Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Head-To-Head Comparison Of Relevant Cell Sources Of Small Extracellular Vesicles For Cardiac Repair: Superiority Of Embryonic Stem Cells, Hernán González-King, Patricia G Rodrigues, Tamsin Albery, Benyapa Tangruksa, Ramya Gurrapu, Andreia M Silva, Gentian Musa, Dominika Kardasz, Kai Liu, Bengt Kull, Karin Åvall, Katarina Rydén-Markinhuhta, Tania Incitti, Nitin Sharma, Cecilia Graneli, Hadi Valadi, Kasparas Petkevicius, Miguel Carracedo, Sandra Tejedor, Alena Ivanova, Sepideh Heydarkhan-Hagvall, Phillipe Menasché, Jane Synnergren, Niek Dekker, Qing-Dong Wang, Karin Jennbacken

Journal Articles

Small extracellular vesicles (sEV) derived from various cell sources have been demonstrated to enhance cardiac function in preclinical models of myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of this study was to compare different sources of sEV for cardiac repair and determine the most effective one, which nowadays remains limited. We comprehensively assessed the efficacy of sEV obtained from human primary bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC), human immortalized MSC (hTERT-MSC), human embryonic stem cells (ESC), ESC-derived cardiac progenitor cells (CPC), human ESC-derived cardiomyocytes (CM), and human primary ventricular cardiac fibroblasts (VCF), in in vitro models of cardiac repair. ESC-derived sEV (ESC-sEV) …

Microcurrent-Mediated Modulation Of Myofibroblasts For Cardiac Repair And Regeneration, Dipthi Bachamanda Somesh, Karsten Jürchott, Thomas Giesel, Thomas Töllner, Alexander Prehn, Jan-Peter Richters, Dragana Kosevic, J. Eduardo Rame, Peter Göttel, Johannes Müller

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Cardiovascular diseases are a significant cause of illness and death worldwide, often resulting in myofibroblast differentiation, pathological remodeling, and fibrosis, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix protein deposition. Treatment options for cardiac fibrosis that can effectively target myofibroblast activation and ECM deposition are limited, necessitating an unmet need for new therapeutic approaches. In recent years, microcurrent therapy has demonstrated promising therapeutic effects, showcasing its translational potential in cardiac care. This study therefore sought to investigate the effects of microcurrent therapy on cardiac myofibroblasts, aiming to unravel its potential as a treatment for cardiac fibrosis and heart failure. The experimental design involved …

Maintenance Of Chronicity Signatures In Fibroblasts Isolated From Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Chronic Wound Dressings Under Culture Conditions, Cristian De Gregorio, Evelyng Catalán, Gabriel Garrido, Pilar Morandé, Jimena Castillo Bennett, Catalina Muñoz, Glenda Cofré, Ya-Lin Huang, Bárbara Cuadra, Paola Murgas, Margarita Calvo, Fernando Altermatt, María Joao Yubero, Francis Palisson, Andrew P. South, Marcelo Ezquer, Ignacia Fuentes

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB) is a rare inherited skin disease caused by variants in the COL7A1 gene, coding for type VII collagen (C7), an important component of anchoring fibrils in the basement membrane of the epidermis. RDEB patients suffer from skin fragility starting with blister formation and evolving into chronic wounds, inflammation and skin fibrosis, with a high risk of developing aggressive skin carcinomas. Restricted therapeutic options are limited by the lack of in vitro models of defective wound healing in RDEB patients.

