Junwei Yang

TL;DR: It is reported that secreted miRNAs can serve as signaling molecules mediating intercellular communication and demonstrate that cells can secrete miRNA and deliver them into recipient cells where the exogenous mi RNAs can regulate target gene expression and recipient cell function.

TL;DR: Results indicate that tubular epithelial to myofibroblast transition is an orchestrated, highly regulated process involving four key steps including: 1) loss of epithelial cell adhesion, 2) de novo alpha-smooth muscle actin expression and actin reorganization, 3) disruption of tubular basement membrane, and 4) enhanced cell migration and invasion.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that integrin-linked kinase (ILK) plays an important role in mediating tubular EMT induced by TGF-β1, and likely plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of chronic renal fibrosis.

TL;DR: The results suggest that tubular epithelial to myofibroblast conversion may play an important role in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis and that blocking this phenotypic transition could provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of fibrotic diseases.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that ablation of tPA attenuated renal interstitial fibrotic lesions in obstructive nephropathy and established a crucial and definite importance of EMT in the pathogenesis of renal interinterstitial fibrosis at the whole-animal level.