Enhanced expression of transcription factor GATA-4 in inflammatory bowel disease and its possible regulation by TGF-beta1. J Clin Immunol. 2009;29:444-453. [PMID: 19353247 DOI: 10.1007/s10875-009-9292-x]

Stressful development: integrating endoderm development, stress, and longevity

In addition to performing digestion and nutrient absorption, the intestine serves as one of the first barriers to the external environment, crucial for protecting the host from environmental toxins, pathogenic invaders, and other stress inducers. The gene regulatory network (GRN) governing embryonic development of the endoderm and subsequent differentiation and maintenance of the intestine has been well-documented in C. elegans. A key regulatory input that initiates activation of the embryonic GRN for endoderm and mesoderm in this animal is the maternally provided SKN-1 transcription factor, an ortholog of the vertebrate Nrf1 and 2, which, like C. elegans SKN-1, perform conserved regulatory roles in mediating a variety of stress responses across metazoan phylogeny. Other key regulatory factors in early gut development also participate in stress response as well as in innate immunity and aging and longevity. In this review, we discuss the intersection between genetic nodes that mediate endoderm/intestine differentiation and regulation of stress and homeostasis. We also consider how direct signaling from the intestine to the germline, in some cases involving SKN-1, facilitates heritable epigenetic changes, allowing transmission of adaptive stress responses across multiple generations. These connections between regulation of endoderm/intestine development and stress response mechanisms suggest that varying selective pressure exerted on the stress response pathways may influence the architecture of the endoderm GRN, thereby leading to genetic and epigenetic variation in early embryonic GRN regulatory events.

Role of regenerating islet-derived proteins in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects millions of patients worldwide. It has a complex and multifactorial etiology leading to excessive exposure of intestinal epithelium to microbial antigens, inappropriate activation of the immune system and ultimately to the damage of intestinal tissues. Although numerous efforts have been made to improve the disease management, IBD remains persistently recurring and beyond cure. This is due largely to the gaps in our understanding of the pathogenesis of IBD that hamper the development of timely diagnoses and effective treatment. However, some recent discoveries, including the beneficial effects of interleukin-22 (IL-22) on the inflamed intestine, have shed light on a self-protective mechanism in IBD. Regenerating islet-derived (REG/Reg) proteins are small secretory proteins which function as IL-22's downstream effectors. Mounting studies have demonstrated that IBD patients have significantly increased REG expressions in the injured intestine, but with undefined mechanisms and roles. The reported functions of REG/Reg proteins in intestinal homeostasis, such as those of antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and tissue repair, lead us to discuss their potential mechanisms and clinical relevance in IBD in order to advance IBD research and management.

Hsa-miR-335 regulates cardiac mesoderm and progenitor cell differentiation

BACKGROUND

WNT and TGFβ signaling pathways play critical regulatory roles in cardiomyocyte fate determination and differentiation. MiRNAs are also known to regulate different biological processes and signaling pathways. Here, we intended to find candidate miRNAs that are involved in cardiac differentiation through regulation of WNT and TGFβ signaling pathways.

METHODS

Bioinformatics analysis suggested hsa-miR-335-3p and hsa-miR-335-5p as regulators of cardiac differentiation. Then, RT-qPCR, dual luciferase, TOP/FOP flash, and western blot analyses were done to confirm the hypothesis.

RESULTS

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were differentiated into beating cardiomyocytes, and these miRNAs showed significant expression during the differentiation process. Gain and loss of function of miR-335-3p and miR-335-5p resulted in BRACHYURY, GATA4, and NKX2-5 (cardiac differentiation markers) expression alteration during the course of hESC cardiac differentiation. The overexpression of miR-335-3p and miR-335-5p also led to upregulation of CNX43 and TNNT2 expression, respectively. Our results suggest that this might be mediated through enhancement of WNT and TGFβ signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

Overall, we show that miR-335-3p/5p upregulates cardiac mesoderm (BRACHYURY) and cardiac progenitor cell (GATA4 and NKX2-5) markers, which are potentially mediated through activation of WNT and TGFβ signaling pathways. Our findings suggest miR-335-3p/5p to be considered as a regulator of the cardiac differentiation process.