RESULTS: In order to explore a more efficient, non-invasive in vitro model for RDEB studies, …

Cloning A Profibrotic Stem Cell Variant In Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Shan Wang, Wei Rao, Ashley Hoffman, Jennifer Lin, Justin Li, Tao Lin, Audrey-Ann Liew, Matthew Vincent, Tinne C J Mertens, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Christopher P Crum, Mark L Metersky, David A Schwartz, Peter J A Davies, Clifford Stephan, Soma S K Jyothula, Ajay Sheshadri, Erik Eddie Suarez, Howard J Huang, John F Engelhardt, Burton F Dickey, Kalpaj R Parekh, Frank D Mckeon, Wa Xian

Journal Articles

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, irreversible, and rapidly fatal interstitial lung disease marked by the replacement of lung alveoli with dense fibrotic matrices. Although the mechanisms initiating IPF remain unclear, rare and common alleles of genes expressed in lung epithelia, combined with aging, contribute to the risk for this condition. Consistently, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) studies have identified lung basal cell heterogeneity in IPF that might be pathogenic. We used single-cell cloning technologies to generate "libraries" of basal stem cells from the distal lungs of 16 patients with IPF and 10 controls. We identified a major stem cell …

Lipid Nanoparticle-Mediated Mrna Delivery In Lung Fibrosis, Matteo Massaro, Suhong Wu, Gherardo Baudo, Haoran Liu, Scott Collum, Hyunho Lee, Cinzia Stigliano, Victor Segura-Ibarra, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Elvin Blanco

Journal Articles

mRNA delivery enables the specific synthesis of proteins with therapeutic potential, representing a powerful strategy in diseases lacking efficacious pharmacotherapies. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and subsequent alveolar remodeling. Alveolar epithelial type 2 cells (AEC2) and fibroblasts represent important targets in IPF given their role in initiating and driving aberrant wound healing responses that lead to excessive ECM deposition. Our objective was to examine a lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based mRNA construct as a viable strategy to target alveolar epithelial cells and fibroblasts in IPF. mRNA-containing LNPs measuring ∼34 nm had …

Reduced Spag17 Expression In Systemic Sclerosis Triggers Myofibroblast Transition And Drives Fibrosis, Paulene Sapao, Elisha D O Roberson, Bo Shi, Shervin Assassi, Brian Skaug, Fred Lee, Alexandra Naba, Bethany E Perez White, Carlos Córdova-Fletes, Pei-Suen Tsou, Amr H Sawalha, Johann E Gudjonsson, Feiyang Ma, Priyanka Verma, Dibyendu Bhattacharyya, Mary Carns, Jerome F Strauss, Delphine Sicard, Daniel J Tschumperlin, Melissa I Champer, Paul J Campagnola, Maria E Teves, John Varga

Journal Articles

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a clinically heterogeneous fibrotic disease with no effective treatment. Myofibroblasts are responsible for unresolving synchronous skin and internal organ fibrosis in SSc, but the drivers of sustained myofibroblast activation remain poorly understood. Using unbiased transcriptome analysis of skin biopsies, we identified the downregulation of SPAG17 in multiple independent cohorts of patients with SSc, and by orthogonal approaches, we observed a significant negative correlation between SPAG17 and fibrotic gene expression. Fibroblasts and endothelial cells explanted from SSc skin biopsies showed reduced chromatin accessibility at the SPAG17 locus. Remarkably, mice lacking Spag17 showed spontaneous skin fibrosis with increased …

Stat6 Suppression Prevents Bleomycin-Induced Dermal Fibrosis, Jingjing Huang, Hydia Puente, Nancy E Wareing, Minghua Wu, Maureen D Mayes, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Shervin Assassi, Tingting W Mills

Journal Articles

Fibrosis of the skin and internal organs is a hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Although the pathogenesis of SSc is poorly understood, increasing evidence suggests that interleukins (IL)-4 and - 13 contribute to the pathogenesis of skin fibrosis by promoting collagen production and myofibroblast differentiation. Signal transducers and activators of transcription 6 (STAT6) is one of the most important downstream transcription factors activated by both IL-4 and IL-13. However, it is not completely understood whether STAT6 plays a role during the pathogenesis of skin fibrosis in SSc. In this study, we observed increased STAT6 phosphorylation in fibrotic skin samples collected …

