Int J Med Sci
-
S100A8 and S100A9 are important proteins in the pathogenesis of allergy. Asthma is an allergic lung disease, characterized by bronchial inflammation due to leukocytes, bronchoconstriction, and allergen-specific IgE. In this study, we examined the role of S100A8 and S100A9 in the interaction of cytokine release from bronchial epithelial cells, with constitutive apoptosis of neutrophils. ⋯ The degradation of MCL-1 and BCL-2 was also blocked by S100A8 and S100A9 stimulation. Essentially, neutrophil apoptosis was blocked by co-culture of normal and asthmatic neutrophils with BEAS-2B cells in the presence of S100A8 and S100A9. These findings will enable elucidation of asthma pathogenesis.
-
Implantation of autologous fibroblasts is a method used to correct age-related changes in facial skin. The aim of this study was to establish the optimal population of cultured human fibroblasts according to the organization of the extracellular matrix in the dermis. ⋯ Furthermore, genes encoding proteinases responsible for the degradation of dermal extracellular matrix proteins were noticeably downregulated at this stage of culture. Autologous fibroblasts seem to be an optimal and safe biological filler for the renewal of all skin structures.
-
Human pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a critical role in fibrogenesis during chronic pancreatitis (CP). However, primary PSCs have a short lifespan in vitro, which seriously affects their use in various applications. We have established a stable immortalized human PSC line (HP-1) by RSV promoter/enhancer-driven SV40 T antigen expression in primary activated human PSCs. ⋯ Statistical analysis reveals no significantly difference between HP-1 cells and PSCs in their expression of proteins associated with matrix and matrix remodeling. The similarity between HP-1 cell and PSC is further shown by the finding that only 9 proteins are differentially up-regulated > ± 2-fold in HP-1 cells and 13 proteins are up-regulated > ± 2-fold in PSCs and none of these proteins include ECM proteins, cytokines, growth factors or matrix remodeling regulatory proteins. Therefore, HP-1 cells can be used as an effective tool for the study of PSC-mediated pancreatic fibrosis.
-
Cancer cells can enter quiescent or dormant state to resist anticancer agents while maintaining the potential of reactivation. However, the molecular mechanism underlying quiescence entry and reactivation remains largely unknown. In this paper, cancer cells eventually entered a reversible quiescent state to resist long-term paclitaxel (PTX) stress. ⋯ In addition, we show that after partial release, the key G1-S transcription factor E2F1 protein level was not recovered, while MCM7 protein returned to normal level in the reactivated cells. More importantly, MCM7 knockdown inhibited G1/S genes transcription and inhibited the reactivated proliferation. Taken together, this study demonstrates a regulatory function of intracellular acidification and subsequent protein ubiquitination on quiescence entry, and reveals a supportive effect of MCM7 on the quiescence-reactivated proliferation.
-
Sex-specific differences in the severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are due to different susceptibility to hyperoxic lung injury, but the mechanism is unclear. In this study, neonatal male and female mouse pups (C57BL/6J) were exposed to hyperoxia and lung tissues were excised on postnatal day 7 for histological analysis and tandem mass tags proteomic analysis. ⋯ Bioinformatics analysis suggested that several differentially expressed proteins could contribute to the differences in sex-specific susceptibility to hyperoxic lung injury. Our results may help identify sex-specific biomarkers and therapeutic targets of BPD.