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International Journal of Biological... Dec 2023Phosphorus-containing polymers have received much attention for their excellent ability to regulate bone cell differentiation and calcification. Given the increasing...
Phosphorus-containing polymers have received much attention for their excellent ability to regulate bone cell differentiation and calcification. Given the increasing concern about environmental issues, it is promising to utilize "green" biomaterials to construct novel cell culture scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Herein, surface-phosphorylated cellulose nanofibers (P-CNFs) were fabricated as a novel green candidate for osteoblast culture. Compared with native CNF, P-CNFs possessed shorter fiber morphology with tunable phosphate group content (0-1.42 mmol/g). The zeta-potential values of CNFs were enhanced after phosphorylation, resulting in the formation of uniform and stable scaffolds. The cell culture behavior of mouse osteoblast (MC3T3-E1) cells showed a clear phosphate content-dependent cell proliferation. The osteoblast cells adhered well and proliferated efficiently on P-CNF and P-CNF, with phosphate contents of 0.78 and 1.05 mmol/g, respectively, whereas the cells grown on native CNF substrate formed aggregates due to poor cell attachment and exhibited limited cell proliferation. In addition, the P-CNF substrates with optimal phosphate content provided a favorable cellular microenvironment and significantly promoted osteogenic differentiation and calcification, even in the absence of a differentiation inducer. The bio-based P-CNFs are expected to mimic the bone components and provide a means to regulate osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in bone tissue engineering.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Osteogenesis; Tissue Scaffolds; Cellulose; Nanofibers; Osteoblasts; Tissue Engineering; Cell Proliferation; Phosphates; Cell Differentiation
PubMed: 37703974
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126842 -
European Journal of Histochemistry : EJH Oct 2023Cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells that line the biliary tree, can proliferate under the stimulation of several factors through both autocrine and paracrine pathways....
Cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells that line the biliary tree, can proliferate under the stimulation of several factors through both autocrine and paracrine pathways. The cocaine-amphetamine-regulated-transcript (CART) peptide has several physiological functions, and it is widely expressed in several organs. CART increases the survival of hippocampal neurons by upregulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), whose expression has been correlated to the proliferation rate of cholangiocytes. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the expression of CART and its role in modulating cholangiocyte proliferation in healthy and bile duct ligated (BDL) rats in vivo, as well as in cultured normal rat cholangiocytes (NRC) in vitro. Liver samples from both healthy and BDL (1 week) rats, were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence for CART, CK19, TrkB and p75NTR BDNF receptors. PCNA staining was used to evaluate the proliferation of the cholangiocytes, whereas TUNEL assay was used to evaluate biliary apoptosis. NRC treated or not with CART were used to confirm the role of CART on cholangiocytes proliferation and the secretion of BDNF. Cholangiocytes proliferation, apoptosis, CART and TrkB expression were increased in BDL rats, compared to control rats. We found a higher expression of TrkB and p75NTR, which could be correlated with the proliferation rate of biliary tree during BDL. The in vitro study demonstrated increased BDNF secretion by NRC after treatment with CART compared with control cells. As previously reported, proliferating cholangiocytes acquire a neuroendocrine phenotype, modulated by several factors, including neurotrophins. Accordingly, CART may play a key role in the remodeling of biliary epithelium during cholestasis by modulating the secretion of BDNF.
Topics: Animals; Rats; Bile Ducts; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Cell Proliferation; Epithelium; Nerve Tissue Proteins
PubMed: 37859350
DOI: 10.4081/ejh.2023.3846 -
JCI Insight Jul 2023The virulence of intracellular pathogens relies largely on the ability to survive and replicate within phagocytes but also on release and transfer into new host cells....