A Gain-Of-Function Tpc2 Variant R210c Increases Affinity To Pi(3,5)P, Qiaochu Wang, Zengge Wang, Yizhen Wang, Zhan Qi, Dayong Bai, Chentong Wang, Yuanying Chen, Wenjian Xu, Xili Zhu, Jaepyo Jeon, Jian Xiong, Chanjuan Hao, Michael Xi Zhu, Aihua Wei, Wei Li

Journal Articles

Albinism is a group of inherited disorders mainly affecting skin, hair and eyes. Here we identify a de novo point mutation, p.R210C, in the TPCN2 gene which encodes Two Pore Channel 2 (TPC2) from a patient with albinism. TPC2 is an endolysosome and melanosome localized non-selective cation channel involved in regulating pigment production. Through inside-out recording of plasma membrane targeted TPC2 and direct recording of enlarged endolysosomal vacuoles, we reveal that the R210C mutant displays constitutive channel activation and markedly increased affinity to PI(3,5)P

Citrullinated And Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde Modified Fibrinogen Activates Macrophages And Promotes An Aggressive Synovial Fibroblast Phenotype In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Nozima Aripova, Michael J. Duryee, Bryant England, Carlos D. Hunter, Jack E. Mordeson, Evan Ryan, Eric C. Daubach, Debra J. Romberger, Geoffrey M. Thiele, Ted R. Mikuls

Journal Articles: Internal Medicine

Objective: Post-translational protein modifications with malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA) and citrulline (CIT) are implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoidarthritis (RA). Although precise mechanisms have not been elucidated, macrophage-fibroblast interactions have been proposed to play a central role in the development and progression of RA. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the downstream effects of macrophage released soluble mediators, following stimulation with fibrinogen (FIB) modified antigens, on human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS).

Methods: PMA-treated U-937 monocytes (Mϕ) and macrophage-differentiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MP) were stimulated with FIB, FIB-MAA, FIB-CIT, or FIB-MAA-CIT. HFLS-RA cells were stimulated directly with FIB antigens or with …

Fulminant Lung Fibrosis In Non-Resolvable Covid-19 Requiring Transplantation, Soma S K Jyothula, Andrew Peters, Yafen Liang, Weizhen Bi, Pooja Shivshankar, Simon Yau, Puneet S Garcha, Xiaoyi Yuan, Bindu Akkanti, Scott Collum, Nancy Wareing, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Fernando Poli De Frias, Ivan O Rosas, Bihong Zhao, L Maximilian Buja, Holger K Eltzschig, Howard J Huang, Harry Karmouty-Quintana

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In some patients with non-resolvable (NR) COVID-19, lung injury can progress rapidly to the point that lung transplantation is the only viable option for survival. This fatal progression of lung injury involves a rapid fibroproliferative response and takes on average 15 weeks from initial symptom presentation. Little is known about the mechanisms that lead to this fulminant lung fibrosis (FLF) in NR-COVID-19.

METHODS: Using a pre-designed unbiased PCR array for fibrotic markers, we analyzed the fibrotic signature in a subset of NR-COVID-19 lungs. We …

Hip Osteoarthritis: A Novel Network Analysis Of Subchondral Trabecular Bone Structures, Mohsen Dorraki, Dzenita Muratovic, Anahita Fouladzadeh, Johan W Verjans, Andrew Allison, David M Findlay, Derek Abbott

Journal Articles

Hip osteoarthritis (HOA) is a degenerative joint disease that leads to the progressive destruction of subchondral bone and cartilage at the hip joint. Development of effective treatments for HOA remains an open problem, primarily due to the lack of knowledge of its pathogenesis and a typically late-stage diagnosis. We describe a novel network analysis methodology for microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) images of human trabecular bone. We explored differences between the trabecular bone microstructure of femoral heads with and without HOA. Large-scale automated extraction of the network formed by trabecular bone revealed significant network properties not previously reported for bone. Profound differences …

Interleukin-8 Produced From Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Suppresses Proliferation Of The Ocuch-Lm1 Cancer Cell Line, Ryota Tanaka, Kenjiro Kimura, Shimpei Eguchi, Go Ohira, Shogo Tanaka, Ryosuke Amano, Hiroaki Tanaka, Masakazu Yashiro, Masaichi Ohira, Shoji Kubo

