Metabolic and proteostatic differences in quiescent and active neural stem cells

Adult neural stem cells are neurogenesis progenitor cells that play an important role in neurogenesis.Therefore,neural regeneration may be a promising target for treatment of many neurological illnesses.The regenerative capacity of adult neural stem cells can be chara cterized by two states:quiescent and active.Quiescent adult neural stem cells are more stable and guarantee the quantity and quality of the adult neural stem cell pool.Active adult neural stem cells are chara cterized by rapid proliferation and differentiation into neurons which allow for integration into neural circuits.This review focuses on diffe rences between quiescent and active adult neural stem cells in nutrition metabolism and protein homeostasis.Furthermore,we discuss the physiological significance and underlying advantages of these diffe rences.Due to the limited number of adult neural stem cells studies,we refe rred to studies of embryonic adult neural stem cells or non-mammalian adult neural stem cells to evaluate specific mechanisms.

B cell receptor signaling pathway involved in benign lymphoepithelial lesions of the lacrimal gland

AIM：To detect the expression of B cell receptor signaling pathway（BCRSP） in lacrimal gland benign lymphoepithelial lesions（LGBLEL）.METHODS：Gene microarray was used to compare whole-genome expression in lacrimal gland tissues from LGBLEL patients to tissues from orbital cavernous hemangioma（control tissues）. Expression of BCRSP was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction（PCR） and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS：The expression of 22 genes of the BCRSP increased significantly in LGBLEL patients. PCR analysis showed that CD22, CR2, and BTK were all highly expressed in LGBLEL tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that CR2 protein was present in LGBLEL, but CD22 and BTK proteins were negative. CR2, CD22, and BTK were not observed in the orbital cavernous hemangiomas with either PCR or immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSION：BCRSP might be involved in the pathogenesis of LGBLEL.

Relationships between cell cycle pathway gene polymorphisms and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the associations between the polymorphisms of cell cycle pathway genes and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). METHODS: We enrolled 1127 cases newly diagnosed with HCC from the Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and 1200 non-tumor patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University. General demographic characteristics, behavioral information, and hematological indices were collected by unified questionnaires. Genomic DNA was isolatedfrom peripheral venous blood using Phenol-Chloroform. The genotyping was performed using the Sequenom Mass ARRAY i PLEX genotyping method. The association between genetic polymorphisms and risk of HCC was shown by P-value and the odd ratio(OR) with 95% confidence interval(CI) using the unconditional logistic regression after adjusting for age, sex, nationality, smoking, drinking, family history of HCC, and hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection. Moreover, stratified analysis was conducted on the basis of the status of HBV infection, smoking, and alcohol drinking.RESULTS: The HCC risk was lower in patients with the MCM4 rs2305952 CC(OR = 0.22, 95%CI: 0.08-0.63, P = 0.01) and with the CHEK1 rs515255 TC, TT, TC/TT(OR = 0.73, 95%CI: 0.56-0.96, P = 0.02; OR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.46-0.97, P = 0.04; OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.56-0.92, P = 0.01, respectively). Conversely, the HCC risk was higher in patients with the KAT2 B rs17006625 GG(OR = 1.64, 95%CI: 1.01-2.64, P = 0.04). In addition, the risk was markedly lower for those who were carriers of MCM4 rs2305952 CC and were also HBs Ag-positive and non-drinking and nonsmoking(P < 0.05, respectively) and for those who were carriers of CHEK1 rs515255 TC, TT, TC/TT and were also HBs Ag-negative and non-drinking(P < 0.05, respectively). Moreover, the risk was higher for those who were carriers of KAT2 B rs17006625 GG and were also HBs Ag-negative(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: Of 12 cell cycle pathway genes, MCM4, CHEK1 and KAT2 B polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of HCC.

