2016
Tenascin-C drives persistence of organ fibrosis
Bhattacharyya S, Wang W, Morales-Nebreda L, Feng G, Wu M, Zhou X, Lafyatis R, Lee J, Hinchcliff M, Feghali-Bostwick C, Lakota K, Budinger GR, Raparia K, Tamaki Z, Varga J. Tenascin-C drives persistence of organ fibrosis. Nature Communications 2016, 7: 11703. PMID: 27256716, PMCID: PMC4895803, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11703.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSystemic sclerosisToll-like receptorsOrgan fibrosisFibrosis resolutionPathogenesis of SScTreatment of SScLevels of tenascinEndogenous danger signalsSSc skin biopsy samplesSkin biopsy samplesMechanism of actionLung fibrosisPathogenic roleTLR activatorsMouse modelBiopsy samplesFibroblast activationDanger signalsMyofibroblast transformationFibrosisSSc fibroblastsCollagen gene expressionSkin fibroblastsAmplification loopTenascin
2007
Connective tissue growth factor/CCN2-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts retain intact transforming growth factor-β responsiveness
Mori Y, Hinchcliff M, Wu M, Warner-Blankenship M, Lyons K, Varga J. Connective tissue growth factor/CCN2-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts retain intact transforming growth factor-β responsiveness. Experimental Cell Research 2007, 314: 1094-1104. PMID: 18201696, PMCID: PMC3963386, DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.12.010.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAnimalsCell DifferentiationCell ProliferationCells, CulturedCollagenCollagen Type IConnective Tissue Growth FactorEmbryo, MammalianExtracellular MatrixFibroblastsFibrosisGene ExpressionImmediate-Early ProteinsIntercellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsMiceSignal TransductionSmad ProteinsTransforming Growth Factor betaConceptsEmbryonic fibroblastsSmad-dependent transcriptional responsesTGF-beta signal transductionMatricellular protein connective tissue growth factorMurine embryonic fibroblastsMouse embryonic fibroblastsProtein connective tissue growth factorWild-type MEFsTransient transfection assaysMyofibroblast transdifferentiationCCN2 expressionRegulation of proliferationCorresponding protein levelsCCN2 functionsCollagen gene expressionTranscriptional responseRT-PCR analysisLoss of CCN2Signal transductionEndogenous CCN2Transfection assaysExtracellular matrix synthesisMouse embryosGene expressionWild type