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in cancer growth by interacting with cancer cells, but their effects differ depending on the type of cancer. This study investigated the role of CAFs in biliary tract cancers (BTCs), compared with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) as a comparison cohort.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) expression in CAFs from 114 cases of PDAC and 154 cases of BTCs who underwent surgical treatment at our institution from 1996 to 2017. CAFs were isolated from resected specimens of BTC and PDAC, and tested for the effects of their supernatants and cytokines …

In Vitro And In Vivo Correlation Of Skin And Cellular Responses To Nucleic Acid Delivery, M. Bosnjak, K. Znidar, A. Sales Conniff, T. Jesenko, B. Markelc, Nina Semenova, J. Tur, K. Kohena, S. Kranjc Brezar, L. Heller, M. Cemazar

Bioelectrics Publications

Skin, the largest organ in the body, provides a passive physical barrier against infection and contains elements of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Skin consists of various cells, including keratinocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and immune cells. This diversity of cell types could be important to gene therapies because DNA transfection could elicit different responses in different cell types. Previously, we observed the upregulation and activation of cytosolic DNA sensing pathways in several non-tumor and tumor cell types as well in tumors after the electroporation (electrotransfer) of plasmid DNA (pDNA). Based on this research and the innate immunogenicity of …

Characterizing Cancer Associated Fibroblasts From Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Patient Samples, Rachel Lu

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

Pancreatic Stromal Gremlin 1 Expression During Pancreatic Tumorigenesis, Joy M. Davis, Binglu Cheng, Madeline M. Drake, Qiang Yu, Baibing Yang, Jing Li, Chunhui Liu, Mamoun Younes, Xiurong Zhao, Jennifer M. Bailey, Qiang Shen, Tien C. Ko, Yanna Cao

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a major risk factor of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). How CP promotes pancreatic oncogenesis remains unclear. A characteristic feature of PDAC is its prominent desmoplasia in the tumor microenvironment, composed of activated fibroblasts and macrophages. Macrophages can be characterized as M1 or M2, with tumor-inhibiting or -promoting functions, respectively. We reported that Gremlin 1 (GREM1), a key pro-fibrogenic factor, is upregulated in the stroma of CP. The current study aimed to investigate the expression of GREM1 and correlation between GREM1 and macrophages within the pancreas during chronic inflammation and the development of PDAC. By mRNA in …

Phenytoin Activates Smad3 Phosphorylation And Periostin Expression In Drug-Induced Gingival Enlargement., Shawna S Kim, Georgia Nikoloudaki, Mark Darling, Michael J Rieder, Douglas W Hamilton

Paediatrics Publications

Drug-induced gingival enlargement (DIGE) is a fibrotic condition associated with systemic administration of the anti-epileptic drug, phenytoin. We have previously demonstrated that periostin, which is transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) inducible gene, is upregulated in various fibrotic conditions including gingival enlargement associated with nifedipine. The objective of this study was to assess periostin expression in phenytoin-induced gingival enlargement (PIGE) tissues and to investigate the mechanisms underlying periostin expression. Human PIGE tissues were assessed using Masson's trichrome, with cell infiltration and changes in extracellular matrix composition characterized through labeling with antibodies to periostin, phospho-SMAD 3, TGF-β, as well as the macrophage markers …

Fibroblasts As A Practical Alternative To Mesenchymal Stem Cells., Thomas E Ichim, Pete O'Heeron, Santosh Kesari

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy offers great potential for treatment of disease through the multifunctional and responsive ability of these cells. In numerous contexts, MSC have been shown to reduce inflammation, modulate immune responses, and provide trophic factor support for regeneration. While the most commonly used MSC source, the bone marrow provides relatively little starting material for cellular expansion, and requires invasive extraction means, fibroblasts are easily harvested in large numbers from various biological wastes. Additionally, in vitro expansion of fibroblasts is significantly easier given the robustness of these cells in tissue culture and shorter doubling time compared to typical …

