IFNγ-Treated Macrophages Induce EMT through the WNT Pathway: Relevance in Crohn’s Disease

HucMSC-Ex alleviates inflammatory bowel disease by regulating O-GlcNAcylation modification of RACK1 in intestinal epithelial cells

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that severely affects the gastrointestinal tract and is difficult to cure. This study explored the mechanism by which human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (HucMSC-Ex) alleviate IBD through O-GlcNAc glycosylation modification and the expression of related proteins. The study analyzed the effects of HucMSC-Ex on the inhibition of pro-inflammatory factors and promotion of intestinal epithelial cells regeneration in vitro and in vivo, with a focus on the role of the O-GlcNAc glycosylation of the RACK1 protein. The findings indicated that HucMSC-Ex reverses epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by upregulating O-GlcNAc glycosylation levels and effectively alleviates IBD symptoms and inflammatory responses in mouse intestinal epithelial cells. By modulating O-GlcNAc glycosylation, HucMSC-Ex exhibits significant therapeutic potential in immune regulation and gut microbiota remodeling, offering new perspectives for IBD treatment.

The role of macrophages in asthma-related fibrosis and remodelling

Airway remodelling significantly contributes to the progressive loss of lung function and heightened symptom severity in chronic asthma. Additionally, it often persists and demonstrates reduced responsiveness to the mainstay treatments. The excessive deposition of collagen and extracellular matrix proteins leads to subepithelial fibrosis and airway remodelling, resulting in increased stiffness and decreased elasticity in the airway. Studies have emphasized the crucial role of subepithelial fibrosis in the pathogenesis of asthma. Fibrotic processes eventually cause airway narrowing, reduced lung function, and exacerbation of asthma symptoms. Macrophages play a crucial role in this process by producing pro-fibrotic cytokines, growth factors, and enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Additionally, identification of novel genetic markers has provided evidence for a strong genetic component in fibrosis within macrophage regulated fibrosis. Although macrophages contribute to the progression of airway remodelling and subepithelial fibrosis, interventions targeting macrophage-driven fibrotic changes have not yet been developed. This review synthesizes research on the intricate pathways through which macrophages contribute to subepithelial fibrosis in chronic asthma and its' pathological features. Understanding the interplay between macrophages, fibrosis, and asthma pathogenesis is essential for developing effective therapeutic strategies to manage severe asthma and improve patient outcomes.

Wnt signaling pathways in biology and disease: mechanisms and therapeutic advances

The Wnt signaling pathway is critically involved in orchestrating cellular functions such as proliferation, migration, survival, and cell fate determination during development. Given its pivotal role in cellular communication, aberrant Wnt signaling has been extensively linked to the pathogenesis of various diseases. This review offers an in-depth analysis of the Wnt pathway, detailing its signal transduction mechanisms and principal components. Furthermore, the complex network of interactions between Wnt cascades and other key signaling pathways, such as Notch, Hedgehog, TGF-β, FGF, and NF-κB, is explored. Genetic mutations affecting the Wnt pathway play a pivotal role in disease progression, with particular emphasis on Wnt signaling's involvement in cancer stem cell biology and the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, this review underscores the diverse mechanisms through which Wnt signaling contributes to diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic syndromes, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Finally, a comprehensive overview of the therapeutic progress targeting Wnt signaling was given, and the latest progress in disease treatment targeting key components of the Wnt signaling pathway was summarized in detail, including Wnt ligands/receptors, β-catenin destruction complexes, and β-catenin/TCF transcription complexes. The development of small molecule inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and combination therapy strategies was emphasized, while the current potential therapeutic challenges were summarized. This aims to enhance the current understanding of this key pathway.

Role of the epithelial barrier in intestinal fibrosis associated with inflammatory bowel disease: relevance of the epithelial-to mesenchymal transition

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to tissue damage and remodelling, which can ultimately result in fibrosis. Prolonged injury and inflammation can trigger the activation of fibroblasts and extracellular matrix (ECM) components. As fibrosis progresses, the tissue becomes increasingly stiff and less functional, which can lead to complications such as intestinal strictures, obstructive symptoms, and eventually, organ dysfunction. Epithelial cells play a key role in fibrosis, as they secrete cytokines and growth factors that promote fibroblast activation and ECM deposition. Additionally, epithelial cells can undergo a process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition, in which they acquire a more mesenchymal-like phenotype and contribute directly to fibroblast activation and ECM deposition. Overall, the interactions between epithelial cells, immune cells, and fibroblasts play a critical role in the development and progression of fibrosis in IBD. Understanding these complex interactions may provide new targets for therapeutic interventions to prevent or treat fibrosis in IBD. In this review, we have collected and discussed the recent literature highlighting the contribution of epithelial cells to the pathogenesis of the fibrotic complications of IBD, including evidence of EMT, the epigenetic control of the EMT, the potential influence of the intestinal microbiome in EMT, and the possible therapeutic strategies to target EMT. Finally we discuss the pro-fibrotic interactions epithelial-immune cells and epithelial-fibroblasts cells.

