TGF-β1 is a prototypic profibrotic cytokine and major driver of fibrosis in the kidney and other organs. Induced in high glucose-1 (IHG-1) is a mitochondrial protein which we have recently reported to be associated with renal disease. IHG-1 amplifies responses to TGF-β1 and regulates mitochondrial biogenesis by stabilising the transcriptional co-activator peroxisome proliferator-activated recep...

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a chronic pathologic process characterized by excessive apoptosis of intervertebral disc cells. The purpose of the current study was to detect the effect of integrin β1 on apoptosis of NP cells and IVD degeneration. Integrin β1 overexpressing lentivirus vector (LV-ITG β1) was constructed and transduced to NP cells, and its effect on cell apoptosis were ...

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) induces the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the Smad and JNK signaling. However, it is unclear how these pathways interact in the TGF-β1-induced EMT in rat peritoneal mesothelial cells (RPMCs). Here, we show that inhibition of JNK activation by introducing the dominant-negative JNK1 gene attenuates the TGF-β1-down-regulated E-cadhe...

The large conductance, calcium-activated (BK-type) potassium channels are regulators of voltage-dependent calcium entry in many cell types. The BK channel accessory β1 subunit promotes channel activation in smooth muscle and is required for proper tone in the vasculature and bladder. However, although BK channels have also been implicated in airway smooth muscle function, their regulation by th...

Selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine and sertraline, increase circulating Transforming-Growth-Factor-β1 (TGF-β1) levels in depressed patients, and are currently studied for their neuroprotective properties in Alzheimer's disease. TGF-β1 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that exerts neuroprotective effects against β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced neurodegeneration. In the present work,...

The extraordinary creep-resistance of Mg-Nd-based alloys can be correlated to the formation of nanoscale-platelets of β1-Mg3Nd precipitates, that grow along 〈110〉Mg in bulk hcp-Mg and on dislocation lines. The growth kinetics of β1 is sluggish even at high temperatures, and presumably occurs via vacancy migration. However, the rationale for the high-temperature stability of precipitate-matrix i...

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) present in tumor microenvironment acts in a coordinated fashion to either suppress or promote tumor development. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of TGF-β1 on tumor microenvironment are not well understood. Our clinical data showed a positive association between TGF-β1 expression and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in tumor mic...

PTEN acts as a tumor suppressor primarily by antagonizing the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. PTEN is frequently mutated in human cancers; however, in type II endometrial cancers its mutation rate is very low. Overexpression of TGF-β1 and its receptors has been reported to correlate with metastasis of human cancers and reduced survival rates. Although TGF-β1 has been shown to regulate PTEN expressi...

Intestinal muscle undergoes stretch intermittently during peristalsis and persistently proximal to obstruction. The influence of this pervasive biomechanical force on developing smooth muscle cell function remains unknown. We adapted a novel in vitro system to study whether stretch modulates transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and type I collagen protein and component α1 chain [α1(I) collage...

BACKGROUND Aldosterone has been implicated in a variety of organ fibroses, but its role and mechanism in liver fibrosis remain unclear. METHODS Rat primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were isolated, cultured, and characterized. HSCs were incubated with aldosterone (10(-6) M) for 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h, after which TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) expression was measured by...