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Molecular Characterization Of Purβ: A Purine-Rich Single-Stranded Dna-Binding Repressor Of Myofibroblast Differentiation, Amy Rumora
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
The trans-differentiation of injury-activated fibroblasts to myofibroblasts is a process that provides contractile strength for wound closure. Persistent myofibroblast differentiation, however, is associated with fibrotic pathologies such as organ fibrosis, vascular remodeling, and atherosclerotic plaque formation. Myofibroblasts acquire a contractile phenotype with biochemical properties characteristic of both smooth muscle cells and stromal fibroblasts. The cyto-contractile protein, smooth muscle α-actin (SMαA) is a biomarker of myofibroblast differentiation. Expression of the SMαA gene, ACTA2, is regulated by cis-acting elements and transcription factors that activate or repress the ACTA2 promoter.
Purine-rich element binding proteins A (Purα) and B (Purβ) are sequence-specific, …