S-nitrosylation-mediated coupling of G-protein alpha-2 with CXCR5 induces Hippo/YAP-dependent diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis-associated cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death and disability among patients with diabetes mellitus. However, little is known about the impact of S-nitrosylation in diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis. Here, we show increased levels of S-nitrosylation of guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(i) subunit alpha-2 (SNO-GNAI2) at Cysteine 66 in coronary artery samples from diabetic patients with atherosclerosis, consistently with results from mice.

S-nitrosylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase mediates pressure overload-induced cardiac dysfunction and fibrosis.

Cardiac fibrosis (CF) is an irreversible pathological process that occurs in almost all kinds of cardiovascular diseases. Phosphorylation-dependent activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) induces cardiac fibrosis. However, whether S-nitrosylation of JNK mediates cardiac fibrosis remains an open question.

Vinexin β Ablation Inhibits Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice by Inactivating the Akt-Nuclear Factor κB Inflammatory Axis.

Background: Vinexin β is a novel adaptor protein that regulates cellular adhesion, cytoskeletal reorganization, signal transduction, and transcription; however, the exact role that vinexin β plays in atherosclerosis remains unknown.

Methods And Results: Immunoblot analysis showed that vinexin β expression is upregulated in the atherosclerotic lesions of both patients with coronary heart disease and hyperlipemic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice and is primarily localized in macrophages indicated by immunofluorescence staining. The high-fat diet-induced double-knockout mice exhibited lower aortic plaque burdens than apolipoprotein E littermates and decreased macrophage content.

Loss of Caspase-Activated DNase Protects Against Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease that is closely related to inflammation and macrophage apoptosis, which leads to secondary necrosis and proinflammatory responses in advanced lesions. Caspase-activated DNase (CAD) is a double-strand specific endonuclease that leads to the subsequent degradation of chromosome DNA during apoptosis. However, whether CAD is involved in the progression of atherosclerosis remains elusive.

Tissue-engineered conduit using bladder acellular matrix and bladder epithelial cells for urinary diversion in rabbits.

Background: For muscle invasive bladder cancer, radical cystectomy is the most effective treatment now and urinary diversion is often necessary. The use of intestinal tissue for urinary diversion is frequently associated with complications. In this study, we aimed to make a tissue-engineered conduit (TEC) using bladder epithelial cells and bladder acellular matrix (BAM) for urinary diversion in rabbits.