Transcription factor-based cellular reprogramming has opened the way to converting somatic cells to a pluripotent state, but has faced limitations resulting from the requirement for transcription factors and the relative inefficiency of the process. We show here that expression of the miR302/367 cluster rapidly and efficiently reprograms mouse and human somatic cells to an iPSC state without a ...

PURPOSE The ocular surface, composed of the conjunctiva and the cornea, is essential for vision. Its integrity depends on numerous molecular and cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, adhesion, and extracellular matrix homeostasis, whose deregulation can induce ophthalmological pathologies. The Krüppel-like transcription factors (KLFs) family is made up of 15 C2H2...

Cellular function phenotype is regulated by various microRNAs (miRs), including miR-135a. However, how miR-135a is involved in the calcification in senescent vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is not clear yet. In the present study, we first identified the significantly altered miRNAs in VSMCs, then performed consecutive passage culture of VSMCs and analyzed the expression of miR- 135a and ca...

BACKGROUND Given the usefulness of rats as an experimental system, an efficient method for generating rat induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells would provide researchers with a powerful tool for studying human physiology and disease. Here, we report direct reprogramming of rat neural precursor (NP) cells and rat embryonic fibroblasts (REF) into iPS cells by retroviral transduction using either t...

Hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease is highly associated with vascular calcification. Previous studies have shown that high phosphate-induced phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) into osteogenic cells plays an important role in the calcification process. In the present study, we determined whether Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf4) and phosphorylated Elk-1, transcriptio...

BACKGROUND To identify whether a stem cell biomarker, KLF4, may predict the pathologic tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced breast cancer. METHODS Twelve locally advanced breast cancer patients who achieved pathologic complete remission (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were identified and for each, three non-pCR breast cancer patients - matched for...

Metastasis is the major cause of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC), and increasing evidence supports the contribution of miRNAs to cancer progression. Here, we found that high expression of miR-103 and miR-107 (miR-103/107) was associated with metastasis potential of CRC cell lines and poor prognosis in patients with CRC. We showed that miR-103/107 targeted the known metastasis suppress...

Micheliolide (MCL) is a promising novel compound with broad-spectrum anticancer activity. However, little is known regarding its action and mechanism in breast cancer. To explore the potential therapeutic application of MCL as a chemosensitivity modulator, this study investigated the effects of MCL on cisplatin sensitivity in breast cancer and the underlying mechanisms. In the 3-(4,5-dimethylth...

Metastasis is themajor cause of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC), and increasing evidence supports the contribution ofmiRNAs to cancer progression. Here, we found that high expression ofmiR-103 andmiR-107 (miR-103/107) was associated with metastasis potential of CRC cell lines and poor prognosis in patients with CRC. We showed that miR-103/107 targeted the known metastasis suppressors ...