BMP2 rescues deficient cell migration in Tgfbr3(-/-) epicardial cells and requires Src kinase

Surface modification of titanium with collagen/hyaluronic acid and bone morphogenetic protein 2/7 heterodimer promotes osteoblastic differentiation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a collagen/hyaluronic acid coating without or with incorporated heterodimeric bone morphogenetic protein 2/7 (BMP2/7) on in-vitro osteoblastic differentiation on titanium discs. The multilayer collagen/hyaluronic acid coatings without or without incorporated BMP2/7 were deposited on titanium discs via a layer-by-layer technique. The effects of the coatings were evaluated by assessing the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (an early osteoblastic differentiation marker) and the osteocalcin expression (a late osteoblastic differentiation marker). The expression levels of the osteoblastic genes, such as alkaline phosphatase 2 (AKP2) and osteocalcin (OC) were detected using real-time RT-PCR. ALP activity and OC expression were significantly increased when cells were cultured with collagen/hyaluronic acid+BMP2/7 heterodimer (p<0.05). The same result was found in cells with the expression of a BMP2/7 fusion gene, OC and AKP2. These results indicated that collagen/hyaluronic acid+BMP2/7 heterodimer-coated discs might have the potential to greatly enhance osseointegration than a either BMP2 or BMP7 solution or a mixture of BMP2 and BMP7 BMP2/7.

P130Cas/bcar1 mediates zebrafish caudal vein plexus angiogenesis

P130CAS/BCAR1 belongs to the CAS family of adaptor proteins, with important regulatory roles in cell migration, cell cycle control, and apoptosis. Previously, we and others showed that P130CAS mediates VEGF-A and PDGF signalling in vitro, but its cardiovascular function in vivo remains relatively unexplored. We characterise here a novel deletion model of P130CAS in zebrafish. Using in vivo microscopy and transgenic vascular reporters, we observed that while bcar1−/− zebrafish showed no arterial angiogenic or heart defects during development, they strikingly failed to form the caudal vein plexus (CVP). Endothelial cells (ECs) within the CVP of bcar1−/− embryos produced fewer filopodial structures and did not detach efficiently from neighbouring cells, resulting in a significant reduction in ventral extension and overall CVP area. Mechanistically, we show that P130Cas mediates Bmp2b-induced ectopic angiogenic sprouting of ECs in the developing embryo and provide pharmacological evidence for a role of Src family kinases in CVP development.

Epicardial TGFβ and BMP Signaling in Cardiac Regeneration: What Lesson Can We Learn from the Developing Heart?

The epicardium, the outer layer of the heart, has been of interest in cardiac research due to its vital role in the developing and diseased heart. During development, epicardial cells are active and supply cells and paracrine cues to the myocardium. In the injured adult heart, the epicardium is re-activated and recapitulates embryonic behavior that is essential for a proper repair response. Two indispensable processes for epicardial contribution to heart tissue formation are epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), and tissue invasion. One of the key groups of cytokines regulating both EMT and invasion is the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) family, including TGFβ and Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP). Abundant research has been performed to understand the role of TGFβ family signaling in the developing epicardium. However, less is known about signaling in the adult epicardium. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on the role of TGFβ in epicardial behavior both in the development and in the repair of the heart. We aim to describe the presence of involved ligands and receptors to establish if and when signaling can occur. Finally, we discuss potential targets to improve the epicardial contribution to cardiac repair as a starting point for future investigation.

Upregulation of lncRNA GATA6-AS suppresses the migration and invasion of cervical squamous cell carcinoma by downregulating MTK-1

The diagnosis and treatment of cervical squamous cell carcinoma is challenged by difficulties in the determination of tumor invasion. GATA binding protein 6 antisense (GATA6-AS) is a recently identified long non-coding RNA that exhibits critical functions in the growth of endothelial cells; however, to the best of our knowledge, its involvement in other physiological and pathological processes is unknown. By reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the present study examined the expression of GATA6-AS in tumor tissues and adjacent healthy tissues, and the serum from patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma and healthy controls. The diagnostic and prognostic potentials of GATA6-AS for cervical squamous cell carcinoma were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and survival curve analysis, respectively. Associations between the serum levels of GATA6-AS and clinical characteristics of patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma were analyzed by a χ² test. A GATA6-AS overexpression vector was transfected into cervical squamous cell carcinoma cells, and the effects on cell migration and invasion were investigated by Transwell migration and invasion assays, respectively. The expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MTK-1) following transfection with the GATA6-AS overexpression vector was detected by western blot analysis. It was identified that the expression levels of GATA6-AS were lower in tumor tissues compared with healthy tissues. In addition, serum levels of GATA6-AS were higher in patients compared with healthy controls. The serum levels of GATA6-AS were associated with tumor metastasis, and may serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, GATA6-AS overexpression inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion. The expression levels of MTK-1 were also reduced following GATA6-AS overexpression. Therefore, the present study proposed that downregulated GATA6-AS expression was associated with tumor metastasis in cervical squamous cell carcinoma, and that GATA6-AS expression may inhibit cancer cell migration and invasion by downregulating MTK-1.