Type 1 Diabetes Alters Lipid Handling And Metabolism In Human Fibroblasts And Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, Albert R. Jones Iv, Emily L. Coleman, Nicholas R. Husni, Jude T. Deeney, Forum Raval, Devin Steenkamp, Hans Dooms, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk, Barbara E. Corkey

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

Triggers of the autoimmune response that leads to type 1 diabetes (T1D) remain poorly understood. A possibility is that parallel changes in both T cells and target cells provoke autoimmune attack. We previously documented greater Ca²⁺ transients in fibroblasts from T1D subjects than non-T1D after exposure to fatty acids (FA) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). These data indicate that metabolic and signal transduction defects present in T1D can be elicited ex vivo in isolated cells. Changes that precede T1D, including inflammation, may activate atypical responses in people that are genetically predisposed to T1D. To identify such cellular differences …

Seniors Welcome! Avoiding The Trap Of Age Limits In Health Research, Arshad Jahangir

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The guest editor introduces this specialty issue of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews, which focuses on cardiovascular diseases in the elderly. The reality of an aging population has increased the need for better evidence-based medicine in older patients. However, randomized controlled trials frequently exclude such patients, especially those with comorbidities, from study. This practice ignores the fact that physiologic changes to the cardiovascular system caused by the aging process and aging-associated diseases create clinical dilemmas distinct from those in younger patients. Considering the rising costs of health care and growing incidence of cardiovascular disease, research efforts and …

Biallelic Mutations In Tbcd, Encoding The Tubulin Folding Cofactor D, Perturb Microtubule Dynamics And Cause Early-Onset Encephalopathy., Elisabetta Flex, Marcello Niceta, Serena Cecchetti, Isabelle Thiffault, Margaret G. Au, Alessandro Capuano, Emanuela Piermarini, Anna A. Ivanova, Joshua W. Francis, Giovanni Chillemi, Balasubramanian Chandramouli, Giovanna Carpentieri, Charlotte A. Haaxma, Andrea Ciolfi, Simone Pizzi, Ganka V. Douglas, Kara Levine, Antonella Sferra, Maria Lisa Dentici, Rolph R. Pfundt, Jean-Baptist Lepichon, Emily G. Farrow, Frank Baas, Fiorella Piemonte, Bruno Dallapiccola, John M. Graham, Carol J. Saunders, Enrico Bertini, Richard A. Kahn, David A. Koolen, Marco Tartaglia

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal elements coordinating and supporting a variety of neuronal processes, including cell division, migration, polarity, intracellular trafficking, and signal transduction. Mutations in genes encoding tubulins and microtubule-associated proteins are known to cause neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Growing evidence suggests that altered microtubule dynamics may also underlie or contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration. We report that biallelic mutations in TBCD, encoding one of the five co-chaperones required for assembly and disassembly of the αβ-tubulin heterodimer, the structural unit of microtubules, cause a disease with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative features characterized by early-onset cortical atrophy, secondary hypomyelination, microcephaly, thin …

Exposure Of Human Lung Cells To Tobacco Smoke Condensate Inhibits The Nucleotide Excision Repair Pathway, Nathaniel C. Holcomb, Mamta Goswami, Sung Gu Han, Samuel Clark, David K. Orren, C. Gary Gairola, Isabel Mellon

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Exposure to tobacco smoke is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. Although the DNA damaging properties of tobacco smoke have been well documented, relatively few studies have examined its effect on DNA repair pathways. This is especially true for the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway which recognizes and removes many structurally diverse DNA lesions, including those introduced by chemical carcinogens present in tobacco smoke. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of tobacco smoke on NER in human lung cells. We studied the effect of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC), a surrogate for tobacco smoke, …

Increased Expression Of Napdh Oxidase 4 In Systemic Sclerosis Dermal Fibroblasts: Regulation By Transforming Growth Factor Β., Sonsoles Piera-Velazquez, Alma Makul, Sergio A. Jimenez

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by severe and often progressive fibrosis of the skin and multiple internal organs. The mechanisms responsible for these alterations remain obscure, although excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress has been implicated. NOX-4 is 1 of 7 isoforms of NADPH oxidase responsible for the generation of ROS. The purpose of this study was to examine NOX-4 expression in skin and cultured dermal fibroblasts from SSc patients and to examine its regulation by transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1).

