Medical Cell Biology Commons^™

Successful Management Of Chromoblastomycosis Utilizing Conventional Antifungal Agents And Imiquimod Therapy, Jinjin Zheng, Shougang Liu, Zhenmou Xie, Yangxia Chen, Liyan Xi, Hongfang Liu, Yinghui Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM), a chronic fungal infection affecting the skin and subcutaneous tissues, is predominantly caused by dematiaceous fungi in tropical and subtropical areas. Characteristically, CBM presents as plaques and nodules, often leading to scarring post-healing. Besides traditional diagnostic methods such as fungal microscopy, culture, and histopathology, dermatoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy can aid in diagnosis. The treatment of CBM is an extended and protracted process. Imiquimod, acting as an immune response modifier, boosts the host's immune response against CBM, and controls scar hyperplasia, thereby reducing the treatment duration. We present a case of CBM in Guangdong with characteristic reflectance confocal …

Rest-Dependent Downregulation Of Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Promotes Autophagy In Shh-Medulloblastoma, Ashutosh Singh, Donghang Cheng, Jyothishmathi Swaminathan, Yanwen Yang, Yan Zheng, Nancy Gordon, Vidya Gopalakrishnan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The RE1 silencing transcription factor (REST) is a driver of sonic hedgehog (SHH) medulloblastoma genesis. Our previous studies showed that REST enhances cell proliferation, metastasis and vascular growth and blocks neuronal differentiation to drive progression of SHH medulloblastoma tumors. Here, we demonstrate that REST promotes autophagy, a pathway that is found to be significantly enriched in human medulloblastoma tumors relative to normal cerebella. In SHH medulloblastoma tumor xenografts, REST elevation is strongly correlated with increased expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1α)-a positive regulator of autophagy, and with reduced expression of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein - a …

Distinct Expression Patterns Of Hedgehog Signaling Components In Mouse Gustatory System During Postnatal Tongue Development And Adult Homeostasis, Archana Kumari, Nicole E Franks, Libo Li, Gabrielle Audu, Sarah Liskowicz, John D Johnson, Charlotte M Mistretta, Benjamin L Allen

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

The Hedgehog (HH) pathway regulates embryonic development of anterior tongue taste fungiform papilla (FP) and the posterior circumvallate (CVP) and foliate (FOP) taste papillae. HH signaling also mediates taste organ maintenance and regeneration in adults. However, there are knowledge gaps in HH pathway component expression during postnatal taste organ differentiation and maturation. Importantly, the HH transcriptional effectors GLI1, GLI2 and GLI3 have not been investigated in early postnatal stages; the HH receptors PTCH1, GAS1, CDON and HHIP, required to either drive HH pathway activation or antagonism, also remain unexplored. Using lacZ reporter mouse models, we mapped expression of the HH …

Phosphatidylserine Regulates Plasma Membrane Repair Through Tetraspanin-Enriched Macrodomains, Yang E Li, Dougall M Norris, Fanqian N Xiao, Elvis Pandzic, Renee M Whan, Sandra Fok, Ming Zhou, Guangwei Du, Yang Liu, Ximing Du, Hongyuan Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The integrity of the plasma membrane is critical to cell function and survival. Cells have developed multiple mechanisms to repair damaged plasma membranes. A key process during plasma membrane repair is to limit the size of the damage, which is facilitated by the presence of tetraspanin-enriched rings surrounding damage sites. Here, we identify phosphatidylserine-enriched rings surrounding damaged sites of the plasma membrane, resembling tetraspanin-enriched rings. Importantly, the formation of both the phosphatidylserine- and tetraspanin-enriched rings requires phosphatidylserine and its transfer proteins ORP5 and ORP9. Interestingly, ORP9, but not ORP5, is recruited to the damage sites, suggesting cells acquire phosphatidylserine from …

Irx4204 Induces Senescence And Cell Death In Her2-Positive Breast Cancer And Synergizes With Anti-Her2 Therapy, Cassandra L Moyer, Amanda Lanier, Jing Qian, Darian Coleman, Jamal Hill, Vidyasagar Vuligonda, Martin E Sanders, Abhijit Mazumdar, Powel H Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Rexinoids, agonists of nuclear retinoid X receptor (RXR), have been used for the treatment of cancers and are well tolerated in both animals and humans. However, the usefulness of rexinoids in treatment of breast cancer remains unknown. This study examines the efficacy of IRX4204, a highly specific rexinoid, in breast cancer cell lines and preclinical models to identify a biomarker for response and potential mechanism of action.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: IRX4204 effects on breast cancer cell growth and viability were determined using cell lines, syngeneic mouse models, and primary patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors. In vitro assays of cell cycle, apoptosis, …

Prioritization Of Kidney Cell Types Highlights Myofibroblast Cells In Regulating Human Blood Pressure, Mahboube Ganji-Arjenaki, Zoha Kamali, International Consortium Of Blood Pressure; Soroush Sardari, Soroush Sardari, Martin De Borst, Harold Snieder, Ahmad Vaez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Blood pressure (BP) is a highly heritable trait with over 2000 underlying genomic loci identified to date. Although the kidney plays a key role, little is known about specific cell types involved in the genetic regulation of BP.

METHODS: Here, we applied stratified linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) regression to connect BP genome-wide association studies (GWAS) results to specific cell types of the mature human kidney. We used the largest single-stage BP genome-wide analysis to date, including up to 1,028,980 adults of European ancestry, and single-cell transcriptomic data from 14 mature human kidneys, with mean age of 41 years.

RESULTS: …