INTRODUCTION Numerous experimental efforts have been undertaken to induce the healing of lesions within articular cartilage by re-establishing competent repair tissue. Adult mesenchymal stem cells have attracted attention as a source of cells for cartilage tissue engineering. The purpose of this study was to investigate chondrogenesis employing periosteal mesenchymal cells. METHODS Periosteum...

OBJECTIVES To investigate whether a combination of demineralized bone matrix (DBM) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) infected with adenovirus-mediated- bone morphogenetic protein (Ad-BMP-2) and transforming growth factor-β3 (Ad-TGF-β3) promotes the repair of the full-thickness cartilage lesions in pig model. METHODS BMSCs isolated from pig were cultured and infected with Ad-BMP-2...

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may have the potential to enhance articular cartilage regeneration through release of growth factors including transforming growth factor isoforms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for PRP to stimulate chondrogenic differentiation in three-dimensional PRP hydrogel constructs. Allogenic PRP was prepared using a double centrifugation protocol w...

OBJECTIVE We have recently shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) embedded in a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel and exposed to chondrogenic factors (transforming growth factor-β3 [TGF-β3]) produce a cartilage-like tissue in vitro. The current objective was to determine if these same factors could be combined immediately prior to implantation to induce a superior healing response in vivo relativ...

The present study investigated the effects of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β3 on the regeneration of facial nerves in rabbits. A total of 20 adult rabbits were randomly divided into three equal groups: Normal control (n=10), surgical control (n=10) and TGF-β3 treatment (n=10). The total number and diameter of the regenerated nerve fibers was significantly increased in the TGF-β3 treatment g...

Autoantibodies induce various autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We previously described that CD4(+)CD25(-)LAG3(+) regulatory T cells (LAG3(+) Treg) are regulated by Egr2, a zinc-finger transcription factor required for the induction of T-cell anergy. We herein demonstrate that LAG3(+) Treg produce high amounts of TGF-β3 in an Egr2- and Fas-dependent manner. LAG3...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypical autoimmune disease characterized by multiorgan inflammation induced by autoantibodies. Early growth response gene 2 (Egr2), a transcription factor essential for T-cell anergy induction, controls systemic autoimmunity in mice and humans. We have previously identified a subpopulation of CD4+ regulatory T cells, CD4+CD25-LAG3+ cells, that charac...

OBJECTIVE Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are continuously exposed to blood flow that contributes to the maintenance of vessel structure and function; however, the effect of hemodynamic forces on transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling in the endothelium is poorly described. We examined the potential role of TGF-β signaling in mediating the protective effects of shear stress on ECs. A...

Chronic airway remodeling is a serious consequence of asthma, which is caused by complex but largely unknown mechanisms. Despite versatile functions, the role of Lyn in chronic airway remodeling remains undefined. Using Lyn(-/-) mice, we show that continual exposure (for 8 wk) of house dust mite extracts induced a severe phenotype of chronic airway remodeling, including exacerbated mucus produc...

TGF-β1, -β2, and -β3 are small, secreted signaling proteins. They share 71-80% sequence identity and signal through the same receptors, yet the isoform-specific null mice have distinctive phenotypes and are inviable. The replacement of the coding sequence of TGF-β1 with TGF-β3 and TGF-β3 with TGF-β1 led to only partial rescue of the mutant phenotypes, suggesting that intrinsic differences betwe...