Mitogen activated protein kinase signaling pathways participate in the active principle region of Buyang Huanwu decoction-induced differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Our preliminary studies confirmed that an active principle region of Buyang Huanwu decoction, comprising alkaloid, polysaccharide, aglycon, glucoside and volatile oil, can induce bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into neurons. Mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling was identified as one of the key pathways underlying this differentiation process. The present study shows phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and phosphorylated p38 protein expression was increased after differentiation. Cellular signaling pathway blocking agents, PD98059 and SB203580, inhibited extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and p38 in mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways respectively, mRNA and protein expression of the neuronal marker, neuron specific enolase, and neural stem cell marker, nestin, were decreased in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells after treatment with the active principle region of Buyang Huanwu decoction. Experimental findings indicate that, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and p38 in mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways participate in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into neuron-like cells, induced by the active principle region of Buyang Huanwu decoction.

Role of JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway during neuronal differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Recent studies regarding neuronal differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） have primarily focused on induction methods and transplantation in vivo. However, knowledge about the intrinsic regulatory mechanisms underlying neuronal induction of MSCs remains limited and unclear. OBJECTIVE： To elucidate the role of JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway during neuronal differentiation of MSCs using a combination of the JAK-STAT3 signaling inhibitor AG490 and growth factors. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Neural, molecular, biomedical, in vitro experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University between March and December 2008 MATERIALS： An inhibitor of the JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway was purchased from Calbiochem, USA. Antibody kit for total and phosphorylated STAT3 was purchased from Cell Signaling, USA. METHODS： MSCs from passage 3 were assigned to non-induced, growth factor, and AG490 groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE： The number of cells expressing neuron-specific enolase, microtubule-associated protein, and glial fibrillary acidic protein were determined by immunocytochemistry. Total and phosphorylated （Tyr705） expression levels of STAT3 protein were measured by Western blot analysis. RESULTS： MSCs were transdifferentiated into neuronal- and astrocyte-like phenotypes through the induction of epidermal growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. In addition, the JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway was significantly activated during neural differentiation. Expression of phosphorylated （Tyr705） STAT3 was inhibited with AG490 （5 pmol/L） prior to neural induction with epidermal growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor; proportion of astrocyte-like cells was significantly reduced （P 〈 0.01）, and the proportion of neuronal-like phenotypes was significantly increased （P〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway was shown to regulate neuronal induction of bone marrow MSCs. The proportion of MSC-induced neuronal-like cells was increased following treatment with the JAK-STAT3 signaling inhibitor AG490.

Effect of the Notch signaling pathway on retinal ganglion cells and its neuroprotection in rats with acute ocular hypertension

AIM： To explore the effect of the Notch signaling pathway on retinal ganglion cells（RGCs） and optic nerve in rats with acute ocular hypertension（OH）.METHODS： Totally 48 Sprague-Dawley（SD） rats were included, among which 36 rats were selected to establish acute OH models. OH rats received a single intravitreal injection of 2 μL phosphate buffered solution（PBS） and another group of OH rats received a single intravitreal injection of 10 μmol/L γ-secretase inhibitor（DAPT）. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction（qPCR） and Western blot assay were adopted to determine the mRNA level of Notch and the protein levels of Notch, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, and growth-associated protein 43（GAP-43）. The RGC apoptosis conditions were assessed by TUNEL staining.RESULTS： The OH rats and PBS-injected rats had increased expression levels of Notch1, Bax, caspase-3, and GAP-43, decreased expression levels of Bcl-2, and increased RGC apoptosis, with severer macular edema and RGCs more loosely aligned, when compared with the normal rats. The DAPT-treated rats displayed increased expression levels of Notch1, Bax, caspase-3, and GAP-43, decreased expression levels of Bcl-2, and increased RGC apoptosis, in comparison with the OH rats and PBSinjected rats. RGCs were hardly observed and macular edema became severe in the DAPT-treated rat.CONCLUSION： The Notch signaling pathway may suppress the apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells and enhances the regeneration of the damaged optic nerves in rats with acute OH.

