Project description:The aim of the study was to investigate whether the trefoil peptide genes, in concerted action with a miRNA regulatory network, were contributing to nutritional maintrenance. Using a Tff3 knock-out mouse model, 21 specific miRNAs were noted to be significantly deregulated when compared to the wild type strain.
Project description:The aim of the study was to investigate whether the trefoil peptide genes, in concerted action with a miRNA regulatory network, were contributing to nutritional maintrenance. Using a Tff2 knock-out mouse model, 48 specific miRNAs were noted to be significantly deregulated when compared to the wild type strain.
Project description:Evidence from epidemiological and mechanistic studies suggests that a variety of cardiovascular diseases are associated with tumour development. However, which cell types in the diseased heart are involved in the promotion of tumour progression remains poorly understood. In this study, the role of exosomes from hypertrophic cardiomyocytes in tumour progression was investigated. A model of cardiac hypertrophy was generated in mice using transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Breast cancer cells were then implanted in model animals. Exosomes derived from AC16 cardiomyocytes treated with Ang II to induce hypertrophic growth were subsequently injected into nude mice in which breast cancer cells had previously been implanted. The results showed that exosomes from hypertrophic cardiomyocytes promoted breast cancer progression. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing and mass spectrometric analysis demonstrated that miR-362-5p, S100A7, and S100A8 were upregulated in exosomes derived from Ang II-treated AC16 cells, which promoted the proliferation, invasion, and migration of breast cancer cells. A retrospective clinical study showed that the expression of miR-362-5p, S100A7, and S100A8 was increased in plasma exosomes obtained from patients with cardiac hypertrophy. Notably, the levels of the three factors were observed to be associated with the extent of inflammation in patients with myocardial hypertrophy. Hypertrophic cardiomyocytes promote breast cancer progression through exosomes, and this effect is mediated by S100A7, S100A8, and miRNA-362-5p contained in the exosomes released from these cells.
Project description:Transcriptome analysis of RNA samples from whole heart Transverse aortic constriction (TAC) is a well-established method for studying the pathomechanisms of heart failure in animal models of cardiac hypertrophy. A number of studies have shown that the treatment of heart failure in this animal model of cardiac hypertrophy suggests that hypertrophy and fibrosis may be reversible. However, since TAC-release protocols that improve hemodynamics by releasing physical stenosis remain undefined, the histological characteristics and molecular biological regulatory mechanisms of the reversibility of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis are unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a TAC release model and investigate the reversibility and plasticity mechanisms of myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis, and angiogenesis. Four weeks post-TAC surgery, TAC release was conducted by cutting the aortic stenosis sutures. The TAC group exhibited severe myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis, and increased angiogenesis, along with diastolic dysfunction. Conversely, the TAC-release group showed reduced hypertrophy and fibrosis, and improved diastolic function. Gene expression analysis highlighted Regulator of Calcineurin 1 as a key player in cardiac function and histological changes post-TAC release. Rcan1 knockdown exacerbated myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis in the TAC-release group. This study sheds light on the functional, structural, and histological changes in the heart induced by TAC release and elucidates some of its regulatory mechanisms.
Project description:Aims: We investigate sex differences and the role of oestrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) in a mouse model of pressure overload-induced myocardial hypertrophy. Methods and results: We performed transverse aortic constriction (TAC) or sham surgery in male and female wild-type (WT) and ER knockout (ERbeta-/-) C57Bl6 mice. All mice were characterised by echocardiography and haemodynamic measurements and were sacrificed nine weeks after surgery. Left ventricular (LV) samples were analysed by microarray profiling, real-time RT-PCR and histology. After nine weeks, WT males showed more hypertrophy and heart failure signs than WT females. Notably, WT females developed a concentric form of hypertrophy, while males developed eccentric hypertrophy. These sex differences were abolished in ERbeta-/- mice. ERbeta deletion augmented the TAC-induced increase in cardiomyocyte diameter in both sexes. Gene expression profiling revealed that male WT hearts had a stronger induction of matrix-related genes and a stronger repression of mitochondrial genes than female hearts. ERbeta-/- mice exhibited a different transcriptome. Induction of pro-apoptotic genes after TAC occurred in ERbeta-/- mice of both sexes with a stronger expression in ERbeta-/- males. Histological analysis revealed, that cardiac fibrosis was more pronounced in male WT TAC than in female mice. This was abolished in ERbeta-/- mice. Apoptosis was significantly induced in both sexes of ERbeta-/- TAC mice, but it was most prominent in males. Conclusion: Female sex offers protection against ventricular chamber dilation in the TAC model. Both the female sex and ER attenuate the development of fibrosis and apoptosis; thus slowing the progression to heart failure. The influence of sex (male/female) and estrogen receptor beta expression (ERbeta knockout/wildtype) on cardiac hypertrophy (transverse aortic constriction/sham operated) was investigated. The left ventricular transcriptome of four individual mice for each combination of the three factors (sex, genotype, surgery) was detected with Affymetrix RAE 430 2.0 GeneChip arrays.
Project description:The importance of unanchored Ub in innate immunity has been shown only for a limited number of unanchored Ub-interactors. We investigated what additional cellular factors interact with unanchored Ub and whether unanchored Ub plays a broader role in innate immunity. To identify unanchored Ub-interacting factors from murine lungs, we used His-tagged recombinant poly-Ub chains as bait. These chains were mixed with lung tissue lysates and protein complexes were isolated with Ni-NTA beads. Sample elutions were subjected to mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) analysis.