METHODS: NOX-4 was assessed in normal and SSc skin by immunohistologic analysis and in normal and SSc …

Metabolic Reprogramming Of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts By Idh3Α Downregulation, Daoxiang Zhang, Yongbin Wang, Zhimin Shi, Jingyi Liu, Pan Sun, Xiaodan Hou, Jian Zhang, Shimin Zhao, Binhua P. Zhou, Jun Mi

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) provide critical metabolites for tumor growth and undergo metabolic reprogramming to support glycolysis. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this change remain unclear. Here, we report that TGF-β1- or PDGF-induced CAFs switch from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. We identify downregulation of isocitrate dehydrogenase 3α (IDH3α) as a marker for this switch. Furthermore, miR-424 downregulates IDH3α during CAF formation. Downregulation of IDH3α decreases the effective level of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) by reducing the ratio of α-KG to fumarate and succinate, resulting in PHD2 inhibition and HIF-1α protein stabilization. The accumulation of HIF-1α, in turn, promotes glycolysis by increasing …

The Omega-3 Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid Attenuates Organic Dust-Induced Airway Inflammation., Tara M. Nordgren, Taylor D. Friemel, Art J. Heires, Jill A. Poole, Todd A. Wyatt, Debra J. Romberger

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Workers exposed to organic dusts from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are at risk for developing airway inflammatory diseases. Available preventative and therapeutic measures for alleviating dust-induced lung disease are inadequate. Because omega-3 fatty acids can mitigate inflammatory processes, we aimed to determine whether nutritional supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) could reduce the airway inflammatory consequences of exposures to organic dust. Aqueous extracts of organic dusts from swine CAFOs (ODE) were utilized. In DHA-pretreated human bronchial epithelial cells, lung fibroblasts, monocyte cell cultures, and precision-cut murine lung slices, we found that DHA pretreatment dose-dependently decreased ODE-induced …

Blockade Of Mast Cell Activation Reduces Cutaneous Scar Formation, Lin Chen, Megan Schrementi, Matthew J. Ranzer, Traci A. Wilgus, Luisa A. Dipietro

Faculty Publications & Research

Damage to the skin initiates a cascade of well-orchestrated events that ultimately leads to repair of the wound. The inflammatory response is key to wound healing both through preventing infection and stimulating proliferation and remodeling of the skin. Mast cells within the tissue are one of the first immune cells to respond to trauma, and upon activation they release pro-inflammatory molecules to initiate recruitment of leukocytes and promote a vascular response in the tissue. Additionally, mast cells stimulate collagen synthesis by dermal fibroblasts, suggesting they may also influence scar formation. To examine the contribution of mast cells in tissue repair, …

Cardiac Fibroblast-Dependent Extracellular Matrix Accumulation Is Associated With Diastolic Stiffness In Type 2 Diabetes., Kirk R. Hutchinson, C. Kevin Lord, T. Aaron West, James A. Stewart

College of Arts and Sciences Publications and Scholarship

Cardiovascular complications are a leading cause of death in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diastolic dysfunction is one of the earliest manifestations of diabetes-induced changes in left ventricular (LV) function, and results from a reduced rate of relaxation and increased stiffness. The mechanisms responsible for increased stiffness are not completely understood. Chronic hyperglycemia, advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), and increased levels of proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines are molecular pathways known to be involved in regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and accumulation resulting in increased LV diastolic stiffness. Experiments were conducted using a genetically-induced mouse model of T2DM generated by …

