Role of endothelial cells in pulmonary fibrosis via SREBP2 activation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease with limited treatment options. Despite endothelial cells (ECs) comprising 30% of the lung cellular composition, the role of EC dysfunction in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) remains unclear. We hypothesize that sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of PF via EC phenotypic modifications.

The microRNA-210-Stathmin1 Axis Decreases Cell Stiffness to Facilitate the Invasiveness of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells.

Cell migration is critical for regional dissemination and distal metastasis of cancer cells, which remain the major causes of poor prognosis and death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although cytoskeletal dynamics and cellular deformability contribute to the migration of cancer cells and metastasis, the mechanisms governing the migratory ability of cancer stem cells (CSCs), a nongenetic source of tumor heterogeneity, are unclear. Here, we expanded colorectal CSCs (CRCSCs) as colonospheres and showed that CRCSCs exhibited higher cell motility in transwell migration assays and 3D invasion assays and greater deformability in particle tracking microrheology than did their parental CRC cells.

Atheroprotective Flow Upregulates ITPR3 (Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor 3) in Vascular Endothelium via KLF4 (Krüppel-Like Factor 4)-Mediated Histone Modifications.

Objective- The topographical distribution of atherosclerosis in vasculature underscores the importance of shear stress in regulating endothelium. With a systems approach integrating sequencing data, the current study aims to explore the link between shear stress-regulated master transcription factor and its regulation of endothelial cell (EC) function via epigenetic modifications. Approach and Results- H3K27ac (acetylation of histone 3 lysine 27)-ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high throughput sequencing), ATAC-seq (an assay for transposase-accessible chromatin-sequencing), and RNA-seq (RNA-sequencing) were performed to investigate the genome-wide epigenetic regulations in ECs in response to atheroprotective pulsatile shear stress (PS).

Dysregulation of endothelial colony-forming cell function by a negative feedback loop of circulating miR-146a and -146b in cardiovascular disease patients.

Functional impairment of endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs), a specific cell lineage of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is highly associated with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Emerging evidence show that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in CAD patients' body fluid hold a great potential as biomarkers. However, our knowledge of the role of circulating miRNA in regulating the function of ECFCs and the progression of CAD is still in its infancy.

Delayed epidural transplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitors enhances functional recovery after stroke.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells (iPSC-NPCs) are a promising source of tailor-made cell therapy for neurological diseases. However, major obstacles to clinical use still exist. To circumvent complications related to intracerebral administration, we implanted human iPSC-NPCs epidurally over the peri-infarct cortex 7 days after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in adult rats.

Dysregulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 by Multiple miRNAs in Endothelial Colony-Forming Cells of Coronary Artery Disease.

Background/aims: Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) have the potential to be used in regenerative medicine. Dysfunction of ECFCs is correlated with the onset of cardiovascular disorders, especially coronary artery disease (CAD). Binding of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) triggers cell motility and angiogenesis of ECFCs, which are crucial to vascular repair.

MicroRNA-134 Contributes to Glucose-Induced Endothelial Cell Dysfunction and This Effect Can Be Reversed by Far-Infrared Irradiation.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease that is increasing worldwide. Furthermore, it is associated with the deregulation of vascular-related functions, which can develop into major complications among DM patients. Endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) have the potential to bring about medical repairs because of their post-natal angiogenic activities; however, such activities are impaired by high glucose- (HG) and the DM-associated conditions.

SNAIL regulates interleukin-8 expression, stem cell-like activity, and tumorigenicity of human colorectal carcinoma cells.

Background & Aims: Some cancer cells have activities that are similar to those of stem cells from normal tissues, and cell dedifferentiation correlates with poor prognosis. Little is known about the mechanisms that regulate the stem cell-like features of cancer cells; we investigated genes associated with stem cell-like features of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.

Methods: We isolated colonospheres from primary CRC tissues and cell lines and characterized their gene expression patterns by microarray analysis.

Signature Evaluation Tool (SET): a Java-based tool to evaluate and visualize the sample discrimination abilities of gene expression signatures.

Background: The identification of specific gene expression signature for distinguishing sample groups is a dominant field in cancer research. Although a number of tools have been developed to identify optimal gene expression signatures, the number of signature genes obtained is often overly large to be applied clinically. Furthermore, experimental verification is sometimes limited by the availability of wet-lab materials such as antibodies and reagents.