Bilarge Neutrino Mixing and \mu - \tau Permutation Symmetry for Two-loop Radiative Mechanism

The presence of approximate electron number conservation and \mu-\tau permutation symmetry of S_2 is shown to naturally provide bilarge neutrino mixing. First, the bimaximal neutrino mixing together with U_{e3}=0 is guaranteed to appear owing to S_2 and, then, the bilarge neutrino mixing together with |U_{e3}|<<1 arises as a result of tiny violation of S_2. The observed mass hierarchy of \Delta m^2_{\odot}<<\Delta m^2_{atm} is subject to another tiny violation of the electron number conservation. This scenario is realized in a specific model based on SU(3)_L x U(1)_N with two-loop radiative mechanism for neutrino masses. The radiative effects from heavy leptons contained in lepton triplets generate the bimaximal structure and those from charged leptons, which break S_2, generate the bilarge structure together with |U_{e3}|<<1. To suppress dangerous flavor-changing neutral current interactions due to Higgs exchanges especially for quarks, this S_2 symmetry is extended to a discrete Z_8 symmetry, which also ensures the absence of one-loop radiative mechanism.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

A texture of neutrino mass matrix in view of recent neutrino experimental results

In view of recent neutrino experimental results such as SNO, Super-Kamiokande (SK), CHOOZ and neutrinoless double beta decay $(\beta\beta_{0\nu})$, we consider a texture of neutrino mass matrix which contains three parameters in order to explain those neutrino experimental results. We have first fitted parameters in a model independent way with solar and atmospheric neutrino mass squared differences and solar neutrino mixing angle which satisfy LMA solution. The maximal value of atmospheric neutrino mixing angle comes out naturally in the present texture. Most interestingly, fitted parameters of the neutrino mass matrix considered here also marginally satisfy recent limit on effective Majorana neutrino mass obtained from neutrinoless double beta decay experiment. We further demonstrate an explicit model which gives rise to the texture investigated by considering an $SU(2)_L\times U(1)_Y$ gauge group with two extra real scalar singlets and discrete $Z_2\times Z_3$ symmetry. Majorana neutrino masses are generated through higher dimensional operators at the scale $M$. We have estimated the scales at which singlets get VEV's and M by comparing with the best fitted results obtained in the present work.Comment: Journal Ref.: Phys. Rev. D66, 053004 (2002

Two-loop Radiative Neutrino Mechanism in an SU(3)L×U(1)NSU(3)_L\times U(1)_N Gauge Model

By using the $L_e$ - $L_\mu$ - $L_\tau$ symmetry, we construct an $SU(3)_L\times U(1)_N$ gauge model that provides two-loop radiative neutrino masses as well as one-loop radiative neutrino masses. The generic smallness of two-loop neutrino masses leading to $\Delta m^2_\odot$ compared with one-loop neutrino masses leading to $\Delta m^2_{atm}$ successfully explains $\Delta m^2_{atm}$ $>>$ $\Delta m^2_{\odot}$ by invoking the $L_e$ - $L_\mu$ - $L_\tau$ breaking. The Higgs scalar ($h^+$) that initiates radiative mechanisms is unified into a Higgs triplet together with the standard Higgs scalar ($\phi^+$, $\phi^0$) to form ($\phi^+$, $\phi^0$, $h^+$), which calls for three families of lepton triplets: ($\nu^i_L$, $\ell^i_L$, $\omega^i_L$) (i = 1,2,3), where $\omega^i$ denote heavy neutral leptons. The two-loop radiative mechanism is found possible by introducing a singly charged scalar, which couples to $\ell^i_R\omega^j_R$ (i,j = 2,3).Comment: with 10 pages, revtex, including 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D (with undefined latex citation indices removed

Radiatively Induced Neutrino Masses and Oscillations in an SU(3)_LxU(1)_N Gauge Model

We have constructed an $SU(3)_L \times U(1)_N$ gauge model utilizing an $U(1)_{L^\prime}$ symmetry, where $L^\prime$ = $L_e-L_\mu-L_\tau$, which accommodates tiny neutrino masses generated by $L^\prime$-conserving one-loop and $L^\prime$-breaking two-loop radiative mechanisms. The generic smallness of two-loop radiative effects compared with one-loop radiative effects describes the observed hierarchy of $\Delta m_{atm}^2$ $\gg$ $\Delta m_\odot^2$. A key ingredient for radiative mechanisms is a charged scalar ($h^+$) that couples to charged lepton-neutrino pairs and $h^+$ together with the standard Higgs scalar ($\phi$) can be unified into a Higgs triplet as ($\phi^0$, $\phi^-$, $h^+$)$^T$. This assignment in turn requires lepton triplets ($\psi_L^i$) with heavy charged leptons ($\kappa_L^{+i}$) as the third member: $\psi_L^i=(\nu^i_L,\ell^i_L,\kappa^{+i}_L)^T$, where $i$ ($=1,2,3$) denotes three families. It is found that our model is relevant to yield quasi-vacuum oscillations for solar neutrinos.Comment: 11 pages, revtex, including 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D with minor modification of our resul