Regulation of microRNAs in cell signaling pathways-mediated vascular remodeling

Vascular remodeling,which can be found in atherosclerosis,restenosis after angioplasty,hypertension,and some other frequent and serious chronic diseases.Smooth muscle cell(SMC)phenotype change,which has been described as converting from a contractile state into a synthetic phenotype,is a crucial event during vascular remodeling.Recently,micro RNAs(mi RNAs)a kind of small non-coding RNA molecules,has been proven to target critical genes of cell signaling pathways to regulate SMC phenotypic change.By searching the Pub Med,Embase,reviews,and reference listsof relevant papers,we systematically carried out a review of the literature to provide an overview of the mi RNAs and their target genes in cell signaling pathways,focus inthe pathways involving in SMC phenotype change.To be specific,mi RNAs that regulate genes involved in the MAPK signaling pathways(such as:mi R-155,mi R-92a,mi R-424/503,mi R-133,mi R-181b,mi R-31,mi R-1298,mi R-132,mi R-200c and mi R-483-3p),mi RNAs target genes involved in the TGF-βsignaling pathways(including mi R-24,mi R-17/92 cluster,mi R-599,mi R-21 and mi R-143/145),mi RNAs target the genes involved in the AMPK signaling pathways including mi R-144/451 and mi R-195,mi RNAs target the genes involved in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathways(including mi R-138,mi R-34c,mi R-223,mi R-761,mi R-10a,mi R-146a),mi R-199a-5ptargets the genes involved in the Wnt signaling pathways mi RNAs(mi R-221/222,mi R-15b,mi R-24/29a,mi R-224)involved in the PDGF signaling pathways and some mi RNAs(mi R-638,mi R-328,mi R-365,mi R-663,mi R-29b,mi R-130,mi R-142-5p,mi R-424/322)which regulate SMC phenotype change by other corresponding targets were in detailed discussed in our review.Exploring the regulation of miR NAs in key cellsignaling pathways-mediatedvascular remodeling wil have momentous impact on identifying novel therapeutic targets for its associated disease.

Cellular signaling pathways of T cells in giant cell arteritis

Giant cell arteritis(GCA)is a commonly occurring large vacuities characterized by angiopathy of medium and large-sized vessels.GCA granulomatous formation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of GCA.Analysis of T cell lineages and signaling pathways in GCA have revealed the essential role of T cells in the pathology of GCA.T cells are the dominant population present in GCA lesions.CD4+T cell subtypes that are present include Th1,Th2,Th9,Th17,follicular helper T(Tfh)cells,and regulatory T(Treg)cells.CD8 T cells can primarily differentiate into cytotoxic CD8+T lymphocytes and Treg cells.The instrumental part of GCA is the interplay between dendritic cells,macrophages and endothelial cells,which can result in the vascular injury and the characteristics granulomatous infiltrates formation.During the inflammatory loop of GCA,several signaling pathways have been reported to play an essential role in recruiting,activating and differentiating T cells,including T-cell receptor(TCR)signaling,vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)-Jagged-Notch signaling and the Janus kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription(STAT)pathway(JAK-STAT)pathway.In this review,we have focused on the role of T cells and their potential signaling mechanism(s)that are involved in the pathogenesis of GCA.A better understanding of the role of T cells mediated complicated orchestration during the homeostasis and the changes could possibly favor developments of novel treatment strategies against immunological disorders associated with GCA.

Effects of Low Concentrations of Di-(2-ethylhexyl) and Mono-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate on Steroidogenesis Pathways and Apoptosis in the Murine Leydig Tumor Cell Line MLTC-1

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of low concentrations of DEHP and MEHP on steroidogenesis in a murine Leydig tumor cell line （MLTC-1） in vitro. The result of flow cytometry analysis revealed that the proportion of apoptotic cells was significantly increased after the exposure to DEHP. All three genes （P450scc, P450c17, and 38HSD） under study showed an increased expression following exposure to DEHP or MEHP, although some insignificant inhibitory effects appeared in the 10μmol/L treatment group as compared with the controls. It was also found that DEHP or MEHP stimulated INSL3 mRNA and protein especially in the 0.001 μmol/L treatment group. Testosterone secretions were stimulated after the exposure to DEHP or MEHP. Alterations of steroidogenic enzymes and INSL3 in MLTC-1 cells might be involved in the biphasic effects of DEHP/MEHP on androgen production.

