Bogdan Yatsula

Regulation of the calreticulin gene by GATA6 and Evi-1 transcription factors.

Calreticulin is a Ca (2+)-buffering chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum. The protein is highly expressed in embryonic heart but downregulated in postnatal heart, indicating that expression of calreticulin in the heart is highly regulated. In this study we identify GATA6 and Evi-1 transcription factors as new regulators of the calreticulin gene. In neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes and mouse fibroblasts the calreticulin gene is activated by GATA6 but repressed by Evi-1. Furthermore, transactivation of the calreticulin gene by GATA6 is suppressed by Evi-1, suggesting an antagonistic role between both GATA6 and Evi-1. Using EMSA, ChIP analysis, and site-specific mutagenesis, we showed that GATA6 and Evi-1 bind to site 1 on the calreticulin promoter. GATA6 and Evi-1 are highly expressed early during cardiogenesis of ES cells, suggesting that they may regulate expression of the calreticulin gene during cardiac development.

Deletion of mecom in mouse results in early-onset spinal deformity and osteopenia

Recent studies have indicated a role for a MECOM allele in susceptibility to osteoporotic fractures in humans. We have generated a mutation in Mecom in mouse (termed ME(m1)) via lacZ knock-in into the upstream transcription start site for the gene, resulting in disruption of Mds1 and Mds1-Evi1 transcripts, but not of Evi1 transcripts. We demonstrate that ME(m1/m1) mice have severe kyphoscoliosis that is reminiscent of human congenital or primary kyphoscoliosis. ME(m1/m1) mice appear normal at birth, but by 2weeks, they exhibit a slight lumbar lordosis and narrowed intervertebral space. This progresses to severe lordosis with disc collapse and synostosis, together with kyphoscoliosis. Bone formation and strength testing show that ME(m1/m1) mice have normal bone formation and composition but are osteopenic. While endochondral bone development is normal, it is markedly dysplastic in its organization. Electron micrographs of the 1week postnatal intervertebral discs reveals marked disarray of collagen fibers, consistent with an inherent weakness in the non-osseous connective tissue associated with the spine. These findings indicate that lack of ME leads to a complex defect in both osseous and non-osseous musculoskeletal tissues, including a marked vertebral osteopenia, degeneration of the IVD, and disarray of connective tissues, which is likely due to an inherent inability to establish and/or maintain components of these tissues.

Assessment of F-MuLV-induced tumorigenesis reveals new candidate tumor genes including Pecam1, St7, and Prim2.

Assessment of F-MuLV-induced tumorigenesis reveals new candidate tumor genes including Pecam1 , St7 , and Prim2

Future research directions to improve fistula maturation and reduce access failure

With the increasing prevalence of end-stage renal disease, there is a growing need for hemodialysis. Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are the preferred type of vascular access for hemodialysis, but maturation and failure continue to present significant barriers to successful fistula use. AVF maturation integrates outward remodeling with vessel wall thickening in response to drastic hemodynamic changes in the setting of uremia, systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and pre-existent vascular pathology. AVF can fail due to both failure to mature adequately to support hemodialysis and development of neointimal hyperplasia that narrows the AVF lumen, typically near the fistula anastomosis. Failure due to neointimal hyperplasia involves vascular cell activation and migration and extracellular matrix remodeling with complex interactions of growth factors, adhesion molecules, inflammatory mediators, and chemokines, all of which result in maladaptive remodeling. Different strategies have been proposed to prevent and treat AVF failure based on current understanding of the modes and pathology of access failure; these approaches range from appropriate patient selection and use of alternative surgical strategies for fistula creation, to the use of novel interventional techniques or drugs to treat failing fistulae. Effective treatments to prevent or treat AVF failure require a multidisciplinary approach involving nephrologists, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists, careful patient selection, and the use of tailored systemic or localized interventions to improve patient-specific outcomes. This review provides contemporary information on the underlying mechanisms of AVF maturation and failure and discusses the broad spectrum of options that can be tailored for specific therapy.

Polyester vascular patches acquire arterial or venous identity depending on their environment

Polyester is commonly used in vascular surgery for patch angioplasty and grafts. We hypothesized that polyester patches heal by infiltration of arterial or venous progenitor cells depending on the site of implantation. Polyester patches were implanted into the Wistar rat aorta or inferior vena cava and explanted on day 7 or 30. Neointima that formed on polyester patches was thicker in the venous environment compared to the amount that formed on patches in the arterial environment. Venous patches had more cell proliferation and greater numbers of VCAM-positive and CD68-positive cells, whereas arterial patches had greater numbers of vimentin-positive and alpha-actin-positive cells. Although there were similar numbers of endothelial progenitor cells in the neointimal endothelium, cells in the arterial patch were Ephrin-B2- and notch-4-positive while those in the venous patch were Eph-B4- and COUP-TFII-positive. Venous patches treated with an arteriovenous fistula had decreased neointimal thickness; neointimal endothelial cells expressed Ephrin-B2 and notch-4 in addition to Eph-B4 and COUP-TFII. Polyester patches in the venous environment acquire venous identity, whereas patches in the arterial environment acquire arterial identity; patches in the fistula environment acquire dual arterial-venous identity. These data suggest that synthetic patches heal by acquisition of identity of their environment.

