scholarly journals Improving Cardiac Reprogramming for Heart Regeneration in Translational Medicine

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 3297
Author(s):  
Liu Liu ◽  
Yijing Guo ◽  
Zhaokai Li ◽  
Zhong Wang

Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into CM-like cells has emerged as an attractive strategy to generate induced CMs (iCMs) in heart regeneration. However, low conversion rate, poor purity, and the lack of precise conversion of iCMs are still present as significant challenges. In this review, we summarize the recent development in understanding the molecular mechanisms of cardiac reprogramming with various strategies to achieve more efficient iCMs. reprogramming. Specifically, we focus on the identified critical roles of transcriptional regulation, epigenetic modification, signaling pathways from the cellular microenvironment, and cell cycling regulation in cardiac reprogramming. We also discuss the progress in delivery system optimization and cardiac reprogramming in human cells related to preclinical applications. We anticipate that this will translate cardiac reprogramming-based heart therapy into clinical applications. In addition to optimizing the cardiogenesis related transcriptional regulation and signaling pathways, an important strategy is to modulate the pathological microenvironment associated with heart injury, including inflammation, pro-fibrotic signaling pathways, and the mechanical properties of the damaged myocardium. We are optimistic that cardiac reprogramming will provide a powerful therapy in heart regenerative medicine.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 1729-1741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed H. Shahcheraghi ◽  
Venant Tchokonte-Nana ◽  
Marzieh Lotfi ◽  
Malihe Lotfi ◽  
Ahmad Ghorbani ◽  
...  

: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and malignant astrocytic glioma, accounting for about 90% of all brain tumors with poor prognosis. Despite recent advances in understanding molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis and the improved neuroimaging technologies, surgery, and adjuvant treatments, the clinical prognosis of patients with GBM remains persistently unfavorable. The signaling pathways and the regulation of growth factors of glioblastoma cells are very abnormal. The various signaling pathways have been suggested to be involved in cellular proliferation, invasion, and glioma metastasis. The Wnt signaling pathway with its pleiotropic functions in neurogenesis and stem cell proliferation is implicated in various human cancers, including glioma. In addition, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is closely related to growth, metabolism, survival, angiogenesis, autophagy, and chemotherapy resistance of GBM. Understanding the mechanisms of GBM’s invasion, represented by invasion and migration, is an important tool in designing effective therapeutic interventions. This review will investigate two main signaling pathways in GBM: PI3K/Akt/mTOR and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathways.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (28) ◽  
pp. 3057-3073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kobra B. Juybari ◽  
Azam Hosseinzadeh ◽  
Habib Ghaznavi ◽  
Mahboobeh Kamali ◽  
Ahad Sedaghat ◽  
...  

Optic neuropathies refer to the dysfunction or degeneration of optic nerve fibers caused by any reasons including ischemia, inflammation, trauma, tumor, mitochondrial dysfunction, toxins, nutritional deficiency, inheritance, etc. Post-mitotic CNS neurons, including retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) intrinsically have a limited capacity for axon growth after either trauma or disease, leading to irreversible vision loss. In recent years, an increasing number of laboratory evidence has evaluated optic nerve injuries, focusing on molecular signaling pathways involved in RGC death. Trophic factor deprivation (TFD), inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate-induced excitotoxicity, ischemia, hypoxia, etc. have been recognized as important molecular mechanisms leading to RGC apoptosis. Understanding these obstacles provides a better view to find out new strategies against retinal cell damage. Melatonin, as a wide-spectrum antioxidant and powerful freeradical scavenger, has the ability to protect RGCs or other cells against a variety of deleterious conditions such as oxidative/nitrosative stress, hypoxia/ischemia, inflammatory processes, and apoptosis. In this review, we primarily highlight the molecular regenerative and degenerative mechanisms involved in RGC survival/death and then summarize the possible protective effects of melatonin in the process of RGC death in some ocular diseases including optic neuropathies. Based on the information provided in this review, melatonin may act as a promising agent to reduce RGC death in various retinal pathologic conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahereh Farkhondeh ◽  
Hanieh Shaterzadeh Yazdi ◽  
Saeed Samarghandian

