Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions are required to coordinate cell proliferation, patterning, and functional differentiation of multiple cell types in a developing organ. This exquisite coordination is dependent on various secreted molecules that provide developmental signals to mediate these tissue interactions. Recently, it was reported that mature mesenchymal-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) in t...

Our body contains cells that can be propagated in vitro and give rise to cells with mature mesenchymal phenotypes. These cells are interesting not only because of their differentiation capability, which could be used for tissue engineering, but also because they secrete molecules which have trophic, chemoattractant, and immunomodulatory properties. Along decades of study, these cells have been ...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disorder representing fibrosis in the skin and internal organs such as lungs. An activated differentiation of local progenitor cells to myofibroblasts likely key mechanism underlying overproduction extracellular matrix resultant SSc. Calpains are family members Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases for which biological action may contribute various or...

The regenerative capacity of the mammary gland following post-lactational involution depends on the presence of multipotent stem or progenitor cells. Mammary progenitor cells exist as a quiescent and self-renewing population capable of differentiating into luminal epithelial and myoepithelial cells and generating ductal and alveolar structures. The fate choices of these cells are regulated by s...

background: the use of stem cells is considered as an appropriate source in cell therapy and tissue engineering. differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hipscs) to hepatocyte-like cells (hlcs) on mouse embryonic fibroblasts (mefs) feeders is confronted with several problems that hinder the clinical applications of these differentiated cells for the treatment of liver injuries. ...

During vertebrate development, mesenchymal progenitors capable of forming bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, or tendon arise from either neural crest or somitic mesoderm. Transcriptional programs that specify mesenchymal cell fates are initiated and modified by paracrine cues provided by TGF-beta superfamily members and mediated in part via the regulated assembly of Smad-containing multiprotein tran...