巨噬细胞功能M1/M2极性化在心血管疾病中的研究进展

巨噬细胞是先天免疫系统的主要细胞,具有可塑性和异质性,在机体的免疫应答、组织稳态、重塑等多方面发挥重要功能。根据功能极性可分为M1(促炎)和M2(抗炎)2个亚型。M1/M2巨噬细胞在响应局部微环境的刺激反应过程中,通过改变其功能极化,获得特定的功能表型并分泌不同的细胞因子。巨噬细胞通过改变代谢重编程以适应其功能变化。M2巨噬细胞以氧化磷酸化和脂肪酸为能量代谢的主要方式,而M1巨噬细胞为无氧糖酵解。目前研究发现在心血管疾病中,巨噬细胞可能通过其功能极性变化引起巨噬细胞激活、组织浸润、释放促炎性细胞因子而参与心血管疾病的发生。本文对巨噬细胞功能极化、代谢重编程在心血管疾病中的作用进行综述。     

Lymphatic endothelial cell identity is reversible and its maintenance requires Prox1 activity

The activity of the homeobox gene Prox1 is necessary and sufficient for venous blood endothelial cells (BECs) to acquire a lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) fate. We determined that the differentiated LEC phenotype is a plastic, reprogrammable condition that depends on constant Prox1 activity for its maintenance. We show that conditional down-regulation of Prox1 during embryonic, postnatal, or adult stages is sufficient to reprogram LECs into BECs. Consequently, the identity of the mutant lymphatic vessels is also partially reprogrammed as they acquire some features typical of the blood vasculature. siRNA-mediated down-regulation of Prox1 in LECs in culture demonstrates that reprogramming of LECs into BECs is a Prox1-dependent, cell-autonomous process. We propose that Prox1 acts as a binary switch that suppresses BEC identity and promotes and maintains LEC identity; switching off Prox1 activity is sufficient to initiate a reprogramming cascade leading to the dedifferentiation of LECs into BECs. Therefore, LECs are one of the few differentiated cell types that require constant expression of a certain gene to maintain their phenotypic identity.     

Long-term activation of the innate immune system in atherosclerosis

Efforts to reverse the pathologic consequences of vulnerable plaques are often stymied by the complex treatment resistant pro-inflammatory environment within the plaque. This suggests that pro-atherogenic stimuli, such as LDL cholesterol and high fat diets may impart longer lived signals on (innate) immune cells that persist even after reversing the pro-atherogenic stimuli. Recently, a series of studies challenged the traditional immunological paradigm that innate immune cells cannot display memory characteristics. Epigenetic reprogramming in these myeloid cell subsets, after exposure to certain stimuli, has been shown to alter the expression of genes upon re-exposure. This phenomenon has been termed trained innate immunity or innate immune memory. The changed responses of ‘trained’ innate immune cells can confer nonspecific protection against secondary infections, suggesting that innate immune memory has likely evolved as an ancient mechanism to protect against pathogens. However, dysregulated processes of immunological imprinting mediated by trained innate immunity may also be detrimental under certain conditions as the resulting exaggerated immune responses could contribute to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Pro-atherogenic stimuli most likely cause epigenetic modifications that persist for prolonged time periods even after the initial stimulus has been removed. In this review we discuss the concept of trained innate immunity in the context of a hyperlipidemic environment and atherosclerosis. According to this idea the epigenome of myeloid (progenitor) cells is presumably modified for prolonged periods of time, which, in turn, could evoke a condition of continuous immune cell over-activation.     

Long-Term Correction of Diabetes in Mice by In Vivo Reprogramming of Pancreatic Ducts

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卵母细胞发育和受精中的重编程及对雄原核重编程的影响

哺乳动物发育过程中细胞的重编程是当前细胞生物学、转化医学等领域研究的热点之一,因其在体细胞核移植、诱导多能干细胞及再生医学中的应用前景引起了广泛关注。表观遗传学修饰是重编程的主要内容,包括DNA甲基化、组蛋白翻译后修饰、基因组印迹、非编码RNA调控等,这些均可通过不同的机制调控基因组的表达。如卵母细胞发育与成熟过程伴随着基因组的从头甲基化、减数分裂相关基因的去甲基化和组蛋白翻译后的修饰等。此外,受精中,卵母细胞又与进入其中的雄原核发生相互作用,为雄原核基因组的去甲基化等过程提供重编程的环境。总结近年来关于卵母细胞发育和受精过程中重编程机制的研究进展及在胚胎发育中的意义,并探讨自然生殖状况下卵母细胞环境对外源性雄原核重编程的影响。     

Liver regeneration requires Yap1-TGFβ-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocytes

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Chromatin-to-nucleoprotamine transition is controlled by the histone H2B variant TH2B

The conversion of male germ cell chromatin to a nucleoprotamine structure is fundamental to the life cycle, yet the underlying molecular details remain obscure. Here we show that an essential step is the genome-wide incorporation of TH2B, a histone H2B variant of hitherto unknown function. Using mouse models in which TH2B is depleted or C-terminally modified, we show that TH2B directs the final transformation of dissociating nucleosomes into protamine-packed structures. Depletion of TH2B induces compensatory mechanisms that permit histone removal by up-regulating H2B and programming nucleosome instability through targeted histone modifications, including lysine crotonylation and arginine methylation. Furthermore, after fertilization, TH2B reassembles onto the male genome during protamine-to-histone exchange. Thus, TH2B is a unique histone variant that plays a key role in the histone-to-protamine packing of the male genome and guides genome-wide chromatin transitions that both precede and follow transmission of the male genome to the egg.