Wnt signaling is a fundamental regulator of embryonic development and tissue regeneration, and its dysregulation contributes to diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis. However, the mechanisms by which Wnt signaling is differentially activated in lung cell populations and how it regulates lung development and disease pathogenesis remain unclear. Here, we identify distinct...
Amid the widespread scarcity of donor livers, mitigating ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) of liver grafts is vital for ensuring early recovery of post-transplant liver function. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) have shown potential in alleviating IRI damage by regulating mitochondrial function. Hypoxia-preconditioning hBMSCs (hypo-hBMSCs) have shown...
Cancer stem cells were prominent responsible for cancer initiation, metastasis, and invasion as well as therapeutic resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). The extracellular axon guidance factor netrin-1 has been found to be overexpressed in several malignant cancers such as glioma, lung cancers, and colorectal cancer. However, the role of netrin-1 on cancer stemness in CRC...
KLC3 was identified as a novel ciliary gene in a previous study that caused cyst formation due to abnormal ciliary defects in cyst-lining cells of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) models. RAB11FIP5 is a regulator of tubulin post-translational modification (PTM) in primary cilia and is located on basal bodies. Here, we determined the relationship between KLC3 and RAB11FIP5 mediated...
Extracellular heat shock protein 90α (eHSP90α) regulates diverse cellular processes such as wound healing, tumor metastasis, angiogenesis and cell differentiation etc. Our previous data show that lens epithelial cells can secret eHSP90α, and administration of eHSP90α exerts a critical regulation for lens regeneration by promoting the differentiation of lens epithelial cells (ECs...
Natural killer (NK) cells are specialized components of the innate immune system with an essential role in immune surveillance against multiple myeloma (MM). However, patients with MM often exhibit significant impairments in both the quantity and functionality of NK cells, particularly those who are refractory or have relapsed disease. Increasing evidence suggests that harnessing...
Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) is a B-cell neoplasm with a high incidence of relapse, even after the introduction of novel targeted therapies. MCL cells develop in specialized tissue microenvironments such as bone marrow and secondary lymphoid organs, where the pathological cells interact with several microenvironmental components through a complex network of soluble factors and...
The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a multiligand receptor that can induce phagocytosis in both professional and nonprofessional phagocytes. We found that histones are another ligand for RAGE and that binding between histones and RAGE is increased when DNA is attached to histones. While histones are chromosomal proteins in healthy cells, they are exposed to...
Protein acylation, a critical subset of post-translational modifications (PTMs), serves as a dynamic regulatory mechanism linking cellular metabolism, epigenetic regulation, and inflammatory responses. This review systematically elucidates the roles of protein acylation modifications—including acetylation, lactylation, succinylation, propionylation, crotonylation, malonylation...
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a critical cellular surveillance mechanism that prevents the translation of defective or deleterious proteins. The regulation of NMD, including both its activation and the evasion of its target mRNA, is intricately linked to tumorigenesis. When NMD becomes overactivated, it can downregulate tumor suppressor transcripts, or eliminate...
Acute pancreatitis is a common inflammatory condition of the pancreas that can lead to severe complications such as chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. While vascular remodeling is a hallmark of many inflammatory conditions, the molecular mechanisms underlying vascular changes during pancreatitis remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate...
Migrasomes are organelles that play important roles in cell communication, development, angiogenesis, and other cellular processes. It is crucial for investigators to collect migrasomes from both in vitro and in vivo sources. Traditionally, trypsin-EDTA has been used to harvest migrasomes from in vitro-cultured cells. However, our work demonstrated that treatment with trypsin...
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an aggressive malignancy with high mortality, and the identification of upstream regulators of stemness represents a critical step toward developing more effective targeted therapies. This study aimed to define the role of NR5A2 in CRC, particularly in the context of cancer stem cells (CSCs). We profiled DNA copy number alterations, DNA methylation...
Reliable biomarkers to identify inoperable limited stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) benefiting from post-definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) immunotherapy is valuable. This study aims to develop a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based algorithm to stratify progression risk and predict survival benefit from consolidation immunotherapy. Baseline tumor tissues from 203...
Placenta is highly susceptible to oxidative stress during pregnancy, which is a major cause of abnormal vascular development, fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. Methionine exhibits remarkable efficacy in promoting embryonic development and pregnancy outcomes, yet the role of methionine in placental antioxidant capacity and angiogenesis remains unclear. Pregnant rats and...
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-βeta (Aβ) peptides and hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Altered sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) metabolism is associated with abnormal Aβ peptide accumulation in the brain. S1P receptors are increasingly being targeted for modulating the neuroinflammatory process in AD. Wild-type...
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with resistance to PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors presenting a significant clinical challenge. Although the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 has been implicated in immune evasion, its precise role in NSCLC and contribution to anti-PD-1 resistance remain poorly understood. To address this, we...
Pathological retinal neovascularization, a major cause of blindness, occurs in conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Microglial activation and chronic neuroinflammation play critical roles in disease progression by promoting vascular permeability and angiogenesis. While anti-VEGF therapies are the current standard of care, their...
Adaptation to hypoxia is essential for cancer survival and is linked to poor prognosis and treatment resistance. This adaptation triggers the expression of genes that promote angiogenesis and metabolic reprogramming, collectively enhancing cancer cell survival, tumor growth, migration and metastasis. Consequently, there is an urgent need for innovative strategies to inhibit tumor...
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid plaques, tau tangles, and synaptic dysfunction. Despite decades of research, effective disease-modifying therapies remain elusive, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic targets. While neurons have traditionally been the focus of AD studies, increasing evidence underscores...
Sjögren’s disease (SjD) is an autoimmune condition affecting exocrine glands, resulting in decreased saliva and tear production. Aquaporin 5 (AQP5) is a transmembrane water channel playing a central role in water transport. In SjD, deregulation of AQP5 expression, trafficking and interactions with various proteins contribute to the underlying disease mechanisms. Co...
Ethambutol (EMB)-associated optic neuropathy is the most common toxic optic neuropathy and poses a significant visual threat worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective roles of Müller glia, the most abundant macroglia in the retina, and their associated growth factors in supporting retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) under EMB-induced toxicity. Induced RGC-like...
Among white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils are the most abundant and multifunctional immune cells in the blood, which are also involved in diverse physiological and pathological processes, particularly affecting the deterioration of the tumor. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), composed of chromatin DNA studded with granule proteins, play a crucial role in reactive sterile...
Endocytosis of the ligands is a central requirement for the correct activation of the Notch-signalling pathway. It is initiated by E3-ligase mediated ubiquitylation (ubi) of the intracellular domain (ICD) of the ligands on lysine (K). In Drosophila, two ligands are present, termed Serrate (Ser) and Delta (Dl). They are ubiquitylated by the E3-ligases Mindbomb1 (Mib1) and...