Circulation research
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Circulation research · Jan 2013
Vascular injury triggers Krüppel-like factor 6 mobilization and cooperation with specificity protein 1 to promote endothelial activation through upregulation of the activin receptor-like kinase 1 gene.
Activin receptor-like kinase-1 (ALK1) is an endothelial transforming growth factor β receptor involved in angiogenesis. ALK1 expression is high in the embryo vasculature, becoming less detectable in the quiescent endothelium of adult stages. However, ALK1 expression becomes rapidly increased after angiogenic stimuli such as vascular injury. ⋯ ALK1 is upregulated in ECs during vascular injury by a synergistic cooperative mechanism between KLF6 and specificity protein 1, and in vascular smooth muscle cells by an EC-vascular smooth muscle cell paracrine communication during vascular remodeling.
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Circulation research · Oct 2012
Induction of cardiomyocyte-like cells in infarct hearts by gene transfer of Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5.
After myocardial infarction (MI), massive cell death in the myocardium initiates fibrosis and scar formation, leading to heart failure. We recently found that a combination of 3 cardiac transcription factors, Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5 (GMT), reprograms fibroblasts directly into functional cardiomyocytes in vitro. ⋯ GMT gene transfer induced cardiomyocyte-like cells in infarcted hearts.
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Circulation research · Oct 2012
Editorial CommentAn emerging strategy of gene therapy for cardiac disease.