Background: The therapeutic strategies to manage neurodegenerative diseases remain limited and it is necessary to discover new agents for their prevention and control. Oxidative stress and inflammation play a main role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this study is to review the effects of green tea catechins against the Neurodegenerative Diseases. Methods: In this study, we extensively reviewed all articles on the terms of Green tea, catechins, CNS disorders, and different diseases in PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases between the years 1990 and 2017. Results: The present study found that catechins, the major flavonoids in green tea, are powerful antioxidants and radical scavengers which possess the potential roles in the management of neurodegenerative diseases. Catechins modulate the cellular and molecular mechanisms through the inflammation-related NF-&amp;#954;B and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathways. Conclusion: The findings of the present review shows catechins could be effective against neurodegenerative diseases due to their antioxidation and anti-inflammation effects and the involved biochemical pathways including Nrf2 and NF-kB signaling pathways.<P&gt;


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-199
Author(s):  
Wioletta Ratajczak-Wrona ◽  
Ewa Jablonska

Background: Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) play a crucial role in the innate immune system’s response to microbial pathogens through the release of reactive nitrogen species, including Nitric Oxide (NO). </P><P> Methods: In neutrophils, NO is produced by the inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), which is regulated by various signaling pathways and transcription factors. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a potential human carcinogen, affects immune cells. NDMA plays a major part in the growing incidence of cancers. Thanks to the increasing knowledge on the toxicological role of NDMA, the environmental factors that condition the exposure to this compound, especially its precursors- nitrates arouse wide concern. Results: In this article, we present a detailed summary of the molecular mechanisms of NDMA’s effect on the iNOS-dependent NO production in human neutrophils. Conclusion: This research contributes to a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that explain the changes that occur during nonspecific cellular responses to NDMA toxicity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Tang ◽  
Guodong Zhu

The nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) consists of a family of transcription factors involved in the regulation of a wide variety of biological responses. Growing evidence support that NF-κB plays a major role in oncogenesis as well as its well-known function in the regulation of immune responses and inflammation. Therefore, we made a review of the diverse molecular mechanisms by which the NF-κB pathway is constitutively activated in different types of human cancers and the potential role of various oncogenic genes regulated by this transcription factor in cancer development and progression. We also discussed various pharmacological approaches employed to target the deregulated NF-κB signaling pathway and their possible therapeutic potential in cancer therapy. Moreover, Syk (Spleen tyrosine kinase), non-receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates signal transduction downstream of a variety of transmembrane receptors including classical immune-receptors like the B-cell receptor (BCR), which can also activate the inflammasome and NF-κB-mediated transcription of chemokines and cytokines in the presence of pathogens would be discussed as well. The highlight of this review article is to summarize the classic and novel signaling pathways involved in NF-κB and Syk signaling and then raise some possibilities for cancer therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4728
Author(s):  
Tanuza Das ◽  
Eun Joo Song ◽  
Eunice EunKyeong Kim

Ubiquitination and deubiquitination are protein post-translational modification processes that have been recognized as crucial mediators of many complex cellular networks, including maintaining ubiquitin homeostasis, controlling protein stability, and regulating several signaling pathways. Therefore, some of the enzymes involved in ubiquitination and deubiquitination, particularly E3 ligases and deubiquitinases, have attracted attention for drug discovery. Here, we review recent findings on USP15, one of the deubiquitinases, which regulates diverse signaling pathways by deubiquitinating vital target proteins. Even though several basic previous studies have uncovered the versatile roles of USP15 in different signaling networks, those have not yet been systematically and specifically reviewed, which can provide important information about possible disease markers and clinical applications. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of USP15 on different signaling pathways for which dynamic reverse ubiquitination is a key regulator.


