We previously reported that Runx2/miR-3960/miR-2861 regulatory feedback loop stimulates osteoblast differentiation. However, the effect of this feedback loop on the osteogenic transdifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remains unclear. Our recent study showed that miR-2861 and miR-3960 expression increases significantly during β-glycerophosphate-induced osteogenic transdiffere...

Conjunctival transdifferentiation, the process in which conjunctival epithelium transforms into a cornea-like epithelium with the loss of goblet cells during the healing of a total corneal epithelial defect, can be retarded or reversed by corneal neovascularization. We have previously shown that this process normally occurring on non-vascularized corneas can be retarded or reversed by topical r...

Feature to: Jiang H. et al. Cell cycle and p53 gate the direct conversion of human fibroblasts to 2 The unidirectional and deterministic development of a zygote to trillions of cells that constitute a human produces the impression that it is an irreversible process, perhaps driven by reduction in free energy (G), as postulated in the Waddington Model, the prevailing doctrine in developmental b...

What are the true origins of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) present in the intimal lesions of transplant arteriosclerosis? A new study in the JCI shows that Sca-1(+) cells purified from the mouse aortic root can migrate through an irradiated vein graft to the neointima of the vessel and transdifferentiate to express the early SMC differentiation marker gene SM22. Do Sca-1(+) cells transdifferen...

Abstract Background Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are a potential resource for the clinical therapy of certain diseases. Canine, as companion animal, living in same space with human, is an ideal new model human diseases research. Because high prevalence diabetes, alternative transplantation islets (i.e. insulin producing cells) diabetes treatment will be urgent need, which makes our resear...