Improving the Outcome of Vein Grafts: Should Vascular Surgeons Turn Veins into Arteries?

Autogenous vein grafts remain the gold standard conduit for arterial bypass, particularly for the treatment of critical limb ischemia. Vein graft adaptation to the arterial environment, i.e., adequate dilation and wall thickening, contributes to the superior performance of vein grafts. However, abnormal venous wall remodeling with excessive neointimal hyperplasia commonly causes vein graft failure. Since the PREVENT trials failed to improve vein graft outcomes, new strategies focus on the adaptive response of the venous endothelial cells to the post-surgical arterial environment. Eph-B4, the determinant of venous endothelium during embryonic development, remains expressed and functional in adult venous tissue. After surgery, vein grafts lose their venous identity, with loss of Eph-B4 expression; however, arterial identity is not gained, consistent with loss of all vessel identity. In mouse vein grafts, stimulation of venous Eph-B4 signaling promotes retention of venous identity in endothelial cells and is associated with vein graft walls that are not thickened. Eph-B4 regulates downstream signaling pathways of relevance to vascular biology, including caveolin-1, Akt, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Regulation of the Eph-B4 signaling pathway may be a novel therapeutic target to prevent vein graft failure.

Stem cell therapy for diabetic foot ulcers: a review of preclinical and clinical research

BackgroundDiabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a severe complication of diabetes, preceding most diabetes-related amputations. DFUs require over US

PC236. Cav-1 Regulates EphB4-Mediated Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation

9 billion for yearly treatment and are now a global public health issue. DFU occurs in the setting of ischemia, infection, neuropathy, and metabolic disorders that result in poor wound healing and poor treatment options. Recently, stem cell therapy has emerged as a new interventional strategy to treat DFU and appears to be safe and effective in both preclinical and clinical trials. However, variability in the stem cell type and origin, route and protocol for administration, and concomitant use of angioplasty confound easy interpretation and generalization of the results.MethodsThe PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE databases were searched and 89 preclinical and clinical studies were selected for analysis.ResultsThere was divergence between preclinical and clinical studies regarding stem cell type, origin, and delivery techniques. There was heterogeneous preclinical and clinical study design and few randomized clinical trials. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor was employed in some studies but with differing protocols. Concomitant performance of angioplasty with stem cell therapy showed increased efficiency compared to either therapy alone.ConclusionsStem cell therapy is an effective treatment for diabetic foot ulcers and is currently used as an alternative to amputation for some patients without other options for revascularization. Concordance between preclinical and clinical studies may help design future randomized clinical trials.

Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Inhibits Pseudoaneurysm Formation After Aortic Patch Angioplasty

in registered deaths resulting from the given meteorological conditions compared with the average meteorological conditions. Results: We have found that ruptured aortic aneurysms are most common in a weather situation that occurs when the cold flow regime of a fast-moving Mediterranean cyclone passes through the Carpathian Basin. The direction of the air movement is north and northeast. Such weather conditions cause overheating in the majority of the year, but in winter it usually attenuates the temperature. In all seasons it is rainy with snow showers in the winter, with spring thunderstorms. Mostly windy, daytime heat is often periodic. We reported that change in atmospheric pressure has a greater effect than daily temperature variation. This connection is a straight proportionate relationship between increasing barometric pressure change and registered fatal aortic aneurysm cases. Conclusions: Earlier studies aimed to determine if there is a connection between aortic catastrophies and weather conditions, and had no information about the intensity of the connection. We examined the connection of ruptured aortic aneurysms and complex climate patterns, and we established a new method that provides quantitative results and is able to forecast other instantaneous events. We believe our knowledge will be useful in the prevention ruptured aortic aneurysms.

Identification of Binding Sites of EVI1 in Mammalian Cells

Objective— Pseudoaneurysms remain a significant complication after vascular procedures. We hypothesized that TGF-&bgr; (transforming growth factor-&bgr;) signaling plays a mechanistic role in the development of pseudoaneurysms. Approach and Results— Rat aortic pericardial patch angioplasty was associated with a high incidence (88%) of pseudoaneurysms at 30 days, with increased smad2 phosphorylation in small pseudoaneurysms but not in large pseudoaneurysms; TGF-&bgr;1 receptors were increased in small pseudoaneurysms and preserved in large pseudoaneurysms. Delivery of TGF-&bgr;1 via nanoparticles covalently bonded to the patch stimulated smad2 phosphorylation both in vitro and in vivo and significantly decreased pseudoaneurysm formation (6.7%). Inhibition of TGF-&bgr;1 signaling with SB431542 decreased smad2 phosphorylation both in vitro and in vivo and significantly induced pseudoaneurysm formation by day 7 (66.7%). Conclusions— Normal healing after aortic patch angioplasty is associated with increased TGF-&bgr;1 signaling, and recruitment of smad2 signaling may limit pseudoaneurysm formation; loss of TGF-&bgr;1 signaling is associated with the formation of large pseudoaneurysms. Enhancement of TGF-&bgr;1 signaling may be a potential mechanism to limit pseudoaneurysm formation after vascular intervention.