where matured human heart, liver, bone, and skin tissue niches are interconnected by recirculating vascular flow, allowing for the replication of interdependent organ functions and potentially enhancing clinical applicability.
NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Arnav Chhabra, H-H Greco Song, Katarzyna A. Grzelak, William J. Polacheck, Heather E. Fleming, Christopher S. Chen, Sangeeta N. Bhatia
Summary: This study developed a 3D platform for modeling human liver regeneration and found that endothelial cell secretion and cytokine stimulation can promote hepatocyte proliferation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Shoshana L. Das, Bryan P. Sutherland, Emma Lejeune, Jeroen Eyckmans, Christopher S. Chen
Summary: In this study, an in vitro cardiac microtissue injury system was developed to mimic the regional responses seen after myocardial infarction. The injured region showed a complete loss of contractile function, while the uninjured regions exhibited elevated contractile function, compensating for the loss of function in the injured region. This work provides a new in vitro model for studying cardiac tissue remodeling and electromechanical changes after injury.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-HEART AND CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Huate Li, Subramanian Sundaram, Ruifeng Hu, Lihua Lou, Francisco Sanchez, William McDonald, Arvind Agarwal, Christopher S. Chen, Thomas G. Bifano
Summary: Controlling the boundary conditions of engineered heart tissues (EHTs) in real-time allows for dynamic regulation of their contractile force. This capacity provides a new approach to study heart disease and drug toxicity screening, as well as probe tissue mechanics.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jarrod Moore, Jourdan Ewoldt, Gabriela Venturini, Alexandre C. C. Pereira, Kallyandra Padilha, Matthew Lawton, Weiwei Lin, Raghuveera Goel, Ivan Luptak, Valentina Perissi, Christine E. E. Seidman, Jonathan Seidman, Michael T. T. Chin, Christopher Chen, Andrew Emili
Summary: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common inherited heart disease, can lead to sudden cardiac death in young adults. In this study, we used an integrated multi-omics analysis to investigate the effects of myosin heavy chain mutations on human pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes and patient samples. Our findings shed light on the early molecular mechanisms involved in mitochondrial homeostasis and metabolic dysfunction, providing insights into the initial responses to mutations before the onset of contractile dysfunction and overt disease.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Marshall S. Ma, Subramanian Sundaram, Lihua Lou, Arvind Agarwal, Christopher S. Chen, Thomas G. Bifano
Summary: Three dimensional engineered cardiac tissues (3D ECTs) are crucial in vitro models for assessing drug cardiotoxicity, but the low throughput of current assays limits their efficiency. To overcome this limitation, an innovative mosaic imaging system was developed to measure contractile force of 3D ECTs seeded on a 96-well plate, increasing throughput to 96 samples per measurement.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Megan Griebel, Anish Vasan, Christopher Chen, Jeroen Eyckmans
Summary: Although the mechanisms of wound healing are similar across different types of wounds, the method of injury can impact the healing process. For example, burn wounds are more prone to developing hypertrophic scars compared to lacerations, possibly due to the greater damage that needs to be repaired. While immune cells are known to play a role in tissue clearance, the contribution of fibroblasts in this process remains unclear.
APL BIOENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Matthew J. White, Kyle A. Jacobs, Tania Singh, Lakyn N. Mayo, Annie Lin, Christopher S. Chen, Young-wook Jun, Matthew L. Kutys
Summary: This study uses a 3D model to demonstrate that Notch1 influences epithelial morphogenesis through a mechanism independent of transcriptional signaling. Notch1 cortical signaling directly regulates epithelial cell architecture and proliferation by stabilizing adherens junctions and cortical actin. These findings provide new insights into Notch1 signaling and regulation and suggest a coordination between transcriptional and cell adhesive programs.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Marc A. Fernandez-Yague, Dennis Zhou, Ellijah Holland, Jeroen Eyckman, Jiamping Fu, Christopher Chen, David Schlaepfer, Andres J. Garcia
TISSUE ENGINEERING PART A
(2022)