INTRODUCTION A protein analysis using a mass spectrometry indicated that there are serum proteins showing significant quantitative changes after the administration of infliximab. Among them, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) seems to be related to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate how CTGF is associated with the disease progre...

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and the mdx mouse model, the absence of the cytoskeletal protein dystrophin causes defective anchoring of myofibres to the basal lamina. The resultant myofibre degeneration and necrosis lead to a progressive loss of muscle mass, increased fibrosis and ultimately fatal weakness. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN-2) is critically involved in several ch...

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is felt to be one of the key profibrotic factors and is a downstream effector molecule mediating the action of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, a cytokine known to induce severe and progressive fibrosis. However, the in vivo fibrogenic effect of isolated CTGF expression is not well described. We used adenoviral gene transfer to transiently overexpre...

BACKGROUND Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is characterized by dysregulated extracellular matrix. Little is known about the alterations of collagen and stimulators of collagen synthesis, eg, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), in patients with TAD. In this study, we examined their roles in TAD. METHODS AND RESULTS Surgical specimens of the aortic wall of TAD patients (n=10) and controls ...

OBJECTIVE Angiotensin II is recognized as one of the major mediators of cardiovascular pathology. Because connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is involved in the pathophysiologic processes underlying fibrotic diseases, its regulation by angiotensin II was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS In the 2-kidney, 1-clip model of renovascular hypertension, increased expression of CTGF was detectable...

BACKGROUND Aldosterone contributes substantially to cardiac and renal injury by acting on target cells not involved in the regulation of salt and water balance. The profibrotic protein connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) has been identified as one of the target proteins of aldosterone. However, the molecular mechanisms of aldosterone-mediated CTGF induction have not been characterized. MET...

Several lines of evidence indicate that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) stimulates chondrocyte proliferation and maturation. Given the fact that SOX9 is essential for several steps of the chondrocyte differentiation pathway, we asked whether Ctgf (Ccn2) is the direct target gene of SOX9. We found that Ctgf mRNA was down-regulated in primary sternal chondrocytes from Sox9(flox/flox) ...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS Topical application of CTGF/CCN2 to rodent diabetic and control wounds was examined. In parallel research, correlation of CTGF wound fluid levels with healing rate in human diabetic foot ulcers was undertaken. METHODS Full thickness cutaneous wounds in diabetic and nondiabetic control rats were treated topically with 1 μg rhCTGF or vehicle alone, on 2 consecutive days. Wound h...

AIM To investigate the mechanisms involved in a possible modulator role of interleukin (IL)-6 signalling on CYR61-CTGF-NOV (CCN) 2/connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression in hepatocytes (PC) and to look for a relation between serum concentrations of these two parameters in patients with acute inflammation. METHODS Expression of CCN2/CTGF, p-STAT3, p-Smad3/1 and p-Smad2 was examined ...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to explore the role of miR-199a-5p in the development of thyroid cancer, including its anti-proliferation effect and downstream signaling pathway. MATERIAL AND METHODS We conducted qRT-PCR analysis to detect the expressions of several microRNAs in 42 follicular thyroid carcinoma patients and 42 controls. We identified CTGF as target of miR-491, and via...