The programmed cell death-1(PD-1)/PD-ligand 1(PD-L1)pathway is critical for normal pregnancy by promoting regulatory T(Treg)cell development and inhibiting the Th17 response.However,the relationship between the PD-1/P...The programmed cell death-1(PD-1)/PD-ligand 1(PD-L1)pathway is critical for normal pregnancy by promoting regulatory T(Treg)cell development and inhibiting the Th17 response.However,the relationship between the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and the Treg/Th17 imbalance in pre-eclampsia(PE)is an enigma.In this study,decreased PD-1 and PD-L1 expression and a Treg/Th17 imbalance were observed at the maternal-fetal interface in PE.The regulatory effects of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway on the Treg and Th17 cell quantities were determined in vitro by targeting T-cell proliferation,differentiation and transdifferentiation.First,decreased PD-1 expression might contribute to a higher Th17 cell frequency by promoting proliferation in PE.Second,the percentages of Treg but not Th17 cells differentiated from peripheral naive CD4+T cells were increased by PD-L1 Fc administration.This effect was accompanied by decreased PI3K/AKT/m-TOR and increased PTEN mRNA expression and was completely reversed by PD-1 blockade.Finally,the percentage of IL-17-producing Treg cells increased and was positively associated with the Th17 cell frequency in PE.Increased RORγt and IL-17 but not Foxp3 and IL-10 mRNA expression by Treg cells was observed with PD-1 blockade.Similar findings occurred when Treg cells were exposed to IL-6/IL-23/IL-1βand were reversed by PD-L1 Fc.Taken together,our findings indicate that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway contributes to the Treg/Th17 imbalance via‘one-two punch’approaches:(i)promoting Th17 cell proliferation,(ii)inhibiting Treg cell differentiation and(iii)enhancing Treg cell plasticity into Th17 cells in PE.The therapeutic value of PD-L1 Fc for PE treatment will be explored in the future.展开更多
Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic injuries, characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix or scar tissue within the liver;in addition, its formation is associated with multipl...Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic injuries, characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix or scar tissue within the liver;in addition, its formation is associated with multiple cytokines as well as several cell types and a variety of signaling pathways. When liver fibrosis is not well controlled, it can progress to liver cirrhosis, but it is reversible in principle. Thus far, no efficient therapy is available for treatment of liver fibrosis. Although liver transplantation is the preferred strategy, there are many challenges remaining in this approach, such as shortage of donor organs, immunological rejection, and surgical complications. Hence, there is a great need for an alternative therapeutic strategy. Currently, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of liver fibrosis;advantageously, the characteristics of MSCs are continuous self-renewal, proliferation, multipotent differentiation, and immunomodulatory activities. The human umbilical cord-derived (hUC)-MSCs possess not only the common attributes of MSCs but also more stable biological characteristics, relatively easy accessibility, abundant source, and no ethical issues (e.g., bone marrow being the adult source), making hUC-MSCs a good choice for treatment of liver fibrosis. In this review, we summarize the biological characteristics of hUC-MSCs and their paracrine effects, exerted by secretion of various cytokines, which ultimately promote liver repair through several signaling pathways. Additionally, we discuss the capacity of hUC-MSCs to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells for compensating the function of existing hepatocytes, which may aid in amelioration of liver fibrosis. Finally, we discuss the current status of the research field and its future prospects.展开更多
Atoh1 overexpression in cochlear epithelium induces new hair cell formation. Use of adenovirus-mediated Atoh1 overexpression has mainly focused on the rat lesser epithelial ridge and induces ectopic hair cell regenera...Atoh1 overexpression in cochlear epithelium induces new hair cell formation. Use of adenovirus-mediated Atoh1 overexpression has mainly focused on the rat lesser epithelial ridge and induces ectopic hair cell regeneration. The sensory region of rat cochlea is difficult to transfect, thus new hair cells are rarely produced in situ in rat cochlear explants. After culturing rat cochleae in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, adenovirus successfully infected the sensory region as the width of the supporting cell area was significantly increased. Adenovirus encoding Atoh1 infected the sensory region and induced hair cell formation in situ. Combined application of the Notch inhibitor DAPT and Atoh1 increased the Atoh1 expression level and decreased hes1 and hes5 levels, further promoting hair cell generation. Our results demonstrate that DAPT enhances Atoh1 activity to promote hair cell regeneration in rat cochlear sensory epithelium in vitro.展开更多
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cause of malignancy in males and the third leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. The standard care for primary PCa with local invasive disease mainly is surge...Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cause of malignancy in males and the third leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. The standard care for primary PCa with local invasive disease mainly is surgery and radiation. For patients with distant metastases, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a gold standard. Regardless of a favorable outcome of ADT, patients inevitably relapse to an end-stage castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) leading to mortality. Therefore, revealing the mechanism and identifying cellular components driving aggressive PCa is critical for prognosis and therapeutic intervention. Cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotypes characterized as poor differentiation, cancer initiation with self-renewal capabilities, and therapeutic resistance are proposed to contribute to the onset of CRPC. In this review, we discuss the role of CSC in CRPC with the evidence of CSC phenotypes and the possible underlying mechanisms.展开更多
基金This study was supported by research grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NO.81471475).
