Fish Collagen Peptides Protect against Cisplatin-Induced Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Injury by Inhibiting MAPK Signaling Pathways in Mouse Thymic Epithelial Cells.

Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) account for the most abundant and dominant stromal component of the thymus, where T cells mature. Oxidative- or cytotoxic-stress associated injury in TECs, a significant and common problem in many clinical settings, may cause a compromised thymopoietic capacity of TECs, resulting in clinically significant immune deficiency disorders or impairment in the adaptive immune response in the body. The present study demonstrated that fish collagen peptides (FCP) increase cell viability, reduce intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and impede apoptosis by repressing the expression of Bax and Bad and the release of cytochrome c, and by upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL in cisplatin-treated TECs. These inhibitory effects of FCP on TEC damage occur via the suppression of ROS generation and MAPK (p38 MAPK, JNK, and ERK) activity. Taken together, our data suggest that FCP can be used as a promising protective agent against cytotoxic insults- or ROS-mediated TEC injury. Furthermore, our findings provide new insights into a therapeutic approach for the future application of FCP in the prevention and treatment of various types of oxidative- or cytotoxic stress-related cell injury in TECs as well as age-related or acute thymus involution.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Triggers Proliferation, Migration, Stemness, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Human Endometrial and Endometriotic Epithelial Cells via the Transforming Growth Factor-ß/Smad Signaling Pathway.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a frequently used plasticizer that may be linked to the development of endometriosis, a common gynecological disorder with a profound impact on quality of life. Despite its prevalence, vital access to treatment has often been hampered by a lack of understanding of its pathogenesis as well as reliable disease models. Recently, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been suggested to have a significant role in endometriosis pathophysiology. In this study, we found that DEHP treatment enhanced proliferation, migration, and inflammatory responses, along with EMT and stemness induction in human endometrial and endometriotic cells. The selective transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) receptor type 1/2 inhibitor LY2109761 reversed the DEHP-induced cell proliferation and migration enhancement as well as the increased expression of crucial molecules involved in inflammation, EMT, and stemness, indicating that DEHP-triggered phenomena occur via the TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway. Our study clearly defines the role of DEHP in the etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms of endometriosis and establishes an efficient disease model for endometriosis using a biomimetic 3D cell culture technique. Altogether, our data provide novel etiological and mechanistic insights into the role of DEHP in endometriosis pathogenesis, opening avenues for developing novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for endometriosis.

A Marine Collagen-Based Biomimetic Hydrogel Recapitulates Cancer Stem Cell Niche and Enhances Progression and Chemoresistance in Human Ovarian Cancer.

Recent attention has focused on the development of an effective three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system enabling the rapid enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that are resistant to therapies and serving as a useful in vitro tumor model that accurately reflects in vivo behaviors of cancer cells. Presently, an effective 3D in vitro model of ovarian cancer (OC) was developed using a marine collagen-based hydrogel. Advantages of the model include simplicity, efficiency, bioactivity, and low cost. Remarkably, OC cells grown in this hydrogel exhibited biochemical and physiological features, including (1) enhanced cell proliferation, migration and invasion, colony formation, and chemoresistance; (2) suppressed apoptosis with altered expression levels of apoptosis-regulating molecules; (3) upregulated expression of crucial multidrug resistance-related genes; (4) accentuated expression of key molecules associated with malignant progression, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition transcription factors, Notch, and pluripotency biomarkers; and (5) robust enrichment of ovarian CSCs. The findings indicate the potential of our 3D in vitro OC model as an in vitro research platform to study OC and ovarian CSC biology and to screen novel therapies targeting OC and ovarian CSCs.

Expression patterns of Piezo1 in the developing mouse forebrain.