Research Progress of miRNA Regulating Cell Signaling Pathways Related to Hepatocarcinogenesis

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of the most common malignant tumors in clinical practice.The pathogenesis of HCC is still unclear.Currently,the clinical treatment of HCC is poorly targeted and the therapeutic effect is poor.MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are closely related to the occurrence of HCC,and they are mainly involved in the occurrence and development of HCC through binding to target genes or acting on related signaling pathways.In recent years,studies have shown that miRNA can be used as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.In addition,studies have also shown that miRNA plays a tumorsuppressing or tumor-promoting role in the process of HCC by regulating the biological processes of tumor cell proliferation,migration,invasion and metastasis.In this paper,the recent studies on miRNA signaling pathways related to the occurrence and development of HCC were reviewed,with a view to providing ideas for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

THE ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY OF HUMAN T CELL ACTIVATION BY MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES(A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN NORMAL INDIVIDUALS AND CANCER PATIENTS)

This paper described T cell proliferative response by an alternative pathway in normal subjects and In patients with malignant diseases. Two McAbs, Anti-CCTl and Lo-CD2-act recognizing two distinct epitopes on E-receptor (CD2) were used to costimulate PBMC. Proliferative responsiveness was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation. It was found that 82% of 72 nonnal subjects gave proliferative response whereas only 23% of the 93 patients did. The average cpm±SD in patients with bladder cancer (118±2314), kidney cancer (1619±2719) or lymphoma (2518±4057) was significantly lower than that in normal subjects (4935±2314), (P<0.001). These results indicate that T cell proliferation through the alternative pathway was significantly depressed in patients with cancer, and this can be used as a new parameter to monitor the immune status of cancer patients.

Biochemical Pathways That Are Important for Cotton Fiber Cell Elongation

The regulatory mechanism that controls the sustained cotton fiber cell elongation is gradually being elucidated by coupling genome-wide transcriptome profiling with systematic biochemical and physiological studies.Very long chain fatty acids(VLCFA),H2O2,and several types of plant

TNF-a induce the F-actin arrangement and permeability increase in endothelial cells by RhoA-ERK1/2 pathway

Background This study aimed to determine the effects of tumor necrosis factor(TNF-a) on endothelial cytoskeleton morphology and permeability,and to detect the underlying signaling mechanisms involved in these responses. Methods Cultured endothelial cells(ECs) were exposed to TNF-a,and EC cytoskeletal changes were evaluated by observing fluorescence of F-actin following ligation with labeled antibodies.Endothelial permeability was detected by measuring the flux of HRP-albumin across the EC monolayers.To explore the signaling pathways behind TNF-a-induced EC alteration, ECs were treated with either the RhoGTPase inhibitor Y27632 or the MAPK inhibitors PD98059 and SB203580 before TNF-a administration.To further elucidate possible involvement of the RhoA and ERK pathways in TNF-induced EC changes,retrovirus-carried recombinant dominant-negative forms and constitutive-activative forms of RhoA,namely T19NRhoA and Q63LRhoA,were pre-infect-ed into ECs prior to TNF-a exposure.Results TNF-a induced F-actin cytoskeleton rearrangement,as well as EC hyperpermeability in a dose and time-dependent manner.The effects were attenuated in cells pretreated with Y27632 or PD98059,respectively.EC pre-infection with T19NRhoA also alleviated the effects of TNF-a.Furthermore,retrovirus-mediated administration of activated forms of Q63LRhoA alone induced rearrangement of F-actin and hyperpermeability as well as induced the activation of pERK.Conclusions These results indicate that RhoA-ERK/MAPK signal pathway play important roles in the mediation of TNF-a induced EC barrier dysfunction associated with morphological changes of the Factin.

Multi‑omics integration identifies regulatory factors underlying bovine subclinical mastitis

