Changes in macrophage phenotype and induction of epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition genes following acute Achilles tenotomy and repair

Tendon injuries occur frequently in physically active individuals, but the clinical outcomes for these injuries can be poor. In many injured tissues the repair process is orchestrated by two types of cells, macrophages and fibroblasts. Macrophages, which have both pro‐inflammatory (M1) and anti‐inflammatory (M2) phenotypes, can directly participate in tissue remodeling and direct the response of other cells through the secretion of cytokines and growth factors. In many organ systems, epithelial cells can trans‐differentiate into fibroblasts, which can then regenerate damaged ECM. This process is triggered via activation of epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling programs. Most tendons are surrounded by sheets of epithelial cells, and these tissue layers could provide a source of fibroblasts to repair injured tendons. To gain greater insight into the biology of tendon repair, we performed a tenotomy and repair in Achilles tendons of adult rats and determined changes in macrophage phenotype, and ECM‐ and EMT‐related genes over a 4‐week time course. The results from this study suggest that changes in macrophage phenotype and activation of EMT‐related programs likely contribute to the degradation and subsequent repair of injured tendon tissue. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:944–951, 2014.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106967/1/jor22624.pd

Decorin deficiency promotes hepatic carcinogenesis

Hepatocellular carcinoma represents one of the most-rapidly spreading cancers in the world. In the majority of cases, an inflammation-driven fibrosis or cirrhosis precedes the development of the tumor. During malignant transformation, the tumor microenvironment undergoes qualitative and quantitative changes that modulate the behavior of the malignant cells. A key constituent for the hepatic microenvironment is the small leucine-rich proteoglycan decorin, known to interfere with cellular events of tumorigenesis mainly by blocking various receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) such as EGFR, Met, IGF-IR, PDGFR and VEGFR2. In this study, we characterized cell signaling events evoked by decorin deficiency in two experimental models of hepatocarcinogenesis using thioacetamide or diethyl nitrosamine as carcinogens. Genetic ablation of decorin led to enhanced tumor occurrence as compared to wild-type animals. These findings correlated with decreased levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1 and a concurrent elevation in retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation via cyclin dependent kinase 4. Decreased steady state p21Waf1/Cip1 levels correlated with enhanced expression of transcription factor AP4, a known transcriptional repressor of p21Waf1/Cip1, and enhanced c-Myc protein levels. In addition, translocation of beta-catenin was a typical event in diethyl nitrosamine-evoked tumors. In parallel, decreased phosphorylation of both c-Myc and beta-catenin was observed in Dcn-/- livers likely due to the hindered GSK3beta-mediated targeting of these proteins to proteasomal degradation. We discovered that in a genetic background lacking decorin, four RTKs were constitutively activated (phosphorylated), including three known targets of decorin such as PDGFRalpha, EGFR, IGF-IR, and a novel RTK MSPR/RON. Our findings provide powerful genetic evidence for a crucial in vivo role of decorin during hepatocarcinogenesis as lack of decorin in the liver and hepatic stroma facilitates experimental carcinogenesis by providing an environment devoid of this potent pan-RTK inhibitor. Thus, our results support future utilization of decorin as an antitumor agent in liver cancer

Search for neutral MSSM Higgs bosons decaying to a pair of tau leptons in pp collisions

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Measurement of top quark–antiquark pair production in association with a W or Z boson in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV

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Searches for electroweak production of charginos, neutralinos, and sleptons decaying to leptons and W, Z, and Higgs bosons in pp collisions at 8 TeV

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Study of hadronic event-shape variables in multijet final states in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

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Measurement of prompt J/ψ pair production in pp collisions at √s = 7 Tev

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Constraints on parton distribution functions and extraction of the strong coupling constant from the inclusive jet cross section in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

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