There is growing evidence that microRNAs are important regulators of gene expression in a variety of cell types. Using immortalized cell lines and primary neural crest cell explants, we show that microRNA-211, previously implicated in the regulation of melanoma proliferation and invasiveness, promotes pigmentation in melanoblasts and melanocytes. Expression of this microRNA is regulated by the key melanocyte transcription factor MITF and regulates pigmentation by targeting the TGF-β receptor 2. Transfection with pre-miR-211 precursor molecules in melb-a and melan-a cells leads to a decrease in the expression of TGF-β receptor 2 and reduces the TGF-β signaling-mediated downregulation of two melanogenic enzymes, tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1. Conversely, downregulation of microRNA-211 using specific microRNA inhibitors has the opposite effects. It appears, therefore, that microRNA-211 serves as a negative regulator of TGF-β signaling which is known to play a important roles in vivo in melanocyte stem cell maintenance and pigmentation.
Nanoscale small extracellular vesicles (sEVs, exosomes)
in tears
allow us to investigate the multisignatures of diseases. However,
the translations of tear sEVs for biomarker discovery and clinical
diagnostics are practically limited by low recovery, long processing
time, and small sample volume. Here, we report an incorporated tear-exosomes
analysis via rapid-isolation system (iTEARS) via nanotechnology to discover the secrets of ocular disorders
and systemic diseases. We isolate exosomes rapidly with high yield
and purity from a few teardrops (∼10 μL) within 5 min via nanoporous membrane-based resonators for the quantitative
detection and biomarker discovery through proteomic and transcriptomic
analysis. We have identified 904 proteins, among which 228 proteins
are discovered, 426 proteins are detected from exosomes of dry eye
disease, and demonstrate CALML5, KRT6A, and S100P for the classification
of dry eye disease. We have also investigated 484 miRNAs in tear exosomes
and show miR-145-5p, miR-214-3p, miR-218-5p, and miR-9-5p are dysregulated
during diabetic retinopathy development. We believe iTEARS can be
used for improving molecular diagnostics via tears
to identify ocular disorders, systemic diseases, and numerous other
neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
Uveitis, the pathologic condition of inflammation of the uvea, frequently leads to severe vision loss and blindness. S100A8 is a calcium-binding protein which mainly expresses in granulocytes and monocytes and plays a prominent role in the regulation of inflammatory processes and immune response. Here, we determined the role of S100A8-positive cells in acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and keratitis. In rat models of endotoxin (lipopolisaccharide, LPS) -induced uveitis (EIU) and keratitis, S100A8-positive granulocytes and monocytes increased significantly in the iris-ciliary body and cornea as well as in the blood. Interestingly, Glucocorticoids slightly increased S100A8 levels in leukocytes, but reduced its presence significantly in the iris-ciliary body after LPS injection. Moreover, inhibition of NF-kB activation remarkably suppressed both progression of AAU and total S100A8 levels in leukocytes and the iris-ciliary body after LPS administration. Additionally, S100A8 protein level was also found to be elevated in the serum of AAU patients parallel with the progression of AAU through the designated clinical stages. Thus, S100A8 plays a pivotal role in the processes of AAU through involvement in migration and infiltration of S100A8-positive cells. Our findings suggest that serum levels of S100A8 protein can be used to monitor inflammatory activity in AAU.
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a worldwide malignancy with high mortality rates and poor prognosis due to the lack of effective biomarkers for early detection. Exosomes have been extensively...
The aim of the study was to measure the diagnostic values of biomarkers of bacterial infection in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) patients. The serum and clinical data of 82 IIM patients with/without bacterial infection were collected. Concentrations of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (sTREM-1), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in IIM patients and healthy controls. There were no significant differences in serum suPAR and sTREM-1 levels between healthy controls and non-infection IIM patients. Serum levels of suPAR, sTREM-1, PCT and CRP measured in this study were significantly higher in the IIM patient group with concurrent infection than in the non-infection IIM patient group (p < 0.05). The biomarker suPAR showed the highest diagnostic value with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 81.6, 77.3, 75.6 and 82.9%, respectively. Combining suPAR negative and CRP negative to rule out bacterial infection in IIM patients provides a very high specificity of 97.4%. Both suPAR and CRP positive to confirm bacterial infection give the specificity of 90.9%. The inflammatory biomarkers suPAR, sTREM-1, PCT and CRP offer diagnostic accuracy in detecting bacterial infection in IIM patients. Particularly, suPAR is the most sensitive and specific biomarker to predict bacterial infection in IIM patients. Combination of suPAR and CRP serum levels provides an even better confirmation of bacterial infection.
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