Tissue-specific stem cells found in adult tissues can participate in the repair process following injury. However, adult tissues, such as articular cartilage and intervertebral disc, have low regeneration capacity, whereas fetal tissues, such as articular cartilage, show high regeneration ability. The presence of fetal stem cells in fetal cartilaginous tissues and their involvement in the regen...

AIM We investigated the role of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and its mechanism in extravillous cytotrophoblast (EVT) proliferation and invasion in vitro. METHODS Differential enzymatic digestion combined with gradient centrifugation, was used to isolate primary EVT from human chorionic villi collected from early placentae of healthy pregnant women. HCMV infection was determined by immunofluor...

AIMS Diabetic cardiomyopathy is characterized by the production of a disorganized fibrotic matrix in the absence of coronary atherosclerosis and hypertension. We examined whether adhesion of cardiac fibroblasts to glycated collagens mediates the differentiation of pro-fibrotic myofibroblasts, which may contribute to cardiac fibrosis. METHODS AND RESULTS By microarray, we found that methylglyo...

The transforming growth factor β isoforms, TGF-β1, -β2, and -β3, are small secreted homodimeric signaling proteins with essential roles in regulating the adaptive immune system and maintaining the extracellular matrix. However, dysregulation of the TGF-β pathway is responsible for promoting the progression of several human diseases, including cancer and fibrosis. Despite the known importance of...

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a multi-functional cytokine with a well-described role in the regulation of tissue fibrosis and regeneration in the liver, kidney and lung. Submandibular gland (SMG) duct ligation and subsequent deligation in rodents is a classical model for studying salivary gland damage and regeneration. While previous studies suggest that TGF-β may contribute to saliva...

The effects of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling on prostate tumorigenesis has been shown to be strongly dependent on the stage of development, with TGF-β functioning as a tumor suppressor in early stages of disease and as a promoter in later stages. To study in further detail the paradoxical tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting roles of the TGF-β pathway, we investigated the e...