Background Mastitis caused by multiple factors remains one of the most common and costly disease of the dairy industry.Multi-omics approaches enable the comprehensive investigation of the complex interactions between mul-tiple layers of information to provide a more holistic view of disease pathogenesis.Therefore,this study investigated the genomic and epigenomic signatures and the possible regulatory mechanisms underlying subclinical mastitis by integrating RNA sequencing data(mRNA and lncRNA),small RNA sequencing data(miRNA)and DNA methylation sequencing data of milk somatic cells from 10 healthy cows and 20 cows with naturally occurring subclinical mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus chromogenes.Results Functional investigation of the data sets through gene set analysis uncovered 3458 biological process GO terms and 170 KEGG pathways with altered activities during subclinical mastitis,provided further insights into subclin-ical mastitis and revealed the involvement of multi-omics signatures in the altered immune responses and impaired mammary gland productivity during subclinical mastitis.The abundant genomic and epigenomic signatures with sig-nificant alterations related to subclinical mastitis were observed,including 30,846,2552,1276 and 57 differential methylation haplotype blocks(dMHBs),differentially expressed genes(DEGs),lncRNAs(DELs)and miRNAs(DEMs),respectively.Next,5 factors presenting the principal variation of differential multi-omics signatures were identified.The important roles of Factor 1(DEG,DEM and DEL)and Factor 2(dMHB and DEM),in the regulation of immune defense and impaired mammary gland functions during subclinical mastitis were revealed.Each of the omics within Factors 1 and 2 explained about 20%of the source of variation in subclinical mastitis.Also,networks of impor-tant functional gene sets with the involvement of multi-omics signatures were demonstrated,which contributed to a comprehensive view of the possible regulatory mechanisms underlying subclinical mastitis.Furthermore,multi-omics integration enabled the association of the epigenomic regulatory factors(dMHBs,DELs and DEMs)of altered genes in important pathways,such as‘Staphylococcus aureus infection pathway’and‘natural killer cell mediated cyto-toxicity pathway’,etc.,which provides further insights into mastitis regulatory mechanisms.Moreover,few multi-omics signatures(14 dMHBs,25 DEGs,18 DELs and 5 DEMs)were identified as candidate discriminant signatures with capac-ity of distinguishing subclinical mastitis cows from healthy cows.Conclusion The integration of genomic and epigenomic data by multi-omics approaches in this study provided a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying subclinical mastitis and identified multi-omics candidate discriminant signatures for subclinical mastitis,which may ultimately lead to the development of more effective mastitis control and management strategies.

Neurological Disorders Caused by Structural Dysfunction of VANGL2

Background: VANGL2 plays a variety of roles in various cellular processes, including tissue morphogenesis, asymmetric cell division, and nervous system development. There is currently a lack of systematic organization in the development and disease of the nervous system. Purpose: To explore the role of VANGL2 in the development of the nervous system and related diseases. Methods: Literature review and analysis of the role of VANGL2 in the development and disease of the nervous system. Results: VANGL2 defects lead to the development of the nervous system through the misconfiguration of various cells, which affects the development of the cochlea, the conduction of neural signals, and the development of nervous system-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, GBM, Bohling-Opitz syndrome, and hydrocephalus. Conclusions: The VANGL2 gene is essential for nervous system development and its deficiency is linked to severe congenital conditions and various disorders, highlighting the need for more research on treatments for related gene defects.

Cancer stem cells: Involvement in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis and perspectives on cancer therapeutics

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and lethal malignancies. Despite remarkable progress in understanding pancreatic carcinogenesis at the molecular level, as well as progress in new therapeutic approaches, pancreatic cancer remains a disease with a dismal prognosis. Among the mechanisms responsible for drug resistance, the most relevant are changes in individual genes or signaling pathways and the presence of highly resistant cancer stem cells(CSCs). In pancreatic cancer, CSCs represent 0.2%-0.8% of pancreatic cancer cells and are considered to be responsible for tumor growth, invasion, metastasis and recurrence. CSCs have been extensively studied as of late to identify specific surface markers to ensure reliable sorting and for signaling pathways identified to play a pivotal role in CSC self-renewal. Involvement of CSCs in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis has also highlighted these cells as the preferential targets for therapy. The present review is an update of the results in two main fields of research in pancreatic cancer, pathogenesis and therapy, focused on the narrow perspective of CSCs.

Association of TCR-signaling pathway with the development of lacrimal gland benign lymphoepithelial lesions