The virulence of intracellular pathogens relies largely on the ability to survive and replicate within phagocytes but also on release and transfer into new host cells. Such cell-to-cell transfer could represent a target for counteracting microbial pathogenesis. However, our understanding of the underlying cellular and molecular processes remains woefully insufficient. Using intravital 2-photon microscopy of caspase-3 activation in the Leishmania major-infected (L. major-infected) live skin, we showed increased apoptosis in cells infected by the parasite. Also, transfer of the parasite to new host cells occurred directly without a detectable extracellular state and was associated with concomitant uptake of cellular material from the original host cell. These in vivo findings were fully recapitulated in infections of isolated human phagocytes. Furthermore, we observed that high pathogen proliferation increased cell death in infected cells, and long-term residency within an infected host cell was only possible for slowly proliferating parasites. Our results therefore suggest that L. major drives its own dissemination to new phagocytes by inducing host cell death in a proliferation-dependent manner.
Topics: Leishmania major; Phagocytes; Apoptosis; Humans; Virulence; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Cells, Cultured; Mice; Animals
PubMed: 37310793
DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.169020 -
European Respiratory Review : An... Jan 2024Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and ∼85% of lung cancers are classified as nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These malignancies... (Review)
Review
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and ∼85% of lung cancers are classified as nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These malignancies can proliferate indefinitely, in part due to dysregulation of the cell cycle and the resulting abnormal cell growth. The specific activation of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) is closely linked to tumour proliferation. Approximately 80% of human tumours exhibit abnormalities in the cyclin D-CDK4/6-INK4-RB pathway. Specifically, CDK4/6 inhibitors either as monotherapy or combination therapy have been investigated in pre-clinical and clinical studies for the treatment of NSCLC, and promising results have been achieved. This review article focuses on research regarding the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in NSCLC, including the characteristics and mechanisms of action of approved drugs and progress of pre-clinical and clinical research.
Topics: Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4; Cell Proliferation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors
PubMed: 38355149
DOI: 10.1183/16000617.0145-2023 -
Materials Today. Bio Dec 2023This is the first genome-wide transcriptional profiling study using RNA-sequencing to investigate osteoblast responses to different titanium surface topographies,...
This is the first genome-wide transcriptional profiling study using RNA-sequencing to investigate osteoblast responses to different titanium surface topographies, specifically between machined, smooth and acid-etched, microrough surfaces. Rat femoral osteoblasts were cultured on machine-smooth and acid-etched microrough titanium disks. The culture system was validated through a series of assays confirming reduced osteoblast attachment, slower proliferation, and faster differentiation on microrough surfaces. RNA-sequencing analysis of osteoblasts at an early stage of culture revealed that gene expression was highly correlated (r = 0.975) between the two topographies, but 1.38 % genes were upregulated and 0.37 % were downregulated on microrough surfaces. Upregulated transcripts were enriched for immune system, plasma membrane, response to external stimulus, and positive regulation to stimulus processes. Structural mapping confirmed microrough surface-promoted gene sharing and networking in signaling pathways and immune system/responses. Target-specific pathway analysis revealed that Rho family G-protein signaling pathways and actin genes, responsible for the formation of stress fibers, cytoplasmic projections, and focal adhesion, were upregulated on microrough surfaces without upregulation of core genes triggered by cell-to-cell interactions. Furthermore, disulfide-linked or -targeted extracellular matrix (ECM) or membranous glycoproteins such as laminin, fibronectin, CD36, and thrombospondin were highly expressed on microrough surfaces. Finally, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D1, whose co-expression reduces cell proliferation, were upregulated on microrough surfaces. Thus, osteoblasts on microrough surfaces were characterized by upregulation of genes related to a wide range of functions associated with the immune system, stress/stimulus responses, proliferation control, skeletal and cytoplasmic signaling, ECM-integrin receptor interactions, and ECM-membranous glycoprotein interactions, furthering our knowledge of the surface-dependent expression of osteoblastic biomarkers on titanium.
