| 1. |
- Cai, Huan, et al.
(författare)
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Critical role of Lama4 for hematopoiesis regeneration and acute myeloid leukemia progression
- 2022
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Ingår i: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 139:20, s. 3040-3057
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Impairment of normal hematopoiesis and leukemia progression are 2 well-linked processes during leukemia development and are controlled by the bone marrow (BM) niche. Extracellular matrix proteins, including laminin, are important BM niche components. However, their role in hematopoiesis regeneration and leukemia is unknown. Laminin α4 (Lama4), a major receptor-binding chain of several laminins, is altered in BM niches in mice with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). So far, the impact of Lama4 on leukemia progression remains unknown. We here report that Lama4 deletion in mice resulted in impaired hematopoiesis regeneration following irradiation-induced stress, which is accompanied by altered BM niche composition and inflammation. Importantly, in a transplantation-induced MLL-AF9 AML mouse model, we demonstrate accelerated AML progression and relapse in Lama4−/− mice. Upon AML exposure, Lama4−/− mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibited dramatic molecular alterations, including upregulation of inflammatory cytokines that favor AML growth. Lama4−/− MSCs displayed increased antioxidant activities and promoted AML stem cell proliferation and chemoresistance to cytarabine, which was accompanied by increased mitochondrial transfer from the MSCs to AML cells and reduced reactive oxygen species in AML cells in vitro. Similarly, we detected lower levels of reactive oxygen species in AML cells from Lama4−/− mice post–cytarabine treatment. Notably, LAMA4 inhibition or knockdown in human MSCs promoted human AML cell proliferation and chemoprotection. Together, our study for the first time demonstrates the critical role of Lama4 in impeding AML progression and chemoresistance. Targeting Lama4 signaling pathways may offer potential new therapeutic options for AML.
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| 2. |
- Chen, Yunying, et al.
(författare)
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A regulatory role for macrophage class A scavenger receptors in TLR4-mediated LPS responses.
- 2010
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Ingår i: European Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0014-2980 .- 1521-4141. ; 40:5, s. 1451-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recognition of microbial components by TLR, key sensors of infection, leads to induction of inflammatory responses. We found that, in vivo, TLR4 engagement by LPS induces up-regulation of the class A scavenger receptors (SR) macrophage receptor with a collagenous structure (MARCO) and SR-A, which occurs, at least in the case of MARCO, via both MyD88-dependent and -independent pathways. When challenging mice with a low dose of LPS followed by a high dose, class A SR-deficient mice showed a higher survival rate than WT mice. This was paired with increased production of IL-10 and anti-LPS Ab, as well as increased activation status of marginal zone B cells. However, the receptors were not crucial for survival when challenging mice i.p. with Neisseria meningitidis or Listeria monocytogenes, but they were found to contribute to microbial capture and clearance. This indicates physiological significance for the up-regulation of class A SR during early stages of bacterial infection. Thus, we believe that we have revealed a mechanism where SR regulate the activation status of the immune system and are involved in balancing a proper immune response to infection. This regulation could also be important in maintaining tolerance since these receptors have been shown to be involved in regulation of self-reactivity.
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| 3. |
- Damdimopoulou, Pauliina, et al.
(författare)
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Human embryonic stem cells
- 2016
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Ingår i: Baillière's Best Practice & Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1521-6934 .- 1532-1932. ; 31, s. 2-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The establishment of permanent human embryonic stem cell lines (hESCs) was first reported in 1998. Due to their pluripotent nature and ability to differentiate to all cell types in the body, they have been considered as a cell source for regenerative medicine. Since then, intensive studies have been carried out regarding factors regulating pluripotency and differentiation. hESCs are obtained from supernumerary human IVF (in vitro fertilization) embryos that cannot be used for the couple's infertility treatment. Today, we can establish and expand these cells in animal substance-free conditions, even from single cells biopsied from eight-cell stage embryos. There are satisfactory tests for the demonstration of genetic stability, absence of tumorigenic mutations, functionality, and safety of hESCs. Clinical trials are ongoing for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and spinal cord injury (SCI). This review focuses on the present state of these techniques.