Withaferin A Effectively Targets Soluble Vimentin In The Glaucoma Filtration Surgical Model Of Fibrosis, Paola Bargagna-Mohan, Sunil P. Deokule, Kyle G. Thompson, John Wizeman, Cidambi Srinivasan, Sunil Vooturi, Uday B. Kompella, Royce Mohan

Ophthalmology and Visual Science Faculty Publications

Withaferin A (WFA) is a natural product that binds to soluble forms of the type III intermediate filament (IF) vimentin. Currently, it is unknown under what pathophysiological contexts vimentin is druggable, as cytoskeltal vimentin-IFs are abundantly expressed. To investigate druggability of vimentin, we exploited rabbit Tenon's capsule fibroblast (RbTCF) cell cultures and the rabbit glaucoma filtration surgical (GFS) model of fibrosis. WFA potently caused G₀/G₁ cell cycle inhibition (IC₅₀ 25 nM) in RbTCFs, downregulating ubiquitin E3 ligase skp2 and inducing p27(Kip1) expression. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß-induced myofibroblast transformation caused development of cell spheroids with numerous elongated invadopodia, which WFA blocked …

Transient Receptor Potential (Trp) Channels And Cardiac Fibrosis, Zhichao Yue, Yanhui Zhang, Jia Xie, Jianmin Jiang, Lixia Yue

UCHC Articles - Research

Cardiac fibrosis is associated with most cardiac diseases. Fibrosis is an accumulation of excessive extracellular matrix proteins (ECM) synthesized by cardiac fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Fibroblasts are the most prevalent cell type in the heart, comprising 75% of cardiac cells. Myofibroblasts are hardly present in healthy normal heart tissue, but appear abundantly in diseased hearts. Cardiac fibroblasts are activated by a variety of pathological stimuli, such as myocardial injury, oxidative stress, mechanical stretch, and elevated autocrine-paracrine mediators, thereby undergoing proliferation, differentiation to myofibroblasts, and production of various cytokines and ECM proteins. A number of signaling pathways and bioactive molecules are involved …

Gsk3Β Inhibition Blocks Melanoma Cell/Host Interactions By Downregulating N-Cadherin Expression And Decreasing Fak Phosphorylation., Jobin K John, Kim H T Paraiso, Vito W Rebecca, Liliana P Cantini, Ethan V Abel, Nicholas Pagano, Eric Meggers, Rahel Mathew, Clemens Krepler, Victoria Izumi, Bin Fang, John M Koomen, Jane L Messina, Meenhard Herlyn, Keiran S M Smalley

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

This study addresses the role of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β signaling in the tumorigenic behavior of melanoma. Immunohistochemical staining revealed GSK3β to be focally expressed in the invasive portions of 12 and 33% of primary and metastatic melanomas, respectively. GSK3 inhibitors and small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of GSK3β were found to inhibit the motile behavior of melanoma cells in scratch wound, three-dimensional collagen-implanted spheroid, and modified Boyden chamber assays. Functionally, inhibition of GSK3β signaling was found to suppress N-cadherin expression at the messenger RNA and protein levels, and was associated with decreased expression of the transcription factor Slug. Pharmacological …

Effect Of Oxidative Stress On Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1b In Scleroderma Dermal Fibroblasts., Pei-Suen Tsou, Nadine N. Talia, Adam J. Pinney, Ann Kendzicky, Sonsoles Piera-Velazquez, Sergio A. Jimenez, James R. Seibold, Kristine Phillips, Alisa E Koch

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and its receptor, PDGFR, promote fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) dermal fibroblasts, and such cells in scleroderma skin lesions produce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). PDGFR is phosphorylated upon PDGF stimulation, and is dephosphorylated by protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), including PTP1B. This study was undertaken to determine whether the thiol-sensitive PTP1B is affected by ROS in SSc dermal fibroblasts, thereby enhancing the phosphorylation of PDGFR and synthesis of type I collagen. This study also sought to investigate the effect of a thiol antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), in SSc.

METHODS: Fibroblasts were isolated from the skin …