Publications by authors named "Clara Lopez Jimenez"
Objective: To characterize the pathways induced by transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) that lead to the expression of endothelin 1 (ET-1) in human dermal fibroblasts, and to study the effects of TGFbeta1 and ET-1 on the acquisition of a profibrotic phenotype and assess the contribution of the TGFbeta1/ET-1 axis to skin wound healing and fibrosis in vivo.
Methods: The mechanism of induction of ET-1 expression by TGFbeta1 and its effect on the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin and type I collagen were studied in human dermal fibroblasts, in experiments involving the TGFbeta receptor inhibitor GW788388 and the ET receptor antagonist bosentan, by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and promoter/reporter transient transfection analyses. Experiments assessing dermal wound healing in mice were performed with adenovirus-driven overexpression of active TGFbeta1 and ET-1, with or without treatment with bosentan.