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| 4. |
- Dunér, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Permeability, ultrastructural changes, and distribution of novel proteins in the glomerular barrier in early puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nephron. Experimental nephrology. - : S. Karger AG. - 1660-2129. ; 116:2, s. e42-52
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND/AIMS: It is still unclear what happens in the glomerulus when proteinuria starts. Using puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis (PAN) rats, we studied early ultrastructural and permeability changes in relation to the expression of the podocyte-associated molecules nephrin, α-actinin, dendrin, and plekhh2, the last two of which were only recently discovered in podocytes. METHODS: Using immune stainings, semiquantitative measurement was performed under the electron microscope. Permeability was assessed using isolated kidney perfusion with tracers. Possible effects of ACE inhibition were tested. RESULTS: By day 2, some patchy foot process effacement, but no proteinuria, appeared. The amount of nephrin was reduced in both diseased and normal areas. The other proteins showed few changes, which were limited to diseased areas. By day 4, foot process effacement was complete and proteinuria appeared in parallel with signs of size barrier damage. Nephrin decreased further, while dendrin and plekhh2 also decreased but α-actinin remained unchanged. ACE inhibition had no significant protective effect. CONCLUSIONS: PAN glomeruli already showed significant pathology by day 4, despite relatively mild proteinuria. This was preceded by altered nephrin expression, supporting its pivotal role in podocyte morphology. The novel proteins dendrin and plekhh2 were both reduced, suggesting roles in PAN, whereas α-actinin was unchanged.
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| 5. |
- Gotha, Lara, et al.
(författare)
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Heparan sulfate side chains have a critical role in the inhibitory effects of perlecan on vascular smooth muscle cell response to arterial injury
- 2014
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Ingår i: American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 1522-1539 .- 0363-6135. ; 307:3, s. 337-345
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Perlecan is a proteoglycan composed of a 470-kDa core protein linked to three heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycan chains. The intact proteoglycan inhibits the smooth muscle cell (SMC) response to vascular injury. Hspg2(Delta 3/Delta 3) (M Delta 3/Delta 3) mice produce a mutant perlecan lacking the HS side chains. The objective of this study was to determine differences between these two types of perlecan in modifying SMC activities to the arterial injury response, in order to define the specific role of the HS side chains. In vitro proliferative and migratory activities were compared in SMC isolated from M Delta 3/Delta 3 and wild-type mice. Proliferation of M Delta 3/Delta 3 SMC was 1.5x greater than in wild type (P < 0.001), increased by addition of growth factors, and showed a 42% greater migratory response than wild-type cells to PDGF-BB (P < 0.001). In M Delta 3/Delta 3 SMC adhesion to fibronectin, and collagen types I and IV was significantly greater than wild type. Addition of DRL-12582, an inducer of perlecan expression, decreased proliferation and migratory response to PDGF-BB stimulation in wild-type SMC compared with M Delta 3/Delta 3. In an in vivo carotid artery wire injury model, the medial thickness, medial area/lumen ratio, and macrophage infiltration were significantly increased in the M Delta 3/Delta 3 mice, indicating a prominent role of the HS side chain in limiting vascular injury response. Mutant perlecan that lacks HS side chains had a marked reduction in the inhibition of in vitro SMC function and the in vivo arterial response to injury, indicating the critical role of HS side chains in perlecan function in the vessel wall.
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| 6. |
- He, Bing, et al.
(författare)
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Lmx1b and FoxC Combinatorially Regulate Podocin Expression in Podocytes
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. - 1046-6673 .- 1533-3450. ; 25:12, s. 2764-2777
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Podocin is a key protein of the kidney podocyte slit diaphragm protein complex, an important part of the glomerular filtration barrier. Mutations in the human podocin gene NPHS2 cause familial or sporadic forms of renal disease owing to the disruption of filtration barrier integrity. The exclusive expression of NPHS2 in podocytes reflects its unique function and raises interesting questions about its transcriptional regulation. Here, we further define a 2.5-kb zebrafish nphs2 promoter fragment previously described and identify a 49-bp podocyte-specific transcriptional enhancer using Tol2-mediated G(0) transgenesis in zebrafish. Within this enhancer, we identified a cis-acting element composed of two adjacent DNA-binding sites (FLAT-E and forkhead) bound by transcription factors Lnnx1b and FoxC. In zebrafish, double knockdown of Lmx1b and FoxC orthologs using morpholino doses that caused no or minimal phenotypic changes upon individual knockdown completely disrupted podocyte development in 40% of injected embryos. Co-overexpression of the two genes potently induced endogenous nphs2 expression in zebrafish podocytes. We found that the NPHS2 promoter also contains a cis-acting Lmx1b-FoxC motif that binds LMX1B and FoxC2. Furthermore, a genome-wide search identified several genes that carry the Lmx1b-FoxC motif in their promoter regions. Among these candidates, motif-driven podocyte enhancer activity of CCNC and MEIS2 was functionally analyzed in vivo. Our results show that podocyte expression of some genes is combinatorially regulated by two transcription factors interacting synergistically with a common enhancer. This finding provides insights into transcriptional mechanisms required for normal and pathologic podocyte functions.
