Neurotropic Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Red Foxes, Northern Germany.

In a 1-year survey of wild terrestrial predators in northern Germany, we found that 5 of 110 foxes were infected with contemporary avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses, forming a temporal cluster during January‒March 2023. Encephalitis and strong cerebral virus replication but only sporadic mammalian-adaptive viral polymerase basic 2 protein E627K mutations were seen.

A 3D iPSC-differentiation model identifies interleukin-3 as a regulator of early human hematopoietic specification.

Hematopoietic development is spatiotemporally tightly regulated by defined cell-intrinsic and extrinsic modifiers. The role of cytokines has been intensively studied in adult hematopoiesis; however, their role in embryonic hematopoietic specification remains largely unexplored. Here, we used induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology and established a 3-dimensional, organoid-like differentiation system (hemanoid) maintaining the structural cellular integrity to evaluate the effect of cytokines on embryonic hematopoietic development.

MicroRNA-Based Therapy of GATA2-Deficient Vascular Disease.

Background: The transcription factor GATA2 orchestrates the expression of many endothelial-specific genes, illustrating its crucial importance for endothelial cell function. The capacity of this transcription factor in orchestrating endothelial-important microRNAs (miRNAs/miR) is unknown.

Methods: Endothelial GATA2 was functionally analyzed in human endothelial cells in vitro.

Development of Long Noncoding RNA-Based Strategies to Modulate Tissue Vascularization.

Background: Long noncoding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) are a subclass of regulatory noncoding ribonucleic acids for which expression and function in human endothelial cells and angiogenic processes is not well studied.

Objectives: The authors discovered hypoxia-sensitive human lncRNAs via next-generation ribonucleic acid sequencing and microarray approaches. To address their functional importance in angiogenic processes, several endothelial lncRNAs were characterized for their angiogenic characteristics in vitro and ex vivo.

Static image analysis as new approach for the characterization of tumor cell lysate used in dendritic cell vaccine preparation.

Background: Safety is an important consideration for the clinical application of dendritic cells (DC) loaded with autologous tumor lysate (TL). Thus, avitalization of TL from living autologous tumor tissue has to be guaranteed.

Methods: Composition of TL was investigated by static image analysis (SIA) with the Morphologi G3 device, which simultaneously measures size and shape of up to 100,000 particles within one sample run.

Osteopontin is indispensible for AP1-mediated angiotensin II-related miR-21 transcription during cardiac fibrosis.

Aims: Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional cytokine critically involved in cardiac fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanisms are unresolved. Non-coding RNAs are powerful regulators of gene expression and thus might mediate this process.

Functional microRNA library screening identifies the hypoxamir miR-24 as a potent regulator of smooth muscle cell proliferation and vascularization.

Unlabelled: Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are key components within the vasculature. Dependent on the stimulus, SMC can either be in a proliferative (synthetic) or differentiated state. Alterations of SMC phenotype also appear in several disease settings, further contributing to disease progression.

Analysis of transcriptional regulation of the human miR-17-92 cluster; evidence for involvement of Pim-1.

The human polycistronic miRNA cluster miR-17-92 is frequently overexpressed in hematopoietic malignancies and cancers. Its transcription is in part controlled by an E2F-regulated host gene promoter. An intronic A/T-rich region directly upstream of the miRNA coding region also contributes to cluster expression.

SLC26A9-mediated chloride secretion prevents mucus obstruction in airway inflammation.

Asthma is a chronic condition with unknown pathogenesis, and recent evidence suggests that enhanced airway epithelial chloride (Cl-) secretion plays a role in the disease. However, the molecular mechanism underlying Cl- secretion and its relevance in asthma pathophysiology remain unknown. To determine the role of the solute carrier family 26, member 9 (SLC26A9) Cl- channel in asthma, we induced Th2-mediated inflammation via IL-13 treatment in wild-type and Slc26a9-deficient mice and compared the effects on airway ion transport, morphology, and mucus content.

MicroRNAs and vascular (dys)function.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, that control diverse cellular functions by either promoting degradation or inhibition of target messenger RNA translation. An aberrant expression profile of miRNAs has been linked to human diseases, including cardiovascular dysfunction. This review summarizes the latest insights in the identification of vascular-specific miRNAs and their targets, as well as their roles and mechanisms in the vasculature.

A phenotypic screen to identify hypertrophy-modulating microRNAs in primary cardiomyocytes.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that control expression of complementary target mRNAs. A growing number of miRNAs has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases, mostly based not on functional data, but on the observation that they are dysregulated in diseased myocardium. Consequently, our knowledge regarding a potential cardiac role of the majority of miRNAs is limited.

MicroRNA-24 regulates vascularity after myocardial infarction.

Background: Myocardial infarction leads to cardiac remodeling and development of heart failure. Insufficient myocardial capillary density after myocardial infarction has been identified as a critical event in this process, although the underlying mechanisms of cardiac angiogenesis are mechanistically not well understood.

Methods And Results: Here, we show that the small noncoding RNA microRNA-24 (miR-24) is enriched in cardiac endothelial cells and considerably upregulated after cardiac ischemia.