Journal of cellular biochemistry
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All adult tissues, including the lung, have some capacity to self-repair or regenerate through the replication and differentiation of stem cells resident within these organs. While lung resident stem cells are an obvious candidate cell therapy for lung diseases, limitations exist regarding our knowledge of the biology of these cells. ⋯ Preclinical studies demonstrate promising results using MSCs for diverse lung disorders, including emphysema, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, fibrosis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. This mini-review will summarize ongoing clinical trials using MSCs in lung diseases, critically examine the data supporting their use for this purpose, and discuss the next steps in the translational pathway for MSC therapy of lung diseases.
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There is currently great interest in the use of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) for the therapy of many diseases of animals and humans. However, we are still left with the serious challenges in explaining the beneficial effects of the cells. Hence, it is essential to work backward from dramatic results obtained in vivo to the cellular and molecular explanations in order to discover the secrets of MSCs. This review will focus on recent data that have changed the paradigms for understanding the therapeutic potentials of MSCs.
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A growing body of evidence has underlined the involvement of histone methyltransferases and demethylases in leukemia development. These findings can be roughly classified into two categories according to their association with leukemia. On the one hand, these histone modifiers are recruited to DNA by specific affinities of aberrantly expressed transcription factors or fusion proteins, and induce chromatin modifications to regulate target gene expression. ⋯ On the other hand, recent studies have identified inactivating mutations of some key histone modulators in myeloid malignancies and these results suggest that they act as tumor suppressors. Profound understanding of these findings in the two categories will help us consider clinical applications of epigenetic drugs. In this prospect we will review the leukemogenic mechanisms clarified by the epigenetic approach and the current findings on genetic aberrations in each methyltransferase or demethylase, and discuss the potential of medical intervention in leukemia or leukemia stem cells targeting histone modifiers.
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Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease, is characterized by the progressive proliferation, migration, and differentiation of smooth muscle (SM)-like LAM cells, which lead to the cystic destruction of the lung parenchyma, obstruction of airways and lymphatics, and loss of pulmonary function. LAM is a disease predominantly affecting women and is exacerbated by pregnancy; only a lung transplant can save the life of a patient. ⋯ The recent discoveries that TSC1/TSC2 complex functions as an integrator of signaling networks regulated by growth factors, insulin, nutrients, and energy heightened the interest regarding this rare disease because the elucidation of disease-relevant mechanisms of LAM will promote a better understanding of other metabolic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we will summarize the progress made in our understanding of TSC1/TSC2 cellular signaling and the molecular mechanisms of LAM; we will also highlight some of the lesser explored directions and challenges in LAM research.
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Experimental animal models of bone cancer pain have emerged and findings have provided a unique glimpse into unraveling the mechanism that drives this debilitating condition. Key contributors to the generation and maintenance of bone cancer pain are tumor-induced osteolysis, tumor itself, and production of nociceptive mediators in the bone-tumor microenvironment.