Smoothelin

About: Smoothelin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 264 publications have been published within this topic receiving 14069 citations.

Pathological features of classical polyarteritis nodosa: Analysis of 19 autopsy cases

Abstract: Classical polyarteritis nodosa (cPN) is a rare autoimmune disease featuring systemic inflammation of middle- and small-sized arteries. Because most of autopsy cases underwent clinical treatment, arterial fibrinoid necrosis, which is the most specific finding of cPN, is often obscure. The aim of this study was to seek morphological characteristics of the middle-sized arteries in autopsy cases of cPN, and to identify immunohistochemical markers for the diagnosis of cPN. Nineteen patients who had undergone autopsy with a diagnosis of cPN were enrolled. Twenty-one autopsy cases without cPN were examined as control group. Arterial fibrinoid necrosis in medium-sized arteries was observed in 8/19 autopsy cases. Elastica van Gieson staining showed an increased number of elastic fiber layers (P<0.0001) and greater distances between elastic fiber layers (P<0.0001) in the renal middle-sized arteries of the cPN group. These findings probably reflected the post-inflammatory remodeling process after necrotizing vasculitis. On immunohistochemical examination, the cPN group showed high matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α expressions and decreased smoothelin expression in the vascular wall compared to the control group. When uncertain or atypical autopsy cases of cPN are examined, these findings can help to make the pathological diagnosis of cPN.

External vibration enhances macromolecular crowding for construction of aligned three-dimensional collagen fibril scaffolds

Abstract: There are many techniques for preparing two-dimensional aligned fibril matrices. However, the critical problem associated with these techniques is the destruction of the native structure (e.g., the α-helix) of the proteins. Moreover, most of these techniques cannot create a three-dimensional (3D), aligned reconstituted collagen fibril matrix in one step. In this study, we used a simple device composed of a pneumatic membrane that generates a tunable vibration frequency to apply physical stimulation to fabricate a 3D, aligned collagen fibril matrix with the characteristic D-period structure of collagen in one step. Using second harmonic images, we demonstrated that the aligned, reconstituted collagen fibrils preserve the native collagen D-period structure. The average angular deviation of fibril alignment was reduced to 25.01 ± 4.2° compared with the 39.7 ± 2.19° of alignment observed for the randomly distributed fibril matrix. In addition, the ultimate tensile strength of the aligned matrix when force was applied in the direction parallel to the fiber orientation was higher than that of the randomly oriented matrix. The aligned reconstituted collagen fibril matrix also enhanced the expression of smoothelin (a specific marker of contractile phenotype) of thoracic aortic smooth muscle cell (A7r5) relative to the randomly distributed collagen fibril matrix.

Immunohistochemical differentiation between muscularis mucosae and muscularis propria for improving the staging of bladder cancer in patients undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumours

Abstract: Microscopic differentiation between muscularis mucosae (MM) and muscularis propria (MP) of the bladder in the material obtained during transurethral resection (TUR) remains difficult. The study was aimed at determination of the usefulness of immunohistochemical staining in this context. Forty-seven TUR specimens were stained with 5 mouse anti-human antibodies: anti-desmin, anti-filamin, anti-type IV collagen, anti-smoothelin, and anti-vimentin. Slides were assessed under light microscopy and the intensity of the immune reaction within MM and MP was evaluated on a four-level visual scale as follows: negative (0) and weakly (1), moderately (2), or strongly (3) positive. MM was identified in 27 patients (57.4%). The modal values of reaction intensity in MM and MP was 0 and 2 for desmin (p > 0.05), 2 and 2 for filamin (p = 0.01), 2 and 2 for type IV collagen (p > 0.05), 1 and 2 for smoothelin (p = 0.03), and 2 and 0 for vimentin (p = 0.02), respectively. Identical intensity within MM and MP was observed in 7.1%, 28.6%, 20%, 30.1%, 5.6%, respectively. Immunohistochemistry can help differentiate between MM and MP in TUR specimens. As of yet, no single marker can reliably differentiate between MM and MP; however, a combination of anti-filamin, anti-smoothelin, and anti-vimentin antibodies may be reasonable for diagnostic purposes.

Differentiation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells towards vascular smooth muscle cells on modified poly(L-lactide) foils.

Abstract: The aim of our research was to study the behaviour of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) on variously modified poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) foils, namely on pristine PLLA, plasma-treated PLLA, PLLA grafted with polyethylene glycol (PEG), PLLA grafted with dextran (Dex), and the tissue culture polystyrene (PS) control. On these materials, the ADSCs were biochemically differentiated towards VSMCs by a medium supplemented with TGFβ1, BMP4 and ascorbic acid (i.e. differentiation medium). ADSCs cultured in a non-differentiation medium were used as a negative control. Mature VSMCs cultured in both types of medium were used as a positive control. The impact of the variously modified PLLA foils and/or differences in the composition of the medium were studied with reference to cell adhesion, growth and differentiation. We observed similar adhesion and growth of ADSCs on all PLLA samples when they were cultured in the non-differentiation medium. The differentiation medium supported the expression of specific early, mid-term and/or late markers of differentiation (i.e. type I collagen, αSMA, calponin, smoothelin, and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain) in ADSCs on all tested samples. Moreover, ADSCs cultured in the differentiation medium revealed significant differences in cell growth among the samples that were similar to the differences observed in the cultures of VSMCs. The round morphology of the VSMCs indicated worse adhesion to pristine PLLA, and this sample was also characterized by the lowest cell proliferation. Culturing VSMCs in the differentiation medium inhibited their metabolic activity and reduced the cell numbers. Both cell types formed the most stable monolayer on plasma-treated PLLA and on the PS control. The behaviour of ADSCs and VSMCs on the tested PLLA foils differed according to the specific cell type and culture conditions. The suitable biocompatibility of both cell types on the tested PLLA foils seems to be favourable for vascular tissue engineering purposes.

Effect of Oxidative Stress on the Expression of Thin Filament-Associated Proteins in Gastric Smooth Muscle Cells

Abstract: Thin filament-associated proteins such as calponin, caldesmon, and smoothelin are believed to regulate acto-myosin interaction and thus, muscle contraction. Oxidative stress has been found to affect the normal contractile behavior of smooth muscle and is involved in the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. However, very little is known about the effect of oxidative stress on the expression of smooth muscle contractile proteins. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of oxidative stress on the expression of thin filament-associated proteins in rat gastric smooth muscle. Single smooth muscle cells of the stomach obtained from Sprague–Dawley rats were used. Muscle cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (500 μM) for 30 min or the peroxynitrite donor 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) (1 mM) for 90 min to induce oxidative stress. Calponin, caldesmon, and smoothelin expressions were measured via specifically designed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that exposure to exogenous H2O2 or incubation of dispersed gastric muscle cells with SIN-1 significantly increased the expression of calponin, caldesmon, and smoothelin proteins. In conclusion: oxidative stress increases the expression of thin filament-associated proteins in gastric smooth muscle, suggesting an important role in gastrointestinal motility disorders associated with oxidative stress.