Exploration of key ferroptosis-related genes and immune infiltration in Crohn's disease using bioinformatics

Crohn's disease (CD) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that manifests mainly as chronic inflammation in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract, and its incidence has come to be increasing in recent years. Ferroptosis, a novel type of programmed cell death, it seems the role of ferroptosis-related biomarkers in CD has not been mentioned. Thus, the role of ferroptosis in CD and its relationship with immune infiltration were explored in this study. The CD dataset was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The validated ferroptosis genes (FRGs) were retrieved from the public FerrDb database. The gene expression matrix of the CD dataset was analyzed with the "limma" package in R language to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between diseased and healthy samples. Then, intersecting genes between DEGs and FRGs were identified as differentially expressed ferroptosis-associated genes (DE-FRGs). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and visualization were carried out with STRING and Cytoscape, and key CD ferroptosis-related genes (CD-FRGs) were identified along with their Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways using the clusterProfiler package. Immune cell infiltration was analyzed with CIBERSORT. The correlation between key CD-FRGs and immune-infiltrated cells in CD was studied by Spearman's correlation method. A total of 37 DE-FRGs and 6 key CD-FRGs (CAV1, CD44, HIF1A, IFNG, TIMP1 and TLR4) were identified. GO and KEGG functional analysis indicated these genes enrichment in programmed cell death and apoptotic process, HIF-1 signaling pathway and IBD. Infiltration matrix analysis of immune cells showed abundant T cells CD4 memory activated, M1 macrophages, M2 macrophages, Mast cells activated and Neutrophils in CD intestinal tissues. The 6 key CD-FRGs were correlated with immune-infiltrated cells in CD based on correlation analysis. Taken together, immune cells with abnormal infiltration can be implicated in CD due to ferroptosis. This study identified 6 key CD-FRGs that may be key biomarkers of ferroptosis in CD; they include CAV1, CD44, HIF1A, IFNG, TIMP1 and TLR4. These findings suggest that the immune response is critical in CD caused by ferroptosis through the interaction between key CD-FRGs and immune infiltrating cells.

Autophagy in intestinal fibrosis: relevance in inflammatory bowel disease

Chronic inflammation is often associated with fibrotic disorders in which an excessive deposition of extracellular matrix is a hallmark. Long-term fibrosis starts with tissue hypofunction and finally ends in organ failure. Intestinal fibrosis is not an exception, and it is a frequent complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Several studies have confirmed the link between deregulated autophagy and fibrosis and the presence of common prognostic markers; indeed, both up- and downregulation of autophagy are presumed to be implicated in the progression of fibrosis. A better knowledge of the role of autophagy in fibrosis may lead to it becoming a potential target of antifibrotic therapy. In this review we explore novel advances in the field that highlight the relevance of autophagy in fibrosis, and give special focus to fibrosis in IBD patients.

Plasticity towards Rigidity: A Macrophage Conundrum in Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, chronic, and ultimately fatal diffuse parenchymal lung disease. The molecular mechanisms of fibrosis in IPF patients are not fully understood and there is a lack of effective treatments. For decades, different types of drugs such as immunosuppressants and antioxidants have been tested, usually with unsuccessful results. Although two antifibrotic drugs (Nintedanib and Pirfenidone) are approved and used for the treatment of IPF, side effects are common, and they only slow down disease progression without improving patients' survival. Macrophages are central to lung homeostasis, wound healing, and injury. Depending on the stimulus in the microenvironment, macrophages may contribute to fibrosis, but also, they may play a role in the amelioration of fibrosis. In this review, we explore the role of macrophages in IPF in relation to the fibrotic processes, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and their crosstalk with resident and recruited cells and we emphasized the importance of macrophages in finding new treatments.

Clinical Characterization and Prognostic Value of TPM4 and Its Correlation with Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition in Glioma

Tropomyosin 4 (TPM4) has been reported as an oncogenic gene across different malignancies. However, the role of TPM4 in glioma remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the clinical characterization and prognostic value of TPM4 in gliomas. Transcriptome expression and clinical information were collected from the CGGA and TCGA datasets, which included 998 glioma patients. ScRNA-seq data were obtained from CGGA. R software was utilized for statistical analyses. There was a positive correlation between TPM4 and WHO grades. IDH-wildtype and mesenchymal subtype gliomas were accompanied by TPM4 upregulation. GO and GSEA analysis suggested that TPM4 was profoundly associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Subsequent GSVA revealed a robust correlation between TPM4 and three signaling pathways of EMT (hypoxia, TGF-β, PI3K/AKT). Furthermore, TPM4 showed a synergistic effect with mesenchymal biomarkers, particularly with N-cadherin, Slug, Snail, TWIST1, and vimentin. ScRNA-seq analysis suggested that higher TPM4 was mainly attributed to tumor cells and macrophages and associated with tumor cell progression and macrophage polarization. Finally, high TPM4 was significantly associated with unfavorable outcomes. In conclusion, our findings indicate that TPM4 is significantly correlated with more malignant characteristics of gliomas, potentially through involvement in EMT. TPM4 could predict worse survival for patients with glioma.

The Role of Inflammatory Cytokines in the Pathogenesis of Colorectal Carcinoma—Recent Findings and Review

The inflammatory process plays a significant role in the development of colon cancer (CRC). Intestinal cytokine networks are critical mediators of tissue homeostasis and inflammation but also impact carcinogenesis at all stages of the disease. Recent studies suggest that inflammation is of greater importance in the serrated pathway than in the adenoma-carcinoma pathway. Interleukins have gained the most attention due to their potential role in CRC pathogenesis and promising results of clinical trials. Malignant transformation is associated with the pro-tumorigenic and anti-tumorigenic cytokines. The harmony between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors is crucial to maintaining homeostasis. Immune cells in the tumor microenvironment modulate immune sensitivity and facilitate cancer escape from immune surveillance. Therefore, clarifying the role of underlying cytokine pathways and the effects of their modulation may be an important step to improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.