MicroRNA-1 upregulation promotes myocardiocyte proliferation and suppresses apoptosis during heart development

Previous studies have investigated the role of microRNAs (miRs) in heart development to reveal the miRNA mechanism of action in congenital heart disease (CHD) in children. The present study aimed to investigate the role of miR‑1 in heart development in P19 cells. The mRNA level for miR‑1 in P19 cells was detected before or after cardiomyocyte differentiation, using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Expression of cardiomyocyte differentiation markers was also analyzed. The effect of miR‑1 overexpression on the viability and apoptosis of differentiated P19 cells was assessed using MTT and Annexin V‑FITC assays, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of miR-1 on expression of markers of cell proliferation and apoptosis were also analyzed in differentiated P19 cells using western blotting. The results demonstrated that P19 cells were successfully differentiated into cardiomyocytes, and that endogenous miR‑1 expression was significantly decreased in differentiated P19 cells compared with undifferentiated P19 cells. Overexpression of miR‑1 resulted in increased viability in differentiated P19 cells and decreased apoptosis, compared with the normal control. In addition, expression of heart and neural crest derivatives expressed transcript 2 (Hand2) was increased in differentiated cells with miR‑1 overexpressed compared with normal cells, while caspase‑3 cleavage was decreased by miR‑1 overexpression. In conclusion, the present study suggested that miR-1 upregulation may be important in regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis in P19 differentiated cardiomyocytes by increasing Hand2 expression and suppressing caspase‑3 cleavage. The present study aimed to provide a theoretical basis for the explanation of the mechanism of CHD and investigate miR‑1 as a potential therapeutic target for its clinical treatment.

Pharmacological inhibition of TGFβ receptor improves Nkx2.5 cardiomyoblast-mediated regeneration

AIMS

Our previous study found that A83-01, a small molecule type 1 TGFβ receptor inhibitor, could induce proliferation of postnatal Nkx2.5(+) cardiomyoblasts in vitro and enhance their cardiomyogenic differentiation. The present study addresses whether A83-01 treatment in vivo could increase cardiomyogenesis and improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction through an Nkx2.5(+) cardiomyoblast-dependent process.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To determine the effect of A83-01 on the number of Nkx2.5(+) cardiomyoblasts in the heart after myocardial injury, we treated transgenic Nkx2.5 enhancer-GFP reporter mice for 7 days with either A83-01 or DMSO and measured the number of GFP(+) cardiomyoblasts in the heart at 1 week after injury by flow cytometry. To determine the degree of new cardiomyocyte formation after myocardial injury and the effect of A83-01 in this process, we employed inducible Nkx2.5 enhancer-Cre transgenic mice to lineage label postnatal Nkx2.5(+) cardiomyoblasts and their differentiated progenies after myocardial injury. We also examined the cardiac function of each animal by intracardiac haemodynamic measurements. We found that A83-01 treatment significantly increased the number of Nkx2.5(+) cardiomyoblasts at baseline and after myocardial injury, resulting in an increase in newly formed cardiomyocytes. Finally, we showed that A83-01 treatment significantly improved ventricular elastance and stroke work, leading to improved contractility after injury.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacological inhibition of TGFβ signalling improved cardiac function in injured mice and promoted the expansion and cardiomyogenic differentiation of Nkx2.5(+) cardiomyoblasts. Direct modulation of resident cardiomyoblasts in vivo may be a promising strategy to enhance therapeutic cardiac regeneration.

Friend of GATA and GATA-6 modulate the transcriptional up-regulation of hepcidin in hepatocytes during inflammation

Hepcidin is an antimicrobial peptide hormone that plays a central role in the metabolism of iron and its expression in the liver can be induced through two major pathways: the inflammatory pathway, mainly via IL-6; and the iron-sensing pathway, mediated by BMP-6. GATA-proteins are group of evolutionary conserved transcriptional regulators that bind to the consensus motif-WGATAR-in the promoter region. In hepatoma cells, GATA-proteins 4 and 6 in conjunction with the co-factor friend of GATA (FOG) were shown to modulate the transcription of HAMP. However, it is unclear as to which of the GATA-proteins drive the expression of HAMP in vivo. In this study, using in vitro and in vivo approaches, we investigated the relevance of GATA and FOG proteins in the expression of hepcidin following treatment with IL-6 and BMP-6. We found that treatment of Huh7 cells with either IL-6 or BMP-6 increased the HAMP promoter activity. The HAMP promoter activity following treatment with IL-6 or BMP-6 was further increased by co-transfection of the promoter with GATA proteins 4 and 6. However, co-transfection of the HAMP promoter with FOG proteins 1 or 2 repressed the promoter response to treatments with either IL-6 or BMP-6. The effects of both GATA and FOG proteins on the promoter activity in response to IL-6 or BMP-6 treatment were abrogated by mutation of the GATA response element-TTATCT-in the HAMP promoter region -103/-98. In vivo, treatment of mice with lipopolysaccharide led to a transient increase of Gata-6 expression in the liver that was positively correlated with the expression of hepcidin. Our results indicate that during inflammation GATA-6 is up-regulated in concert with hepcidin while GATA-4 and FOG (1 and 2) are repressed.