Disease-relevant transcriptional signatures identified in individual smooth muscle cells from healthy mouse vessels.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) show pronounced heterogeneity across and within vascular beds, with direct implications for their function in injury response and atherosclerosis. Here we combine single-cell transcriptomics with lineage tracing to examine VSMC heterogeneity in healthy mouse vessels. The transcriptional profiles of single VSMCs consistently reflect their region-specific developmental history and show heterogeneous expression of vascular disease-associated genes involved in inflammation, adhesion and migration. We detect a rare population of VSMC-lineage cells that express the multipotent progenitor marker Sca1, progressively downregulate contractile VSMC genes and upregulate genes associated with VSMC response to inflammation and growth factors. We find that Sca1 upregulation is a hallmark of VSMCs undergoing phenotypic switching in vitro and in vivo, and reveal an equivalent population of Sca1-positive VSMC-lineage cells in atherosclerotic plaques. Together, our analyses identify disease-relevant transcriptional signatures in VSMC-lineage cells in healthy blood vessels, with implications for disease susceptibility, diagnosis and prevention.BH

New insights into the infection process of Rhynchosporium secalis in barley using GFP

Through the use of a Rhynchosporium secalis isolate transformed with the green fluorescent protein gene and LASER scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), fungal development during the R. secalis/barley interaction was analysed. Each infection stage was investigated from 0.5h to 14 days post-inoculation (p.i.) with extensive sampling within the first 48 h p.i. Early germination events were observed that had not been previously described. A specific time of germination was noted, with germ tube formation appearing as early as 1h p.i. Conidia were observed within anticlinal grooves of epidermal cells and the formation of bubbles within these pectin-rich regions was observed within 24h p.i. The study reports R. secalis pectinase production and suggests degradation of these pectin-rich regions. Reactive oxygen species were present during early penetration, 3h p.i. and co-localised with fungal development. LSCM allowed the visualisation of fungal growth deep within tissues at the later stage of the infection.Katherine J. Linsell, Felicity J. Keiper, Angus Forgan and Klaus H. Oldachhttp://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/622835/description#descriptio

Publisher Correction: Disease-relevant transcriptional signatures identified in individual smooth muscle cells from healthy mouse vessels

The original version of this Article contained errors in the author affiliations.Martin R. Bennett was incorrectly associated with Nuclear Dynamics Programme, Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, CB22 3AT, UK. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article. Furthermore, Phoebe Oldach was incorrectly associated with Centre for Molecular Informatics, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.This has now been corrected in the HTML version of the Article. The PDF version of the Article was correct at the time of publicatio

Use of Molecular Probes to Assess Geographic Distribution of Pfiesteria Species

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