Diwakar R, Pearson AL, Colville-Nash P, Brunskill NJ, Dockrell ME. The role played by endocytosis in albumin-induced secretion of TGF1 by proximal tubular epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 292: F1464–F1470, 2007. First published January 16, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00069.2006.—Proteinuria predicts the decline of renal function in chronic kidney disease. Reducing albuminuria has bee...

Stress signals activate the SAPK/JNK and p38 MAPK classes of protein kinases, which mediate cellular responses, including steps in apoptosis and the maturation of some cell types. We now show that stress signals initiated by transforming growth factor1 (TGF1) induce G1 arrest through protein stabilization of the CDK inhibitor p21. TGF1 was previously shown to increase p21 protein levels, which ...

Transforming growth factor1 (TGF1) may be a critical mediator of lung injury and subsequent remodeling during recovery. We evaluated the effects of TGF1 on the permeability and active ion transport properties of alveolar epithelial cell monolayers. Rat alveolar type II cells plated on polycarbonate filters in defined serum-free medium form confluent monolayers and acquire the phenotypic charact...

The dark side of NKT cells is revealed in a new study showing that they contribute to autoimmune arthritis in mice. On page 41, Kim et al. find that arthritis is worse in joints that are invaded by NKT cells. NKT cells are innate immune cells that express both NK and T cell markers, and are protective in many other models of autoimmune disease. The authors tested NKT function in K/BxN mice—an e...

Reidy, Michael F., and Jo Rae Wright. Surfactant protein A enhances apoptotic cell uptake and TGF1 release by inflammatory alveolar macrophages. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 285: L854–L861, 2003. First published June 6, 2003; 10.1152/ajplung.00439.2002.—The phagocytosis of apoptotic inflammatory cells by alveolar macrophages (AMs) is a key component of inflammation resolution within the a...

McGinn, S., P. Poronnik, M. King, E. D. M. Gallery, and C. A. Pollock. High glucose and endothelial cell growth: novel effects independent of autocrine TGF1 and hyperosmolarity. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 284: C1374–C1386, 2003.FirstpublishedJanuary22,2003;10.1152/ajpcell.00466. 2002.—Human endothelial cells were exposed to 5 mM glucose (control), 25 mM (high) glucose, or osmotic control for 72 ...

calcification in 34 of 43 (79%). Ossification was seen in 5 of 34 (15%) calcified pericardia. The study was approved by the local ethics committee, and all of the patients gave informed consent. We isolated pericardial interstitial cells (PICs) and found that they possessed a similar immunophenotype as mesenchymal stem cells. The PICs differentiated into myofibroblasts, chondroblasts, and osteo...

Despite the critical role that TGFplays in renal fibrosis, transgenic mice that overexpress human latent TGF1 in the skin exhibit normal renal histology and function even though circulating levels of latent TGF1 are an order of magnitude higher than wild-type animals. In fact, latent TGF1 seems to protect against renal inflammation in a model of ureteral obstruction. It is unknown, however, whe...

Sclerosis and increased matrix expression in diabetes are mediated by glucose-induced transforming growth factor (TGF)1 expression. The intracellular effects of high glucose occur at least in part by way of protein kinase C (PKC). We previously described a role for PKCin glucose-induced permeability. We now investigated the hypothesis that glucose-induced expression of TGF1 and its receptors (T...

Circulating Transforming Growth Factor1 Levels in Asymptomatic Carotid Plaques To the Editor: It was with great interest we read the report by Cipollone et al1 on the role of transforming growth factor1 (TGF1) in the process of plaque stabilization. The authors demonstrate that TGFmRNA levels are increased up to 3-fold in asymptomatic as compared with symptomatic plaques, with a parallel increa...