Author(s):  
Jie Wang(a) ◽  
Jingjing Zhang ◽  
Mengjie Xiao ◽  
Shudong Wang ◽  
Jie Wang(b) ◽  
...  

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 308
Author(s):  
Marion Buffard ◽  
Aurélien Naldi ◽  
Gilles Freiss ◽  
Marcel Deckert ◽  
Ovidiu Radulescu ◽  
...  

Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) can behave as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor, depending on the cell and tissue type. As pharmacological SYK inhibitors are currently evaluated in clinical trials, it is important to gain more information on the molecular mechanisms underpinning these opposite roles. To this aim, we reconstructed and compared its signaling networks using phosphoproteomic data from breast cancer and Burkitt lymphoma cell lines where SYK behaves as a tumor suppressor and promoter. Bioinformatic analyses allowed for unveiling the main differences in signaling pathways, network topology and signal propagation from SYK to its potential effectors. In breast cancer cells, the SYK target-enriched signaling pathways included intercellular adhesion and Hippo signaling components that are often linked to tumor suppression. In Burkitt lymphoma cells, the SYK target-enriched signaling pathways included molecules that could play a role in SYK pro-oncogenic function in B-cell lymphomas. Several protein interactions were profoundly rewired in the breast cancer network compared with the Burkitt lymphoma network. These data demonstrate that proteomic profiling combined with mathematical network modeling allows untangling complex pathway interplays and revealing difficult to discern interactions among the SYK pathways that positively and negatively affect tumor formation and progression.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 634
Author(s):  
Anca Ungurianu ◽  
Anca Zanfirescu ◽  
Georgiana Nițulescu ◽  
Denisa Margină

Vitamin E, comprising tocopherols and tocotrienols, is mainly known as an antioxidant. The aim of this review is to summarize the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways linked to inflammation and malignancy modulated by its vitamers. Preclinical reports highlighted a myriad of cellular effects like modulating the synthesis of pro-inflammatory molecules and oxidative stress response, inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, regulating cell cycle, and apoptosis. Furthermore, animal-based models have shown that these molecules affect the activity of various enzymes and signaling pathways, such as MAPK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, JAK/STAT, and NF-κB, acting as the underlying mechanisms of their reported anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anti-cancer effects. In clinical settings, not all of these were proven, with reports varying considerably. Nonetheless, vitamin E was shown to improve redox and inflammatory status in healthy, diabetic, and metabolic syndrome subjects. The anti-cancer effects were inconsistent, with both pro- and anti-malignant being reported. Regarding its neuroprotective properties, several studies have shown protective effects suggesting vitamin E as a potential prevention and therapeutic (as adjuvant) tool. However, source and dosage greatly influence the observed effects, with bioavailability seemingly a key factor in obtaining the preferred outcome. We conclude that this group of molecules presents exciting potential for the prevention and treatment of diseases with an inflammatory, redox, or malignant component.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Mathieu Pélissier ◽  
Hans Motte ◽  
Tom Beeckman

Abstract Lateral roots are important to forage for nutrients due to their ability to increase the uptake area of a root system. Hence, it comes as no surprise that lateral root formation is affected by nutrients or nutrient starvation, and as such contributes to the root system plasticity. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating root adaptation dynamics towards nutrient availability is useful to optimize plant nutrient use efficiency. There is at present a profound, though still evolving, knowledge on lateral root pathways. Here, we aimed to review the intersection with nutrient signaling pathways to give an update on the regulation of lateral root development by nutrients, with a particular focus on nitrogen. Remarkably, it is for most nutrients not clear how lateral root formation is controlled. Only for nitrogen, one of the most dominant nutrients in the control of lateral root formation, the crosstalk with multiple key signals determining lateral root development is clearly shown. In this update, we first present a general overview of the current knowledge of how nutrients affect lateral root formation, followed by a deeper discussion on how nitrogen signaling pathways act on different lateral root-mediating mechanisms for which multiple recent studies yield insights.


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