文摘The programmed cell death-1(PD-1)/PD-ligand 1(PD-L1)pathway is critical for normal pregnancy by promoting regulatory T(Treg)cell development and inhibiting the Th17 response.However,the relationship between the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and the Treg/Th17 imbalance in pre-eclampsia(PE)is an enigma.In this study,decreased PD-1 and PD-L1 expression and a Treg/Th17 imbalance were observed at the maternal-fetal interface in PE.The regulatory effects of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway on the Treg and Th17 cell quantities were determined in vitro by targeting T-cell proliferation,differentiation and transdifferentiation.First,decreased PD-1 expression might contribute to a higher Th17 cell frequency by promoting proliferation in PE.Second,the percentages of Treg but not Th17 cells differentiated from peripheral naive CD4+T cells were increased by PD-L1 Fc administration.This effect was accompanied by decreased PI3K/AKT/m-TOR and increased PTEN mRNA expression and was completely reversed by PD-1 blockade.Finally,the percentage of IL-17-producing Treg cells increased and was positively associated with the Th17 cell frequency in PE.Increased RORγt and IL-17 but not Foxp3 and IL-10 mRNA expression by Treg cells was observed with PD-1 blockade.Similar findings occurred when Treg cells were exposed to IL-6/IL-23/IL-1βand were reversed by PD-L1 Fc.Taken together,our findings indicate that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway contributes to the Treg/Th17 imbalance via‘one-two punch’approaches:(i)promoting Th17 cell proliferation,(ii)inhibiting Treg cell differentiation and(iii)enhancing Treg cell plasticity into Th17 cells in PE.The therapeutic value of PD-L1 Fc for PE treatment will be explored in the future.
基金Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province of China,No.20190201010JC
文摘Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic injuries, characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix or scar tissue within the liver;in addition, its formation is associated with multiple cytokines as well as several cell types and a variety of signaling pathways. When liver fibrosis is not well controlled, it can progress to liver cirrhosis, but it is reversible in principle. Thus far, no efficient therapy is available for treatment of liver fibrosis. Although liver transplantation is the preferred strategy, there are many challenges remaining in this approach, such as shortage of donor organs, immunological rejection, and surgical complications. Hence, there is a great need for an alternative therapeutic strategy. Currently, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of liver fibrosis;advantageously, the characteristics of MSCs are continuous self-renewal, proliferation, multipotent differentiation, and immunomodulatory activities. The human umbilical cord-derived (hUC)-MSCs possess not only the common attributes of MSCs but also more stable biological characteristics, relatively easy accessibility, abundant source, and no ethical issues (e.g., bone marrow being the adult source), making hUC-MSCs a good choice for treatment of liver fibrosis. In this review, we summarize the biological characteristics of hUC-MSCs and their paracrine effects, exerted by secretion of various cytokines, which ultimately promote liver repair through several signaling pathways. Additionally, we discuss the capacity of hUC-MSCs to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells for compensating the function of existing hepatocytes, which may aid in amelioration of liver fibrosis. Finally, we discuss the current status of the research field and its future prospects.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81420108010,81271084,81200740,81371093
文摘Atoh1 overexpression in cochlear epithelium induces new hair cell formation. Use of adenovirus-mediated Atoh1 overexpression has mainly focused on the rat lesser epithelial ridge and induces ectopic hair cell regeneration. The sensory region of rat cochlea is difficult to transfect, thus new hair cells are rarely produced in situ in rat cochlear explants. After culturing rat cochleae in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, adenovirus successfully infected the sensory region as the width of the supporting cell area was significantly increased. Adenovirus encoding Atoh1 infected the sensory region and induced hair cell formation in situ. Combined application of the Notch inhibitor DAPT and Atoh1 increased the Atoh1 expression level and decreased hes1 and hes5 levels, further promoting hair cell generation. Our results demonstrate that DAPT enhances Atoh1 activity to promote hair cell regeneration in rat cochlear sensory epithelium in vitro.
文摘Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cause of malignancy in males and the third leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. The standard care for primary PCa with local invasive disease mainly is surgery and radiation. For patients with distant metastases, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a gold standard. Regardless of a favorable outcome of ADT, patients inevitably relapse to an end-stage castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) leading to mortality. Therefore, revealing the mechanism and identifying cellular components driving aggressive PCa is critical for prognosis and therapeutic intervention. Cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotypes characterized as poor differentiation, cancer initiation with self-renewal capabilities, and therapeutic resistance are proposed to contribute to the onset of CRPC. In this review, we discuss the role of CSC in CRPC with the evidence of CSC phenotypes and the possible underlying mechanisms.