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| 7. |
- He, L, et al.
(författare)
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Glomerulus-specific mRNA transcripts and proteins identified through kidney expressed sequence tag database analysis
- 2007
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Ingår i: Kidney International. - 1523-1755 .- 0085-2538. ; 71:9, s. 889-900
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The kidney glomerulus plays a crucial role in blood filtration but the molecular composition and physiology of the glomerulus is not well understood. We previously constructed and large-scale sequenced four mouse glomerular expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries from newborn and adult mouse glomeruli. Here, we compared glomerular EST profiles with whole kidney EST profiles, thereby identifying 497 transcripts corresponding to UniGene clusters that were glomerulus-enriched, that is expressed more abundantly in glomeruli than in whole kidney. These include several known protein-coding glomerulus-specific transcripts critical for glomerulus development and function, but also a large number of gene transcripts, which have not previously been shown to be expressed in the glomerulus, or implicated in glomerular functions. We used in situ hybridization to demonstrate glomerulus-specific RNA expression for six novel glomerular genes and the public Human Protein Atlas to verify glomerular protein expression for another two. The higher mRNA abundance for the eight genes in glomeruli compared with whole kidney was also verified by Taqman quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We surmise that the further characterization of these genes and proteins will increase our understanding of glomerular development and physiology.
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| 8. |
- He, Liqun, et al.
(författare)
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The glomerular transcriptome and a predicted protein-protein interaction network
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. - 1046-6673 .- 1533-3450. ; 19:2, s. 260-268
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To increase our understanding of the molecular composition of the kidney glomerulus, we performed a meta-analysis of available glomerular transcriptional profiles made from mouse and man using five different methodologies. We generated a combined catalogue of glomerulus-enriched genes that emerged from these different sources and then used this to construct a predicted protein-protein interaction network in the glomerulus (GlomNet). The combined glomerulus-enriched gene catalogue provides the most comprehensive picture of the molecular composition of the glomerulus currently available, and GlomNet contributes an integrative systems biology approach to the understanding of glomerular signaling networks that operate during development, function, and disease.
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| 9. |
- Ishikawa, Takahiro, et al.
(författare)
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A novel podocyte protein, R3h domain containing-like, inhibits TGF-β-induced p38 MAPK and regulates the structure of podocytes and glomerular basement membrane
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0946-2716 .- 1432-1440. ; 99:6, s. 859-876
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Not only in kidney glomerular physiological function but also glomerular pathology especially in diabetic condition, glomerular podocytes play pivotal roles. Therefore, it is important to increase our knowledge about the genes and proteins expressed in podocytes. Recently, we have identified a novel podocyte-expressed gene, R3h domain containing-like (R3hdml) and analyzed its function in vivo as well as in vitro. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling regulated the expression of R3hdml. And R3hdml inhibited p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation, which was induced by TGF-β, leading to the amelioration of podocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, a lack of R3hdml in mice significantly worsened glomerular function in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes, while overexpression of R3hdml ameliorated albuminuria in STZ-induced diabetes. Our results surmise that the functional analyses of R3hdml may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for diabetic nephropathy in the future.
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| 10. |
- Jakobsson, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Laminin deposition is dispensable for vasculogenesis but regulates blood vessel diameter independent of flow
- 2008
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Ingår i: The FASEB Journal. - : Wiley. - 0892-6638 .- 1530-6860. ; 22:5, s. 1530-1539
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Basement membranes (BMs) consisting of laminins, collagens, and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are vital for proper endothelial cell function, but many aspects of their role in vascular development remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that vascular structures within differentiating embryoid bodies are wrapped in a BM composed of alpha 4- and alpha 5-chain laminins, fibronectin, collagen IV, and HSPGs. In sprouting angiogenesis, laminins were produced by stalk cells, as well as the leading tip cell, and deposited along the sprout length, including tip cell filopodia. In embryonic stem cells deficient in laminins, due to lamc1 (laminin gamma 1) deletion, vascular development and organization were largely unaffected. However, the frequency of vessels with wide lumens was increased 4-fold. Laminin-deficient vessels were moreover characterized by increased fibronectin levels and enhanced endothelial cell proliferation. We conclude that laminins are dispensable for vascular development but that they regulate lumen formation in the absence of flow and vascular tone.
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