We identify a total of 120 early-type Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) at 0.1

Stem cells are promising for the treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) and large animal models should be used to better understand the full spectrum of stem cell actions and preclinical evidences. In this study, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were transplanted into swine heart ischemia model. To detect glucose metabolism in global left ventricular myocardium and regional myocardium, combined with assessment of cardiac function, positron emission tomography-computer tomography (PET-CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. To study the changes of glucose transporters and glucose metabolism-related enzymes and the signal transduction pathway, RT-PCR, Western-blot, and immunohistochemistry were carried out. Myocardium metabolic evaluation by PET-CT showed that mean signal intensity (MSI) increased in these segments at week 4 compared with that at week 1 after BM-MSCs transplantation. Moreover, MRI demonstrated significant function enhancement in BM-MSCs group. The gene expressions of glucose transporters (GLUT1, GLUT4), glucose metabolism-related enzymes phosphofructokinase (PFK), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH)) and 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70s6k) in BM-MSCs injected areas were up-regulated at week 4 after BM-MSCs transplantation and this was confirmed by Western-blot and immunohistochemistry. In conclusions, BM-MSCs transplantation could improve cardiac function in swine MI model by activation of mTOR signal transduction pathway.

Hsp90, a molecular chaperone required for the functioning of glucocorticosteroid receptor (GR), ensures, by direct interaction, the conformational competence of the steroid-binding pocket. In addition to having this positive function, Hsp90 maintains steroid receptors in an inactive form in the absence of hormone. However, neither the participation of Hsp90 once the pathway has been activated by the ligand nor the importance of increased Hsp90 levels in determining the amplitude of the response has ever been assessed directly. Here, by increasing the Hsp90͞GR ratio in the nuclear compartment, we found an attenuation of the response to glucocorticosteroids that was not due to a nonspecific or toxic effect of the Hsp90 modified by nuclear targeting. Since this negative effect was more pronounced at high levels of hormone, when receptor and Hsp90 are maximally dissociated, the possibility of an interaction between Hsp90 and GR, already activated to a DNA-binding form, was directly investigated. Indeed GR, after in vivo activation by ligand, was still able to reassociate with Hsp90, suggesting that this interaction plays a role in vivo, possibly in receptor recycling. Moreover, the GR binding to its DNA response element was inhibited by an excess of Hsp90, pointing to a function of Hsp90 in the nuclear compartment. It is thus proposed that an increased Hsp90͞GR ratio inf luences the responsiveness to ligand at a step that is after receptor activation. This increased ratio may be of pathophysiological relevance in the different circumstances that lead to an elevated level of nuclear Hsp90.