·AIM: To identify the association of the T cell receptor(TCR) signaling with the development of benign lymphoepithelial lesions(BLEL) of the lacrimal gland.· METHODS: We collected affected lacrimal gland tissues from 9 patients who underwent dacryoadenectomy in the Capital Medical University Beijing Tongren Hospital Eye Center between August2010 and March 2013 and were confirmed to have lacrimal gland BLEL by histopathological analysis. Tumor tissues from 9 patients with orbital cavernous hemangioma were also collected and used as control.Whole genome gene expression microarray was used to compare gene expression profiles of affected lacrimal gland tissues from patients with lacrimal gland BLEL to those from of orbital cavernous hemangiomas.Differential expression of TCR pathway genes between these tissues was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and immunohistochemistry.·RESULTS: Microarray analysis showed that in lacrimal glands with BLEL, 32 signaling pathways were enriched in the upregulated genes, while 25 signaling pathways were enriched in the downregulated genes. In-depth analysis of the microarray data showed that the expression of 27 genes of the TCR signaling pathway increased significantly. To verify the differential expression of three of these genes, CD3, CD4, and interleukin(IL)-10, reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR)and immunohistochemistry assays were performed. RT-PCR analysis showed that CD3 and CD4 were expressed in the lacrimal glands with BLEL, but IL-10 was not expressed. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that CD3 and CD4 proteins were also present, but IL-10 protein was not. CD3, CD4, or IL-10 expression was not found in the orbital cavernous hemangiomas with either RT-PCR or immunohistochemistry.· CONCLUSION: TCR signaling pathway might be involved in the pathogenesis of lacrimal gland BLEL.

Differential Expression of Genes in HepG2 Cells Caused by UC001kfo RNAi as Shown by RNA-seq

The differential expression of genes in HepG2 cells caused by UC001 kfo RNAi was investigated using RNA-seq. HepG2 cells were infected by Lenti-sh UC001 kfo lentivirus particles. The expression of UC001 kfo m RNA in the HepG2-sh UC001 kfo cell line was detected by real-time PCR. RNA-seq technology was used to identify the difference in the expression of genes regulated by lnc RNA UC001 kfo in the HepG2 cell line. Gene ontology and signaling pathway analysis were performed to reveal the biological functions of the genes encoding of significantly different m RNAs. The results showed that m RNAs were differentially expressed between the HepG2-sh UC001 kfo cell line and the HepG2 cell line. The UC001 kfo m RNA was significantly down-regulated in the stable cell line HepG2-sh UC001kfo（P〈0.001）. Additionally, we found 19 signaling pathways or functional classifications encompassing 30 genes that played a role in cancer characteristics, cell adhesion, invasion and migration. The results also showed that the expression of many genes associated with cancer cell invasion and metastasis was decreased with the down-regulation of the lnc RNA UC001 kfo. Lnc RNA UC001 kfo may play a role in regulating cancer cell invasion and metastasis. It was suggested that m RNAs were differentially expressed in the HepG2 cell line after the down-regulation of lnc RNA-UC001 kfo. Some took part in the extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, motility, growth, and localization. The genes encoding of differentially expressed m RNAs may participate in cell invasion and metastasis.

Pentoxifylline Inhibits Liver Fibrosis via Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

Infection of schistosomiasis japonica may eventually lead to liver fibrosis, and no effective antifibrotic therapies are available but liver transplantation. Hedgehog（HH） signaling pathway has been involved in the process and is a promising target for treating liver fibrosis. This study aimed to explore the effects of pentoxifylline（PTX） on liver fibrosis induced by schistosoma japonicum infection by inhibiting the HH signaling pathway. Phorbol12-myristate13-acetate（PMA） was used to induce human acute mononuclear leukemia cells THP-1 to differentiate into macrophages. The THP-1-derived macrophages were stimulated by soluble egg antigen（SEA）, and the culture supernatants were collected for detection of activation of macrophages. Cell Counting Kit-8（CCK-8） was used to detect the cytotoxicity of the culture supernatant and PTX on the LX-2 cells. The LX-2 cells were administered with activated culture supernatant from macrophages and（or） PTX to detect the transforming growth factor-β gene expression. The m RNA expression of shh and gli-1, key parts in HH signaling pathway, was detected. The m RNA expression of shh and gli-1 was increased in LX-2 cells treated with activated macrophages-derived culture supernatant, suggesting HH signaling pathway may play a key role in the activation process of hepatic stellate cells（HSCs）. The expression of these genes decreased in LX-2 cells co-cultured with both activated macrophages-derived culture supernatant and PTX, indicating PTX could suppress the activation process of HSCs. In conclusion, these data provide evidence that PTX prevents liver fibrogenesis in vitro by the suppression of HH signaling pathway.