Malformation during cortical development can disrupt the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neural circuits, contributing to various psychiatric and developmental disorders. One of the critical factors of cortical neural networks is the fine regulation of neurogenesis through mechanical cues, such as shear stress and substrate stiffness. Piezo1, a mechanically-activated channel, serves as a transducer for these mechanical cues, regulating embryogenesis. However, specific cell-type expression patterns of this channel during cortical development have not yet been characterized. In the present study, we conducted an RNAscope experiment to visualize the location of Piezo1 transcripts with embryonic neuronal/glial lineage cell markers. Our analysis covered coronal sections of the mouse forebrain on embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5), E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5. In addition, applying Yoda1, a specific Piezo1 agonist, evoked distinct calcium elevation in piriform cortices of E16.5 and E18.5 embryonic slices. Furthermore, pharmacological activation or inhibition of this channel significantly modulated the migration of neurosphere-derived cells in vitro. These findings contribute valuable insights to the field of mechanobiology and provide an understanding of the intricate processes underlying embryonic brain development.

Identification of antifungal niphimycin from Streptomyces sp. KP6107 by screening based on adenylate kinase assay.

Microbial culture extracts are used for natural product screening to find antifungal lead compounds. A microbial culture extract library was constructed using 343 actinomycete isolates to examine the value of the adenylate kinase (AK) assay for screening to identify antifungal metabolites that disrupt cell integrity in plant pathogenic fungi. A culture extract of Streptomyces sp. strain KP6107 lysed cells of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici which resulted in high AK activity. The active ingredient N-1 was purified from the culture extract using various chromatographic procedures and identified to be the guanidyl-polyol macrolide antibiotic, niphimycin, which is a potent fungal cell membrane disruptor. Niphimycin showed broad-spectrum antifungal activity against Alternaria mali, Aspergillus oryzae, Colletotrichum coccodes, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Cercospora canescens, Cylindrocarpon destructans, F. oxysporum f.sp. cucumerinum, F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, and Rhizoctonia solani at concentrations of 8-64 µg ml(-1). Anthracnose development in pepper plants was completely inhibited by treatment with 50 µg ml(-1) niphimycin, which was as effective as chlorothalonil. These results show that the AK assay is an efficient and selective tool in screening for cell membrane/wall disruptors of plant pathogenic fungi.

Descriptive and functional characterization of epidermal growth factor­like domain 8 in mouse cortical thymic epithelial cells by integrated analysis of gene expression signatures and networks.

Epidermal growth factor­like domain 8 (EGFL8), a newly identified member of the EGFL family, and plays negative regulatory roles in mouse thymic epithelial cells (TECs) and thymocytes. However, the role of EGFL8 in these cells remains poorly understood. In the present study, in order to characterize the function of EGFL8, genome­wide expression profiles in EGFL8­overexpressing or ­silenced mouse cortical TECs (cTECs) were analyzed. Microarray analysis revealed that 458 genes exhibited a >2­fold change in expression levels in the EGFL8­overexpressing vs. the EGFL8­silenced cTECs. Several genes involved in a number of cellular processes, such as the cell cycle, proliferation, growth, migration and differentiation, as well as in apoptosis, reactive oxygen species generation, chemotaxis and immune responses, were differentially expressed in the EGFL8­overexpressing or ­silenced cTECs. WST­1 analysis revealed that that the overexpression of EGFL8 inhibited cTEC proliferation. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of EGFL8 in the regulation of cTEC function, genes related to essential cellular functions were selected. Reverse transcription­polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that EGFL8 knockdown upregulated the expression of cluster differentiation 74 (CD74), Fas ligand (FasL), C­X­C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CXCL5), CXCL10, CXCL16, C­C motif chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20), vascular endothelial growth factor­A (VEGF­A), interferon regulatory factor 7 (Irf7), insulin­like growth factor binding protein­4 (IGFBP­4), thrombospondin 1 (Thbs1) and nuclear factor κB subunit 2 (NF­κB2) genes, and downregulated the expression of angiopoietin­like 1 (Angptl1), and neuropilin­1 (Nrp1) genes. Additionally, EGFL8 silencing enhanced the expression of anti­apoptotic molecules, such as B­cell lymphoma­2 (Bcl­2) and Bcl­extra large (Bcl­xL), and that of cell cycle­regulating molecules, such as cyclin­dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), CDK4, CDK6 and cyclin D1. Moreover, gene network analysis revealed that EGFL8 exerted negative effects on VEGF­A gene expression. Hence, the altered expression of several genes associated with EGFL8 expression in cTECs highlights the important physiological processes in which EGFL8 is involved, and provides insight into its biological functions.