Low-Scale See-Saw Mechanisms for Light Neutrinos

Alternatives to the see-saw mechanism are explored in supersymmetric models with three right-handed or sterile neutrinos. Tree-level Yukawa couplings can be drastically suppressed in a natural way to give sub-eV Dirac neutrino masses. If, in addition, a B-L gauge symmetry broken at a large scale M_G is introduced, a wider range of possibilities opens up. The value of the right-handed neutrino mass M_R can be easily disentangled from that of M_G. Dirac and Majorana neutrino masses at the eV scale can be generated radiatively through the exchange of sneutrinos and neutralinos. Dirac masses m_D owe their smallness to the pattern of light-heavy scales in the neutralino mass matrix. The smallness of the Majorana masses m_L is linked to a similar see-saw pattern in the sneutrino mass matrix. Two distinct scenarios emerge. In the first, with very small or vanishing M_R, the physical neutrino eigenstates are, for each generation, either two light Majorana states with mixing angle ranging from very small to maximal, depending on the ratio m_D/M_R, or one light Dirac state. In the second scenario, with a large value of M_R, the physical eigenstates are two nearly unmixed Majorana states with masses \sim m_L and \sim M_R. In both cases, the (B-L)-breaking scale M_G is, in general, much smaller than that in the traditional see-saw mechanism.Comment: 31 pages, Latex, references added, version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Regulation of endothelial cell plasticity by TGF-β

Recent evidence has demonstrated that endothelial cells can have a remarkable plasticity. By a process called Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EndMT) endothelial cells convert to a more mesenchymal cell type that can give rise to cells such as fibroblasts, but also bone cells. EndMT is essential during embryonic development and tissue regeneration. Interestingly, it also plays a role in pathological conditions like fibrosis of organs such as the heart and kidney. In addition, EndMT contributes to the generation of cancer associated fibroblasts that are known to influence the tumor-microenvironment favorable for the tumor cells. EndMT is a form of the more widely known and studied Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). Like EMT, EndMT can be induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Indeed many studies have pointed to the important role of TGF-β receptor/Smad signaling and downstream targets, such as Snail transcriptional repressor in EndMT. By selective targeting of TGF-β receptor signaling pathological EndMT may be inhibited for the therapeutic benefit of patients with cancer and fibrosis

Early lineage restriction in temporally distinct populations of Mesp1 progenitors during mammalian heart development.

Cardiac development arises from two sources of mesoderm progenitors, the first heart field (FHF) and the second (SHF). Mesp1 has been proposed to mark the most primitive multipotent cardiac progenitors common for both heart fields. Here, using clonal analysis of the earliest prospective cardiovascular progenitors in a temporally controlled manner during early gastrulation, we found that Mesp1 progenitors consist of two temporally distinct pools of progenitors restricted to either the FHF or the SHF. FHF progenitors were unipotent, whereas SHF progenitors were either unipotent or bipotent. Microarray and single-cell PCR with reverse transcription analysis of Mesp1 progenitors revealed the existence of molecularly distinct populations of Mesp1 progenitors, consistent with their lineage and regional contribution. Together, these results provide evidence that heart development arises from distinct populations of unipotent and bipotent cardiac progenitors that independently express Mesp1 at different time points during their specification, revealing that the regional segregation and lineage restriction of cardiac progenitors occur very early during gastrulation.This is the author's accepted manuscript and will be under embargo until the 24th of February 2015. The final version is published by NPG in Nature Cell Biology here: http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v16/n9/full/ncb3024.html

ENDOGLIN is dispensable for vasculogenesis, but required for vascular endothelial growth factor-induced angiogenesis

ENDOGLIN (ENG) is a co-receptor for transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family members that is highly expressed in endothelial cells and has a critical function in the development of the vascular system. Mutations in Eng are associated with the vascular disease known as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type l. Using mouse embryonic stem cells we observed that angiogenic factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), induce vasculogenesis in embryoid bodies even when Eng deficient cells or cells depleted of Eng using shRNA are used. However, ENG is required for the stem cell-derived endothelial cells to organize effectively into tubular structures. Consistent with this finding, fetal metatarsals isolated from E17.5 Eng heterozygous mouse embryos showed reduced VEGF-induced vascular network formation. Moreover, shRNA-mediated depletion and pharmacological inhibition of ENG in human umbilical vein cells mitigated VEGF-induced angiogenesis. In summary, we demonstrate that ENG is required for efficient VEGF-induced angiogenesis