PubMed: 38024842
DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100852 -
Journal of Translational Medicine Mar 2024Mitochondria are cytoplasmic organelles having a fundamental role in the regulation of neural stem cell (NSC) fate during neural development and maintenance.During... (Review)
Review
Mitochondria are cytoplasmic organelles having a fundamental role in the regulation of neural stem cell (NSC) fate during neural development and maintenance.During embryonic and adult neurogenesis, NSCs undergo a metabolic switch from glycolytic to oxidative phosphorylation with a rise in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content, changes in mitochondria shape and size, and a physiological augmentation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species which together drive NSCs to proliferate and differentiate. Genetic and epigenetic modifications of proteins involved in cellular differentiation (Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin), proliferation (Wingless-type), and hypoxia (Mitogen-activated protein kinase)-and all connected by the common key regulatory factor Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1A-are deemed to be responsible for the metabolic shift and, consequently, NSC fate in physiological and pathological conditions.Both primary mitochondrial dysfunction due to mutations in nuclear DNA or mtDNA or secondary mitochondrial dysfunction in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) metabolism, mitochondrial dynamics, and organelle interplay pathways can contribute to the development of neurodevelopmental or progressive neurodegenerative disorders.This review analyses the physiology and pathology of neural development starting from the available in vitro and in vivo models and highlights the current knowledge concerning key mitochondrial pathways involved in this process.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Mitochondria; DNA, Mitochondrial; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Hypoxia; Neural Stem Cells; Mitochondrial Diseases
PubMed: 38438847
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05041-w -
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental... 2023Neocortical development depends on the intrinsic ability of neural stem and progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate to generate the different kinds of neurons... (Review)
Review
Neocortical development depends on the intrinsic ability of neural stem and progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate to generate the different kinds of neurons in the adult brain. These progenitor cells can be distinguished into apical progenitors, which occupy a stem cell niche in the ventricular zone and basal progenitors, which occupy a stem cell niche in the subventricular zone (SVZ). During development, the stem cell niche provided in the subventricular zone enables the increased proliferation and self-renewal of basal progenitors, which likely underlie the expansion of the human neocortex. However, the components forming the SVZ stem cell niche in the developing neocortex have not yet been fully understood. In this review, we will discuss potential components of the SVZ stem cell niche, i.e., extracellular matrix composition and brain vasculature, and their possible key role in establishing and maintaining this niche during fetal neocortical development. We will also emphasize the potential role of basal progenitor morphology in maintaining their proliferative capacity within the stem cell niche of the SVZ. Finally, we will focus on the use of brain organoids to i) understand the unique features of basal progenitors, notably basal radial glia; ii) study components of the SVZ stem cell niche; and iii) provide future directions on how to improve brain organoids, notably the organoid SVZ, and make them more reliable models of human neocortical development and evolution studies.
PubMed: 38188021
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1332901 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2023(KP) is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, such as pneumonia. Moreover, it is classified as a pathogen of concern due to sprawling anti-microbial...
BACKGROUND
(KP) is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, such as pneumonia. Moreover, it is classified as a pathogen of concern due to sprawling anti-microbial resistance. During infection, the gram-negative pathogen is capable of establishing an intracellular niche in macrophages by altering cellular metabolism. One factor critically affecting the host-pathogen interaction is the availability of essential nutrients, like iron, which is required for KP to proliferate but which also modulates anti-microbial immune effector pathways. We hypothesized, that KP manipulates macrophage iron homeostasis to acquire this crucial nutrient for sustained proliferation.
METHODS
We applied an infection model, in which human macrophage-like PMA-differentiated THP1 cells were infected with KP (strain ATCC 43816). During a 24-h course of infection, we quantified the number of intracellular bacteria serial plating of cell lysates and evaluated the effects of different stimuli on intracellular bacterial numbers and iron acquisition. Furthermore, we analyzed host and pathogen specific gene and protein expression of key iron metabolism molecules.
