Novel cell-to-cell communications between macrophages and fibroblasts regulate obesity-induced adipose tissue fibrosis.

Recent evidence has shown that adipose tissue eventually develops fibrosis through complex cellular crosstalk. Although advances in single-cell transcriptomics have provided new insights into cell diversity during this process, little is known about the interactions among the distinct cell types. In this study, we employed single-cell analytical approaches to investigate cell-tocell communications between macrophages and fibroblasts in the adipose tissue of diet-induced obese mice.

C-type lectin Mincle mediates cell death-triggered inflammation in acute kidney injury.

Accumulating evidence indicates that cell death triggers sterile inflammation and that impaired clearance of dead cells causes nonresolving inflammation; however, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we show that macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle) senses renal tubular cell death to induce sustained inflammation after acute kidney injury in mice. Mincle-deficient mice were protected against tissue damage and subsequent atrophy of the kidney after ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Role of hemoglobin and transferrin in multi-wall carbon nanotube-induced mesothelial injury and carcinogenesis.

Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are a form of flexible fibrous nanomaterial with high electrical and thermal conductivity. However, 50-nm MWCNT in diameter causes malignant mesothelioma (MM) in rodents and, thus, the International Agency of Research on Cancer has designated them as a possible human carcinogen. Little is known about the molecular mechanism through which MWCNT causes MM.