The tumor-promoting chemokine CCL5 has been implicated in malignant transformation of breast epithelial cells, with studies to date focusing mainly on basal-type breast cancers. In this study, we investigated the consequences of CCL5 deletion in the MMTV-PyMT transgenic mouse model of luminal breast cancer. In this model, primary tumor burden and pulmonary metastases were reduced significantly in CCL5-deficient subjects, an effect found to be associated with a deficit of Th2 (IL4Mechanistic investigations revealed that CCL5 activates CCR3, a highly expressed chemokine receptor on CD4 þ T cells, and also

Shigella species cause bacillary dysentery, especially among young individuals. Shigellae target the human colon for invasion; however, the initial adhesion mechanism is poorly understood. The Shigella surface protein IcsA, in addition to its role in actin-based motility,

Bacterial outer membrane polysaccharides play key roles in a range of bacterial activities from homeostasis to virulence. Two such OM polysaccharide populations are ECA and LPS Oag, which are synthesized by separate homologs of the Wzy-dependent pathway.

Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by nuclear transfer (NT-ESCs), or into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by the "Yamanaka method." However, recent studies have indicated that mouse and human iPSCs are prone to epigenetic and transcriptional aberrations, and that NT-ESCs correspond more closely to ESCs derived from in vitro fertilized embryos than iPSCs. In addition, the procedure of NT-ESCs does not involve gene modification. Demonstration of generation of NT-ESCs using an easily-accessible source of adult cell types would be very important. Adipose tissue is a source of readily accessible donor cells and can be isolated from both males and females at different ages. Here we report that NT-ESCs can be generated from adipose tissue-derived cells (ADCs). At morphological, mRNA and protein levels, these NT-ESCs show classic ESC colonies, exhibit alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, and display normal diploid karyotypes. Importantly, these cells express pluripotent markers including Oct4, Sox2, Nanog and SSEA-1. Furthermore, they can differentiate in vivo into various types of cells from 3 germinal layers by teratoma formation assays. This study demonstrates for the first time that ESCs can be generated from the adipose tissue by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and suggests that ADCs can be a new donor-cell type for potential therapeutic cloning.

To address the increasing demand for safe and effective treatment options for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) due to the worldwide ban of the traditional polypropylene meshes, this study introduced degradable polycaprolactone (PCL)/polyethylene glycol (PEG) composite meshes fabricated with melt-electrowriting (MEW). Two PCL/PEG mesh groups: 90:10 and 75:25 (PCL:PEG, wt%) were fabricated and characterized for their degradation rate and mechanical properties, with PCL meshes used as a control. The PCL/PEG composites showed controllable degradation rates by adjusting the PEG content and produced mechanical properties, such as maximal forces, that were higher than PCL alone. The antibacterial properties of the meshes were elicited by coating them with a commonly used antibiotic: azithromycin. Two dosage levels were used for the coating: 0.5 mg and 1 mg per mesh, and both dosage levels were found to be effective in suppressing the growth of S. aureus bacteria. The biocompatibility of the meshes was assessed using human immortalized adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). In vitro assays were used to assess the cell viability (LIVE/DEAD assay), cell metabolic activity (alamarBlue assay) and cell morphology on the meshes (confocal and electron microscopy). The cell attachment was found to decrease with increased PEG content. The freshly drug-coated meshes showed signs of cytotoxicity during the cell study process. However, when pre-released for 14 days in phosphate buffered saline, the initial delay in cell attachment on the drug-coated mesh groups showed full recovery at the 14-day cell culture time point. These results indicated that the PCL/PEG meshes with antibiotics coating will be an effective anti-infectious device when first implanted into the patients, and, after about 2 weeks of drug release, the mesh will be supporting cell attachment and proliferation. These meshes demonstrated a potential effective treatment option for POP that may circumvent the issues related to the traditional polypropylene meshes.

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