RESULTS
Viable bacteria are recovered from macrophage cell lysates during the course of infection, indicative of persistence of bacteria within host cells and inefficient pathogen clearing by macrophages. Strikingly, following KP infection macrophages strongly induce the expression of the main cellular iron importer transferrin-receptor-1 (TFR1). Accordingly, intracellular KP proliferation is further augmented by the addition of iron loaded transferrin. The induction of TFR1 is mediated the STAT-6-IL-10 axis, and pharmacological inhibition of this pathway reduces macrophage iron uptake, elicits bacterial iron starvation, and decreases bacterial survival.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest, that KP manipulates macrophage iron metabolism to acquire iron once confined inside the host cell and enforces intracellular bacterial persistence. This is facilitated by microbial mediated induction of TFR1 the STAT-6-IL-10 axis. Mechanistic insights into immune metabolism will provide opportunities for the development of novel antimicrobial therapies.
PubMed: 37637102
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1223113 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2024This brief review explores the role of intracellular K during the transition of cells from quiescence to proliferation and the induction of apoptosis. We focus on the... (Review)
Review
This brief review explores the role of intracellular K during the transition of cells from quiescence to proliferation and the induction of apoptosis. We focus on the relationship between intracellular K and the growth and proliferation rates of different cells, including transformed cells in culture as well as human quiescent T cells and mesenchymal stem cells, and analyze the concomitant changes in K and water content in both proliferating and apoptotic cells. Evidence is discussed indicating that during the initiation of cell proliferation and apoptosis changes in the K content in cells occur in parallel with changes in water content and therefore do not lead to significant changes in the intracellular K concentration. We conclude that K, as a dominant intracellular ion, is involved in the regulation of cell volume during the transit from quiescence, and the content of K and water in dividing cells is higher than in quiescent or differentiated cells, which can be considered to be a hallmark of cell proliferation and transformation.
Topics: Humans; Cell Division; Cell Proliferation; Apoptosis; Potassium; Water
PubMed: 38255956
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020884 -
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal Jan 2024Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), which is a therapeutic agent for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, has a beneficial effect on the...
Glucagon-Like Peptide Receptor Agonist Inhibits Angiotensin II-Induced Proliferation and Migration in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Ameliorates Phosphate-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Calcification.
BACKGRUOUND
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), which is a therapeutic agent for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.
METHODS
To examine the protective effects of GLP-1RAs on proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), A-10 cells exposed to angiotensin II (Ang II) were treated with either exendin-4, liraglutide, or dulaglutide. To examine the effects of GLP-1RAs on vascular calcification, cells exposed to high concentration of inorganic phosphate (Pi) were treated with exendin-4, liraglutide, or dulaglutide.
RESULTS
Ang II increased proliferation and migration of VSMCs, gene expression levels of Ang II receptors AT1 and AT2, proliferation marker of proliferation Ki-67 (Mki-67), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (Pcna), and cyclin D1 (Ccnd1), and the protein expression levels of phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-Erk), phospho-c-JUN N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), and phospho-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p-Pi3k). Exendin-4, liraglutide, and dulaglutide significantly decreased the proliferation and migration of VSMCs, the gene expression levels of Pcna, and the protein expression levels of p-Erk and p-JNK in the Ang II-treated VSMCs. Erk inhibitor PD98059 and JNK inhibitor SP600125 decreased the protein expression levels of Pcna and Ccnd1 and proliferation of VSMCs. Inhibition of GLP-1R by siRNA reversed the reduction of the protein expression levels of p-Erk and p-JNK by exendin-4, liraglutide, and dulaglutide in the Ang II-treated VSMCs. Moreover, GLP-1 (9-36) amide also decreased the proliferation and migration of the Ang II-treated VSMCs. In addition, these GLP-1RAs decreased calcium deposition by inhibiting activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4) in Pi-treated VSMCs.
CONCLUSION
These data show that GLP-1RAs ameliorate aberrant proliferation and migration in VSMCs through both GLP-1Rdependent and independent pathways and inhibit Pi-induced vascular calcification.
Topics: Humans; Angiotensin II; Exenatide; Liraglutide; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; Glucagon-Like Peptide Receptors; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Phosphates; Cell Proliferation; Vascular Calcification
PubMed: 38173373
DOI: 10.4093/dmj.2022.0363